I’m with you, @PrincipalTinker. Planning a good WDW vacation requires a great deal of advanced planning, and many people invest a lot of time making decisions based on the system in place and the way the rules are currently interpreted. It’s frustrating that Disney has vague policies for so many things, leaving them open to interpretation and leaving guests relying on third party sites to understand how things work. And then Disney can change the rules and mess up everyone’s plans!
That’s not even getting into how CM sometimes even go against the few rules that are clearly published, like the rule that you don’t need to be too short to use RS, you can use it if someone in your party just doesn’t want to ride.
But as long as the parks are filled and we’re all willing to pony up, they probably don’t have much incentive to change. I’m as guilty as the next - I’m planning another trip right now even though I find the way WDW works to be very frustrating!
To me the astonishing thing is that WDW has gone so long with completely (more or less) free FastPasses for all guests. Every other amusement/theme park has figured out that there is money to be made selling access. The only thing deterring Disney is the potential of undermining the experience for a budget-conscious patron…but it’s not clear if selling a bunch of FP’s would even do that in a significant way.
I agree. I also don’t know why they don’t leverage access to fill up their rooms. They still have room discounts and free dining (luckily!!). It’s odd how they discount on the one hand, and jack up prices on the other.
But I think their long-term game is an expensive closed shop, like a giant Beaches Resort. Except for Florida residents, they (literally) get a pass.
As a retiree I and my wife enjoy the FPP to get to the rides we want and then pretty much leave. If they should requite extra payment for FPP and limit the amount of time you have to obtain them when you are staying on propriety, I guess that would do it for us. Now I notice a lot of responses to this subject and that is good. If you don’t think Disney watches these sites you are kidding yourself. Giving your opinion will send a message to the powers that be in the Disney Corporation. If many express a negative feeling toward these changes taking place, Disney MAY think twice before enplamenting these new procedures. Just saying!
I’m super depressed about SWGE, because I have been to WDW 2 times - once in my 20s and once in my 40s (with my son who was 9 at the time). I am planning a trip for October with my son (who would be 17), and I was planning a “do it right, because we may never get to go back” trip, because once you’re locked in to spending several thousand dollars, you might as well spend another thousand, so you’re able to really enjoy it. But this rumor has me considering looking into spending that money on a totally different type of trip. SWGE already made this trip more expensive (because I was thinking of booking more than just one or two) of the breakfast morning hours, and with SWGE, I was thinking I might need to book more. I’ll keep my reservation for a while longer before I decide, but I might even cancel it due to SWGE.
Honestly I would welcome paid FPP. I totally understand it would be an unpopular change for those with good or regular access to the park, however I can see the business side of accomodating guests who will pay more to experience the parks efficiently. For us, flying internationally for a once in a lifetime trip I’m annoyed I likely can’t do EMM in toy story due to SWGE and I’d gladly pay to make the most of the trip.
All holidays are a cost:time:benefit proposition anyway. It is an expensive holiday destination however you do it and it’s becoming untenabley complicated for casual or one time visitors. I’ve been all around the world and never had to research any trip like this one. I would gladly offer up money to level the playing field with regular guests a little.
I’m not hyped up about this rumor at this point, but to put the opposition out there in case Disney is reading. I disagree with it entirely. Free FP is what one of the practices that makes Disney different from other amusement parks. If I wanted to go to a amusement park with industry standards, I would just go to my local amusement park and not fly to Florida.
I 100% concur.
We’ve been branching out since 2009 and completely cancelled WDW in 2014 d/t FPP. This would be my last straw. I’m already employing every trick i can feasibly afford to just try to ride each ride once. We managed 2016 with more tricks than i care to remember. If they make it any harder it will make it that much easier to say good bye forever. I can visit quite a few real-life places more cheaply than the Disney-fied versions already.
This topic is clearly very polarizing. There are so many ways WDW could go with this.
I have multiple non-WDW fanatic friends who have recently gone to WDW with their families and when they got back, they asked me if I knew why WDW doesn’t sell additional FPs. To these people (the types that will probably go to WDW no more than once every 5 years), it seems like WDW was missing a no-brainer money maker that they would have been more than willing too shell out for. That tells me something.
I think a decent percentage of WDW fanatics who go once every couple years (or more) will be bothered by WDW charging for FPs, but the very occasionally or once in a lifetime visitor will most likely not be bothered by it or see it as a plus.
As noted by an earlier poster, most other parks (including Universal) charge for the equivalent of FP. People don’t seem to be upset about Universal charging for Express Pass (I get there is an exception for their 3 deluxe resorts) so why are people so upset about the possibility of WDW charging for FP?
In any event, my pure speculation based on zero insider information is that (a) the current CLFP type plan will be expanded to other on-site hotels with a substantial increase in price and (b) guests staying off-site will be charged for FP (with perhaps a limited number of free FPs given to each AP holder).
That (a) gives guests a big incentive to stay on-site, (b) allows WDW to collect additional review from off-site guests, and (b) allows WDW to get big dollars from the few on-site guests who are willing to pay a large premium for extra FPs.
Interesting that you and @Jocelynaus think people who don’t go often will be fine with this change.
I don’t go often. I’ve had 4 trips since 1992, because I can’t afford to go often. Paid FPs will mean I go even less often. I personally don’t see an upside.
I just shared this with DH. We’ve been going to WDW together since we got married 1997. I do the planning, but he sees the credit card statements.
While it’s fine and all to have your “FOTL” or “Q-to-Q” or whatever you call your skip the line pass… and it’s all good to have add-ons… Disney turning it into a complete a la carte experience BUT having the base ticket increase exponentially as well is just too much.
Disney has proven they don’t need (or care very much?) about the repeat visitors.
I am already nearly priced out of visiting with just myself, DH, and DD7.
Any additional costs will make it impossible.
I’m hoping DD7 likes Universal, because this may be it for Disney. We are only going to AK and MK on this short trip, and I am beginning to wish we scheduled it for longer.
I am in Chicago. My room was booked in January for early June (so my 90 day checkout is this week). I don’t intend on paying for FP, but it’s still annoying that I wasn’t contacted at all about anything. What if I needed help & didn’t know any better?
I know, that seems odd. They will help with ADRs and extras as well, so it is disappointing that they haven’t contacted you. Do you want their e mail address for future reference?
They used to care about repeat visitors, to fill the parks between holidays and summer. It seems that more recently (certainly since we were last there 6 years ago) they’ve engineered so many new events to fill up the parks that I can’t keep track of them all.
Then they started tinkering with the way they staff attractions to hold down costs. It seems like a contradiction- they should be making more money than ever, but they’re not. Their stock has not done well in the past few years- it used to be in my top 15 holdings now it’s nowhere near it which means the managers in my mutual funds have been dumping it. Among other things, I’d don’t think their huge Star Wars investment (4 BILLION dollars) has paid off like they thought it would- not so far.
It may not make a lot of sense to use but I think they’re broke. A quick glance shows their stock price has stagnated since 2015, unlike almost every other big company out there. That’s not good, not good at all.
