Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[nytimez]

And aside from the "creepy" factor, I just don't think a day at an amusement park needs to be this complicated.

THIS!

 

[Disneyhead'71]

What are those aspects (not being rude)? That is what I feel the discussion should be geared towards due to the fact we all can agree on the "what could have been"...

Sidenote: Just found out I will be able to once again expeience the Magic Bands in a couple months at Kings Island (sans FP+). I may be biased cause I have used the system Disney is about to roll out and for me the experience was positive

I do not believe that King Island's Bands have an active transmitter allowing for nebulous Electronic Location Monitoring. That is one of the creepy things about the NextGen Project. The other is the collecting of personal information of children.

 

[rioriz]

Like many, as (now former) APers we live about 90 minutes away. FPs for TSMM are usually gone by the time we can get the kids in the car and get going. Before FP we could have arrived late-day for a ride like TSMM and ridden it before closing with a minimal wait. Now thanks to FP standby wait times are absurd even at the end of the day. So in reality we almost never got to go on TSMM unless we stayed overnight the night before and got to the park by opening.

I sincerely do wish your AP/FPP+ scenario was plausible but I fear that day-of FPs for TSMM would be such a scarce commodity that actually scoring them would be difficult if not impossible.

Plus, at the end of the day, as parents, we weigh the hassle of doing all that vs. the payoff. Is TSMM (and Disney's other rides) really that great to justify jumping through so many hoops jut to experience them?

When the dinng plan came out, the net result was that as semi-locals we got shut out, and eventually we stopped trying. Again, I'd like to be wrong on this, but I really do see FP+ doing the same thing for attractions.

And at the end of the day, it's just way too much of a headache when there are other places where we can spend our money and, quite frankly, have a better time as a family doing it.

Thank you so much for your well thought out response! I can definitely see your point of view a lot better in response to FP+! I have been consistent on this board in my leeriness of FP+ while still being all for the magical bands due to the ease they presented.

Well we will just have to see what turns out. Hope my scenario works for you!

 

[rioriz]

I do not believe that King Island's Bands have an active transmitter allowing for nebulous Electronic Location Monitoring. That is one of the creepy things about the NextGen Project. The other is the collecting of personal information of children.

I have not used them as they are just premiering this year. Also haven't looked up all the techno stuff. I do know they will be used for paying, tickets, and lockers.

I have used Great Wolf Lodge and they had the same as above plus a Social Network App that could be connected to band so everyone on twitter, FB and such would know your location (mainly for ease of loading pictures). I went with Sis and her kids and know I at least heaver to give the same personal info Disney is asking per name, CC # and such. That's all I can say on that, but it, for me was a positive experience.

 

[Virtual Toad]

Thank you so much for your well thought out response! I can definitely see your point of view a lot better in response to FP+! I have been consistent on this board in my leeriness ofFP+ while still being all for the magical bands due to the ease they presented.

Well we will juet have to see what turns out. Hope my scenario works for you!

You're welcome and thanks for a rational discussion I grew up with WDW, it's provided some amazing and life-shaping moments, but in life there are times to change things up and move on. And that's not a bad thing. As a family we're ready for new things.

WDW is making it easier for us to move on because they're making it harder and harder to enjoy the (in our opinion) reduced and watered-down product they're providing. Again, that's alright for us, but I'm not so sure losing loyal customers like us is a good thing for Disney in the long run.

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

Anyone have any update/spotting of the rag tag crew of Iger/Staggs/Meg/Geroge? Since people on here have said they went to EPCOT and MK yesterday, they'll probably check out DHS and AK today to go along with some other fine dine restaurant for dinner.

 

[Clever Name]

One reason they aren't using facial recognition for park entry is that for some odd reason, people here in the Sunshine State like to wear sunglasses.

Sunglasses don't present a problem. Disney uses infrared illuminators for all of their facial recognition cameras. Sunglasses block out ultraviolet and visible light only. Infrared light passes straight through sunglasses. Also, the amount of visible light plays no role in the facial recognition system. Total darkness is fine.

 

[alphac2005]

The cheaper way... Just put up a sign.. and all you do is tap your band on the location you want to go. No touchscreens to break, clean, etc.

This is another potential use of the bands... feedback systems.

In other parts of the world.. where people respect each other.. I've seen a simple kiosk at the exit of a restaurant that simply had a smiley face or a frown. You just pushed a button to represent which level of satisfaction you just had at the restaurant. Boom.. instant, simple, cost effective feedback system for the location. It's so bloody simple.. its genius.
Now the problem here in the states is.. no one respects anything.. so people would just keep pushing the buttons, etc and screw things up.

But with the RFID tags... we now have a way of ensuring each guest's input only counts once (per cycle.. whatever that may be for the location). You could implement a feedback system like that at the exit of any interesting place. Not only do you get your survey.. but you also get the contacts of those that were unhappy. Providing you a way to possibly reach out to them afterwards and find out more detail in terms of why they were unhappy.

The problem with TDO is that they seem to have no interest in feedback systems that can have any of the feedback skewing towards the negative. Try to take a survey from a cast member at the park and you can have the worst experience ever, yet it'll never be reflected in your survey due to their skewing. Universal, on the other hand, uses the smiley face system exactly as you've described with the ability to expand upon positive and negative events.

 

[asianway]

The problem with TDO is that they seem to have no interest in feedback systems that can have any of the feedback skewing towards the negative. Try to take a survey from a cast member at the park and you can have the worst experience ever, yet it'll never be reflected in your survey due to their skewing. Universal, on the other hand, uses the smiley face system exactly as you've described with the ability to expand upon positive and negative events.

They allow you to give poor feedback about weather, crowds, CMs...but never the product itself

 

[djlaosc]

The cheaper way... Just put up a sign.. and all you do is tap your band on the location you want to go. No touchscreens to break, clean, etc.

Yeah - they could put RFID in a sign - that would be better than touch screens.

 

[djlaosc]

Now the problem here in the states is.. no one respects anything.. so people would just keep pushing the buttons, etc and screw things up.

But with the RFID tags... we now have a way of ensuring each guest's input only counts once (per cycle.. whatever that may be for the location). You could implement a feedback system like that at the exit of any interesting place. Not only do you get your survey.. but you also get the contacts of those that were unhappy. Providing you a way to possibly reach out to them afterwards and find out more detail in terms of why they were unhappy.

That's why I was saying "most of this could be done with the current system" - with the current system, you would get people saying that 100 people were waiting for "Bus XXX" in order to get it there for you quicker - this could be stopped with the RFID system.

 

[drew81]

Just think, for about $45 million Studios and MK could've both had new day parades.
That's all I want to say about the 1.5-2 billion spent on Next Gen.

 

[COProgressFan]

Just think, for about $45 million Studios and MK could've both had new day parades.
That's all I want to say about the 1.5-2 billion spent on Next Gen.

Could've? Is the new parade for MK in 2013/2014 no longer happening?

 

[ParentsOf4]

As it turns out, opposition to the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices on humans is both long and widespread. Groups as diverse as the ACLU and the Christian Coalition oppose their use. Concerns center on invasions of privacy and dehumanization. The debate continues with some Supreme Court justices recently suggesting laws have not kept pace with tracking technology.

At WDW, the issue with RFID is not merely its use, but the pervasiveness of its use. An argument could be made that short-range RFID readers are appropriate at some locations such as theme park entrances, as resort room keys, and at points of purchase. These are, after all, points at which individuals need to exchange information with Disney.

However, a significant portion of NextGen’s considerable budget was used to install RFID readers throughout the theme parks and beyond. There is a reason why NextGen costs so much. With widespread deployment of RFID readers along with a significantly upgraded data network, Disney now has the ability to closely track individual movements in real-time and to amass considerable datasets on these movements. For those who wear MagicBands, Disney has the ability to track those using long-range readers. MagicBands afford Disney greater tracking capabilities but, because of the vast infrastructure upgrade, Disney has newly enhanced capabilities to track movements in real-time throughout many WDW locations even with RFID cards.

As cost and technology improves, it makes sense for Disney, if unchallenged, to enhance their tracking capabilities further in order to “provide guests with enhanced experiences”. (Isn’t this the reason we’ve been told they are needed now?) In WDW’s case, the issue is not merely the use of RFID technology but the pervasiveness and continued expansion of its deployment.

Discussions of “RFID triangulation” are a red herring. Disney does not need to use triangulation algorithms to determine location. With a sufficient number of short-range RFID readers, Disney has the capability to determine location to within a few feet. It’s simply a matter of where and how many RFID readers Disney chooses to deploy.

Disney does not need RFID devices to track overall crowds. Disney’s current considerable video surveillance coverage, along with extensive data collected over decades using traditional methods, are more than adequate to monitor and respond to overall crowd patterns. From a business perspective, the only justification for person-specific RFID tracking technology is exactly that, to collect specific information on each “guest”.

Since Disney intends young children to wear MagicBands, there is concern that data collected on them could be a violation of current law. Proponents indicate that Disney provides an “opt out” option but, seriously, how many WDW “guests” truly know or understand their options? Up till now, Disney has not been forthcoming with information and it’s only because of widespread concerns that Disney has slowly released more detailed information. It seems Disney had hoped its “guests” would not notice; that the mind-numbing “Terms & Conditions” along with the less-then-informative FAQ would suffice. Disney clearly expected its “guests” to not pay attention.

RFID’s main supporters are those with vested interests in the technology and the data it produces. Essentially, RFID proponents are either RFID & associated technology manufacturers or involved in the data collection business. These organizations heavily lobby Congress, making it difficult to pass laws to protect our civil liberties. When it comes to using RFID technology on humans, it’s important to consider the motivations of organizations that defend it. Ultimately, these organizations have significant financial interests in assuring its success, with other considerations, including liberty and privacy, being secondary.

Disney’s failure to correctly gauge the public’s reaction to concerns with privacy and anxieties over children’s safety might explain Iger’s hostile cover letter to Rep. Markey. Having been assured by his internal team on its legality and anticipated public reaction, Iger almost certainly is aggravated by its reception so far. A lot of financial eggs have been placed in the NextGen basket and Disney cannot afford to drop that basket. Let’s not forget that the New Fantasyland has not turned out to be the “pretty spectacular” success Iger predicted it would be. Iger must be frustrated both with WDW’s financial performance and track record. Under Iger’s tenure, WDW has not had a single major success, a black eye on Iger’s otherwise impressive career. At this point, Iger has to exacerbated that NextGen is off to an inauspicious start. Iger took a risk when he approved NextGen and NextGen potentially represents Iger greatest failure.

Disney sells NextGen as an “enhanced guest experience” but, first and foremost, executives view it as an enormous financial windfall. That’s the biggest problem at WDW today; senior leadership thinks of profits first, customers second. WDW management used to place show before all else and customers financially rewarded them for it. As symbolized by Iger’s recent WDW visit where he seemingly traveled via backstage access and dined at the finest restaurants, Disney leadership has little appreciation for what most WDW “guests” experience every day.

 

[Funmeister]

I don't know if this would work, because you may not be going back to your actual resort, but I hope that they do use the RFID to help improve the bus service.

For example,

At every hotel bus stop, there could be a touch-screen kiosk - a member of your party taps the Mickey Icon to start.

Then, there are touch screen icons for...
Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Downtown Disney
Disney's Boardwalk
WinterSummerland
Fantasia Gardens
ESPN Wide World of Sports
Disney Resorts

You choose your option, and then you choose how many of your party are wanting to use the transportation (and if there are any ECVs/wheelchairs in your party, so that they could get more busses if necessary to accomodate more than one ECV waiting, etc.) And then hopefully this would help speed up the needed busses.

Boardwalk/Fantasia Gardens/ESPN/Other Resorts transportation could use mini busses like those used by Alamo to get you to Disney Car Care Center.

At the theme parks/water parks/DTD, they would just have to have a Mickey Pole at the entrance to the queue that you tap your card/band against so they could roughly (someone will forget to do it) know how many people are waiting for the bus.

Of course, most of this could be done with the current system, they just don't do it, so I don't know whether they will do anything to help the bus system.

We tried a version of this years ago called "Magic on Demand." It failed miserably. It was ugly.

 

[flynnibus]

Up next on the 700 club...

 

[Belowthesurface]

Referring to Walt as the "Old Dead Guy" is a direct reflection of how he is viewed by today's corporate management who have systematically removed or neglected many of the principles and ideas that the man stood for.
Spirit isn't showing disrespect, he is mocking those who do.

It was quite obvious, I thought.

Walt Disney's name and legacy are grossly mishandled in today's company.

 

[GrumpyFan]

We tried a version of this years ago called "Magic on Demand." It failed miserably. It was ugly.

I would assume that at some point, RFID readers/scanners will be installed at bus stops and it will simplify this process. Or, the readers at park exits, could send a signal informing the system that guests were leaving the park. Since the system already has information for where you're staying, it would trigger a command to send a bus to the loading zone. Consequently, readers would also be added at resorts to do the same.

 

[Longhairbear]

I just read on another site that standby lines were 30 minutes long, while it's FP line was 40 minutes long. Anyone see this happen?

 

[alphac2005]

It was quite obvious, I thought.

Walt Disney's name and legacy are grossly mishandled in today's company.

You mean Disney isn't just a brand? Huh? There was an actual guy? Much of corporate probably would say that with a straight face.