NextGen, Magic Band, and FP+

[DizneyFreak2002]

I read their blog post and I want to throw up... What they should have done is take the 2 billion this will now cost (the figure just keeps increasing) and, oh, I don't know, make the guest experience better by FIXING THE ATTRACTIONS YOU HAVE NOW AND BUILDING NEW ONES!!!! Stop trying to find more ways to take money out of the pockets of people... Give them a REASON to buy your merchandise, give them a reason to want to visit and keep coming back... Staying stale but going NextGen isn't the answer... A 2 billion dollar data mining, tracking system disguised to enhance the guest experience...

Say bye bye to fast pass as we know it.. Say goodbye to short stand-by lines.. Say hello to frustration and long waits... Why does Disney make it so easy to not want to go back to WDW?

[Stu29573]

I want to know how anyone who has had any amount of experience with WDW's computer system thinks this is going to work? I have flashbacks of Westworld... Welcome to Disney World, Where Nothing Can Go Wrong...Go Wrong...Go Wrong...

[ChipNDale79]

I read their blog post and I want to throw up... What they should have done is take the 2 billion this will now cost (the figure just keeps increasing) and, oh, I don't know, make the guest experience better by FIXING THE ATTRACTIONS YOU HAVE NOW AND BUILDING NEW ONES!!!! Stop trying to find more ways to take money out of the pockets of people... Give them a REASON to buy your merchandise, give them a reason to want to visit and keep coming back... Staying stale but going NextGen isn't the answer... A 2 billion dollar data mining, tracking system disguised to enhance the guest experience...

Say bye bye to fast pass as we know it.. Say goodbye to short stand-by lines.. Say hello to frustration and long waits... Why does Disney make it so easy to not want to go back to WDW?

At the end of the day WDW no longer cares anymore about "us", and by that I mean the return customer. What WDW only cares about now are the once in a life time crowd, or the once every 5-10 year crowd. These are the people that will pay no matter what in order to go on these milestone trips.

Sad it's headed in that direction, but it is.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I want to know how anyone who has had any amount of experience with WDW's computer system thinks this is going to work? I have flashbacks of Westworld... Welcome to Disney World, Where Nothing Can Go Wrong...Go Wrong...Go Wrong...

They have already had tons of issues with the computer systems... As people involved in the project say, this is going to be one heck of a mess (it has failed testing already)... Waste of 2 billion dollars... Can't wait until we have to pay for it... CMs are already going to be... WDW will be laying off a load of employees and shaving 10% off operating expenses just to make some of this money up...

[DizneyFreak2002]

At the end of the day WDW no longer cares anymore about "us", and by that I mean the return customer. What WDW only cares about now are the once in a life time crowd, or the once every 5-10 year crowd. These are the people that will pay no matter what in order to go on these milestone trips.

Sad it's headed in that direction, but it is.

Time to give them what they want... You went once (more than likely more than once)... Don't go back... The only way they will learn is by constant decreasing attendance... And in October, when I visit, I plan on NOT spending any time in WDW despite staying in my DVC resort... So I won't be adding to the turn style clicks for their crumbling theme parks... I'll go and experience wonderful new and exciting offerings down the road in Universal...

A friend of mine texted me about her current trip... She is there now... This girl is filled with pixie dust... Well, not anymore... The way she put WDW down shocked me... But then again, not really...

[EeyoresBestFriend]

I find the whole thing a bit depressing.

They say that they are not forcing anyone to book everything in advance, but I don't see how you can not. And what about those who don't live with a phone in their hand, or goodness forbid, don't have a smart phone?

And I don't see how this is user friendly for the newbies? This seems to be specifically built for return guests since who else would know what they want to do, need to see, or have ANY concept of the timing of their days?

Was in the Fastpass+ trials and found it really unaccommodating if you have more than 2 people or more than 1 reservation, because you can't coordinate your fastpasses for the same time/ride.

Color me NOT a happy camper with the looks of this so far . . . . . I guess I'll start looking for a new "second" home if this keeps up.

Guess we'll see . . . . .

[ChipNDale79]

Time to give them what they want... You went once (more than likely more than once)... Don't go back... The only way they will learn is by constant decreasing attendance... And in October, when I visit, I plan on NOT spending any time in WDW despite staying in my DVC resort... So I won't be adding to the turn style clicks for their crumbling theme parks... I'll go and experience wonderful new and exciting offerings down the road in Universal...

A friend of mine texted me about her current trip... She is there now... This girl is filled with pixie dust... Well, not anymore... The way she put WDW down shocked me... But then again, not really...

If you'll notice in my signature I've been a lot, but you'll see a gap of about 10 years from 1998 to 2008. There's a reason for that, there was a time period where i thought Disney was too expensive to go to, Id want to go, but by the time i did the math, it wasnt worth it. The wife and I went on our honeymoon in 2008 and have been a bunch since then, we haven't been since March of 2011 because well, we've had 2 kids since then, so we just havent made it back. But i can tell you this, if Disney keeps up with the nonsense that is going on, then there might be another large gap in my attendance.

[T-Belle]

So am I to understand that this will only be available if your staying on property at one of Disney's resorts? What about SOG ( where I usually stay) or The Swan & Dolphin?

[ChipNDale79]

So am I to understand that this will only be available if your staying on property at one of Disney's resorts? What about SOG ( where I usually stay) or The Swan & Dolphin?

Who knows? Disney has done a horrible job with the PR on this thing. Negative rumors have been going around for years and Disney has done nothing to dispel those negative rumors.

[AgentC]

So am I to understand that this will only be available if your staying on property at one of Disney's resorts? What about SOG ( where I usually stay) or The Swan & Dolphin?

A lot more information has been coming out this afternoon. What I have seen so far says

-Magic bands will be free for guests staying at the resort, annual pass holders, and those who buy the photopass package.
-Non resort guests will get a RFID card that will let them take place in Fastpass +
-Non resort guest can chose to buy Magic Bands.

The one part I am not sure on is non resort guests using My Disney experience. One site says they can with the RFID cards. One says they may use it and buy Magic Bands so I am not sure if you have to buy the Magic Band if you are a non resort guest and want to use My Disney Experience to reserve a fast pass + prior to being in the park.

[Hammer]

One of the things (I know there are many) that needs to be defined is the definition of "resort guest". Will Swan and Dolphin be considered a resort guest? Shades of Green?

Definitely does not sound like this will be day guest or local friendly!

[DizneyFreak2002]

If you'll notice in my signature I've been a lot, but you'll see a gap of about 10 years from 1998 to 2008. There's a reason for that, there was a time period where i thought Disney was too expensive to go to, Id want to go, but by the time i did the math, it wasnt worth it. The wife and I went on our honeymoon in 2008 and have been a bunch since then, we haven't been since March of 2011 because well, we've had 2 kids since then, so we just havent made it back. But i can tell you this, if Disney keeps up with the nonsense that is going on, then there might be another large gap in my attendance.

Sadly, you were replaced with someone else so you not going didn't hurt... There needs to be a drastic drop in attendance... NextGen just may do that... Even the pixie dusters who think Disney can do no wrong are not on board with NextGen and are crucifying it... Just read other websites, you'll see just how much people do not like this... And wait til the regular guests finds out that, in order to participate, they have to allow Disney to data mine their kids... If not, you can forget about FP+ anything else Disney is instituting that is supposed to help streamline your vacations...

Very interesting article out there back from September 2012 about COPPA and Disney's privacy policy regarding children... Privacy Groups no doubt will be watching this RFID and NextGen very closely...

[MargaretMessler]

Am I the only one out here who misses the days of just going to the parks and doing everything on the fly? Or am I just wierd?

Maybe it's because I am a several times repeat guest. I will occassionally do a FP, I rarely make an ADR, and I had no problem with the way things were.

[Melanie]

This is ridiculous! PLEASE don't let Disneyland go to this.

[1DisneyNut]

This is just getting ridiculous! It is getting to where it is almost like going to work when you go to WDW instead of being a vacation. If you want to eat at one of the table service restaurants, you have to make a reservation 6 months ahead of time. Then when you are actually at the parks, you have to be concerned with your ADR's all day and working out the logistics of doing fastpasses in time and still making it to your ADR. You have all the different ticket options to try to figure out what to buy considering the time you have and what all you want to do. Now they are adding this **** where I have to reserve time slot fastpasses ahead of time and try to keep up with all of that, make it to those on time and dinner on time......what a mess. I despise the ADR's for dining and I'm not much of a fastpass fan.

I am getting irritated just reading about all of this. They say they are giving guests options but in actuality they are overly complicating our vacations. If you want to experience everything, you are forced into making the advanced reservations since others will fill them up and leave you out in the cold. I hate it, hate it, hate it.

I'm with MargaretMessler, I would just assume they scrap every bit of it, fastpasses, ADR's, all the crazy ticket options, everything, and just go back to I show up at the park and the biggest decision I have is whether to go left or right.

I have reduced my trips to WDW from two or three per year to one every other year or so. I have also started staying off site and also skipping Animal Kingdom. We haven't bought any merchandise in the parks in at least 5 years.

[DizneyFreak2002]

This is ridiculous! PLEASE don't let Disneyland go to this.

As of now this is only a WDW thing... But, if for some strange reason this is successful (I highly doubt it will be), then Disneyland may wind up suffering the wrath of NextGen... Though I don't think their huge AP fan base will stand for it...

There are a few things I think we are missing here, and I'll mention one of them right now... How many times do you have to duck out of the way of a rogue ECV or stroller? In my experiences, plenty... And that is with people looking straight ahead... Now, imagine if you will these people looking down at their phone staring at the app and not in front of them... Yea, I wouldn't want to be the person that is struck...

***and no, I am not bashing the use of strollers or ECVs... while there is an over abundance in use, I will never bash a person using an ECV..

[Dulcee]

Data mining isn't unique to Disney. In fact I'd say it has become a huge part of life for the average person living in a first world country. Yelling that Disney is tracking where you and your kid go while in the park is just ridiculous as its happening in your daily life to a huge extent anyway. Welcome to the digitized 21st century.

Most of the changes being considered by Disney are being considered globally for other theme parks. Guests want a streamlined package. Disney is the ultimate all inclusive resort and personally I think these changes add to that.

I honestly don't see the upheaval over rfid cards versus traditional technology, either way kids Disney was getting their data over what park or restaurant you visited. Fastpass in it's traditional form fed them information over your ride choices. Having used the new fast pass it was quick easy and flexible and something I look forward to utilizing in the future.

[Stu29573]

...Go Wrong.....Go Wrong......Go Wrong.....

[BrerGnat]

I honestly think this is a good idea. I must be the only one.

First of all, I will say this: Disneyland will probably not go down this route. They already have NOT jumped on the "interactive queue" bandwagon (thank goodness), and the truth is, they don't have enough on site capacity (resort wise) to dangle this carrot over people. They simply HAVE to rely on offsite hotels for the bulk of their guests to stay at (the rest are locals or day trippers). Disneyland also still doesn't do the DDP (again, thank goodness) or Magical Express, etc. They operate very differently because it is a different experience over there.

That said, I think this is just what WDW needs, honestly. After my last visit, I am ALL FOR any system that helps WDW know where people are and what they are doing, so they can more effectively manage staffing, transportation, etc. The lines at WDW are atrocious, not just for rides, but for food, carts, buses, etc. There are too many people in the parks and no organization. If this wristband system speeds up processes, and eliminates people clogging up areas, great!

I have a local acquaintance whose family just took their first WDW trip. As soon as she found out I knew about WDW, she began asking questions. HOWEVER, I will say she was VERY educated already on a lot of stuff. She had been online, reading books, etc. So, I have no doubt that "newbies" would find the information that they need to make this successful. People don't generally go into new experiences blind anymore. There is no reason to, if you are a somewhat intelligent, plugged in (i.e. you have a computer) human being in this day and age. For what it's worth, they had a FABULOUS time and she came back gushing about how easy and convenient it all was (they did ME, DDP, stayed onsite, etc.) She honestly didn't have anything bad to say. They are already planning a Disney Cruise next. Disney snagged another one.

I think it's legitimate to have concerns when anything you "love" begins to change. However, the more I read about this, the more I like it. I'm all about strapping on some device that makes things easier for me on vacation, and truthfully, it sounds like fun to get on my phone and be able to change around my FP schedule if I need to.

I'm going to take a "wait and see" approach here. We are not heading back to WDW until late in 2014, so we'll just have to see what happens with this between now and then.

[ChipNDale79]

As of now this is only a WDW thing... But, if for some strange reason this is successful (I highly doubt it will be), then Disneyland may wind up suffering the wrath of NextGen... Though I don't think their huge AP fan base will stand for it...

There are a few things I think we are missing here, and I'll mention one of them right now... How many times do you have to duck out of the way of a rogue ECV or stroller? In my experiences, plenty... And that is with people looking straight ahead... Now, imagine if you will these people looking down at their phone staring at the app and not in front of them... Yea, I wouldn't want to be the person that is struck...

***and no, I am not bashing the use of strollers or ECVs... while there is an over abundance in use, I will never bash a person using an ECV..

Don't get me wrong, there are some nice things with Next Gen, but the entire planning your vacation out way ahead of time really burns me the wrong way.

I've read a lot of other websites on the subject on Next Gen, and I agree with you, I've seen VERY little positive feedback about it. I too believe the majority of Next Gen is going to be a big failure.