Next gen? what is this exactly?

[ctxak98]

Hi everyone, I know this is probably not the right spot for this post but I have a serious question about the next gen stuff. I remember hearing about it a long time ago and not really understanding what was to come of it. Basically I want to know what it is? why disney is doing it? and will this completely eliminate the existing Fast Passes and Fast Pass line? because if it does that I completely disagree with this change!

 

[captainkidd]

Fastpass will still exist. Not sure the exact reasons why Disney is doing it. I don't know enough about it to judge one way or the other. From what I've heard so far, I'm not crazy about it, but I'll wait until it's rolled out to say for sure.

 

[wm49rs]

There's an extensive discussion here:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...stem-to-begin-guest-testing-this-week.836623/

 

[DisDadEddie]

I think the next gen can't be judged until it is fully rolled out. There are so many different things that are being worked on with next gen. I'm sure it will be amazing!

 

[Bob Saget]

We don't know the full details of Next Gen, or what exactly to expect. So naturally, some members are gallantly making a bold stand against it:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-time-has-come.839611/
To quote the Mob Song from Beauty & The Beast: "We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it scares us..."

 

[bubbles1812]

I'll echo the others and say that since the full details aren't known, I can't fully judge. But everything I've read does not impress me and some of it even worries me a bit. If the "dooms day scenarios" play out where I have to "book" a ride several months in advance...well, that is just about the most stupid thing I've ever heard of and just see it as a disaster waiting to happen. Not to mention that it basically punishes people who don't stay on property by not allowing them to "book" until the day of rather than months in advance for resort guests. Seems like a PR nightmare to be honest. So hopefully that doesn't happen...but from everything I've read on it, it does seem to point to some form of that happening (along with whatever other aspects there are to NextGen).

 

[Clever Name]

Next Gen is an evil scheme created by Disney to make all guests spend more money. It will force you to book all attractions, rooms, meals, meet and greets, snacks and restroom breaks months if not years in advance. It will track your every movement on GPS and the wristband you will be required to wear will give you an electric shock if you linger too long at any of the attractions (gift shops excluded).

 

[ParentsOf4]

Sorry, I still don't exactly understand what "Next Gen" is rumored to be.

I thought it primarily was supposed to be the ability to get a limited number of FPs months in advance, which seems like a benefit for people who like to sleep in while vacation at WDW. "No need for me to worry about waking early to get to DHS for my TSMM FP since I booked it before I arrived." If this is the case, then it would be interesting to see what, if any effect this has on early arrivals. Will more people sleep in knowing that they have their most important FPs in hand? I don't see how this generates more revenue for Disney (hoping someone else can explain this to me) but see how it could make for a more relaxing vacation for some people. (We still like being there for the excitement of opening.) On the other hand, this seems to "punish" those who put in the extra effort to arrive early, unless the hope is that fewer people will arrive early because they no longer have to, so morning Standby lines will be shorter. Any thoughts on the pros and cons?

I've also read of the "Next Gen" technology being tested at the entrance to Epcot a few months ago. Theoretically, this would speed up entering the park but I never did read whether this experiment was a success or failure. Does anyone know how this went?

I've also read that Disney is spending big money on "Next Gen" technology. What have people heard about this?

 

[olinecoach61]

They are indeed spending big money on this next gen initiative. The fact is we really don't know what it's going to entail so it's hard to judge. My guess is that they are attempting to use technology to streamline the guest experience in the world. It may also track your likes / dislikes to enhance your experience. This worries some people.

 

[lebeau]

The Next Gen(eration) Initiative

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Sorry, I still don't exactly understand what "Next Gen" is rumored to be.

I think the issue is that's all anyone has to work on right now (rumors) so the answers to the question of "what is it?" are all over the place. As someone else said above (and as I've seen on other Dis forums) many people are having an immediate negative reaction to just the rumor of what all it will entail and that leads to even more speculation and rumor.

Me... I'm waiting until I see something relatively official before I make any decisions or even attempt to answer the "what is it?" question.