Disney Playing catch up with Universal... Potter Disney's biggest mistake in 20 years...

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Do you really think (outside of imagineering) that anyone at Disney is worried about pride; other than their own, personal pride? Maybe I'm missing something, but pride seems to have zero part in the current (Disney corporate) culture and it shows no signs of coming back anytime soon.

You flat out would NOT have Pandora coming if pride (The Weatherman's here) wasn't a factor.

Egos are huge in the media/entertainment business.
 

Stevek

Well-Known Member
Universal has an app to to give wait times do they want you to look at your phone too. Like it or not the world has changed. No longer can someone take a vacation and get away from it all. Now we have to have instant everything and always be reachable. I think the past had some advantages.

That is very true. In my industry (think supermarkets & coupons/advertising), we are seeing a shift to digital offers and advertising, much of it via mobile. The smartphone explosion has truly changed the way we live our everyday lives...some for the better, much for the worse.
 

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
That is very true. In my industry (think supermarkets & coupons/advertising), we are seeing a shift to digital offers and advertising, much of it via mobile. The smartphone explosion has truly changed the way we live our everyday lives...some for the better, much for the worse.

But how many of these damn apps are any bloody use. Most companies seem to have the because some marketing arsehole has made it compulsory, and based on my limited exposure to the workings of an add agency, they certainly do have a significant quota of trend chasing ring pieces.
Oh and I do work in e-commerce.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
What theme park is using mobile tech to a greater degree? As far as I know Disney is the only resort embracing mobile tech and meeting it's guests where they are. Disney is linking every possible system to it's mobile app and MM+ in a seamless way, has free, reliable wifi throughout the park, an accurate wait time system, restaurant reservation manager, ride booking system, full set of location aware maps, payment system, room key system, photo system, all linked to it's app and bands. If there is any theme park, or indeed any destination at all, that has created something anywhere near the scale of this and is actively using it I'd love to see it.

Who cares? Seriously? You can't blather on (not you, but I've heard this argument from many fans) about how WDW is so special because it let's you escape from the real world in one breath and then talk about being surgically attached to an iPhone your entire time there. I'm sorry, but those really are mutually exclusive. Playing with apps and trying (and with MM+'s reliability or often lack thereof failing) to make ressies for everything now sounds like the polar opposite of escaping from the real world. It's all about taking you out of the story versus what UNI is now doing, immersing you into the world of Potter.

I'd love to shove an iPad up .... nah ... nope ... just going to think it.
 
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StageFrenzy

Well-Known Member
Who cares? Seriously? You can't blather on (not you, but I've heard this argument from many fans) about how WDW is so special because it let's you escape from the real world in one breath and then talk about being surgically attached to an iPhone your entire time there. I'm sorry, but those really are mutually exclusive. Playing with apps and trying (and with MM+'s reliability or often lack thereof) to make ressies for everything now sounds like the polar opposite of escaping from the real world. It's all about taking you out of the story versus what UNI is now doing, immersing you into the world of Potter.

I'd love to shove an iPad up .... nah ... nope ... just going to think it.
I wonder if JK thought about asking uni to put up a faraday cage around DA?
 

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
No, Disney actually thinks it's still 2000!

Oh no....

3149255442_358b979925.jpg
 

Grumpy4196

Well-Known Member
I think up until MM+ came online as well as the park wide WiFI that Disney did have that something special to make you feel like you have left the "real" world behind. I know all of this pre-planning and coordination for 18 people for our November trip is exhausting. Hopefully once I arrive the "magic" will still be alive.
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Who cares? Seriously? You can't blather on (not you, but I've heard this argument from many fans) about how WDW is so special because it let's you escape from the real world in one breath and then talk about being surgically attached to an iPhone your entire time there. I'm sorry, but those really are mutually exclusive. Playing with apps and trying (and with MM+'s reliability or often lack thereof) to make ressies for everything now sounds like the polar opposite of escaping from the real world. It's all about taking you out of the story versus what UNI is now doing, immersing you into the world of Potter.

I'd love to shove an iPad up .... nah ... nope ... just going to think it.
Good point. So many people hail the MDE app and while it has good features, it's almost a step back in the sense of being able to loose yourself. My wife started leaving her phone at the room a few years ago. I thought she was insane but after trying it myself, I realized how much I DONT actually need it. I feel bad for the people who are excited about being able to change their FP selections while they are riding Spaceship Earth. What's the point?
 

Beholder

Well-Known Member
Why does one ever have to pick a team?

I am not on any team, beyond Team Spirit.

And humility? With Disney?!!?! ROTFLMFAO as the kewl kids said on the 'net about a decade ago!

I guess one doesn't have to be on or for any team, but it is one of the reasons I'm on this site and not a Universal site.

Humility isn't always apparent to those who would benefit the most from it, but as the article illustrates, others may see it as Disney being "humbled". In this case, maybe the "court of public opinion" will sway Dis. Probably not much, but more than we've come to expect. You make a good point though, I really don't expect Iger or his flock to feel humility, but perhaps a generous amount of media flack will put his decisions in the spotlight. Maybe.
 

CDavid

Well-Known Member
Universal has an app to to give wait times do they want you to look at your phone too. Like it or not the world has changed. No longer can someone take a vacation and get away from it all. Now we have to have instant everything and always be reachable. I think the past had some advantages.

No, we most certainly do not have to always be reachable. People anymore seem to think they're gong to miss out on life if not constantly plugged in; That's a choice not a requirement, and arguably most of us would be better off literally "getting away from it all" for even a short time. Such as maybe a day in a theme park.
 

Todd H

Well-Known Member
I was once a Pixie-dust addict. We went to WDW every year. Some of my favorite memories are from past WDW trips. But something happened. My wife and I decided to spend a few days at Universal.

Honestly, I didn't want to like Universal. They were the enemy, more akin to Six Flags than a real theme park. I thought there was no way it would compare to my beloved WDW. And you know what? I could not have been more wrong.

The very first day I noticed there was something different in the air. Where the staff at WDW seemed a little less helpful and friendly our last trip (some bordering on being out right rude) the staff at Universal were all smiles and ready to help you at a moment's notice. There was excitement in the air. Everything felt more relaxed. There was no rushing to fit everything in between dining reservations and fastpasses. It was what an actual vacation should be.

In those two days I experienced some amazing attractions. Some of those attractions, like Spider-Man and HPaFJ, are heads and shoulders above anything at WDW. And the detail of Hogwarts was mind blowing. It's everything I used to expect from WDW. It was cathartic. And when we wanted to grab something to eat besides quick service, we didn't have to make reservations months in advance and work our park schedule around them.

When we went to WDW the next year, my eyes were opened. There was no comparison. Everything seemed stale. Rides always seemed to be in a state of disrepair. The staff was even ruder than before. Everyone did the WDW rush to get in as many rides as possible between dining reservations. People looked tired and miserable. And the park seemed "dirty." Trash littered the streets and sidewalks. And as I rode the same rides I'd been riding over and over again for years, the last bits of pixie dust left my system. Even my wife, who lives and breathes Disney agreed. WDW had lost some of its magic.

Now we're planning a November trip to Universal. My son, who loves WDW, now can't wait to go to Universal. You see, he loves Despicable Me, the Simpsons, and Dr. Seuss. He rarely ever talks about any Disney characters any more. He's moved on, like a lot of kids this generation.

Does this mean I've given up on Disney for good? Absolutely not. But when the best they can do is a kiddie coaster and billion dollar plastic wristbands while Universal is building incredibly themed land and world class attractions, it's hard to want to drag myself back to ride Peter Pan for the 10,543 time at a time I reserved months in advance. Planning every damn minute of a vacation isn't a vacation. It's work. Which is exactly from what I'm trying to escape.
 

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