I think it depends how it plays out once implemented. A Mickey bar is always an enhancement- it isn't going to have a significant impact. There are lots of ways to reduce the costs of the other things you mentioned and none are really essential.
Agreed. I’m interested in seeing how the virtual standby system helps reduce waits for everyone.
It may come down to onsite rope drop advantage and whatever else is in place making less need for any paid option than offsite. I think that's going to become a part of the equation. Onsite may be able to easily knock out 1 or 2 harder rides.
Ugh!
There weren't any advertised onsite perks for legacy FP. The perks back then were morning and evening EMH that were actually a full hour EVERY morning in one park or another and 2 hours EVERY night, 7 nights a weeks, in a designated park each night. And there were fewer onsite hotel rooms back then plus longer park hours to begin with.
True, but in many cases families do not have to pay for shared spaces with kids, even in your examples. On a flight, if a child shares a seat (<age 3) they do not need a paid ticket.
I’m not sure that’s entirely true, kids under three didn’t need a FP to ride a ride if their parents had one, I would assume the same to be true for Lightning Pass. Very young children (babies and toddlers) fly free, get into Disney free, will presumably be able to accompany paying parents through LP.
I actually made this point many pages back in this thread. A lot of people are commenting that Disney MUST offer some free FP to onsite guests or the incentive to stay onsite will be gone. But there were many years where FP existed and there was no FP-specific bonus for onsite guests. So I wouldn’t assume they MUST do it now. Don’t get me wrong, it would be nice, but I’m not counting on it. Disney is doing just fine filling those rooms.
If they do run into low reservations they will do what they always do and offer free dining. Why offer free FP when no other park does it. They are just late to the game.
Ahem! Cough! Cough!
Yeah, but you definitely are still paying. I always stay at one of the resorts offering Express Pass at Universal, usually Royal Pacific. But I could get an equally nice room at one of the Universal resorts not offering EP for half the price. I feel you are definitely paying for it.
True. Disney never offered any kind of FP or FOTL perk to onsite guests back in the days before legacy Fastpass. But there were longer park hours that included an extra hour every morning and two in the evening in at least one park for onsite guests, every day back then.
Did they, even in the 80s/early 90s? I’m 37 and having been going since I was very young, so mid 80s. I genuinely can’t remember what the perks were back then.
Free dining might just have a shot at coming back. It keeps people spending on property. People pay full price for tickets/resort and feel like they have extra money to burn on fp’s since dining is already prepaid. Plus having full tummys might soften the blow of paying for all those fast passes. Lol.
Yeah, I bet it’s a great money maker. The fact you always had to pay rack rate meant we never took advantage. We do much better with AP discount rooms!
We took advantage of free dining when we stayed at value resorts, but definitely went for room discounts when we stayed deluxe.
