Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[WDW1974]

Here are the thoughts on this that I have put together in my pretty little head:
1. According to COPPA: Without parental consent, personal information about a child younger than 13 may never be used or disclosed to contact a specific individual, including through behavioral advertising, to amass a profile on a specific individual, or for any other purpose.
2. The final amended COPPA Rule also adds a process allowing industry to seek formal approval to add permitted activities to the definition of support for internal operations.
3. Disney is rolling out FP+ along with NextGen. A part of FP+ includes the ability to 'link' members of a party together. Linking Johnny Jr to Johnny Sr would be considered personally identifiable information. Under COPPA this would be a no-no if the parents do not give consent.
Unless...
4. Disney is able to classify the linking of Johnny Jr and Johnny Sr's FP+ data as a part of their 'internal operations'.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! How did I do? Am I in the ballpark?

Definitely in the ballpark ...

 

[Disneyhead'71]

What was on your daughter's room key during your last visit? A picture of Santa Claus? How did you get your daughter a ticket without Disney knowing their age in the past and if you told them her age in the past, where do you think that was kept? On a piece of paper hidden behind the counter at the resort where only one person had access to it?

Last time we stayed at a Disney resort my daughters were 5 and 9 months (2001). And it was The Grand Californian at Disneyland. And neither of them had room keys. I stayed alone in 2006 at the Poly for 2 nights on business. Since then it has been Day Passes I got through work or comped in by CMs.

 

[WDW1974]

This seems to me like it could go three ways. The first is that it could flop and be shut down in the next few years, never to be heard of again... OR it could be successful, and, if successful, absolutely revolutionary in the theme park business. If this all works (guest like it, it produces more income, etc) I think it'll rapidly expand to Anaheim, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and I bet that Shanghai will open with nextgen pre-installed. Universal will probably roll out something similar too, I bet that they're watching this closely to see if it goes well. Eventually, I could see variations of this trickle down to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks too. Imagine the possibilities at SeaWorld with their animal shows! This could easily change theme parks if successful. I just have the feeling this is the future of parks.

Well, there's one. Anyone want to second it?

 

[WDW1974]

Spirit, you need to go easy on Mr. Franklin's appearance last Monday. He had a very long Sunday that went late into the night scrambling to put together a PR Defensive after some high spirited fanboi posted, on a popular fan site, a scathing analysis of his pet project.

I seriously doubt that. No ONE reads me. No one.

I would guess Disney had planned to start rolling out things as soon as the holidays were done. They may have had to push the date up due to a cast only document leaked to a social media 's site. Yeah ... that's how it went down, surely.

 

[WDW1974]

Disney definitely has some powerful political connections. If they need to they will probably pull some strings. It just seems sleazy to me. I think the opt out would be not to use MyMagic+ and therefore not use FP+. They did state that it was optional and guests do not have to use it. You then get stuck waiting in longer lines and your kids will be ed off when they see other people with wrist bands that activate things and get them into the park and their room and they don't have one. As much as some adults are opposed to the wrist bands, kids will eat it up.

Of course, Disney plays kids against parents all the time. Look at the hard-ticket parties. There was a time not that long ago when if Disney was having a Halloween or Christmas party then the MK had a hard close at 6 p.m. and cleared everyone out. Then, they reopened at 7 for party guests.

But that required a lot of labor, cut shopping hours and didn't allow for the family meltdowns you now get. Now, guests start entering for parties at 4 and get wristbands and announcements play and many kids want to know why they can't stay. There are often ugly family incidents, but Disney also guilts a great number of guests into paying hundreds of dollars more than they intended.

As to opting out. Disney's language is all of opting 'in' to MyMagic+. It's just semantics, but it is a very important and clear message to people. You can opt into the MAGIC 'like everyone else' or you can be the family that can't get FPs, has to watch a parade from behind six ECVs and has to wait 45 minutes for burgers at Pecos Bill's. No one is opting OUT of anything.

Yes, it is sleazy.

 

[WDW1974]

Leave the "D-word" out of it. "Iger's Folly" seems more appropriate.

Ultimately ... but this is Jay Rasulo and Nick Franklin's baby all the way. Jim MacPhee is the designated fall guy and George K is going to be the face of it.

 

[WDW1974]

Yeah, the creatives can get away with casual, because they're hard to replace and their legitimacy comes from their actions. Nobody's going to tell Steve Jobs that he couldn't wear his jeans or tell Joe Rohde to take that thing out of his ear. Something tells me Nick Franklin isn't irreplacable.

To be fair, though, I think it's a societal thing and not just limited to poor TDO. Mike Nolan, former coach of the 49ers, had to get special permission to dress like this on the sidelines:

... while nobody from the NFL had a problem with Bill Belichick dressing like this:

Sure. People are slobs more now than ever before. Wearing PJ bottoms or sweats onto flights. Lawyers appearing in court with jackets they got at second-hand stores. No one enforcing dress codes at Disney's 'fine dining' locales.

That's still no excuse to give into it.

And when Nick has BB's record, I'll excuse his appearance.

 

[SirLink]

Well, there's one. Anyone want to second it?

What are we seconding the fact that next gen will never go into Tokyo, or the parks are so stale that Disney recognises it by having different number of fast pass depending upon the park - making a simple system of queuing into way more complicated process than it should be.

 

[WDW1974]

It sounds like prior to this change that the better informed people will get the most out of their park experience. Now, it sounds like after this change the people that pay the most will get the most out of their park experience.

And that sounds about right ...

 

[MUTZIE77]

As to opting out. Disney's language is all of opting 'in' to MyMagic+. It's just semantics, but it is a very important and clear message to people. You can opt into the MAGIC 'like everyone else' or you can be the family that can't get FPs, has to watch a parade from behind six ECVs and has to wait 45 minutes for burgers at Pecos Bill's. No one is opting OUT of anything.

Yes, it is sleazy.

Sleazy and the number one factor driving me towards DLR, UNI, IOA and back to DCL.

 

[WDW1974]

And they could also give you FP+ for Small World or Philhamagic or something that is not filled up at the time. I assume they could integrate the phone app to send you a message saying Splash Mountain is going to be down during your reservation and suggesting available FP+ reservations to replace it. Then as availability permits they could make you eligible to rebook Splash later in the day.

What if you don't have a smartphone or tablet? Will your MagicBand begin to constrict itself, cutting off circulation to inform you to head to a FP+ Service Center Kiosk so you can reschedule?

I just don't think of apps when I think of fun times at a theme park. I don't think of reservations and/or scheduling a day as fun times at a theme park.

Tom Staggs (or whomever wrote the Disney Parks Blog piece for him) had a response to a question about spontaneity and you could almost feel the guy choking on the words. How in the world does anyone view this as a good idea (removing the datamining issues, as serious as they may be)?

 

[WDW1974]

I've been a member of this site for 8 years, and have NEVER seen such negativity. It's just sad, that's all.

I've been a member of this site for almost five years and I've never been prouder or happier to be here.

It isn't about being positive or negative, it's about using critical thinking skills and real world views to form opinions regarding what Disney (and other themed entertainment companies) are doing.

Not only isn't it sad, it's quite healthy and productive.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

How in the world does anyone view this as a good idea (removing the datamining issues, as serious as they may be)?

I guess when you don't understand your guests because you don't walk in their shoes, lots of stupid things seem to make "sense".

 

[WDW1974]

No, an educated consumer isn't their best customer. . Disney isn't doing this for the "educated consumer".

They've proven that over the last decade-plus quite well.

They're doing it for the regular park guest. The families that make Disney a once in a lifetime event.

Who is the 'regular park guest'? ... I thought all guests were VIPs and supposed to be treated equally. Did that change? Is that no longer the case?

And why in the world would Disney cater to 'once in a lifetime' guests? Those folks are there and never coming back. You can serve them horsebleep on a bun and they have to eat it. You can have them walk into a filthy unmade resort room and that's OK. You can even have Goofy kick your kid in the because ... guess what? They aren't coming back and you have their money.

The 'once in a lifetimers' being the most important guests is so totally beyond bunk that I can't believe folks still want to try and call it legit.

They have no concept of "the way it was" because they didn't experience it AND THEY DON'T CARE. Disney could require guests go through an obstacle course and people would still go. They know this. People go to the new Test Track without any knowledge that it was anything but that way since it opened. Likewise, when the system is fully operational, there will be guests who show up who have no idea that it hasn't been like that since day one. I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that all guests do hours of research before coming to the park. I could have sworn that people show up to the park I work for, and legitimately think they're in Disney World and ask where Mickey is. Wow!

Many guests don't. Those guests, even if they wind up staying at a Disney resort, will be well behind everyone else in this New World Order that MyMagic+ is creating. You have to do hours of research and planning or you'll be spending far more time frustrated and standing in crowds.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

They're doing it for the regular park guest. The families that make Disney a once in a lifetime event. They have no concept of "the way it was" because they didn't experience it AND THEY DON'T CARE.

So you're reinforcing Disney's justification for letting attractions rot, maintenance to be cut down to skeleton crews, and a reduction in pretty much every offering that once made a visit to Walt Disney World special?

Congratulations, you're part of the problem. Not the solution.

 

[rioriz]

What if you don't have a smartphone or tablet? Will your MagicBand begin to constrict itself, cutting off circulation to inform you to head to a FP+ Service Center Kiosk so you can reschedule?

I just don't think of apps when I think of fun times at a theme park. I don't think of reservations and/or scheduling a day as fun times at a theme park.

Tom Staggs (or whomever wrote the Disney Parks Blog piece for him) had a response to a question about spontaneity and you could almost feel the guy choking on the words. How in the world does anyone view this as a good idea (removing the datamining issues, as serious as they may be)?

Please excuse me my friend but as a Psychologist I try to separate emotion from logic so here are my Devils Advocate "good ideas":

As I've said before Disney is not the first park to do the wristband ticket/payment thing. I have used it and LOVED the ease. No Wallet to lug around, no ticket to get lost. Just so much more convenient and the bracelet was not obtrusive.

It is a good idea for those that, who love spontaniety, can ride their favorite rides for sure each trip and use the rest to catch what they want. For example I can for sure ride ToT first thing in the morn. Go to Epcot later in the day, then return for my Appt at Fantasmic that evening. What about the first time visitors who go two days and definitely see SM, Splash, and SDMT at least once!

That's all I've got...

 

[GoofGoof]

What if you don't have a smartphone or tablet? Will your MagicBand begin to constrict itself, cutting off circulation to inform you to head to a FP+ Service Center Kiosk so you can reschedule?

I just don't think of apps when I think of fun times at a theme park. I don't think of reservations and/or scheduling a day as fun times at a theme park.

Tom Staggs (or whomever wrote the Disney Parks Blog piece for him) had a response to a question about spontaneity and you could almost feel the guy choking on the words. How in the world does anyone view this as a good idea (removing the datamining issues, as serious as they may be)?

I guess if you don't have a smartphone app then you would find out when you arrived at the ride that it was down and CMs would use the handheld device thing to change your reservation or send you to the kiosk. I think the smartphone app is intended to impress those who are glued to their phones anyway. I really don't see changing FP+ on the day of with the app being very practical since all of the good reservations will most likely be gone. I do like that the new app has real time standby wait times.

 

[WDW1974]

I can see it now......

CM: "Ah Mr. smith, we hope you enjoyed your visit to Splittsville last night....I see you rolled a perfect game on lane 10."
Mr. Smith - "I didn't go to Splittseville last night. I was back in our room sick."
CM: " Well Mr Smith, Magic never lies and our new system does confirm you were at Splittsville bowling with another female guest who isn't on your reservation, while the remainder of your party was enjoying the fireworks at the MK."
CM: "Mrs. Smith, we can provide detailed info to help with the divorce for a nominal fee. "

I LOVE this scenario ... I can see others playing out in similar fashion, sadly. You can't compile the amount of information Disney will be able to without turning some of it into knowledge. And what is to prevent it from getting into the hands of people with bad intentions. No system is hacker-proof, no system has been able to take people out of the equation. That is very scary. ... The next time I'm staying at a WDW resort and decide to have a hookup with some fanboi (just for argument sake, of course!) I met on MAGIC or in the jacuzzi do I want Disney having that knowledge knowing that my wife and lovely triplets (again, for argument sake) are asleep nearby. When I meet some hot soccer mom at the pool bar on Old Man Island and pay for our drinks, do I want that information with Disney and then her jealous, gun-toting hubby?

Sure, there have always been ways of tracking. But there have also been easy ways to avoid it too. Now, Disney is making it damn near impossible to avoid the Big Brother state. And I'm sorry to those blinded by Pixie Dust, but I trust Disney no more than any other large corporation. If anything, I trust them less because their reputation has allowed them to often sit right on the divide of ethical/unethical behavior with far less scrutiny than others.

 

[WDW1974]

Not beyond the realm of possibility. EZ-pass (toll system up in the northeast) has been used by divorce lawyers to prove infidelity. When the husband says he was in a business meeting in Philadelphia that night but the EZ-pass shows he took the bridge to NJ where the mistress lives he's busted. The moral of the story is if you plan on cheating on your spouse while on vacation at WDW go to CityWalk

Love it!!!

 

[WDW1974]

How many Disney CM's are going to have access to this information? There are 60,000 Disney employees. I don't want all of them knowing my daughters name, her Birthday, what treats she likes, her favorite characters, etc. That really is too much info for 60,000 people to know about my daughter. Especially since we are locals. Is our billing address going to be there?

These are the questions that need to be asked.

These are the questions that Disney hasn't been forthcoming about.

These are the scary questions.