FoxNews website article on NextGen

[Pioneer Hall]

Why must politics be brought into the conversation anytime an article is linked from a news site? Please keep your political opinions away from these forums and discuss the topic at hand. Also, keep in mind that if your post quotes or responds to a political comment from someone else it will also be deleted.

 

[G00fyDad]

Love it. :sohappy:

 

[G00fyDad]

I want to apologize for my political remark earlier. These boards are for Disney and politics should be left out of the conversations. I took the rash comment of the other poster too serious at the time and should have just ignored it. Again, I am sorry for causing the irritation in the thread. :wave:

 

[the-reason14]

Well it was a nice run, but it's time to hand up the AP's and head out west. Maybe I'll come back in a few years when they invest and build rides/lands. You know, something that pretty much everyone can and will enjoy. Either way, it's been fun.

 

[TalkingHead]

From the article:

>> Since then, Disney has remained quiet about the project -- even its existence.

“I can’t confirm nor deny it,” said Disney representative Marilyn Waters when FoxNews.com asked her about the NextGen project. <<

Typical Disney corporate BS. Same thing when they were constructing BLT but couldn't confirm that the building was under construction.

They treat you like an idiot and want to empty your wallet in the same breathe.

 

[Sir-Disney]

When I think about the logistics of planning out the rides and getting right on at your scheduled time.. it kind of makes me a little sick. How is it going to be possible to make lines shorter when the same number of people are riding during the day? The stand-by line might physically be shorter, but the wait will surely be the same because you have 500 people who want to ride Space Mountain at 1 o'clock. How many people can Space Mountain push through in an hour? This is just an example btw.

 

[Sir-Disney]

Let me also say that I think the bracelet idea is neat. The name thing (only if you can choose whether or not you want your name blurted out), the fact that it acts as your ticket and pass... those are cool. You could even attach fast pass to it. However, the idea that it acts as your credit card could be very dangerous. Say there is a clever hacker. He/she could walk around Disney getting close to people with a device that would read the band and take x-amount of money. Maybe I'm being paranoid... maybe the encryption data will be super super safe. Maybe we'll have to fingerprint to approve the charge.

Bottomline, it's going to increase the ease with which people spend money. Is that a great thing? Should we have a "second thought" before we swipe the card?

And another thing, how much do you think this will increase the cost of admission?

 

[polynesianalex]

If this was a Disney guest only service that would make sense

 

[marni1971]

Just a thought. Was talking to someone at work yesterday. Never been. Took 5 minutes to explain was a Fastpass is.

How will they ever book a ride and a meal on the web 6 months in advance? Or even know they can or should?

 

[mickeyminiemom]

I like waking up with no plans some days in WDW. The XPass seems to force you to have everything planned. I'm not sure about this idea.

I agree!! It would be nice to just be able to use it like the xpress pass other parks sell or offer to their resort guest.

 

[Sir-Disney]

I also think that instead of facing the real issue - The fact that Disney World is popular and there are going to be lines for rides - they are attempting to put a bandaid on it. The solution wouuld be to have more things to do... more major attractions. You could open two seriously major rides for less than the money its taking to implement this program. If you want to account for maintaining the attraction then one major attraction. But it would still do wonders for the line-wait times of other attractions.

You see how many people are late for their Fast Pass times as it is. Can you imagine how many people will be late for scheduled times on rides? That stuff will back up rides faster than anybody can snap their fingers.:hammer:

 

[asianway]

Just a thought. Was talking to someone at work yesterday. Never been. Took 5 minutes to explain was a Fastpass is.

How will they ever book a ride and a meal on the web 6 months in advance? Or even know they can or should?

You mean all these first time visitors they pander to? Kind of counter-intuitive...

Unless they are going to sell itineraries for those people, no muss, no fuss-click WDW for dummies and you get your marching orders for 7 days. Sounds fun and MAGICal too!

 

[Disneybear]

There will also be costs involved in maintaing this system.

Also as I admit I'm a bit of a luddite about these things does anyone know if this system is at risk from all the lightning storms that regularly hit the resort.

You often find the computers controling attractions are knocked out due to lightning strikes and that can cause chaos for a couple of days.

 

[PhilharMagician]

I wonder how many times Walt Disney himself uttered those words... :hurl:

It would have been Roy saying that which would keep Walt and the company in check. The goal is a fine line between both financial responsiblility and guest satisfaction.

 

[orky8]

"I know different ways of looking at things. I have my stockholders, and I feel a very keen responsibility to the shareholders, but I feel that the main responsibility I have to them is to have the stock appreciate. And you only have it appreciate by reinvesting as much as you can back in the business. And that's what we've done... and that has been my philosophy on running the business." —Walt Disney

"I knew if this business was ever to get anywhere, if this business was ever to grow, it could never do it by having to answer to someone unsympathetic to its possibilities, by having to answer to someone with only one thought or interest, namely profits. For my idea of how to make profits has differed greatly from those who generally control businesses such as ours. I have blind faith in the policy that quality, tempered with good judgment and showmanship, will win against all odds." —Walt Disney

These quotes exemplify the issue. Whether it be monorail/transportation solutions, the complete lack of direction for DHS and lack of family rides, or the fact that for most AK is really only a 1/2 day park, TDO and Disney Execs are looking for profit in the wrong places (IMO).

The billion dollar investment in next gen is primarily geared toward extracting more profit from the current line-up of attractions -- How can TDO better utilize the current assets to extract more money from guests. Walt's philosophy was you invest and expand the product to grow profit, whereas TDO would rather invest in data gathering to (they believe) extract profit more efficiently. The part I bolded above can only happen when we stop letting MBAs and bean counters run the company and instead put in people that have passion for the product (Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, John Lasseter at Pixar, etc.). Most great entrepeneurs were not business people, but individuals passionate about their product. Passion tempered with good judgment, or at least a right-hand man/woman with good judgment.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Let me also say that I think the bracelet idea is neat. The name thing (only if you can choose whether or not you want your name blurted out), the fact that it acts as your ticket and pass... those are cool. You could even attach fast pass to it. However, the idea that it acts as your credit card could be very dangerous. Say there is a clever hacker. He/she could walk around Disney getting close to people with a device that would read the band and take x-amount of money. Maybe I'm being paranoid... maybe the encryption data will be super super safe. Maybe we'll have to fingerprint to approve the charge.

Bottomline, it's going to increase the ease with which people spend money. Is that a great thing? Should we have a "second thought" before we swipe the card?

And another thing, how much do you think this will increase the cost of admission?

From what I understand, the bands would only retain and transmit the guest's generic "assigned number". Say your number was 1876384756. It would be on the back end, within Disney's internal system, that the number would translate into Bob Smith, using a Visa card, with a ressie at 5:30 at liberty tree.

So someone with a walk-around RFID reader could read your guests number potentially, but not have access to the info tied to that number.

Now... Could they read your number, leave the park, and somehow program their own band to replicate your guest number in order to walk around the park as you, free to purchase stuff on your account? Dunno.

I'm not AT ALL a fan of all this, but I think it'll be difficult to have your info and ID stolen.

 

[Silver Figment]

Still not sure about xPass.

 

[COProgressFan]

These quotes exemplify the issue. Whether it be monorail/transportation solutions, the complete lack of direction for DHS and lack of family rides, or the fact that for most AK is really only a 1/2 day park, TDO and Disney Execs are looking for profit in the wrong places (IMO).

The billion dollar investment in next gen is primarily geared toward extracting more profit from the current line-up of attractions -- How can TDO better utilize the current assets to extract more money from guests. Walt's philosophy was you invest and expand the product to grow profit, whereas TDO would rather invest in data gathering to (they believe) extract profit more efficiently. The part I bolded above can only happen when we stop letting MBAs and bean counters run the company and instead put in people that have passion for the product (Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, John Lasseter at Pixar, etc.). Most great entrepeneurs were not business people, but individuals passionate about their product. Passion tempered with good judgment, or at least a right-hand man/woman with good judgment.

They seem to have decided that WDW's theme parks are "mature" assets and there is little room for bottom line growth unless they try to get more money out of what they current have rather than investing in more/better product. While trying to maximize profit is not a bad thing in itself, the way they are doing it is not necessarily beneficial to all guests. Its a great data mining effort, but the end result doesn't really offer that much improvement (if any) in the guest experience.

I do not agree with this philosophy -- while it's great that you think you can squeeze more money from guests with Magic Your Way tickets, DME, and now Nextgen in 2014, in 2020 are people really going to be rushing to book their ride times in advance to see tired old attractions with broken effects and 50 year old nighttime parades ?

 

[dkosdros]

I don't think the solution is to keep expanding and adding more and more attractions to add to an already discombobulated and unefficient system. I'm sure everytime they expand that brings more and more people to the park and more people in the park add to longer wait times with their current system. So how is that helping any? The big increase in attendance when new attractions are added isn't going to be offset by having the increased attendance people on a new attraction or two. It seems as if they are trying to master what they have. Take what they have and make it as efficient as possible.

If I was a park owner and heard complaint after complaint that people hated the long lines, spent all that money to only see a few things, and would most likely never return. I would do everything in my power to try to fix it. How is waiting in a line adding to your experience? it isnt. The less time you are in line the better your experience is going to be. The more chances you are going to spend more money, eat more, drink more, BUY MORE. I think that is the driving force behind this.

 

[dcibrando]

I still have major mixed feelings about this as well.... just don't see it solving any problems... it will be neat (maybe) for those that can take advantage of it but that's assuming they stay on schedule, etc, etc.

my favorite aspect about this is different rides/queues knowing your name, etc. HOWEVER I do not want rides/queues calling you out to interact with it...that would be embarassing to some people with others around....

I just want to enjoy vacation... not have to hire a project manager to determine my every move each day, rides, shows, food, bathroom stall #3 at 11:06am, etc. lol