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

[Nubs70]

As I witnessed during my latest trip. FP+ is less efficient than traditional FP. It takes 1 second to hand the paper FP to the CM and works 100% of the time while scanning a MagicBand takes 3-4 seconds and often works less than 100% of the time.

As for checking the return time for my next ride time with FP, I reach into my pocket and read the time. FP+ requires me to reach into my pocket, access the app, and cycle through pages to find my next return time. While hopefully not walking into something just as I did three times at the airport on my way to the Disney bus.

As for changing ride reservations, FP+ does win on this point. However, I am the type that when an appointment is made, that is the time I will arrive.

 

[Clamman73]

As I witnessed during my latest trip. FP+ is less efficient than traditional FP. It takes 1 second to hand the paper FP to the CM and works 100% of the time while scanning a MagicBand takes 3-4 seconds and often works less than 100% of the time.

As for checking the return time for my next ride time with FP, I reach into my pocket and read the time. FP+ requires me to reach into my pocket, access the app, and cycle through pages to find my next return time. While hopefully not walking into something just as I did three times at the airport on my way to the Disney bus.

As for changing ride reservations, FP+ does win on this point. However, I am the type that when an appointment is made, that is the time I will arrive.

I found the same thing where I would make a mental note of the fastpass times I had, but then later on walking in the parks I would second guess if Soarin was 2-3 or was it 2:15 - 3:15, so I had to recheck my iPod as to what time it was exactly; it's like I had to make a cheat sheet for all my FP times, whereas getting the paper pass it was very handy to just look at it quickly.

Personally, I enjoyed using the Magic Band for everything except fastpass. If they can make a second generation band that had a LED screen like the FitBand or Fuel band that would scroll the Fastpass times, then maybe that's cool. But otherwise....

 

[lazyboy97o]

Personally, I enjoyed using the Magic Band for everything except fastpass. If they can make a second generation band that had a LED screen like the FitBand or Fuel band that would scroll the Fastpass times, then maybe that's cool. But otherwise....

That'll be the MagicBand++ available for $299.99.

 

[GoofGoof]

Yes I will agree.. FP+ just does not work. I stated in a earlier post. I tested the FP+ last Sept. I knew right then, and there, these are not a good idea. I also always like to point out as to why would anyone get the PH option now?

Reasons to park hop: AK closes at 5PM some days and DHS is a half day park too. EPCOT has good food and drink options. I have park hopped a number of times just for dinner or a nighttime show/parade without riding any rides in the second park. If you are staying at an EPCOT resort it is worth getting a park hopper ticket just to be able to go into EPCOT whenever you want with just a short walk. The pastries in France are great and such a short walk from the international gate

Even at the busiest times if you arrive at any park at rope drop the standby lines are generally light for the first hour or two. You could make FP reservations for DHS in the evening and then arrive at AK at rope drop and ride Everest and the Safari with minimal wait then catch a few more rides or shows (nothing else there ever has a wait more than 10 or 15 minutes) before hopping over to DHS for your TSMM reservation and/or Fantasmic at night. In a way that plan works a little better now that you can schedule TSMM in advance for say 6PM. With regular FP you would hop to DHS and hope there were still tickets available when you got there. If not it was either a skip or a long wait. No other DHS rides have waits over 30 mins during all but the busiest times of year especially at night.

 

[mitchk]

Reasons to park hop: AK closes at 5PM some days and DHS is a half day park too. EPCOT has good food and drink options. I have park hopped a number of times just for dinner or a nighttime show/parade without riding any rides in the second park. If you are staying at an EPCOT resort it is worth getting a park hopper ticket just to be able to go into EPCOT whenever you want with just a short walk. The pastries in France are great and such a short walk from the international gate

Even at the busiest times if you arrive at any park at rope drop the standby lines are generally light for the first hour or two. You could make FP reservations for DHS in the evening and then arrive at AK at rope drop and ride Everest and the Safari with minimal wait then catch a few more rides or shows (nothing else there ever has a wait more than 10 or 15 minutes) before hopping over to DHS for your TSMM reservation and/or Fantasmic at night. In a way that plan works a little better now that you can schedule TSMM in advance for say 6PM. With regular FP you would hop to DHS and hope there were still tickets available when you got there. If not it was either a skip or a long wait. No other DHS rides have waits over 30 mins during all but the busiest times of year especially at night.

Yes, well you sound like a band person. That's all well , and good, see, I have a 2yo, so all that running around would not be worth it for me. I would rather just be able to go to a park in the morning, get FP or so, hit the rides, head back to the resort, then maybe hit EPCOT grab a FP for something later that night .... I don't know, if its not broke, why fix it, I don't have a need for my name to be on a screen at the end of Small World ...

 

[flynnibus]

If all the FPs at RSR are distributed by 10:00 am. What makes you think that at 5:00pm you would be able to get a FP+? Especially with everyone being able to reserve them 60 days out.

You start with a very big 'if'...

I'll pose it another question for you - why would Disneyland bother rolling out the system with variables they know won't work for anyone? Why does everyone think this will be some system locked in concrete with universal variables everywhere on everyday?

Disney can offer the same service of FP+ at different parks with very different objectives and very different inputs to control how many and WHEN FPs are available.

 

[GoofGoof]

Yes, well you sound like a band person. That's all well , and good, see, I have a 2yo, so all that running around would not be worth it for me. I would rather just be able to go to a park in the morning, get FP or so, hit the rides, head back to the resort, then maybe hit EPCOT grab a FP for something later that night .... I don't know, if its not broke, why fix it, I don't have a need for my name to be on a screen at the end of Small World ...

None of what I said has anything to do with the bands so I don't know how that makes me a band person. You asked why anyone would buy a park hopper ticket now. I just gave a few reasons why some people might.

 

[Cesar R M]

I am very much OK with a CM knowing where I am while I am on Disney property. Why does this matter and why should I be worried? No one seems to care about cameras videoing us EVERYWHERE (not just at Disney)

But they aren't "everywhere". Don't confuse a bank and las vegas to "everywhere".

The bands, when they work, are fine.
The tracking/data mining aspect sucks.
And FastPass+ is a travesty!

only travesty? not "outrageous" travesty?

That'll be the MagicBand++ available for $299.99.

Thats so cheap.. I was expecting the price to be something along the lines of "a kidney and a liver".

You start with a very big 'if'...

I'll pose it another question for you - why would Disneyland bother rolling out the system with variables they know won't work for anyone? Why does everyone think this will be some system locked in concrete with universal variables everywhere on everyday?

Disney can offer the same service of FP+ at different parks with very different objectives and very different inputs to control how many and WHEN FPs are available.

"If" is the non-statistics way to say "higher than 33% of probability" .

 

[RSoxNo1]

As I witnessed during my latest trip. FP+ is less efficient than traditional FP. It takes 1 second to hand the paper FP to the CM and works 100% of the time while scanning a MagicBand takes 3-4 seconds and often works less than 100% of the time.

As for checking the return time for my next ride time with FP, I reach into my pocket and read the time. FP+ requires me to reach into my pocket, access the app, and cycle through pages to find my next return time. While hopefully not walking into something just as I did three times at the airport on my way to the Disney bus.

As for changing ride reservations, FP+ does win on this point. However, I am the type that when an appointment is made, that is the time I will arrive.

Let's not forget that less than two years ago you didn't need to reschedule, there was no enforcement of the end time.

 

[RSoxNo1]

You start with a very big 'if'...

I'll pose it another question for you - why would Disneyland bother rolling out the system with variables they know won't work for anyone? Why does everyone think this will be some system locked in concrete with universal variables everywhere on everyday?

Disney can offer the same service of FP+ at different parks with very different objectives and very different inputs to control how many and WHEN FPs are available.

This is the one thing I'm thankful of. I sincerely hope that they use what could be a very user friendly system with the legacy distribution rules. That's a competitive advantage. That improves the guest experience.

 

[nor'easter]

I am very much OK with a CM knowing where I am while I am on Disney property. Why does this matter and why should I be worried? No one seems to care about cameras videoing us EVERYWHERE (not just at Disney)

There's a big difference between video, which is there for safety and crime prevention, and a corporation tracking me for their own greedy reasons. And yes, I feel the same way about facebook, the sanctimonious google, etc. as well.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

You start with a very big 'if'...

I'll pose it another question for you - why would Disneyland bother rolling out the system with variables they know won't work for anyone? Why does everyone think this will be some system locked in concrete with universal variables everywhere on everyday?

Disney can offer the same service of FP+ at different parks with very different objectives and very different inputs to control how many and WHEN FPs are available.

The current FP system could have been adjusted to only pass out so many per hour, but they chose a free for all until the day was booked. I can foresee a similar scenario happening with FP+ since guests would complain that 49 days out they were blocked, but day of there were FP+ times available.

 

[JimboJones123]

Reasons to park hop: AK closes at 5PM some days and DHS is a half day park too. EPCOT has good food and drink options. I have park hopped a number of times just for dinner or a nighttime show/parade without riding any rides in the second park. If you are staying at an EPCOT resort it is worth getting a park hopper ticket just to be able to go into EPCOT never you want with just a short walk. The pastries in France are great and such a short walk from the international gate

Even at the busiest times if you arrive at any park at rope drop the standby lines are generally light for the first hour or two. You could make FP reservations for DHS in the evening and then arrive at AK at rope drop and ride Everest and the Safari with minimal wait then catch a few more rides or shows (nothing else there ever has a wait more than 10 or 15 minutes) before hopping over to DHS for your TSMM reservation and/or Fantasmic at night. In a way that plan works a little better now that you can schedule TSMM in advance for say 6PM. With regular FP you would hop to DHS and hope there were still tickets available when you got there. If not it was either a skip or a long wait. No other DHS rides have waits over 30 mins during all but the busiest times of year especially at night.

People keep assuming that a 6pm FP for TSMM will be there. Unless it is booked days or even weeks in advance, it will not exist.

On any given day, what, 40-50‰ of guests are staying at Disney resorts? Heck, I do not even know if that is generous. But lets say double the guests currently start using FP+.

HOLY CRAP!!! There sure as heck won't be any FP+ for TSMM, TT, or Sorin' the day of..... ever.

Nobody has mentioned the locals FP+ hording. Seriously, what is to keep me from logging in 60 days out every day and booking Tier 1 FPs? Every day. On the whim that I feel like going. Just so I have a standing reservation for whenever I want it???

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Not so. As I mentioned I used the system at WDW. Able to change FP's the day before and in the AM no problem. It is once the paper guests get in that the FP's were gone.

As of now only resort guests can per book. And not all resort guests can pre-book. I had family down this past week who booked through Expedia for Port Orleans and they could not pre-book even though they were resort guests with magic bands. As soon as they got in the park they boogied to a kiosk and booked their 3 FP+. After this thing goes fully live and off site, Expedia on-site, and AP. Plus day guests booking at rope drop are in the mix, good luck changing plans after 9:10 am.

 

[mitchk]

None of what I said has anything to do with the bands so I don't know how that makes me a band person. You asked why anyone would buy a park hopper ticket now. I just gave a few reasons why some people might.

I hear ya, and thank you for the reasons! I'm sorry, I just hate those bands..lol

 

[GoofGoof]

People keep assuming that a 6pm FP for TSMM will be there. Unless it is booked days or even weeks in advance, it will not exist.

On any given day, what, 40-50‰ of guests are staying at Disney resorts? Heck, I do not even know if that is generous. But lets say double the guests currently start using FP+.

HOLY CRAP!!! There sure as heck won't be any FP+ for TSMM, TT, or Sorin' the day of..... ever.

If it is booked days or weeks or even 60 days in advance it will be there. I'm not saying it will be there for every guest if they arrive that day at DHS and try to book it. I get that there are a limited number of reservations. On the flip side people keep assuming they will never get a chance to book 6PM FP for TSMM or that you will never get a reservation for TT or Soarin. It's just not true. Someone will get those reservations (actually, a lot of someone's).

My main point on park hopping was that under the current system if I hop to DHS at 6pm I will either wait in a 60 min+ line or skip TSMM. Under the new system if I am one of the lucky ones to get a 6PM reservation in advance I don't have to worry it's booked. That was all I was saying. It's one small scenario where the new system presents an advantage to at least some guests. I guess that labels me a "magic band person" but I call it like I see it. I can not particularly care for something in general and still manage to see positives in it. Its not totally black and white for me.

Nobody has mentioned the locals FP+ hording. Seriously, what is to keep me from logging in 60 days out every day and booking Tier 1 FPs? Every day. On the whim that I feel like going. Just so I have a standing reservation for whenever I want it???

I'm guessing that is why they haven't fully opened FP+ reservations to AP holders. Still trying to work out the process. It will become pretty obvious if this turns into a problem. They will know how many were booked and not used by someone who never stepped foot in a park. If there becomes a history of repeat abuses I'm sure the policy will quickly change to either a limited number of reservations per month/quarter/year or possibly AP holders would only be able to book reservations either day of or maybe a day or 2 in advance. Disney has shown very little loyalty to AP holders (especially FL residents) so I wouldn't be surprised if they got screwed on this especially if people start gaming the system or intentionally wasting FP reservations.

 

[WDWDad13]

There's a big difference between video, which is there for safety and crime prevention, and a corporation tracking me for their own greedy reasons. And yes, I feel the same way about facebook, the sanctimonious google, etc. as well.

I guess they couldn't possibly be tracking people (if they even are) for crowd control data

 

[Goofyernmost]

^ I hope it was not, I was also pretty excited about Monstropolis. The people who run the Disney and More website said that Sorin' around the world was coming to both DCA and Epcot. Any insider word on this or anything else that was featured in that tear factory on Mice Chat?

Weren't you the same person that just said that adding new attractions was BS? Just needed to clean up the old ones and run the monorail to DTD (Disney Springs)?

Yeah, but it seems like AK's new expansions are going full steam ahead. I really hope Iger ends MM+ and fires some people.

Don't hold your breath!

 

[Goofyernmost]

So that means you are Ok with some random CM knowing where you are to a resolution of 20' 24x7 while on Disney property.

Full Disclosure I am involved with DESIGNING wireless tracking technology to track high value physical assets in the absence of GPS (Think indoors) with a secondary usage for Alzheimers victims.

As such I know all the methods by which I can be tracked. However I am willing to to use trackable technology when it directly benefits ME. Disney's tracking tech does NOT benefit ME.

I explicitly DO NOT WANT to WEAR a tracker 24x7x365 so some authority 'knows' where I am, That is Orwellian to say the least.

I might agree with you if I had a clue about how it benefits Disney not you. And why it's any different then back when they followed you with a camera. At least now you don't need makeup!

 

[Thrill]

Somehow the argument of "why spend 1.2 billion on infrastructure instead of attractions" has gotten a new angle now...

Spending $1.2 billion on infrastructure makes sense if you get $1.2 billion worth of infrastructure. Disney didn't get $1.2 billion worth of infrastructure.

A big part of NextGen is RFID, which I have (in the weaker form of NFC) sitting next to me right now. Another big part is a website to handle FastPasses. I could crank that out in a couple of months on my own. The technology components are worth next to nothing, as far as I'm concerned.

The only other major part of NextGen (that I can think of) is interactive queues, which are honestly a poor investment. It's asking to fix things, and we all know TDO doesn't like doing that.