My Magic + details ...

[Jeffxz]

A room-only reservation does not allow you to pre-book FastPasses prior to your visit. You have to have active ticket media associated with your My Disney Experience account in conjunction with the room reservation to pre-book FastPasses. If a CM is letting you in or you are using comp tickets, that is not something you can link to the account. I have heard that down the road if the Cast Member is staying in the room with you and plans on letting you in they will be able to pre-book FastPasses about 7 days prior but that's it.

I think this is in place to help prevent the same situation with FP+ that occurred with dining reservations that led to the whole CC guarantee thing.

Also, Carousel of Progress will not have FP+ I wish people would stop using this as an example.

So you are saying a WDW resort room will be required for any type of FP+ pre booking? Everything I've seen prior to this indicated that this wouldn't be limited to only WDW hotel guests.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Len: Our next time with the Mouse will be January in DL; we are so put-off by the overwhelming barrage of details, procedures, hyper-planning, reliance on shaky Disney technical infrastructure, having our "get away from it all" vacation linked to a smartphone --- honestly, despite our love of WDW we're honestly not sure when we'll ever be interested in going again. If there's anyone who can rekindle our interest, it's you -- counting on a FP+ "survival guide" in a future edition of the Unofficial Guide. You're the one source we can count on telling it like it is, and how to make it work without losing our minds -- or our cool.

If you are turned off by the hyper planning now required by WDW, consider staying onsite for 2 or 3 nights at Universal.

Seriously.

It's great being able to sleep in, walk to both theme parks, and get unlimited Express Pass good for every attraction except Forbidden Journey and Pteranodon Flyers. After a few hours around lunch, return to the hotel for a quick swim or afternoon nap, and then back for the evening when it's cooler.

Unlike WDW, Uni's restaurants gladly accept walk-ins and, if you want to be seated almost immediately, booking an ADR in the morning is easy. No need to map these out 180 days in advance.

Universal's onsite hotels start at about the same price as a 35% off "Room Only" discount at WDW's Deluxe Resorts and with a single Preferred AP you should be able to stay at a Uni Deluxe Resort for less than WDW's Moderate Resorts. Stay onsite more than a few nights and the Uni Preferred AP pays for itself.

If you are in love with The Mouse, then no theme park is every going to match WDW. But if you are open-minded, staying onsite at Uni could completely change the way you view theme parks. With the reduction in Extra Magic Hours along with apparently declining bus service, the way Uni treats its onsite guests really started me thinking that WDW seems to take its onsite guests for granted.

Uni treats its onsite guests like valued customers. WDW treats its onsite guests like factory inventory, something to be optimized.

 

[flynnibus]

Exactly, I liken it to the RFID systems at gas stations. I never see anyone using them. RFID is no more convenient nor does RFID make me buy more gas due to the "fun" of using the fob.

That's a poor comparison tho - gas is a utilitarian purchase. You buy it when you need it.. not because you are in the mood for some gas.. or might be convinced gas is the entertainment you need right now.

 

[Captain Chaos]

That's a poor comparison tho - gas is a utilitarian purchase. You buy it when you need it.. not because you are in the mood for some gas.. or might be convinced gas is the entertainment you need right now.

Hey, some people provide rather interesting entertainment with gas... Entertainment that makes people say "EWWW GROSS"

 

[mergatroid]

Here is something I thought about....in my case I visit on a CM discount. We get our ticket comped. Our FP+ will be linked to our room ressie. SO if I have ressies for say seven days but have zero intentions of visiting the parks everyday we still can make our FP+ reservations....thus taking a FP that someone else could use. Is there enough situations like mine that will make a difference? If I don't show up for that time slot it isn't like someone else could use that FP.....that time slot is now wasted. I intend to make my ressies for everyday I have available. Why? because I am not the uber planner. I may have a loose plan of action but I visit and do what I want at whim. Disney is forcing me to do this. I really would rather not have to do it but if I do decide to go to the parks at least I have something. Maybe there wont be that many guest visiting the parks that are in my situation and in the big picture it wont matter much. But lets say its 5,000 people ( which I am sure it is many more) that are visiting the parks on a particular day that their ticket is comped.....that's 15,000 FP's right there.

Now you multiply that times the number of people who simply blow off their FP ressie now your talking about many many unused FP's. You say...."big deal" the line will be shorter? Ok but what about the people who couldn't score that now unused FP and now has a FP for COP? Because Disney wants you to plan every second of your day...I don't think that FP+ will make it easier to do more on your visit. Between Dining ressies and FP ressies and standby lines I don't think this lends itself to a commando style of doing the parks. Disney dosnt care if you experience more....they just want you to have a finite amount to do so they can extrapolate the most amount of money from you by controlling your visit.

Its no longer about the guest experience. Some of you say you don't mind this new program...that other then Fp+ it seems like a nice addition. IMO anything that makes it more work....more to do.....more involved to vacation is a hindrance of why I am on vacation to begin with. This time when I visit WDW. Not only will I be visiting less days....I am doing just the opposite of what Disney wanted me to do... I am not doing the dining plan ( first time since its inception) I will make my FP+ ressies but have no intentions of adhering to them. If I am in that park at that time I will use them if not.....system be dammed. I didn't volunteer to do it. If Disney or you don't want me or don't like me doing this....then just let me have my regular FP. They cant have it both ways. I will pay cash for most things like I always do. Am I doing this out of spite because I don't like the program? NO! I am doing it because I want a stress free....relatively flexible vacation. I get one a year and I just want to enjoy myself and relax. Disney has now officially "ressied" me to death.

Can't agree more. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing, but I'm now worrying about all the extra planning I may need to do in advance and the knock on effect this system may cause to those not even using it. I've never had the months leading up to my trip containing worries and concerns like I have this, I'm still looking forward to it but it now feels slightly tarnished.

 

[Nubs70]

That's a poor comparison tho - gas is a utilitarian purchase. You buy it when you need it.. not because you are in the mood for some gas.. or might be convinced gas is the entertainment you need right now.

Utilitarian or discretionary, a purchase is a purchase. Either by cash, credit, kttw, or MagicBand, purchasing a product or service at WDW is still a transaction. Staggs could have really excited everyone about MM+ by claiming that customers spend more with the MagicBand because they found it to be an "orgasmic" experience.

 

[englanddg]

Can't agree more. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing, but I'm now worrying about all the extra planning I may need to do in advance and the knock on effect this system may cause to those not even using it. I've never had the months leading up to my trip containing worries and concerns like I have this, I'm still looking forward to it but it now feels slightly tarnished.

Youknow, I wouldn't mind so much if I had any confidence that Disney site / app would function in a speedy and convenient manner...

I hate that there is a 3 - 10 second lag between page load times, and sometimes more if it's doing something more complex...

I hate that features work one hour and are randomly broken the next.

I hate that disney Wifi has never been good, and I don't expect the new offerings to be any better...

I simply do not have any confidence that this will in any way be function well, at least not for a while. And, even when the site seems to be working 100%, it still feels clunky and has slow load times, etc...

I normally load schedules, ADRs, etc into a google docs spreadsheet which I attach to my phone, and I've been known to spend hours doing so (over several months, of course) and enjoyed doing it.

When I first heard about My Disney Experience, I thought...hrm, ok, I can drop my normal planning tools and just use this...

Except...THIS IS SO DARNED FRUSTRATING!

Click....wait....click...wait...click...oh, it forgot my session, so now I need to log in again, good thing I checked "remember me"...click...wait...click...wait...click...check reservation availability...wait...wait...wait...click...wait...Oh, it defaulted to today instead of the date of trip, even though I went to add it through the DAY ON THE TRIP PLANNER FEATURE...change date...wait...click...wait...wait...wait...no times...click...wait...click...wait...click...new restaurant...click...wait...wait...click...wait...wait...wait...wait...ALLRIGHT! Choose reservation time...click...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...confirm reservation information...click...wait...wait...wait...wait...Oh, it needs a credit card number, ok, no problem...click...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...go get some coffee...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...DONALD!

<punch computer screen>

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Reads through post... Reads through a second time... Stares blankly at screen...



WHAT DOES ALL THAT MEAN????????????

That's EXACTLY what I did.

Then I realized I really don't CARE what it all means. I'm out.

As long as DL doesn't adopt this program, they get my money.

And if DL does adopt it... Houston, we have a problem.

 

[ParentsOf4]

I hate that disney Wifi has never been good, and I don't expect the new offerings to be any better...

I was genuinely shocked at how bad WiFi was at AKL this week. My entire family experienced horrendously slow service which inevitably dropped connections every few minutes.

It concerns me that they can't get it running at a single hotel and yet expect tens of thousands to use it all day long at the theme parks.

 

[Nemo14]

I was genuinely shocked at how bad WiFi was at AKL this week. My entire family experienced horrendously slow service which inevitably dropped connections every few minutes.

It concerns me that they can't get it running at a single hotel and yet expect tens of thousands to use it all day long at the theme parks.

Ours worked fine at our off-site condo....just sayin'

 

[englanddg]

I was genuinely shocked at how bad WiFi was at AKL this week. My entire family experienced horrendously slow service which inevitably dropped connections every few minutes.

It concerns me that they can't get it running at a single hotel and yet expect tens of thousands to use it all day long at the theme parks.

In 2010, they were testing it at CBR...it behaved just like that (and, they were still charging $10 a day, which I paid)

In 2011, they had brought back ethernet to CBR, and I was happy the whole time (even paying $10 a day)

In 2012, they had it for FREE at Pop...and it STILL behaved like that. They rolled it out on the parks during my trip...and it STILL behaved like that.

And, here we are nearly a year later and I'm hearing it's STILL behaving like that.

Also, your bolded statement, exactly my concern as well. Also, I need internet when I am away...it's not a nicety, it's a requirement. I do a lot more than just check emails and browse a few news sites on my vacation.

I would gladly pay a daily rate to have a "premium tier" internet service based on ethernet from Disney. I may be representative of a limited market, but considering how many people take longer vacations to WDW (2 and 3 week), I doubt I am alone...I simply cannot be completely disconnected from the office and clients for that long a period.

 

[Monty]

Exactly, I liken it to the RFID systems at gas stations. I never see anyone using them. RFID is no more convenient nor does RFID make me buy more gas due to the "fun" of using the fob.

Just because you never see it being used doesn't mean it isn't. The fob takes less than a second or two to "use", seeing people using them on a regular basis would likely get you labelled a "gawker" and have some folks calling the cops!

I have an RFID fob and use it every time I buy gas. It is much more convenient than using a credit card and a rewards card every time. I will agree that I don't buy more or less gas as a result, but the rest of your argument has no real substance.

 

[Monty]

In 2010, they were testing it at CBR...it behaved just like that (and, they were still charging $10 a day, which I paid)

In 2011, they had brought back ethernet to CBR, and I was happy the whole time (even paying $10 a day)

In 2012, they had it for FREE at Pop...and it STILL behaved like that. They rolled it out on the parks during my trip...and it STILL behaved like that.

And, here we are nearly a year later and I'm hearing it's STILL behaving like that.

Also, your bolded statement, exactly my concern as well. Also, I need internet when I am away...it's not a nicety, it's a requirement. I do a lot more than just check emails and browse a few news sites on my vacation.

I would gladly pay a daily rate to have a "premium tier" internet service based on ethernet from Disney. I may be representative of a limited market, but considering how many people take longer vacations to WDW (2 and 3 week), I doubt I am alone...I simply cannot be completely disconnected from the office and clients for that long a period.

I take a mobile hotspot with me. For $30 I get 1GB of data that's available for up to a month. For the most part [there are some blind spots] it gives me reliable connectivity without being dependent on Disney's less-than-stellar Guest WiFi.

 

[englanddg]

I take a mobile hotspot with me. For $30 I get 1GB of data that's available for up to a month. For the most part [there are some blind spots] it gives me reliable connectivity without being dependent on Disney's less-than-stellar Guest WiFi.

What service provider?

I brought a Sprint (3G/Clearwire Wimax (4G)) with me in 2010 and couldn't get it to work well at all. I brought it back in 2011, but didn't need it. I had an Evo with hotspot features in 2012, and couldn't get that to work well either.

 

[MissM]

Wanna go to Disneyland?

Sadly, not an option for us FL resident AP's. WDW is a little over an hour hop in the car. Disneyland is 7 hours in a plane and major planning and cost. I think all this hyper planning is so very anti-resident/anti-AP. And that's a downer since so many locals/AP's are really passionate about Disney and the parks. I sometimes feel like we're the dog who keeps getting kicked and shunned for the dingy doghouse when the bright, shiny new puppy joins the family.

 

[Monty]

What service provider?

I brought a Sprint (3G/Clearwire Wimax (4G)) with me in 2010 and couldn't get it to work well at all. I brought it back in 2011, but didn't need it. I had an Evo with hotspot features in 2012, and couldn't get that to work well either.

Bought the hotspot from a Canadian company, Roam Mobility. Their website doesn't say which network they use, but I think it's AT&T [not sure].

 

[englanddg]

Bought the hotspot from a Canadian company, Roam Mobility. Their website doesn't say which network they use, but I think it's AT&T [not sure].

I'll look into it.

This year I was considering bringing along a Verizon hotspot...

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Sadly, not an option for us FL resident AP's. WDW is a little over an hour hop in the car. Disneyland is 7 hours in a plane and major planning and cost. I think all this hyper planning is so very anti-ease of use/anti-any kind of visitor. And that's a downer since so many locals/AP's are really passionate about Disney and the parks. I sometimes feel like we're the dog who keeps getting kicked and shunned for the dingy doghouse when the bright, shiny new puppy joins the family.

Fixed that for you.

 

[flynnibus]

Utilitarian or discretionary, a purchase is a purchase

Uh.. ok. please stay away from any planning sessions for the safety of all involved..

Where your gas analogy would matter is things like customer loyalty and attracting new customers - a new form of payment isn't going to make you need gas more frequently.

Compare this with the theme park example.. where guests are ennandated with opportunistic, discretionary purchases all the time. Customer spending is largely by choice, with virtually unlimited upside. Increasing per guest spend is a closely watched metric.. for which how someone completes a transaction (pay now, pay later, charge, cash vs credit, incremental vs bundle, bulk vs metered, etc) can have direct INFLUENCES on guest behavior. Influences that are tracked and evaluated. The Magic Band is just another in that line...

 

[wogwog]

Wow...when you scratch the surface and get into all the possible details of this new system, things can get really complicated. The level of planning has been escalated to crazy levels.

Good grief. I may be too exhausted after jumping through the hoops before a trip to enjoy the visit. Think I would skip the parks and take a cruise. $3 billion and counting.