That is a hard ride to describe, isn't it? I tell people, "It's like, if you mixed Soarin and Spider-Man and a roller coaster all up in me ride," but that doesn't really do it justice. You just have to ride the thing. It's so unique.
Yup! A wristband and no turnstile bar to push. Certainly worth at least a billion dollars.
Why do people spell it like that? Never had a proper response.
Yep, sarcastic because most folks would rather have a mind-blowing completely new attraction to obsess over than skip the turnstile.
. But, yeah, I can sorta see the convenience aspect. Whether of not that's worth what was/is spent to make that happen is a whole other topic... 
NextGen is not about eliminating turnstiles. It is an upgrade to all WDW customer facing IT. Wifi, in Park mobile apps, updated room locks, purchasing, personalized experiences, quicker resort checkin, pre-planned itineraries, etc. People may not like all of the changes, put at least Disney has been proactive in comprehensively updating customer facing technology.Yep, sarcastic because most folks would rather have a mind-blowing completely new attraction to obsess over than skip the turnstile.
I understand what NextGen is. Unfortunately, it's not near as interesting or as much fun as ground-breaking, mind-melting attractions. I'd plan a trip to see something amazing. Not planning a trip to go see how Disney applied technology to the flow of my trip. That's the point. It's a whole lot of money that could've been better spent. That's my opinion, tho. That's coming from a person who really doesn't care about tech junk or characters knowing my name.
Nobody. But over a billion dollars and this number of years...entire parks have been built for that time and money. I look at that and its a total moment. I've not yet seen or heard 1 thing that blows my mind, excites, or interests me about NextGen. That's just me. Heck, we coulda had a whole new E:E WITH a WORKING yeti. Just sayin...
I'll tell you.
What most people don't know is that there's a phase 2 to NextGen which is why it cost a billion dollars. In addition to skipping the turnstiles, guests who wear a bracelet get to board a hydrofoil at the TTC.
Next Gen isn't SUPPOSED to blow your mind. It's infrastructure. A platform. It's like roads or computers or accounting software. That's the problem. People are evaluating it like it's a billion dollar attraction. It's NOT an attraction. It's a thousand tiny improvements that will be implemented over time, some that will enhance the guest experience, some that will create operational efficiencies, and yes, some that will assist marketing efforts. I know it's shocking and appalling that a company spend money on such things, but it's all part of 21st century business.
I had wondered myself. Thanks for sharing.
I think the problem people are having with Next/Gen is that Disney themselves is making a big issue about it. If they had just slipped the upgrades in, without making all the fuss, there wouldn't be the discussion that's been going on. It may have even worked to their advantage that way.....a "hey, when I was at WDW, I wore this bracelet, and it did everything for me", type of reaction. Instead we've got a company telling us about all the tech you're going to be able to use (once they figure out how to get it working correctly) that will make our trips "better". IMHO, they should have kept their mouths shut on this. You don't see McDonalds making a huge deal about up-graded software to run their business.....they just introduce a new sandwich to get you in the door and you may notice faster, more efficient service at the counter or drive thru window, which in turn, makes a happier guest.
