Checkpoints at MK for EMH

[disneytopdog]

You know what I wish they could do? I wish that there was someway that they could divide the resorts up by parks and then give EMH's for those resorts on certain days. Like if you are a MK resort guest you get to have the MK on a monday, if epcot go to epcot, etc. Then the next day switch. I know it will never happen but it would cut down on the amount of people.

Even if they split the resorts in half or did it by class Value, Moderates, deluxe...That would be great.

 

[ToTBellHop]

You know what I wish they could do? I wish that there was someway that they could divide the resorts up by parks and then give EMH's for those resorts on certain days. Like if you are a MK resort guest you get to have the MK on a monday, if epcot go to epcot, etc. Then the next day switch. I know it will never happen but it would cut down on the amount of people.

that would cost a fortune for Disney to do.

 

[cb3k]

I think this a good thing they are doing, however I do not think that the crowd level will decrease that dramatically. Of all the times I have been to emh I have never waited more than 5 mins for any given attraction (possibly soarin in its earlier days). I hope that with the extra checkpts it will not lose its "magic", I can see this getting rather annoying to some guests.

 

[disneytopdog]

I think this a good thing they are doing, however I do not think that the crowd level will decrease that dramatically. Of all the times I have been to emh I have never waited more than 5 mins for any given attraction (possibly soarin in its earlier days). I hope that with the extra checkpts it will not lose its "magic", I can see this getting rather annoying to some guests.

It really would not be that hard to do at the MK. Just block the hub bridges to a single file line and have a wrist band checker at each bridge. You never have to be rechecked again unless you cross the HUB. The "Day guests" could stay on Mainstreet all night and shop.

 

[Flight Safety]

Wow.

First of all, this doesnt even make sense. Why would they even make EMH if it was going to be open for everyone? That would be the same thing as just changing the park hours to reflect the extra time. So instead of being open untill 9, they will be open untill 12. The whole reason for EMH is resort guests. It wouldnt be "extra magic" if it was available for everyone.

Why would you want to be in the park during EMH if you arent going to see or ride any attractions? There are only a few select stores and restaraunts open during EMH.

Lets not forget all the people who arent staying on property that are in the parks during EMH that attempt to ride anyway. This creates more problems which defeats the whole purpose of EMH.

Exta Magic Hours wouldnt be "Extra" if it were just like normal operating hours.

And as for this?...

Let's see how long this lasts when revenue falls in the shops and food places. I never go to the parks on days when EMH are offered as I like to stay to park closing but I can imagine people without bands often hang around in the shops or eating so they are not effecting the rides in anyway and removing them will effect the bottom line.
In DLP they were offering EMH on one night we were their we decided to stay in the park and go and eat at the Plaza Gardens. If they asked people to the leave the park then all that extra money would be lost.

The ammount of revenue that the company will lose from the few select places that are still open from non resort guests being there will be significantly less than the ammount of money that they will make from keeping WDW resorts booked 80% of the year.

They designed this program for a reason and it wasnt so that people could stay in the parks and shop.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Don't the majority of vacationers budget how much money they will spend on souvenirs before they leave? I would imagine even with this change, people will still spend the same amount, and I'm also pretty sure the average non-resort guest does not stick around for 3 hours to do some shopping--if anything, they stay an extra half hour or so on Main Street to grab some things on the way out, and I'm sure Disney will still be very happy to take those guests' money on their way out. These days, you can find just about everything you would buy on Main Street in Downtown Disney, anyway. Hell, you can find just about everything you would buy in any of the parks there, excepting the increasingly-scarce attraction-specific merchandise, which Disney conveniently places at the exit of their host attractions anyway.

 

[disneydata]

This has always been done, just not as obvious as it is now. Managers and coordinators and sometimes regular cast members sweep through the park about 30 mins after EMH starts and anyone without a wristband is redirected to the park exit. They start in the pack parts and work their way to the Hub.

 

[Krimedog]

i think its great. Some times the EMH's do get very crowded and i see a lot of people walking around without wristbands on, hell even some get in lines and try to get on rides. Its a great move on disneys part.

And im pretty sure that everyone stops into the shops at some point in the day to look. If someone really needs two or three hours to look in a shop then they are insane. And even if they do find something they want, they can always buy it the next day.

 

[disneytopdog]

This has always been done, just not as obvious as it is now. Managers and coordinators and sometimes regular cast members sweep through the park about 30 mins after EMH starts and anyone without a wristband is redirected to the park exit. They start in the pack parts and work their way to the Hub.

OK...but what would keep them from once they got out of the sight of the employees, shoeing them out to just turn around and head back into the park

 

[unkadug]

OK...but what would keep them from once they got out of the sight of the employees, shoeing them out to just turn around and head back into the park

Most people do not want to be where they are not wanted.

Plus, just how much shopping can you REALLY do?

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I think the hub checkpoint idea would be the best idea. Really, although it is insanely crowded, Main St. (a) can hold LOTS of people, even if they happen not to have wristbands and (b) pulls most of the rings for the day. That way, although people may turn around from one spoke, they are directed back inside the Hub.

 

[rdour@techminds]

I'm just amazed that Disney has not implemented RFID into the wristbands. They could give you a nice plastic wristband, like a cheap watch wristband, when you arrive at your resort. Now, if you forget it at the hotel, just go to guest services and show your Key to the World and get another. If you lose both IDs, you would use your driver's license or state ID just like usual to get issued a new key and also the wristband. Ah, maybe even a $2.50 penalty for replacement. But, here is how they could be used:

1. At attraction entrance, wave your wrist past a device to get in. Greeter watches, and makes sure that the counter increases 1 for every guest that passes.

2. At restaurant locations, counter service specific, just wave your wrist to charge your room for the ymmy snacks.

3. Use the wristband in conjunction with the biometric scanners to move into the park a bit faster. Much easier than trying to get the card into the slot. Public transportation systems like the CTA are using them now, and they really do make things faster. I walk at a normal pace through turnstyles now, not even stopping my stride to swipe. I hold out my card, it gets scanned as I walk.

4. Extra fun, like entering contests and little bits of magic. Imagine if the proximity was really good. Then a ride like Haunted Mansion could show a ghostly projection with your name on a gravestone as you ride past the hitch hiking ghosts.

RFID is way underused at Disney parks. Not only could the EMH be improved, but I could see a whole host of opportunities possible with RFID and other proximity card technologies. Especially because they don't necessarily need to be in "card" form.

Ryan

 

[jmvd20]

They could implement retina scanning technology as well, that would make unathorized entry into your room impossible and would also eliminate the risk of getting locked out of your room.

 

[rdour@techminds]

I've had two times in 3 trips where an engineer has had to come over to the room and actually reboot the door swipe or simply replace the unit. Yeah, replace, keeping me up. Just use Very short proximity cards, like the ones used now on CTA trains and busses, and no more physical wear and tare. I have noticed that the swipes on CTA entry points are dead once in a while, but the proximity card readers simply never seem to be dead unless the entire unit is just messed up. You don't even have to pull the card out of your wallet.

The building I worked in had these cards also. Because they used a different data stream, the two proximity cards in my wallet never misfired.

So, anyone else for nice, flat, proximity based room entry? Again, using wristbands even losing your key would be harder. I do believe some people hate wristbands, especially those who cannot move their arms, or plastic alergy. But, that's why RFID and proximity technology rules, just put the little chip and wire into some other form factor as an alternative. Plastic alergic reactions can be avoided with a leather holder. Easy.

Ryan

 

[WEDisney]

An interesting move. I always believed that Disney allowed none resort guests to stay within the EMH park so that they could spend their hard earned $$$

Well if that was the case then they would be allowed in the park when it is open in the morning. This, thankfully, is not the case.

 

[jmvd20]

I think the non-resort staying guests should be banned completely from the parks, except each day one of the parks would be open to them from 10 A.M. until 1 P.M. That would reduce crowds significantly and allow the resort guests much more time to enjoy their vacations at WDW.

 

[unkadug]

I think the non-resort staying guests should be banned completely from the parks, except each day one of the parks would be open to them from 10 A.M. until 1 P.M. That would reduce crowds significantly and allow the resort guests much more time to enjoy their vacations at WDW.

You better run and hide :wave:

 

[jmvd20]

You better run and hide :wave:

 

[Surf Fish2285]

I'm just amazed that Disney has not implemented RFID into the wristbands. They could give you a nice plastic wristband, like a cheap watch wristband, when you arrive at your resort. Now, if you forget it at the hotel, just go to guest services and show your Key to the World and get another. If you lose both IDs, you would use your driver's license or state ID just like usual to get issued a new key and also the wristband. Ah, maybe even a $2.50 penalty for replacement. But, here is how they could be used:

1. At attraction entrance, wave your wrist past a device to get in. Greeter watches, and makes sure that the counter increases 1 for every guest that passes.

2. At restaurant locations, counter service specific, just wave your wrist to charge your room for the ymmy snacks.

3. Use the wristband in conjunction with the biometric scanners to move into the park a bit faster. Much easier than trying to get the card into the slot. Public transportation systems like the CTA are using them now, and they really do make things faster. I walk at a normal pace through turnstyles now, not even stopping my stride to swipe. I hold out my card, it gets scanned as I walk.

4. Extra fun, like entering contests and little bits of magic. Imagine if the proximity was really good. Then a ride like Haunted Mansion could show a ghostly projection with your name on a gravestone as you ride past the hitch hiking ghosts.

RFID is way underused at Disney parks. Not only could the EMH be improved, but I could see a whole host of opportunities possible with RFID and other proximity card technologies. Especially because they don't necessarily need to be in "card" form.

Ryan

I really like that ideal...Make things move much faster!

 

[disneydata]

OK...but what would keep them from once they got out of the sight of the employees, shoeing them out to just turn around and head back into the park

How would you stop them from avoiding the checkpoints? They don't stay up all night. There will always be stragglers no matter what method used (except of course mornings when you need an ID to get in).