Fortune Magazine: Disney's tech innovation is my nightmare

[Nick Wilde]

While you are correct, you can sometimes get FP+ for things semi last minute, but I see it a bit differently. If I am going to fork over that kind of cash for a trip to Disney, I am not going to chance getting a FP+ or place to eat for what I want. So the answer is make sure to do it ASAP so you don't miss out. I have had both situations, 30 days out and NO mine train, Anna/Elsa, toy story... I've also checked and there have been passes available 30 or so days out. I just can't agree with the argument from some "if you want to be spontaneous or not plan way ahead, go ahead, you don't have to." At best I have 1 shot a year at Disney and you bet I'm not leaving that to chance because I don't want to plan that far out, not for that amount of money. So I don't think it's over-blowing it at all. Yea, you could go and be spontaneous or wait until you have a month or so to go to plan things. But all you would really be doing is putting yourself at a severe disadvantage, especially if you are not a "Disney pro". Just my opinion.

Personally, I've yet to see 7DMT go out on the first day available. I believe you, but I really don't think you NEED to stay awake until 12AM so you can be sure you get a FP. I doubt they go that fast, except for maybe New Year's, or Christmas. I guess I wouldn't understand the huge necessity to have a FP for a certain ride, since I'm a local.

 

[Rutt]

Personally, I've yet to see 7DMT go out on the first day available. I believe you, but I really don't think you NEED to stay awake until 12AM so you can be sure you get a FP. I doubt they go that fast, except for maybe New Year's, or Christmas. I guess I wouldn't understand the huge necessity to have a FP for a certain ride, since I'm a local.

The only rides/ restaurants Ive ever had trouble with were Anna and Elsa MG and BOG. Using FP+ we were able to get on everything else.

The year before FP+, we missed Soarin, TT, Everest, Toy Story MM, and almost missed Peter Pan as we were virgins and unaware of the 'get there right at opening or miss out' rule.

 

[PhotoDave219]

A few things here:

a). @Tuvalu wasn't splitting hairs with what you wrote, but with what the article wrote.
b). It was done in sarcasm, as was later mentioned.
c). Publicly announcing that you are ignoring someone is behavior fitting of a 3rd-grader at best...and even that's a stretch.
d). You didn't tell someone who angered you to commit suicide this time? Must be growing up, my friend. Proud of ya!
5). I like to randomly throw numbers into lists that normally run with letters, just to see if anyone notices.
f). Walt Disney World is the happiest place on earth...at least in my book...well, one of the happiest places on earth. So who really cares what the slogans say?

You're still dead to me.

 

[RoadTrip]

You're still dead to me.

OK. I'm new here so I'm not going to say much when I don't know what is going on. But this seems odd to me, and quite different from what I was told this place was like.

 

[PhotoDave219]

OK. I'm new here so I'm not going to say much when I don't know what is going on. But this seems odd to me, and quite different from what I was told this place was like.

Think of it like Mos Eisleys.

 

[RoadTrip]

Think of it like Mos Eisleys.

So who REALLY shot first?

 

[PhotoDave219]

So who REALLY shot first?

Han shot first. It was boring conversation anyways....

 

[Arthur Wellesley]

You're still dead to me.

Love you too, sweetcakes.

 

[CJLove79]

I really like FP+ and the Magic Band system. It is especially nice when using the resort pools to not have to carry around a room card etc. with you, but just wear a waterproof band. No need to be a slave to it... in most parks you really don't need more than one or two of the FP selections offered. Go ahead, make your choices and use what you want; ignore the others. No one is going to care that you had a couple of FP's that you never used. The dining situation was created by the Disney Dining Plan... it has greatly increased demand for the table service restaurants... I'm sure that is exactly what Disney had hoped for. Still, if you are willing to eat somewhere other than Le Cellier or 'Ohana, excellent table service meals can be found in almost all parks and resorts without an ADR if you are willing to dine during non-peak hours. I really don't see a downside to the system and think it is much more convenient than having to run around the parks when you first arrive to physically collect FP tickets.

I concur man. I'm not going to claim to be an expert on My Magic+ or the MagicBands but I see it like this, Disney is simply getting with the times & using their resources to ensure we're able to have fun despite their parks being crowded. We live in a very fast paced world now with the internet, smartphones, tablets, etc so Disney had to provide services that will keep up with all that. Yeah it may hinder some of the spontaneity that we've grown accustomed to when we were kids. But some people fail to realize that when most of us were little kids, there was only Magic Kingdom & EPCOT and not as many Disney resorts. So at that time, spontaneity was so easy to do because there wasn't as much stuff to do & the resources weren't available as today. So me personally, I will never ever ever complain about my Magic+ unless their systems acts stupid which happens sometimes. LOL. I LOVE MagicBands, I've collected a lot of the Limited Edition ones and love the various ways they can be used. FastPass + is great for the most part, it has its drawbacks as far as availability but its great nonetheless. I don't understand why a lot of people complain about not wanting to plan months in advance when all vacations need to be planned months even years in advance anyway, its just that the planning methods may be different. The point of going to Disney World is to experience the magic as much as you can in the amount of time you're there. With crowds being what they are, it would be insane to skip making a Dining ressie when chances are that certain restaurant will be packed. Or skip making a FP when all the popular rides have minimum wait times of 45 mins average. Point blank, instead of complaining about the planning, I feel that the complainers should simply find a way to make the planning fun, go to Disney World & do exactly that.....have fun. LOL.

 

[JIMINYCR]

For many its been looked at as a benefit but for many others it is a nightmare. It greatly depends on how comfortable you are with computers and how tech savvy you are. It has put more stress on me changing the way I've planned my past trips, but I'm adjusting. However I have friends who have very negative thoughts about the entire process because they take other vacations that require very minimal, far advance planning and they just dont want to go through all the trouble. Disney hasnt made it look all that simple so it does frighten lots of folks, especially the older less computer techie types. And it does alter the planning of those who like to just go without long range planning of every part of their trip. I can understand the negativeness of the article by someone whose never been ad is facing a computerized trip..

 

[erasure fan1]

I concur man. I'm not going to claim to be an expert on My Magic+ or the MagicBands but I see it like this, Disney is simply getting with the times & using their resources to ensure we're able to have fun despite their parks being crowded. We live in a very fast paced world now with the internet, smartphones, tablets, etc so Disney had to provide services that will keep up with all that. Yeah it may hinder some of the spontaneity that we've grown accustomed to when we were kids. But some people fail to realize that when most of us were little kids, there was only Magic Kingdom & EPCOT and not as many Disney resorts. So at that time, spontaneity was so easy to do because there wasn't as much stuff to do & the resources weren't available as today. So me personally, I will never ever ever complain about my Magic+ unless their systems acts stupid which happens sometimes. LOL. I LOVE MagicBands, I've collected a lot of the Limited Edition ones and love the various ways they can be used. FastPass + is great for the most part, it has its drawbacks as far as availability but its great nonetheless. I don't understand why a lot of people complain about not wanting to plan months in advance when all vacations need to be planned months even years in advance anyway, its just that the planning methods may be different. The point of going to Disney World is to experience the magic as much as you can in the amount of time you're there. With crowds being what they are, it would be insane to skip making a Dining ressie when chances are that certain restaurant will be packed. Or skip making a FP when all the popular rides have minimum wait times of 45 mins average. Point blank, instead of complaining about the planning, I feel that the complainers should simply find a way to make the planning fun, go to Disney World & do exactly that.....have fun. LOL.

I get what you are saying and I do agree with a lot of it. I actually don't mind the magic band either for park admission holding the FP, room key... it beats having to dig in my pocket for my ticket. There is more to this than just spontaneity or planning ahead. You say the point of going to Disney is to experience the magic as much as you can and simply find a way to make the planning fun. I agree with you all the way. Here is the problem, we booked one day at the parks last minute last summer. We planned our stuff, put in the work and guess who got sick the day we planned to go to the park. My son. So all the planning out the window. FP+ was useless since we pushed the park out 2 days later so he could get better. The point is with no real flexibility anything that may come up will quickly kill the "magic" for a lot of people. I have been going to Disney for many years so I know the ins and outs, so we were able to adjust. Unfortunately, for a lot of people that isn't the case.

 

[POLY LOVER]

I like the fast pass system now, the alternative is the old way where we raced to our favorite ride only to find all the fast passes were gone for the day how disappointing after you already entered the park expecting to ride those rides. I can,t tell you how many times we were frozen out of passes for toy story. Our last trip we scheduled our rides and got on all of them. It's a trade off but I think one for the better. And I also like the wrist bands rather than carrying around the tickets and worrying about where they are or even losing them. And if you really Don,t like it you can always just wait in line.

 

[POLY LOVER]

The majority of costs associated with NextGEN did not come from FP+, it was from the infrastructure upgrades -- all of the hotel room door locks were replaced with RFID locks, every single POS register (restaurant, hotel, parks, etc.) was upgraded, all of the park entrances were upgraded, all of the attraction queues were elaborately furnished with upgrades, and there is the new interactive website(s). These upgrades were desperately needed to accommodate recent and future growth. If anything, Disney deserves a pat on the back.

I agree

 

[CJLove79]

I get what you are saying and I do agree with a lot of it. I actually don't mind the magic band either for park admission holding the FP, room key... it beats having to dig in my pocket for my ticket. There is more to this than just spontaneity or planning ahead. You say the point of going to Disney is to experience the magic as much as you can and simply find a way to make the planning fun. I agree with you all the way. Here is the problem, we booked one day at the parks last minute last summer. We planned our stuff, put in the work and guess who got sick the day we planned to go to the park. My son. So all the planning out the window. FP+ was useless since we pushed the park out 2 days later so he could get better. The point is with no real flexibility anything that may come up will quickly kill the "magic" for a lot of people. I have been going to Disney for many years so I know the ins and outs, so we were able to adjust. Unfortunately, for a lot of people that isn't the case.

I'm sorry about your son and your experience, it's always disappointing when something like that happens. And you made great points too. Hopefully Disney will come up with a way to increase the flexibility and user friendly aspect of My Magic +. I did one of those surveys that Disney always gives out. And I suggested ways to make things easier with their system. For example, I suggested that if something like your situation were to happen that you get to keep your FP rides and times for two years max. I said two years cause from what I read in an article one time, most guests plan a typical Disney World trip a year or two in advance. Anyway, a guest can either go to guest services or call Disney and tell the CM the situation. The CM takes your MB number(s) puts into the system that your FPs needs to be saved. Once that's done, on your MDE account, in the MB and FP+ sections, a guest will see an expiration date for your FPs. The best part is that you not only can save your original FPs but also have the option of changing them to the attractions and times that are available at the time you decide to come back. Disney can still have FP+ running the way it's always been but have the saved FP+ separated from the regular attractions and times until your next trip. That way, it won't affect their regular FP availability for other guests. I also said that it shouldn't matter if you're on property or not, this service can be used for all guests in case the unexpected happens. Anyway, I feel that My Magic+ will always be a work in progress, it is close to a couple years old after all. Thankfully Disney is the type of company that listens to guest feedback and implement when they can.

 

[DisneyNorthFan]

Our family typically plans our Disney trips 6+months in advance, so the reservation windows work for us. I also think that a minimum amount of planning is required for any vacation, and picking a park, restaurant, and 3 rides is not really asking too much. Sure, you can make it very complicated, but you can also keep it simple. Some folks suggest tightening the reservation window, and while I'm not necessarily against this, it may exaggerate the need to be online at 12am to snag the spots you want. The only true way to solve the problem is to increase capacity, and for rides, that is desperately needed. For restaurants, it seems more complicated as I've always found reservations available, even last minute. Of course it may not always be at my preferred location. But I'm not sure it's completely fair to say there is not enough restaurant capacity - since there are always places with spots available. Based on availability, we've lucked into trying some new-to-us restaurants that have been hits, and of course we've tried some that we've crossed off our list of places that we'd ever return to.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Every person through the turnstiles has the opportunity to secure up to three FastPass selections per day — selections that let you essentially skip the lines at top rides at pre-determined times — which connect to both a mobile app and your own personal MagicBand bracelet. And by “opportunity,” I mean “responsibility.”

My upcoming trip in November is the first time I'll be using the new system. I'm looking forward to certain aspects of the new system, but the quote above (especially the bolded portion) sums up the cons for me. For me, planning 60 days out isn't really any different than planning 7 or 14 days out, so the length of time doesn't really bother me. Planning in advance in general is somewhat forced on everyone. I have to schedule my spontaneity. It will be nice not running all over the park as much, though.

 

[bethymouse]

I don't mind planning in advance at all. I don't even mind the magicbands so much. I do however dislike the FP+ system. I don't mind waiting in standby, but that also takes some strategic early morning or late evening planning. But, our last trip, my Mom got sick, and I missed out on Soarin and Test Track, plus Illuminations. No big deal really, it happens. I don't mind the dining reservations system, it's just hard to plan a spontaneous trip. DL ( although not this year- very crowded due to 60th anniversary!) is an option, but man the cost of flights! I feel like doing the "Holiday Road" vacation... Anyhow, I am still not convinced that the FP+ system is working at its best yet. We did use the kiosk our last trip (June). I just don't like that you have to choose between Soarin and Test Track, RNRC and TSMM, etc... I don't like the so called "tier" system ( a necessary evil though I guess). So... I feel the OPs pain.

 

[Siren]

You know how I post and what little tolerance I have for people who want to split every hair… Anyways, the seemed more like a first-person Opinion essay than anything else.

What are you upset about, then? The comments here are primarily aimed at the article, not you -- and should not be regarded as a personal affront.

When any poster on this forum makes an error like that, they are flamed for it -- in good fun, of course. I have been corrected and flamed (in a joking manner) on numerous occasions for all kinds of stuff and we all just laugh about it.

Why put up an article when no one is allowed to critique it? Overall, it's a really bad article and some of the poorest writing I have ever seen -- but, that is what also makes it so funny, IMO. Again, that has *nothing* to do with you, no one is laughing at you or judging you-- stop looking for little things to get offended about.

Fortune does very little with Walt Disney World in the first place, and they have enough of a reader should base that it doesn't matter if Disney ever credentials them or let's them in for anything. Disney PR isn't going to ban them for speaking their mind. Because privately, it echoes and a lot of what people behind the scenes think…

I disagree.

http://fortune.com/2014/12/29/disney-ceo-bob-iger-empire-of-tech/

http://fortune.com/2014/12/29/millennium-falcon-bob-iger/

1. http://fortune.com/2015/08/30/disney-infinity-critics/
2. http://fortune.com/2015/08/26/star-wars-toys/
3. http://fortune.com/2015/08/02/5things-july-employment-disney/
4. http://fortune.com/2015/05/26/disney-walking-robot/
5. http://fortune.com/video/2014/12/19...l&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

There's plenty more -- but, you get the point.

Disney should take a page from the high end fashion designers. If any fashion publication goes out of their way to insult the designer or the models they will be banned from attending the shows and previews the next season.

Disney and Bob Iger have been so kind to Fortune Magazine -- granting them exclusives and previews. The article doesn't reflect poorly on Disney at all, it reflects poorly on Fortune.

I know Disney PR isn't going to ban them but I would, which is why I am not in PR. LOL.

Did Disney we need to take its infrastructure and technology into the 21st-century? Yes. Once every point of sale and technology infrastructure ridiculously behind the times? Oh hell yes. Did every manager to their absolute best to get as much out of that pot of gold for their department? Yeah, because that's what the mouse does.

Did they need to make it so you can make a dining reservation via your phone? Hell yes. Make a fast pass reservation with your phone? Sure… It's good technology. Allowing the guest to do that 60 days in advance? Well now you're pushing it. I would have made it so that on-property guests can make Them one week before checkin and day-guests/pass holders/cast Are Limited To same day.

It's just a technology upgrade it took existing programs and combined them into an application on a cell phone.

Agreed.

Because Fastpass on these attractions gums up the standby wait times.

The wait times for the smaller rides have slightly increased while the wait times for the popular E tickets rides have substantially decreased -- it's a nice trade off.

I kind of agree that the Omnimovers rarely need fastpass. But with Frozenmania in full force the meet & greets have some of the longest waits in the park. How could FP be making that situation worse?

It hasn't for me. OMG, I *love* FP+ so much -- way more than legacy fp.

You will never miss out on ANY attraction if you don't want to. With or without a FP, you can ride anything in the park with a relatively short wait if you get there first thing in the morning.

Very well said and I couldn't agree more.

A few things here:

a). @Tuvalu wasn't splitting hairs with what you wrote, but with what the article wrote.
b). It was done in sarcasm, as was later mentioned.
c). Publicly announcing that you are ignoring someone is behavior fitting of a 3rd-grader at best...and even that's a stretch.
d). You didn't tell someone who angered you to commit suicide this time? Must be growing up, my friend. Proud of ya!
5). I like to randomly throw numbers into lists that normally run with letters, just to see if anyone notices.
f). Walt Disney World is the happiest place on earth...at least in my book...well, one of the happiest places on earth. So who really cares what the slogans say?

LOL. Funny post.

 

[Siren]

You're still dead to me.

He isn't really dead to you since you are still responding to him. And, you have to admit that was funny, LOL.

OK. I'm new here so I'm not going to say much when I don't know what is going on. But this seems odd to me, and quite different from what I was told this place was like.

LOL. It can get a little crazy here at times, but you won't find better elsewhere.

Love you too, sweetcakes.

Awww, this is so sweet. LOL.

I concur man. I'm not going to claim to be an expert on My Magic+ or the MagicBands but I see it like this, Disney is simply getting with the times & using their resources to ensure we're able to have fun despite their parks being crowded. We live in a very fast paced world now with the internet, smartphones, tablets, etc so Disney had to provide services that will keep up with all that. Yeah it may hinder some of the spontaneity that we've grown accustomed to when we were kids. But some people fail to realize that when most of us were little kids, there was only Magic Kingdom & EPCOT and not as many Disney resorts. So at that time, spontaneity was so easy to do because there wasn't as much stuff to do & the resources weren't available as today. So me personally, I will never ever ever complain about my Magic+ unless their systems acts stupid which happens sometimes. LOL. I LOVE MagicBands, I've collected a lot of the Limited Edition ones and love the various ways they can be used. FastPass + is great for the most part, it has its drawbacks as far as availability but its great nonetheless. I don't understand why a lot of people complain about not wanting to plan months in advance when all vacations need to be planned months even years in advance anyway, its just that the planning methods may be different. The point of going to Disney World is to experience the magic as much as you can in the amount of time you're there. With crowds being what they are, it would be insane to skip making a Dining ressie when chances are that certain restaurant will be packed. Or skip making a FP when all the popular rides have minimum wait times of 45 mins average. Point blank, instead of complaining about the planning, I feel that the complainers should simply find a way to make the planning fun, go to Disney World & do exactly that.....have fun. LOL.

OMG! I totally *heart* this post, so much and I could not agree with you more. This is one of the best posts on FP+ I have ever read!

I like the fast pass system now, the alternative is the old way where we raced to our favorite ride only to find all the fast passes were gone for the day how disappointing after you already entered the park expecting to ride those rides. I can,t tell you how many times we were frozen out of passes for toy story. Our last trip we scheduled our rides and got on all of them. It's a trade off but I think one for the better. And I also like the wrist bands rather than carrying around the tickets and worrying about where they are or even losing them. And if you really Don,t like it you can always just wait in line.

Wow, great post! And, I totally agree.

I agree

Awww, great minds and all that. And, I must say -- that I am a huge fan of all of your threads, especially that Main Street Bakery one -- it's epic.

I'm sorry about your son and your experience, it's always disappointing when something like that happens. And you made great points too. Hopefully Disney will come up with a way to increase the flexibility and user friendly aspect of My Magic +. I did one of those surveys that Disney always gives out. And I suggested ways to make things easier with their system. For example, I suggested that if something like your situation were to happen that you get to keep your FP rides and times for two years max. I said two years cause from what I read in an article one time, most guests plan a typical Disney World trip a year or two in advance. Anyway, a guest can either go to guest services or call Disney and tell the CM the situation. The CM takes your MB number(s) puts into the system that your FPs needs to be saved. Once that's done, on your MDE account, in the MB and FP+ sections, a guest will see an expiration date for your FPs. The best part is that you not only can save your original FPs but also have the option of changing them to the attractions and times that are available at the time you decide to come back. Disney can still have FP+ running the way it's always been but have the saved FP+ separated from the regular attractions and times until your next trip. That way, it won't affect their regular FP availability for other guests. I also said that it shouldn't matter if you're on property or not, this service can be used for all guests in case the unexpected happens. Anyway, I feel that My Magic+ will always be a work in progress, it is close to a couple years old after all. Thankfully Disney is the type of company that listens to guest feedback and implement when they can.

Wow, another wonderful post. Seriously, I think this is one of my most favorite threads ever.

My upcoming trip in November is the first time I'll be using the new system. I'm looking forward to certain aspects of the new system, but the quote above (especially the bolded portion) sums up the cons for me. For me, planning 60 days out isn't really any different than planning 7 or 14 days out, so the length of time doesn't really bother me. Planning in advance in general is somewhat forced on everyone. I have to schedule my spontaneity. It will be nice not running all over the park as much, though.

Nice post! I just want to add that planning in advance was forced on everyone long before FP+. I have actually experienced more spontaneity and plan less because of FP+. Anyway, have a wonderful time at Disney World in November!

 

[CJLove79]

He isn't really dead to you since you are still responding to him. And, you have to admit that was funny, LOL.

LOL. It can get a little crazy here at times, but you won't find better elsewhere.

Awww, this is so sweet. LOL.

OMG! I totally *heart* this post, so much and I could not agree with you more. This is one of the best posts on FP+ I have ever read!

Wow, great post! And, I totally agree.

Awww, great minds and all that. And, I must say -- that I am a huge fan of all of your threads, especially that Main Street Bakery one -- it's epic.

Wow, another wonderful post. Seriously, I think this is one of my most favorite threads ever.

Nice post! I just want to add that planning in advance was forced on everyone long before FP+. I have actually experienced more spontaneity and plan less because of FP+. Anyway, have a wonderful time at Disney World in November!

Thanks Miss Siren, appreciate the compliment. The FP idea I gave to Disney just made perfect sense to me because the main complaint about reserving FPs & making ADRs is the what if factor, not knowing what will happen six months from now. What if my kid(s) gets sick & we can't go? What if my wife or girlfriend goes into labor the day we leave? What if there's a death in my family? What if what if what if. And I just think that if Disney was to give us more time, more options on how to make our ADRs & FPs in case the what if happens, it should make for a better experience. I also suggested that they make an alternative mode on the MDE app & their website for people such as seniors or non techies & make it easier for them. They already doing that now actually for smartphones. When you go to the Disney World website, its optimized for smartphones & almost everything is straight forward. I also suggested adding a section for embedded video tutorials that show step by step instructions on how to create, modify & delete a FPs or ADRs, how to create your Magic Your Way package, etc. True, you can go to YouTube for tutorials and all that but from my experience, they dont always give you the most up to date info. So My Magic+ has so much potential, its just that Disney is taking their sweet as time in implementing some of things that will make our experiences more convenient, use friendly, flexible and most of all......magical. But at the same time, as I said before, to Disney's credit, they're always open to feedback from guests & will actually implement of our ideas. Its just another reason why I will Love Disney to death.