MM+ Why we can't have nice things.

[englanddg]

they can laugh all they want... just like Blackberry did when new innovative technology in smart phones came out

give it time my friend... this isn't like building a new attraction of coming up with a new butterbeer...this is a whole new foundation to build upon

While it is a nice system, I am not sure it is a necessary one.

The question is, will it make people want to visit. Discussing this with family and friends who are NOT Disney fanatics, I can say no....this doesn't give them a call to action at all. However, Potterland and. Disney Cruises do.

Of course, this could be a popular perception...that the parks are hot and unappealing. But, I think it is more of a reflection on how they have stagnated. The one major expansion done only has one intriguing ride (mine train). The rest is a nice attempt, but nothing that would make Joe Schmoe spend his paycheck on.

Add to that the value. Universal hotels (outside of the soon to open CB) are of a theme and scale that rivals Disney Deluxe resorts. Yet, the rates are more akin to Disney Moderates.

Add in there transportation hassles with the busses (at Uni you can walk or take a water taxi or a rickshaw) and you have a compelling reason NOT to do Disney. Or, to only peel out a day or two to hit up Magic Kingdom and maybe Epcot.

The issue I have with MM+ is not the system. The system and idea behind it are very neat. But, it does nothing to change the other glaring issues the parks suffer from. And those issues are why I no longer care to spend extended trips at Disney, and am actually seeking offsite options like Legoland and Universal.

 

[WDWDad13]

Trouble is it's built on sand - the first strong tide will wash it away. Customer lock in schemes never work they only succeed in alienating substantial numbers of customers. I'm glad you like the system personally I despise it and I only stay onsite at DVC resorts.

NGE has forced me to do the unthinkable until now - that is do I really want to stay at Disney any longer and I've got nearly 4 figures of DVC points, Disney used to be my 'vacation from electronics/deadlines/planning' now I can't do that there any longer. Perhaps it's time to sell points and work on my book instead.

I am a DVC member as well and an annual passholder... I actually stayed 1 night at Pop and then offsite for the remaining 2 weeks (for the first time) at Bonnet Creek... used Magic Bands, MDE, FP+, Photopass+, and everything worked perfectly. I usually plan a few things, but this in no way kept me and my family from being spontaneous... to the contrary actually... it allowed us extra time to be spontaneous

 

[WDWDad13]

While it is a nice system, I am not sure it is a necessary one.

The question is, will it make people want to visit. Discussing this with family and friends who are NOT Disney fanatics, I can say no....this doesn't give them a call to action at all. However, Potterland and. Disney Cruises do.

you may be right in that this was necessary (right now), but the foundational system needed to change and use new technology which it is taking advantage of and will do more of down the road

I actually disagree with you as in will this make people want to visit. I know many who are intrigued with the magic bands and pre-planning part using apps, etc. that they want to check it out now. Sure there are some who are turned off as well but they don't have to plan anything if they don't want to...so nothing really changes there.

I have a feeling they are going to be talking about MM+ and the Magic Bands A LOT for the Disney Parks parade in a few days which should draw even more interest

 

[George]

I think that there is some hope with the addition of this system. It does make the glaring capacity inadequacies of WDW stand out. Perhaps, a bigwig will start addressing this issue at a higher rate that NFL and Avatar.

I am a DVC member as well and an annual passholder... I actually stayed 1 night at Pop and then offsite for the remaining 2 weeks (for the first time) at Bonnet Creek... used Magic Bands, MDE, FP+, Photopass+, and everything worked perfectly. I usually plan a few things, but this in no way kept me and my family from being spontaneous... to the contrary actually... it allowed us extra time to be spontaneous

We had a few problems with the system, but overall I found it pleasant as well. However, I'm concerned about the reported costs and the fact WDW has been in a fairly long period of slower than normal capital investment.

 

[doctornick]

I think that there is some hope with the addition of this system. It does make the glaring capacity inadequacies of WDW stand out. Perhaps, a bigwig will start addressing this issue at a higher rate that NFL and Avatar.

Agreed. I'm hoping that this makes the ride capacity issues of WDW more obvious and forces the hand of TDO/Burbank to address it and quicker than they otherwise would. I'm skeptical this will happen, but it should.

 

[WDWDad13]

We had a few problems with the system, but overall I found it pleasant as well. However, I'm concerned about the reported costs and the fact WDW has been in a fairly long period of slower than normal capital investment.

I am concerned about that as well.... hopefully this was a MAJOR learning lesson for them in project management and implementation (or lack there of that is).

I am however encouraged by Disney Springs and the Avatar concept art looks great as well. DHS and few things in EPCOT need a major steroid shot (or extreme cosmetic surgery) though

 

[ford91exploder]

I am a DVC member as well and an annual passholder... I actually stayed 1 night at Pop and then offsite for the remaining 2 weeks (for the first time) at Bonnet Creek... used Magic Bands, MDE, FP+, Photopass+, and everything worked perfectly. I usually plan a few things, but this in no way kept me and my family from being spontaneous... to the contrary actually... it allowed us extra time to be spontaneous

You missed the point - I'm an engineer who fixes large scale IT failures, PRE NGE I could leave phone in room and enjoy a ELECTRONICS FREE vacation. If I chose to grab a FP I had a convenient piece of paper to use as a reference, NGE requires that you have nose stuck in email all day, NOT A VACATION IN MY BOOK.

 

[WDWDad13]

You missed the point - I'm an engineer who fixes large scale IT failures, PRE NGE I could leave phone in room and enjoy a ELECTRONICS FREE vacation. If I chose to grab a FP I had a convenient piece of paper to use as a reference, NGE requires that you have nose stuck in email all day, NOT A VACATION IN MY BOOK.

that is completely false... NGE doesn't require you to use your phone or email AT ALL if you don't want to.... if you want an electronics free vacation, you can have one. I just used it for 2 weeks... some days I used my phone for the app, others I didn't at all and was just spontaneous as before

just like the old fastpass system... some used it, some didn't... personally I didn't before but now I do with the FP+ version.... there is old school and new school guests experiences.... you can choose to be in either one or both

 

[GrumpyFan]

You missed the point - I'm an engineer who fixes large scale IT failures, PRE NGE I could leave phone in room and enjoy a ELECTRONICS FREE vacation. If I chose to grab a FP I had a convenient piece of paper to use as a reference, NGE requires that you have nose stuck in email all day, NOT A VACATION IN MY BOOK.

Seems a bit of an over-reaction. You can still get away with leaving your phone in your room, if you choose, and then just use the kiosks located in the parks. Having a smartphone or access to email is somewhat helpful for experiencing MM+ and even with the use of FP+, but it's hardly REQUIRED, and it's certainly not necessary to "have your nose stuck in email all day". We used MagicBands in October, and basically went to the parks knowing what time our FP+ were and enjoyed the parks as we normally would, once our time windows came available, we just went to the attractions. Only on occasion did we check our times, and even make a change using MM+, but we were rarely on our phones. In fact, one day I carried my almost 2 year old iPhone 4 in the park and went more than 14 hours without having to charge it. So, it can be done, it's just a matter of how you choose to operate while in the parks.

 

[GrumpyFan]

While it is a nice system, I am not sure it is a necessary one.

The question is, will it make people want to visit. Discussing this with family and friends who are NOT Disney fanatics, I can say no....this doesn't give them a call to action at all. However, Potterland and. Disney Cruises do.

The issue I have with MM+ is not the system. The system and idea behind it are very neat. But, it does nothing to change the other glaring issues the parks suffer from. And those issues are why I no longer care to spend extended trips at Disney, and am actually seeking offsite options like Legoland and Universal.

I have to agree with you and say that overall, the MagicBand “experience” seems almost negligible and unnecessary. The whole thing with the MBs just feels almost gimmickry, like some little toy or dare I say, a shackle, like you're chained or restricted to Disney. For the average guest staying on-property, the added benefit would seem almost insignificant, except for the added ability to pre-select or reserve fastpass times, which for some is huge. Admittedly this is a nice feature that is easy to use and comes in handy at times, but for me at least, it’s not a game changer. Aside from this new “feature”, I don’t really see a huge value for the guest, and it’s certainly not enough when comparing WDW to their competition. I should add too, technically, it was possible for them to add the advanced reservation capabilities of FP+ without MagicBands.

I fully understand this is version 1, and there are going to be problems and adjustments that need to be made. In general, I'm a "technologist", and I love most all things new of a tech nature, but, so far, I'm not overly impressed with this, not do I see where its a big "plus" for guests.

 

[WDWDad13]

I have to agree with you and say that overall, the MagicBand “experience” seems almost negligible and unnecessary. The whole thing with the MBs just feels almost gimmickry, like some little toy or dare I say, a shackle, like you're chained or restricted to Disney. For the average guest staying on-property, the added benefit would seem almost insignificant, except for the added ability to pre-select or reserve fastpass times, which for some is huge. Admittedly this is a nice feature that is easy to use and comes in handy at times, but for me at least, it’s not a game changer. Aside from this new “feature”, I don’t really see a huge value for the guest, and it’s certainly not enough when comparing WDW to their competition. I should add too, technically, it was possible for them to add the advanced reservation capabilities of FP+ without MagicBands.

I fully understand this is version 1, and there are going to be problems and adjustments that need to be made. But, so far, I don't see where this is a big "plus" for guests.

personally my plusses were:

- not having to run to Toy Story, Soarin, Safari, Space Mountain, etc. when the park opened to ride and/or get fastpasses from the old machines

- not having to carry park tickets around for my whole family

- not having to carry credit cards or cash around which could be lost and used by someone else (or get wet on some rides)

- not having to carry around room keys

- not having to carry around photopass cards

- having additional time to do other things with my family (visit other attractions, shop, snack, rest, etc.) instead of standing in lines for paper fastpasses or at attractions I had previously booked to fastpass


I personally didn't use them to reserve spots for the nighttime entertainment or parades but I could certainly see where this could be beneficial... waiting (or should I say wasting) 1 to 1.5hrs for a decent spot only to be shoved away by the late comers gets old fast

 

[bhg469]

A few years ago the parent company of the company I work for bought millions worth of machines that were meant to make things easier for our clients. Then the purchase was a failure our parent company suffered no losses, my friends in my company lost their jobs. Seems about fair.

 

[GrumpyFan]

personally my plusses were:

- not having to run to Toy Story, Soarin, Safari, Space Mountain, etc. when the park opened to ride and/or get fastpasses from the old machines

- not having to carry park tickets around for my whole family

- not having to carry credit cards or cash around which could be lost and used by someone else

- not having to carry around room keys

- having additional time to do other things with my family (visit other attractions, shop, snack, rest, etc.) instead of standing in lines for paper fastpasses or at attractions I had previously booked to fastpass


I personally didn't use them to reserve spots for the nighttime entertainment or parades but I could certainly see where this could be beneficial... waiting (or should I say wasting) 1 to 1.5hrs for a decent spot only to be shoved away by the late comers gets old fast

The only thing in your list that didn't exist before MBs were the first and last items you mentioned.

If you stayed on-property, the Key To The Wold card contained your park tickets, credit/purchase abilities (tied to your credit card), room key(s), offered the ability to use fastpass, just not advanced reservation of them. Prior to the implementation of MB, we only carried our KTTW cards with us to the parks. And, like I mentioned, the advanced reservation feature for Fastpass and parade/firework locations could have technically been implemented using the KTTW cards.

For the record, I'm not anti-MB or MM+, I just don't see a huge advantage for the AVERAGE guest in using them.

 

[bhg469]

Did they need to replace all the room key readers?

Did they need to change from a card to touch for purchasing?

Did they need to update back of house infrastructure?

Did they need to change the Fastpass system?

Maybe, maybe, yes, and no. But it's been and still is a farcical operation of embarrassing proportions. And against what's been said by others, the cost is now having a direct impact on the parks and attractions.

I dont think there's a maybe anywhere in there! We didn't ask for it or need it, and im positive the uninformed customer doesn't care either. In fact those people going for the first time would probably prefer a snow white dark ride to a meet and get and a bracelet.

 

[fosse76]

I have to agree with you and say that overall, the MagicBand “experience” seems almost negligible and unnecessary. The whole thing with the MBs just feels almost gimmickry, like some little toy or dare I say, a shackle, like you're chained or restricted to Disney.

I agree. In my assessment after having utilized MBs, I can't imagine how Disney expects this to make money. If they think guests will only make impulse purchases (i.e., increase spending) because they don't have to pull a wallet out of their pocket or purse, then they must think their guests are extremely lazy...in which case why would these lazy people microplan their vacation in the first place. The only way, at least as of now, that a MB would increase spending is by a guest who wants to play with the novelty of using the band (which in many cases may take longer than digging through a wallet or purse, because it needs to line up "just right"). The MB itself is absolutely a gimmick, because you can get a card that does the exact same thing.

For the average guest staying on-property, the added benefit would seem almost insignificant, except for the added ability to pre-select or reserve fastpass times, which for some is huge. Admittedly this is a nice feature that is easy to use and comes in handy at times, but for me at least, it’s not a game changer. Aside from this new “feature”, I don’t really see a huge value for the guest, and it’s certainly not enough when comparing WDW to their competition. I should add too, technically, it was possible for them to add the advanced reservation capabilities of FP+ without MagicBands.

Exactly. No one is going to visit WDW simply because they can pre-plan FPs. I mean, seriously, who decides on a vaction location because "we can plan every second of our day 3 months in advance!"?

I fully understand this is version 1, and there are going to be problems and adjustments that need to be made. In general, I'm a "technologist", and I love most all things new of a tech nature, but, so far, I'm not overly impressed with this, not do I see where its a big "plus" for guests.

There is nothing about this that is a "plus" for guests. The ability to pre-plan FPs comes at the expense of "unlimited" FPs per day and at multiple parks. In addition, it absolutely hinders spontenaety. Once they start using the tracking in the bands to start their "upsell" assault to attempt guests into "impulse buying", there's no way this will make money from guests.

 

[ford91exploder]

Seems a bit of an over-reaction. You can still get away with leaving your phone in your room, if you choose, and then just use the kiosks located in the parks. Having a smartphone or access to email is somewhat helpful for experiencing MM+ and even with the use of FP+, but it's hardly REQUIRED, and it's certainly not necessary to "have your nose stuck in email all day". We used MagicBands in October, and basically went to the parks knowing what time our FP+ were and enjoyed the parks as we normally would, once our time windows came available, we just went to the attractions. Only on occasion did we check our times, and even make a change using MM+, but we were rarely on our phones. In fact, one day I carried my almost 2 year old iPhone 4 in the park and went more than 14 hours without having to charge it. So, it can be done, it's just a matter of how you choose to operate while in the parks.

Really,

Have you seen the lines at the Kiosks 40-50 people deep, Lines at GR out the door - That's stress that's not a vacation.

 

[ford91exploder]

Seems a bit of an over-reaction. You can still get away with leaving your phone in your room, if you choose, and then just use the kiosks located in the parks. Having a smartphone or access to email is somewhat helpful for experiencing MM+ and even with the use of FP+, but it's hardly REQUIRED, and it's certainly not necessary to "have your nose stuck in email all day". We used MagicBands in October, and basically went to the parks knowing what time our FP+ were and enjoyed the parks as we normally would, once our time windows came available, we just went to the attractions. Only on occasion did we check our times, and even make a change using MM+, but we were rarely on our phones. In fact, one day I carried my almost 2 year old iPhone 4 in the park and went more than 14 hours without having to charge it. So, it can be done, it's just a matter of how you choose to operate while in the parks.

Went in August was jammed into the 'test' for these things and experience was so bad I cancelled holiday vacation over it. Some friends went week before last and they were 'underwhelmed' by the experience.

 

[GrumpyFan]

In fact those people going for the first time would probably prefer a snow white dark ride to a meet and get and a bracelet.

That's probably a stretch. I don't really think the first-timers care. They're just excited to be there and see everything. It's the repeats (like us), who want more attractions. However, the question is, does MB/MM+ make it easier for first-timers (and repeats) to plan and enjoy the parks in such a measure as they will want to come back and do it again? And, more importantly, from Disney's perspective, do guests spend more time and money on their visit?

I think for now, the answer to the first question is probably a wash, or not really that much greater than before, at least for repeats. But from what they have said publicly, the answer to the second question seems to be a big "yes". In which case it would pretty much negate the first question.

 

[John]

WDW dad I think its only fair that you disclose that you have a vested interest in Disney and it success. Your view might be slanted because of this.

 

[GrumpyFan]

Really,

Have you seen the lines at the Kiosks 40-50 people deep, Lines at GR out the door - That's stress that's not a vacation.

Did not see any lines whatsoever when we there in October. I guess it just depends on when you go.
P.S. If you're averse to long lines, perhaps you should try Disney during non-peak times. Otherwise, enjoy it, the lines are a "free bonus" Disney includes as part of the experience.