Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[WDW1974]

I have been getting a steady stream of information regarding Fastpass+/NEXT GEN for quite a while now. Some of it can not be posted for what should be obvious reasons. And much of it can't be confirmed because of the secrecy of the very project and the turmoil that has surrounded this ever since Nick Franklin and Jay Rasulo talked Bob Iger into signing off on it what seems like eons ago.

Generally, I like to be 100% sure when posting anything that isn't my opinion/thoughts but that isn't always possible and this source is quite good and quite knowledgable about what is going on. And the assurances I have had to give to gain some of this information, you could say the 'negotiations', make me more confident of the veracity of what I have gained.

That said, I have often (and am continuing) to have an issue importing stuff from other formats onto MAGIC, so I'm posting this as the intro and will post the quoted information (yes, it's part of a much larger document) as soon as I can. But wanted this post to 'splain it before it just appears with no commentary by me.

EDIT: There is something VERY screwy with this site's software and/or my computer and/or info inbedded in the document, so I am going to have to figure a way around this as I have no intention of typing it in word for word (only likely to see it disappear). Sorry, but hope to have it up tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Lee has talked about this on many occasions. I believe he referred to them as 101 effects. If an effect was classified as a 101 effect the ride would be shut down. I guess the eels in Little Mermaid don't meet that qualification...

If the single most expensive animatronic ever created doesn't qualify as a "101 effect", then what would these days?

 

[Cosmic Commando]

It doesn't take much to please me. I don't even eat at the table restaurants here at Disneyland. Quick service is just fine with me, though I've heard the quick service at WDW isn't all that great.

As far as park hopping goes, there's almost no doubt it would annoy me out there. I just can't see myself waiting to get on a bus, a monorail or even worse, a ferry, just to get to another park. I'm so used to everything being so close.

Raven, I understand that you are local to Disneyland - have you ever done a vacation there? I think you would really do WDW a disservice if you would tour it the same way as you do at Disneyland. Before my first trip to WDW I had one trip to DL in the 90s and then several trips to DLP which is a similar setup to DL with regard to the proximity. Those were all short trips - focussing on the theme parks. The thing that blew me away on my first visit to WDW was how it is so much more than just the theme parks. If you have never been as a Disney fan I think you ought to take in things like the different resorts etc. Places like the Lodges (Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge) are beautifully themed hotels set in themed surroundings (something which the beautiful Grand Californian lacks). WDW was built as the Vacation Kingdom, there is a reason it is called a resort. Don't treat it as a place that only exists of the parks. Keep an open mind about park hopping. You might find that while it now does not sound appealing that it actually can fit into a vacation very well.

QFT. WDW is really a vacation resort. Some of the simple joys are taking the boat from MK to WL, Friendship boats from Epcot to DHS, riding the monorail to Epcot and going on that little "preview" loop through the park, checking out the animals right behind the lobby at AKL before your Boma reservation, etc.

 

[disney fan 13]

I have been getting a steady stream of information regarding Fastpass+/NEXT GEN for quite a while now. Some of it can not be posted for what should be obvious reasons. And much of it can't be confirmed because of the secrecy of the very project and the turmoil that has surrounded this ever since Nick Franklin and Jay Rasulo talked Bob Iger into signing off on it what seems like eons ago.

Generally, I like to be 100% sure when posting anything that isn't my opinion/thoughts but that isn't always possible and this source is quite good and quite knowledgable about what is going on. And the assurances I have had to give to gain some of this information, you could say the 'negotiations', make me more confident of the veracity of what I have gained.

That said, I have often (and am continuing) to have an issue importing stuff from other formats onto MAGIC, so I'm posting this as the intro and will post the quoted information (yes, it's part of a much larger document) as soon as I can. But wanted this post to 'splain it before it just appears with no commentary by me.

EDIT: There is something VERY screwy with this site's software and/or my computer and/or info inbedded in the document, so I am going to have to figure a way around this as I have no intention of typing it in word for word (only likely to see it disappear). Sorry, but hope to have it up tonight or tomorrow.

Intriguing...

 

[JenniferS]

Intriguing...

Can't wait. Trying to decide how late to stay up.

 

[WDW1974]

Don't stay up waiting on me. There is some sort of security issue preventing me from getting this on. No, I'm not paranoid enough to believe it's my friends at TWDC as they've had numerous IPs of mine for ages. And if I want this posted, it will be posted.

Thought about putting it on my profile page for now, but that would have meant cutting 3,135 words, which I am thinking would render it useless. So ... I'll deal with it tomorrow.

Nice weekends to all!

 

[disney fan 13]

Don't stay up waiting on me. There is some sort of security issue preventing me from getting this on. No, I'm not paranoid enough to believe it's my friends at TWDC as they've had numerous IPs of mine for ages. And if I want this posted, it will be posted.

Thought about putting it on my profile page for now, but that would have meant cutting 3,135 words, which I am thinking would render it useless. So ... I'll deal with it tomorrow.

Nice weekends to all!

Hmmm, I've never seen Spirit so nervous about posting something... Must be big!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Oh and the clam mobiles? Seriously? Was there a discount when they bought them for the Nemo ride and so they bought a bunch extra and had them just sitting around?

I wish they just bought extra Nemo clam-mobiles. The ones in DCA (and I assume MK) have lap bars instead of just the cool little door that automagically closes in Nemo. Were they planning on adding a loop in Mermaid that we need lap bars?!?

 

[John]

It isn't my thread. I just started it. And since it was an observations thread, your current observations are certainly pertinent here, especially since I didn't stay at Pop Century and haven't even visited it in years now.

But I must ask, did you go over and talk to someone at the front desk or call from your room about said elevator? I think a lot of this stuff slips through the cracks because of bad mangement/not enough oversight, but also because people notice, but never say anything. I don't care what you're paying to stay there, the place should be clean and I have to wonder how many CMs have been in that same elevator and ignored it. If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem and that goes for us guests too.

Now, I am happy to hear about the state of your room and that certainly is move important than the elevator. BUT ... it does not excuse anything either.

Look forward to hearing more ... if you see @EPCOT Explorer crying while watching Wishes at the MK tonight, please, please, please ... make fun of him and grab his Figment plush and run!

Today was the third day that the soda/sticky stuff was still present. The fact that it is still there just kills me. There is also huge chunks of laminate missing from the elevator walls. I have pictures and once I get home I will post them.....dont feel like taking the time to resize every pic. I am here with my mother who some might recall is a CM. Instead of me going to management I thought it would be better for her to do it. She went and spoke to a mousekeeping manager she knew.....we will see if it gets remedied. But honestly that one little sticky mess is the least of thier problems. My room was actually in excellent condition. The carpet was nice...ie no stains, everything was ship shape. But the grounds look unkept to me. At the time the resort was built my mother was on the CM team that opened it. She opened several resorts training other CMs. She always called this "her" resort. It had a special place in her heart. SHe is just sick over it. Seems Disney has been outsourceing a lot of maintence such as lawn care etc.

Being that I am with my mother....who is 69 yrs old.....we ate at 5:00. Its just my mother, my 5 yr old grandaughter and myself. So the time fits our party. How much did I pay for said meal? Well given the fact that we were on the DDP at a CM discount rate I dont know what the cost would have been. Ohana was my mothers favorite place to eat. Me?......meh....I have eaten there before and felt the same then as I do now. One of my piticular favs was Starring Rolls......and again I hate to report that in my opinion there has been a drop in quality. I could always cont on this place. I did have a decent Ham sandwich there. But the sweet offerings didnt seem up to snuff. I didnt get to make a visit in 2012 because my GF had a serious car accident. Prior to that we had made 3 trips in the previous 18 months. Since my last trip which was January 2011 I simply can not get over the drop in both quality of food and an even more drop in maitence. BTW....GranFlo....just turn off the popcorn lights....seriously...whats the point.

Making our way from DHS to Poly we were riding the bus and the first stop was Contemporary. I talked my mother into getting off and running up stairs and take the rest of the trip on the monorail. I must say the few minutes it took passing thru the Contemp. looked beautiful. I noticed a lot of CMs standing around just making sure people were being helped. Very interested in their job....it was a nice change from the other side of the tracks from where I was staying. OH and in Poly....I took some pictures in the mens bathroom across from Ohana. One of the urnals was falling off the wal and the last stall door was all a skew barely hanging on. I got a pic of both.

There has been some truly magical moments on my trip so far, as I said I have my 5 yr old gradaughter with me. She has had some real special moments. The kind that Disney makes commercials out of. So with all this negativity I want all you pixie dusters out there know that.....it isnt all bad. One of the first things we did was to go and see BatB. She was mezmerised, she absolutely loved it. Went to eat a Cindy's table this evening. So far it has been the highlight of our trip. Besides feeling rushed....it was very nice for my GD.

Not sure if I will write an even more detailed TR. Seems like I already have been. But I do have a working title......Tears,Cheers,Jeers and Black lycra stretchy pants trip report.....I know its a tad long....I will have to work on it.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I have never in my long life gotten a flu shot. I doubt I ever will. ... Anyone I know who has, always gets sick anyway.

The once-in-a-lifetime shot is coming soon. Might be worth a look.

 

[Snowflake82]

I wish they just bought extra Nemo clam-mobiles. The ones in DCA (and I assume MK) have lap bars instead of just the cool little door that automagically closes in Nemo. Were they planning on adding a loop in Mermaid that we need lap bars?!?

More likely, worried that folks will try to climb out to get a picture of little SusieQ next to the Ariel AA.

On a (slightly) more serious note, the Nemo clam-mobiles just chug along the track facing sideways with no other movement. Aren't the Mermaid vehicles more like the HM omnimover, with individual cars adjusting their position as you move through the scenes? Is there a slight elevation change? I would think this is the real reason for the difference.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

More likely, worried that folks will try to climb out to get a picture of little SusieQ next to the Ariel AA.

On a (slightly) more serious note, the Nemo clam-mobiles just chug along the track facing sideways with no other movement. Aren't the Mermaid vehicles more like the HM omnimover, with individual cars adjusting their position as you move through the scenes? Is there a slight elevation change? I would think this is the real reason for the difference.

That's a good point that the Ariel clams move more than the Nemo ones, but they move just as much as the Doom Buggies. I guess that's the difference between 60's lawyers and the lawyers of today.

 

[marni1971]

More likely, worried that folks will try to climb out to get a picture of little SusieQ next to the Ariel AA.

On a (slightly) more serious note, the Nemo clam-mobiles just chug along the track facing sideways with no other movement. Aren't the Mermaid vehicles more like the HM omnimover, with individual cars adjusting their position as you move through the scenes? Is there a slight elevation change? I would think this is the real reason for the difference.

Indeed. Omnimovers have a lot of space under the cars down to the real floor level. Nemo does not.

 

[Lee]

'74 asked me to drop this here for him, due to his inability to post certain things.
Enjoy!

As envisioned and implemented by Disney, NextGen is not merely the application of existing technology to bring its parks and resorts...up to date from a technology standpoint, it is the most extreme and thorough application of mandatory, craftily cultivated and dynamically applied surveillance ever undertaken by a corporation in one, highly specific location.
Central to the engagement of the initiative is the tagging and tracking of every guest. Each visitor will be expressly and explicitly profiled through the mandatory use of GPS-enabled RFID technology. This is incorporated, specifically, in the bracelets Disney has received several patents for as well as room keys and passes (the last to address a still in dispute phase-in for passholders to include annuals and seasonals as well as day buy-ins). To reach the profit targets and overarching design goals set for this project, as well as export the technology and its fruit to other companies, Disney understood early on that there could be no opt-out for any guest. Application of an 'opt-out mode' would remove the control and thereby defeat the financial gains required of such a massive capital outlay defined publicly devoid of detail.
NextGen "tagging" is a requirement even for those individuals paying with cash and those visiting just for the day. Making it so has been presented in typical corporate fashion as being nothing but an enhancer of the customer or "guest" experience. Disney, as sold to the masses, will streamline and personalize your experience based on highly specific information about each member of your party. The information will be partly tendered under the guise of a voluntary "itinerary builder" to help the guest pre-plan nearly every aspect of a Disney Parks vacation. Names, birth dates, gender and real and virtual addresses (email, Twitter, Facebook, and the like) will be gathered.

From there, the collection of information will grow in a dynamic and organic manner...to be first rolled-out at Walt Disney World beginning in early 2013, once you arrive your personalized NextGen bracelet or room key or pass will gather or mine every data point consistent with 24 hour surveillance. (Note: handheld devices, smartphone and tablets, are a supplemental feature that is, by design, a distraction from the actual intent of NextGen that feeds on society's familiarity with this ubiquitous technology.) Cash will remain an accepted form of payment; however, for resorts guests, cash will only be allowed to settle accounts prior to departure much like as a credit card is required prior to boarding and for all purchases on cruise ships.

Unlike most currently utilized RFID products, Disney's tags or profilers will not require the tapping or waving of the guests' bracelet or other embedded tagger for the vast data-mining the passive element of NextGen introduces. No push, tap or swipe is required as readers now blanket Walt Disney World to extract every possible piece of information or data from the guest in their GPS-enabled device. Any concerns over the right of Disney to acquire, compile and export for their profit and the profit of corporate partners aside, grave concerns over guest safety and the actual legality of this project have been raised.

 

[ParentsOf4]

'74 asked me to drop this here for him, due to his inability to post certain things.
Enjoy!

Wow. This is bad, really bad. Welcome Big Brother and 1984.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

"Names, birth dates, gender and real and virtual addresses (email, Twitter, Facebook, and the like) will be gathered."

Isn't most of this information (with the exception of multiple "virtual" addresses) largely acquired during a regular reservation? I guess the main information gain/benefit is spending habbits and preferences while in the park?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Wow. This is as bad, really bad. Welcome Big Brother and 1984.

I wonder how quickly those "legal concerns" will arise when this goes completely public?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

"Names, birth dates, gender and real and virtual addresses (email, Twitter, Facebook, and the like) will be gathered."

Isn't most of this information (with the exception of multiple "virtual" addresses) largely acquired during a regular reservation? I guess the main information gain/benefit is spending habbits and preferences while in the park?

Does that mean they will employ a CM to follow me around ensuring Im well lubricated?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Does that mean they will employ a CM to follow me around ensuring Im well lubricated?

That's what the wrist band's for. It's cheaper than paying a teenager $8/hour to do the same in the long run.

 

[Zac Skellington]

'74 asked me to drop this here for him, due to his inability to post certain things.
Enjoy!

There's the MAGICAL beginning to my weekend...