twolittletinkerbells
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2012
@Liljoe22 One could make an argument that Pop and the All Stars are your typical I4 motels.
The details of what OP is saying don't make much sense. Disney is aggressively building for DVC but DVC members wouldn't get FP even if they were at FP hotels. It would really deincentivize people to buy DVC which seems counter to Disney's current strategy.
Plus why would a timeshare resale site be privy to this level of info. If this was even talked about, it would be at the executive level only.
My point was not to open the parking debate, just to point out that is was bad press for them and they dealt with a lot of angry people calling. It would be a lot worse if they were to get rid of all included FPs.
It wouldn't bother me if Disney charged for FP. It would likely significantly lower the wait times.
It's no secret that the introduction of FP+ made nearly every rides standby increase.
If Disney ever eliminated the free FP+ I would take a hard look at switching to Universal only trips. At that point staying at a deluxe resort at Universal with free Express Pass might be enough to make me give up totally on Disney.
Why WOULDN"T they? Disney is the only major theme park company that I know of that doesn't currently upcharge for an option to bypass lines.
One of the biggest advantages to a US vacation is not having to plan the day down to the minute, a vacation is supposed to be somewhat relaxing.
One of the biggest advantages to a US vacation is not having to plan the day down to the minute, a vacation is supposed to be somewhat relaxing.
Universal's model provides unlimited rides for deluxe hotel guests while guests at other resorts, day guests and even pass holders (before 4pm) must pay extra for any sort of Express/Fastpass service. Do you really think that would translate well to Walt Disney World? Guests staying at the Poly, Grand Floridian, Beach Club and other deluxes get all-you-can-eat ride access while others are asked to pay more or use Standby exclusively?
(I wonder if Universal actually thinks that model is in their best interest or if they're held to it by a legacy contract with Loews. Curious that the newer resorts do not provide the free Express Pass.)
Nevertheless, Disney doesn't force you to "plan your day down to the minute." At worst, it's three attractions chosen in 60 minute time blocks. If you don't want to plan every day of your trip 60 days in advance...simply don't do it. Personally I'd probably pick one day for Animal Kingdom to lock in a Pandora ride and another for Mine Train. But other than that, guests could secure their FPs days or hours in advance and still have access to nearly all attractions.
I agree. Wouldnt surprise me either. Universal does it, so why not disney? They're starting to charge for everything so ya, i can see them going that route.
I have never paid a separate fee to park at a hotel. We usually stay here on arrival night:
View attachment 319506
Fairly closes to DS and never paid for parking so it's not even everywhere in Lake Buena Vista.
It wouldn't bother me if Disney charged for FP. It would likely significantly lower the wait times.
It's no secret that the introduction of FP+ made nearly every rides standby increase.
I don't go to universal as much as Disney but when I do, it's great how short the waits usually are. Gringotts and Forbidden journey had about a 40 min standby while single rider was 5 min, both would sit at an easily 100+ min wait at Disney. King Kong, 5 min wait, Disney would be 45+. Hulk, 30 min wait, 90+ at Disney.
I'd either keep FP's the way they are, or introduce a similar Express pass like universal if it was going to cut the lines down
Keep in mind, part of the purpose of FP+ isn't to help you skip lines, its crowd management, moving people from more popular attractions to less popular attractions, keeping you out of line and spending money in the shops. If you made people pay for it ... you'd lose part of the big purpose of the system.
Sure I don't have to use FP, I can choose to wait in line with everybody else.
You forgot to mention ADRs for specific dining, unless I just want to wing it and eat QS.
You forgot to mention ADRs for specific dining, unless I just want to wing it and eat QS.
I certainly would not dispute what you are saying, especially since I have not been to the Disney parks in a few years, but it seems to go against the experiences of many. The TPAS forum (and others) seems to exist primarily for people desperately trying to get FP+ and ADRs or bemoaning the fact they could not get what they wanted.Except for the fact that other than Character meals, you can pretty much book most restaurants the day before.
Based off your posts, I am not sure you know how Disney works. My Disney trips are all very last minute and usually during the week after Christmas. I can get pretty much get most of my FP+ and still get good dining reservations a day or two before I go during the busiest week of the year.
I realize they arent identical. The bottom line is they charge extra which allow folks to avoid waiting in long lines. At the end of the day, both methods achieve the same results. Minimal wait time. So im not surprised if Disney started charging for this since they're already charging for everything else.Except Universal's ExpressPass doesn't work the same as FastPass. It is basically a Priority Queue that you pay to use instead of the regular queue. Disney's FastPass is a return time that you select ahead of time like Universal's Virtual Queue that they use for Fallon and Fast and Furious, except you don't have to wait until day of and be in the park to make reservations.
I think you're missing our point. I can go to US today with an express pass and not worry about ANY FPs, at the most I'll have to think a little ahead that day and make dining reservations. There is no restaurant in US that I have to make reservations for 60 days in advance. Again, I can show up to Universal and experience all they have to offer with little or no planning. The same cannot be said for WDW. This is not an indictment of WDW, it is what it is. Like it or not in order to do all you want at WDW you really need to start planning 60 days out, AND EVEN THEN you may not get to do everything you want to do (BOG). This does not mean I prefer US over WDW, it's just the reality of the situation.
I hope they do start charging for FP+. Not that I will be buying them, well maybe a fe
w, but it will make stand by lines shorter. FP+ adds a lot of time to stand by lines.
Since when is parking fee in a hotel industry standard??? So I randomly found on expedia some off site hotels in WDW, and they all have free self parking:
Baymont by Wyndham Celebration
Maingate Lakeside Resort
Seralago Hotel & Suites Main Gate East
I can find more, these are just the first 3 hotels that came up, and they all have free parking! I know Disney claim that parking fees are industry standard when they started this fee, but they are LYING!
Of course its not the standard at your $50 per night I4 hotel/motel. It is the industry standard on your higher end hotels like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Omni, etc. You will either have a parking fee, resort fee, or both at most of hotels comparable to Disney hotels. When staying at these hotels I factor parking fees into the per night rate when comparing pricing. Depending on the spread between valet and self, I make a decision which I will do. Disney is not lying but they are not trying to compare themselves to a level far below there own.
@Liljoe22 One could make an argument that Pop and the All Stars are your typical I4 motels.
I could see them doing something like MaxPass at DL, where free FP will not go away, but those who pay a small premium will have an advantage in booking them more easily. It's already not a level playing field between onsite and offsite. I really don't think though that they will ever just get rid of the free version altogether though.