MyMagic+ article from Fast Company magazine

AustinC

AustinC

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SMJ0724 said:
Fantastic and insightful read. It is very interesting for me, as an outsider, to see why many of the pieces of the initial vision failed to come to fruition.

I'm excited to see what the
is!
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Hey there, thanks for your interest! And sorry to be so mysterious about that: The truth is we're just planning to hold a Reddit-style Ask Me Anything here about MyMagic+, in case I can answer any of y'all's questions based on my reporting. We just wanted to make sure it was cool with the site's moderators, but I believe it is.

I've seen a couple questions so far already -- just figuring out when might be best to do this. Perhaps tomorrow or Friday? Or perhaps I should wait until the weekend to give everyone a chance to read.

Will post about it when we're ready : )
 
KLinder7

KLinder7

Well-Known Member
durangojim said:
@AustinC Thanks! Great read! I'm curious though, there have been a lot of recent articles about the My Magic and Magic bands (Wired had one last month, along with another publication I can't remember). Has Disney been contacting you guys to increase publicity for it. It seems with the introduction of the Apple Watch, interest in wearables is higher than it has ever been. Thanks!
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Bet Apple Watch will act as a magic band one day. At least give the guest the option to use either or.
 
M

mikeh

Well-Known Member
@AustinC based on your discussions with anonymous cast members and execs, does Staggs claim of coming in under the $1B budget hold up? I've seen the $2B number thrown around a lot and found it interesting he claimed the total cost was under the $1B mark.
 
kap91

kap91

Well-Known Member
I always find the criticism of the ROI for mm+ interesting considering the Disney spirit present in the building of WDW and Epcot that so many want a return to was based on many future thinking technological infrastructure projects that were exceedingly expsive with many having proven to not be very efficient it having a good ROI at all (utilidors, avac, building hotel rooms and sliding them in,)
 
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AustinC

AustinC

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
ParentsOf4 said:
I had to laugh at the following:

While the parks do regularly introduce new rides, the division is intent on preserving the spirit of Disney’s tradition, the rickety nostalgia of rides like It’s a Small World, which has barely changed since its debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it": That’s how multiple company sources describe the division’s ethos.​

And I thought the current mantra of WDW was:

"If it is broke, don't fix it."​

:D
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The amount of WDW mantras I heard during my time reporting was seemingly endless -- IBFW was just the tip of the iceberg.
 
bob1948

bob1948

New Member
The article was interesting, but one aspect was misleading. The writer made it sound like paper tickets were done away with at the same time the Magic Band was being developed. Paper tickets were gone for many years before Magic Band came on the scene.
 
AustinC

AustinC

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
TeriofTerror said:
This was a wonderful article!
One aspect of MyMagic+ that didn't seem to be covered in depth in this article is FastPass+. Next to privacy concerns (completely over-hyped, IMHO), I'd say it's one of the most controversial aspects of the MM+ initiative. Did you get much insight into it during your research?
Thanks!
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Thanks for your question! You know, the privacy issue is certainly a top concern for a lot of folks when they first hear about MM+. But I find that most are assuaged when they actually get into the park and see how Disney is using the program. Whereas Apple or Google might have to deal with constant complaints for how they handle our data, inside the safe, family-friendly realm of Disney World, the company has so much leeway when it comes to privacy, which is a substantial opportunity considering how much personalization and convenience they can provide down the road through MyMagic+.

Regardless, during my reporting, and the time I spent with Disney executives in Orlando and Burbank, I found them to take this issue extremely seriously -- which is a good thing, of course. They're completely wary of not being overly intrusive. The general sentiment I heard from my other sources that much of this was overblown, starting back with Congressman Markey's public criticism of the program, which most people I spoke with found laughable....part of the reason perhaps that Iger responded so forcefully:

http://deadline.com/2013/01/disney-...ngressman-ed-markey-magicband-privacy-415038/
 
xdan0920

xdan0920

Think for yourselfer
ford91exploder said:
No - It was absolutely a puff piece, No mention of the 'issues' front line CM's have with this not to mention guests who are unhappy with the changes. Overall tone 'look how AWESOME Disney's wearable tech is'.
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I didn't read it that way at all. It was more of a story about the childish infighting that seems to be pervasive in the Dis organization.
 
F

Finiamh123

Member
bob1948 said:
The article was interesting, but one aspect was misleading. The writer made it sound like paper tickets were done away with at the same time the Magic Band was being developed. Paper tickets were gone for many years before Magic Band came on the scene.
Click to expand...

Actually I was given a one day no park hopper paper ticket from a Dis ticket booth right around when the turnstiles were half MagicBand and half old style still. Probably using up the last of them.
 

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