Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Rodan75]

"Proof" on a site like this is often difficult to provide due to the nature of the information and often the form it takes.

I have "proof" that WDI designed a very nice Brazil pavilion for Epcot, but due to both the nature of the "proof" and my respect for my source, I can not provide it here.

'74 is in possession of internal documentation from which he has been disseminating bits and pieces for discussion here. Like with my Brazil info example, he is not able to make the entirety of this information public, thus hampering his ability to provide "proof."

At some point you simply have to decide whether or not you feel a poster is simply making stuff up. If you believe that to be the case, feel free to disregard the information and the corresponding discussion. If instead you believe/accept that a poster is providing actual, raw information, then the discussion is legitimate. It's up to you how you choose to interpret such information.

From my perspective, it isn't the lack of 'proof', but the spin being placed on what info that is being leaked. I get that some folks are upset at what is essentially a melding of commerce, crowd control and security into one platform.

I plan to wait to see how NGE launches before I judge a platform based on poorly worded corpo-speak and one man's predispositions on interpreting it.

I can say that the negativity here lately has slowed my page views of @wdwmagic overall and I suspect plenty of others feel the same. I know the page views and posts have become a major crowing point, but they mean a lot less when it is 6 ppl having the same argument over and over again.

I respect the insiders here, but at some point the information just isn't worth the arguing and personal attacks that happen here lately.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Nah...
Cars Land was cruising along fine until Star Wars elbowed its way to the front of the line. Now, as I hear it, Cars is cooling way off for now. Star Wars is nigh on unstoppable.

I take full responsibility.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Oh yeah, I see Lee has been talking about the fact that if you don't book ahead, you have no access to FP+.

Anyone still want to defend it?

You do know the execs at Comcast are literally ROTFLTFAO over this NGE, right?

You think Comcast execs are somehow dumber than Disney...that they can't see the future of theme parks and the company that brought you Disco Yeti, Stitch's Great Belch-off, and is selling off Walt's land faster than a fanboi gets off his Spidey boxers when an Imagineer gets him in a supply closet somehow really is on top of the business?

I pointedly asked if any FP+ reservations would be held back for day guests and was explicitly told that it would be first come first serve. I was also told that it will be less of an issue because they've added to the # of Fastpass+ attractions. We all know that's not how it works, it goes back to the assumption that all attractions are created equal.

I also talked to @lentesta on this trip, and there is no doubt in my mind that the software used to power TouringPlans' Lines Application is far superior to My Disney Experience.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Meh. Pandas. Seen one, you've seen them all. Seriously, there are zoos that already have pandas. What DAK needs are more attractions. I'd rather have Fire Mountain or Quest for the Unicorn than a panda any day.

I asked last weekend, and Joe Rohde explained that one of the hiccups was that Disney is a for profit zoo whereas the stateside facilities that have them are all non-profits. It was just another hurdle in acquiring them.

 

[Goofyernmost]

That track looks really flimsy for some reason...I hope its safe

Not meaning to be anything other than curious, but where do you see any tracks?

 

[RSoxNo1]

Ive heard that the NGE budget tends to pay for a bunch of catered lunches.

Lunches that ironically were not ordered through a smart phone but with *gasp* human interaction.

 

[GoofGoof]

From my perspective, it isn't the lack of 'proof', but the spin being placed on what info that is being leaked. I get that some folks are upset at what is essentially a melding of commerce, crowd control and security into one platform.

I plan to wait to see how NGE launches before I judge a platform based on poorly worded corpo-speak and one man's predispositions on interpreting it.

I can say that the negativity here lately has slowed my page views of @wdwmagic overall and I suspect plenty of others feel the same. I know the page views and posts have become a major crowing point, but they mean a lot less when it is 6 ppl having the same argument over and over again.

I respect the insiders here, but at some point the information just isn't worth the arguing and personal attacks that happen here lately.

This is just my opinion, but NGE really deserves the negativity. I am not one of the Disney sucks, Universal does no wrong people and I feel that sometimes the negativity around things like Avatar, FLE and smaller projects like Disney Springs is overkill, but I'm with the "doom and gloomers" on this one.

Throw out the so called "spin" - the government conspiracy theories and the privacy issues and those type off things and you are still left with a bloated budget (even if its only $1B) and the FP+ system. Sure there are some neat little additions (interactive queues, reserved parade viewing spots, etc...) and I don't mind the magic bands in concept, but overall the requirement to book FP reservations 60 days out kills any value added. That and I just can't get past the list of things that could have been done with that money. Now there are some rumblings that the budget overruns could be delaying other potential projects. Maybe that's just some "spin" too, I really hope it is, but if its not that just plain sucks.

 

[Clever Name]

Not meaning to be anything other than curious, but where do you see any tracks?

At the Harry Potter monorail killer.

 

[GoofGoof]

I pointedly asked if any FP+ reservations would be held back for day guests and was explicitly told that it would be first come first serve. I was also told that it will be less of an issue because they've added to the # of Fastpass+ attractions. We all know that's not how it works, it goes back to the assumption that all attractions are created equal.

I also talked to @lentesta on this trip, and there is no doubt in my mind that the software used to power TouringPlans' Lines Application is far superior to My Disney Experience.

IMHO, that has to change. It's such a foolish move and such an easy win to just hold a small percentage of passes back. Sometimes I wonder how these guys can be so clueless.

I definitely prefer the TouringPlans App over the Disney Experience one.

 

[asianway]

IMHO, that has to change. It's such a foolish move and such an easy win to just hold a small percentage of passes back. Sometimes I wonder how these guys can be so clueless.

I definitely prefer the TouringPlans App over the Disney Experience one.

The advance reservations for FP+ are going to allow them to schedule CMs with razor like precision. In theory...

At this point the labor savings from more efficient staffing is the only way they'll pay back the investment

 

[RSoxNo1]

Disney’s attitude towards disclosure of NextGen information is much like the tobacco industry’s resistance to disclosure of health risks, the automobile industry’s resistance to disclosure of safety concerns, or the food industry’s resistance to disclosure of ingredients. These industries vehemently opposed changes to the status quo because they knew such information would adversely impact business yet, ultimately, it was we the people who benefited. Today’s society is better exactly because of these disclosures.

To quote the Gordon Gekko character in the film Wall Street, “The most valuable commodity I know of is information.”

In the Information Age, our personal information is perhaps the most valuable commodity that we possess, which is why Disney is spending billions to collect it. As consumers, perhaps the most valuable commodity we can receive from Disney is disclosure of what information they intend to collect via MyMagic+ and how they intend to use it.

It’s not too late. In all of the examples I cited, the government acted belatedly to serious issues that existed for decades. The “that ship has sailed” attitude doesn’t hold any water.

The U.S. Government didn’t say the tobacco industry couldn’t sell cigarettes, the automobile industry couldn’t sell cars, or that the food industry couldn’t sell processed foods. Instead, it put in place reasonable limits and required more disclosure to consumers.

Disney doesn’t have to stop “selling” MyMagic+; it only has to more openly disclose its intentions. The best consumer is an informed consumer and, with sufficient information, it will be the market that decides how it feels about MyMagic+.

And that’s the problem. Disney doesn’t want you to decide. They want to decide for you.

Just like the tobacco, automobile, and food industries once did.

Is it that far fetched for Disney to be data mining all of this information to create a really magical meet and greet experience? Just think about it, they can learn all of this information about you and give that information to Cinderella for a truly memorable experience... It's possible we're looking at a $2 billion meet and greet replacing Snow White's Scary Adventures.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Please consider some of my earlier posts on this thread from this weekend explaining Disney’s possible plans and how it adversely impacts you, the consumer. Effectively, Disney wants to collect and cross-reference a ton of information about you, including financial and behavioral information, to identify your “buyer’s reserve price” and make sure you are charged exactly that.

Unless you are a student of business or deal with auctions on a regular basis, you might be unfamiliar with the concept of a “reserve price”. In essence, a “seller’s reserve price” is the minimum a seller would be willing to sell an item for. If you’ve ever bid on eBay, you might have seen this as a “reserve price”. Less familiar is the idea of a “buyer’s reserve price”; the most a buyer would be willing to pay for something.

Consider the following auction example.

I’m selling an art painting worth millions. I know there are several bidders in the room interested but I don’t know how much they’d be willing to spend. In this case, the painting would go for only one bid above what the second highest bidder (called the underbidder) would be willing to pay. To many, the winning bid could be reasonably considered “fair market value”.

Now let’s say I am the seller and through a common acquaintance, I was able to find out what the high bidder’s reserve price was. I could then plant someone in the auction room and make sure they forced the bid up to that buyer’s reserve price. Great for me, the seller. Very bad for the buyer.

By collecting vast amounts of financial and behavioral data, Disney is trying to determine your buyer’s reserve price. Using a simplistic example, if they determined you were willing to pay $120 for a one-day ticket but everyone else was willing to pay only $100, they could raise ticket prices to $120 and then offer everyone except you a $20 off coupon.

What we’ve seen on these threads is a tendency for Big Business advocates to view this as “good”; the free marketplace in action.

I tend to view this as an unfair business practice, like knowing the buyer’s reserve price in the auction example I described above.

If Disney wants to find out my buyer’s reserve price, then perhaps they should disclose their seller’s reserve price. What’s the minimum they would be willing to sell me a ticket for?

Somehow, I don’t think they would be willing to do that.

This is an unbelievably spot on way of explaining what's happening here.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Monday Musings continued:

Can I be any clearer in saying that Star Wars projects are coming to the Studios makeover and that this project has moved to the front of the WDW interactive queue of projects per Burbank (i.e. Iger)?

Do you think the average number of mentally ill people in Anaheim city limits went up or down when D23 ended?

I'm stating to hear rumblings that everyone in Anaheim isn't enamored with Prez Michael 'Not Yeti' Colglazier already. Gee, that didn't take very long.

Wondering how the planned DCL growth may be also playing a factor with the incredible slowness of projects moving in FL.

So, I heard @Lee was dissing Figgy and the Dreamfinder (that is fine if you're talking about creepy old Ron Schneider) over on another thread. I am going to give Mrs. Lee the keys to the gun cabinet if I hear talk like that again.

How can folks be talking about Halloween events already? Does August not count as summer any longer (sadly, it really never has in FL)?

I will take back everything bad I have said about Disney social media whores (this week) if someone can produce proof that one of them asked a real question to an exec or Imagineer during the Droolfest23.

Speaking of Lifestylers,has one EVER asked a question about what Disney intends to do with the hazard that used to be known as River Country?

So, how many of the top lifestylers have eBay accounts and are actively selling merchandise they just picked up this weekend?

You did hear that during top secret meetings this weekend that Disney forced UNI to give back theme park rights to the Marvel characters right?

Yes, just checking reading comprehension and levels of alertness.

So, $92 for a full priced ticket to Halloween Horror Nights in O-Town?!!? It seems like yesterday I was picking them up at my local AAA branch for $19.99.

Just a reminder to O-Town locals that Captain Jack's ceases operations after the weekend, effectively closing the last vestige of the WDW Shopping Village at LBV. Go. Enjoy. Steal 43 menus and place them on eBay.

Would you look at that, who says Disney resorts are too pricey? They are offering us Floridians rooms at the ASMu for $83 a night.

I suppose I should get back to chatting about the serious stuff involving NGE ...but it is as draining and depressing as August in paradise.

Joe Rohde was asked about "Disco Yeti", and I was two people away from asking why Rolly Crump wasn't at the Working with Walt presentation.

 

[RunnerEd]

How many times have you been to UNI?

Twice and liked it a lot. We've had 3 WDW trips and 1 DL since our last Uni visit. When Potter 2 opens up, it will seriously be time!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Joe Rohde was asked about "Disco Yeti", and I was two people away from asking why Rolly Crump wasn't at the Working with Walt presentation.

Did you go to Marty/Bruce's panel?

 

[GoofGoof]

The advance reservations for FP+ are going to allow them to schedule CMs with razor like precision. In theory...

At this point the labor savings from more efficient staffing is the only way they'll pay back the investment

I hear you, but I still think there's room to hold back 10% of reservations on a given day and accomplish their goals.

Here's an example: I'm going to DHS on Monday of my upcoming trip but I oversleep my alarm at the 60 day mark and I get shutout for Toy Story Mania. I still make FP+ reservations for Star Tours, Tower or Terror and Great Movie Ride. When I get to DHS at rope drop that day I use the in park kiosk or my Disney App to swap out GMR and swap in one of the held back TSMM reservations. Disney still knows that I'll be at DHS that day and they can still plan ahead. The rule would still be that you can't split reservations between parks.

For the non-planners they can just arrive the day of and at least have a shot at the available reservations. Disney won't know which park they are going to that day, but that's at most 10% of guests using the system.

At the end of the day this would go a long way towards pacifying the "regulars" crowd that don't want to book reservations 60 days out and would give the planners a second chance at the reservations. The clueless tourist crowd won't know the difference if they get a FP for Toy Story or GMR so probably wouldn't know or care to try to switch.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Do you have any proof of any such nebulous or concerning relationships with the government?

If you have proof, show it. I'll admit I'm wrong. But you won't. And you'll call me an obstructionist or whatever, because I don't eat out of your hand (which is really gross if you think about it).

Not that long ago questions and inferences were being raised about @flynnibus and his connection to the project. I was the one that had to ask him a direct question at which point the whole thing fizzled and died because it was a whole lot of nothing.

No offense Matt, but like others have said, if you do not believe the information to be accurate, you have the choice to not be a part of the discussion and the rest of us can continue to enjoy our delusions of grandeur.

It is not really a discussion if it is limited to only those who agree. And if we are going to have discussions on the need for transparency then it needs to be present from all involved. Maybe they have since been included, but I do not recall seeing quotation marks to distinguish between commentary and information taken directly from the internal documents.

Is it that far fetched for Disney to be data mining all of this information to create a really magical meet and greet experience? Just think about it, they can learn all of this information about you and give that information to Cinderella for a truly memorable experience... It's possible we're looking at a $2 billion meet and greet replacing Snow White's Scary Adventures.

This is the original concept behind NextGen. To individualize experiences to a level never done before so as to again widen the gap of the Disney Difference. In many ways it is a folly Disney has had before. They thought technology that they never really understood could remove the actual work, but instead it has only increased the amount of work required of both themselves and the guest.

Data is also valuable in creating customer profiles and a definite piggy back to the idea of enhancing the experience in a more profitable manner. This though does not necessarily need to be shared externally in order to be profitable for Parks and Resorts. Due to the ways companies are structured, other divisions will pay for access to this information. Knowing which franchise attractions you visited or franchise merchandise you bought is useful information to the Studio.

 

[nytimez]

It is not really a discussion if it is limited to only those who agree.

I don't think anyone reasonably expects agreement. Some people take an opposing view here and make a case and have their own insight that they bring to the table.

That's fine.

Others seem to have no intelligent contribution - just "nyah nyah nyah, can't be true, you're all sheep, I'm here to say it's BS" etc.

That's not a discussion. That's just infantile.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I don't think anyone reasonably expects agreement. Some people take an opposing view here and make a case and have their own insight that they bring to the table.

That's fine.

Others seem to have no intelligent contribution - just "nyah nyah nyah, can't be true, you're all sheep, I'm here to say it's BS" etc.

That's not a discussion. That's just infantile.

In plenty of cases considered disagreement is just labeled as trolling or being a plant to avoid it.

 

[HMF]

This is the original concept behind NextGen. To individualize experiences to a level never done before so as to again widen the gap of the Disney Difference. In many ways it is a folly Disney has had before. They thought technology that they never really understood could remove the actual work, but instead it has only increased the amount of work required of both themselves and the guest..

This is the thing that bothers me. They signed off on this not truly understanding the implications. The thing that ticks me off the most is that they make these decisions without actually understanding what their product is, why it has been successful and how much it means to a great many people. Call me picky but I want the people who make long term-decisions to understand and care passionately about the things they are responsible for and how they work. Having finance and IT guys attempt to manage a Theme Park is just asking for trouble.