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xPass (Or whatever it will be called ) Testing In May
RFID/NextGen FP machines are currently being installed at Space Mountain... They will appear at Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, PhilharMagic, and Haunted Mansion, if they haven't already... The machines are about 4 feet tall and are scanners... These machines will be located at the FP entrance where the CM takes your FP ticket...
I'm not sure how the testing will be handled, but Jim hill (yes, that Jim Hill) and Stitch Kingdom say Disney will select people via email (I'm assuming those who are booked to vacation during May 1 - May 15th) to test out the xPass/NextGen system... you'll be able to plan every minute of your itinerary and will receive a FP/xPass card... And then, let the testing begin...
Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...
TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...
BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
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I have seen the official advisory to CMs as well as the list of questions/answers to prep CMs for guests reactions (it's quite lengthy - 15 questions - most advisories only have 3 or 4 Q/A).
This test will begin on May 1.
Jim hill (yes, that Jim Hill) and Stitch Kingdom say Disney will select people via email (I'm assuming those who are booked to vacation during May 1 - May 15th) to test out the xPass/NextGen system... you'll be able to plan every minute of your itinerary and will receive a FP/xPass card...
This isn't exactly the way I read the advisory. The way I read it, guests have probably been identified as possibile participants and will be asked if they'd like to participate upon their arrival. Email only comes into the picture because Disney will be sending an email confirmation to the guest (but the guest does not need to have access to email while at Disney). When the guest registers for the trial, it appears they get to select the attractions and time frame they'd prefer. They will then be issued a FastPass card (which has an RFID chip). The confirmation email will notify the guest of the attractions and FastPass return times that have been assigned. This information can also be obtained by using the FastPass card at one of the new FastPass machines or from City Hall.
It doesn't appear that any of the existing FastPass rules change - just the medium of the FastPass itself and the method of distributing them. And, of course, the method of letting you into the FastPass line.
To me, and granted the only info I have is from the CM advisory, it seems like they're testing the RFID technology to determine the feasibility of using it to replace (augment?) the paper FastPass system. It doesn't sound like the idea is to have guests plan every minute of their trip 180 days out.
Personally, I think I'd enjoy being able to get to a park, go up to a kiosk, select 3 or 4attractions and rough time frames I'd like and receive a card with those FastPasses on it. Even better if I can do this at my resort before I even get to the park. The only real difference between that and the existing system is the medium (plastic vs. paper) and not having to go to each location to get a FastPass.
While Disney has done some pretty stupid things lately IMHO, I'm going to remain optimistic on this one that Disney will maintain the overall structure, rules and limits of the FastPass system, as they attempt to give guests a better experience.
And BTW, the advisory says more than once:
We often test systems or technologies in our parks as part of our ongoing innovation process to make the entire Guest experience even better. The actual configuration we are testing may or may not end up in our parks.
Steve
First visit: Disneyland, July 17, 1955 (well, somebody had to be there on opening day!)
Most Recent Visit:
Disneyland - June 21-25, 2017
WDW - Sep 22 - Oct 5, 2019
Next up: WDW - May 9 - 16, 2020 at Riviera!
Dec 5 - 16, 2020 at Poly
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Thanks for the info Steve... That's why I made sure to preface it by saying what their sites said, not what I heard since I didn't even hear about the testing... I'm really interested to see how this works out...
Is the machine truly a scanner of some sort or does the guest use the new RFID/Fastpass card to generate a paper fast pass???
Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...
TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...
BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
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I don't know for sure. in one of the answers to potential guest questions, they reference the RFID scanners as similar to the ones they tested at Epcot a while back. The Fast Passes are on the card, so I suspect the new machines are scanners, and read the info on the card -possibly opening a turnstile to allow access to the FastPass line? But again, I don't really know.
Steve
First visit: Disneyland, July 17, 1955 (well, somebody had to be there on opening day!)
Most Recent Visit:
Disneyland - June 21-25, 2017
WDW - Sep 22 - Oct 5, 2019
Next up: WDW - May 9 - 16, 2020 at Riviera!
Dec 5 - 16, 2020 at Poly
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The information for CMs on the Portal is still a bit unclear about how the new FastPass card is to be used to access the attraction. Here is what is clear, at least to me:
> Guests will be selected to participate in the test before their arrival at WDW. They will be able to create an itinerary of MK FastPass attractions and desired ride times. They will receive an email confirmation and a special FP card (plastic with the RFID chip).
> Once in the MK park guests will use their FP card to access the rides WITHIN THEIR WINDOW.
> If guests want to review their itinerary while in the park they can do so at Guest Relations or at the card reader machines located at FP distribution for: The Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Mickey’s PhilharMagic and Stitch’s Great Escape. This is where the RFID chip comes in.
So far I have seen nothing about a separate turnstile or FP reader at the attraction entrances. So I'm guessing that the special FP card is to be used in the existing FP machines to produce a standard FP ticket which will be valid immediately. That system already exists for holders of DVC complementary cards.
Ron
INTERCOT Staff
WDW Cast Member
Expedition: Everest
Kali River Rapids
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I think this sounds promising, I'll wait and see before making a judgment
Sep '15 - VWL/3 night Cruise on Dream
Jan '15 - BLT and Vero Beach
Jan '14 - Disneyland Hotel
Sept '13 - AKL
Jun '13 - Pop Century
Dec '12 - Saratoga Springs
Feb '12 - Port Orleans FQ
'10 - AS Music
'08 - Pop Century
'05 - Contemporary
'03 - Carribean Beach
'96 - offsite
'95 - offsite
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Thanks for chipping in guys... I'm really interested to see how this all plays out and how it fits into the final product... This system would be perfect if they have a centralized place for the FP machines instead of at each individual ride...
Son of Jor-El.. Kneel before Zod...
TRICIA JONES: I heard that you were going to propose to Brandi Svenning at some theme park. When are men going to learn that women want ROMANCE, not Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...
BRODIE: Hey, now, be fair. EVERYONE wants Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
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