NextGen/RFID news, info and experiences

[flynnibus]

These are all relatively basic things that have all been voiced before.

I think his experience shows much more. It exposes some of the difficult dependencies and user experience in the way the 'connected friends' and 'managed account' features work. This linking across profiles is new to Disney reservations and its clear from the experience above... the system needs a LOT more wiggle room built into it for users.

This is the hardest part of the solution design... how to avoid pitfalls and dead-ends for users (we call them 'user traps') where the user is forced to escalate to a higher power to get out of the condition they are in. They can be caused by legit actions taken in sequences or in combinations the original design did not intend for users to take.. or simply the design didn't account for.

Its a tiny line to balance on.. because you are trying to allow for user initiated overrides of what may be incomplete or mislabeled information... while at the same time protecting against users seeing or taking over things that aren't really theirs.

 

[luv]

All this managing and connecting and having to set things up...who wants that?

Seems like extra work to me. Maybe people will like it, though! I don't know.

 

[DisneyJoe]

All this managing and connecting and having to set things up...who wants that?

This has presented challenges to travel agents too who offer to book ADR's on behalf of their clients. While it can be done, it has become much more cumbersome.

 

[disneydudette]

Just booked our vacation (online through Disney) last week... here's been my experience so far:

- I booked a discounted package (2 Adults, Boardwalk Inn, tickets) as a guest, not logged into any Disney accounts.
- Once reserved, I created a new email and set up a Disney account through My Disney Experience.

- I downloaded the app on my phone... but was incredibly unimpressed.
- It had no problem locating my resort reservation. I was also able to set up my profile and assign "friends and family." The questions were simple and I had no problem navigating. It appeared though, that would be "all" I could do with the app itself (for now.)
- As another poster mentioned, once I checked the "this person often travels me with me" box, he immediately was listed as "Family".

- Once on the actual site, I'm able to assign characters to each of us.
- I'm also able to create an actual itinerary, with any of the 4 parks, 2 water parks, and Downtown Disney... even assigning multiple parks in one day.
- I attempt to make ADRs, server crashes every time, yet I have no problem making them on my cell phone.
- I book a few of my ADRs (under the same email as MyDisneyExperience account) and they automatically pop up in my itinerary with times listed.

First Impressions? I like it...

No doubt the site is extremely cumbersome, bloated, and as someone else mentioned, has some serious lag. I feel like it follows the same format/layout of the new site... a lot of "flash" with little substance. Our reservation/situation is probably average: a one room reservation, with tickets, booked by the traveler themselves.

I had no problems with retrieving my reservation, profile creation, and adding a guest... maybe 5 mins tops. I have the option to invite my guest (through his email) but saw no need.

The planner in me really enjoys the itinerary aspect of it all. As soon as I log in, my countdown (118 days) shows with my week long itinerary below it. Clicking on a day, it takes nearly 10 seconds to load some fancy park/resort graphics with park times listed.

Again, for our personal situation, the "new ways" are suiting us just fine.

 

[tnemgif]

These are all relatively basic things that have all been voiced before. One thing about changing dining reservations, previously you couldn't do this without a phone call either so no real surprise there. It's unfortunate, and hopefully it will change.

That's the interesting part - I did call by phone. They still had to cancel my reservation and rebook it, telling me that I may lose the reservation in the process. That's a pretty terrible system!

 

[RSoxNo1]

That's the interesting part - I did call by phone. They still had to cancel my reservation and rebook it, telling me that I may lose the reservation in the process. That's a pretty terrible system!

I dealt with the same thing with my Be Our Guest reservation, the system wasn't able to sync it to My Magic +. It was synced properly under the old system.

 

[tnemgif]

Update to the reservation system:

It now seems that anyone who is invited to be part of a reservation can make changes and/or cancel the reservation. Previously, only the person who made the reservation could make changes to it.

It also seems that they've partially removed some redundancy from the system. Previously, I had to invite a member of my party to view/share my itinerary, then that member would have to invite me to view/share their itinerary. It seems they removed the second step.

Can anyone else confirm?

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

I ran across this article online from wdw source talking about FP+ currently in testing mode at WDW:
http://www.wdwsource.com/fastpass-currently-testing-in-park/

Basically, main points are that they're (select guests) able to book 3 FP+ reservations in advance and also use regular FP as well once they exhaust their FP+'s. Also being reported to them that magic bands are being used in this test/process.

 

[luv]

My AP gave me small trouble the other day. It wouldn't make the ball thing spin. It finally did, but it took a while. Once the ball thing was spinning, the finger thing kicked in immediately.

 

[RSoxNo1]

My AP gave me small trouble the other day. It wouldn't make the ball thing spin. It finally did, but it took a while. Once the ball thing was spinning, the finger thing kicked in immediately.

That's what she said.

 

[Furiated]

Does anyone know if the Odyssey has the Premier Passport cards in stock? When I was there in early April I tried asking at every park and at the Odyssey during my stay and had no luck exchanging for the RFID card. I will be at Epcot for an evening later in the month and wondered if they finally got these in stock since they didn't have a lot a month ago.

Not sure about Odyssey but I just got a new Premier pass at Guest Relations at DHS and it was one of the new RFID ones.

I have to agree with whoever said the stacked RFID entrance readers aren't an intuitive setup. People were hesitant to walk past the person using the front reader, and there weren't enough CMs directing people to the vacant second reader.

 

[lentesta]

Anyone hearing a date for the release of MagicBands?

 

[luv]

Not sure about Odyssey but I just got a new Premier pass at Guest Relations at DHS and it was one of the new RFID ones.

I have to agree with whoever said the stacked RFID entrance readers aren't an intuitive setup. People were hesitant to walk past the person using the front reader, and there weren't enough CMs directing people to the vacant second reader.

I know I said it at some point. What I've noticed is families clogging up the small area, so you can't pass the first one to get to the second one. If the ball and finger thingies (what ARE they called?!) were side by side instead of v-shaped (for lack of a better word), like the old ones, this wouldn't happen. Some sit empty and unused because you just can't get to them.

But it seems they're going to stick with this placement. All I can think is that it is easier for them to watch to make sure people don't just walk in.

Aside form the one time it took a while to kick in, though (and a while is over 30 but under 60 seconds, lol), it always works beautifully and my pass still has not required replacing, works at the FP machines, whole bit. So I don't notice that it's much faster, but I do think, overall, it's better. Passes not working and requiring replacement was a pain.

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

Found this blog on wdwinfo's site and it shows someone their got to test and use a magicband:
http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/05/17/first-look-disneys-mymagic-magicband/

Edit: can't tell if this is the tsmm in dca or dhs, but construction walls are now down revealing an new etch a sketch prop in the que area that's said to be next gen related:
https://mobile.twitter.com/TouringPlans/status/335490310157258752/photo/1

 

[tissandtully]

Not sure about Odyssey but I just got a new Premier pass at Guest Relations at DHS and it was one of the new RFID ones.

I have to agree with whoever said the stacked RFID entrance readers aren't an intuitive setup. People were hesitant to walk past the person using the front reader, and there weren't enough CMs directing people to the vacant second reader.

I have no problem walking past people to get to an open reader. I think that's how it's supposed to work.

 

[Furiated]

I have no problem walking past people to get to an open reader. I think that's how it's supposed to work.

Oh I agree, that's what I've been doing now. But like Luv said, a group all stops to take turns on the front reader, and nobody will pass them to use the vacant second reader.

 

[KatMaria]

Anyone hearing a date for the release of MagicBands?

Not for a couple of months at least.....

 

[NEL]

Found this blog on wdwinfo's site and it shows someone their got to test and use a magicband:
http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/05/17/first-look-disneys-mymagic-magicband/
I think this is at DHS. I was there early May and there were some walls up in the que.
Edit: can't tell if this is the tsmm in dca or dhs, but construction walls are now down revealing an new etch a sketch prop in the que area that's said to be next gen related:
https://mobile.twitter.com/TouringPlans/status/335490310157258752/photo/1

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Just back from the world and wanted to add my two cents. Touch to enter in the new turnstyle free lanes really was not any faster than using the old regular ticket media. After tapping the ticket to the Mickey head it can take anywhere from 2 to 5 seconds for it to turn green. (I counted, and it did vary quite a bit each day). Only then can you put your finger on the biometric reader (which was pretty quick, probably a second or two). Entering the park, as a result, seemed to actually take a bit longer.

Not true. When we were there in March, and received the new RFID APs, the CMs there stated that you do NOT have to wait for the green. You tap your card, then immediately place your finger on the scanner. Worked every time. I guess I cannot say if it is different for regular park media, but that is how it works for the AP RFID cards. It was much faster for us, but YMMV.

 

[Tim_4]

Hehehe some of the comments make me laugh. "What if someone steals it?" as if people don't lose their wallets and room keys every single day without the world crashing down around them.