Changes to the FASTPASS System?

[lovedisprinces]

FPs as they are now are as they should be. I like hte idea of leaving it where you ahve to go to the attraction to get the pass you want becuase then you are forced to look and see how long the line is at that point to see if it is worth it and because then you wont have people just getting for the best ones and not planning. I also dislike the idea of having anybody pay for them becuase it defeats some of the purpose. Its something that is available to everybody who cares to get them. Everybody else has some sort of perk for somethinga ssociated witht eh world ie, resort members with EMH or the advantages of getting first shows to AP.

[disneydarling]

Re-thining my kiosk idea - maybe have them throughout the park (to avoid one long line for FP) - They could have touch screens which would show wait times so you could decide what to ride and what to fast pass. The main idea is that if you are standing outside splash and want a fast pass for SM you don't have to walk to SM obtain the fast pass, wlak back to SM to wait in a standby line and then back to SM (I'me tired just typing it!)

[mritty]

I'm with pretty much everyone here - I don't like the idea of charging for FP or resort guests getting better FPs than day guests.

May I simply suggest that everyone who feels this way take a few minutes to send a (polite, respectful) email to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com? No offense to Lou, but I'm not convinced the Decision Makers in WDW frequent these forums. :-)

[tizzo]

I'm with pretty much everyone here - I don't like the idea of charging for FP or resort guests getting better FPs than day guests.

May I simply suggest that everyone who feels this way take a few minutes to send a (polite, respectful) email to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com? No offense to Lou, but I'm not convinced the Decision Makers in WDW frequent these forums. :-)

While I suppose this couldn't hurt, it might be premature. I've heard a lot of stuff lately about FP, but almost all of it has been rumor. The only thing I've heard that claimed to be derived even second or third hand from a cast member was something Lou mentioned on the show about allowing two FPs at once. All the other stuff, about charging for FPs, or tiered schemes based on resort level, has been pure speculation. I haven't seen a single one of these rumors even claiming to be backed up in any way by official or unofficial "off the record" information.

If people were spreading rumors to the effect that you were planning on doing something, even though you weren't planning on doing it, would you want a flood of emails from people warning you not to do it? I don't think so. But you would want to know about it, which is why I think it's good that we're discussing this here in cyberspace. I have very little doubt that that Disney staff are monitoring these and other online Disney enthusiast communities. Companies pay big bucks for just the kind of feedback we all willingly give here for free. It would be stupid not to tap that resource, and Disney is not a stupid company. Even if they aren't monitoring us as lurkers, there are cast members here openly participating in the dialog. If there is something being said here that Disney needs to know about, then I think they will know about it.

If anyone does decided to write them, I'd recommend being respectful rather than indignant. Something like "I know you haven't announced any plans yet, but the internet community is abuzz with speculation on the nature of upcoming changes to the FP system. Many of us are naturally concerned about the possibility that Disney could make some of the same mistakes as it's competitors down the road, such as charging a fee for FPs, giving preferential treatment to certain guests, or in any other way jeopardizing the equality of FP availability. If any such plans are in the works, I would like to respectfully request that Disney consider (and possibly solicit) the opinions of the sizable community of its fans out there before making such a move. Thank you."

In other words, no angry, virtual-fist-pounding, "How dare you even CONSIDER such a thing!" type messages.

My $0.02. (I think that makes $0.04 from me for this thread.)

[disneydarling]

While I suppose this couldn't hurt, it might be premature. I've heard a lot of stuff lately about FP, but almost all of it has been rumor. The only thing I've heard that claimed to be derived even second or third hand from a cast member was something Lou mentioned on the show about allowing two FPs at once. All the other stuff, about charging for FPs, or tiered schemes based on resort level, has been pure speculation. I haven't seen a single one of these rumors even claiming to be backed up in any way by official or unofficial "off the record" information.

If people were spreading rumors to the effect that you were planning on doing something, even though you weren't planning on doing it, would you want a flood of emails from people warning you not to do it? I don't think so. But you would want to know about it, which is why I think it's good that we're discussing this here in cyberspace. I have very little doubt that that Disney staff are monitoring these and other online Disney enthusiast communities. Companies pay big bucks for just the kind of feedback we all willingly give here for free. It would be stupid not to tap that resource, and Disney is not a stupid company. Even if they aren't monitoring us as lurkers, there are cast members here openly participating in the dialog. If there is something being said here that Disney needs to know about, then I think they will know about it.

If anyone does decided to write them, I'd recommend being respectful rather than indignant. Something like "I know you haven't announced any plans yet, but the internet community is abuzz with speculation on the nature of upcoming changes to the FP system. Many of us are naturally concerned about the possibility that Disney could make some of the same mistakes as it's competitors down the road, such as charging a fee for FPs, giving preferential treatment to certain guests, or in any other way jeopardizing the equality of FP availability. If any such plans are in the works, I would like to respectfully request that Disney consider (and possibly solicit) the opinions of the sizable community of its fans out there before making such a move. Thank you."


In other words, no angry, virtual-fist-pounding, "How dare you even CONSIDER such a thing!" type messages.

My $0.02. (I think that makes $0.04 from me for this thread.)

Very well put..me thinks you write pretty

[tizzo]

Very well put..me thinks you write pretty

Thanks. I have, unfortunately, had plenty of experience dealing with companies that have wronged me in the past. I have therefore developed both an acute sense of the difference between one that has wronged me and one that hasn't (yet), and a flair for writing letters to try and influence them in my favor. Doesn't always work -- an unscrupulous company is an unscrupulous company. But I've learned that getting mad or getting even, while more satisfying in the short term, is no substitute for getting what you want.

The ironic thing is that I'm an engineer, and we're widely regarded as being barely literate, especially when it comes to writing.

[mritty]

While I suppose this couldn't hurt, it might be premature. I've heard a lot of stuff lately about FP, but almost all of it has been rumor. The only thing I've heard that claimed to be derived even second or third hand from a cast member was something Lou mentioned on the show about allowing two FPs at once. All the other stuff, about charging for FPs, or tiered schemes based on resort level, has been pure speculation. I haven't seen a single one of these rumors even claiming to be backed up in any way by official or unofficial "off the record" information.

Well, that's mostly true. The fact that they're doing SOMETHING is definitely true, because the FastPass machines at many attractions have been replaced/upgraded, the FastPass tickets themselves are in a different format, and they've been experimenting with "bonus" FastPasses at some attractions and "Family FastPasses" at others (like Kali River Rapids).

If anyone does decided to write them, I'd recommend being respectful rather than indignant. Something like "I know you haven't announced any plans yet, but the internet community is abuzz with speculation on the nature of upcoming changes to the FP system. Many of us are naturally concerned about the possibility that Disney could make some of the same mistakes as it's competitors down the road, such as charging a fee for FPs, giving preferential treatment to certain guests, or in any other way jeopardizing the equality of FP availability. If any such plans are in the works, I would like to respectfully request that Disney consider (and possibly solicit) the opinions of the sizable community of its fans out there before making such a move. Thank you."

Tizzo, your sample here looks so much like the one I just emailed to Disney, I'm half-tempted to ask you if you somehow cracked my email program. It's almost exactly what I wrote to them.

Paul Lalli

[tizzo]

Well, that's mostly true. The fact that they're doing SOMETHING is definitely true, because the FastPass machines at many attractions have been replaced/upgraded, the FastPass tickets themselves are in a different format, and they've been experimenting with "bonus" FastPasses at some attractions and "Family FastPasses" at others (like Kali River Rapids).

Can anyone who has seen one of these new machines give a description of them? Better yet, does anyone have any pictures of them? A lot of the speculation could simply be discarded if we saw what a new machine looks like. For example, if the new machines don't have screens at all, then anything involving the issuing of FPs for multiple attractions at one machine (or anything else that would require some kind of UI) could pretty much be ruled out.

Tizzo, your sample here looks so much like the one I just emailed to Disney, I'm half-tempted to ask you if you somehow cracked my email program. It's almost exactly what I wrote to them.

Paul Lalli

Great minds think alike!

Tony

[tizzo]

Well, that's mostly true. The fact that they're doing SOMETHING is definitely true, because the FastPass machines at many attractions have been replaced/upgraded, the FastPass tickets themselves are in a different format, and they've been experimenting with "bonus" FastPasses at some attractions and "Family FastPasses" at others (like Kali River Rapids).

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't think I personally would have a problem with either of these. My main concern is Disney doing something to effectively eliminate FPs for certain classes of guest, as Universal has done. "Bonus FPs", as long as they're numbers are limited and they are distributed randomly, would be fine.

What I'm against would be any move to give resort guests, DVC members, or AP holders like myself preferential access to FPs at the expense of other guests. Nothing from Disney that I'm aware of, either official or anecdotal, suggests that they're going to be doing anything like this. The introduction of new machines, depending on their capabilities, simply indicates that the upgraded system could be capable of this type of tiered service.

It's also worth noting that a lot of the worst things they could do probably could have been done without new machines. If they wanted to sell FPs in gift shops, or make them preferentially available to resort guests, they could simply reprogram the machines to give out fewer FPs per hour than they currently do, and keep supplies of them available for sale in shops and at concierge counters at resorts.

Anyhow, I'm glad you wrote Disney a reasonable, polite letter, and I hope they take it to heart. Like I said, it couldn't hurt. Let us know if they reveal anything when they respond!

Tony

[DisneyDreamer13]

here's a crazy idea, maybe the FP machines are just being replaced coz the existing ones are getting old, and nothing is gonna change with the way the passes are given out??

[mini-V]

here's a crazy idea, maybe the FP machines are just being replaced coz the existing ones are getting old, and nothing is gonna change with the way the passes are given out??

Fiona, you are so smart! I like the way you think.

[mritty]

here's a crazy idea, maybe the FP machines are just being replaced coz the existing ones are getting old, and nothing is gonna change with the way the passes are given out??

I agree, it's possible everyone's reacting to nothing. But the fact remains they are currently experimenting with new FastPass features (Family and Bonus FPs). That in and of itself is not in anyone's imagination. What is in everyone's imagination is what else they might have planned on the horizon.

Has anyone gotten any of the new "Family FastPasses" yet? I've heard of them being given out by both WDWRadio and WDWToday, but no one actually gave a description of what they are or how they work. Does one admission ticket somehow give you a Fastpass for unlimited people? Or do you insert everyone's ticket and then get a FastPass good for the number of people whose tickets were inserted? Or something else entirely?

[MissFlaversham]

I have to say - leave the FP as is. It works, it's simple, no long lines for FP tickets, no disparity based on $$$. Now that WDW is changing it's hotel prices, it's going to be even more expensive. After paying a lot of money just for entrance tickets (not to mention the priviledge to park hop), I don't think we should have to pay even more for a shorter line.

[MainStreet, USA]

The fastpass machines are in fact being upgraded, but from what I can tell so far, little has changed other than the size of the fastpass tickets are slightly larger and printed a little differently. Otherwise, I haven't noticed anything significant other than that.

The new tickets are the same size as your admission ticket, and printed on paper which seems to be almost as sturdy. There also appears to be what looks to be a barcode along two sides of it (don't know what that is for yet). The new tickets also state the requirements to ride directly on the ticket - for example, I'm looking at a new Space Mtn. FP right now, and it says "Riders must be at Least 44" (112cm) to experience Space Mountain." This part is stated directly following your FP return window. The only other change I can tell is that the date of the FP is printed larger at the bottom than on the old ones, possibly to make it easier to tell if someone is attempting to use an old FP. Otherwise... I see no change.

As for any changes they could make... my opinion is a simple one: "If it ain't broke..." You know the rest.

Oh yeah, and as a semi-relevent question on this topic... has anyone else ever receieved a "Suprise Fastpass"? I got one on 10/15/2006. It was strange... never got one before, and haven't since.

[lovedisprinces]

I think the idea of putting the date larger is smart. I have often considered if anyone would notice if i used an old FP that had already expired. One thing i do wonder about is since they are on a sturdier paper if it is more expensive or was it some sort of compensation to there being jams with the lighter paper(wich did happen a few times to me). I know movie theaters around here switched to a lighter paper because the sturdier kind was more expensive so i just wanted to see if anything like that was in play here