Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Longhairbear]

A negative one. The majority of DLR's guests don't even plan trips. Imagine finding out we (I know you're a DLR local) have to plan FPs and which rides we want to get on... It's laughable. I can kind of see people wearing those bands to purchase things, but this FP deal is a joke. Restricting the number of FPs we can get would so many people off.

That's what we were saying too. We were imagining the friends we have that go as a group, hit rope drop for FP, and so on. Tell them they only get 3, and only one park....not pretty.

 

[Kuhio]

Disney says this is all about making vacations easier and less stressful for guests when they are patently lying about that.

The most offensive aspect of the Next Gen initiative is the fact that it's so blatant an effort to squeeze money out of guests without providing any substantive benefit in return -- there's absolutely nothing subtle about it. And the lies on which Next Gen's marketing is premised are so obvious that it should be an insult to the intelligence of any park guest who thinks about what he or she is really getting out of it, versus what Disney's getting.

This is not to say that corporations shouldn't be concerned about profits. But a good corporation will naturally profit simply by creating a quality product that consumers desire: giving consumers what they want, and making money, are not two mutually exclusive things. Indeed, for corporations that are both financially and creatively successful, the two go hand-in-hand.

In contrast, Next Gen is entirely about making money while providing virtually nothing of value to the consumer: the convenience of not having to carry around a paper Fastpass or take one's wallet out to pay for a purchase is so insubstantial a benefit that it doesn't come anywhere close to justifying the staggering cost of implementing the Next Gen scheme.

Even putting aside the privacy and data-mining concerns -- and even assuming that the project's total cost is closer to $1 billion than $2 or 3 billion -- Next Gen is still an inconceivably poor investment. For those of us who don't have a money bin filled with three cubic acres of cash -- $1 billion is a lot of freakin' money. A lot. Properly and efficiently allocated, $1 billion could be used to add multiple original attractions throughout the four WDW parks, as well as make less visible -- but no less necessary -- changes in infrastructure to improve overall guest experience.

When you're dealing with that much money, you'd better be extremely certain that what you're spending it on is going to be worth it. If you were sinking that amount of money into an attraction or a themed land, for example, you'd be foolish to gamble on a lesser-known property, as opposed to a guaranteed success like Harry Potter.

Instead, those massive sums have essentially been deployed in service to one primary goal: to keep guests on-property and spending their own money, the only way Next Gen can hope to recoup its cost. As has already been shown with regard to DME and DVC, however, that overall strategy begins to falter when the staleness of your substantive offerings outweighs the relative burden of renting a car and driving yourself somewhere else in the Orlando area.

The worst part, of course, is the fact that whatever money has been sunk into Next Gen is money that can't be spent on other projects going forward. In light of the rapidly escalating "arms race" among central Florida theme parks, that error could potentially be one with consequences that last longer than even the synthetic materials in a MagicBand.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thank YOU, @Kuhio !

<Stands up>> <<APPLAUSE>>

AMEN. This x's a bazillion plus infinity. And beyond.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That's what we were saying too. We were imagining the friends we have that go as a group, hit rope drop for FP, and so on. Tell them they only get 3, and only one park....not pretty.

Exactly. I remember when FPs return times started being enforced, people were so angry because their FP plans were now "ruined." This would be ten times worse.

 

[Longhairbear]

Exactly. I remember when FPs return times started being enforced, people were so angry because their FP plans were now "ruined." This would be ten times worse.

I imagine a few of my tech geek friends to love the apps...at first. But most DLR guests/fans I know do not plan ahead, and just show up after work, or just wake up one morning, and take the day off to go to the parks.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I imagine a few of my tech geek friends to love the apps...at first. But most DLR guests/fans I know do not plan ahead, and just show up after work, or just wake up one morning, and take the day off to go to the parks.

That's exactly what most of us do. I know I've gone up to the parks after school multiple times. That's exactly why the parks get crowded at 4 and 5:00 in the evening on weekdays.

It's not going to work here, obviously. Way too different from WDW.

 

[Longhairbear]

That's exactly what most of us do. I know I've gone up to the parks after school multiple times. That's exactly why the parks get crowded at 4 and 5:00 in the evening on weekdays.

It's not going to work here, obviously. Way too different from WDW.

Add in the fact that every Disney fan I know, and that's more than a lot, has an annual pass. They also love Knott's Berry Farm, Universal, and Six Flags. Limit the FP for AP holders...it won't be pretty, and to be sure will be reported loudly, and often on Facebook, and Twitter....not to mention at DLR guest relations. Light Magic anyone?

 

[Voice of Disney sanity]

My only response is this:

1. I don't care about attention from a board about Disney. You seem to, and that's fine.

2. I'm not saying you're a liar. You make a claim about how Disney and the CIA (or whatever agency you said) working together. That would be like Taylor Swift and Dee Snyder working together...pretty unlikely. But that's a pretty serious claim to make without any evidence. I'm asking you to provide that evidence.

If you do, I'll admit I'm wrong.

Ask @ParentsOf4 , he brought something to me via PM with some support behind it, and I publicly and privately admitted I was wrong.

You can do the same if you'd like.

I'll point out that it was reported today that MAJOR tech companies such as google, facebook and microsoft have been getting paid by the NSA. Something is very fishy about this NGE and billions of dollars that disney in the past would have never committed to a project let alone allow overruns like is happening. Spirit is right. This whole thing smacks of a government program. It sounds to me like an R and D project for Uncle Sam

 

[luv]

Government involvement would explain why a company that can't afford to pay for running water in the bathroom sinks is able to spend a billion dollars on new wristbands, door locks and credit card machines that nobody wanted or needed.

I really hope that isn't what happened here...but it would explain a lot.

 

[Tim_4]

I imagine a few of my tech geek friends to love the apps...at first. But most DLR guests/fans I know do not plan ahead, and just show up after work, or just wake up one morning, and take the day off to go to the parks.

If they were just showing up after work, they weren't getting any paper Fastpasses under the old system anyways.

 

[Tim_4]

I'll point out that it was reported today that MAJOR tech companies such as google, facebook and microsoft have been getting paid by the NSA. Something is very fishy about this NGE and billions of dollars that disney in the past would have never committed to a project let alone allow overruns like is happening. Spirit is right. This whole thing smacks of a government program. It sounds to me like an R and D project for Uncle Sam

Okay I'm the most libertarian don't-trust-the-government wacko you'll ever meet but SERIOUSLY? Why on God's green earth would the feds care that I eat a turkey leg once a year or that I tend to buy XL men's t-shirts and S women's ones?

 

[yeti]

I have a question for anyone, whats with this "needed infrastructure update" that people throw around apologetically? Seems like the pretty basic, physical infrastructure of WDW can rot and collapse without so much as a nod from Disney, so surely the "much needed" IT upgrade trumps that? What is this general tech WDW needs and is so desperately lacking?

 

[ParentsOf4]

I've always found it strange that Disney didn't offer some type of loyalty program, even if it were just for hotel stays.

In fact, it often seems quite the opposite. Over the last few years, Disney seems intent on imposing the largest price increases on its most loyal customers. Consider what they've done in recent years to Annual Pass holders:

• Annual Pass prices up 17.3% in 2 years.
• Children under the age of 10 now are charged the full adult AP price.
• AP merchandise discount cut in half.
• TIW price up 33% along with more blackout days and excluded restaurants.

It's a bizarre business model, one that I believe would fail miserably in other service industries, such as airlines or hotels, that offer free upgrades, free tickets, etc.

It seems Disney wants to squeeze out every penny from those infected with pixie dust.

I feel the need to once again quote Kevin Bacon in Animal House:

"Thank you sir may I have another."

(Sorry no video; it's inappropriate for a family friendly site.)

From what I've been told from insiders, one major goal of NextGen is to identify more opportunities to squeeze out more pennies.

Rhetorically, why isn't the place that once was cited as the gold standard for customer service willing to implement something so basic as a loyalty program?

 

[Tim_4]

The most offensive aspect of the Next Gen initiative is the fact that it's so blatant an effort to squeeze money out of guests without providing any substantive benefit in return -- there's absolutely nothing subtle about it. And the lies on which Next Gen's marketing is premised are so obvious that it should be an insult to the intelligence of any park guest who thinks about what he or she is really getting out of it, versus what Disney's getting.

This is not to say that corporations shouldn't be concerned about profits. But a good corporation will naturally profit simply by creating a quality product that consumers desire: giving consumers what they want, and making money, are not two mutually exclusive things. Indeed, for corporations that are both financially and creatively successful, the two go hand-in-hand.

In contrast, Next Gen is entirely about making money while providing virtually nothing of value to the consumer: the convenience of not having to carry around a paper Fastpass or take one's wallet out to pay for a purchase is so insubstantial a benefit that it doesn't come anywhere close to justifying the staggering cost of implementing the Next Gen scheme.

Even putting aside the privacy and data-mining concerns -- and even assuming that the project's total cost is closer to $1 billion than $2 or 3 billion -- Next Gen is still an inconceivably poor investment. For those of us who don't have a money bin filled with three cubic acres of cash -- $1 billion is a lot of freakin' money. A lot. Properly and efficiently allocated, $1 billion could be used to add multiple original attractions throughout the four WDW parks, as well as make less visible -- but no less necessary -- changes in infrastructure to improve overall guest experience.

When you're dealing with that much money, you'd better be extremely certain that what you're spending it on is going to be worth it. If you were sinking that amount of money into an attraction or a themed land, for example, you'd be foolish to gamble on a lesser-known property, as opposed to a guaranteed success like Harry Potter.

Instead, those massive sums have essentially been deployed in service to one primary goal: to keep guests on-property and spending their own money, the only way Next Gen can hope to recoup its cost. As has already been shown with regard to DME and DVC, however, that overall strategy begins to falter when the staleness of your substantive offerings outweighs the relative burden of renting a car and driving yourself somewhere else in the Orlando area.

The worst part, of course, is the fact that whatever money has been sunk into Next Gen is money that can't be spent on other projects going forward. In light of the rapidly escalating "arms race" among central Florida theme parks, that error could potentially be one with consequences that last longer than even the synthetic materials in a MagicBand.

I'd politely suggest you read the posts about Hilton on page 293 and those about Disney Infinity a few pages prior. You're still missing what NextGen is in the first place. You'll probably still have some criticism left once it "clicks", as I do, but a lot of your points here still stem from a fundamental misunderstanding about the underlying nature of the project.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

In fact, it often seems quite the opposite. Over the last few years, Disney seems intent on imposing the largest price increases on its most loyal customers. Consider what they've done in recent years to Annual Pass holders:

• Annual Pass prices up 17.3% in 2 years.
• Children under the age of 10 now are charged the full adult AP price.
• AP merchandise discount cut in half.
• TIW price up 33% along with more blackout days and excluded restaurants.

It's a bizarre business modal, one that I believe would fail miserably in other service industries such as airlines or hotels, that offer free upgrades, free tickets, etc.

It seems Disney is intent on squeezing out every penny from those infected with pixie dust.

I feel the need to once again quote Kevin Bacon in Animal House:

"Thank you sir my I have another."

(Sorry no video; it's inappropriate for a family friendly site.)

From what I've been told from insiders, one major goal of NextGen is to identify more opportunities to squeeze out more pennies.

Rhetorically, why isn't the place that once was cited as the gold standard for customer service willing to implement something so basic as a loyalty program?

Does a drug dealer give more discounts the more you are addicted, or the reverse?

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I have a question for anyone, whats with this "needed infrastructure update" that people throw around apologetically? Seems like the pretty basic, physical infrastructure of WDW can rot and collapse without so much as a nod from Disney, so surely the "much needed" IT upgrade trumps that? What is this general tech WDW needs and is so desperately lacking?

Thank God I no longer have to march halfway across the Florida swamp and back to my party six times a day anymore to get another fastpass. It's 2013, hurray for letting me make reservations through todays version of the Worldkey. And not just restaurants, but rides too!

Ah, the bliss of just strolling about a Disney park, instead of running back and forth all day long. Now there's some old skool magic. And no more herds of rushed people running all over the place to content with either. The roads will be much less clogged, people will be less hasty, the crowds will be more relaxed again.

 

[scout68]

I have a question for anyone, whats with this "needed infrastructure update" that people throw around apologetically? Seems like the pretty basic, physical infrastructure of WDW can rot and collapse without so much as a nod from Disney, so surely the "much needed" IT upgrade trumps that? What is this general tech WDW needs and is so desperately lacking?

I liken this to installing $100,000 solar panels on your home that is full of faulty lights and appliances.

(swap NG with solar panels and one can literally apply this to WDW)

 

[ParentsOf4]

Does a drug dealer give more discounts the more you are addicted, or the reverse?

Exactly, which is why I indicated it was a rhetorical question and thus my earlier comment about "squeezing out every penny from those infected with pixie dust."

In recent years under Iger, Disney's attitude seems to have devolved into, "You really enjoy our product and spend gobs of money on it; we're going to make sure you pay even more!"

Disney management had a decades long policy of not offering discounts but, prior to Eisner, they also were obsessed with offering value. This point cannot be emphasized enough; Disney management thought its customers should receive quality at a reasonable price. For example, it was possible to get a room in the Garden Wing of The Contemporary for the equivalent of about $150/night or a 3-day hopper ticket for about $85. Disney management truly believed in value. When you offer value, you don't need to play games with discounts.

Now, summer rack rate for a Garden Wing room is $480/night so even when they offer a 30% Room Only discount, it's still $336/night, a crazy price for what the room is.

Fine. If you can get away with it then go for it but to "reward" someone like The Spirit who's been an Annual Pass holder for decades with big price increases shows utter contempt for loyal customers. It might make some sense when you are the only game in town but with what's been going on at Universal lately, Disney's timing couldn't be worse.

 

[Tim_4]

I have a question for anyone, whats with this "needed infrastructure update" that people throw around apologetically? Seems like the pretty basic, physical infrastructure of WDW can rot and collapse without so much as a nod from Disney, so surely the "much needed" IT upgrade trumps that? What is this general tech WDW needs and is so desperately lacking?

Reservation systems, hotel management systems, reporting systems, POS systems, training systems, guest facing systems, etc.

If you call Disney to make a reservation, there's a fair chance that the person on the other side is looking at a black screen with green text, MS-DOS style. No, I'm not exaggerating.

 

[WDWDad13]

I'll point out that it was reported today that MAJOR tech companies such as google, facebook and microsoft have been getting paid by the NSA. Something is very fishy about this NGE and billions of dollars that disney in the past would have never committed to a project let alone allow overruns like is happening. Spirit is right. This whole thing smacks of a government program. It sounds to me like an R and D project for Uncle Sam