I don't think so, unless it's after the next test group. I have the ability to book FP+s for our mid Oct trip as we are staying in a test resort.
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- Thread starter WDW1974
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I don't think so, unless it's after the next test group. I have the ability to book FP+s for our mid Oct trip as we are staying in a test resort.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Don't change the subject
My opinion of potential success or not is not relevant to the topic of the post which was a single view of how ROI would be realized.Now, on that second subject.. of my opinion of if they will recoup their investment... I find that very hard to measure since this project spans so many categories of investment. And with zero visibility into how the spend really breaks out.. can we make anything but wild guesses on how each element was worth it or not? Such discussion is obfuscated by the mash-up of the whole thing and the interdependencies.
On paper, there is a lot of this I would support investing in, even if they were just sunk costs... because they would be enablers for other things. Some are 'replace the EOL/NLA stuff', some are just catchup, some are foundations for future 'products'. I believe it to be incredibly naive to just take some 1 billion dollar number and say 'ok, how much guest spend do we need to boost to make this back..'. Things just aren't that simple.
When this thing covers everything from new queues, to new CM tools, to POS upgrades EVERYWHERE, network EVERYWHERE, every reservation system, mobile apps, web apps, the printed maps, every turnstile in the park, every ticket window, the majority of the attractions, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. It's mindboggling.
Many of these elements you'll never be able to accurately measure their individual contribution. All of this will ultimately need to be weighed against Disney's success in guest retention, guest sat, operational improvements, sustainability, and whatever new revenue collecting products they roll out in the future. I imagine this have to be measured at the 10,000ft level.. did it help drive the division in the direction and the goals they wanted?
In retrospect... was a system like Fastpass expected to pay for itself in incremental attendance boost attributed just for the existance of FP? Or was it evaluated by improving guest sat, ride counts, guest retention, and other 'soft' factors that when they all point in the direction you want... your bottom line does better.
The bottom line for me... a billion+ dollars is alot. On paper alone, given the broad scope of this initiative, I can imagine there are lots of places savings were invisioned. But where we are now, in mid-2013... my opinion? Given Disney's lack of execution so far.. I think the outlook is grim. This looks to me like one of those projects that will be morphed a few times before a stable, positive future is seen. Some things go away, some things are redone entirely, etc... those all kill your ROI projections. But is it possible to have light at the end of the tunnel.. even with all those mistakes? Yes... it may just take a lot of blood to get there.
Just look at Amazon
Longhairbear
Well-Known Member
I am running your Blizzard Beach/bad weather scene through my head. As you say, no good FP+ are available in whichever park you go to instead of BB. Standby lines are long, and the guest can't get a FP+ to anything after a while. They go to guest relations to complain. What happens next? Do they get any comps? Told they should have booked parade seating? I can see where FP+ becomes a right, something you think you paid for, and should get. In the BB scene, they would end up adding FP+ to slides, and prime real estate sand, and then tell the guest, they chose not to use their FP+ at BB that day.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Agree, i travel for business extensively Hilton Diamond and Marriott Platimum, On the hotel scale Disney's rooms are at best Hilton Garden Inn quality
Cranks and faux insiders are legit terms, also. Just saying.
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
ooohh get her.
Buried20KLeague
Well-Known Member
Keys Please
New Member
^^^ Yep. If you can get more than 3 FP on days that demand allows it, or if you can get them in multiple parks, and that is taken away, then it is a loss of value and an increase in dissatisfaction. There is no other way to spin it.
Fractal514
Well-Known Member
While I agree that life is not fair, and I myself have made excellent use out of the current fastpass system, I'm not talking about right and wrong, I'm talking about what is in Disney's interest. And if they think this will make more guests overall happy, that is what they are going to do.
Just for the record, in your first line you talk about life not being fair. In your Blizzard Beach scenario, I'd suggest that you refer back to that original point. Yeah, maybe you have to wait in lines or deal with crappy FP's because your plans got changed, but as your said, life isn't fair.
Just for the record, in your first line you talk about life not being fair. In your Blizzard Beach scenario, I'd suggest that you refer back to that original point. Yeah, maybe you have to wait in lines or deal with crappy FP's because your plans got changed, but as your said, life isn't fair.
You are correct. Still, by stopping me or you from getting more than one FP for a specific ride (per day), they maximize the number of people who end up getting FPs for that ride. The end result is that a benefit is received by more people.
I think taking a stand about 'fairness' as a pro or a con is missing the point. The company could care less if something is 'fair'. However, they do understand the importance of maximizing the enjoyment of all the guests. If this means that they do things such as limiting me from getting more than one FP per ride per day, then that's too bad for me, but it benefits more guests than it peaves, so it's a smart decision for the company.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
If it really does end up working this way, then I see the benefit.
However, my suspicion is that the same people who make good use of Fastpass now will be the ones using Fastpass+, and the people who've never used Fastpass before won't suddenly start just because somebody gave them a bracelet. (The crowd that prefers to be spontaneous, and/or who couldn't figure out the old system, have no reason to get interested in the new one.)
As a result, the Fastpass+ users have a much worse experience than they did before, and the non-users have a very similar experience to what they had before (albeit with standby lines at headliners being a tiny bit shorter, since people can no longer get multiple Fastpasses for them in a day, and standby lines at other attractions being a little bit longer, since newly-added Fastpass+ return lines will now slow the queues at attractions which used to be walk-ons).
Obviously, this is just a guess on my part. My hope would be that it functions the way you suggest, and that it benefits everybody. I'm sure that was the intent -- I just don't think that it will be the reality.
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Todd H
Well-Known Member
Fractal514
Well-Known Member
I think folks will definitely be using FP+ more than the old FP system. The way it works now, for the first timers, you show up to a ride and it has a 50 minute wait, someone says, we could get a fast pass, and they see that the fast pass time is for four hours from now. They think, well, we'll have ridden it by then, and I don't want to walk across the park and have to come back, and so they pass. Now the folks who are in the know just send one soldier over with five tickets and scoop them up and then meet them back over at the other ride.
Compare that with being told by your booking agent to set up a mydisneyexperience account that lets you make dining reservations, customize magic bands, and schedule Fast Passes that let you skip the line? And I think folks are much more likely to engage. In fact, I think the first timer is going to love it and end up booking for what they want, not what they think will have a long line. I imagine lots of folks will get FP+ for pirates and haunted mansion and other things that we would never "waste" a FP on.
That's just my opinion though, I could be wrong.
Compare that with being told by your booking agent to set up a mydisneyexperience account that lets you make dining reservations, customize magic bands, and schedule Fast Passes that let you skip the line? And I think folks are much more likely to engage. In fact, I think the first timer is going to love it and end up booking for what they want, not what they think will have a long line. I imagine lots of folks will get FP+ for pirates and haunted mansion and other things that we would never "waste" a FP on.
That's just my opinion though, I could be wrong.
bkgrim
Member
Not sure what is going to happen with people being able to select their fast passes before they go to wdw. I still believe there will be a large number of people who simply will not do this. Still to this day many people choose just to get in line without passes. The people eater rides like haunted mansion pirates Mickey Phil will still be able to get people through the lines without passes. From what I can tell this might be a problem with tour groups using the system with a large group of people. I was told that I would have to enter everyone of my students park ticket into the system brake them into subgroups for fast passes. They still are not sure if the individual in the group would have their own control on my Disney experience or the group leader. Told I might know more by sept 1 ( taking 200 high school kids and parents to march at Disney in jan).
On a side note I was told we have new updated parade changing areas backstage with interesting art work of Walt Disney on the walls that has never been seen. They allow kids to take pictures in the area now that magic music days is behind the fence backstage magic kingdom.
On a side note I was told we have new updated parade changing areas backstage with interesting art work of Walt Disney on the walls that has never been seen. They allow kids to take pictures in the area now that magic music days is behind the fence backstage magic kingdom.
wogwog
Well-Known Member
I am not looking through 1500 comments to see if this has already been posted. If it has ignore or it can be deleted. Since several of us remain confused this is another shot at an explanation from an article I had not seen.
http://www.outpostorlando.com/how-the-magicband-and-mymagic-works/
http://www.outpostorlando.com/how-the-magicband-and-mymagic-works/
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Because they need less maintenance than the stripe cards and the key cards don't wear out like the magstripe ones
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Exactly, This is not a vacation this is Work with a capital W, Used to be a Disney trip was about checking out from reality for a few days, powering down the smartphone perhaps you still had it but it was ALL THE WAY OFF, MM- and FP- are not the way I want to vacation
