Then they're rejecting the current logic and planning to change the product.
I don’t fully follow this logic - an attraction doesn’t have “normal” and “express” capacity, it just has capacity. If the standby line is full and the express line is empty, all the capacity gets used by standby guests - nothing is “underutilized.” Perhaps I’m missing something, but the logic behind Express Now eludes me.
Well, this is a bit away from my original query as to how Express Now might change people's plan on enjoying this year's event...
I don't want to really get into the deeper workings of all of this, nor do I think this is the forum to do so, but I would like to clarify my personal logic. I am not purvey to inside information on the inner workings of Express Now, but to me, the logic of it is two fold. To maximize revenue by taking unused express capacity and selling it as a separate product, but just as important is its ability to affect guest flow within the park.
Let's face it, many guests are not strategic when it comes to their theme park visits.
Gasp. Shock. Clutch Pearls. I know we have all heard the expression that tourist leave their brains at home... People will be there in the first hour of the event when the house has a 5 min wait, and use their single use express pass. I've seen it happen too many times to count. People with frequent fear passes with express might not show up a particular night. Central Florida may decide to be Central Florida and half the park could be drenched with rain, while the other half is bone dry. A ride or house goes down for some reason. A myriad of factors affect guest flow around the park, and how many people are in a particular queue line or express line at a particular time. With express now, Universal theoretically has the ability to redirect some of the guests from one area of the park to another. For example, the sound stages are getting slammed, but the tents are slow. Universal can open up some immediate Express Now tickets for the tents. It gets pushed to everyone's phones. Some people will bite, and purchase, and leave the sound stage area and move to the tents. This is a way that Universal can affect guest flow.
But, in the long and the short of it, these products are always about maximizing revenue. I was an attractions host at Magic Kingdom in the late '90's when the original fast pass was put in place. I worked Jungle Cruise. We were the second attraction to get Fast Pass. We had to significantly change our operation, because we were too efficient to make fast pass work. Because Fast Pass (in it's original iteration) was never about saving guests time in line, it's goal was to get guests out of the physical line so that they would have time to be in merch shops/restaurants. The marketing to guests and cast was about Fast Pass saving guests time in line. The reality was it was
always about guest flow and revenue maximization. The same is true about Express Now.