Paid Premier Access Replacing Free FastPass at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris has officially announced Disney Premier Access, which replaces free FastPass in those two parks. In this post, we’ll share details & pricing, how the upcharge line skipping service will work, and discuss the potential implications for Walt Disney World, where a paid replacement for FastPass+ feels like all but an inevitability at this point.
In a number of app-related updates, Disneyland Paris shared that the free Standby Pass is returning. This is essentially a hybrid system that combines a virtual queue with a physical standby line. It allows guests to spend the first part of their wait time for select attractions outside of the queue, and then joining the line for the home stretch.
Standby Pass is available at Disneyland Paris certain times of the day, subject to availability and dependent upon operational needs of the parks. Essentially, it’s offered when Disneyland Paris is running out of physical queue space–so during peak times of busier days. When available, guests can use the Disneyland Paris app to book the next available time slot to enter the physical queue line of an attraction, return within the allocated 30-minute time slot, present the Standby Pass QR code, and stand in the queue for the remainder of that time.
You might recall that late last year, there were rumors that Walt Disney World would implement virtual queues for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run and Jungle Cruise. Other attractions, like Peter Pan’s Flight and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, actually cut their queues at some points when demand was high. At Disneyland, Indiana Jones Adventure actually did use a virtual queue for several weeks post-reopening.
This was for precisely the same reason as the Standby Pass is offered–those physical queues were running out of space at certain times. While it has ceased being an issue since physical distancing was dropped, it’s also worth pointing out that Walt Disney World is still capping park capacity. So physical space in standby queues could once again be an issue, albeit for different reasons, come October 2021.
Back to Disneyland Paris, those parks will also give guests the option to purchase Disney Premier Access on the Disneyland Paris App. This digital service allows guests to pay to skip the regular queue line for popular attractions, including Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, Star Tours: the Adventures Continue, and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
From anywhere inside the parks, guests can use the Disneyland Paris App to purchase an assigned time slot for the aforementioned attractions. Pricing for Disney Premier Access will be per ride, ranging from €8 to €15 (~$10 to $18) depending on the attraction and day of visit. Think of it like Express Lanes on toll roads–dynamic pricing that increases with demand.
This is not Disneyland Paris’ first foray into paid FastPasses. Three years ago, those parks rolled out “Disney Access One,” which allowed guests to purchase what was essentially an instant FastPass, bypassing the standard multi-hour wait associated with drawing a traditional FastPass and redeeming it. These Access One passes cost €15 per person per attraction, with discounts for Annual Passholders.
A few months after that, Disneyland Paris debuted two new paid FastPass options: the Super FastPass and the Ultimate FastPass. The Super FastPass bundled together thrill rides or family-friendly attractions for one-time line skipping with no set return times. The Ultimate FastPass granted both immediate and unlimited access to all FastPass attractions. The pricing on these options ranged from around $30 for the Super FastPass during off-season to $175 for the Ultimate FastPass during peak season.
It’s also worth noting that the new Standby Pass and Disney Premier Access combo that Disneyland Paris has unveiled is nothing new. Shanghai Disneyland has been using this exact same system for a little over one year.
However, free FastPass still exists at Shanghai Disneyland, which is obviously a critical distinction.
I’m going to guess that there are a fair number of Walt Disney World fans–who have absolutely zero intention of ever visiting Paris or Shanghai–reading this post with bated breath. There’s understandable, as the writing is on the wall. Some form of monetized FastPass is almost certainly coming to Walt Disney World in the not-too-distant future.
Over the course of the last three-plus years, we have heard a number of rumors about paid FastPass coming to Walt Disney World, ranging from preposterous to highly credible. In the last couple of months, the rumblings have become more frequent and detailed, with some major commonalities as well as minor inconsistencies among them.
At one point, the most credible rumor for Walt Disney World was the per-ride Access One system at Disneyland Paris plus various packs (e.g. “Magic Kingdom Mountain Range”) but no unlimited option. Keep in mind that this was years ago–it even predates the announcement of the Disney Genie app.
Given its use at two other resorts, the combo of Standby Pass plus Disney Premier Access is a plausible route for Walt Disney World. Or at least, that same general infrastructure. If current rumors are accurate, branding would likely be different at Walt Disney World but the mechanics would be more or less the same.
Trying to distill all of the FastPass replacement rumors for Walt Disney World and square those with the above announcement for Disneyland Paris is not difficult. In addition to a lot of similarities, it’s likely such a system will be announced in the near future (July or August) and be implemented shortly thereafter (September or October).
What’s unclear is whether Walt Disney World’s replacement for FastPass will debut with or ahead of the Disney Genie app. Nothing I’ve heard directly indicates the two are tied together, but that has been rumored elsewhere–and appears possible. (Disney has brought up the Genie app on a handful of occasions over the last 6 months, suggesting that app is not dead.)
Don’t be surprised if whatever Walt Disney World launches is more convoluted, has its own branding, and more options. As a general matter, all of those things are safe guesses since that’s just how Walt Disney World does things. It’s more of an extended vacation destination than any of the other worldwide resorts where the average guest only visits for a day or two at a time.
At a minimum, it’s likely that Walt Disney World will offer paid line skipping on a per-attraction basis, with a limit on how many ride reservations can be purchased and return time windows that guests can select. That system would undoubtedly use the former FastPass+ line, and likely have a lower adoption rate than free FastPass.
Paid FastPass with lower utilization would in turn necessitate Standby Pass or some form of virtual queue at select attractions. This is because there simply is not enough physical standby queue at many attractions under normal full capacity scenarios.
In the past, FastPass+ caused standby wait times to balloon, which resulted in more guests balking and not queueing up. This was due to the ballpark 80:20 FastPass-to-standby ratio, which meant far fewer guests were in line for a 30 minute posted wait than would be without FastPass. (Without FastPass, standby lines constantly move and are much more pleasant–but they also take up much more physical space.)
Assuming Premier Access is used by fewer guests (a very safe bet if it’s only directly monetized), the ratio will be more balanced or favor standby lines. That would also mean standby queues would see higher utilization levels and regular wait times wouldn’t be as long. Thus, more guests would queue up and additional standby space would be needed.
That still leaves many unanswered questions, perhaps most significantly whether on-site guests at Walt Disney World would receive any kind of access included as part of their resort stay. There has been a lot of chatter about this–not just recently, but over the course of many years. I have not heard anything credible about whether on-site guests might receive anything, but it strikes me as plausible that they would–perhaps based upon the resort tier. However, that’s entirely speculative on my part.
Whether on-site guests receive some level of line-skipping access likely depends upon the degree to which Walt Disney World feels the “need” to incentivize on-site resort bookings. Given how strong those are right now and with early entry and extended evening hours perks debuting this fall, Walt Disney World might go solely for direct monetization on the FastPass replacement.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Walt Disney World hold off on additional on-site benefits until resort occupancy rates drop. In which case, we might see Disney Premier Access (or whatever Walt Disney World calls it) debut this fall and something more beneficial to guests (Disney Genie?) debut towards the end of the 50th Anniversary. Again, entirely speculative.
With that said, it’s still possible that Walt Disney World and Disneyland will borrow features from the MaxPass system that was in use at Disneyland pre-closure. We really liked MaxPass and would love to see that expanded to Walt Disney World, albeit with a free component.
It remains a possibility that the systems rolling out at Walt Disney World and Disneyland will differ from Paris and Shanghai, as well as from one another. All of these parks have their own unique wrinkles, and Walt Disney World in particular is a more complex operation than the other parks, so it might merge multiple systems.
I don’t want to over-emphasize it, but Walt Disney World switching to this system would also have potential upside for guests who were not FastPass+ power users. Far fewer guests will use the ride reservation system if it costs money, which in turn means standby lines will move faster and those wait times will generally be shorter. There’s no way the ratio will be 80:20, because there’s no way that many people will pay to skip the line.
It’s hard to say what the ratio will be, but I’d be surprised if it’s over 20:80 most days. (Unless some access is included for on-site guests, which would totally change things.) By how much will almost certainly depend upon the day and season. If crowds and wait times are lower, fewer people will likely purchase the paid option to avoid long waits. That in turn will mean even shorter standby lines. Conversely, more people will buy on busier days, exacerbating the problem.
With all of that said, we’re opposed to Walt Disney World charging for something that was previously included free of charge as a matter of principle. Regardless of how we feel about individual changes, Walt Disney World’s overall direction is more than a little concerning, and there has been a proliferation of nickel & diming, cutbacks, and price increases over the last several years. It would be one thing if additions and subtractions netted one another out, but Walt Disney World has been burning the candle of fan goodwill at both ends, so to speak.
FastPass+ was not without its faults, but the system also was not broken. The new system probably won’t be as bad as many fans are envisioning, but it’s also an unnecessary “solution” to a nonexistent problem–and one that, like so many other things, will be monetized. There might be minor upsides to this, but the only real winners here will be Disney and those for whom money is no object.
Ultimately, what Disneyland Paris has announced with the Standby Pass and paid Disney Premier Access replacing free FastPass is likely a window into what’s on the horizon for Walt Disney World. Nothing is official at this point, but we would strongly recommend bracing yourself for the (strong) possibility that Walt Disney World will likewise retire free FastPass and roll out something similar–but probably not identical.
Given the proliferation of rumors on the topic in the last couple of months (where there’s smoke…), plus Walt Disney World gradually scaling up park capacity, plus the World’s Most Magical Celebration starting October 1, it’s likely Walt Disney World will make an official announcement within the next month or two, and have the system ready to roll by sometime in September or October 2021. Who knows–maybe the rumors are all wrong and free FastPass+ will return! That’s not what we expect to happen, but we’ve been wrong plenty of times before.
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
Do you think Standby Pass and Disney Premier Access will be rolled out at Walt Disney World? Think it’ll be a similar system, but debut with the Disney Genie app and offer its own branding and unique wrinkles? Or, do you think this is all wrong–that FastPass+ will return unchanged later this summer or fall? Do you prefer fast-moving standby lines only, or the FastPass and standby combo? Interested in how Walt Disney World will implement the new system? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Super interesting, thanks for the update and analysis. Our family will almost certainly pay up, and will adjust the number of visits/days to fit our budget. We already visit far less as hotel and ticket prices have increased in the last decade.
Disney has a great product, with the enviable “problem” of being too popular with a fixed footprint. Price increases haven’t made a dent in the crowds. I’m surprised Disney doesn’t double or triple the gate prices for a simpler solution, but surely they know what they are doing.
So much outrage over paid fastpass, yet an after hours event promising shorter waits for three hours at magic kingdom was selling put at $150-200 a person just a couple weeks ago, so the demand is clearly there. I’d rather pay $10 per ride in normal daylight hours than keep my kids up to midnight at $50+ per hour.
We live in the UK, hoping to make our first (& probably only trip) to WDW in May 2022 with our 7 year old . Whilst I don’t relish handing over more $$ to Disney, for us the paid access would just have to be a cost we’d factor into the price of the holiday.
Put simply, I’m not prepared to fly 1000s of miles to endlessly stand in long queues.
@BEC I have not always lived here and until I moved here I had to do the whole trip with the kids for many years as well so I am aware of all that entails. I still stand by my beliefs. If you are going on a vacation with your family and you choose Disney as your destination it is going to cost money and Disney being a business is going to raise their prices just like anywhere else and just like anywhere else they have the right to raise their prices and make any changes they want to. Disney is not in business to lose money so more people can visit. It is a business and the bottom line really is that people will go no matter what they do. Going to Disney is not a right, it is a choice.
So disappointed with Disney. As regular DLP goers we loved the fastpass system there. Being able to fastpass rides is one of the things that makes Disney stand out. Paying per ride and up to €15 euros per person per ride, with prices fluxing depending on the time of year is just extortionate! We were intending to go post pandemic, but I’m afraid the magic of Disney is fast fading and we will be spending our money elsewhere. Such a shame.
Im concerned what this will mean for the DAS pass and if Disney will finally start to request evidence as can see a surge in demand for this to circumvent paid fasspass alternatives. As UK visitors we were always amazed that Disney werent allowed to see evidence of disability before assigning this facility to guests. Personally without DAS and free fastpasses we may have to rethink visiting especially if standby queues are expected to be even longer. Paying the best part of 30 dollars to park then potentially 30 to 60 dollars a ride for our party is out of the question on top of rising ticket costs. Disney is starting to lose its magic
@Bec. It was called ‘The Grand Plan.’ They got rid of that too!
Disney keeps taking away spontaneity and perks while raising costs. Each change is making us less and less likely to stay on property (which we love!), or maybe even to come at all. I used to plan my friends’ trips, that’s how much I enjoyed the pretrip stuff. That fun is nearly gone with all the phone stuff that you can’t do ahead. I agree with Bec’s comment. I want to plan for a year, and come on property to just enjoy, not have to stress about getting a ton of last minute fast passes, or pay even more for them.
@Cathy- many people don’t live near WDW or have the ability to go once a week. Proximity, accessibility, and cost are huge factors in expectations of experience. It can easily cost a family of 4 $10,000-$15,000 for an on-site week long trip (that’s budget air and moderate resort at best). It is absolutely UNDENIABLE that Disney has lowered value per dollar on their vacations, especially over the last year. Many have been life long fans and have a desire for their children and grand children to experience Disney as the magical place it was for them and not just another place you can vacation. I think people are “complaining” because it’s something they care about and they don’t want to see the magic squashed and see Disney World become just another amusement park. Expecting a good product doesn’t make someone a bad consumer, it makes them a discerning consumer.
Geez all the people complaining about money gouging at Disney. I just don’t get it. I don’t find Disney anymore expensive than vacationing anywhere else. Vacations are pricy. I honestly don’t find the restaurants at Disney anymore expensive than restaurants anywhere else either and many times go to Disney just for the restaurants. Bottom line really is if you don’t like it don’t go. There are many who like it and are happy with the value of what they get.
Gary Bates… you can’t be serious.. phones ruining your magic?? That is absurd. Why are you paying attention to anyone else’s phone anyway? I go to Disney once a week and I can honestly say I have never been affected in any way by any ones cell phone. Most people use them for cameras. Do you think people should leave their cameras at the gate too?
I’m so sad to see all these die hard Disney Fans (I’m one of them) saying how they just might have to cut ties and not make the Disney trip ever again.I honestly never thought I would be that person but I am so tired of this crazy money gauging behavior from Disney! What is going on Disney, really when an average family is literally out priced from having a happy Disney experience. I really hope someone from Disney reads these reviews to see what die hard fans think. Also I agree with one of the comments I read earlier. We have to stop going and paying these insane prices if we’re going to be properly heard. And that is hard to do I know. I have a trip booked for 2022 and I just may have to cancel. We’ll see what Disney says in the coming months.
I personally wish everyone guest had to leave their smart phone in a locker at the park entrance. These phones out everywhere are completely destroying the “magic”.
@Bec – I agree with you about the phone thing. I really appreciated & enjoyed the fact that we didn’t have to live on our phones during the last trip. It’s just one person’s point of view, but I thought not having FastPass really improved our trip. I don’t like stressing about FastPass times and pulling up the app in queues and trying to refresh to get better times in order to fit in another FastPass.
This last trip was so much more lowkey. I don’t look forward to a FastPass system coming back unless it is minimal so that it doesn’t have a strong impact on the standby queue. Tom made a good point regarding a paid pass impacting the standby lines less than a system that would give free FastPasses to everyone or resort guests.
If this new pricing scheme comes into reality. We will be canceling our plans to come for the 50th and our granddaughter will never be able to afford these prices to have her magical experience. Disney is killing dreamers not creating them! How very sad!
As a parent of a child who needs a DAS pass, I have concerns that the differently-abled will be squeezed out of the picture entirely. I shudder to think what these lines will be like (assuming the DAS and this next iteration share a line, as DAS and FP have in the past). And if the pay-to-skip perk is offered to resort guests, I don’t even want to imagine.
I believe less fast pass is best and abused by AP holders to the extent normal guest miss out. I think this isn’t the best solution for WDW but do believe something that benefits onsite guest and forces less people in fast pass lines is the best balance. It creates more movement in lines, truly adds value to on property, and provides the squeeze the parks wanted financially. Taking everything and giving nothing is just another scab we continue to have picked out so initially we are right to be upset.
Agree A 100%!! It makes us very sad too and we live comfortably but cannot and will not spend that type of money per day.
I am against per ride basis and on a flux scale but primarily for a reson that most people won’t agree with me on. I really like paying for everything up front and then except for souvenirs being done. I DO NOT want to be stuck behind a phone screen making reservations, ordering food, getting passes, getting boarding groups, etc all day on my vacation. I don’t want to consider every dollar while I am there, I don’t want to have to say no to my kids in the park because things don’t pan out that day. Disappointment is much easier to handle when youre not standing right in the midst of it. I don’t even like getting my phone out for pictures. I like everything planned and being able to just use that magic band. I want to look around the park, look at the smiles on my families face, meet new people or cast members- I do not want to experience Disney World through a screen while I am in the park. Requiring all the reservations, nickle and diming me in the parks, and on the phone while in park kills the magic. If I wanted to be on my phone I can do that at home on my couch. They want to charge for extra rides, fine (although I think its another addition to paying more for less) but do it up front on a pass people have time to consider the cost of, not in park where you’re strangling dollars out of families who kids are crying because it’s the only way they’ll get to ride the ride they’ve been dreaming of for months, that’s extorsion. I love Disney World, have my whole life, but man… that magic is on a hard taper. I hope they consider carefully what they’re doing to park atmosphere before implementing this new system.
My family loves Disney World and it’s such a special place to us but it is becoming more and more difficult to go. We used to stay at Deluxe resorts and eat at all the character buffets. Now we can barely afford the Value resorts and i can’t even justify eating a decent meal anywhere on property because it’s just so ridiculously overpriced. Tickets keep going up and now they want to charge us per ride on top of that. It makes me sad that Disney has changed so much and we can no longer enjoy the parks like we used to. It’s all about the money for them and not about families or that special feeling you get when you visit the parks. The magic is totally gone….unless you’re wealthy. I can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars just to get through the gates. And then spend more to ride rides and then $200 on lunch and $500 for dinner. It’s just flat out nuts. Shame on you Disney….I’m sure this is not what Walt would’ve wanted. Price gouging is not magical!