Take away FP+ ... and the bands don't actually suck.
Keep the bands; junk FP+ and its required uber-planning; build some new attractions; bring back unique, gotta have it merchandise ... and you will have increased guest satisfaction, higher turnstile numbers and enhanced merch. sales.
C'mom people, it's not rocket science. It's Roller Coaster/Theme Park Tycoon 101. So simple, an 8 year old can do it!
I love the Roller Coaster Tycoon reference! I used to play that all the time (I even let my kids play once and a while). What was the basic message of that game? Build more attractions and more people show up in your park - along with advertising, maintenance and proper pricing of course.
I only liked versions I and II though cause they changed the look of the game for RC Tycoon III. I wonder if a version IV came out, would they have an option for wristbands to entice people into your park? I highly doubt that.
I love this thread as the opposing views are so polarizing. I typically tend to be on the more positive side of the things Disney does as I am a relative newbie to the Disneyverse. However, this MM+/NGE concept to this point is baffling to me.
Disney needed to upgrade their entire IT infrastructure - ok, I got that. Every business needs to do that every so often to stay "current". On top of that, they decided to take it a step further by starting a wristband concept so that people need not bring wallets or purses with cash/plastic to the parks since that is so 20th century. This now allows people who are into "technology" to book their entire vacation ahead of time and so enter the Kingdom knowing that they already have fast passes setup for their favorite rides and can dine at their favorite restaurants. How wonderful!
Look…if Disney wants to appear ahead of the curve by integrating a tech heavy system into their parks that fans can access using smartphones, tablets, etc., that is fine. And if they want it all through a plastic wristband (that people can spend even more money on by customizing!!) that is fine. After all, the end result here all along - even in Walt's day - was to make money…lots of money.
The parts of this that I DO NOT LIKE, and a lot of people have already spoken to these points, are as follows:
- Lack of spontaneity. I don't see how this can't be impacted. My wife REALLY likes planning vacations so the MM+ concepts are wonderful to her. She likes to maximize what we pay for a Disney vacation by planning everything out prior to entering the parks. I am the opposite. I like staying on Deluxe properties and enjoying the amenities there during the day and prefer visiting the parks late afternoon until they close. Therefore planning for me is not as important. Plus, if you time rides during parades and fireworks, the lines are not as long. I like a degree of being spontaneous and I fear that this curtails that to a degree.
- Crowd control. The more I read about this, the more it seems as though WDW is forcing crowd control upon its guests. Yes you may schedule 3 FP rides however many days in advance. However, by using the FP+ system, you have now accepted the fact that a good majority of that day will be spent only in that park. Also, I believe that if you are going to DHS for example, one thing you won't be able to do with this system is select FP's for ToT, RnRC and TTMM on the same day. It appears to be forcing people to select less popular rides with a more popular ride. Or worse, it makes people choose rides that don't even need a FP option. For some people, such as myself, why would you buy park hoppers anymore? I guess you could, but you will have to enter the other three parks knowing that you will have no fast pass options.
To me, I feel that this is another way to help disperse crowds within the WDW parks that has been paired up with an IT infrastructure upgrade. Instead of building new and expensive rides for the four parks, they have opted to control crowds within the parks with a plan-in-advance system that forces pre-determined ride bundles for you to choose from.
In the end, if this is the path to the future for theme parks, so be it. However, subsequent to this, there better be improvements to the other three parks. Avatar is obviously a good start, as is converting AK into a full day park. But DHS and FW need much love. Maybe someone should send Iger a cheap laptop and the Roller Coaster Tycoon game so he can learn what happens when you add a bunch of cool new rides to a park. It is pretty amazing what happens!
"People will come [Ray}, people will most definitely come" - James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams.
. Surely there must be at least one person in "executive world" out there that can have the passion for the Parks that is needed and the business experience to know how a theme park should be operating. I felt like Mr. Iger was that person when he first started because of his enthusiasm for Tinker Bell, and felt like he was a breath of fresh air from Mr. Eisner's reign. But either I was duped (can happen easily because of the Pixie Dust) or Mr. Iger lost his way in the entrapments of fame, power and money.and use it. It also has the same "feel" as a credit card so the human mind still sees it as spending money. The band is, on some primitive level, not the same.
