NextGen CIT (Central Intelligence Thread)

[PeterAlt]

There's scattered information all over this forum about NextGen but no single thread tying it all together. The budget for NetGen is over a billion dollars. What is it exactly? What is NextGen exactly? How much has been spent so far? What has the NextGen project delivered so far? Can that budget get a detailed accounting of what it's bought to date? Does the competition (Universal) have a similar program? Does the $1.5 billion Univesal is spending include projects that can match NextGen?

 

[EpcotFanForever]

Think of it as new cash registers for the Walmart.

 

[yeti]

I just realized that I'm not particularly fond of the name "NextGen"....it implies some sort of mind blowing intricate change that will absolutely enrich the parkgoing experience.

 

[marni1971]

1.5 billion dollars and climbing.

And it's still not properly working.

Call that what you will.

Universal is spending its money on actual attractions.

 

[ParentsOf4]

NextGen has been discussed on this thread in some detail:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/nextgen-deep-impact.857159/

FastPass Plus (FP+), which seems to be the key component of NextGen, is being discussed here:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/fast-pass-plus.855828/

The following Disney webpage seems to be the source of official information:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/media/park-experience-terms-and-conditions.html

I have a gut instinct the details of NextGen will change several times before it's officially rolled out. I also expect NextGen to evolve. The first set of official NextGen policies won't be the last. WDW will learn things from its initial deployment and will make changes. Some changes will help guests while others will help revenue.

 

[John]

NextGen has been discussed on this thread in some detail:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/nextgen-deep-impact.857159/

FastPass Plus (FP+), which seems to be the key component of NextGen, is being discussed here:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/fast-pass-plus.855828/

The following Disney webpage seems to be the source of official information:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/media/park-experience-terms-and-conditions.html

I have a gut instinct the details of NextGen will change several times before it's officially rolled out. I also expect NextGen to evolve. The first set of official NextGen policies won't be the last. WDW will learn things from its initial deployment and will make changes. Some changes will help guests while others will help revenue.

Really, has there been anyone outside of Disney that has been following this thing more closely?

 

[GoofGoof]

I'll take a shot at summarizing what I have heard or read. What we know of so far that is tangible from Next Gen:
1) RFID wrist bands which will replace room keys and park tickets
2) keyless entry at 30,000+ hotel rooms replacing room key cards with RFID wristbands
3) cash registers which use RFID wristbands throughout WDW - these are starting to be rolled out already.
4) wireless Internet at all resorts, parks and DTD that will enable users to access smart phone apps
5) new RFID scanners at the gates to all parks which will eventually replace the current ticket scanners.
6) fast pass+ system which includes the online portal plus the RFID scanners at the attractions and kiosks in parks where FP+ reservations can be changed if you don't have a smart phone
7) interactive queue elements at many rides. The rumor/theory is that there will be interactive elements within both ride queues and maybe the rides themselves which will use information on the wristbands - for example, an animatronic character in a queue may address you by name. Some interactive elements have already started like agent P at EPCOT where your hand held device triggers something to happen in the park. POC is rumored to be next to get this.

In addition to these tangible changes Disney will be using the data collected from the RFID to gain a better understanding of what guests like and don't like, how people are spending their time in the parks and what they are spending money on. According to the Disney PR people next gen is designed to change and enhance the themepark experience by personalizing it for each guest.

As far as the budget goes, I would love to see a breakdown of costs. $1.5B seems like an insane amount of money. I have never seen or found anyone who knows the true costs or budget of the program. If anyone knows this I would be very interested in seeing it.

I don't think you can compare next gen to what is going on at Universal. Uni is adding attractions and expanding the park's capacity so they can add more guests. I don't think next gen is really intended to increase attendance at WDW. It is more intended to extract more money from exisiting guests.

If anyone has anything else that I missed, post it and we can add it to the list.

 

[disney fan 13]

Universal is installing in park wifi, but that's as far as it goes in that regard.

 

[Bolt]

Not positive but I think we have an ongoing NextGen thread with 536,753,000 replies.

 

[PeterAlt]

Not positive but I think we have an ongoing NextGen thread with 536,753,000 replies.

That's a lot of replies that can't possibly be centralized and consolidated. This thread so far is doing a great job being cohesive!

 

[SirLink]

1.5 billion dollars and climbing.

And it's still not properly working.

Call that what you will.

Universal is spending its money on actual attractions.

At what point do They, the BoD, says enough is enough and Franklin, JR and Jim MacPhee lose their jobs over it though ...

 

[BigThunderMatt]

At what point do they the board says enough is enough and Franklin, JR and Jim MacPhee lose their jobs over it though ...

They won't. They'll just decide to suddenly retire to "spend more time with their families".

 

[SirLink]

They won't. They'll just decide to suddenly retire to "spend more time with their families".

Well yes but there has to be a final sum - which the BoD will view as wasting resources so will end those responsible. We know Disney won't directly announce to the public that they have sacked/fired any individual...

 

[BigThunderMatt]

Well yes but there has to be a final sum - which the BoD will view as wasting resources so will end those responsible. We know Disney won't directly announce to the public that they have sacked/fired any individual...

Previous President of DVC was fired and that was the verbiage used in the article. It's rare, but it has happened.

 

[ChrisFL]

Not positive but I think we have an ongoing NextGen thread with 536,753,000 replies.

That's the problem. If we can keep at least ONE thread (my current reply aside) based on facts or rumors and not dozens of pages bickering back and forth, or complaining about how bad it is/will be, this could be useful.

 

[unkadug]

That's the problem. If we can keep at least ONE thread (my current reply aside) based on facts or rumors and not dozens of pages bickering back and forth, or complaining about how bad it is/will be, this could be useful.

How so?

 

[Rasvar]

Well yes but there has to be a final sum - which the BoD will view as wasting resources so will end those responsible. We know Disney won't directly announce to the public that they have sacked/fired any individual...

If it fails, you will find out when it the cost is written off as a loss. If it works, we will probably never know the real cost.

 

[Sneezy62]

A lot of the nextgen posts focus on FP+ as a direct source of revenue. I have a different theory. That's all it is, no basis in fact at all. I think Disney will use FP+ as the bait to get consumers more deeply tied to the next gen system. Information is what Disney needs. They need you to stay on property. They need you to charge to your room or link your RFID tag to your credit card. They need to know who you are traveling with and how you plan your days. FP+ is the currency to get you to give up this info in a way that's usable to them.

How many people think that charging to your room is a good thing? I don't and I won't even for an extra fastpass every day. I bet a lot of folks would change their minds about it for a fastpass though. Fastpass has become the driver behind the "How to visit Disney" online machine. Making it part of the ticketing structure, making it easier to figure out ahead of time and then linking "better" or more fastpasses to becoming more closely tied to Disney's computer systems keeps the illusion of "Free FP" vs Universal's paid pass while at the same time giving Disney easier to mine data.

 

[mousehockey37]

IMO, NextGen looks to be Disney's Big Brother system. They are cleverly trying to disguise it and sell it as something that is going to be better for guests. Better in the sense that you won't have to carry cash, purses, etc. You'll just swipe your bracelet (or whatever it is) and your meal is deducted, charged and you didn't have to fumble with anything to get your stuff. They are also putting this system to use with the fastpass system. So, not only are the Disney moneymen tracking your every purchase, but they are also tracking an infinite amount of other things as well. This NextGen system is going to track when you enter and exit a park, your location (via purchases or swipes to get on rides), how much you are eating/drinking and how much you're spending on doing so.

My guess is, they're going to use this data to gain exact figures for demographics. If Disney can say that the Jones family was in the park on X date from time A to time B, rode this many rides, bought food here and there, spent this much on it, then left and went to Y location and do this for everyday of their trip, they're going to gain knowledge on their customers. They will then also be able to track all of this based of where you are staying (I'm guessing if on property) and they can then track what you do when you're not in the parks either (I believe I saw a rumbling that they are looking at stuff for buses?). All in all, they'll be able to track your every move without you ever knowing it.

I honestly think of this as Rollercoaster Tycoon where you hover over a person and it tells you what they spent and if they're happy or not and you read what they are thinking. NextGen is a little short of this, but it's not far off.

 

[ParentsOf4]

A few things we've heard about FP+, which seems to be the star component of NextGen:

• FP+ eventually will replace FP, although it appears that there will be a transitional period during which both will be available.
• FP+ experiences are being expanded to include reserved viewing area for parades and scheduled times for character meet & greets.
• Numerous WDW attractions that do not participate in FP are being added to FP+.
• The Disney webpage suggests FP+ will have a dining component. ("A FastPass+ selection for dining at a FastPass+ designated table service or quick service location secures your arrival window and allows you to order meal prior to your arrival window.")
• A Guest will be able to FP+ an attraction only once per day. For example, a guest will be able to receive, at most, one FP+ for Space Mountain on one day.
• Disney states the number of FP+ a person receives "are limited and vary based on factors". During preliminary testing, guests have been able to schedule up to 4 FP+ experiences per day, with a one-hour return window for each experience, similar to FP.
• Tickets are required to be upgraded to include the RFID system in order to use FP+. Once upgraded, it is not be possible to participate in FP. Thus, it appears one ticket cannot be used for both FP and FP+.
• FP+ can be used only at one park per day.
• Unlike the current FP system, at least some guests have been presented with the option to schedule FP+ experiences as early as park opening (i.e. 9 AM).
• Unlike the current FP system, it will be possible to change the scheduled return times for FP+. It appears that it even will be possible to change the FP+ experience (e.g. switch a Space Mountain FP+ to a Big Thunder Mountain FP+) although it seems likely this will be subject to availability.
• Onsite guests will be able to schedule their FP+ experiences up to 180 days in advance. Other guests will be able to schedule their experiences up to 60 days in advance.
• As a result of FP+, it is believed Extra Magic Hours eventually will be eliminated.
• FP+ reportedly will be "free" but there are ways to collect revenue while still calling FP+ free. For example, EMH are "free" but are available only to onsite guests.

P.S. I'll update the list based on feedback and new information.