News DL Paris to Launch Premier Access…soon to come stateside?

[lemuth0922]

DL Paris will be launching Premier Access to replace the FastPass system… about 8€ per ride. How long will it take to hit the US parks?

https://www.disneydining.com/disneyl...remier-access/

[Smitty]

Wow... so the new version of Fastpass is $9.50 PER ride! That's a little steep if you ask me... Imagine a family of 4 and what a multi day trip will cost you now, I'm not paying $40 extra per ride for what was free! Did I read this wrong?!?

[Captain Andy]

Sounds about right. During the July 4th outage, CM’s were reportedly handing out fast passes, but calling them “benefit access.” A sign of what’s to come.

[Tomorrowland67]

That's kind of expensive. I didn't mind paying the original $10 per person per day for MaxPass, which included PhotoPass. But almost $10 per FastPass is pretty steep.

[Stormy]

But it does sound as if they'll have a free MaxPass type service for certain 'popular' attractions during peak crowd times. A rose by any other name???

• The Standby Pass service will only be activated during certain periods of the day in order to help reduce wait times for certain attractions. You can still queue for these attractions without a Standby Pass at the beginning and at the end of the day (times may vary).
• You can only reserve one Standby Pass at a time, from 5 minutes after entering the Disney Parks.
• When your allocated time slot has begun, you may reserve a Standby Pass for another attraction.
• It is not possible to cancel or transfer a Standby Pass.
• Psst! To manage your Standby Passes easily during the day, you can link all the Tickets and Passes for each member of your group to a single Disney account.

https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-us/guest-services/standby-pass/

Re 'Premiere Access, personally I don't think many people are going to pay (@ today's exchange rate) $9.45 for 'immediate access' to a ride at DL or WDW, unless they're pretty damned wealthy. But those types usually get VIP access/a plaid/FOTL anyway.

I'd only do it if it was access to a brand new ride and even then I'd only do it once and only if I couldn't ride it any other way (ie didn't get a boarding group, but could get 'premiere access')

[YeaDZNY]

So pathetic and just another excuse for yet "another" cash grab....

[lemuth0922]

My thoughts on this is if DLR will go the route of Universal or Six Flags for us over here in lieu of a pay-as-you-go variations DL Paris is doing.

Six Flags has a tiered Flash Pass which reduces your wait times based on the pass you buy (beginning at $55/ea). Universal has their Express Pass (mentioned in the article) with 2 options available that are also $69.99 and $99.99.

So will people be willing to essentially double their daily entry cost just to get on some rides almost immediately? Assuming this option would only be for rides that currently have/used a FP line, which was 13 rides in Disneyland and 9 in CA, it would cost $207.90 for both parks using today's exchange rate of $9.45 (or $122.85 for Disneyland and $85.05 for CA).

To make it more appealing and make the price tag seem more manageable, I could see management making it an add-on flat rate price. Something like $79.99 for Disneyland and an additional $35 to add CA attractions (similar to the price bump for a park hopper ticket). A price high enough to deter some people from adding it on, but also not so outrageously expensive no one would get it.

[Starcade]

Just when you think chapek couldn't be any more cravenly greedy they begin to pull this garbage. (though let's face it are we really that surprised?)

Universal Six Flags and even Knott's have a daily express line type of pass I believe Knott's and all Cedar Fair parks call in FastLane , DLR had Fastpass etc. the beauty of these passes though is they are very limited and very expensive so the amount of people using them is very minimal if almost un noticeable ( last time I was at Knott's I only witnessed one person actually using this system ) so the majority simply queue up into a traditional line and the lines because they are 1/3FP cutting in do not get lengthened. Basically it makes those not using this system barely notice it exists.

The part that really has me smh though is that they are talking about making certain rides during the middle more crowded part of the day Boarding Pass only. The Boarding pass system is a dumpster fire for most people. So now a day at the park not only means you are likely not to be able to ride the RotR but now several other rides unless you ride them as the beginning or end of the day. DLR is showing quite obviously that it cares very little about the guests happiness they know they are likely not coming back until a year or more later since nobody has any incentive for multiple visits anymore. They are banking on guests forgetting over the year or more between visits all the pitfalls the modern day at the park now include.

The new brand logo for DLR is quickly going from Mickey ears to a Mickeys cartoon hand grabbing your wallet. I just wonder how long before the guests simply stop showing up. The fact that they are even reaching their own self imposed lower capacity at the beginning of summer is very telling that it might have already begun. I have yet to hear one of the few people I know personally that have gone say they likely go back anytime soon. They do not all have the same complaints, but they all have complaints. Meanwhile those that have gone to other parks are reporting their visits being much better than expected or the last time they were there. This includes Universal and Six Flags.

[Blurr]

When I visit Universal Orlando or some other parks, I'm a pretty big fan of the "Pay $100 or whatever extra to skip the lines for the entire day." If this were to hit Disneyland, it would only give you 10 rides for that price but at other parks the pass is good for unlimited uses and for the entire day. Not sure how to feel about this one. On one hand it seems like a reallllllly steep cash grab. On the other, I buy similar passes in other parks to further my enjoyment or remove stress from my day. I guess while I'm not entirely against the idea of a paid "front of the line pass", I suppose I do take issue with the pricing vs. what is offered compared to other examples.

I guess we'll have to wait and see how this plays out. If it comes stateside, it will depend how the day is looking, what I want to do, etc.

[YeaDZNY]

I mean come on...when is enough, well..enough!!! Why do people still see Disneyland as nothing more then a Entertainment company held at such a high level of respect?
I mean seriously....DL could announce that you will no longer be able to bring your own food/drink and now charge an additional up tick fee to ride rides as well. So whats next...charging to see the fireworks to????..sorry not sorry, but the longer this de-railed train keeps plowing over peoples wallets. The more I feel that it was absolutely the right choice to ditch the parks for a long while. Management has single handedly destroyed the nostalgic feeling and atmosphere of these once memorable parks!!!

[Mr Wiggins]

Just when you think chapek couldn't be any more cravenly greedy they begin to pull this garbage. (though let's face it are we really that surprised?)

[Blurr]

Gonna play devil's advocate here for a moment. For the longest time, folks complained that free Fastpasses were an attempt to push people out of lines and into stores. Also, that they increased stand-by waits. Some wanted Fastpass removed entirely.

If this change comes stateside, it wouldn't do away entirely with the concept of Fastpass but wouldn't the upcharge of $10 extra per ride, greatly incentive many people to not use it? Only a select group of super crazies, super rich or folks in hyper-specific scenarios supposedly would. If anything, this change could actually benefit those who prefer the "I want to wait in shorter stand-by lines but can't because of that darn Fastpass" crowd, right?

Because under the current system, Fastpass is available to everyone, free of charge. Which means everyone goes for it. Which means everyone is cutting in front of everyone all day long, thereby just creating the problem that Fastlass has set upon standby lines for years. With the supposed future change, standby waits would be shorter than under the current system, right? Which means Guests who want nothing to do with Fastpass of any kind, actually sort of win out with this one? Because they are free to not pay and instead, use the standby line. A standby line which, should now be moving faster than the old system because the only people cutting in front of you now are a smaller group of super rich or super crazy.

More money in Disney's pocket from those folks and less of a standby wait for those who aren't those folks.. isn't that kind of a win all around? Is there something I'm missing? Just hoping to understand.

Edit: To add something further, I'd bet this change is $10 more PER PERSON. Which is an extra $40 out of pocket for a family of 4, PER RIDE. If this system does come to the park, I can't imagine it being as widely utilized as the current free Fastpass system. If anything, the number of people cutting in front of you drops considerably and with it, the wait time for rides. The only reason attractions like Indy, Splash, etc. jump as high as they do on the wait boards is because folks waiting in the standard queue are given less priority than those who are jumping ahead.

[linkeq2001]

Rumour sources swirling already that MyMagic+ and Fastpass+ at WDW are going to soon be for a price even for resort guests....my guess is this comes to DLR as well. Hate it, feels like a massive cash grab. Even if you didn't know how to "game" the old paper system it still felt special when you get nearly walk on to a favorite ride, and getting to do that even a handful of times a day was great. I remember getting a Thunder Mountain pass near the end of a busy night right after we had just used one, it was amazing walking onto a ride basically back to back even if the line was only 10 or so minutes. Special little FREE things like that make the trip special, now all I will think about is how much this express pass cost my family of four.

[Co Foo]

I mean come on...when is enough, well..enough!!! Why do people still see Disneyland as nothing more then a Entertainment company held at such a high level of respect?

For a long time I've been saying that Disney is a special product, but not a special company.

I'm not paying extra money for a fast pass.

[Mr Wiggins]

...Re 'Premiere Access, personally I don't think many people are going to pay (@ today's exchange rate) $9.45 for 'immediate access' to a ride at DL or WDW, unless they're pretty damned wealthy....

That appears to be the demographic that Chapek is targeting for Disney's parks, resorts and cruises, in an effort to milk the post-Covid luxury spending boom.

Like airlines, Disney's hospitality brands are making an increasing distinction among First Class, Business, and Coach. It involves not only charging more for perks (to brand-associate them with the higher socio-economic class), but also reducing the quality and quantity of the "lower-class" product tiers (to brand-associate them -- and the demographics that purchase them -- with the less desirable lower socio-economic class).

Stay tuned -- in addition to prices, the brand/class association will show up in the product nomenclature and advertising.

[mouseketeer07]

I'd like to think this is just a test... see how it works at Disneyland Paris, see what it does to park attendance, etc, then debate whether to bring it to the states.
Just from the negative reactions I've seen so far, I think that if they brought it to the parks it could alienate most people from coming to the parks.

[lemuth0922]

Gonna play devil's advocate here for a moment. For the longest time, folks complained that free Fastpasses were an attempt to push people out of lines and into stores. Also, that they increased stand-by waits. Some wanted Fastpass removed entirely.

If this change comes stateside, it wouldn't do away entirely with the concept of Fastpass but wouldn't the upcharge of $10 extra per ride, greatly incentive many people to not use it? Only a select group of super crazies, super rich or folks in hyper-specific scenarios supposedly would. If anything, this change could actually benefit those who prefer the "I want to wait in shorter stand-by lines but can't because of that darn Fastpass" crowd, right?

Because under the current system, Fastpass is available to everyone, free of charge. Which means everyone goes for it. Which means everyone is cutting in front of everyone all day long, thereby just creating the problem that Fastlass has set upon standby lines for years. With the supposed future change, standby waits would be shorter than under the current system, right? Which means Guests who want nothing to do with Fastpass of any kind, actually sort of win out with this one? Because they are free to not pay and instead, use the standby line. A standby line which, should now be moving faster than the old system because the only people cutting in front of you now are a smaller group of super rich or super crazy.

More money in Disney's pocket from those folks and less of a standby wait for those who aren't those folks.. isn't that kind of a win all around? Is there something I'm missing? Just hoping to understand.

Edit: To add something further, I'd bet this change is $10 more PER PERSON. Which is an extra $40 out of pocket for a family of 4, PER RIDE. If this system does come to the park, I can't imagine it being as widely utilized as the current free Fastpass system. If anything, the number of people cutting in front of you drops considerably and with it, the wait time for rides. The only reason attractions like Indy, Splash, etc. jump as high as they do on the wait boards is because folks waiting in the standard queue are given less priority than those who are jumping ahead.

I mean, I guess so??

I never complained about the long wait times being due to FP users...I honestly never correlated the two together while at the parks. I also haven't used a FP in at least 5 years; but that's because I was either pregnant or then had little kids who weren't tall enough for a lot of rides, so the hassle to run around getting the next available FP wasn't conducive to our park daily life. I also wasn't one who bought into the MaxPass when that was released...I wasn't utilizing FP, so why would MP appeal to me? I don't do PhotoPass often enough to justify it for that either.

I guess if your intention is to not experience any of the theming around any of the attractions... Or spending time chatting with the people you're with while in line... Or having a snack on-the-go...Or well, anything other than racing around from one attraction to the next as if it's some kind of race....Then this type of pass would totally be your thing.

Is this Chapek's way of making us pleebs feel more elitist of having a Plaid without-having-a-Plaid?

[Blurr]

One could look at this, if it comes to the parks, as the death of Fastpass entirely. Yeah, it's still technically there but at $40 per ride for a family of 4, I think it could be considered effectively gone because the amount of folks willing to pay that amount per ride has got to be miniscule. Might as well fork over the money for one of those pricier guides tour guides who'll take you to the front of whatever you want at that point.

[Mr Wiggins]

One of the reader's comments in PhotoMatt's article "Disneyland Update: The Slippery Slope" pretty much says it all:

"It really stood out to me when chapek mentioned shareholders instead of guests in one public comment on the shape of the park. Any company that see shareholders as the customers loses me, and all I've seen about Disney parks since that has been bad news for the guests."

[Blurr]

I mean, I guess so??

I never complained about the long wait times being due to FP users...I honestly never correlated the two together while at the parks. I also haven't used a FP in at least 5 years; but that's because I was either pregnant or then had little kids who weren't tall enough for a lot of rides, so the hassle to run around getting the next available FP wasn't conducive to our park daily life. I also wasn't one who bought into the MaxPass when that was released...I wasn't utilizing FP, so why would MP appeal to me? I don't do PhotoPass often enough to justify it for that either.

I guess if your intention is to not experience any of the theming around any of the attractions... Or spending time chatting with the people you're with while in line... Or having a snack on-the-go...Or well, anything other than racing around from one attraction to the next as if it's some kind of race....Then this type of pass would totally be your thing.

Is this Chapek's way of making us pleebs feel more elitist of having a Plaid without-having-a-Plaid?

Not referring to you specifically, but in general, I have heard plenty a complaint about how Fastpass increases standby waits in the parks over the years online. Basically, the reason attractions like Space, Indy, Splash, etc. are even 90-120 waits to begin with is because they need to constantly be stopping the stand-by lines at various "merge points" in order to constantly be allowing the Fastpass Guests ahead of them. The two are definitely correlated, even if it's not something you pick up on at first and it's made all the more worse when you realize that the flow of Fastpass Guests is never going to stop, because it is free and folks will always be returning to cut you in line with their return time windows.

All I'm saying, is that for the folks who wanted shorter lines via the death of Fastpass, this announcement may not be so bad. Because if this system comes to the parks, barely even a fraction of the people who were cutting the lines before will be doing so now. The price would just be way too ridiculous for most Guests to justify it at all.