FastPass+ open to all guests including offsite beginning next week at Disney's Animal Kingdom

[hpyhnt 1000]

So to summarize:

1) we were outraged that they were rolling out this AK test during the busy holiday season because guests would be stuck waiting in lines for the kiosks.

2) Disney attempts to help these same guests by offering paper print outs of the rides available and CM help using the system in an attempt to ease the expected lines for the kiosk. We are now outraged because the paper isn't environmentally friendly?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Tough crowd.

No, its a case of finding a solution for a problem they created. As highlighted by danv3...

The paper sheet solution for tomorrow's test at DAK is basically an admission that the system wasn't going to be able to handle the test. Again one wonders why they would be doing this test at such a busy time of year.

 

[danv3]

- Only some Fastpass+ availability will be devoted to advanced reservations - there will still be plenty of "day of" Fastpass+ availability once Legacy Fastpass is removed.

I would not be so sure about that. Remember that this has to somehow recoup more than $1B and one of the ways they are doing that is by incentivizing staying onsite. As more onsite guests take advantage of advanced bookings, there will either be fewer day of reservations or some upset onsite guests. As between upset onsite guests and day guests (offsite) who can't find day of reservations, they'll take the latter every time. And if they ever roll out the ability to buy extra FP+ opportunities then day of reservations will likely be even harder to come by.

A day of FP+ for Soarin is going to be as common as a walk up at Cindy's.

 

[asianway]

So to summarize:

1) we were outraged that they were rolling out this AK test during the busy holiday season because guests would be stuck waiting in lines for the kiosks.

2) Disney attempts to help these same guests by offering paper print outs of the rides available and CM help using the system in an attempt to ease the expected lines for the kiosk. We are now outraged because the paper isn't environmentally friendly?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Tough crowd.

Because they're supposed to be the industry leader in themed entertainment and it makes them look like rank amateurs.

 

[GoofGoof]

I think most of the outrage comes from Disney having created the problem by trying to fix an existing system (old fastpass) that wasn't broken by replacing it with a system that requires (at least for offsite guests) either lines at kiosks or filling out slips of paper to then wait at lines at kiosks.

No, its a case of finding a solution for a problem they created. As highlighted by danv3...

Because they're supposed to be the industry leader in themed entertainment and it makes them look like rank amateurs.

It's a new system. There are going to be some bumps in the road. I give them credit for attempting to find a solution regardless of who created the problem. If they had nobody there to help out we would all be killing them for leaving guests to fend for themselves at the kiosks. IMHO that would make them look like amateurs. I'm sure the paper is a temporary solution to help with the initial rollout.

 

[ParentsOf4]

So to summarize:

1) we were outraged that they were rolling out this AK test during the busy holiday season because guests would be stuck waiting in lines for the kiosks.

2) Disney attempts to help these same guests by offering paper print outs of the rides available and CM help using the system in an attempt to ease the expected lines for the kiosk. We are now outraged because the paper isn't environmentally friendly?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Tough crowd.

Consider this:

Rather than construct theme parks and rides to fill the 25,000 rooms they've added since the opening of Disney-MGM Studios in 1989 or the 10,000 rooms they've added since the opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998, under CEO Bob Iger's leadership, corporate Disney has decided to spend $2B on a new ride reservation system that takes away ride capacity from offsite guests in the hope that it will help fill the flood on hotel and DVC rooms that corporate Disney created.

Universal has 2 theme parks and 2,400 rooms.

Disneyland has 2 theme parks and 2,500 rooms.

Walt Disney World has 4 theme parks and 31,000 rooms.

When you think about what's happening at Disneyland and Universal today, then yes, what's happening at Walt Disney World is outrageous.

 

[englanddg]

....so ...the high-tech 2 billion dollar "system of tomorrow" ....needs printed paper sheets to function?



....well ...ohhh-kaaaay ....you may now laugh ...or cry ...as you see fit.

I find the addition of the QR code to download the app amusing.

If people can't operate the kiosks on their own...do you really think they are going to know how to scan a QR code?

 

[JerseyDad]

So to summarize:

1) we were outraged that they were rolling out this AK test during the busy holiday season because guests would be stuck waiting in lines for the kiosks.

2) Disney attempts to help these same guests by offering paper print outs of the rides available and CM help using the system in an attempt to ease the expected lines for the kiosk. We are now outraged because the paper isn't environmentally friendly?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Tough crowd.

....think we're tough? Don't even think about asking Al Gore how he feels about this, he's the janitor for the environment. Those pieces of paper will have laid waste to the rain forest and caused the extinction of 3 species of penguins by the time this is over!!

 

[asianway]

I find the addition of the QR code to download the app amusing.

If people can't operate the kiosks on their own...do you really think they are going to know how to scan a QR code?

I'm sure there was one guy in the room trying to talk sense to everyone only to get shut up by "leadership" for fear of losing his job

 

[ford91exploder]

I was thinking of a reading of War and Peace with perhaps The Brothers Karamatzov thrown in. That should about cover the wait for TSMM...

....but '2001' is ONLY 2 hrs long ....whereas "GWTW" is 4 hrs

g

 

[englanddg]

I was thinking of a reading of War and Peace with perhaps The Brothers Karamatzov thrown in. That should about cover the wait for TSMM...



g

That works! Brings "edutainment" back to EPCOT!

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm sure there was one guy in the room trying to talk sense to everyone only to get shut up by "leadership" for fear of losing his job

Yep and it will be THAT GUYS fault when system designed by his betters does not work....

 

[JerseyDad]

I'm sure there was one guy in the room trying to talk sense to everyone only to get shut up by "leadership" for fear of losing his job

.....you have way too much faith.

 

[GoofGoof]

Consider this:

Rather than construct theme parks and rides to fill the 25,000 rooms they've added since the opening of Disney-MGM Studios in 1989 or the 10,000 rooms they've added since the opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998, under CEO Bob Iger's leadership, corporate Disney has decided to spend $2B on a new ride reservation system that takes away ride capacity from offsite guests in the hope that it will help fill the flood on hotel and DVC rooms that corporate Disney created.

Universal has 2 theme parks and 2,400 rooms.

Disneyland has 2 theme parks and 2,500 rooms.

Walt Disney World has 4 theme parks and 31,000 rooms.

When you think about what's happening at Disneyland and Universal today, then yes, what's happening at Walt Disney World is outrageous.

I don't disagree that the whole project and especially the price tag is outrageous. My comments were specific to the issues with handing out the piece of paper to helps guests. I don't see the big deal. Apparently I am alone in that feeling...It's not the first time for me

 

[JerseyDad]

It's a new system. There are going to be some bumps in the road. I give them credit for attempting to find a solution regardless of who created the problem. If they had nobody there to help out we would all be killing them for leaving guests to fend for themselves at the kiosks. IMHO that would make them look like amateurs. I'm sure the paper is a temporary solution to help with the initial rollout.

....yes it's a new system .....but if I used the methodology & logic associated with this new system in my work (civil engineering) ....I'd be in jail. I couldn't say, "Let's build the bridge ...THIS WAY ....and if it collapses ...we'll try to tweak the design and build it THAT WAY .....and if it falls again ...we'll TRY THIS ....."

.....actually makes me shake my head

 

[asianway]

.....you have way too much faith.

There are some good people there. They Just don't have the political influence. Put the right person at the top & you'll see an amped up version of A Bugs Life Ending

 

[asianway]

So is there going to be team lifestyler coverage of this cluster cuss tomorrow?

If any of y'all are reading YouTube videos of the chaos would be appreciated. Black Wednesday

 

[disney4life2008]

They are clearly pointing people to the app with the scancode. Why not let them use the app tomorrow? Here are a couple of possibilities:

1) The network infrastructure might be incapable of handling the demand for usage. This would be considered a system failure, because let's face it, the demand will never be lighter than tomorrow when, what, 80% of guests will not know about the system.

2) How about this? The Network infrastructure is incapable of handling the demand of 80% of park guests suddenly realizing that the app would be really useful today, and deciding to download it NOW. of course this still may happen, but tomorrow people will not expect to get FP+ that way.

3) The ability to lock out access via the app is not fine-grained enough to allow "anybody at AK but only for today, but no other parks" so the kiosk is a way of requiring people to be in the park.

4) ?

do you have to register on Disney.com to use the mme app? It just makes no sense to add the qr code if offsite guests cant even use the app.

 

[doctornick]

do you have to register on Disney.com to use the mme app? It just makes no sense to add the qr code if offsite guests cant even use the app.

I think they can "use the app" to look at their reservations, they just can't book or change the FP+ selections.

 

[ford91exploder]

....yes it's a new system .....but if I used the methodology & logic associated with this new system in my work (civil engineering) ....I'd be in jail. I couldn't say, "Let's build the bridge ...THIS WAY ....and if it collapses ...we'll try to tweak the design and build it THAT WAY .....and if it falls again ...we'll TRY THIS ....."

.....actually makes me shake my head

If Disney designed a bridge it would make galloping gertie (first Tacoma Narrows bridge) look like a kiddie ride

 

[msteel]

do you have to register on Disney.com to use the mme app? It just makes no sense to add the qr code if offsite guests cant even use the app.

Offsite guests can use the app for park info like show times, and current wait times. It also appears that they will be able to use it for FP+ at some point.