WDW News & Rumors: Paid FastPass+? Coco in Epcot?
Paid FastPass+ at Animal Kingdom? Coco in Epcot? Headless Horseman at Fort Wilderness! We’re back with another round-up of the latest news and rumors for Walt Disney World.
In this post, we’ll share the basic details of each Walt Disney World news or rumor, and our analysis of its implications (if any). When it comes to the rumors, we’ll also offer thoughts on plausibility. (What we’ve got this week from the rumor mill seems pretty reasonable.)
We’ll start with Walt Disney World’s announcement that it will begin offering “The Ultimate Nights of Adventure VIP Tour,” which is a 4-hour tour of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Let’s not beat around the bush: this is more or less guided, paid FastPass+ for Animal Kingdom headliners at a cost of $250 per person…
Guests on the tour can expect “expedited access via FastPass+” to Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Avatar Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey, Dinosaur, and Rivers of Light. The experience will additionally include a sampler at Satu’li Canteen, a specialty beverage, and with a souvenir lanyard.
It’s a bit surprising that this wasn’t offered at the start of the summer, when Pandora – World of Avatar opened. With a bit of pre-planning, guests can score a FastPass+ for Flight of Passage and experience the other attractions with moderate waits, and those waits should only fall in November and beyond.
Even accounting for the value of the food, drink, and lanyard, this still works out to being over $35 per FastPass+, and in fairness, not all of those FastPasses should have a value, since some of them would be available same-day with zero advance planning. (Before anyone asks, no, we will not be reviewing this…for that exact reason.)
While I wouldn’t expect this offering to last too long, but it’s interesting from the perspective that it’s another effort by Walt Disney World to monetize FastPass+. With MaxPass at Disneyland already proving successful from a guest-adoption perspective and Shanghai Disneyland’s “Disney Premier Access” (which is literally paid FastPasses) also doing well, it seems like only a matter of time until something more direct is offered at Walt Disney World.
Instead, there have been a slew of “VIP” tours that are de facto paid FastPass+, but cannot really be scaled. Our assumption is that Walt Disney World (understandably) fears guest backlash over a direct paid system. Still, it seems like an inevitability at this point irrespective of the outcry.
If MaxPass has demonstrated anything, it’s that Walt Disney World is leaving money on the table when it comes to its own digital FastPass service. It’s just about the right way of marketing it so that it does not feel directly like paid FastPass+, and causes minimal disruption to the standard guest experience. (Note: we aren’t advocating for paid FastPass…just preparing for its inevitable introduction.)
On the rumor front, the concept of Coco taking over Gran Fiesta Tour in Epcot is once again gaining steam. Martin reported on this WDWMagic thread that it looks like this long-rumored overlay to Mexico’s boat ride is likely to happen, and will be somewhere on par with Gran Fiesta Tour (but smaller than Frozen Ever After) in terms of scope.
This should come as no surprise. As we’ve been saying, there are plenty more unannounced projects coming to Epcot beyond the barrage of what was revealed at the D23 Expo. Given that early looks at Coco showcase a film with cultural authenticity of “Dia de los Muertos” on par with how Moana treated Polynesian cultures, this seems like an organic fit, even by EPCOT purist standards.
Assuming this rumor has some veracity to it (and I will, since Martin is reliable), I think the questions become: 1) whether this one probably hinges upon Coco‘s box office success this fall; and, 2) if the movie is a hit, and the attraction is green-lit, does the Mexico pavilion see a bigger redesign (and removal of gift shops) to free up queue space, and also potentially make the attraction more elaborate?
My guesses: yes to both questions. I suspect that Coco will be a hit. If it is, integrating its characters into a boat ride with virtually no queue will be a recipe for disaster.
In Disney Vacation Club news, DVC Resale Market is reporting that the right of first refusal rate for August spiked to 9.3%, the highest buy-back rate by Disney since February. Moreover, this occurred while the average resale price of DVC contracts also increased. (Typically, there’s an inverse relationship between resale prices and Disney’s use of ROFR.)
DVC Resale Market speculates that this could be due to a future price increase on Disney Vacation Club, or could be a result of the end of the fiscal year approaching on September 30, and DVC having the funds to burn. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the former, and not just because “raise prices” is what DVC does. Consumer confidence is strong and people are showing a willingness to spend, meaning there’s opportunity for Disney to move DVC at a higher price point. Might as well cash-in on that while the economy remains good!
Finally, the Slinky Dog ride vehicles for Slinky Dog Dash arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week.
I feel like Walt Disney World should stop hyping up this land. It consists of a fairly plain Mack Launch Family Coaster and a re-skinned version of Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. Unless you count a new entrance to Toy Story Mania, that’s it in terms of attractions. While the coaster should be fun, it’s very ordinary.
The land should be cute and light-hearted fun, but that’s about it. It’ll be just like the other Toy Story Lands in Paris and Hong Kong, but with different substance. Hyping up every minor “milestone” will create guest expectations that Toy Story Land cannot possibly meet. This is far from the pinnacle of Imagineering (thankfully, that’s exactly what Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge should be!)
Mainly, Toy Story Land’s purpose is to absorb crowds that’ll put a crush on Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but with only two attractions, it’s not even going to do that particularly well. It’s also not going to wow anyone thematically, unless they have super low expectations.
Then again, Toy Story Land in Hong Kong is much more popular than the infinitely superior Mystic Point, so there is precedent. Moreover, Disney’s emerging audience of Millennials who grew up on Toy Story are impressed by walls of various colors. Perhaps ‘low expectations’ is exactly what Disney is counting on guests having. (I’m a Millennial myself, so that’s self-deprecating, and not at all a ‘blame Millennials’ cheap shot.)
Finally, we’ll end with some quick-hits from the last week:
- One Man’s Dream will reopen as Walt Disney Presents on September 8, featuring a brand-new Toy Story Land model.
- Return to Sleepy Hollow offers guests the chance at a Headless Horseman photo op at Fort Wilderness…for a price.
- Chef Mickey’s refurbishment has been pushed to November/December 2017.
- The entertainment schedule for Night of Joy has been released.
- Flamingo Crossings at Walt Disney World is once again a go, and will offer value-oriented retail brands and fast-casual dining.
- Roaring Fork at Wilderness Lodge has reopened with a refreshed menu.
- Union wage negotiations have begun for Walt Disney World Cast Members…and are not off to a smooth start.
That wraps up this news & rumor round-up for Walt Disney World. If you have any tips for future news or rumor posts, please feel free to drop me an (anonymous) line: tom[at]disneytouristblog[dot]com.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think about these Walt Disney World news? Any of these rumors you hope do or don’t come to fruition? Any questions? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Adding to my previous comment – I am not willing to wait for two hours for ANY ride – no matter how good. And I don’t want to wake up at 6am on vacation and then fight the crowds – to do the rope-drop thing. The more that my husband would never stand in the shoulder to shoulder crowd (it seems like that’s what is happening with the rope-drop) – he just can’t do crowds. So there going to be no Avatar ride for us for couple of years at least. As I can’t see him going to Disney again soon.
We will survive of course 🙂 But the point is that everybody’s situation is different. For us this evening “paid fastpass” in Animal Kingdom was totally worth getting – if we were able to book it at all :)))
I see so many people saying how expensive the Animal Kingdom tour is etc.
I was just trying to book it for one of the days of our romantic trip with my husband as I could not get the fast pass for the new Avatar ride and my husband doesn’t go to Disney very much. So who knows when we would be able to do something like this together if not this time. So I figured the tour like this was worth booking for us.
But I was not able to book it as it was booked up :))) There was no availability on the day we needed :)) It was December 4th Monday – so no Christmas, no weekend, no school break or anything like that.
So obviously for a lot of people there is no discussion if to book this or not 🙂
If they change the ride in the Mexico pavilion it will RUIN the whole pavilion for me. I do not plan on seeing the movie Coco as I have NO INTEREST in the subject. Mexico is currently one of my favorite pavilions as it contains a classic boat ride that is never over crowded, the best Mexican restaurant in Disney World, a tequila bar with the best drinks in Disney World, and unique gifts spread out like you are in a Mexican market. The whole place looks like a Mexican village bustling with activity. If they insisted on making this ride they should expand, not demolish the current ride/food/shop/drink excellence that already is satisfying so many of us returning guests.
Paid FP+ needed it’s own post….HATE THIS IDEA!!! As a passholder this would make me reconsider my annual pass for myself and my wife. I’m pretty sure that would be the case for many more passholders. We already don’t get that many benefits. If we have to pay for yet another benefit like a day guest I’m pretty sure you will see a precipitous drop-off of annual membership. Additionally, I pay more to stay on-site at a Disney resort JUST SO I CAN GET A 60 DAY FP+ WINDOW! There are many locations nearby that cost far less, are cleaner, more space in the rooms, and have better overall value than a Disney Resort hotel. I know there are a ton of people who do the same thing. So this change is going to hurt more than it helps. A downturn in Disney Resort hotel stays, a reduction in Annual Passholder memberships, and all for a few more dollars….maybe? I’m getting tired of having the “magic” sucked out of Disney. If we are treated the same as guests to any other theme park then Walt’s vision and standards are dying.
1. Paid FP…HATE HATE HATE. If this comes to pass in larger form, I may have to find a new hobby. So glad I got to see Shanghai before they put this in. I didn’t know they were doing paid FP there now, such a bummer.
2. Coco etc. I love 3 Cabs, but the GFT isn’t that awesome, just kinda nostalgic and a great no-wait attraction option. So, I’m ok with a change, I suppose. I’m not that into IP-themed attractions in general, but that’s the way things are going.
3. TS land in DLKH is pretty dull and feels like a county fair. I’m expecting the same from WDW.
I’m not likely to go for the paid fastpass thing, but I’m not offended either. I see this as a cheaper version of the VIP experience that has been offered for many years. Last I checked, it’s $400-$600 per hour, for a minimum of 6 hours (so, this starts around $3,000 per day), and you get a person who escorts you around, you get on rides with no wait, you get into restaurants without ADRs, that kind of thing. I’ve never done it, but it always struck me as a “we have one day to do this” kind of thing. It’s not how I like to vacation since you just run from one attraction to the next and it’s way more money than I would ever want to spend on that kind of experience, but I can see where some people might like it and I’m not judgey. This $270 Animal Kingdom experience thing seems like a version of that. It’s not really geared toward me, but it’s priced high enough that it’s unlikely to affect my guest experience with its popularity. If someone doesn’t have a ton of time and it’s their kid’s favorite park and they can afford it, it doesn’t bother me for Disney to offer this. It’s just not my thing. If all fastpasses were paid, that would bother me a lot, but that doesn’t really seem to be what’s going on here.
Universal Studios has paid fast passes. Disney is just catching up.
Last time I checked Disney World wasn’t supposed to “just like all the other theme parks”. Disney is supposed to offer a superior experience. You don’t separate yourself from your competition by lowering your standards to their level.
Honestly, I still think Toy story land needs one or two more rides to help up the capacity at Hollywood studios- even if it was just basic rides really well themed like Bugs Land at DCA, or the little Mermaid area at Disney Sea. Something like a themed train ride that plays up the “you’re the size of a toy” aspect, and maybe a spinner or something. heck, even a playground would help.
I haven’t been as excited about a Disney/Pixar movie in a long time as I am about Coco. It seems to have a magic quality to it.
Hope I’m not disappointed, and hope the Mexico ride makes a change from it’s kinda silly current form.
Ugh – another Pixar IP take over. If this goes through, I will miss Gran Fiesta Tour. The Three Caballeros movie maybe dated but its a fun movie. I like their addition to the Gran Fiesta Tour. It helped soften the blow of the replacement of El Rio del Tiempo ride and its beautiful relaxing soundtrack. Hopefully if the Brazil rumors ever come true, the Three Caballeros will find a home there. Also, Panchito will have guns back and Jose will have his cigars back haha.
I’m not a big fan of the Three Caballeros, so I’d think this rumor has a potential for improvement to the pavilion. I have hazy memories of El Rio del Tiempo, but I liked a ride purely about the country better than silly chase for Donald.
I used maxpass for my family recently at DL. We got many, many more fastpasses in a day than on previous trips as in 10 minutes to 40 much of the day before we could get another compared to twice as long or more before digital fast passes. Granted, the crowds overall were lower but I don’t think that was the complete explaination. I think it was Casey from Disneyland Daily who said (claimed, speculated ?) that since guests could cancel a free digital FP or a maxpass, that everyone could get them more often. But wouldn’t Disney have built in unused FPs before into the system? Also, I didn’t notice that FP lines were any longer than before so I can’t think of another explaination of why we got so many more fastpasses this last time though. According to touring plans our last visit had an average crowd level of 5 and on previous trips it was about a 7 (thanks to cheap tickets to locals during the late winter and spring). Within all trips, even though the crowd levels fluctuated day to day, it didn’t seem as though we got different numbers of FPs a day.
I feel as if Disney charging for FP is them testing the waters. Part of the benefit of mymagic+ was the ease of planning your visit. What they should do is offer a paid fastpass option for l ride while still allowing every guests the 3 picks they get. Disney could charge good $ for this and make $ while still allowing guests to be happy!
For all rides*
are you thinking that paid fast passes will replace the current system, and we will no longer be able to get 3 Fps included with our ticket? I don’t mind them offering VIP experiences, but if they take away the 3 Fps for the rest of us, the will certainly lose a loyal fan in me!!
I highly doubt they’d do away with free FP. I think we might see a tiered system for on-site guests, with the highest level being paid “bonus” Fastpasses. I think they fear they’d alienate too many guests if it was a complete upcharge. Just my guesses, though!
Lets hope they do this soon the sooner the better I stay at deluxe resorts most of the time so money is of no object. Would be nice to have the best vacation possible for the money I spend there. If other people want a better vacation let them take one every two or three years don’t see why it’s Disney’s problem that some people want to nickel and dime their vacation. To the rich go the spoils and I am really well off.
Ignoring your pretty repugnant “1%-er” comment and focusing on the substance, I actually don’t think this is aimed at “money is no object” people any more than MNSSHP is or ET was.
There are ways of looking at this as if it’s “a good value” – ascribing a generous amount to the f&b component plus a generous amount to the “collectible gift”, and dividing the remainder by attraction. They are fallacious, since this is really just a FoP ticket for a bit under $250 since the rest of it is fairly worthless to a FP+ user who doesn’t mind occasional modest waits.
Disney has never been shy of extracting money from panicked, nervous, “once in a lifetime” vacationers desperate to make everything perfect for their accompanying kids (and for whom the spending represents significant sacrifice). The people who pay these charges are often not multi-millionaires but ordinary people concerned that their vacations will be ruined if they don’t. Not something I go on about much, and nor do I feel much sympathy for those who don’t research effectively and get caught up in this, but make no mistake that this is what this is.
I think Mike was being sarcastic? No one with money actually speaks like that, except maybe our president.
I hope Julie is right. If not there is always karma.
Just to let y’all know Julie was right I was joking around. Not being serious and a bit sarcastic towards the paid fastpass. I haven’t met a person there that I didn’t like. Sure you get the idiots there that scream at everyone but I haven’t went out of my way to meet them
You’re so obnoxious and I can’t believe your comment. Stop waving around your “money” and don’t comment on other people’s vacations. Ugh nauseating.
I will comment on another person’s vacation once it invades my vacation with their yelling and screaming at their kids sometimes you have to wonder who the adult is and who the children are. If that’s obnoxious oh well deal with it
Mike’s right when you pay money the last thing you want to hear is a lunatic yelling at their kids that they better behave a lot of parents use profanity with it. Very bad parenting. Unless you agree that cursing at a 6 to 8 year old kid is ok then you have to agree with me and mike. If not then maybe they should look at your parenting
Stop waving around your poorness ugh nauseating
Your trying to tell someone not to do something and that something is for them to not tell others what to do and you say their obnoxious. Really??????
Most of the paid upgrades that have come to fruition haven’t bothered me, mostly because they haven’t affected my experience as a guest, and I wouldn’t purchase any of them. However, paid fastpass+ just really grinds my gears, and I can imagine I’m not the only one that feels that way. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but as you said, it’s likely inevitable and we should just brace ourselves for it. Sighh..
They have the equivalent at Cedar Fair’s parks…. and it does grind my gears. Watching someone else ride the same ride 4 times while I am waiting in the queue simply because they paid more than I pretty much ruined my day. I certainyl hope Disney does not go this route.
Hear hear. It irks me no end at Universal that the wealthy get a better experience while the “plebs” have to wait over an hour for a ride. It would really disappoint me if Disney went this route.
If it truly is inevitable, I hope Tom is right and that the standard free FastPass+ will remain and that a paid “upgrade” comes in that doesn’t negatively impact the rest of us.
We went to Cedar Point this summer and I came home with a renewed appreciation for Disney – the queues, the FastPasses, the generally friendly castmembers. The CP experience was not good. A line that should have been 10 minutes was nearly an hour because some family kept getting back on the ride with their FastPasses (literally exiting and then re-entering through the exit). If WDW does resort to paid FastPasses, I hope they think through the execution better than Cedar Point.
Sorry maelstrom
Let it go. Let it go…..
Lol you definitely got that guy
Depending on the price it might be a fairly gud idea for paid fastpass. If it is less than 30 dollars a person to go on unlimited fastpass I may take them up on it. Not sure the big deal about coco is, its not a new ride its just changing characters a little bit. Something I didn’t care about fea on its the same ride as Nordstrom, just different characters
I might agree if the amount is less than $30, but I can’t imagine that would be the case, especially since they are charging $250 for a four-hour “VIP” experience at Animal Kingdom (if I’m not mistaken, this cost is in addition to the park entrance ticket). I honestly can’t imagine Disney doing an unlimited FP for under $100 a day. And having to pay that much, as Bridget mentioned, would “grind my gears” also.
If the Nordstrom ride is anything like the stores I can’t afford to go on it!