News PhotoPass at some character locations being replaced by automated cameras

[ada0801]

Just as an FYI - this is the response disney sent me.

##- Please type your reply above this line -##

Barbara Ann (Disney) Sep 19, 3:50 PM EDT Greetings Andrea, Thank you for contacting Disney Photo Imaging. We appreciate the time that you have taken to contact us regarding our new approach to capturing your magical vacation memories. Given the Guest interest in capturing specific moments during character greetings, we are enhancing our approach to capturing the picture-perfect memory. We are installing automated cameras at nine locations that will capture moments of the experience from start to finish to allow Guests to receive a wider variety of photos from which to choose. Disney PhotoPass® Cast Members will continue to support more than 100 locations throughout The Walt Disney World Resort®. These Cast Members will continue to use their creativity in capturing personalized photos for Guests such as yourself. Please know that we are reading all feedback and our goal is to continually review and enhance our services to provide new functionality and experiences so that your visits to our parks is always positive. If you have any further questions regarding this enhancement, please do not hesitate to contact us. Once again, thank you for using Disney Photo Imaging. Sincerely, Barbara Ann Guest Support Team Disney Photo Imaging [7O2L39-06XR]

 

[drizgirl]

Just as an FYI - this is the response disney sent me.

##- Please type your reply above this line -##

Barbara Ann (Disney) Sep 19, 3:50 PM EDT Greetings Andrea, Thank you for contacting Disney Photo Imaging. We appreciate the time that you have taken to contact us regarding our new approach to capturing your magical vacation memories. Given the Guest interest in capturing specific moments during character greetings, we are enhancing our approach to capturing the picture-perfect memory. We are installing automated cameras at nine locations that will capture moments of the experience from start to finish to allow Guests to receive a wider variety of photos from which to choose. Disney PhotoPass® Cast Members will continue to support more than 100 locations throughout The Walt Disney World Resort®. These Cast Members will continue to use their creativity in capturing personalized photos for Guests such as yourself. Please know that we are reading all feedback and our goal is to continually review and enhance our services to provide new functionality and experiences so that your visits to our parks is always positive. If you have any further questions regarding this enhancement, please do not hesitate to contact us. Once again, thank you for using Disney Photo Imaging. Sincerely, Barbara Ann Guest Support Team Disney Photo Imaging [7O2L39-06XR]

"Enhancing".......

 

[DisAl]

Just as an FYI - this is the response disney sent me.

##- Please type your reply above this line -##

Barbara Ann (Disney) Sep 19, 3:50 PM EDT Greetings Andrea, Thank you for contacting Disney Photo Imaging. We appreciate the time that you have taken to contact us regarding our new approach to capturing your magical vacation memories. Given the Guest interest in capturing specific moments during character greetings, we are enhancing our approach to capturing the picture-perfect memory. We are installing automated cameras at nine locations that will capture moments of the experience from start to finish to allow Guests to receive a wider variety of photos from which to choose. Disney PhotoPass® Cast Members will continue to support more than 100 locations throughout The Walt Disney World Resort®. These Cast Members will continue to use their creativity in capturing personalized photos for Guests such as yourself. Please know that we are reading all feedback and our goal is to continually review and enhance our services to provide new functionality and experiences so that your visits to our parks is always positive. If you have any further questions regarding this enhancement, please do not hesitate to contact us. Once again, thank you for using Disney Photo Imaging. Sincerely, Barbara Ann Guest Support Team Disney Photo Imaging [7O2L39-06XR]

Bovine Scatology

 

[DisAl]

It is a shame Disney management was too stupid to run this system along with a real photographer for a while and then ask guests to give some feedback before they chose to proceed with this abomination.
I suspect some technology salesman sold them a bill of goods on this and convinced bean counters who care nothing about guest satisfaction are now going to make them go ahead with it.
I made what I now consider to be a huge mistake in letting the reservation CM talk me into purchasing MM for our trip next June. If they don't reinstate real photographers before our trip I will be cancelling MM and requesting a full refund. I don't care how many other locations they have real photographers in, if they don't have them in the character locations to capture the moments with the grandkids AND the whole family then MM is next to worthless for us.

 

[drizgirl]

It is a shame Disney management was too stupid to run this system along with a real photographer for a while and then ask guests to give some feedback before they chose to proceed with this abomination.

I have to think they knew what the feedback would say. And they intended to go with this system regardless.

 

[DisAl]

Just as an FYI - this is the response disney sent me.

##- Please type your reply above this line -##

Barbara Ann (Disney) Sep 19, 3:50 PM EDT Greetings Andrea, Thank you for contacting Disney Photo Imaging. We appreciate the time that you have taken to contact us regarding our new approach to capturing your magical vacation memories. Given the Guest interest in capturing specific moments during character greetings, we are enhancing our approach to capturing the picture-perfect memory. We are installing automated cameras at nine locations that will capture moments of the experience from start to finish to allow Guests to receive a wider variety of photos from which to choose. Disney PhotoPass® Cast Members will continue to support more than 100 locations throughout The Walt Disney World Resort®. These Cast Members will continue to use their creativity in capturing personalized photos for Guests such as yourself. Please know that we are reading all feedback and our goal is to continually review and enhance our services to provide new functionality and experiences so that your visits to our parks is always positive. If you have any further questions regarding this enhancement, please do not hesitate to contact us. Once again, thank you for using Disney Photo Imaging. Sincerely, Barbara Ann Guest Support Team Disney Photo Imaging [7O2L39-06XR]

Guess what. I just got the EXACT SAME EMAIL except mine came from "Manuel" rather than "Barbara Ann." I guess they have a really big pile they can shovel the propaganda from.

 

[mastromjm]

I have to think they knew what the feedback would say. And they intended to go with this system regardless.

Disney surveys do have a tendency to be a formality...I would guess they are going to go ahead with this unless the backlash is publicized, which seems rather unlikely. We can only hope once Chapek's out that this will change. There's way too much evidence that the boxes just can't replace the real thing.

 

[durangojim]

I have to be honest. When my wife and I had our photos with Darth Vader the day after SW land opened we experienced the automated shots. There was a cm to help and the photos we got weren’t better or worse than what we’ve experienced with photo pass CMs. We use photopass a lot because we have APs and I really don’t see a problem with this for characteristic and greets. Few photopass CMs are true photographers and the poses they come up with aren’t usually all that great.

 

[MiddKid]

I have to be honest. When my wife and I had our photos with Darth Vader the day after SW land opened we experienced the automated shots. There was a cm to help and the photos we got weren’t better or worse than what we’ve experienced with photo pass CMs. We use photopass a lot because we have APs and I really don’t see a problem with this for characteristic and greets. Few photopass CMs are true photographers and the poses they come up with aren’t usually all that great.

I’m going to make a leap here based on your post and assume you had no young kids. For adults who walk in, pose, take a pic, and leave...sure, the box does OK. As you say, the CM was only trying to get you do poses. You can do poses with the box. Where the real loss is are those moments the box misses. The wide-eyed, mouth open, arms out run to Mickey by a child seeing him for the first time. When my 3 year old daughter had her fairy wings on upside down and Tink not only pointed it out, but helped her fix them (and the Photopass photographer moved to the side, squatted down, and shot the whole thing).

 

[durangojim]

I’m going to make a leap here based on your post and assume you had no young kids. For adults who walk in, pose, take a pic, and leave...sure, the box does OK. As you say, the CM was only trying to get you do poses. You can do poses with the box. Where the real loss is are those moments the box misses. The wide-eyed, mouth open, arms out run to Mickey by a child seeing him for the first time. When my 3 year old daughter had her fairy wings on upside down and Tink not only pointed it out, but helped her fix them (and the Photopass photographer moved to the side, squatted down, and shot the whole thing).

You are correct. My kids are now 11 & 14. The run up to character says are long gone, but that’s also why I carried around a full size dslr with me in the parks until they were about 8. I still didn’t trust the photopass CMs to get photos as good as I could.

 

[drizgirl]

I have to be honest. When my wife and I had our photos with Darth Vader the day after SW land opened we experienced the automated shots. There was a cm to help and the photos we got weren’t better or worse than what we’ve experienced with photo pass CMs. We use photopass a lot because we have APs and I really don’t see a problem with this for characteristic and greets. Few photopass CMs are true photographers and the poses they come up with aren’t usually all that great.

Any human with a camera (even on auto) will do far better than a box. Humans can move around and think enough to know to push the button when Mickey hugs the kid.

 

[Lilofan]

From a profit and loss point of view, automation improves company bottom line. Not a fan of it but that's just my take. Work place injuries eat into company profits that could be used to grow the company and or pay down debt and operating expenses.

The top 10 workplace injuries from a news article

1) overexertion
2) fall on same level
3) fall to lower level
4) bodily reaction
5) struck by object
6) struck against object
7) highway incident
8) caught in/compressed by
9) repetitive motion
10) assaults

 

[drizgirl]

From a profit and loss point of view, automation improves company bottom line. Not a fan of it but that's just my take. Work place injuries eat into company profits that could be used to grow the company and or pay down debt and operating expenses.

The top 10 workplace injuries from a news article

1) overexertion
2) fall on same level
3) fall to lower level
4) bodily reaction
5) struck by object
6) struck against object
7) highway incident
8) caught in/compressed by
9) repetitive motion
10) assaults

But Disney isn't assembling cars. They're providing entertaiment.

Maybe they should make Mickey animatronic?

 

[SirWillow]

Got this blurb in my Patreon box today:

Hi SirWillow, I’m sorry I was unable to join in tonight’s chat. I’m actually away on vacation in Disney World and I noticed that Tinkerbell photo opp wasn’t being offered. I guess the automatic photo pass camera must be down or something. I just wanted to pass it along to you since you made a video about it.

What they had told the photographers and others was that if the boxes weren't working for some reason then they would move a real photographer into the room to cover it. Guess that part wasn't true either since it would mean increased labor costs... pitiful
though I honestly wonder if having no photographer at all might not be better since then people at least know to take their own photos instead of expecting a box to and then coming out with lousy photos.

So here's the locations I know about that have them at this point:
Mickey at Town Square, Magic Kingdom
Tink at Town Square, Magic Kingom
Star Wars Launch Bay- Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and I believe BB=8
Anna and Elsa at Epcot- if they aren't active they're coming soon
Mickey and Minnie at Animal Kingdom

What am I missing?

 

[Surferboy567]

Got this blurb in my Patreon box today:


What they had told the photographers and others was that if the boxes weren't working for some reason then they would move a real photographer into the room to cover it. Guess that part wasn't true either since it would mean increased labor costs... pitiful
though I honestly wonder if having no photographer at all might not be better since then people at least know to take their own photos instead of expecting a box to and then coming out with lousy photos.

So here's the locations I know about that have them at this point:
Mickey at Town Square, Magic Kingdom
Tink at Town Square, Magic Kingom
Star Wars Launch Bay- Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and I believe BB=8
Anna and Elsa at Epcot- if they aren't active they're coming soon
Mickey and Minnie at Animal Kingdom

What am I missing?

Everyone’s favorite site has just spotted kiosks at princess fairytale hall...

 

[NelsonRD]

Got this blurb in my Patreon box today:


What they had told the photographers and others was that if the boxes weren't working for some reason then they would move a real photographer into the room to cover it. Guess that part wasn't true either since it would mean increased labor costs... pitiful
though I honestly wonder if having no photographer at all might not be better since then people at least know to take their own photos instead of expecting a box to and then coming out with lousy photos.

So here's the locations I know about that have them at this point:
Mickey at Town Square, Magic Kingdom
Tink at Town Square, Magic Kingom
Star Wars Launch Bay- Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and I believe BB=8
Anna and Elsa at Epcot- if they aren't active they're coming soon
Mickey and Minnie at Animal Kingdom

What am I missing?

This is what I find surprising. I thought this was designed for characters that only meet at some locations some of this time, such as Mary Poppins. To see it for Mickey at the Town Square, and the Castle leaves me no way to defend this system. My girls are still little shy and the photographers usually find a way to get their attention.

 

[Bairstow]

Just as an FYI - this is the response disney sent me.

##- Please type your reply above this line -##

Barbara Ann (Disney) Sep 19, 3:50 PM EDT Greetings Andrea, Thank you for contacting Disney Photo Imaging. We appreciate the time that you have taken to contact us regarding our new approach to capturing your magical vacation memories. Given the Guest interest in capturing specific moments during character greetings, we are enhancing our approach to capturing the picture-perfect memory. We are installing automated cameras at nine locations that will capture moments of the experience from start to finish to allow Guests to receive a wider variety of photos from which to choose. Disney PhotoPass® Cast Members will continue to support more than 100 locations throughout The Walt Disney World Resort®. These Cast Members will continue to use their creativity in capturing personalized photos for Guests such as yourself. Please know that we are reading all feedback and our goal is to continually review and enhance our services to provide new functionality and experiences so that your visits to our parks is always positive. If you have any further questions regarding this enhancement, please do not hesitate to contact us. Once again, thank you for using Disney Photo Imaging. Sincerely, Barbara Ann Guest Support Team Disney Photo Imaging [7O2L39-06XR]

Neat!
That reply email was also written by an automated box!

 

[drizgirl]

This is what I find surprising. I thought this was designed for characters that only meet at some locations some of this time, such as Mary Poppins. To see it for Mickey at the Town Square, and the Castle leaves me no way to defend this system. My girls are still little shy and the photographers usually find a way to get their attention.

They could put a camera in a remote controlled trash can to follow Mary Poppins around Town Square!

 

[drizgirl]

You would be amazed on how the finance execs brains track what comes in and what goes out

And you would be amazed at how families track each expense on a trip. And Memory Maker from automated boxes is NOT worth $149.

Why would I be amazed at how the Disney bean counters track expenses? Their reputation precedes them.

 

[po1998]

I can understand paying more for the same product over the course of time, but I’ll never understand “pay more GET LESS”.

This is a terrible idea and will always be one. The college program CM salary was just too much for TDO to tolerate.