The future of FastPass?

Image: DisneyWhen you look at these paid FastPass prices, do you get a strange sense of foreboding? It’s like you’re staring at the Ghost of Disney Future Vacations, isn’t it? The unmistakable trend in recent years is the upsell. Disney’s tried all manner of special activities and amenities, all of which has served the same overall purpose.

Disney wants to maximize profit without increasing attendance significantly. They believe that they may achieve this goal through efficiency and price. Magic Bands are actually the strongest step toward improving efficiency. The technology gives park officials more power than ever before to control the herd, so to speak.

Price is a more nuanced topic. The switch to surge pricing on tickets was assuredly divisive. To park officials, it was a crucial step toward an admirable goal. They need to keep the parks from becoming glorified flash mobs. There’s a theoretical limit to attendance. Disney doesn’t like when park traffic is anywhere near that level. In a perfect world, they’d earn enough money without the ensuing problem of overcrowding.

Image: DisneyYou see where I’m going with this. A paid FastPass system is the most organic solution for increasing profit without adding park traffic. Once implemented, it’s also pure profit. Park officials will pay the expense of operating a digital FastPass system anyway. Adding a paid tier represents a fractional, mathematically insignificant cost to Disney. The only budgetary expenditures are additional bandwidth and a bit larger IT outlay.

Who turns down free money? Currently, the answer is Disney, at least at Walt Disney World. We must be realistic, though. We’ve reached a crucial turning point, as the Mouse House has quietly introduced paid FastPasses at HALF of their theme parks: Shanghai Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland.

Corporate executives managed this feat without sounding any alarms. It’s been a meticulous, insidious step-by-step process, and it hints at an upcoming change at Walt Disney World. We’re heading toward a Tomorrowland where FastPasses are a pay-to-play system where, once again, wealthier customers get more. It’s inevitable, I’m afraid.