Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[Bolna]

At that level, no such thing as a social visit.

I know the agenda is MyMagic+ and pretty much nothing else. ... I have heard they even have selected families (different ethnic groups too, conveniently) to model the bracelets and show the big shots how they light up Mickey's head at entrances etc.

But there have been major issues simply getting a small test group ready. ... And if you can't have the system up and running for say ... the guests at one deluxe resort who have bought packages with the company (i.e. no room only deals), how the hell can you expect to roll this out for EVERY guest that passes under the Pixie Dust Coated Arches?

I am getting more and more the feeling that Disney must not be happy about this project at the moment. Having to deal with a potential PR problem as well as with operational difficulties that still cannot be solved does not sound like this is going well. So what is that further wrinkle you were speaking about earlier??

 

[flynnibus]

Will users of the TragicBand be required to give Disney a valid credit card number in order to use it?

They've said charging access is optional - so I don't know why they would require putting a credit card on file if you are not going to use that service.

 

[Clever Name]

Again it's been fun but I really don't have the time,energy or ego to continue this

I am disappointed that you're throwing in the towel. I can't help but feel that had you given me a little more time, I could have won your full approval for hip-hop and breakdancing in the CBJ.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Is vacationing at Universal Orlando Resort instead of Walt Disney World what Igor means by "Opt Out"?

 

[drew81]

Didn't Iger have the same attitude when Avatar was brought up by a shareholder?

Yes. I was there and spoke with the guy who asked.

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

They've said charging access is optional - so I don't know why they would require putting a credit card on file if you are not going to use that service.

See? That's the part I'm not getting.

If putting a credit card on file is optional, then how in the heck is Disney going to make back their huge CapEx investment on this thing?

TragicBand will supposedly increase guest spending by 11% via impulse buying.

If the device isn't linked to a credit card, the impulse buying power is lost.

So wouldn't TWDC push for the credit card link for TragicBand, for a faster ROI on NextGEN?


This now begs another question:

Will TragicBand eventually become available only to those guests staying on property or those who agree to link their credit cards to the device?

 

[RSoxNo1]

We also have kept a GAC on hand in the past, as our youngest is on the autistic spectrum. How will that be affected? I have to plan for his needs in the midst of all this carp Disney is planning to do. I'm not expecting definitive answers from anyone, but these are concerns of mine. Planning a Disney trip is becoming a chore and not so much fun anymore.

At this point GAC remains unchanged and there has been nothing but speculation on what (if any) changes would be made.

 

[SirLink]

Is vacationing at Universal Orlando Resort instead of Walt Disney World what Igor means by "Opt Out"?

Nah by "Opt out" he meant every theme park in the world instead of the four at WDW.

 

[drew81]

Well, Bob has until March 6th to come up with something to take the attention off NEXT GEN or it will be very ugly in Phoenix.

How many people will be asking about this? I would like to go but can't. I wonder if security will be beefed up this year? I thought last year's security was ridiculous....you know the supposed attempt on the weatherman's life.

 

[Bolna]

See? That's the part I'm not getting.

If putting a credit card on file is optional, then how in the heck is Disney going to make back their huge CapEx investment on this thing?

TragicBand will supposedly increase guest spending by 11% via impulse buying.

If the device isn't linked to a credit card, the impulse buying power is lost.

So wouldn't TWDC push for the credit card link for TragicBand, for a faster ROI on NextGEN?

@ParentsOf4 posted a very in-depth analysis of how NextGen can make money for Disney. His post can be found here. It does not have to be all about the impulse buying.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

First, you might have created your account in 2010, but you only posted twice before starting to post a lot last summer. So, yes, by all means you are still a new voice in this community. Given how new you are you have been met with a lot of trust. Anyone claiming to have as much inside knowledge as you claim to have has in the past been met with a lot of scepticism.

Secondly, why are you a poster who again and again claims to have no ego and no interest in being important on the message boards without anyone prompting you to do so? You also tried to discredit @WDW1974 in the past in a thread - and at the same time asked him more or less to validate your insider status:







Hey, you were even eagerly waiting for a phone call from @Lee or @WDW1974 in that same thread:



Sorry, but I don't believe you when you say that your own self importance does not matter to you.

Combining this with threatening to make private discussions public - and yes, even private name calling, if it had truly happened, would still be private - I really start to wonder what your deal is. One gets the feeling that you are indeed ed off that you don't get @WDW1974 's attention as you would have wanted to. And when his PM's don't have the content you want you are angry with him.

Alternatively, people could refrain from private name calling and we would all be spared this nonsense in the first place.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

This is the crux of the problem.

[..]

It's not sincere, it's not genuine, and it's not ethical.

No wonder Iger was rude to Congress. He's peddling disingenuous marketing practices and got busted for it.

There's nothing magical about Mickey Mouse running a shell game on Main Street USA.

This was such a great post! A real delight.

 

[IHeartArt]

Yo, what is a "Disney Lifestyler"? It keeps coming up in this thread and I'm guessing it's got some specific meaning.

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

@ParentsOf4 posted a very in-depth analysis of how NextGen can make money for Disney. His post can be found here.

Thanks.

It does not have to be all about the impulse buying.

I understand that. But I don't trust TWDC any longer for this not to be the ultimate goal.

Whether or not this is being addressed right now by Burbank, I strongly believe that NextGEN and TragicBand will eventually become available for on property resort guests only.

Regular FP will be gone and replaced with TragicBand FP+.

Gone will be the birthday buttons for everyone, replaced by NextGEN birthday acknowledgements via TragicBand.

ADR will be prioritized to resort guests by six months, along with same day reservations at the restaurants.


TWDC can no longer compete in the Orlando market with the latest and greatest rides. So they've opted instead to bribe their guests into staying on property with NextGEN and TragicBand plussed experiences that are basically more or less what they're getting now, just delivered in a fancy technology wrapper.

As I stated previously, I don't believe that what TWDC is peddling now for NextGEN and TragicBand capabilities, is what will be offered to everyone in the future. This whole thing reeks of bait-n-switch tactics.

And many features being touted today will most likely end up in the trash pile tomorrow, for being too complex to deliver on a regular and consistent basis.

 

[disneyflush]

I hate to admit it, but you are right. I want my kids to grow up with the Disney I grew up with. And it's VERY hard for me to say anything negative about it because I do love it so much. But, it's true they are cheaping up the place. And I don't mind that they pump out all those fake smells on Main Street and that a Turkey Leg is almost $10. But what I do mind, is that on our last trip (Oct. 2011) it was so crowded we could barely move. I mind that they had a marathon on the Saturday night that we were there and every participant got free admission the next day. Yeah, that's nice, but the park had already been running at capacity for 3 days before that, they knew there was no way all these people could fit, much less have a good time.

Now with that being said, I do believe that the Mickeys Toon Town Fair being closed and all the constuction of the new Fantasyland probably made it feel way more crowded than maybe it actually was. But, the fact remains....Quit selling tickets and making reservations if you see you already have 10,000 people coming on June 3rd or whatever.

I know I would rather be told there isn't availibilty on my dates and reschedule than to be there and not be able to make it around World Showcase in one day. It was so crowded we we caught the boat back to Future World. And don't even get me started on the fact that we waited 2 1/2 hours on a bus to take us back to our resort from Animal Kingdom at 130pm. We finally just caught one to MK and tried from there. So, YES I do feel like Disney isn't respecting me as much as I respect them. There I said it!

Now, as a group of people who obviously love Disney..What do we do?

Anyone? Anyone?

Now you have reached some of the conclusions that a lot of us have as well. We love WDW and dont want to see it diminish by degrees any longer.

The 'What do we do?' part of your post is the reason for threads and discussion like this one. Gives some of us the ability to discuss with each other what we see as a decline and try to raise awareness of it. If enough people discuss it openly and honestly then maybe a few really outstanding ideas get thrown out there and we are able to help solve some of the issues we are seeing in the parks.

Some guests see nothing wrong, some posters see nothing wrong, thats fine. There are tons of other threads to explore and add their voices too and articulate their love for Disney through reverence and celebration. As long as there is a desire to discuss things honestly then this thread will stay alive and interesting. We will continue to be able to figure out 'What do we do?'.

 

[flynnibus]

See? That's the part I'm not getting.

If putting a credit card on file is optional, then how in the heck is Disney going to make back their huge CapEx investment on this thing?

..because there is more to value here than just making impulse buying easier? I really don't see the dependency you elude to here. Disney can use the data to improve it's sales through all the retail refinements they can deploy regardless if someone doesn't use the in-house account to actually pay for things.

If the device isn't linked to a credit card, the impulse buying power is lost.

Completely disagree. Business intelligence and anlytics are used everywhere to improve efficencies and revenues without requiring the customer actually pay with the token. Grocery store club cards anyone? You don't link your credit card to the club account there. And other retails have worked with models without a specific user tag as well.

This is not one dimensional.

Will TragicBand eventually become available only to those guests staying on property or those who agree to link their credit cards to the device?

Why would we think that either? The advantage of the MagicBand over a KTTW or equivalent ticket card is the monitoring of activity without explictly interaction (like the Point of Sale). Be it crowds, movement, queue behaviors, etc - none of that has anything to do with the Point of Sale systems and linking credit cards.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

As long as the parks are too crowded to move TDO doesn't see a problem. They see $$$$$!

WDW is no longer the place I grew up with and fell in love with. Things change, either I accept this and still go, or I accept this and explore other options. But continuing to pretend WDW hasn't changed just leads to very expensive disappointments.

Fortunately, there is another theme park resort nearby that actually provides more of what I used to go to WDW for than WDW does these days.

 

[Bcakd]

Now you have reached some of the conclusions that a lot of us have as well. We love WDW and dont want to see it diminish by degrees any longer.

The 'What do we do?' part of your post is the reason for threads and discussion like this one. Gives some of us the ability to discuss with each other what we see as a decline and try to raise awareness of it. If enough people discuss it openly and honestly then maybe a few really outstanding ideas get thrown out there and we are able to help solve some of the issues we are seeing in the parks.

Some guests see nothing wrong, some posters see nothing wrong, thats fine. There are tons of other threads to explore and add their voices too and articulate their love for Disney through reverence and celebration. As long as there is a desire to discuss things honestly then this thread will stay alive and interesting. We will continue to be able to figure out 'What do we do?'.

We should start a campaign! We could all decide to send pics of our trips, favorite ride, favrite character...but make all the pics before circa 1985! Along with our letter just say we want our how disappoined we are of all the" Magic it has lost. And tell them we are all capable of spending our $4- 5 thousand a year going to Disney, somewhere else. Then we just sit back and see if they care!

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Completely disagree. Business intelligence and anlytics are used everywhere to improve efficencies and revenues without requiring the customer actually pay with the token. Grocery store club cards anyone? You don't link your credit card to the club account there. And other retails have worked with models without a specific user tag as well.

During my last trip, Disney got hold of:

- My IP adress
- My credit card
- My Photopass info
- My entrance ticket with finger print

Combine that, and that's enough to monitor dates, hours and minutes of entering and exiting the park, plus my every step inside: buying coffees, getting fastpasses, buying merch, buying food, getting photopass pics taken, exiting the park. They can totally track me already. Every move I make. (And also the 'unaccompanied child preyed on by molesters' of earlier scare! These buy their tickets together with the family, the system as is already knows when they are alone in the park...)

They could even monitor my internet traffic through their wifi. Plus all the fun stuff they do via my smartphone with Disney apps.

 

[briandoc]

Please, drama queen much?

Let's leave the dying children out of this. Make a Wish always brings kids to WDW. It is a wonderful program and does great things for families at their lowest ebb.

But you do it great diservice when you attempt to tie in criticisms of how WDW is run, managed and neglected by making a comparison.

One thing has nothing to do with the other unless you're suggesting that since WDW puts smiles on the faces of dying children that any criticism is therefore off-limits.

I like how you tried to turn this into I was ragging on Make a Wish. Despite appearances, you aren't that stupid.