Sentinel reports that MyMagic+ executive vice president Nick Franklin will be leaving in July

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

So is it $2billion for FP+ or 2billion for Magicbands? I keep forgetting what argument people are having today...



Spending, maybe.. but does any of that help lock/convince people into visiting your park vs others in unique ways the competition has a hard time replicating?

Honestly, I kinda consider it one of the same. The magic bands are part of the FastPass+... program? System? Operation? and I tend to loop both together for that reason. Bottom line, $2 billion was blown on a project that wasn't broke, didn't need fixing, but got a flashy piece of data mining wristwear and a hefty price tag instead of new rides, new entertainment, new offerings in general.

As for the second part of your statement (and I do thank you for your replies, I enjoy reading what you put out there) - does the FastPass+/MagicBand system do that? Does that lock people in and convince them to visit the park?

The answer is no. And unique merchandise, food, etc, is also a no. Building amazing environments, cool new rides, offering people things they haven't experienced- THAT sells people on coming to the parks and staying and spending $$$. But since you and I are both aware that Disney is not capable/willing/wants to build right now, outside of Pandora (and that'll take forever to build), the next best thing is to offer new, unique experiences in terms of food, offer merchandise you can't find on the Disneystore dot com, and making them want to check out each and every single store up and down Main Street and the whole park for what unique, store-specific merchandise they can find... and buy it.

 

[flynnibus]

Bottom line, $2 billion was blown on a project that wasn't broke, didn't need fixing, but got a flashy piece of data mining wristwear and a hefty price tag.

Their mobile app wasn't broke? It was only verizon and did crap
The idea of in park wifi? It didn't exist before (nevermind the hotel charging for wifi)
FP was broke in a lot of ways - people were just conditioned to it
Talking character heads? It didn't exist before.. everyone was conditioned to static foam heads
Interactive queues - that one is heavily opinionated..
Ticket media - had lots of problems...
Turnstiles and much much more..

There is a whole generation of technology shift in the parks as part of this price tag. It's disingenuous and flagrant to hang the total spend on just one thing.. while quietly accepting everything else as if it were just the norm.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Their mobile app wasn't broke? It was only verizon and did crap



There is a whole generation of technology shift in the parks as part of this price tag. It's disingenuous and flagrant to hang the total spend on just one thing.. while quietly accepting everything else as if it were just the norm.

I cut out a good part of your post because you're talking to the person who had the website and mobile app misidentify me and show me several other peoples personal information including vacation details, childrens name and ages and address and only to have Disney say "oops sorry about that here's a gift card!" and then after my trip, send me a bounce back offer to my home address- with another persons name on it. Broken? Just a little. I'll grant you that. But it still isn't fixed. The issue. Is. Not. Fixed. Wifi throughout the park is great, sure. "disingenuous and flagrant" to hand the spend amount on one thing? That one thing is all encompassing with everything else you've mentioned!

But really, this thread is about Nick Franklin who may or may not be taking the fall for FP+ shortcomings and his departure from Disney. Kinda funny how there's so many issues with budget overruns and issues with the system and suddenly he's out... and as a certain Spirit mentioned earlier, he's probably the first of a list of folks being shown the door.

I have a feeling he is just the first out and there will be more. Wall Street isn't happy. When Wall Street isn't happy, Disney isn't happy.

 

[wdisney9000]

@The Mom - yet when we look at what the NYT refers to as the 'multifaceted system' - their own reference is to

"The initiative is part of a broader effort, estimated by analysts to cost between $800 million and $1 billion, to make visiting Disney parks less daunting and more amenable to modern consumer behavior."

The 'broader effort' includes a lot of stuff and deliverables.. not just MagicBands.. my point was.. every time someone wants to rag on one of the elements in a 'was it worth it' way.. they hang the TOTAL spend on one thing... conveniently glossing over everything else. It's like saying your house's windows cost $500k because it's a 500k house.

Ill agree that many only focus on certain aspects of MM+ and not the complete package when debating its cost or the "was it worth it" viewpoint. Regardless though, the profits just arent being seen by wall street/BoD and they must be getting frustrated by now unless there is some unseen or undisclosed profit coming out of this, but I think if there was, there would be no need for them to continue questioning Iger and co. about it. I would guess much more of the money went into the unseen systems that run everything and not so much into the hardware itself (MB's).

We hear all the stories about how the new system would entice guests to stay at a Disney resort, make them stay in the parks longer, spend more with the band, and the data collections gotta come into play at some point for profits, but perhaps they misjudged how the average guest would react to the new system and now its allowed guests to plan their day down to the hour and they can get in and out more quickly after riding their "must do's" or they are staying at a resort, but only for a few days because of the cost. Who knows , there are a lot of variables that come into play when gauging emotions and spending habits and Disney took a huge roll of the dice. I would like to say "time will tell" but its already been so long since the systems been up and it still is having problems. I think more people will walk the plank soon, some by choice, some will be forced. We will probly see many more positions/people eliminated to save money before we see Disney say "we are over budget"

 

[PhotoDave219]

Their mobile app wasn't broke? It was only verizon and did crap
The idea of in park wifi? It didn't exist before (nevermind the hotel charging for wifi)
FP was broke in a lot of ways - people were just conditioned to it
Talking character heads? It didn't exist before.. everyone was conditioned to static foam heads
Interactive queues - that one is heavily opinionated..
Ticket media - had lots of problems...
Turnstiles and much much more..

There is a whole generation of technology shift in the parks as part of this price tag. It's disingenuous and flagrant to hang the total spend on just one thing.. while quietly accepting everything else as if it were just the norm.

I was fine without Talking Mickey.... He's creepy.

There was a major need for upgrades in technology infastructure, yes. But this is a creature that is out of control....

 

[flynnibus]

I cut out a good part of your post because you're talking to the person who had the website and mobile app misidentify me and show me several other peoples personal information including vacation details, childrens name and ages and address and only to have Disney say "oops sorry about that here's a gift card!" and then after my trip, send me a bounce back offer to my home address- with another persons name on it. Broken? Just a little. I'll grant you that. But it still isn't fixed. The issue. Is. Not. Fixed. Wifi throughout the park is great, sure. "disingenuous and flagrant" to hand the spend amount on one thing? That one thing is all encompassing with everything else you've mentioned!

Yes, but you don't say space exploration and NASA was a bad idea because they had some speed bumps along the way.. nor do you hang the total cost of the shuttle program on one mission. It's just hyperbole that people get themselves even more worked up over by continuing this exaggeration.

But really, this thread is about Nick Franklin who may or may not be taking the fall for FP+ shortcomings and his departure from Disney. Kinda funny how there's so many issues with budget overruns and issues with the system and suddenly he's out... and as a certain Spirit mentioned earlier, he's probably the first of a list of folks being shown the door

And unless one of his confidants spills.. I doubt we'll ever really know. I don't take water cooler talk as that reliable. It always has spin and bias in it. But the guy has had a long career at Disney.. and isn't at that retirement point.. so put 2 and 2 together.. but I won't call it fact.

 

[flynnibus]

We hear all the stories about how the new system would entice guests to stay at a Disney resort, make them stay in the parks longer, spend more with the band, and the data collections gotta come into play at some point for profits, but perhaps they misjudged how the average guest would react to the new system and now its allowed guests to plan their day down to the hour and they can get in and out more quickly after riding their "must do's" or they are staying at a resort, but only for a few days because of the cost

I think it's insanely premature to decide if something has altered guest behavior when it's so new and young.. and is the type of thing intended to alter *habits* - not create specific new bookings.

I would like to say "time will tell" but its already been so long since the systems been up and it still is having problems

It's less than a year old and still evolving. If we were 3-4 years in... I'd be more open to those concerns. Should there be less bugs? of course.. but those are all temporary and fixable. The real concern is how guests behave and change over time. You can't make those kinds of conclusions from less than a year.. and certainly not from just sampling an extreme part of your customer base that is the online fans.

 

[The Mom]

@The Mom - yet when we look at what the NYT refers to as the 'multifaceted system' - their own reference is to

"The initiative is part of a broader effort, estimated by analysts to cost between $800 million and $1 billion, to make visiting Disney parks less daunting and more amenable to modern consumer behavior."

The 'broader effort' includes a lot of stuff and deliverables.. not just MagicBands.. my point was.. every time someone wants to rag on one of the elements in a 'was it worth it' way.. they hang the TOTAL spend on one thing... conveniently glossing over everything else. It's like saying your house's windows cost $500k because it's a 500k house.

I deleted my post because my quote didn't come through properly. But yes, people seem to be applying the same figure spent to just one or the other, not both. Just as the price of new $1000 suit is not $1000 for pants, and then $1000 for jacket. It's one price, even though one part may have more value than another, depending upon the wearer.

 

[Ignohippo]

I deleted my post because my quote didn't come through properly. But yes, people seem to be applying the same figure spent to just one or the other, not both. Just as the price of new $1000 suit is not $1000 for pants, and then $1000 for jacket. It's one price, even though one part may have more value than another, depending upon the wearer.

Even with all of the upgrades taken into consideration, will they get $2 billion back from their investment? And even with every single thing taken into consideration, $2 billion is an excessive amount of money. If they need to rebuild infrastructure (ticketing, POP, FastPass, etc.), then fine. But it shouldn't cost a quarter of what they're spending on this initiative.

They could tear down DHS to the dirt and rebuild it twice for that much money. No one can tell me they will ever get the same benefit from this program as they could have by just devoting the resources to improving basic offerings.

It's apples to oranges, but TDA spent less than $1 billion on reviving CA and it's so successful that they're having to limit APs. TDO will spend $2 billion+ on NextGen and it won't financially benefit the company in any way nearly as close to the $1 billion Anaheim spent.

In all reality, it's WDW where that kind of development money should be spent since the WDW Resort has so many more hotels they need to fill. NextGen won't do anything to fill hotel rooms.

 

[omurice]

Now they'll start withdrawing all of the extra Cast Member positions!

Operation Infinite Cost-overrun shall not fail! #SURGE

 

[stlphil]

You're kidding, right? Quite simply, you are being fed information that is woefully out of date. The execs aren't going to allow for other information to be made public because that would show that they've lost control over the situation. They aren't lying about anything – they simply aren't disclosing the actual overruns.

To think an initiative of this size wouldn't be over budget by an enormous amount when it's at least 1-2 years behind schedule is incredibly naive. And when the financial implications of the program haven't even been implemented 4+ years after the initiative was started, the executives in charge have begun to absolutely lose their minds. This situation now has the possibility of blowing up in the faces of the execs worse than any corporate debacle in the last 20 years unless they can keep the facts under tight wrap. Their hopes is that if they can keep WDW in the black consistently, no one will question the NextGen initiative.

You can believe the info fed to the press by the company of you wish. I have no dog in the fight and could care less. I can only tell you that the info is not even in the realm of being accurate.

To elaborate on this, if an executive says this project isn't over budget I say that person is a liar, and I don't need insider information or a legitimate news source to be able to say this. Strong words maybe, but while it is true that a project can be over-budget yet still be on time, I have never heard of a project of any kind that was significantly late yet without "significant" cost overruns (but I'd sure love to hear an example if anyone has one).

Delays do have one advantage, though. They provide more time to creatively rearrange budgets and create new budget categories to disguise that the project is over budget. And a project like this with so many different moving parts under its umbrella, as @flynnibus has correctly pointed out, provides fertile ground for this kind of creativity.

 

[Victor Kelly]

I will be waiting to hear of a breach similar or larger that Target last year. If they are data mining, keeping track of everything and the info i kept on a computer, it WILL get hacked. All customer data on computers at places like Target are supposedly encrypted, then why were people's accounts being hit by the criminals? Same will happen to Disney. They will not get my CC info, or any other personally identifiable information to put on any of their computers. Y'all can drink the coolaid, but knowing what I know and whom I know, I will abstain from giving them any info. If it is on a computer it can be cracked, do not underestimate the criminal sector, because they are just as good as anyone the government or private companies employ. Why do you think everyone is so worried about the Chinese, Russians, and Iranians? Because they are good.

My head is not in a hole, I read, I watch, and I comprehend. Take yours heads out of the Disney sand, stop overdosing on pixie dust, and realize that life is not pixie dust and pretty colors. They guy running it is getting axed. Them saying he is moving on is a smoke screen. He was most likely given the opportunity to leave gracefully rather than in shame and shambles.

 

[Sam Magic]

The senior Walt Disney Co. parks executive who oversaw the development of the company's billion-dollar "MyMagic+" technology project is leaving the company.

Nick Franklin, the executive vice president for next generation experience at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, will leave Disney in July, according to people familiar with his plans. Franklin has been with Disney since 1996 and is a member of Disney Parks Chairman Tom Staggs' 11-member executive committee.

Franklin could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for Disney said the decision to depart was Franklin's.

Read the rest at:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...us-executive-leaving-20140519,0,3642522.story

 

[Lee]

Delays do have one advantage, though. They provide more time to creatively rearrange budgets and create new budget categories to disguise that the project is over budget. And a project like this with so many different moving parts under its umbrella, as @flynnibus has correctly pointed out, provides fertile ground for this kind of creativity.

Exactly.
That's the point I tried to make last night.

 

[seascape]

I will be waiting to hear of a breach similar or larger that Target last year. If they are data mining, keeping track of everything and the info i kept on a computer, it WILL get hacked. All customer data on computers at places like Target are supposedly encrypted, then why were people's accounts being hit by the criminals? Same will happen to Disney. They will not get my CC info, or any other personally identifiable information to put on any of their computers. Y'all can drink the coolaid, but knowing what I know and whom I know, I will abstain from giving them any info. If it is on a computer it can be cracked, do not underestimate the criminal sector, because they are just as good as anyone the government or private companies employ. Why do you think everyone is so worried about the Chinese, Russians, and Iranians? Because they are good.

My head is not in a hole, I read, I watch, and I comprehend. Take yours heads out of the Disney sand, stop overdosing on pixie dust, and realize that life is not pixie dust and pretty colors. They guy running it is getting axed. Them saying he is moving on is a smoke screen. He was most likely given the opportunity to leave gracefully rather than in shame and shambles.

If you have charged anything at any store you are at the same risk as to what happened to Target. Using magic bands adds nothing to the risk. In fact it actually lowers it because you are not taking out your credit card. If you are worried about identify theft only pay cash but I have no idea where you will stay because I don't know a hotel that doesn't ask for a credit card and once they have it you are at risk. I accept the risk but review my credit cards on line everyday. It only takes a minute or 2 but I always know what is being charged and how much I owe.

 

[pheneix]

So Mr. Franklin was head of Disney theme park strategy in China before NextGen was made his problem, correct?

Is anyone asking why this guy just chose to peace the hell out in the midst of a major management reshuffle and a new gate coming online in Hong Kong in relatively short order? It's not like Disney couldn't find a "project" or "job" to put him on if he genuinely wanted to stay with the company.

That's probably because he did not want to stay. Disney isn't stupid enough to fire the executive with most senior level experience in the entire division over a metrics project that was years in development before his involvement.

Ignore fanboi chatter and insider gossip about this guy being fired over NextGen. Nick Franklin is a dramatic loss to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The adult supervision has left the building.

 

[flynnibus]

I will be waiting to hear of a breach similar or larger that Target last year. If they are data mining, keeping track of everything and the info i kept on a computer, it WILL get hacked. All customer data on computers at places like Target are supposedly encrypted, then why were people's accounts being hit by the criminals?

Because you actually misunderstand what happened at Target and how the information was stolen. They didn't steal previously saved data.. they stole information as it was being processed for payments. It was a snooping attack.

My head is not in a hole, I read, I watch, and I comprehend

As you have clearly demonstrated...

 

[GoofGoof]

So Mr. Franklin was head of Disney theme park strategy in China before NextGen was made his problem, correct?

Is anyone asking why this guy just chose to peace the hell out in the midst of a major management reshuffle and a new gate coming online in Hong Kong in relatively short order? It's not like Disney couldn't find a "project" or "job" to put him on if he genuinely wanted to stay with the company.

That's probably because he did not want to stay. Disney isn't stupid enough to fire the executive with most senior level experience in the entire division over a metrics project that was years in development before his involvement.

Ignore fanboi chatter and insider gossip about this guy being fired over NextGen. Nick Franklin is a dramatic loss to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The adult supervision has left the building.

Finally a voice of reason. I honestly don't know a lot about this guy's work history or experience, but I find it odd that so many people are openly joyful because they think he was fired. Nextgen got put on him, it wasn't his idea.

This is exactly where I was coming from when I posted a few pages back. The automatic assumption is that he was fired. The alternative is he got a better offer. Maybe the next project they wanted him to take on is the Nextgen roll out at DLR or in China and he had no interest in doing that. Or maybe he did get fired. Either alternative is possible, but I don't know if we will ever get the full story. I know everyone wants this news to be the smoking gun that Nextgen has failed, but it may be just another executive moving on to greener pastures.

 

[CDavid]

If you are worried about identify theft only pay cash but I have no idea where you will stay because I don't know a hotel that doesn't ask for a credit card and once they have it you are at risk.

Well, for one, Walt Disney World resorts do not ask for a credit card. They do ask if you want to provide one for room charging privileges, but that's optional (unless something has changed in the past ten months or so).

At most hotels you can also use a debit card with a limited amount of money on the account.

 

[Ignohippo]

Well, for one, Walt Disney World resorts do not ask for a credit card. They do ask if you want to provide one for room charging privileges, but that's optional (unless something has changed in the past ten months or so).

At most hotels you can also use a debit card with a limited amount of money on the account.

For now. The ultimate end result for that nifty Magic Band is to take the place of your credit card. And it will happen sooner rather than later.