Radok Block
Well-Known Member
It's basically a really expensive version of your supermarket member's card, right? "Oh look, I saved four dollars!"
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Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV
- Thread starter WDW1974
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bhg469
Well-Known Member
The I'm with the band shirt is the point where I was completely convinced they are very far out of touch with us but in their minds they think we are their best buddies.
DznyGrlSD
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Seriously?! Then why waste $$ on park hoppers? Will the old put your ticket in and a fastpass spits out system go away too?
WDWDad13
Well-Known Member
I am IT guy for a large fortune 500 company.... the idea and thoughts behind the RFID and NextGen "stuff" to me is brilliant...and Disney is ahead of the game (compared to other theme parks) trying to pull this off. Because of this...they are learning as they go because they have nothing to go by in some regards.
I have no doubt, the RFID and NextGen can be a MAJOR hit with fans and for Disney's bank account... IF and only IF it is designed well, implemented well, supported well, and constantly updated as needed. They CAN do this... and they CAN make a big splash in to Disney innovation with this whole concept... it just needs the right management behind it and support from the CM's and fans to give it a shot.
Too many poo-poo'd on it because of cost right from the beginning thinking it was "taking away from designing new attractions" etc. when in some ways this IS an attraction in and of itself.
I have no doubt, the RFID and NextGen can be a MAJOR hit with fans and for Disney's bank account... IF and only IF it is designed well, implemented well, supported well, and constantly updated as needed. They CAN do this... and they CAN make a big splash in to Disney innovation with this whole concept... it just needs the right management behind it and support from the CM's and fans to give it a shot.
Too many poo-poo'd on it because of cost right from the beginning thinking it was "taking away from designing new attractions" etc. when in some ways this IS an attraction in and of itself.
EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
^^^ Please explain why you think this. What is the long term value to the guests?
DocMcHulk
Well-Known Member
Annnnd..... there's your problem...
Funmeister
Well-Known Member
You are correct....They "can" do it but they didn't. I don't think the criticism has been IF it could be done. The problem is due to cost a and that it no longer makes any kind of business sense. Even if Disney has a decade of successful 25th Anniversary-esque type years, it would not pay for this $2.?+ boondoggle.
They have already faltered on too many of your "ifs" to be successful. Sad...
flynnibus
Premium Member
'They CAN do this..' - ergo the problem. Disney has shown repeatedly it struggles with IT integration and services. It's difficult when dealing with a maze of legacy systems as I'm sure they have been for the last 20 years... but here they virtually tried to start all over again which would have freed them of that burden. And it looks like they had complete amateurs driving it because they tried to run before they could crawl. They missed the basics.. they missed how the system is actually used day to day. Those kinds of mistakes are hallmarks of miserable project management.
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
I think I love you. That's the best I've ever seen NextGen put to words in a nutshell.
Magenta Panther
Well-Known Member
But it's probably too much to expect that TDO will learn from this - that it's better to GIVE more to guests than TAKE more from guests...
71jason
Well-Known Member
This happened last week, actually, at least in the resorts. So far a lot of grumbling because--without the wrist bands--the new system actually adds a step to paying in a restaurant/bar.
I have seen the Magic Band "geek squad" around. A lot. They wear polos with the Magic Band symbol embroidered on them, so they're easy to spot.
stevehousse
Well-Known Member
Someone stated a few pages back if we would see execs or upper management fired over the failure of this?
I would have fired them immediately if they came to me with a proposal to spend 1 billion + on bracelets?!?
I also think that the whole MM+ was announced way to early. They shouldn't have announced anything until it was fully ready to roll...
I would have fired them immediately if they came to me with a proposal to spend 1 billion + on bracelets?!?
I also think that the whole MM+ was announced way to early. They shouldn't have announced anything until it was fully ready to roll...
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Whoa whoa whoa... Who said anything about saving money? As the Disney execs run around to figure out how to get those $4 back out of our pockets.
fractal
Well-Known Member
Seems to me that the extra few bucks they can squeeze out of you due to NGE will be more than offset by the loss of revenue from those that decide to go elsewhere. Especially when "elsewhere" is adding new exciting attractions.
I would love to see the analysis on how they expect to be paid back on this investment.
I would love to see the analysis on how they expect to be paid back on this investment.
manutdfan1
Active Member
All I will say is that I hope you're right. I sincerely hope that it improves guest experience while making money for the Mouse, because hopefully they'll use that money to bring new and exciting experiences to the parks.
Darth Sidious
Authentically Disney Distinctly Chinese
The ideas for revenue generation with this technology is quite fascinating. I'd just be interested to see how someone got this past cost benefit analysis.
crispy
Well-Known Member
Not an IT person by an stretch of the imagination, but Disney can't even build a decent, user-friendly website so I don't have much hope that they can make this work either.
As for NGE being an "attraction in and of itself", I have ask for whom? It would make sense to me that the NGE technology would work best if it was as inconspicuous and unobtrusive as possible. I think that's actually where a lot of the hatred for NGE is coming from (huge sums of money spent on it notwithstanding). The message that we must "Love the MagicBand!" and forcing guests to be tied to a SmartPhone instead of actually enjoying the REAL attractions has caused a lot of the backlash. It's like they want to blind us with the "coolness" of NGE so we won't notice the lack of maintenance and new attractions. Unfortunately, for them, most people aren't as stupid as Disney execs think they are (I am not saying that many people AREN'T Stupid...just not AS stupid).
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
What percentage of visitors are IT people who appreciate the tech??? So far the limitations I've read that this stuff is imposing (having to book even your fast passes so far in advance, etc) and the lack of anything new to SEE plus the widespread budget slashing, exploding guest costs, and ongoing craptastic maintenance have created a very bad taste for us. It's a solid deterrent to my family...a family who used to spend several thousand in WDW on an annual basis. The info in this thread is already proof positive that NextGen, while a nice idea, is not the best way to drop $3b in a parks resort destination. Look at how Carsland has blown-up DCAs attendance! WDW could've had that THREE TIMES OVER. Think of what that could've been for WDW. A lot more than a still-yet-to-work NextGen. That's for damned sure.
Darth Sidious
Authentically Disney Distinctly Chinese
NextGen was never truly intended to be for guests. Sure they can find ways to use it to help certain guest experiences but ultimately this is a key component to the corporate philosophy for P&R. They want domestic P&R to have a profit margin of over 20%.
Radok Block
Well-Known Member
Exactly. It's consumer theater. What we get out of it doesn't hold a candle to what they'll get out of it.
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