FP+ Official Announcement

[tjkraz]

Originally Posted by pilferk

1) I'm not suggesting FP, in it's current format, would completely disappear. It might..but I'd be surprised. I'd think there will more likely be some combination of the new FP+ features, along with the existing FP system...with maybe some changes in medium (paperless). So the existing version (+ or - some features and access to special event type things) would still be available to day guests of the resort. There might be FEWER "standard FP's" than there are now, but they'll exist. They likely won't have access to things like the specialized M&G's or the "special" Illuminations seating. But they'll have the "basic" version...as they do now. My comments were really directed toward the "new features" portion of FP+.

Agree.

2) Disney has shown, with other things, they're not too worried about forcing people who don't WANT to plan...to have to plan. If they can increase their overall operational efficiency by enough..I suspect they'd be willing to do the same, here.

3) And yet...there are plenty of people who do just that. Make all their ADR's at 180 days for their entire trip (or ten days of it, at least)..and then "tweak" as they get closer if they need to. And Disney has not changed that system, or their system for booking special events (Hoop De Doo seats, etc) in quite awhile. If you look at the way Disney has operationalized things in the past 20 years, up to and including the DDP, I think it's far more likely they adopt a similar "bent" than not.

On these points, I still view it as an imperfect analogy. Disney has...what...maybe 600-800 seats to fill each evening at Crystal Palace. And that's drawing from MK crowds which average 45,000 daily. So yeah, Disney doesn't really care which 800 people fill those chairs.

But guests do have certain expectations for being able to ride Toy Story Mania, Soarin, Space Mountain and others. And I don't think it would be in Disney's best interest to arrogantly dismiss those expectations.

Overall FP+ strikes me as a nice value-added but not something which is going to have a tremendous impact on hotel reservations. There may be some modest uptick in occupancy and/or rates they are able to charge, but it's not a game changer.

If they try to force too much, they may be surprised at the result.