MyMagic+ Efficiency Update

[wm49rs]

not if they offer you a free night on your next trip

That depends if they can take another one, to say nothing of when.....

 

[spacemt354]

those of you who have had their vacation experience seriously impacted due to what you call being forced to use Magic Bands... I guarantee if you talked to guest relations (in person, email, letter, etc.) you would receive something in return

But what does that solve? That doesn't solve their technological issues. And that doesn't make up for lost time.

not if they offer you a free night on your next trip

Hahaha there may not be a next trip!

Wow, see this is what is wrong with the current management of WDW. They think they can rest on their laurels, ruin your trips, then throw you a bone and because something said Disney on it people will just return.

Not gonna happen anymore. I have always defended Disney through thick and thin. But we all have to face reality at some point. If we want to continue living in the world where Disney does no wrong, then welp to each is own I guess. But for the rest of us, we want to have our voices be heard, our issues to be solved, and I would like my favorite vacation destination be restored to what it once was with outstanding customer service coupled with great family fun I can't get elsewhere.

People don't travel from around the world to the middle of Florida to be treated like lab mice and have mediocre customer service that they could have gotten at a less expensive location. If only Walt Disney saw all this. Heads would be rolling...

 

[WDWDad13]

But what does that solve? That doesn't solve their technological issues. And that doesn't make up for lost time.



Hahaha there may not be a next trip!

Wow, see this is what is wrong with the current management of WDW. They think they can rest on their laurels, ruin your trips, then throw you a bone and because something said Disney on it people will just return.

Not gonna happen anymore. I have always defended Disney through thick and thin. But we all have to face reality at some point. If we want to continue living in the world where Disney does no wrong, then welp to each is own I guess. But for the rest of us, we want to have our voices be heard, our issues to be solved, and I would like my favorite vacation destination be restored to what it once was with outstanding customer service coupled with great family fun I can't get elsewhere.

People don't travel from around the world to the middle of Florida to be treated like lab mice and have mediocre customer service that they could have gotten at a less expensive location. If only Walt Disney saw all this. Heads would be rolling...

yeah, he'd probably be laughing at some of the comments on this board about all the doom and gloom of WDW

 

[lazyboy97o]

I want to add another comment on this nonsense that issues should just be accepted as part of testing. I right now am using iOS 7 Beta 5 on my everyday, personal devices. I have dealt with hiccups, crashes and errors, all the purview of testing. The big difference in my book is that I made the effort to be part of the Beta. I was not solicited by Apple to participated. Disney is actively, openly and widely soliciting participation. If, without your solicitation, your phone or computer started bugging you to upgrade your OS to a preview version you're going to expect something far closer to a golden master than an alpha.

As somebody who has given @spacemt354 plenty of crap for his defense of Disney, you do not loose that sort of trust, optimism and loyalty over a few hiccups. That happens when you screw up royally and top it off by telling a loyal customer to " off."

 

[luv]

If people are trying to decide whether or not to become Disney's guinea pig, don't do it. Why spend time (that I assume nobody is paid for) on your vacation to help them test their new tech?

New technology, when tested, ALWAYS has problems. The whole point of the tests is to find those problems. Why sign up to get involved with that? Why waste your vacation being a part of it?

That's my advice and has been since the beginning of these tests.

I get that some people are so into new tech or Disney (or both) that they're willing to be on the bad end of testing, just to be a part of it. I get that and that's great.

But if you're going into a test thinking you're just one of the first people getting to use a new program, remember that you aren't. You are signing up for testing an unfinished product, which brings possible trouble.

Thats unacceptable.

I would not be surprised. I have stayed in Disney hotels many, many times. You wouldn't believe the stuff I've found when checking in. They leave some truly disgusting things in those rooms sometimes.

In fact, in all my travels, everywhere, every kind of hotel/motel, Disney has left the most disgusting stuff in the rooms. I've stayed in rooms that were in states of more disrepair, rooms that were dirtier and rooms that were just older. But, as far as Stuff Left Behind goes...and glaringly obvious, disgusting stuff found, Disney takes the cake. That's in all four of their hotel types, too.

It's yet another reason I sing the praises of staying offsite.

Eta: I've also stayed at Disney and found clean rooms many times. I don't suggest that the majority of the rooms are left with grody things in them. I know housekeepers are given very little time to clean disgusting rooms on a routine basis and generally do a fanatic job, considering the task.

 

[spacemt354]

As somebody who has given @spacemt354 plenty of crap for his defense of Disney, you do not loose that sort of trust, optimism and loyalty over a few hiccups. That happens when you screw up royally and top it off by tell a loyal customer to " off."

I know we've debated and disagreed before in the past but you know what, you were right on the money regarding this apparent Disney decline, as was everyone else who had been emphasizing that notion. Either I just didn't see it, or didn't want to see it, or maybe it was because I never had first hand experience with said decline.

Needless to say, yes. It took a royal screwing for lack of a better term for myself and my whole family to understand these paramount concerns. It really puts things in perspective when it happens directly to you. Maybe participating in MyMagic+ testing wasn't such a bad thing in the long term. it definitely changed my perspective regarding the direction of the parks and resorts in terms of guest services and overall experience. And not once were we thanked for accepting the test. Not by one manager or cast member. And not once were we thanked for our loyalty to Disney. For perspective we drove down and stayed overnight at a Hilton in Asheville, NC. We've stayed at hiltons before, and as we checked in the first thing that the front desk said was "Thank you for your loyalty"

Why hasn't Disney acknowledged this for us? We come down basically every year, but never an appreciation for our loyalty. It's only "welcome back" and when we leave "see you real soon" assuming that we will just return regardless of the condition of our prior stay, because it's WDW.

Well, if there is a metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel in the process of realizing the current state of WDW, I see it.

 

[devoy1701]

I know we've debated and disagreed before in the past but you know what, you were right on the money regarding this apparent Disney decline, as was everyone else who had been emphasizing that notion on these. Either I just didn't see it, or didn't want to see it, or maybe it was because I never had first hand experience with said decline.

Needless to say, yes. It took a royal screwing for lack of a better term for myself and my whole family to understand these paramount concerns. It really puts things in perspective when it happens directly to you. Maybe participating in MyMagic+ testing wasn't such a bad thing in the long term. it definitely changed my perspective regarding the direction of the parks and resorts in terms of guest services and overall experience. And not once were we thanked for accepting the test. Not by one manager or cast member. And not once were we thanked for our loyalty to Disney. For perspective we drove down and stayed overnight at a Hilton in Asheville, NC. We've stayed at hiltons before, and as we checked in the first thing that the front desk said was "Thank you for your loyalty"

Why hasn't Disney acknowledged this for us? We come down basically every year, but never an appreciation for our loyalty. It's only "welcome back" and when we leave "see you real soon" assuming that we will just return regardless of the condition of our prior stay, because it's WDW.

Well, if there is a metaphorically light at the end of the tunnel in the process of realizing the current state of WDW, I see it.

Welcome! We're glad to have you on our side. Perhaps MM+ is a blessing in disguise, in that it's finally going to uncover/unravel what many of us have seen for quite some time as a flawed and mismanaged operating model within TDO.

 

[spacemt354]

Welcome! We're glad to have you on our side. Perhaps MM+ is a blessing in disguise, in that it's finally going to uncover/unravel what many of us have seen for quite some time as a flawed and mismanaged operating model within TDO.

I had that same thought. We are veteran Disney travelers. What are first timers going to think when they get bombarded with technology and confusion at the front desk? And I'm not just talking in testing phase. I bet these issues are going to trickle over into 2014 when it officially rolls out. Or the official release date will be postponed and testing will continue, for which that will just lend more troubles and unnecessary stress on vacation.

And just think, while all this nonsense, testing, and releasing of astronomically expensive technology is being rolled out at Disney...a simple 5 mile trip on I-4 and you'll have a brand new, wristband free, Harry Potter land opening up. Hmm...

 

[ford91exploder]

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)!

This is something that would get a CompSci 101 student an 'F' on a project, This is a BASIC design flaw in systems like these you ALWAYS generate a guaranteed unique key which all other data is tied to, Now it becomes obvious WHY you can't have FP+'s in other parks because of the key space collision as it system is probably indexing on something like $FIRST_NAME,$LAST_NAME,$M_I,$JULIAN_DATE so a namespace collision is inevitable.

I've been a network architect most of my life specializing in 'bet the enterprise' systems, Faults like this never should have gotten out of UNIT testing (tests engineers do at their desks) much less customer beta test.

 

[WDW1974]

Thats unacceptable.

OK, been reading along silently, pretty much intent on listening and learning and staying quiet. BUT ... There's nothing like getting a MAGICal WDW resort room with a side of puke to get me out of hiding.

only Disney could get away (or attempt to) with stuff like this . My only questions to the OP would be did you demand to speak to the GM? Demand new upgraded rooms? Demand compensation? Take pics for TripAdvisor.com?

Because in the real world that is what you do when a company exposes you to health risks (and vomit over bathrooms certainly qualifies).

 

[WDW1974]

If the company in question is renown for customer service, and that customer service is known to revolve around vacations at their resort, you may not expect their "test" to turn your $10,000 vacation into a marathon of suckage. Your expectations are also, at least in part, based on being told that participating in this test is a good thing (edit: see handy reference post above). Really, if you are denied theme park entry, room entry, and fast pass access due to the test you should be reimbursed and more since the guest's Time and Money should be considered of some value to the company (which, many moons ago, it was). If I went to our local Six Flags and was told I could spend the day participating in test that should improve my experience and as a result was unable to ride roller coasters and contracted botulism, I would demand my money back along with emergency room access. Otherwise, your analogy makes perfect sense.

To be fair, George, Disney has been paying guests off left and right with comps, free upgrades to higher caliber resorts, gift cards, meals, swag.

I think that like everything else at WDW, it depends on how loud and demanding you are.If you opt to play nice they will screw you.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

C'mon man, really?

What kind of analogy is this? I think I can speak for myself, and a majority of people on here who are frustrated with the current testing results, that all of the above you listed does not ruin a Walt Disney World vacation. Why? Because guests understand going into their vacation that those things occur. It's relatively common knowledge.

What we don't know is how informed and cognizant a company is with regard to their new technology, and how far along in beta testing they are. Their pixie dust laced pamphlet paints the picture that your vacation will be enhanced with these new bands, not compromised to the extent where not one component of the technology functions properly. But yeah, it's still our fault because we chose to test and we should have known that Disney is throwing their employees out into the fire with little background info so they can learn on the fly, while the guests testing are still paying top dollar deluxe prices, for top dollar deluxe service.

Maybe we expected too much from the resort that prides itself on guest service...

And you never responded to my question. Have you participated in the testing of MyMagic+?

That's the power of social media Disney.

 

[spacemt354]

OK, been reading along silently, pretty much intent on listening and learning and staying quiet. BUT ... There's nothing like getting a MAGICal WDW resort room with a side of puke to get me out of hiding.

only Disney could get away (or attempt to) with sh-t like this (or actually vomit). My only questions to the OP would be did you demand to speak to the GM? Demand new upgraded rooms? Demand compensation? Take pics for TripAdvisor.com?

Because in the real world that is what you do when a company exposes you to health risks (and vomit over bathrooms certainly qualifies).

We immediately demanded the GM of the Yacht Club, but there are so many managers in that place walking around in suits and useless titles that everyone passes the buck around ignoring the real issues. We ended up getting the Housekeeping manager, who insisted she did not need to see or smell the room (it had a haunting aroma of puke) and instead gave our group options for another room. We spoke to her about all of our troubles and requested some explanation. She brushed it off and claimed that mostly all the rooms in the resort were booked (BS) and that she could offer us a lagoon view (which was the original room category) or a garden view at a garden view price. We took the other lagoon view and did take pictures of the bathroom, though this was my uncle's, aunts, and cousin's room so I don't have the pictures handy.

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.

 

[CaptainShortty]

Is this based upon first hand experience or what you have heard? I have heard that in lots of places but I am looking for someone to confirm that this is the case and that they did this themselves.

I'm on one of the MM+ teams and this is the information we were given. But, if you are looking for someone that has done it themselves, I have not.

 

[WDW1974]

We immediately demanded the GM of the Yacht Club, but there are so many managers in that place walking around in suits and useless titles that everyone passes the buck around ignoring the real issues. We ended up getting the Housekeeping manager, who insisted she did not need to see or smell the room (it had a haunting aroma of puke) and instead gave our group options for another room. We spoke to her about all of our troubles and requested some explanation. She brushed it off and claimed that mostly all the rooms in the resort were booked (BS) and that she could offer us a lagoon view (which was the original room category) or a garden view at a garden view price. We took the other lagoon view and did take pictures of the bathroom, though this was my uncle's, aunts, and cousin's room so I don't have the pictures handy.

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.

That is pathetic. My advice would be to contact Kevin Myers (have to check that spelling) as he is the head of WDW 's hotel operation as well as the YC GM. I can get you contact info to directly get these folks if you desire, although it may take a few days. Any CMs here with Hub access could do so as well and get it to you privately.

Disney is doing a crappy job, ultimately it is top down, which is why you go to the top dogs and explain in no uncertain terms why this is unacceptable. Your opening line should be would you give this room to Bob and Willow?

 

[spacemt354]

That is pathetic. My advice would be to contact Kevin Myers (have to check that spelling) as he is the head of WDW 's hotel operation as well as the YC GM. I can get you contact info to directly get these folks if you desire, although it may take a few days. Any CMs here with Hub access could do so as well and get it to you privately.

Disney is doing a crappy job, ultimately it is top down, which is why you go to the top dogs and explain in no uncertain terms why this is unacceptable. Your opening line should be would you give this room to Bob and Willow?

Thank you very much! I appreciate it. We've already penned a letter to Guest Relations regarding our concerns, and will also be in contact with Joan Martin (not sure on the spelling either) who is another guest relations manager, whom had given us her personal information from another trip issue in the past.

And you raise a really good point. That room is a biohazard. There was a 7 year old girl, my younger cousin, staying in that room. Who knows what type of illness that person had, and how contagious it was. Was it the stomach flu, pneumonia, something worse, I don't know. And I don't think Disney wants the Florida Orange County health department rushing through the door (which we threatened with)

In the long run, compensation really doesn't change the fact that the resort as a whole is declining in quality. And not just customer service. We noticed lighting fixtures out all over the parks and resorts. Shrubbery not maintained like it used to be. And a plethora of other maintenance faculties that Disney prides itself on, all being cut back. Compensation only covers up their failures, it doesn't solve them. Ya know, our family drove down to Disney, while our other relatives (the one's with the vomit room) flew down. The greeter out front bragged to us how they could track our relatives out of the airplane. This was at 11am. If all of this is true, and you knew he was here early, why wasn't his room ready? We reserved these rooms in March, why wasn't it ready by 3pm? And why, why on Earth...is the room a biohazard?

Well I think I understand the answer to that question now. WDW management has adopted the philosophy of Rhett Butler. "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"...(about our guests)

 

[danlb_2000]

Based on what was said - this would indicate that the system is using NAME as the Primary Key for identification - a very, VERY BAD decision. I wonder how the system will react to two entirely different people from DIFFERENT families, both with the same name?

I can only hope that the PRIMARY DB Key is dependent on some form of Reservation Number. "Name" is pretty much useless except as an attribute.

I highly doubt that they are trying to uniquely identify people by their name. Even the most incompetent programmer/system designer would know better then that, especially with the number of people that come through the WDW gates. This would also require the Magic Bands to the be programmable instead of just having a pre-programmed unique ID number, and I am pretty sure Disney has said publically that the bands only contain a ID number and no personal information. The problem is more likely with having two people with the same name in the same family. This would be an assumption that I could see a programmer making since this would be a very rare occurrence if middle initials and suffixes are taken into account. Someone made the suggestion that maybe the two bands both got assigned to the same person, this seems like a much more likely cause of this sort of problem.

 

[Clamman73]

We immediately demanded the GM of the Yacht Club, but there are so many managers in that place walking around in suits and useless titles that everyone passes the buck around ignoring the real issues. We ended up getting the Housekeeping manager, who insisted she did not need to see or smell the room (it had a haunting aroma of puke) and instead gave our group options for another room. We spoke to her about all of our troubles and requested some explanation. She brushed it off and claimed that mostly all the rooms in the resort were booked (BS) and that she could offer us a lagoon view (which was the original room category) or a garden view at a garden view price. We took the other lagoon view and did take pictures of the bathroom, though this was my uncle's, aunts, and cousin's room so I don't have the pictures handy.

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'm angry just reading about your troubles...I would have caused such a scene in the lobby. No way would they be trying to push that bs on me...There's no brushing anything off...

 

[spacemt354]

I'm angry just reading about your troubles...I would have caused such a scene in the lobby. No way would they be trying to push that bs on me...There's no brushing anything off...

Yeah, especially for the prices. You're paying for deluxe quality service and all you get is highway motel service.

 

[Patrick Moore]

...the animals at AK may poop during your visit...

This post made me chuckle, and (it's childish of me but) that part about the animals pooping especially.