BigTxEars
Well-Known Member
Oh no I would not! I would love to go there but I am not doing that mess at rope drop.
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FP+ meltdown part x
- Thread starter marni1971
- Start date
Oh no I would not! I would love to go there but I am not doing that mess at rope drop.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
FYI, that is a key metric Disney uses to measure general guest satisfaction - how many attractions one can experience in one day. It's the barometer for a reason.
In general, I find it fascinating that even Disney hasn't made some of the claims folks are making. Disney has really never touted this as big revolutionary guest benefit. Because they are a publicly held corporation, we are privy to shareholder meetings/etc. where Disney has been pretty transparent at admitting that the impetus for this system was nothing about actually pleasing guests, but simply about trying to make a couple extra cents on the dollar from folks who already come.
That's why MM+ is such a huge Frankenstein of a mess. You have the seed, the fact that WDW needed an IT infrastructure revamp. Then every department was sold off and/or added their own "pork" to the "bill", so to speak - and now you have what anyone who has ever seen such a thing before immediately recognizes as an IT cluster-love like none other and suddenly it's costing a couple billion bucks.
This is going to eventually be seen as one of the biggest corporate blunders of all time in terms of cost/value once it all plays out. Even if MM+ worked perfectly and everyone adored it, it still couldn't even begin to pay for itself because it ballooned so out of control. Black-hole IT projects are the worst type of this kind of mismanagement because unlike physical construction, that black hole is pretty endless and you can keep going down it as long as folks keep trying to throw money at it to "fix" someone will keep taking that money and tell you it can be done - you can only dig so deep into the dirt in the ground on a physical project, but in this case, when the bulk of the work is virtual and only exists as lines of code, the money pit never ends until someone reigns it in.
It's great as a side-effect some folks are enjoying the new system, but the intention was not to please you and I would very much argue that wishing to schedule 5-minute rides weeks and months in advance via a convoluted system that actually goes against what you hear most guests say - that WDW already required too much pre-planning for a theme park vacation.
People make EMH seem as if its sole purpose of existing was to be able to ride TSM or other headliners.
Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
Considering it was the only way for most to avoid insanely long waits on TSM...
Thankfully it's not an issue for me any longer!
1023
Provocateur, Rancanteur, Plaisanter, du Jour
BrerJon
Well-Known Member
Disney ran surveys among guests staying off-property and found out that many would stay on-property, despite the extra cost, if they got perks like early/late entry.
Could those extra dollars from room sales make up for the cost of keeping the parks open longer?
The wonderful thing they found when testing the idea out was that guests like the *idea* and option of EMH way more than they like actually using them. In reality people have sore feet, get tired, someone wants to go back home, or they don't want to get up early...
They found the percentage of people in a park during extra hours is far less than those who say their main reason for staying on-property was those EMH, so it ended up costing far less to staff the parks for that time than they were raking in on hotel sales.
So that's why EMH was created... Extra Money Hours for Disney's pockets.
You just explained your opinion of the value of FP+, yet at the same time told him to not even begin to try and do so?
While I agree that if someones wants it to be complicated, it will be, but there are waaaaay more variables that come into play with FP+ that can wreak havoc on a vacation planned months out. You say FP+ eliminates the need to be at rope drop. What if you want to see Anna and Elsa or ride 7DMT? You need to be up at midnight on the 60 day mark and get online to make sure you get a FP+ time you want. Not all that inconvenient, but now you have to wonder if the weather will be good that day or if the rides you choose for FP+ will be operational. You arrive at MK at 11 am because you have your FP+ for 7DMT at noon. You head towards the ride around 11:45 only to discover it is down and they dont know how long it will be until its back up. Now you have to figure out what time will be best to return and ride that wont conflict with your other FP+ selections and you have an ADR at HS for 5pm at Sci Fi because you planned on park hopping after MK because you thought FP+ would allow to hit all your favorite attractions in a timely manor (as advertised). But you have no idea when 7DMT will be back up so you either have to constantly check on your phone for its status or just plan to ride another day. Good thing you stayed up until midnight 60 days ago to plan this out, only to have to plan it again when you arrive.
With the "old system" you had to wake up a little earlier (not much difference from having to stay up until midnight for FP+) to be at the park early, but the payoff was that you could ride a headliner more than once. Ill take that scenario any day.
Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
I explained the value FOR ME. Other posters were trying to claim those who enjoyed FP+ were "bad planners" and were somehow getting a lesser experience.
I can speak to my own experience and the value I get out of it. They should probably focus on their own experiences and not try to project things on those who find value in the system.
Under the old system I still couldn't ride TSM more than once a day unless I planned on being in DHS 7 hours later or wanted to wait on an hour+ line.
I can speak to my own experience and the value I get out of it. They should probably focus on their own experiences and not try to project things on those who find value in the system.
Under the old system I still couldn't ride TSM more than once a day unless I planned on being in DHS 7 hours later or wanted to wait on an hour+ line.
I agree. Thats a very good way too look at the situation. I also feel that its easy for someone who had a frustrating experience with it to come off in a manor that projects onto others, but theyre intentions are more meant to serve as a warning for others, and it gives them a chance to vent a little, which is ok, IMO.
Aside from MB's not opening our room door several times, my experience with MM+ and FP+ has been mostly incident free. I think there are many aspects of MM+ that are cool, but I also think it opens the door for more problems, as any computer based system could. The more moving parts you add to any system, the greater the risk for error. Some people crave technological advancement and will wait in line for days to get it because they feel the technology makes their life easier(or its just cool) and others can operate on a more simple level. I prefer the latter, but to each his own.
BrerJon
Well-Known Member
I wonder how long Disney is going to get away with the 'still testing and working out the bugs' excuses?
If someone buys a car from a brand they've always found reliable, only this one stutters and stalls and doesn't go as fast as it should, do they smile and say 'oh well, it's a new model, they're just working out the bugs!', or do they return it as a dissatisfied customer?
If Apple or whoever launches a new phone, and people buy it then find it is riddled with faults, do people say 'oh well, it's a complicated piece of equipment, they're just working out the bugs', or do they line up to return it or get a new one?
Yet Disney is immune to this - it even has an army of people who aren't in the slightest bit bothered by them releasing a product before it's ready for prime-time waiting to defend its every move. But will this still be the case in 6 months? A year? How long will MyMagic+ count as 'new' and how long will being bug riddled be acceptable to the masses?
If someone buys a car from a brand they've always found reliable, only this one stutters and stalls and doesn't go as fast as it should, do they smile and say 'oh well, it's a new model, they're just working out the bugs!', or do they return it as a dissatisfied customer?
If Apple or whoever launches a new phone, and people buy it then find it is riddled with faults, do people say 'oh well, it's a complicated piece of equipment, they're just working out the bugs', or do they line up to return it or get a new one?
Yet Disney is immune to this - it even has an army of people who aren't in the slightest bit bothered by them releasing a product before it's ready for prime-time waiting to defend its every move. But will this still be the case in 6 months? A year? How long will MyMagic+ count as 'new' and how long will being bug riddled be acceptable to the masses?
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
Actually, people do that all the time with Apple junk. LOL. (everyone can put down your pitchfork apps.
)
BrerJon
Well-Known Member
Actually, people do that all the time with Apple junk. LOL. (everyone can put down your pitchfork apps.
Releasing something crappy, bug-filled, and not as good as your competitors, but that's OK because your legions of uncritical fans will buy it anyway and tell everyone how 'magical' it is, even while paying through the nose... now what does that remind me of?
devoy1701
Well-Known Member
the only think I'm not sure about with using the new FP+ system is if I'm finished using my reservations for the day, is the only way to get new FPs is to visit an in-park Kiosk, or am I able to do it via the App?
Saturday was the first time I had truly used the new system, and traveling with a little one, I can see the pros and cons of it. It's great to be able to get a couple FPs together and hit one ride after another with minimal wait, but schedules rarely keep ON schedule when kids are involved. Seemed like a great idea to be able to hit iasw (shouldn't need a FP for it anyway) and then head over to Winnie the Pooh, but DS's (9-months) mood went from happy to sour while the boats stacked up at the unload for isaw. We ended up needing to change plans and get him fed and let him take a cat nap. Maybe it was just a matter of getting familiar with how to work this new system, but having to get FPs for everything vs having a segment of the attractions that are more or less walk-ons seems disadvantageous.
btw...for anyone who hasn't been to Disneyland...Little Mermaid rarely has more than a 10 minute wait. I couldn't believe that the Stand-by time for ours was 70 mins this Saturday...it's an Omnimover.
Also...kudos to Park Ops trying to start managing traffic flow around the hub. It took them FAR TOO LONG to realize that people who are there to watch fireworks want to set up in the street and not the sidewalk...now if they could just figure out how to get one way traffic flowing during peak Hub times.
Saturday was the first time I had truly used the new system, and traveling with a little one, I can see the pros and cons of it. It's great to be able to get a couple FPs together and hit one ride after another with minimal wait, but schedules rarely keep ON schedule when kids are involved. Seemed like a great idea to be able to hit iasw (shouldn't need a FP for it anyway) and then head over to Winnie the Pooh, but DS's (9-months) mood went from happy to sour while the boats stacked up at the unload for isaw. We ended up needing to change plans and get him fed and let him take a cat nap. Maybe it was just a matter of getting familiar with how to work this new system, but having to get FPs for everything vs having a segment of the attractions that are more or less walk-ons seems disadvantageous.
btw...for anyone who hasn't been to Disneyland...Little Mermaid rarely has more than a 10 minute wait. I couldn't believe that the Stand-by time for ours was 70 mins this Saturday...it's an Omnimover.
Also...kudos to Park Ops trying to start managing traffic flow around the hub. It took them FAR TOO LONG to realize that people who are there to watch fireworks want to set up in the street and not the sidewalk...now if they could just figure out how to get one way traffic flowing during peak Hub times.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
Once you use the first 3 FP+ in a day, you then make additional Fastpass+ selections at the kiosks only. Once you have a reservation made on a kiosk you can modify it on the app. However, you cannot currently get a new FP+ reservation on the app beyond your original 3.
prberk
Well-Known Member
You forgot that your 5:00 ADR at SciFi was held with a credit card, which will be charged if you do not show up (and with a reservation that cannot be changed, since that was only allowed 24 hours or more in advance).
And, of course, the old, old system would allow you to ride anything over and over if you wanted to wait in the line (which was usually much shorter by evening, except for teen-friendly rollercoasters).
I do understand your comments, though, for your particular situation; but don't you ever just want to show up as a local because you suddenly had more time than you thought you might? And if so, can you still get a FP any better than folks currently at the park?
muteki
Well-Known Member
It's fashionable these days for something to be "in beta". Gmail was in beta for 5 years.
pax_65
Well-Known Member
And there are two problems with this. 1) the lines for the kiosks can be long and 2) all fastpasses for headliner attractions are very likely LONG gone.
BigTxEars
Well-Known Member
Actually, people do that all the time with Apple junk. LOL. (everyone can put down your pitchfork apps.
True enough, long term Apple users known better than to buy version 1 of anything or to update software right after the updates comes out. But after those initial issues Apple rules!
Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
I'm not a local.
say whaaaat? B-b-but its much faster to use a kiosk because they are conveniently located rather than the old way of walking to the attraction and getting a paper FP. LMAO. Whats sad is that this picture isnt even as bad as others I have seen. Dontcha just love waiting in a line JUST to get a FP,... only to wait in another line that Disney calls "fast" pass entrance.