WDW News & Rumors: FastPass+ Loophole, $12,000 VIP Tour, and Dinosaurs?!
We’re back with another Walt Disney World news and rumor round-up. This one is not so much a round-up as it is a discussion of two pieces of (if we’re being honest) pretty insignificant news stories that have garnered a lot of negative reactions which are an excuse to get to the main event: dinosaurs.
Let’s start with what’s actually a pretty big deal if online buzz among Disney fans is our metric: Walt Disney World is now cancelling FastPass+ reservations when a hotel reservation is cancelled. This closes a FastPass+ loophole that was, apparently, pretty popular.
Previously, visitors intending upon staying off-site would book a Walt Disney World hotel reservation, which would provide access to the 60-day FastPass+ booking window. Once they hit their window, they booked FastPass+ reservations, and cancelled their hotel reservation, keeping whatever elusive FastPasses they booked.
I guess I haven’t been trudging through the dark side of Walt Disney World hacks lately, but it never occurred to me that people would do this. Upon learning about it, I tipped my hat to them, as my policy with this sort of thing is always don’t hate the player hate the game.
I’m no longer surprised that others don’t share my same perspective on this, so it was no shock that the general sentiment among Disney fans was disparagement (the words “fraud” and “scam” were tossed around pretty liberally) towards people who did this, and praise towards Walt Disney World for fixing it.
I likewise share the sentiment that it’s good this is fixed. I’m skeptical that such a heinous offense was being perpetrated on as colossal of a scale as others might believe; we’re a bit of an insular niche online, and there’s a tendency to assume things are more widespread than actuality. (Sort of like when people think they can beat crowds by doing the opposite of a Walt Disney World Touring Plan because everyone is following those!)
Nevertheless, it’s already difficult enough to get popular FastPass+ reservations when the booking windows open, and I anticipate that’ll only get worse once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge starts releasing FastPasses. This also should make room inventory a bit more stable, although the way Disney toys with that is probably a far bigger issue.
I do wonder how (or whether) this will work with the third-party hotels, like the Disney Springs Resort Area properties, that also offer the 60-day booking window. Not to doubt Disney’s very robust and incredibly reliable online systems, but I could see them lacking the ability to apply the same fix there, which would mean that the sophisticated loophole exploiters will just move to those. Hopefully that won’t work, and this is a universal solution.
Next, the new World of Dreams VIP Tour, or “that $12,000 tour for fools with more money than sense.” At nearly double the hourly cost of a regular VIP tour, this is (to our knowledge) the most expensive tour that Walt Disney World has offered. Like other VIP tours, there’s front of the line access to all attractions and preferred viewing for nighttime spectaculars.
Unlike those “normal” VIP tours, there are two guides, backstage areas can be used as shortcuts, and there’s access to the Cinderella Castle Suite. The tour also includes up to three table service meals (even at fully-booked restaurants), snacks, and alcohol. There are probably other tour perks, but Walt Disney World hasn’t released (and likely won’t) an official fact sheet about the tour.
The online community’s reaction has been fierce and strong. It kind of surprises me that Disney fans have expended so much energy criticizing this tour and trying to break it down from a value perspective to demonstrate that it’s a rip-off when it’s clearly not an offering aimed at most (all?) of them. Let’s say I drove a Toyota Yaris (I don’t, because everyone knows only a Kia can handle my need for speed), and was a serious enthusiast about all things Toyota.
One day, I’m reading the latest breaking news from ToyotaDriveristBlog.com, and I learn that a new Lexus LFA has been announced. I’m very excited as I love Toyota, owner of Lexus. That is, until I see the MSRP. $700,000. How dare they?! The last Lexus LFA was only $375,000, so what makes this one nearly twice as good?! It turns out it doesn’t matter, because I was never the target audience for the car and had no legitimate intent upon purchasing one.
VIP tours aren’t something that interests me, but I know others justify the normal ones from a perspective of getting a group together, pooling money, and splurging on something the per person hourly cost of which (according to them) is “not too bad.” I’m guessing those people are trying to apply the same logic here and coming up empty, but the difference is that this tour is aimed at people for whom money is no object.
It should come as no surprise. Development continues at Golden Oak and the even pricier Four Seasons Private Residences, plus resorts like the Ritz Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, and aforementioned Four Seasons Orlando cater to levels of affluence that make services like the World of Dreams VIP tour in-demand.
When it comes to things like this, the questions we’ve long asked are whether the offering furthers in-park class stratification and whether it lessens the experience of regular paying guests. Assuming we’re okay with VIP tours, a practice that dates back decades, as a baseline, it’s hard to take issue with this. Presumably, these guests would otherwise by doing a normal VIP tour, so there’s no appreciable difference to other guests–they’re just paying more for a different type of service.
Seems like Magic Kingdom train berm is being extended flat.
A guess: for a show building containing Universe of Energy dinosaurs. Similar to Disneyland, which has same characters but from 1964-65 World’s Fair. pic.twitter.com/dffvXbXJ2B
– bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 3, 2019
Finally, we’ll end with a tidbit that is most exciting to me: the above work that’s happening around the Walt Disney World Railroad. I’ve wanted to get over to the Contemporary all week to take my own photos, but I’ve been so sick that I’ve barely gotten out of bed in 5 days. (I even missed Moonlight Magic!)
Please note that this is not a rumor. That tweet’s author is an insightful guy who posts excellent construction photos from around the Orlando parks, but he’s guessing. We’ve likewise guessed in the past that this would make complete sense given Walt Disney World now has the makings of a Primeval World (a la Disneyland) just sitting around.
It also makes sense when you take into account the likelihood of an extended Railroad closure, which would be sufficient time to build the show buildings (which would mirror Disneyland both in general contents and location). With Magic Kingdom likely to see an influx of guests for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, enhancing the Railroad would also help with ridership numbers. From a practical perspective, it’d be a way to help soak up crowds by filling empty seats.
However, this is Walt Disney World we’re talking about. And these are Audio Animatronics not associated with an IP, which would be used to enhance an existing attraction that’s not a headliner. All of this has a monetary cost, and there would be an ongoing maintenance cost, too.
Basically, this is our way of saying that while we really want this work to be for a Primeval World diorama, we can’t will it into being, and we aren’t going to get excited prematurely. A potential change at Walt Disney World being plausible and logical doesn’t make it true…or even an actual rumor. To the contrary, there are no credible rumors on this–which normally would leak out by now if that’s what this were for. That alone is probably telling.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of these stories? Glad the FastPass loophole has been closed, or were you one of the treasonous heathens who exploited it? Thinking of booking the $12,000 VIP tour, or are you waiting for the $20k Platinum version? What about the plausibility of dinosaurs being added to Magic Kingdom? Think it’ll happen or would it be out of character for Walt Disney World? 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!
Regarding FP+ and offsite hotels – we have stayed at several that offered early access and have had difficulty getting FP+s to begin with as it seems all your info must match up exactly with what Disney has in order for you to make the FP+ reservations. I mention that to say that I suspect that Disney’s system is not closely enough linked to the various offsite hotels for them to cancel your FP+s if you are able to make them. I do agree with Tom that I think the number of people who will try to use this potential loophole is pretty small.
Also, for those concerned about moving their reservations to a different Disney hotel, my impression is that the purge is a batch process that runs once a day and I suspect that if you cancel one reservation and move it to another hotel the same day you will be ok – best to ask ahead of time however.
When is the magic kingdom train schedule to open?? Thanks.
As a Toyota Yaris owner, and speed enthusiast myself, I will take on you and your Kia any day!
Re: VIP tours – The stratification of economic classes exists in reality as it exists in Disney. No amount of pouting about VIP tours is going to change that simple fact. Get over it and stop telling people what they should and should not be able to have access to. This jealous bitterness is absurd and petty.
The waste management permits clearly show that the retention pond south of space mountain is being enlarged. There are no new buildings shown. And no insider has ever hinted there would be a diorama coming to MK.
FP loophole-
What business wouldn’t want to eliminate crooked customer behavior?
VIP Tour-
Complainers have wealth envy, imho.
So, if u could afford Star Wars hotel, u wouldn’t do it!?
Train tracks-
Maybe just re-routing for Tron attraction?
I really hope that the dinos end up SOMEWHERE. I really miss them. Here’s hoping….
Thanks Tom about the Fast Pass Loop hole story. I have no sympathy for the people who do this and they deserve to lose their bookings. As for those people who change their bookings between different WDW resorts, hopefully Disney has considered for this. Rather than dropping fastpass bookings right away perhaps Disney will allow people a few days to book another WDW resort before the FPs are actually dropped. Reservations are connected to one’s WDW membership id so this could be used.
Tom,
Any news on if and when Disney will announce free dining through December 2019?
The FastPass loophole should be closed and I am glad they did so. Those of us who pay to stay onsite, do so for many reasons. There shouldn’t be an issue changing onsite resorts within the window as the system should recognize it. It will be something they should address and the tech is there to do it.
VIP. I do not really care whether there are VIP tours or not. I just do not like when Disney tries to tell me that they treat everyone the same, when they clearly do not. The more money you have, the better you are treated by Disney. All of these lavish membership clubs for the rich are one thing but when you are asked to move along from a photo opportunity because someone else is on VIP, then we have a clear discrimination problem. Disney should be cautious with all of this as we know from history, when the economy dips, the rich pull on their purse strings much more than the middle class. It is the middle class that keeps Disney profitable, not the rich. Now, sure if I had that kind of money taking a $12,000 tour would make sense. Line up with the masses or walk on and off everything, have front row dining and front row shows/parades/fireworks. I mean really this stuff has been available to the rich/famous for years, now just advertising it for the other “rich” folks.
Yeah for the dinos, in whatever capacity they show up.
With almost any business in the world, you’ll get treated better if you spend more money (as the main point of business is to make money). Disney still does a much better job of fostering an egalitarian approach than its competitors, who have long been cashing in on things like the Flash Pass (Six Flags) and Universal Express which turn line-skipping privileges into major cash cows at the true detriment of those who don’t pay for those services.
Question for you: do you know if Disney After Hours are going to extend beyond April?
This is the important question! Or, rather, I’m wondering about Early Morning Magic in Fantastyland!
Also on the VIP tour, the only way I would spend that money is if I won the lottery… but if the lottery was big enough I might skip the tour and rent out the whole park for my family and friends instead. Would that be AWESOME?!?
It’s cool that they offer such an outrageous VIP tour but even if I had the money I wouldn’t do it. Why ruin the magic and see behind the scenes? I like being able to go there and disconnect from adulthood, I dont want to be reminded this is all fake.
I’ve been behind the scenes at Disney and it’s actually pretty cool. No, I didn’t pay for it. I performed there twice as a teenager with my dance company (summer of 97 and 2000 I think). Both times Disney took us behind the scenes, we had class with Disney choreographers and we got to walk through the backstage area to get to the Tomorrowland stage where we performed. It was pretty impressive and an experience that I will never forget. I don’t know if Disney did this for everyone (we did have several dance company alumni working as dancers in WDW at the time, so we may have gotten a bit of a hookup somewhere along the line),
It’s not for everyone, but for those who are interested in how a place as large as WDW runs, its pretty interesting. I even auditioned to be dancer during my senior year of high school and even how Disney conducts that whole process is pretty interesting compared to what the rest of the industry is like. I’m just, don’t know the backstage peek if you ever get the opportunity. But I would never pay $12,000 for it either.
Knock the backstage peek*. I promise I actually can spell!
Hmm, well I was not one to skirt the fast pass system but I am wondering what will happen if you book one room and then cancel that reservation and book a different room at a different resort (which I have actually done in the 60 day window). I’m assuming all my fastpasses will disappear in one fell swoop and then I have to rebook the room and HOPE no one has taken my previously obtained passes. Maybe they will need to let people book more than one trip at a time so that passes will transfer?
You can currently book more than one trip at a time.
I’ve tried for the same days and it would not let me. I can do multiple trips on different days…
I wouldn’t cut in front of someone in line for jump a line in real life, but I would certainly use any online loophole if it was available. My concern with the canceling of the fast pass reservations, is more about if you switch your reservation between 60 and 30 days, like I’ve done many times. Wondering if our fast passes would get canceled and we have to redo them.
I just posted the same thing! We also have done this…
Just because it’s through the internet doesn’t mean it’s not real life. It’s still real people you’re cutting in front of…
i would love a version of PW in florida. we used ot split time evenly between DL and WDW when i was growing up, and everyone who had never been to DL always thought i was crazy when i said they had dinosaurs on the railroad.
I think dinosaurs on the railway sounds awesome! And Jim Hill and Len Testa said they thought the new VIP offering was for things you would like to do outside the realm of normal tours. As in, you wouldn’t use it to get quicker access to rides (because you can already do that for way less money with a normal VIP tour), but to do something most people don’t get to do (like see inside Cinderella’s Castle). I would use my tour guides to hang out with Progress Dad in his living room and to see backstage at the American Adventure. Of course I don’t have an extra $12,000 laying around and if I did, I think I should probably give it to someone who needs it way more than Disney.
I’ve seen Disney’s info about the tour, and based upon that and to whom this is being marketed, that’s not what this is.
While you can go backstage for faster access, I don’t construe that as meaning behind the scenes.
I agree that dinosaurs would be cool! The train is typically not faster than walking from one side of the park to the other, so anything to make it more of an “attraction” is a plus.
My thoughts on the tours: I know VIP tours and the like have existed for a long time, but between more offering like this and even dessert parties and other upcharges the class stratification is more noticeable than it once was. Trying to find a spot for a parade/fireworks/etc. and seeing the best seats roped off for those that paid more rankles.
I agree with your points about upcharges. With regard to VIP tours, I’d be totally on board with Disney tripling the price charged and cutting the number of VIP tours offered in half. That should thin out things a bit.
A Primeval World diorama would be a nice touch for the railroad, and would be a nice place to relocate the dinos from the late, lamented Ellen’s Universe of Energy ride. I do like the closing of the FastPass+ loophole, because apparently one of the resorts that was most used (and abused) by this practice was the Fort Wilderness campground, which is hard enough to get into as it is. As to the VIP tour…you’re right, this is not for everyone, and I’m certainly not their target audience, so more power to them. Thanks for the updates!
I was under the impression with Fort Wilderness Campground that people were booking the campsites, keeping the reservation (for MagicBands and other perks), but staying off-site.
This doesn’t address that, unfortunately.
I’m not sure how they would fix that. If people want to pay for a campsite they won’t use and a hotel, I’m not sure how much money they are saving. Fort Wilderness may be the cheep option as far as WDW resorts go, but it is not cheap compared to every other campground in America. My family is staying there in December in our RV(our first Christmas at Disney, lord help us with the crowds) and we are looking forward to the unique experience that Fort Wilderness provides. I feel sad that there might be empty campsites because people are looking for a cheap way to use Fatspass+ instead of having a fun and unique Disney Experience.
The VIP perk thing reminds me of how we joined a small queue to hold Disney baloons in front of the Cinderella Castle. A young lady was having her selfies taken by a non-disney photographer. When the Cast Member noticed the small line of us, he apologised and said the young lady was on VIP tour and could we move along.
We’ve had a few annoying experiences like that, too.