MiceAge on the latest news regarding MyMagic+ : Read it and weep.

[Pixie VaVoom]

I spent last week testing the system. I don't think anyone is arguing that the wristbands aren't convenient (when they work properly). But this isn't as labor-saving as the invention of the cotton gin, so to act like using a wristband is the greatest time saving device is ludicrous. And it certainly isn't perfect. If you don't like wearing anything on your wrists, this isn't going to make you change your mind. And a lot of times it probably would have been faster for me to have simply pulled out the room key and use that instead, because in some instances you need to be a contortionist to get it to read.

Personally, I don't see how this can make money. A lot of people plan their vacations with a budget in mind, and I doubt the Magic Band, created for the uber-lazy, is going to change what purchases people make. It really is no different from a credit card, other than being on your wrist. The only way I can see people spending more money as a result of the "convenience" of the Magic Band is by those people wanting to "play" with the novelty of using a wristband for purchases. But with infrastructure costs and the actual costs of the bands themselves, I don't see where the money will come from. Targeted marketing might work on a few people to spend more, but I don't know that it simply won't shift around what people will spend their money on, as opposed to making additional expeditures.

No - I guestimate that a large bite of the revenue that Disney hopes to gain is through the selling of the information that Disney has farmed with the MM- bands. Example: through the MM- bands Disney knows that you and your kid have stopped to take several pix with the new upcoming "Frozen' movie characters. Disney sells that info along with your address and email address to marketing departments for say AMC theaters, Toys R Us, and Target. Next thing you know you are besieged with emails... "AMC has added an extra showing, of "Frozen" - Buy your tickets onine now", "Toys R Us and Target are premiering their new line of "Frozen" toys and childrens apparel. And the marketing ops go on and on !!! Your adoreable darling child spots you looking at one of those emails and BINGO - the next thing you know your are being dragged into that store or theater. So, Disney has their hands in your wallet again!!!

Every retailer wins !!

 

[flynnibus]

I look at this.. and it really sounds like the boss trying to freeze spending in the short term to fix a quarter to quarter issue.

Why?

1) Length - if you were making a strategic pivot... you'd just pull the plug now and get rid of the labor too. Instead, the story is people are being told to stop for a short time (90days is very short in a development project) and instead focus on things already in the oven. This sounds to me like stopping 'extra' spending to ensure your short term numbers are where you want them

2) Choice of what to stop. If MM+ is the disaster it's painted as.. and Iger is ed off about it... why would he stop the investment into the 'other strategy' of building attractions in favor of continuing to spend money on MM+? If you see MM+ as the titanic - you don't stop your alternative strategy to double down on it. This says to me they aren't giving up on MM+ or think it's a dead end.

And why not simply stop MM+ where it is? You could stop the feature rollouts and revert to a place where you stop rolling out FP+, stop the bands, and focus on fixing classic hotels+tickets. Basically revert MM+ to being an infrastructure only upgrade and dial back the scope to reduce the spending.

This says to me they are simply making a panic stop to try to impact the near term quarterly numbers for the division and TWDC. The 'future' developments WDI is working on are the easiest, and least impactful (right now) thing to stop right now. It's something you can do instantaneously and the revenue side of your business doesn't miss a beat at all (for now). MM+ is in front of customers 'now' - so they can't make the same kind of drastic halt in ongoing expense there.

It's akin to a company putting a hiring freeze or travel freeze in place. It doesn't mean they don't ever intend to hire again.. or are changing their business philosophy... it's simply the company trying to pull the emergency brake to bring expenses back under a new target.. typically due to a projected fall in revenue.

This sounds to me like short-term expense shaping. Stop your 'unnecessary' spending to bring the quarter's numbers into line. Until they decide to rescope MM+ - I don't see their perspective of MM+ as a strategy changing.

 

[WDWDad13]

No - I guestimate that a large bite of the revenue that Disney hopes to gain is through the selling of the information that Disney has farmed with the MM- bands. Example: through the MM- bands Disney knows that you and your kid have stopped to take several pix with the new upcoming "Frozen' movie characters. Disney sells that info along with your address and email address to marketing departments for say AMC theaters, Toys R Us, and Target. Next thing you know you are besieged with emails... "AMC has added an extra showing, of "Frozen" - Buy your tickets onine now", "Toys R Us and Target are premiering their new line of "Frozen" toys and childrens apparel. And the marketing ops go on and on !!! Your adoreable darling child spots you looking at one of those emails and BINGO - the next thing you know your are being dragged into that store or theater. So, Disney has their hands in your wallet again!!!

Every retailer wins !!

they aren't selling your information about what you did in the parks

 

[devoy1701]

yet you still visit and post on a Disney message board?

sigh...yes. Again, just because we aren't happy with the current product doesn't mean that we don't love the place and can hope for them to get back on the right track.

Must we go round and round on this?

 

[WDWDad13]

I look at this.. and it really sounds like the boss trying to freeze spending in the short term to fix a quarter to quarter issue.

Why?

1) Length - if you were making a strategic pivot... you'd just pull the plug now and get rid of the labor too. Instead, the story is people are being told to stop for a short time (90days is very short in a development project) and instead focus on things already in the oven. This sounds to me like stopping 'extra' spending to ensure your short term numbers are where you want them

2) Choice of what to stop. If MM+ is the disaster it's painted as.. and Iger is ed off about it... why would he stop the investment into the 'other strategy' of building attractions in favor of continuing to spend money on MM+? If you see MM+ as the titanic - you don't stop your alternative strategy to double down on it. This says to me they aren't giving up on MM+ or think it's a dead end.

And why not simply stop MM+ where it is? You could stop the feature rollouts and revert to a place where you stop rolling out FP+, stop the bands, and focus on fixing classic hotels+tickets. Basically revert MM+ to being an infrastructure only upgrade and dial back the scope to reduce the spending.

This says to me they are simply making a panic stop to try to impact the near term quarterly numbers for the division and TWDC. The 'future' developments WDI is working on are the easiest, and least impactful (right now) thing to stop right now. It's something you can do instantaneously and the revenue side of your business doesn't miss a beat at all (for now). MM+ is in front of customers 'now' - so they can't make the same kind of drastic halt in ongoing expense there.

It's akin to a company putting a hiring freeze or travel freeze in place. It doesn't mean they don't ever intend to hire again.. or are changing their business philosophy... it's simply the company trying to pull the emergency brake to bring expenses back under a new target.. typically due to a projected fall in revenue.

This sounds to me like short-term expense shaping. Stop your 'unnecessary' spending to bring the quarter's numbers into line. Until they decide to rescope MM+ - I don't see their perspective of MM+ as a strategy changing.

well said and well thoughtout... I agree with this

 

[ford91exploder]

yeah right... you expect me to believe you just cancelled your family Christmas trip due to this assumed news

I'm not going to post my cancellation notice, But we are going someplace else NOT ORLANDO and NOT DISNEY.

 

[WDWDad13]

I'm not going to post my cancellation notice, But we are going someplace else NOT ORLANDO and NOT DISNEY.

but you're telling me you cancelled your Disney trip JUST BECAUSE of this article on Miceage?

 

[ford91exploder]

sigh...yes. Again, just because we aren't happy with the current product doesn't mean that we don't love the place and can hope for them to get back on the right track.

Must we go round and round on this?

No it just seems that some conflate the concept of loving DIsney which has been a happy place for decades for many of us with liking how it is running today.

Currently I am completely disgusted with product and don't feel the need to pay and thereby validate a poor business model which does not reward guests.

 

[devoy1701]

I look at this.. and it really sounds like the boss trying to freeze spending in the short term to fix a quarter to quarter issue.

Why?

1) Length - if you were making a strategic pivot... you'd just pull the plug now and get rid of the labor too. Instead, the story is people are being told to stop for a short time (90days is very short in a development project) and instead focus on things already in the oven. This sounds to me like stopping 'extra' spending to ensure your short term numbers are where you want them

2) Choice of what to stop. If MM+ is the disaster it's painted as.. and Iger is ed off about it... why would he stop the investment into the 'other strategy' of building attractions in favor of continuing to spend money on MM+? If you see MM+ as the titanic - you don't stop your alternative strategy to double down on it. This says to me they aren't giving up on MM+ or think it's a dead end.

And why not simply stop MM+ where it is? You could stop the feature rollouts and revert to a place where you stop rolling out FP+, stop the bands, and focus on fixing classic hotels+tickets. Basically revert MM+ to being an infrastructure only upgrade and dial back the scope to reduce the spending.

This says to me they are simply making a panic stop to try to impact the near term quarterly numbers for the division and TWDC. The 'future' developments WDI is working on are the easiest, and least impactful (right now) thing to stop right now. It's something you can do instantaneously and the revenue side of your business doesn't miss a beat at all (for now). MM+ is in front of customers 'now' - so they can't make the same kind of drastic halt in ongoing expense there.

It's akin to a company putting a hiring freeze or travel freeze in place. It doesn't mean they don't ever intend to hire again.. or are changing their business philosophy... it's simply the company trying to pull the emergency brake to bring expenses back under a new target.. typically due to a projected fall in revenue.

This sounds to me like short-term expense shaping. Stop your 'unnecessary' spending to bring the quarter's numbers into line. Until they decide to rescope MM+ - I don't see their perspective of MM+ as a strategy changing.

I said the same thing (kind of) in post 22.

 

[lazyboy97o]

And why not simply stop MM+ where it is? You could stop the feature rollouts and revert to a place where you stop rolling out FP+, stop the bands, and focus on fixing classic hotels+tickets. Basically revert MM+ to being an infrastructure only upgrade and dial back the scope to reduce the spending.

Can they revert back quickly and easily? Given Disney's issues with technology projects, I would not be surprised if going back is not much of an option. There is also the issue of ego. MyMagic+ was the thing that was to redefine the Disney theme park experience. It is Iger's stamp on the domestic parks and their has never been a strong belief that the big, expensive attractions really drive the parks.

 

[WDWDad13]

does not reward guests.

tell that to my 4 year old daughter who will be having the time of her life there in about 2 weeks haha

don't get me wrong though... I know what you're saying and after many years of being a frequent guest I see a lot of things they need to do or fix...a lot... but it's not all gloom and doom. I can't have the same experience with my family anywhere else...even with the current state of wdw

 

[ford91exploder]

but you're telling me you cancelled your Disney trip JUST BECAUSE of this article on Miceage?

YES! - We had already cut our planned 10 Day holday trip to 4 days because of the MISERABLE experience we had in August due to being stuck with NGE testing and Mannheim Steamroller was in town in the same period and we'd rather see that than stand in line all day long. Now it's visiting Montreal at Christmas.

 

[Cesar R M]

yet you still visit and post on a Disney message board?

well, to defend him.. this is a Disney fan site right? I dont think it counts fully as "Disney(tm)"

I said the same thing (kind of) in post 22.

I just hope Iger doesn't have a huge EGO problem... that prevents him from accepting MM+ was a disaster. I would Reroll it and do step by step, not trying to accelerate everything.
Doing it faster != doing it good.

Can they revert back quickly and easily? Given Disney's issues with technology projects, I would not be surprised if going back is not much of an option. There is also the issue of ego. MyMagic+ was the thing that was to redefine the Disney theme park experience. It is Iger's stamp on the domestic parks and their has never been a strong belief that the big, expensive attractions really drive the parks.

a frigging amen to this!
Exactly what I was thinking! brofist!

 

[WDWDad13]

YES! - We had already cut our planned 10 Day holday trip to 4 days because of the MISERABLE experience we had in August due to being stuck with NGE testing and Mannheim Steamroller was in town in the same period and we'd rather see that than stand in line all day long. Now it's visiting Montreal at Christmas.

haha... so for no other reason than the news on miceage today, you cancelled your Disney trip? sorry... but I find that hard to believe... but if you did... do you believe everything you read online?

 

[flynnibus]

I said the same thing (kind of) in post 22.

I had to do some real work at my day job before I could post my full thoughts

I agree with your post all the way up to the last sentance
"What we can extrapolate from this is that the overruns for MM+ for this quarter are AT LEAST equal to the entire budget of all other P&R projects currently in the pipeline"

That's a leap too far IMO. MM+ isn't the only thing in play. They could also be forecasting a drop in revenue. They could be looking at future bookings, or other factors that could be expense or revenue related that are going to throw the quarter for a curveball... so they have to make dramatic changes to expenses where they can to try to adapt now.

 

[devoy1701]

well, to defend him.. this is a Disney fan site right? I dont think it counts fully as "Disney(tm)"




I just hope Iger doesn't have a huge EGO problem... that prevents him from accepting MM+ was a disaster. I would Reroll it and do step by step, not trying to accelerate everything.
Doing it faster != doing it good.


a frigging amen to this!
Exactly what I was thinking! brofist!

right. it's not a website only for people who currently visit WDW.

 

[ford91exploder]

tell that to my 4 year old daughter who will be having the time of her life there in about 2 weeks haha

don't get me wrong though... I know what you're saying and after many years of being a frequent guest I see a lot of things they need to do or fix...a lot... but it's not all gloom and doom. I can't have the same experience with my family anywhere else...even with the current state of wdw

You make the choices which are best for your family, We are all adults or nearly so so meeting Mickey for the first time is not an issue for us making a statement is.

 

[WDWDad13]

does anyone else see some similarities in the rollout of MM+ and the rollout of the affordable care act? lol

 

[devoy1701]

haha... so for no other reason than the news on miceage today, you cancelled your Disney trip? sorry... but I find that hard to believe... but if you did... do you believe everything you read online?

@WDWDad13, adding nothing to the constructive conversations on this message board since Apr 30, 2013.

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

they aren't selling your information about what you did in the parks

Not yet !!!