Jim Hill on XPass coming in 2012

[WDW1974]

Thats a lot of hate just because someone is making a buck doing what they like. If you don't think they should be allowed to give tours in the park then fine but creating a podcast/website/DVD about something people are interested in is just good business. Seems like you are just upset they are making a dollar doing something that they might enjoy.

I have no issue when anyone doing something Disney-related they enjoy. If someone wants to have a website or talk Disney (or anything else) on a podcast, then I think they absolutely should be able to.

My issue is when they break rules or use Disney IP/coyrights ... or say they are independent, take freebies from Disney and never say anything negative about the company (this is just common sense, but nothing is perfect and even if you are a fan, you're going to have some less than MAGICal experiences with WDW products/services/employees).

You obviously have a blog about Disney ... are you looking to get in on the social media gravy train? Because that's really what the discussion always goes back to. Disney sites have been on the Internet since the early 90s. But it was only in the past 4-5 years that Disney (in FLA at least) has been coveting the bloggers/podcasters and giving them free junkets and treating them like traditional (REAL) media when they don't have to (and most don't) follow the basic tenets of unbiased journalism.
:xmas:

 

[RSoxNo1]

On this week's episode of Magical Definition Podcast Jim Hill mentioned that cast members were starting to turn away Fastpass users that returned after the window expired. Has anyone experienced this lately?

 

[devoy1701]

On this week's episode of Magical Definition Podcast Jim Hill mentioned that cast members were starting to turn away Fastpass users that returned after the window expired. Has anyone experienced this lately?

Thank goodness if true.

 

[disneyeater]

I have no issue when anyone doing something Disney-related they enjoy. If someone wants to have a website or talk Disney (or anything else) on a podcast, then I think they absolutely should be able to.

My issue is when they break rules or use Disney IP/coyrights ... or say they are independent, take freebies from Disney and never say anything negative about the company (this is just common sense, but nothing is perfect and even if you are a fan, you're going to have some less than MAGICal experiences with WDW products/services/employees).

You obviously have a blog about Disney ... are you looking to get in on the social media gravy train? Because that's really what the discussion always goes back to. Disney sites have been on the Internet since the early 90s. But it was only in the past 4-5 years that Disney (in FLA at least) has been coveting the bloggers/podcasters and giving them free junkets and treating them like traditional (REAL) media when they don't have to (and most don't) follow the basic tenets of unbiased journalism.
:xmas:

Well I was shooting for the advertising gravy train. In regards to the freebees people are getting from Disney, I don't have an issue with it but people need to be up front with what they recieved for free before they review it.

Obviously, even when getting something for free it is not always magical and should be reported as such.

 

[WDW1974]

On this week's episode of Magical Definition Podcast Jim Hill mentioned that cast members were starting to turn away Fastpass users that returned after the window expired. Has anyone experienced this lately?

I mentioned that somewhere (here on MAGIC) that WDW would be doing this and they were going to be hiring extra CMs to be militant about it.

It all has something to do with NEXT GEN, which apparently will collapse if people keep thinking a FP means I can show up whenever I wish AFTER the window and ride. To be fair, I don't disagree with Disney doing it ... people have abused the system since Day 1 with Disney's blessing.

But what I don't like is what it means ... look for more attractions that have no need for FP to get it next year as NEXT GEN gears up to plot every second of your visit.:xmas:

 

[WDW1974]

Well I was shooting for the advertising gravy train. In regards to the freebees people are getting from Disney, I don't have an issue with it but people need to be up front with what they recieved for free before they review it.

Obviously, even when getting something for free it is not always magical and should be reported as such.

Ad rev is legit. I have always had an issue with freebies (even with legit media), but I understand why they kind of are needed when introducing a product or selling a new marketing campaign.

The thing is I know enough about the fan community and many of the types who run sites etc that they are going to take a freebie a lot differently than a real journalist/writer/critic/commentator because those people are likely NOT crazy rabid Disney fanbois.

The biggest complaints I saw after the Dream launch were sites whining back and forth about why some got more than others, which is always the case ... so one blogger got flown from NYC with his entire family and put up at the GF for four nights with all food and tix while another wasn't flown in and only got two free nights at the Pop and some food etc ... but I never saw online people ripping Disney in any other way or just comparing the value of a DCL voyage to another line.

:xmas:

 

[puntagordabob]

this reminds me of a song i once heard...oh yes... "you cant always get what you want"..

...which in turn reminds me of this one by Shania Twain – Ker-ching!
“We live a greedy little world…”

I believe that an area like the central hub should be left for everyone to enjoy (handicap sections an understandable exception) ....where the day visitor all the way to the lifetime visitor, from the poorest visitor to the wealthiest visitor has the same chance to get a spot if they are willing to "wait for it".... there are other areas where special access is fine such as the Tomorrowland Terrace where they currently have the dessert parties....

 

[walterdisney]

...which in turn reminds me of this one by Shania Twain – Ker-ching!
“We live a greedy little world…”

I believe that an area like the central hub should be left for everyone to enjoy (handicap sections an understandable exception) ....where the day visitor all the way to the lifetime visitor, from the poorest visitor to the wealthiest visitor has the same chance to get a spot if they are willing to "wait for it".... there are other areas where special access is fine such as the Tomorrowland Terrace where they currently have the dessert parties....

well played...

 

[menamechris]

On this week's episode of Magical Definition Podcast Jim Hill mentioned that cast members were starting to turn away Fastpass users that returned after the window expired. Has anyone experienced this lately?

Nope. I was at AK the weekend before last - Magic Kingdom this last weekend. I saw people returning with late FP's, and yes, even did it myself a couple times (Bad, Chris, Bad!). In fact, I overheard a guest pointblank ask a cast member if it was permissable to come back late, and the CM's response was "absolutely". So I have yet to see this happen. Maybe it is only happening for certain attractions?

 

[devoy1701]

Nope. I was at AK the weekend before last - Magic Kingdom this last weekend. I saw people returning with late FP's, and yes, even did it myself a couple times (Bad, Chris, Bad!). In fact, I overheard a guest pointblank ask a cast member if it was permissable to come back late, and the CM's response was "absolutely". So I have yet to see this happen. Maybe it is only happening for certain attractions?

I can't see it happening for only certain attractions. It has to be all or nothing...or if it would be selective, they would have to print as much on the FP themselves. Otherwise it would be way too confusing to your average guest to know that even though the FPs for all attractions are identical, for some attractions you can come back after your allotted time while others you will be denied entrance.

 

[menamechris]

I can't see it happening for only certain attractions. It has to be all or nothing...or if it would be selective, they would have to print as much on the FP themselves. Otherwise it would be way too confusing to your average guest to know that even though the FPs for all attractions are identical, for some attractions you can come back after your allotted time while others you will be denied entrance.

Exactly. Which leads me to believe Mr. Hill needed some "filler" for his show. He read or heard about this possible new upcoming policy for FPs, and decided he would just go ahead and report that it is happening. After all, how many people listening would actually know one way or the other?

 

[twinnstar]

Exactly what I was thinking. You pick one ride you want to reserve throughout the day.

For example a family chooses to reserve a ride time for Space Mountain at 1:00 p.m.

If thats how it is, i dont see what the big deal is. I certainly wouldnt pay for it, but if someone else wants to, thats cool? :shrug:

 

[AEfx]

I'm not going to tell you what to be offended by - nor will I defend anything but an apology in the face of something that you do find offensive. To put this in context, I have an autistic brother - but with regards to the "mongoloid" comment, I wasn't offended when it was used in that context. Had I been in the presence of Michael Eisner when the comment was made, I probably WOULD HAVE been offended. But I also don't necessarily think the initial comment was born out of anything but ignorance. I would be offended by the ignorance, but I don't think there was initial malice behind it. Comparatively, Jim is well aware that the comment is offensive - the story should be used as a quotation and really nothing more. If it wasn't, and there was no clarification/apology I have no defense for that.

I'll be honest, it wasn't so much that I was personally offended at his repeated use of the word, it was his lack of self-awareness that struck me. I couldn't believe he was using it over and over in 2011.

What did offend me was the way he reacted to the person in comments that explained why it was not a word he should be throwing around, and his angry words back that person (which was longer than the original "article" itself). He didn't say, "Sorry, was not my intention", he sat there yelling that if we couldn't see his invisible quotations (i.e. they were not there next to most uses of teh word) we were the ones with the problem.

I have his site on my RSS reader so I can be informed about what is being said, so when I come here I know what I'm talking about. I have most Disney sites like that, though I finally had to take MiceAge off because their RSS feeder constantly spits out six-month old stories as new and I got sick of weeding through.

 

[Timekeeper]

If this "xpass" nonsense (which sounds to me like a service used to access adult-oriented websites) is true, where's the filed patent? :shrug:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=ng2AAAAAEBAJ&zoom=4&dq=6%2C173%2C209&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q=6,173,209&f=false

 

[NoChesterHester]

If this "xpass" nonsense (which sounds to me like a service used to access adult-oriented websites) is true, where's the filed patent? :shrug:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=ng2AAAAAEBAJ&zoom=4&dq=6%2C173%2C209&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q=6,173,209&f=false

Perhaps there is nothing patentable about it. Sounds like an application of existing technology to me.

 

[AEfx]

I believe this was all covered by those patents regarding getting FP from your hotel room, etc., weren't they? I don't follow that stuff often, though, but I do recall quite a bit of discussion surrounding it, and people fearing it would lead to this.

 

[Timekeeper]

Perhaps there is nothing patentable about it. Sounds like an application of existing technology to me.

I believe this was all covered by those patents regarding getting FP from your hotel room, etc., weren't they?

That's what I was thinking, but I just thought that enough time had passed (since fastpass) that this would be something "new" and not something disclosed years earlier. I suppose there's no way to tell since we don't know the cold hard facts surrounding "xpass." Maybe there is something "new" to it; maybe there isn't. :shrug:

 

[AEfx]

That's what I was thinking, but I just thought that enough time had passed (since fastpass) that this would be something "new" and not something disclosed years earlier. I suppose there's no way to tell since we don't know the cold hard facts surrounding "xpass." Maybe there is something "new" to it; maybe there isn't. :shrug:

Gotta remember, though, Disney didn't "disclose" that data, per se. They filed it with the patent office, and because we are crazy internet fan people it was dug up and posted here for discussion. Companies usually patent things years before they actually implement them. So Disney has never spoken publicly on this, AFAIK. It's just old hat to us.

It's funny, though, because it's one of those "this shouldn't be patentable anyway" tech patents. Unless there is some new revolutionary feature, and revolutionary way to do it, it's all just legal mumbo jumbo and the overreach of the patent system. I mean, "one click buying" is patented by Amazon - so technically no one can offer items for sale on a website that you can buy with one click. It's just absurd - it's a race, not a reward for ingenuity as the patent system was originally designed as being.

 

[Timekeeper]

It's funny, though, because it's one of those "this shouldn't be patentable anyway" tech patents. ... It's just absurd - it's a race, not a reward for ingenuity as the patent system was originally designed as being.

I know exactly what you mean. One word - "Monsanto." World domination by first controlling what farmers can and can't cultivate. It's extremely disturbing. Maybe one day there will be a theme park that will open a new ride, and instead of calling it "Submarine Voyage," they will call it, "Submarine Patent." :lookaroun

Yes, it's a race, but our domestic "first to invent" system makes everything that much more interesting. Sigh.

 

[bayoubelle]

There's an entire cottage industry in Orlando dedicated to making sure people who can afford to drop a few extra hundred a day get through the park without waiting in line and without having to worry about ADRs, when shows start, etc. A certain TOUR GUIDE may be better known for the cult-like following on his in-house message board, but it's the private VIP tours that have made him a very wealthy man. Others in the business have also done quite well.

This isn't about filling 50,000 rooms a night, the reason for free dining and deep discounts. This is about an upcharge experience aimed at guests in the high-end resorts (it also gives the WDW 3.5-star resorts a perk their 4-star competitors can't match). And yes, there is a market for it that, until now, TDO seemed content to leave to third parties.

Disney also offers Premium VIP tours for their guests to avoid the lines. It costs about $2500 for 1 day during a holiday visit.