MyMagic+ Efficiency Update

[spacemt354]

Well said about constructive criticism. I think the main thing people overlook is the base problem that MM+ is attempting to solve.

Survey's of park guests overwhelmingly show that families (particularly families new to going to WDW) are frightened of having to send a runner to get FastPasses, check on dining, and figure out a place from which they can see a parade. The sheer size and unfamiliarity of the parks makes the act of separating, going on a quest, and reuniting seem like an unpleasant adventure.

MM+ is an attempt to smooth out this process and take the success of FastPass to a new level.
There are those that lament the invention of FastPass and long for the "Good ol'Days", but I rarely read posts that talk about the fantastic time that was had in a 90 minute queue for Splash Mountain.

I agree that for first time visitors, the immensity of the parks can be a bit daunting. And a lot of families don't like separating to get FPs and the hassle to find good parade seats, etc. Sometimes as veteran Disney goers, you lose touch of how it was to be a newbie, since you know all the secrets and the parks like the back of your hand.

Though while FP has been a success, I think it has been a greater success to those who can, so to speak, "work the system" Those people who know exactly when and where to get FPs, and use maybe 5 or 6 a day, at multiple parks. I think now though, FP+ is taking that advantage away. Now someone who was great with the old system, now is limited to 3 a day in one park. It hampers park hopping and reduces the number of FPs per day. As a first timer, I can see how making all your reservations weeks in advance can potentially make your vacation less hectic. However for a veteran, annual passholder, this really cramps the ability to simply go into the parks for a day. FPs for Soarin might have been out a week ago, and now you're going to have to stand in a long line.

While you are correct I didn't hear anyone talking about the fantastic times they had waiting in 90 min lines at Splash Mountain, I didn't remember any complaints either. I think that was because the line was in continuous motion. What makes lines artificially longer today is the FP system, and the lines sometimes seem to never move, because FPs are being received at the front. I think FP+, increasing the amount of FP stations throughout the parks, will only increase this issue. The 3 rides you get a FP+ for will be great, however the rides that you don't have FPs for probably will have longer lines. And those 3 FP+ you get may not be for the rides you want, at the times you want, unless of course you reserve them 60 days in advance.

For some reason I don't have an issue with making ADRs months in advance. But for some reason, forcing me to choose what time I want to do 3 attractions per day 2 months ahead of time seems like our vacation is becoming too constrained. And of course we could choose to not make AFPs, but then we run the risk of them selling out and waiting hours for rides that we could have gotten a FP for. It just seems to go in a circle, at least in my view.

 

[No Time To Say Hello Goodbye]

The key is Disney is allowing the MM+ Guests to use regular FP during test as a way of buying a good review, Now a fair test would be MB only Methinks you would have quite a different view of system

I know Disney has said it won't happen, but I keep hoping they will keep the paper FP and allow it to be used as testers are currently. Use FP+ to pre-book 3 rides, but have regular FP available for in park, same day, whatever is left in the FP "pool". Some rides may have few to none left, but at least it would be an option for slower times of the year and some of the rides.

 

[scoobygirl39541]

Sorry, didn't read all the pages, nor do I know what thread to ask this in but.... How do you know if you're selected? Do you get an email? Or is it in the "My Disney Experience" area? We're leaving September 17 and would love to try it!

 

[Mem11]

Well said about constructive criticism. I think the main thing people overlook is the base problem that MM+ is attempting to solve.

Survey's of park guests overwhelmingly show that families (particularly families new to going to WDW) are frightened of having to send a runner to get FastPasses, check on dining, and figure out a place from which they can see a parade. The sheer size and unfamiliarity of the parks makes the act of separating, going on a quest, and reuniting seem like an unpleasant adventure.

If all they wanted to do was make things less complex and less overwhelming, I could have helped them out. Get rid of FasstPass altogether and spend 1 or 2 billion on new attractions. And while they're at it get rid of all in park ADR's - you could actually walk up to a restaurant and get a table, you know like the real world.

But let's not kid ourselves, the only reason Disney is doing the whole NextGen thing is because they think it's gonna bring them a whole boatload of money. I don't see it and they're not getting it from me, but I guess only time will tell.

 

[tookydo]

Sorry, didn't read all the pages, nor do I know what thread to ask this in but.... How do you know if you're selected? Do you get an email? Or is it in the "My Disney Experience" area? We're leaving September 17 and would love to try it!

Where are you staying? It's resort specific for September. I'm at POR and its included; I have read others staying at POP, YC/BC, and AK are also included. I never received an email. I just clicked on fastpass+ in MDE on the Disney website and it allowed me to make fastpass+ reservations. I was also able to customize my magic bands after I completed online check in.

 

[scoobygirl39541]

Where are you staying? It's resort specific for September. I'm at POR and its included; I have read others staying at POP, YC/BC, and AK are also included. I never received an email. I just clicked on fastpass+ in MDE on the Disney website and it allowed me to make fastpass+ reservations. I was also able to customize my magic bands after I completed online check in.

POFQ. When I click "make FP+ selections", this comes up

Guess that's a no this time around =/ maybe we'll get lucky for our December trip!

 

[tookydo]

POFQ. When I click "make FP+ selections", this comes up

Guess that's a no this time around =/ maybe we'll get lucky for our December trip!

That's the message that I used to get in August, until they included my resort in the testing for September. For now, POFQ isn't part of September testing. Hopefully you will be able to try it out in December.

 

[scoobygirl39541]

That's the message that I used to get in August, until they included my resort in the testing for September. For now, POFQ isn't part of September testing. Hopefully you will be able to try it out in December.

We're staying at AKL in December, so maybe! Thanks for the information!

 

[wogwog]

Sorry, didn't read all the pages, nor do I know what thread to ask this in but.... How do you know if you're selected? Do you get an email? Or is it in the "My Disney Experience" area? We're leaving September 17 and would love to try it!

Be careful what you wish for, you should read this thread before being sad about being excluded. The whole program needs a massive amount of work. Either way please have a Magical trip and lots of fun. The crowds will be down from the summer rush. Consider one of the Halloween parties that will be happening then. They are a special treat.

 

[scoobygirl39541]

Be careful what you wish for, you should read this thread before being sad about being excluded. The whole program needs a massive amount of work. Either way please have a Magical trip and lots of fun. The crowds will be down from the summer rush. Consider one of the Halloween parties that will be happening then. They are a special treat.

I've been trying to keep up with the magic+ and fp+ information as best as possible, but there's so much controversy. We've done Disney so many times, so trying a new system and it failing wouldn't ruin our trip. Just curious to try something new! We already have tickets for the Halloween party!

 

[luv]

I think FPP was set up to increase room revenue and not because they wanted to improve the guest experience.

 

[dadddio]

100% Exactly right. The unique identifiers should never be something like person's name, and better yet, not be manually generated at all. Names can be spelt wrong, shortened, abbreviated, etc. Having the same name as someone else should not bring the MM+ system to a screaming halt. How many people with the last name of Johnson or Smith do you think are in the parks at any given time? How many dozens of people each day probably have the same first and last name combination on property?

The Name should be linked to a system generated Magic Band ID, which should be linked to the system generated ticket number and system generated reservation number. The "system can't handle two people with the same name" thing is an elementary issue that should have easily been identified during Alpha (though really it should have been scoped out during the design phase WELL before testing)!

I agree with your post completely. I agree so much that I don't believe that that was the real problem that the poster experienced.

It makes absolutely no sense that the system would confuse one guest for another with the same name given that the bands are linked to each individual person's record. The only way that this can be true is if the system either allowed two active bands to be linked to the same account at the same time or if it allowed one ticket number to be linked to more than one account. Both seem unlikely.

 

[dadddio]

I think FPP was set up to increase room revenue and not because they wanted to improve the guest experience.

Given that FP+ is not limited to guests staying on-site, how would it increase room revenue in and of itself?

 

[dadddio]

And the sad part is Disney tried to clean it up, couldn't, and still gave us the room anyway. The remnants stained the walls and we could tell that they had tried to deodorize the room, however with time the cover up eventually eroded. This is what $400 a night at Disney gets you these days.

I have been fortunate to have been able to travel a great deal. I have stayed at 'reputable' hotels around the country and around the world. Probably something like 10% of the time, there is some sort of problem with the room. These problems generally boil down to the same thing. Some random housekeeper either failed to prepare the room properly or their was a maintenance problem with the room that was either not reported by the housekeeper or not acted on prior to the room being released to us. I'll not condemn an entire company because an individual low-level employee screwed up.

We report the issue. The company makes it right with us or we go to a different hotel. Good companies will deal with the problem of the 'bad' employee. It would not surprise me if a housekeeper who did not clean up vomit in the bathroom was terminated.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It makes absolutely no sense that the system would confuse one guest for another with the same name given that the bands are linked to each individual person's record. The only way that this can be true is if the system either allowed two active bands to be linked to the same account at the same time or if it allowed one ticket number to be linked to more than one account. Both seem unlikely.

How is it unlikely? This is a system known to have given people somebody else's account when logged in.

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

To spacemt354 -

"We didn't go into our vacation and enjoy the troubles we had, and we didn't think "Yes! Keep making mistakes! We want to see you fail!" Hardly. "

This is definitely a trial period in several senses of the word. I think people should be recompensed for significant trouble caused by the 'system'. In the working world, we give our working time to get MONEY...so if you are wasting our TIME, then you are wasting our MONEY - and by extension - our LIVES.
So yeah, bring on the comps!!

But really - I am with you - I really hope that both Disney staff and the guests use this as more of a learning process. Kind of a "Yes! Keep making mistakes! We want to see you LEARN l!"

I am a 50 year young "Mouseketeer" wannabee...and I haven't been to anything Disney in about 8 years. I and kidnapping my 'still honeymooning' hubby of 18 months and taking him to WDW for a week in January. I am so excited that I can't keep off the forum boards, trying to see what will be in renovations at that time, etc.

 

[luv]

Given that FP+ is not limited to guests staying on-site, how would it increase room revenue in and of itself?

I think it will be limited to Disney hotel guests. I think - and I've thought this since YOAMD came out - that Disney has done their best to copy Uni's FOTL thing.

Like Uni, they may throw AP holders a bone. They may even make FPP available to everyone if they want to pay for it (though I doubt it.) Only Disney hotel guests will be given the FPP.

Disney has even said that they're hoping it will raise room revenue.

If you think about all of Disney actions over the last ten or fifteen years, does it seem likely that they would spend a billion dollars to improve the guest experience? Seems unlikely, given the long list of skimping and cutbacks. Kind of a "One of these things is not like the others" deal.

Disney is thinking people will want this so much that they'll stay in Disney hotels (maybe even pay more for Deluxe) just to get it. Maybe they're right. Maybe people will.

But it isn't official yet. I can't say, for certain, that you're wrong. We will have to see when Disney announces it...or when we figure out that it's been implemented without an official announcement, which is also possible. If they really have faith in it, an announcement will come.

 

[spacemt354]

It makes absolutely no sense that the system would confuse one guest for another with the same name given that the bands are linked to each individual person's record. The only way that this can be true is if the system either allowed two active bands to be linked to the same account at the same time or if it allowed one ticket number to be linked to more than one account. Both seem unlikely.

To the bolded, no. The bands are linked to a room, and depending on how many people are in a room (we'll say four) all four of those guests receive the same PIN number. Yes the system is individualized, but it seems very easy for families to have the same names in either the same room, or the same My Disney Experience account. The latter was our issue, in which during a rebooking process, the middle initial that designated my father and I, was no longer there. Disney reassured us this was a known issue, so it's not that unlikely.

I have been fortunate to have been able to travel a great deal. I have stayed at 'reputable' hotels around the country and around the world. Probably something like 10% of the time, there is some sort of problem with the room. These problems generally boil down to the same thing. Some random housekeeper either failed to prepare the room properly or their was a maintenance problem with the room that was either not reported by the housekeeper or not acted on prior to the room being released to us. I'll not condemn an entire company because an individual low-level employee screwed up.

We report the issue. The company makes it right with us or we go to a different hotel. Good companies will deal with the problem of the 'bad' employee. It would not surprise me if a housekeeper who did not clean up vomit in the bathroom was terminated.

I'm glad you have the ability to travel a lot. A lot of people don't have that luxury so you are very lucky to have stayed at nice hotels around the world. However I don't believe your experiences have much relevance to why so many people are frustrated and upset.

And that's great you won't condemn and entire company. But if you have read the comments and concerns on this site, you would realize that these occurrences are not due to just a housekeeper. NGE is a runaway train of expense with no real ceiling on the price tag, which is having significant issues and a lot of posters on here fear the motive and reasons behind its installation. And although the test and ultimately the Magicbands will be optional, you're basically guaranteed a lesser experience if you don't participate when it officially rolls out.

I certainly am not condemning a company with 65,000 employees because 1 messed up. This criticism derives from a company's philosophy going forward, and apparent lack of customer service (which they pride themselves on) There is a bigger picture at hand.

 

[dadddio]

But if you have read the comments and concerns on this site, you would realize that these occurrences are not due to just a housekeeper. NGE is a runaway train of expense with no real ceiling on the price tag, which is having significant issues and a lot of posters on here fear the motive and reasons behind its installation.

MM+ neither puked in the bathroom nor failed to clean it up.

 

[dadddio]

To the bolded, no. The bands are linked to a room, and depending on how many people are in a room (we'll say four) all four of those guests receive the same PIN number. Yes the system is individualized, but it seems very easy for families to have the same names in either the same room, or the same My Disney Experience account. The latter was our issue, in which during a rebooking process, the middle initial that designated my father and I, was no longer there. Disney reassured us this was a known issue, so it's not that unlikely.

Just because the castmember believes that the middle initial caused the problem does not make it so. The fact is, it makes no sense that it was the problem.

Further, you are incorrect about the room being the nexus for everything to be linked to. The bands are linked to the profiles of each individual guest. The room information is added to those person's individual profiles. The band allows access to the guest's profile.

This is important when you consider that the band is good for multiple visits. It's information will reside in the guest's profile while that guest may stay in any number of different rooms during the life of the band.

Tickets will change, bands will change, room reservations will change. The constant is the individual guest.