If you could implement 1 major change throughout the parks, what would it be?

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I've heard credible estimates of a low-end of $500MM in domestic G+ revenue, not counting ILL, and estimates as high as $1B with both.

I'd ballparked a guess of $800MM for domestic G+ and ILL combined, and I still think that's a decent estimate.

But my hunch is that’s only half the story

 

[lentesta]

But my hunch is that’s only half the story

I'm listening!!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'm listening!!

I’m guessing a lot…if not most of that “new revenue stream” is offset by losses to better revenue streams…food and mostly merch from the declines in attendance and occupancy

EDIT (forget the Halloween thing…Pirate was being a moron )

 

[Mark Dunne]

Adults are worse than the kids. In most cases.

Little Suzy isn't the one having the meltdown at 8pm when she exits the monorail at the Poly. Little Jeffy isn't hammering one on at the bar and acting like a complete lunatic to escape the stress and forget how much he has just spent for the day.

Be good for people watching. So sure, I can get behind an adults only month.

Actually your not far off, yeah it’s the adults that fight in the parks, and argue , the kids thing really meant no strollers , now that would be a game changer day ! My ankles would be better off

 

[Mark Dunne]

Defo packages back to resort , now is it my thinking that people would buy more if they knew they didn’t have to carry it all day , we bought a lovely Buddha in AK , but had to carry him all day . In quite a large box , I wanted him for resort drop for sure , but he’s ace ! Just glad to get him back to uk in one piece

 

[AEfx]

Go back to one-at-a-time, free fastpasses and reduce the number distributed. No pre-booking, no restrictions on only once per attracion per day.

This is what I would wave my magic wand for. Just go back to the old style FP.

TBH, I was also okay when they were letting resort guests pick a couple in advance as a bonus for staying on property.

Once they went to paid FP, though - and the Lightning Lane insanity - they just lost me as a fan. It's just too expensive to go to WDW for a week any more, and then have to stress out all week about being able to actually ride the rides. It was one thing before, because if you were there a week, you could miss something and go back, rope drop a different day, etc. - but now, it just sounds like an endless headache to me. I mean, the idea that you could go to WDW for a week's time and not be sure you could ever get on the new Star Wars rides, even if you are willing to get up at the crack of dawn to PAY for it...just insanity to me.

It's one of those things that I still can't wrap my head around, frankly - that people accept it and some seem to even like it. People have always enjoyed planning trips (I used to be one of them), but being forced to the way you are, and just the sheer anxiety of constantly using your phone to coordinate it all - maybe I'm just old, but that is not how I want to spend a week, particularly one that I'd be paying such huge prices for.

(That said...I'm not a total Luddite - because I love mobile ordering for food - that's one thing that actually does benefit the experience for me.)

 

[The_Adult_Kiddo]

No more bubble machines. Or at least re-engineer them to only blow directly into the parents’ faces and not mine.

 

[Andrew25]

Tapu Tapu-style or Race Through New York-esque virtual queue systems.

Certainly doable with the right investments and updates to absorb that capacity at the parks... if they can spend a $1B on infrastructure upgrades for MyMagic, they can certainly do it.

 

[HauntedPirate]

No more bubble machines. Or at least re-engineer them to only blow directly into the parents’ faces and not mine.

Those are the bane of many peoples' existence. Mine included.

 

[King Panda 77]

Fresh and healthy foods in the corners of all the parks...

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

This is what I would wave my magic wand for. Just go back to the old style FP.

TBH, I was also okay when they were letting resort guests pick a couple in advance as a bonus for staying on property.

Once they went to paid FP, though - and the Lightning Lane insanity - they just lost me as a fan. It's just too expensive to go to WDW for a week any more, and then have to stress out all week about being able to actually ride the rides. It was one thing before, because if you were there a week, you could miss something and go back, rope drop a different day, etc. - but now, it just sounds like an endless headache to me. I mean, the idea that you could go to WDW for a week's time and not be sure you could ever get on the new Star Wars rides, even if you are willing to get up at the crack of dawn to PAY for it...just insanity to me.

It's one of those things that I still can't wrap my head around, frankly - that people accept it and some seem to even like it. People have always enjoyed planning trips (I used to be one of them), but being forced to the way you are, and just the sheer anxiety of constantly using your phone to coordinate it all - maybe I'm just old, but that is not how I want to spend a week, particularly one that I'd be paying such huge prices for.

(That said...I'm not a total Luddite - because I love mobile ordering for food - that's one thing that actually does benefit the experience for me.)

Not sure where this post comes from.

First both star wars rides have stand by lines. If you want to get on them, and don't want to pay for genie+ or the ILL, you can rope drop them, or wait in line. Just like the days of fast pass, or pre-fast pass days.

Second, other than when Rise first came out and was virtual Q only, I haven't heard of a time when anyone who got up at 7am (and seriously, what world do you live in where 7AM is the crack of dawn? Getting to Epcot at 3:45 for the run events last weekend, that is crack of dawn and had me questioning my sanity. But 7am, anyone who has a regular job, and/or kids going to school is likely getting up at or around 7am on a daily basis.) is able to get an ILL for Rise.

Third, no people have not always enjoyed planning trips. Not all people anyway, and this is coming from someone who actually loved the old methodology of FP and dinning reservations. Not because I thought it was better, (I don't) or fairer (I definitely don't) but because I love planning Disney trips, and I enjoyed how 6 months out from the trip, you got to think about the vacation and where you were going to eat, and then 60 days out you got to plan your rides. Many people complained about how they didn't want to have to decide a half year before their trip what parks they were going to so they could plan 180 days out if they were eating lunch at 1:30 or 2:30.

Fourth, what anxiety and constantly using your phone are you talking about? With Genie Plus you lock in your first ride at either 7am or park opening. Then for 2 hours, you don't need your phone. OR you can go back on your phone after you used your first genie plus to book another....which is exactly what happened in FP when you used your first three and wanted to book another one.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Just curious, I think Id get rid of APs

Of all the things you could do that would make a difference, getting rid of APs is your priority?

 

[Chef Mickey]

I would make everything wider somehow. You said major, so I'd start by knocking down the mall that is Main Street, triple its width and rebuild it with actual stuff that should be on a Main Street.

 

[King Panda 77]

I would make everything wider somehow.

Triple wide strollers and XXL scooters

 

[Chef Mickey]

Triple wide strollers and XXL scooters

Part of my expansion project would ban wide strollers and far more due diligence required for large scooters.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I’d bring back all the things that used to set Disney so far above everyone else:

Bring back the Disney look.
Bring back the Disney quality shows.
Bring back the Disney quality parades.
Bring back the Disney quality spectaculars (this one they’ve kind of done).
Bring back the Disney quality streetmosphere.
Bring back Magical Express.
Bring back luggage delivery.
Bring back package delivery.
Bring back the full extra magic hour.
Bring back the SeaRaycer boats.
Bring back FP, FP+, or preferably MaxPass in place of ILL, G+, and VQ.
Bring back entry without reservations.

Probably an unpopular one but I’d also raise the price (if necessary) until demand matches supply so the parks wouldn’t require reservations. If the parks were the same quality they used to be I can’t imaging how packed they’d be in the post Covid travel boom.

 

[osian]

I think there is a legitimate case for investigation of VQ-only, i.e. rides can only be accessed by joining a VQ. No standby, no fast pass/lightning lane or other expedited entry. It might not work, IIRC Python at Efteling at one point went VQ only, but is now no longer like that, so perhaps the experiment didn't work. I note that Efteling doens't appear to have any sort of expedited entry. But VQs as we currently have them in WDW are not the same thing. It would have to be the case that you can only hold one VQ at a time and everything would have to be VQ. In other words, you can't game the system by joining a VQ and then joining another standby line at the same time. This is literally what a virtual queue should be, it just keeps your place in the queue that you would otherwise have joined. But this is a massive system change and really would be a big gamble. It also wouldn't bring in extra money and would perhaps require increased capacity in facilities like shopping, dining, entertainment, pathways... The sole purpose is to prevent people waiting in long lines doing nothing else.

Failing that, the paper fastpass system was the best ever implementation, these days it would be what MaxPass became.

 

[scoobydoo1966]

stand by lines only!!!!! be hide the scene smoking sections!!

 

[Andrew25]

I think there is a legitimate case for investigation of VQ-only, i.e. rides can only be accessed by joining a VQ. No standby, no fast pass/lightning lane or other expedited entry. It might not work, IIRC Python at Efteling at one point went VQ only, but is now no longer like that, so perhaps the experiment didn't work. I note that Efteling doens't appear to have any sort of expedited entry. But VQs as we currently have them in WDW are not the same thing. It would have to be the case that you can only hold one VQ at a time and everything would have to be VQ. In other words, you can't game the system by joining a VQ and then joining another standby line at the same time. This is literally what a virtual queue should be, it just keeps your place in the queue that you would otherwise have joined. But this is a massive system change and really would be a big gamble. It also wouldn't bring in extra money and would perhaps require increased capacity in facilities like shopping, dining, entertainment, pathways... The sole purpose is to prevent people waiting in long lines doing nothing else.

Failing that, the paper fastpass system was the best ever implementation, these days it would be what MaxPass became.

Volcano Bay has proven that it can work. Why make people wait in a 60-minute line when they can fill their time with a "ride now" experience with high-capacity or allow them to walk around the parks?

Mind you, it'll need significant investment to get the parks prepped for such a system (additional high-capacity experiences, lounge seating, increased walkway space, etc.)... but it's not impossible.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I’d bring back all the things that used to set Disney so far above everyone else:

Bring back the Disney look.
Bring back the Disney quality shows.
Bring back the Disney quality parades.
Bring back the Disney quality spectaculars (this one they’ve kind of done).
Bring back the Disney quality streetmosphere.
Bring back Magical Express.
Bring back luggage delivery.
Bring back package delivery.
Bring back the full extra magic hour.
Bring back the SeaRaycer boats.
Bring back FP, FP+, or preferably MaxPass in place of ILL, G+, and VQ.
Bring back entry without reservations.

Probably an unpopular one but I’d also raise the price (if necessary) until demand matches supply so the parks wouldn’t require reservations. If the parks were the same quality they used to be I can’t imaging how packed they’d be in the post Covid travel boom.

Agree on price. Either size needs to double (impossible) or prices do.