So easy to play devil's advocate with this batch:
If I don't have to wait an hour for a fireworks place.. that's a benefit to me
And if there are more people wanting reserved standing for fireworks viewing than can be accommodated, what determines priority? How far out the reservation was booked? Sounds like ADR with booking the viewing spot six months in advance. Do you have that level of vacation flexibility? Many families don't. And reserving viewing spots takes away available viewing locations for the casual park guest who decides to watch at the last minute.
If they are going to offer order ahead.. even if you don't want that service, that means they'll likely post their menus online and you can't get it direct from disney (updated) rather than relying on 3rd party sites
What happens to guests who are trapped in a longer than advertised line or blocked by a parade or stuck on a bus or monorail and can't pick up their food in time? Does Disney toss it after a specified waiting period and charge you anyway?
The idea that I can see return times and wait times on my smartphone is a benefit (this too was part of nextgen build up)
You're kidding, right? How will this possibly work on a consistent basis when everyone can see the wait times simultaneously via a single entry point?
Having this information only available to one or two display boards inside the park limits immediate response. Only a very small percentage of the total number of guests are privy to that information at one time, which prevents stampedes to nearby attractions with shorter lines.
But when a much larger percentage of guests have access to that information, thereby causing a relatively short line to grow almost instantaneously, woe be to the guests who walked a bit too slow and/or from a further starting point. They'll arrive at their destination, only to discover a previously shortened queue has now tripled in length, especially since this info is infamous for not being updated in a timely manner.
Besides... with the addition of FP
Extra Crispy, most standby queues are going to be long throughout the day, anyway. Wait times sent to your smartphone won't matter.
The idea I can check FP/FP+ availability without having to cross the park to figure out is a benefit
I'm guessing this will only matter in the first few hours after park opening. By noontime, they'll all be distributed.
The idea I will have kiosks in the park I can check dining availability (as well as via my devices) is a benefit
If that information is only available via an in-park kiosk, fine. But if it's also available via smartphone, along with booking capability, it's worthless. The reservations will be gone before mealtime.
And if you're actually referring to the standby lines for eating locations, it will have the same problem that ride wait times have with single entry point updates. You might not arrive ahead of the rush and/or the wait time listed may not reflect reality.
The potential for services like people locating would be a benefit
Only if Disney is the sole access point for that info. And only if the security measures in place are virtually foolproof. I don't want disgruntled ex-spouses showing up and telling WDW Security about their kid getting lost and needing help to retrieve them, so they can kidnap the child to get revenge on their ex. I could see this scenario playing out on a regular basis.
The potential for improvement in services by knowing actual crowd loads (like bus stops) would be a benefit
As if Disney has a financial incentive to lessen your wait time, foolish mortal.
The potential for new show integration (just because you may not enjoy it doesn't mean all guests won't)
I've already posted about the disappointed kids whose parents didn't participate in NextGEN who didn't get greeted by name by their favorite characters. I see greater opportunity for abuse and unintentional negative outcomes than I do for rewards, because I'm a realist when it comes to this level of personal intrusion in order to maximize profits.
How can you argue any of those are NOT positives for the guest?
Simple. I just did.
The reality is people are taking the things they perceive as negative and throw out all the positive because of the negative.. and then argue there is nothing in it for the guests. Well certainly not if you've cleared the table of anything positive because you had something you saw as a negative first...
It's all a matter of degree.
What percentage of negative outcome do guests have to endure in order to get a significant percentage of positive reward to cancel out the negative?
What kind of negative outcome will NextGEN create? And how detrimental will those negative outcomes be?
And to what extent will the existing Disney park experience be positively changed for the average, middle class family who visits but once every 5 to 10 years that doesn't end up costing them more of their hard-earned money? That's the most important question of all.
If that family needs to spend more time, and hence more money, at the NextGEN WDW in order to see and do everything they can do right now without NextGEN, then that's a huge negative in my book.
What's the point of standing in a longer interactive queue because of NextGEN and experience fewer rides for the day versus standing in a shortened, non-interactive queue without NextGEN, thus allowing more rides to be experienced?
If given the choice between fewer rides with longer interactive queues versus more rides with shorter non-interactive queues, I believe most guests would pick the latter over the former, hands down. But that would be bad for Disney, who wants you to stay on property to ride all of your favorite rides and spend spend spend more of your hard-earned money.
Sure, it's better for the Disney execs and investors if that family still books their vacation with extra attendance days. But it's bad for the family if it's costing them more or giving them a shortened and reduced experience for the same price. Unfortunately, Disney only cares about what's in it for them right now, which will probably hurt them down the road in the loss of customer trust and goodwill.
But that's another headache for different CEO to deal with. Right, Mr. Iger?
