<<<Though I'd imagine that rabid right-to-privacy types will have a very different reaction once they learn that the Mouse may soon have technology that will then allow them to track tourists' movements around the Magic Kingdom through their cell phones.>>>  

I thought this was funny, because Disney tracks guests movements now thru their credit card activity.  People give a credit card at checkin to use for room charges on their key cards.......  this allows Disney to follow them as they move around the parks, every time they use that perk.  

As for the changes to Fast pass, it makes some sense, look at Universal's system.  My family books expensive rooms at Universal hotels, to get that front of the line benefit!  

Woah, when I saw the title, I thought Jim meant that guests will have to BUY Fastpasses!

I would need to know more about how they can track you using your cell phone. I know that function exists but thought only my cell phone company could actually track you.

If Disney can do it without your knowledge or permission, who is to say they would stop at the front gate of the attraction? Would they monitor you to see if you went to the hated Universal Parks? Would you be punished with less FastPasses for this non-Disney behavior? Using this system, that would certainly be possible!

Of course all this sounds a little too complicated for wide scale implementation. I thought a vacation was to get away from cell phones, PDA's, and laptops. Now I have alarms going off telling me I'm late for my meeting - oh I mean an attraction that is supposed to be an escape from reality. Thanks but no thanks!

Actually, Jim "is" talking about FastPass-for-pay. I remember when you could take your family to a sporting event and it would be less than $100 for a family of four. Now you have to be a corporation to afford good seats. Its not too far away, that as the population of the world grows, that Disney will be able to limit prefered access to only those that can afford the high cost of the on property hotels.

Well, I don't know nothing 'bout this new fangled technology. When I was forced to get a cellphone, I asked for the fewest options and the least bells and whistles. Still ended up with a phone that's a combination camera, timer, calculator, music box, flashlight, and microwave oven. The first thing that occurred to non-technological me was - why not cut and paste your dream fast passes on your computer, then either take a picture of them or upload them to your camera - poof - fast passes all day. I'm sure these kids today could figure out how to make 'em look real good.

Otherwise - more stuff for folks staying on-site? Excellent. It might make me reserve an on-site room again. Currently, you can get a larger room with breakfast included for less money by staying offsite - both in Anaheim and Orlando.  Fast passes aren't the incentive that will get me to switch back to on-site, but they probably will for many. I was always confused when staying at the Grand California in Anaheim or the Concierge level of Animal Kingdom Lodge how few actual perks there were. At $500 a night or more, a few fastpasses, a photo with Mickey, the ability to get dinner reservations when you want don't seem out of line to me. Obviously, the rooms are selling just fine without the perks so why bother? The last few times I stayed at Disney hotels the attitude was "you should consider yourself lucky to be accepted at our hotel, and be willing to pay for that priviledge." That just doesn't say enjoyable vacation to me.

i think its an excellent idea.  If people are willing to pay extra for Disney rooms then it is logical they get the extra perks.

As others have pointed out, Disney can't use cell phones to track guest movement.  (1) Only the cell provider has this info and (2) the info is extremely limited.  Basically, you can tell what "cell" a phone is in.  A cell could be something as large as the Magic Kingdom or Epcot.  So basically, even if Disney could get this info, all they would know is when a guest arrived and left, basically, which I assume would be worthless.  However, if they used a newly developed handheld devise (that Disney owned and offered to guests) well then, yes, it could be arranged to track guest movements.  But really, if these guests are going from fast pass attraction to fast pass attraction to lunch (already tracked via a food plan) to a fast pass attraction, then Disney already knows where they are going.

Just another example of how LOW the big corporation can stoop to market its products and try to coerse you into feeling somehow "guilty" if you aren't on board with the entire Disney brand.... all of the time.

I have never heard of such a stupid idea.

Who are they fooling here?   You give them your phone number so they can call you 15 minutes before you need to get in line and do what?  Oh yeah ... endure listening the entire 15 minutes to advertisments for everything else they want to sell you. Racking up your minutes ... distracting you from quality time with the PEOPLE you are with .... assuming that you simply MUST have to be a Jack Sparrow, Finding Nemo, or High School Musical finatic to even be in the place to begin with ....

How dare you even set foot in our "land" without paying $400 a night or owning every DVD sequel.

I simply can't understand the Disney as a "way of life" concept ...

I just want good rides and shows ... and some that take you somewhere OTHER than into the movies and TV shows in a shameless attempt to sell you a DVD on your way out.

Now they want to mess with our fair access to these products?

Crazy .... just crazy.

My first thought was - what about us poor visitors from overseas? First of all, sometimes our cell phones don't even work in the US so would be have to pay to have a phone that works? Also, when cell phones do work, the cost of using them abroad can be really high so again, not only do I have to pay more to stay in a Disney hotel but now I have to swallow the cost of the calls too??

It's a shame if Disney do go down this route because I've always admired the fact that fastpasses were free while other theme park companies happily charge for theirs. I thought it was an example of great customer service but it turns out to be another revenue source... sad.

WOW!  We are SLOWLY returning to Walt's old model... the purchase of tickets for ride access.  Yeah, this is an ultra hi-tech way of getting there.  And you don't ACTUALLY pay for ride access (you just pay to stay at expensive resorts and get fast passes).  But the net result is the same.  You pay a fee to enter and pay more to ride more.  This model kept lines manageable, controlled crowds, and provided a funding/rationale for attraction developement at Disneyland for almost thirty years.  I have ZERO problem with this idea... I only hope that they don't price little ol' schoolteacher Disney-fan ME out of the market!!!!!!!!!! :-)

It's not a surprise.  The Walt Disney Company is a business after all, and giving your higher end customers a few extra perks is just smart business.  I will say that WDW having the ability to track my movements is incredibly disturbing.  Hopefully the company will see what a PR nightmare this is destined to become and abandon those plans before they even get off the ground.

I think you guys are all off base here. Jim's not talking about using YOUR cell phone (I don't think). He's talking about Disney ISSUING you a cell phone that would do all this stuff. I mean think about it ... how the hell would they get a virtual Fastpass on YOUR cell phone? Yeah, they could possibly email you a picture of one I guess, but what if your phone has no email??

No, this is some kind of limited functionality, Disney issued cell phone that they'd use.

And, IMO, it's dumb anyway. I'm not interested in all this crap (and I'm a technology guy!!!). When I'm on vacation I want to leave all that *** behind and just relax. That's why I hated Pal Mickey ... the stupid thing never SHUT UP!!

This is news to me.  As an annual passholder, I'm very disappointed.  I might stay at a Disney hotel once or twice a year for special occassions, but I usually just go for the day otherwise.  I know that Disney probably doesn't care as much about the annual passholders, but don't take this away from us.  When I go to WDW, usually the first thing I do is grab a Fastpass somewhere.  Now I'll have to wait in line for 60 minutes + to ride Splash Mountain, then another 60 minutes + to ride Big Thunder Mountain?  (I'm jaded since it's been summer for a while!)  Part of me can understand (thought I don't agree with it) "punishing" the guests staying off-property by offering more Fastpasses to those staying at Disney hotels, but to take the Fastpasses away from the annual passholders would suck.  

Also, my cell phone is 4 years old- I can't even download ringtones or backgrounds or anything.  I'll be getting a new one by the end of the year, but what about those guests who are not up-to-date with fancy cell phones?  Do they just not get their Fastpasses?  Or could they go to the desk at the hotel and get paper ones?  

This whole thing makes me upset at Disney.  I don't go to Universal- can anyone tell me how it is a) buying their equivalent to Fastpasses, and b) how it is not buying their equivalent to Fastpasses?

>>As for the changes to Fast pass, it makes some sense, look at Universal's system.<<

That is in my opinion a poor analogy.  Universal's system is horrendous.  You can't get a pass for most rides period unless you arrive early in the day, or buy them in the gift shops.  It's one of the top three reasons I'm no longer a Universal AP holder, and is undoubtedly a major contributor to their abysmal performance in the Orlando tourism market.

>>i think its an excellent idea.<<

I disagree.

>> If people are willing to pay extra for Disney rooms then it is logical they get the extra perks.<<

Yes, let them get extra perks, but let Disney provide those perks, not me.  As an AP holder (or a day visitor to the parks) I'm paying for the same park admission ticket as anyone else.  That means I'm paying for the same access to FPs as everyone else.  That means that by giving deluxe resort guests preferential access to FPs, Disney is not providing extra perks to those resort guests -- I am!

It's not spelled out either way in the patent application, but I think it's safe to assume that any revenue generated by this perk will end up going to Disney, rather than to the people who are providing the perk by paying the same admission price for a lesser guest experience.

I suppose many deluxe resort guests understandably believe that they are entitled to better treatment by Disney, based on all the money they're spending, and I can't disagree with that.  What I strenuously disagree with, however, is the notion that the rest of us should subsidize that treatment.  And whether you agree or not, when we show up at MK for the afternoon only to find that FPs for not only the Disney Mountains, but also Buzz Lightyear, Pooh, and even Stitch are gone by noon, having been given to resort guests the day before, that is exactly how it will be perceived.  Universal has learned the hard way that they can't force such subsidization, and that given the choice, those who are made to feel like second-class guests will vote with their feet.

Now I have some faith (or at least hope) that Disney won't do anything to actively harm any of their guests, despite the evidence to the contrary that this patent filing strongly represents.  But I can say with certainty that if the Disney experience becomes anything like the Universal experience, the year in which that happens will be my last as an AP holder.  Assuming I am not alone in my sentiments (and I can't imagine that I am), the rest of you will not only have priority FP access, but also very short standby lines as attendance declines.

Just keep in mind that Disney is a business, and as such they are not only naturally driven but legally required to try to make as much money as they can for shareholders.  If in fact they are poised to take action designed to drive AP holders, day visitors, and off-site vacationers (and our dollars) out of the parks, they must be planning on making up that revenue somewhere.  They don't seem to have any problem filling rooms, so they are presumably not counting on increased deluxe resort *volume* to do this -- which leaves just one unconstrained variable...

The tracking feature just reminds me of the failure known as Pal Mickey, and an attempt to reuse that technology that they invested so much time into.  Anyone else see the link?

I don't have a fancy cell phone that could download fast passes and I frankly don't want to be distracted during my vacation with my cell phone.  I use fastpass now and I can see the hotel guests getting extra perks, but I don't like all of these plans.  A Disney vacation is hardly relaxing, but this is too much I think.  I can keep track of my own fast pass times fine and I don't need to be told what rides are open or shut down.  Rides don't shut down often enough to warrant getting a phone call.

The only way Disney can track you would be by knowing which FastPass is yours (by the bar code), and tracking when you use it.  So if you have one of these new FPs on your phone, and you use it to board SM at 2:37PM, all they know is that at 2:37PM you got on SM.  They don't know where you were at 2:30 or where you will be at 3:15.  And they certainly can't know where you go when you leave the park (or even when you leave the park).

Now, if they were to issue everyone their own in-park or on-property cell phone or similar device, they'd have have all kinds of possibilities.  But it doesn't sound to me like this is part of the plan, at least based on Jim's article.

As far as the tracking and privacy issue goes, the opposition will be based entirely on ignorance, just like the outcry over the introduction of biometric fingerprint scanners.

>>I don't have a fancy cell phone that could download fast passes and I frankly don't want to be distracted during my vacation with my cell phone.<<

I don't imagine Disney is dense enough that they could use priority access to FPs to justify the high price of deluxe on-property resorts, and then turn around and deny this perk to guests who don't own or wish to carry cell phones with specific capabilities.  The option to carry your FPs in your phone would therefore, I assume, have to be just that -- an option.

It seems to me that the most sensible place to store a "virtual" FP would be in your park ticket/room key.

...it is also worth noting that just because the patent application covers the ability to give preferential access to resort patrons does not mean that Disney intends to do this.  One of the tricky things about writing patents is that you have to lay claim to every imaginable use of what you are seeking to patent, otherwise someone else can come along and patent the use of YOUR idea on a way not mentioned in your patent.

The idea Disney is seeking to patent is  basically the method described in claim number 1, which is basically to allow them to distribute FPs via cell phone rather than on paper.  But if they neglected to specify claim (3), then someone could conceivably patent that use of Disney's technology as their own idea, requiring Disney to pay a license fee -- to use their own idea -- if ever they decided it would be a good idea to use the technology as described in claim (3).

So the fact that Disney is patenting the ability to grant different perks to resort guests based on their position in a hierarchy does not mean that they intend to start doing so immediately, it simply means that they are protecting their right to use their technology in any way they see fit.

And the fact that they're patenting it at all has to make you wonder where Universal fits into their thinking...

The patent application used the word priority, not access. That means that when a person staying at one of the hotels requests a fastpass their return time and next available fastpass time would be sooner than guests who just walk in the gate. I see no problem with this at all. I also don't see a problem if Disney offers priority fastpasses for sale. If people are willing to pay the money, why not give them some preferential treatment?

The patent also states that they could use patron's cell phones to track their location. There was no mention of any new cell technology that Disney would be distributing to guests. Many times a patent is issued based on something that could feasibly happen at some point in the future. It doesn't have to exist currently. So even though Disney cannot currently track users in the parks through their cell phones, it is theoretically possible to do so.

As tizzo states, patents are issued to protect Disney's right to do or create something and does not mean they will actually start doing it. It does mean that they are considering it though.

I'm an annual passholder and I don't care about this one way or the other.  Jim never said that ONLY people who stay at the hotels can get fastpasses.  Plus, once in a while I stay at one of the hotels and would appreciate an extra perk for the extra money I spend.  So why not?  

I have read through the entire application.  

The system will use your (the guest, or from the application, the patron) cell phone.  

There will be different levels of priority to the use of the electronic fast passes, by setting of a higher archy to the different level of guest.  A certian level of priority will be given to the highest level of guest, they will be able to register thier cell phone, online and be able to remotely request fast passes.  It say they will be alowed one pass, and in some cases doe to priority a second can be obtained.  This I feel will not result in all fast passes for all four parks gone by noon time.

The next level would have the priority to register their cell phone at the entertainment venue, a moderate hotel or less, I would suppose.  Again, depending on the availibility and priority level, these guest can obtain fast passes.  

The next level describes being able to register your cell phone ata remote location near to the aatraction, i.e. the location of the current fast pass devices would make sense here.

So this is pattent application, it tries to capture every type of use that could be possible with a system.  From reading through it, I dont think it will limit access to any guest to the fast pass system, but might cause, lower priority guest to have to wait longer in the day for thier fast pass time.

They have also described multiple methods to transmit the data, or fast pass to cell phones, and these methods should work on any cell phone today.  I did not see any tracking refference, only that advertisement as well as coupons might be transmitted to the cell phone as well the fast passes.  Cell phone that have GPS can be disabled at the handset, so there is no way they could track your movement, other than the method they curently use, fast pass use, dining card use and room charges.

I will be interested to see how they implement this system.

>>I'm an annual passholder and I don't care about this one way or the other.  Jim never said that ONLY people who stay at the hotels can get fastpasses.<<

That's true, but it is logically impossible to give resort guests access to more FPs without making fewer passes available to day visitors.

>>Plus, once in a while I stay at one of the hotels and would appreciate an extra perk for the extra money I spend.  So why not?<<

Because, as I pointed out, this particular perk would come at the expense of other guests.

If you are staying on property, you get access to a range of perks -- transportation, concierge service, Extra Magic Hours -- all of which Disney provides you at their own expense.  You pay them extra money, and they pay people to open a park early or stay late, or to man a concierge desk.  The priority FP concept is different in that the "cost" of your perk is not borne by Disney, it is borne by Disney's other paying guests.

Here's an analogy.  I live in a slightly higher than average priced neighborhood in FL.  I paid more for my house, and pay more in taxes, than some others who live in my town.  In exchange for this, I may have a larger house, larger property, better view, or any combination of these or other perks.  None of them cost anyone anything.  The people by whom they were provided were all adequately compensated -- that's where my money went.

I do not -- nor should I -- have better access than others to municipal services, public parks, public recreation facilities such as pools, or the public beach.

And that isn't even a perfect analogy because unlike the extra dollars spent by deluxe resort guests, there is a portion of my taxes that do in fact ultimately go to provide services to those in my community who can't pay for them.

Disney's a business, not a charity. They can charge whomever, whatever, and wherever the market will bear, at the expense of anyone they choose.

If people come, stay, and pay, that's where Disney's responsibility ends. If they decide it's better for their bottom line to push money into high-end resorts guests as opposed to AP holders, then that's what they have to do. They owe it to their shareholders to do this as providing the highest return for their investment is their fiduciary responsibility.

I always find it odd how people expect everything at Disney to be "fair." The world ain't fair. I'd love a Ferrari, but guess what? I can't own one.

Despite some folks' best efforts, America is not a socialist society. Not yet, anyway.

>>The patent application used the word priority, not access. That means that when a person staying at one of the hotels requests a fastpass their return time and next available fastpass time would be sooner than guests who just walk in the gate.<<

An essential feature of fastpasses is that they exist in limited quantities.  The wait on a fastpass line is shorter than standby because there are a fixed number of people who can be on that line during any given one our period.  This is also why FPs can sell out.

In the current system, FP distribution is first come, first served.  If resort guests are able to get FPs the day before anyone else, then there will indisputably be fewer FPs for everyone else.  

>>I see no problem with this at all. I also don't see a problem if Disney offers priority fastpasses for sale.<<

Then we disagree.

>>If people are willing to pay the money, why not give them some preferential treatment?<<

If people are paying DISNEY money, then let DISNEY give them preferential treatment.  If they are pay YOU money, then YOU give them preferential treatment.  But don't take their money and then make ME give them preferential treatment.

I think this is a very interesting idea, though it wouldn't mean anything to me personally. I am a parent who has a child with a disability so I miss the lines now. Though I do miss somethings about the lines like the pet cemetery at the Disneyland Haunted Mansion. Looking at the themeing can be just as entertaining as the attraction itself. I do think that this technology will really be cool to the younger generation and that's what Disney is aiming for. However there is something to be said, as posted previously, about coming to the parks and turning off the cell phone.

If the Fast Pass is paperless, then what is stopping me from creating a jpeg of any fast  pass, using the exact fonts and format in photoshop, and then upload it as a screensaver on my phone?  It wouldn't be hard.  I could go on any ride at any time I wanted.

With anything paperless...it makes it very easy to corrupt or misuse.

Resort guest are able to get fast passes before everyone else right now, they are called extra magic mornings, when resort guest get into the park an hour early and are theonly ones to have access to the fast passes.

The pattent requrest states that the fast passess will be limited, so that you can still only hold a single fast pass, or in some case a max of 2.

If you have anaul pass and frequent the park, you are deffinately apying less for you daily access to the parks than a guest with a length of stay pass.  The who it is costing more is not a viable argument unless you supply dat on the number of days you go to the parks, what you pay for your anual pass, versus the avergae Magic Your Way pass user.

The pattent doesn't rely on jpegs for the passes, they will each have a unique identifier, most likely tied to your cell phone mac address, so these will not be able to be corrupted unless the Disney Fast Pass system it self is hacked.

>>They can charge whomever, whatever, and wherever the market will bear, at the expense of anyone they choose.<<

Glad you feel that way.  I'm selling your house. <g>

Your only mistake, of course, is in saying "at the expense of anyone they choose".

>>If people come, stay, and pay, that's where Disney's responsibility ends.<<

Not exactly.  Once money changes hands, Disney has a commitment to provide the services that the guest was promised.  For example, I can't rent my entire house to someone and then only give them access to a bedroom and a bathroom.  That is quintessential capitalism by the way.

>>If they decide it's better for their bottom line to push money into high-end resorts guests as opposed to AP holders, then that's what they have to do. They owe it to their shareholders to do this as providing the highest return for their investment is their fiduciary responsibility.<<

I don't disagree (in fact my first impulse was to accuse you of plagiarism<g>).  I don't necessarily think that this is the best thing for their bottom line, but that's not my decision to make.  My decision is whether, should they decide to go that way, it is in my best interest to continue patronizing WDW.

>>I always find it odd how people expect everything at Disney to be "fair." The world ain't fair.<<

I'm not saying the world is fair, or that everything at Disney has to be fair.  I'm just pointing out -- for the benefit of those who seem to think otherwise -- the fact that some of the things that people are SPECULATING that Disney is thinking of doing are NOT fair.  As a general rule, treating your customers unfairly is bad business.  But it is hardly unusual.

>>I'd love a Ferrari, but guess what? I can't own one.<<

I'm not sure what this has to do with fairness.  If you can afford one you can own one.  If you can't afford one, you can't own one.

Now if you were to pay for a Ferrari and then still couldn't own one, *that* would be unfair.  Perhaps even more unfair would be if your neighbor paid for a Ferrari, you paid for a Chevy, and your neighbor ended up with a Ferrari and a Chevy and you got a bicycle.

Seems to me that the naturally "correct" think would be that if you buy a Chevy, you drive a Chevy, and if your neighbor buys a Ferrari, he drives a Ferrari.  (It is also, by the way, about as far away from Socialism as you can get).

If you're a resort guest, you are welcome to your proverbial Ferrari.  In fact, I'm thrilled for you and hope that you thoroughly enjoy it.  But I'll sell my Chevy before I let you have that too.  And if Disney does in fact decide to offer a free Chevy with the purchase of every Ferrari, and the supply of Chevys dries up, well that's going to affect the price of Ferraris or Disney's bottom line (or both).

>>Resort guest are able to get fast passes before everyone else right now, they are called extra magic mornings, when resort guest get into the park an hour early and are theonly ones to have access to the fast passes.<<

But they can only have one FP at a time, and only for the park that they are in and that has EMH (which are not every day).

>>The pattent requrest states that the fast passess will be limited, so that you can still only hold a single fast pass, or in some case a max of 2.<<

Actually, the pattent app includes cases for a single FP, a second FP, or multiple FPs all at once, depending on your level in the hierarchy.

>>If you have anaul pass and frequent the park, you are deffinately apying less for you daily access to the parks than a guest with a length of stay pass.  The who it is costing more is not a viable argument<<

So far the "who is paying more" argument has only been raised in favor of giving resort guests priority on getting FPs.

>>unless you supply dat on the number of days you go to the parks, what you pay for your anual pass, versus the avergae Magic Your Way pass user.<<

Suffice it to say that I probably pay more for every hour I spend in the parks during a typical year than at least a 10-day MYW ticket holder.  I do this more for the quality of time at Disney than the quality.  I may go to Disney on average once a month, but usually for only 4-6 hours, and sometimes less than that.

I'll be the first to admit that FL residents get a very (relatively) good price on Disney admission, whether via the AP or the discounted MYW passes.  What's being talked about would probably have limited impact on me anyway, since I tend to avoid the parks during busy times of year, and often don't even bother getting any FPs at all.  I'll just make the point that by buying an AP, I'm essentially getting a "bulk discount" similar to what you would get by buying a 10-day MYW rather than 10 1-day tickets.  In any case, the benefits to which I'm entitled for my AP are the same as the benefits to which you're entitled for your MYW.

Note also that what's being discussed here doesn't involve stripping benefits away only (or even primarily) from AP holders.  All MYW ticket holders who are staying off property, plus many (possibly most) of those staying on property, would be negatively impacted.

Here's my bottom line.  Right now, I can show up at 6PM on a day that the MK closes at 10 and still get a FP for Buzz Lightyear.  If I want to go on Space Mountain I probably have to be there by 2 or 3.  This was understood when I bought the passes, and is therefore fine with me.  Noone knows what Disney is going to do, but the speculation here is that they're going to do something along the lines of what Universal does, except that instead of taking FPs out of the machines to sell in gift shops they'll be taking them out to give to resort guests up to 24 hours ahead of time.  As far as how this will affect me, all I have to go on is Universal -- and I know for a fact that when I was last there (at least 3 years ago), you could not get an EP for any ride after about 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and I never once arrived early enough to seem passes still being distributed for their more popular rides.  I hope and expect that if they decide to do anything like this, Disney will find a way to make it transparent to the non-resort guests.  If they don't, however, and it things turn out to be the same at Disney as they are at Universal, then I will no longer be able to use my AP in the same way that I use it currently -- and I assume that I won't be getting any portion of the purchase price refunded.  You can't possibly believe that I should be OK with this.

Anyway, this horse hasn't so much as twitched in the last couple of hours, and I'm therefore inclined to stop beating it.  The fact of the matter is that we have no idea what Disney will do, but what we do know is that they won't do anything without researching the heck out of it and doing what it takes to minimize any negative ramifications.  And in Disney's business, an unhappy guest is the quintessential negative ramification.  And they have the amazing luck to have someone as colossally stupid as Universal right down the road to demonstrate just what could happen if they don't do right by their guests.

I work at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Concierge and one of the constant questions and requests we get from our guests is about being able to buy fastpasses.  There have been many rumors over the years about various steps toward fastpass for pay, but none have ever come about.  I don't see how they could possibly implement a cellphone-based fastpass system due to the huge variety of  cellphones, providers, and coverage areas (My cellphone is very hit and miss in the parks, especially Epcot).  Maybe if they stuck to one cellphone provider the same way they give perks to VISA card holders it would work.

I think a more logical step would be to be able to purchase generic all-attraction fastpasses in advance through the resort concierge and have them coded onto the Key To The World cards. . .after all, the free fastpass is already encoded on there.

Whatever they charge I'm sure guests will pay.  

Honestly, I've never really been a big fan of the way that Disney operates their fast pass system.  Don't get me wrong, I think the idea of a fast pass is genius.  The problem is the way that it is implemented.  I do not and will not understand why, when there are two different queue lines for a particular ride (i.e. Space Mountain) that they don't use one line for standby and one for fast passes.  They will still hold up the standby line.  The problem is that a lot of the attractions (the good ones anyway) have a theme that is carried over throughout the queue line.  The current way rushes you through all of the theming, and in some cases some of the story.  

To me it just seems to be common sense.  You don't need to "punish" those that chose the standby line.  Let them go through their line and if it happens to only be a 10-15 minute wait, then hey, that's a risk you take by choosing a fast pass.  I never really minded waiting for certain attractions AS LONG AS you are constantly moving through the queue and not standing still for 10 minutes.  The lines nowadays have so much to see and look at.  Why take it away.  I just have a feeling that this new fast pass technology that they're discussing is going to just make it worse.  Fast Pass is great, but there's a much easier and more logical way to do it.

Actually I am looking forward to the day that resort guests will receive the fastpass bonus as part of their stay, or an option to purchase.  When my family and I stayed at one of the hotels at USF, we really enjoyed that "front of the line" perk that hotel guests received as part of their stay.  

Jim - do you know what the percentage amount of WDW park visitors are actual guests in one their hotels?  I would imagine that this number may impact a decision by Disney to implement this plan.

My biggest gripe with this idea is:

I don't want to hear any more cell phones going off while I'm trying to enjoy the park!!!!!!!!!

I don't mind the concept of 'Pay more, get more', but when you purposely devise a way to further interrupt the day that I paid for.... that's when I get upset. As it stands now I think they should either ban phones inside the park or make it so that cell signals can't get through.

And I agree with those who have said that it will be simple, in todays technological world, to fake these FP's on a phones window. Heck, I think if given 15 minutes I could figure out how to do it.

I agree whole heartedly with tizzo's logic.  In fact ... I was under the impression that the only reason that Universal and Six Flags charge money for their versions of fast pass is that Disney already holds and exclusive patent on the "free" system.

If Disney is looking to give perks to the high paying hotel guests, then why not include for each guest a fully worked out schedule for the entire day. Create a 3rd "line" at the major attractions and allow them to cut even the regular fast pass holders.

I personally think that having the whole day planned and dictated to you would be better that having your cell phone beep every 45 minutes along with everyone around you ... which would basically mean that phones would be ringing continuously all day... everywhere you go. Then there would be in inevitable "spam" text messaging inviting you to the latest sale going on at the emporium for the latest just released High School Musical doll collection.

No thanks.

Just because a patent is filed, doesn't mean it is ever going to be implemented in the parks.  Disney just wants to have all of their bases covered when dealing with fastpass.

Without getting worked up about this before anything is for certain, I -- as a SoCal local -- resent the steps Disney has been taking toward pushing people into their on-site hotels.  I will gladly stay at a Disney brand hotel the next time I go to WDW, but I would do so for issues of transportation and other HOTEL-RELATED perks that a Disney hotel can provide, but an off-site one can't.  However, I don't see why people who happen to live near enough Disneyland (or WDW) to make staying in a hotel impractical should be pushed further back the Fastpass line so out-of-town guests can have priority.

Pickstar: the reason some segments of society (not me) idealize the socialist system is because they perceive capitalism as cold and selfish.  Without businesses holding themselves to at least some small level of caring and generosity beyond what earns them the most $$$s, those people could become absolutely right.  Disney gives lots of money to CHOC, and certainly don't earn it all back again in free publicity and public goodwill, but that doesn't mean they should stop doing it so their profits and stocks will go up.  I'd like to think that Disney is -- and will continue to be -- motivated by a more positive spirit than simply making more money.

Maverik: I could be wrong about this, but it seems like the problem with rides like Space Mountain (for instance) regarding Fastpasses is that they weren't originally designed for them.  There's no other easy place to let FP holders into the line besides where the line moves from outside to inside.  If they let the themed queue fill up with Standby people, the FPs would no longer be any use, as they would still have at least a 30-minute wait inside the building.  It bothers me too that the nice (and shady!) queues are therefore rushed through, but for things to change, Disney would have to spend some serious bucks to create a new FP entrance to the ride.

Good! Next I want FastPass restricted to non-AP holders. APs do NOT need them when they can go all the time.

So hotel guests and non-APs. That makes sense to me.

My only point is that a company giving preferential treatment to customers who generate revenue at the expense of other customers who don't is nothing new.

Disney already does it themselves, actually ... ever noticed the question they ask you when you call CRO? "Have you visited Disney World more than 4 times in the last x # of years ... "? They ask that because people who say yes get routed to the head of the line over people who say no.

And other companies have been doing this for years. In fact, it was almost 10 years ago I worked on a project implementing a system that does exactly this for a large financial services company who's symbol may or may not be a large rock.

By mining our CRM data, we were able to determine who our highest value clients were. When they'd call one of our service centers, they'd enter their SSN or policy # or whatever and if they were one of the tier 1 clients they got the highest level of service in terms of response times, etc.

Of course, I'll be the first to admit this works well for financial services companies, but who knows if it's a good move for Disney theme parks? As others have already pointed out, this is 3 year old news. Which probably means it was developed under Eisner's regime. It may very well have been shelved by Iger.

The solution is simple. Dont' go during peak season, and you won't even need any fast passes. Works for me!!

This makes me sad on behalf of all us average Disney fans. I am just a regular Disney fan, not an AP passholder. I rarely make it to the park anymore, and this is yet another reason not to go. When I was a kid we had a convienient place to stay-Grandma's house. Nowadays I don't have a lot of money so I stay at a Best Western or something.

I totally understand that Disney wants to make as much money as they can off of people, and it would be nice if everybody bought these deluxe 10-day all inclusive packages, but they shouldn't to it at the expense of their bread and butter, families who spend a day at Disneyland, in between seeing every thing else in L.A.,  not to mention all those people who just want to get away from Grandma's house in the Valley.

As for Walt Disney world, My Grandpa went to Florida back in the 80's and spent one day at Epcot between seeing everything else. My friend went to Florida last month stayed at her friends house, visited Cape Canaveral, took a swamp boat, did some shopping, and spent one whole day at Epcot.

  GofForever said:

"The solution is simple. Dont' go during peak season, and you won't even need any fast passes. Works for me!!"

Not so simple if you have kids in school.

I've got to say, I love this.  I always stay at the Grand Floridian, so I'm in like Flynn.  

Actually, Pickstar, it still is simple. I have kids in school, no problem with their missing a week or even two in Nov or Dec.

Wow!  I have stayed on property in Florida twice now and enjoyed the Fastpass feature, but I really, really hate the idea of anything that makes even more cell phones ring during attractions!  Nothing quite spoils the magic of the Haunted Mansion like a cell phone going DEE-DEE-DEEDLE-E-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE just as you enter the attic.  I have a cell phone myself--but I am always mindful to not disturb others.  Unfortunately, not everyone is so considerate.

GofForever said:

"Actually, Pickstar, it still is simple. I have kids in school, no problem with their missing a week or even two in Nov or Dec."

Yeah, actually we're taking DD out for a week in December to go. But most parents aren't willing to do that.

"Master computer system?"  "Central computer?"  Great Christ, have these people read an IT-related book or magazine in the last three years?  Maybe they're "repurposing" some of the Sperry stuff they put on ice after the "Astuter Computer Revue" closed ca. 1983.

Hmm...Well...

I normally stay on site anyway, so this wouldn't effect me that much.

However, I hate the idea of having to carry my cell phone around in the park. It just sounds so stupid to me. Pushing my way through the line for Tower of Terror while hanging on to my razr? Yeah right, that sounds intelligent. I really don't like the idea of having desert in the castle, or being in the middle of Space Mountain, and having my cell phone start screaming an Ok Go song to ruin the atmosphere. I get annoyed enough when people's phones go off in movies or restraunts, or even when I'm talking to someone. Maybe this would work for some people, but I really don't like it. I can manage my own time to know when to use my fast passes or not. I normally ride attractions up to when I need to use my fastpasts anyway. I'll be riding Snow White a minute before I need to get to Splash Mountain, then I'll just jump off and run like mad. And I like doing it like that. I don't want someone harassing me to hurry up and get on the ride. I'd probably end up turning  my phone off anyway.

What's so wrong with the paper fastpasses?

Ohhh, what a bad time to be commie scum.  But, political convictions aside...

I must say, I agree with Tizzo.  If these patents were to surface in the parks, a great majority of the park's guest wouests would be affected.  Many of the most devoted guests would be alienated, such as the AP holders or those, like myself, who had to beg, borrow, and save just to afford a short stay at the Pop Century Resort.  Pardon my French, but I'd be pretty pissed off if my chance at a FastPass was nabbed by the bourgeouis.

Fastpasses are a godsend to parents - while a 30-minute wait for Splash Mountain barely tests the patience of an adult, it can really take its toll on children, and no one wants to hear a temper tantrum on a hot, crowded summer day.

At the same time, the cell phone system would be a great way to reduce paper waste [how many tons of paper are wasted daily on FastPasses, which are simply thrown out after their temporary purpose is served?].  While I don't necessarily agree with the purpose of these newfangled FP's [the rich get richer while the poor stay the same, whoo!], storing those THOUSANDS of Fastpasses on a guest's park ticket or Key to the World would greatly impact the enviornment, especially over the course of time.  Maybe Disney will start living up to the messages at Animal Kingdom and Universe of Energy...?

In addition, the number of Moderate- and Value Resorts, while small, have a very high capacity.  Isn't Caribbean Beach one of the largest hotels in the US? Therefore, wouldn't it be safe to say that the passes will be distributed to a small percentage of guests overall?  And where do Disney Vacation Club members fall into this - are they a "priority"?

Great.  A park full of ringing telephones.

aeva said:

"And where do Disney Vacation Club members fall into this - are they a "priority"?"

They better be! If, after all the money I spent to join, and all the talk about how important DVC owners are to WDW, if I end up playing second Fastpass fiddle to some one-time Grand Floridian guest I'm going to be livid!

By the way, communism failed ... didn't you get the memo?

I've never known Disney to be a firm believer in democratic (small "d") ideals so the idea that they would institute perks for big spenders comes as no surprise to me.

LOL..okay how is my grandmother ever going to understand this!

As someone eluded to earlier, they said that Disney is doing this to generate more money for the Stockholders.  Well, I can say with some certainty that that will never happen.  I am a Disney Stockholder and my stock has not gone up in years.   It is only worth as much as I paid for it 9 years ago.  Right now I own a very pretty stock certificate that I will frame and it will be the most expensive piece of artwork that I will own.  

Disney has done many things that you would think would have generated more money for Stockholders, but that has not been the case.  Any extra money seems to go into building new parks, rides, and TV/Radio media/technology.  It is not going into the pockets of the Stockholders.

As for giving priority to those folks that stay on the Disney property, I agree with many of the comments above.  It is not cost justifiable for me to pay a fortune to stay on-site to get a few perks that I don't really use.   I've already tried staying on the Disney property and it wasn't worth the money.   I'll continue to stay outside of the park and buy an annual pass to get the perks that I use.

Disney is definitely catering to the family unit.  But they are missing the bigger picture.  Although the population is growing, the demographics still point to much of that population being made up of older folks with no kids.  Disney should be doing something more to attract those visitors.  They have more money and more time on their hands than the younger families with children.   But I digress.

Using new technology is wonderful, but we'll see how well it is received in the long run.  It's already annoying to have cell phones go off in restaurants and other places.  How much more fun is it going to be to have even MORE cell phones ringing away while at the Disney parks, trying to watch the parades or enjoy a nice "guiet" dinner.   I'm thinking Universal Studios will start seeing more visitors after a while.

Some day I'll learn how to type... "quiet" (instead of "guiet").

Some day I'll learn how to type... "quiet" (instead of "guiet").