1) This January, I made several trips to Disney World. With my MagicBand strapped on, entering and exiting my room at the Contemporary Resort is a cinch. I love leaving my hotel without worrying if I forgot my wallet, or even my phone; whether I venture to the Starbucks at the Downtown Disney shopping village or sit down for an extravagant dinner at the Grand Floridian Resort, I pay by simply flicking my wrist. At dinner one night, an elderly couple tells me they were skeptical of the MagicBand at first ("because we’re old!"), but that they have come to love its headache-free benefits.
I must say, even though I visited during a roll-out phase, I enjoyed all these same aspects. Though, I will note a few things.
a- The same existed with KTTW. I regularly visited before without anything but my ID (which is law that you carry, btw, in Florida, and a general good idea...and yeah, your Magicband isn't gonna rent you a boat at Disney, nomatter how hard you try, for example), and KTTW and a spare credit card in my pocket.
b- There are charge limits placed on the KTTW, and those limits still exist with Magicbands, even if you know the pin. It's based on the resort you are staying in and the amount of room credit Disney is willing to extend. It is NOT, and is still NOT, direct access to your credit card. That is important, for security reasons, but really changed nothing from KTTW, which was a simple sliver of plastic that you stuck in your pocket rather than a bulky piece of plastic that you wore on your wrist (while your kid's bracelets sit in your pocket).
c- For a positive, instead of a negative, they are AWESOME for water parks, though the chlorine fades the cheap plastic dramatically, removing any sort of cosmetic benefit.
2) There is no line at the main entrance to the park, where cast members and a row of polished, golden digital access points greet me, and it takes just seconds to stream through with my MagicBand. According to Disney, the MagicBand has cut turnstile transaction time by 30%. Park capacity has also increased. At the Magic Kingdom alone, Tom Staggs notes, MyMagic+ has allowed "north of 5,000 more people into the park for the same experience."
I agree. I think the new gate procedure is vastly better.
3) The creative potential of MyMagic+ is on full display at Test Track, an Epcot ride that lets visitors pretend to drive a concept vehicle through intense stress tests: swerves in bad weather, screeching halts, big bursts of speed. It’s extremely popular, often with 60- to 90-minute wait times.
a- I thought the goal was to cut wait times? "There were the endless lines for rides,
food, and bathrooms; parents juggling maps, hotel keys, baby carriages, and bottles of SPF 75; and kids pulling families on long treks to try to visit every attraction." How has this helped? Not at all.
b- Personalization is silly at best, when it works, from many reports.
c- The ride really hasn't changed much, from what I've seen, though granted, it was down for refurb during my last trip.
3) I wanna take a moment to say that I applaud the author for integrity, because he really went and tried this stuff out himself, rather than just doing some interviews, and talking about it offhand. I still think this is a GREAT article, even though I'm nitpicking/commenting it to death.
4) Test Track has 197 touch-interaction points. Disney has measured the impact of effective "scene ones" on customers’ perception of waiting in line. According to Disney World SVP Jim MacPhee, "a 35-minute wait felt like a 15- to 20-minute wait."
A lot of people don't like Interactive Queues, but I personally think they are brilliant. And, yes, MBs can play a roll in them. But, they don't have to. My kid loves the interactive queue at Space Mountain and Winnie the Pooh, and on many waits, we often let the actual line pass by while she got her fill of entertainment (which I mostly equally enjoyed...though the Pooh queue does little for me, the competitive nature of the SM one does).
Point is...it has nothing to do with Next Gen, rather it has to do with offering people distractions while waiting, something that isn't new to Disney...in fact, the in line "Videos" and queue Staging were both amazing in the 80s and 90s at EPCOT (at some attractions) and HS (at even more attractions) respectively.
5) Executives point to this kind of thing to explain why Disney’s intent-to-return metrics are up, though the company won’t provide specific figures. They also say they are seeing guests spend more money while in the park. And MacPhee lets slip that guest intent to recommend, another key Disney metric, is "really high, with overall satisfaction in the 70% range."
Ok, in 2 parts. The first two, will never be really public knowledge, and of course they'll say that because that is what they stuck their careers to when asking for it. But, the latter, I'm not so sure. It really depends on how they pick and choose their data.
Part of the issue of rushing to appeal to the "younger market" whilst skipping over the "monied market" is just that. If you ask a 20 year old to spend 6 grand or more on a vacation, that's something. If you ask a middle class 30 or 40+ year old, that's something else. And if you asked a well vested 50 or 60+ year old that, it's a completely different discussion all over again.
To Disney's credit, it's a complex situation, and perhaps they made the right marketing move. Or, perhaps they just didn't want to expand capital investment in real attractions, so decided to manufacture some "virtual" experience that in reality won't make Florida any less hot, won't make CMs any more friendly, and don't really change the dynamic much at all...but after major expense which could have been spent on doing so.
(ahem...compare what Iger did for DCA vs what he did for WDW...case...in...point)
6) There are many other tangible results. The Be Our Guest restaurant has become incredibly popular.
Because it was the first new eatery at Disney in literally 10+ years. Heck, they still have venues they keep mostly shut (yes, I'm looking at you Tomorrowland Terrace and Diamond Horseshoe).
7) Kids are accessorizing their MagicBands with
Frozen-themed tchotchkes, which are fast becoming a material revenue generator for the company.
And before that, they wanted pins for their lanyards. The difference is, for me, as, you know, the guy with the credit card and the bank account, I'd much rather buy my child a pin that lasts for decades, than a piece of cheap plastic that fits on something that is cheap plastic, that fades the first time she wears it to Typhoon Lagoon.
My point is, while sales may look rosey, long term value to the Guest for that merch is less so, and I suspect they'll see that inverse laffer curve come tumbling down (though, by the same right, pin trading has dropped, and I get why...) My point is, it's a fad, not proof it was the RIGHT CHOICE.
8) And with Disney’s slick PhotoPass service, photos and videos captured of guests shrieking down the Splash Mountain water ride are tied to their MagicBands and automatically uploaded to the My Disney Experience website, where they can later view and purchase prints.
Yes, integration with PhotoPass (you should update your article, it's now called Memory Maker) was extremely well done! Not all that much more convenient (you'd carry around one more plastic card or keyfob)...but the integration was brilliant. ONE aspect (one of the VERY FEW) that KTTW didn't have, but could have easily have been done using 4 cent KTTW cards and not plastic bracelets.
9) During my return monorail ride back to the hotel one cool winter night, two exhausted parents, baby carriages in tow and a tuckered-out young girl wrapped around Dad’s neck, tell me the MagicBand is a lifesaver;
And, that is part of the memory for the parent (and the bill payer). Why do I want to take my kid back? It's not for Splash, it's not for Space Mountain...
It's for those quiet moments. My most cherished moments are the ones where, on the crowded bus home, she crawled into my lap and dozed, and I carried her sleeping back to the room...to dream about another day of fun tomorrow.
But, that experience need not, and may not always, be Disney. And THAT is what they miss (unless they seriously want to attract the once a lifetime visitors). It's not a matter of finance, it's a matter of boredom. It's not that they need to constantly replace attractions, in fact, doing so is a bad move. But...well, Walt said it best...with WDW comes the blessing of size. Of course, he meant it in a slightly different manner, but there is NO REASON why the attraction count should stay stable, and NO REASON why the attraction count should in any way resemble what is offered in California (where their park is vibrant and living, while WDW is stale and...iDisney)
Anyhow, without getting too far into that...I think what you are missing is what it was like before. It was...largely the same.
Except, what you say next...this really is different. VASTLY different.
10) They couldn’t imagine going back to the old system, with all those paper tickets and FastPasses. It is indeed a "better reality than the one outside," as Disney biographer Neal Gabler put it.
Ok, first, I don't know how any of this makes it a "vastly better reality". Did the lines, the prams, and other things magically disappear? Nope. Did offensive people suddenly stop being offensive? Nope. Did you not overhear something in a line that you wish you hadn't...or in one case I experienced, a conversation that I was glad my child at the time was too young to understand? Nope.
This changed...nothing.
But, lets talk about paper fastpasses. I fail to understand why that was such a "major inconvenience"...but lets assume it was. And, I do get the argument that certain experiences, well, you want to experience (or your kids do). Like a meet and greet, and the like.
I will say this, at least as far as waterparks and AK is concerned...and to a lesser extent HS, though it isn't a concern now that the Backlot is completely gone...you get wet. And I'd rather have a paper fastpass in my pocket than a $500 smartphone I used to access my fastpasses.
Not a major concern, really, I did Ripsaw (cause they had lockers) at Uni, and got soaked, and loved it. I still wrap up my stuff for Splash (though I haven't really gotten soaked on that in years...I'm not sure if after the refurb if they toned it down due to guest complaints?)
Anyhow...
The issue isn't paper or plastic (wristbands). The system hasn't changed. You have a return window, and if you miss that window, you lose out. WIth Paper fastpasses, you had the ability (and I did this, as well as other guests) to make magic "organically"...meaning, if I was tired or my kid was tired, and we couldn't make our fastpass for Space Mountain, we, well, just looked for some other group of two who looked like they could enjoy it, and gave it to them.
The "system" didn't care, because the "system" only checked return windows printed clearly on the ticket, not a variety of other variables such as MDE usernames and iDevice statuses.
One of the best memories I have from Disneyland (who STILL uses paper, btw, those "backward thinking Californians"...and the idea was SO GOOD, they decided NOT to use it in the Flagship park...and as much as I love WDW...WDW is NOT the Flagship of Parks...anyone who thinks so is an idiot....
Anyhow, point is, one my best memories of that trip was when the friend I went with and I decided to use our Park Hopper to flip over to DCA for a bit, and someone was on their way out and randomly offered us their FP tickets for the newly opened (OMG A RIDE!) RSR.
We, of course, took them, gratefully, and it was such a wonderful little moment of interaction that DIDN'T COST DISNEY A DIME.
Regulars to Disney during the paper era can speak to this over and over again. It happened, and it happened a lot. Why? Because you CAN'T SCHEDULE MOODS AND WHIMS ON A VACATION OR PLEASURE TRIP 30+ DAYS IN ADVANCE!!! And, with doing so, you are making it more of a chore, and less of a, well, vacation...exploration, seeking out what is different.
Rather, yeah, it's a checklist. We came here, did all this stuff, now we've done it. Been there, done that...nothing left to do.
So, how EXACTLY did Disney "leadership" think this was going to increase return visits if I can schedule and do everything I think I would want to do in the first place, show up, do that, and leave? Rather than learn that it's a whole experience to explore and engage with?
Nomatter how much "I'll stick with natural methods" Jobs supports your concept. It's arrogant, and it's stupid, and I stand by it.
Ok...next snack? Cheetos?
