Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[nor'easter]

Actually, I think he's referring to how technically Canada is a 'constitutional monarchy' where the queen is a figure head of sorts.

http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Senate/Monarchy/SenMonarchy_00-e.htm

Figurehead, yes. Making Canada part of Europe (his claim).,,,,not so much.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Figurehead, yes. Making Canada part of Europe (his claim).,,,,not so much.

Yeah, I don't agree with that. lol

 

[unkadug]

But what we really want to know is, what do you think of urine-spewing hand dryers? That's what we are talking about here, and that's what's important!

I you would wash your hands BEFORE putting them in the hand dryer you would not get urine spewed upon yourself.

Simple.

 

[Atomicmickey]

I you would wash your hands BEFORE putting them in the hand dryer you would not get urine spewed upon yourself.

Simple.

Not according to some people. Hey, I didn't make that stuff up, it's from this thread. Apparently some folks think that hand dryers spew urine around or something like that. Hard to believe that some people even leave the house. Maybe to escape the dust mites or something.

 

[PeterAlt]

When they spread it over 6 parks it should ease the pain and spread the costs a little. Sorry DL fans, but it's coming. It's only a matter of time.

I think the system is far more advanced than a simple study of customer behavior. They are attempting to predict your individual actions based on your personal trends and habits. Most similar studies use very general demographic data to predict general trends. The scale and scope of the system has never been tried before. The only thing that probably comes close is Amazon and they obviously figured out a way to make a lot of money so who knows, maybe the system really will earn an ROI that meets or exceeds expectations. None of that really matters to me as a guest, but it's a fascinating case study for some business school.

It's a Brave New (Walt Disney) World!

 

[RSoxNo1]

No, people like myself I would think. Walked into Epcot 10 days ago, shortly after opening. Went for a Soarin FP, fully expecting a late day time.

Nope. All gone.
Booked up in advance by FP+ users.
I was disadvantaged by the system, and going forward it will have an impact on my choice of Disney destinations.

I wrote this on MiceChat 7 months ago:

What’s more discouraging is that there are actual components of Fastpass+ and MyMagic+ that really interest me. I love the thought of walking into Epcot at 11 AM and heading straight for Spaceship Earth. While in line, I would use the mobile app to book a dinner reservation at Le Cellier for later that night, a Soarin’ Fastpass for mid afternoon and order food at Sunshine Seasons for lunch. It’s very intriguing to be able to do all of these things day of.

Alternatively, if a guest doesn’t have a smartphone, feel free to have them utilize the touch screens in the Spaceship Earth descent instead. Technically speaking they’re still planning their future…

All kidding aside, I fear with advanced reservations that Disney is eliminating the biggest advantage of this new infrastructure: the availability of same day access. What’s more likely with my 11 AM Epcot arrival, is an artificially inflated wait time at Spaceship Earth and all Soarin’ Fastpasses are distributed for the day. And unless you woke up at 6 AM 180 days ago, you can forget about Le Cellier.

 

[SJFPKT]

I you would wash your hands BEFORE putting them in the hand dryer you would not get urine spewed upon yourself.

Simple.

On a side note, your avatar ROCKS!!!! I had a fraternity brother that was a Aubie. WDE!!

 

[ParentsOf4]

The part that was speculation was that FP+ was going to be for resort guests only. Disney came out and said it would be available to all guests. The loophole is that off property guests won't be able to book in advance. I know this was speculate about a lot but this seems to be the first indication that they are actually going through with the plan. That's the part I find interesting.

One idea that was being considered was to let everyone book 60 days out but to adjust what's offered based on resort level. For example, Deluxe Resort guests could book all 3 MK mountains, Moderate 2 mountains, Value 1 mountain, offsite 0 mountains.

Disney is trying to find the right balance between providing a better experience to its onsite (especially Deluxe) guests without driving away local AP holders. Disney needs to come up with a scheme to justify NextGen's huge budget.

My problem with any of the more complicated schemes is how to advertise them. How do you explain to someone considering an upsell the difference between resort levels. Today, all onsite guests get EMH. Ok, that's extra time in the parks, not too difficult to understand. But given the complexity of some of the schemes being considered, exactly how does Disney explain them to the casual customer?

Perhaps this is where travel agents step in.

 

[Nubs70]

One idea that was being considered was to let everyone book 60 days out but to adjust what's offered based on resort level. For example, Deluxe Resort guests could book all 3 MK mountains, Moderate 2 mountains, Value 1 mountain, offsite 0 mountains.

Disney is trying to find the right balance between providing a better experience to its onsite (especially Deluxe) guests without driving away local AP holders. Disney needs to come up with a scheme to justify NextGen's huge budget.

My problem with any of the more complicated schemes is how to advertise them. How do you explain to someone considering an upsell the difference between resort levels. Today, all onsite guests get EMH. Ok, that's extra time in the parks, not too difficult to understand. But given the complexity of some of the schemes being considered, exactly how does Disney explain them to the casual customer?

Perhaps this is where travel agents step in.

How could you explain to a Value resort guest that you only qualify for 1 mountain reservation? Then inform them that had they spent $4,000 more, they could reserve all 3.

 

[GoofGoof]

One idea that was being considered was to let everyone book 60 days out but to adjust what's offered based on resort level. For example, Deluxe Resort guests could book all 3 MK mountains, Moderate 2 mountains, Value 1 mountain, offsite 0 mountains.

Disney is trying to find the right balance between providing a better experience to its onsite (especially Deluxe) guests without driving away local AP holders. Disney needs to come up with a scheme to justify NextGen's huge budget.

My problem with any of the more complicated schemes is how to advertise them. How do you explain to someone considering an upsell the difference between resort levels. Today, all onsite guests get EMH. Ok, that's extra time in the parks, not too difficult to understand. But given the complexity of some of the schemes being considered, exactly how does Disney explain them to the casual customer?

Perhaps this is where travel agents step in.

I could see that working, but the issue is you have to then de-value the other attractions not in the premium group. I could see them spinning it as starting with 1 premium reservation and 2 non-premium for all on property guests and then offering additional premium reservations for deluxe guests, bringing their total to 4 or 5. Now you are getting a bonus for staying deluxe instead of "being punished" for staying value. If they are not going to allow off site guests to reserve until day of they should/must hold back at least a small portion of reservations (say10%) to be released the day of. That would make the system more equitable and you would still have a nice incentive for staying on property.

How could you explain to a Value resort guest that you only qualify for 1 mountain reservation? Then inform them that had they spent $4,000 more, they could reserve all 3.

This is what Universal will be doing when their value resort opens. If you stay deluxe for significantly more cash you get front of the line. If you stay value you wait with everyone else. If you can't beat em, join em.

 

[Cesar R M]

I could see that working, but the issue is you have to then de-value the other attractions not in the premium group. I could see them spinning it as starting with 1 premium reservation and 2 non-premium for all on property guests and then offering additional premium reservations for deluxe guests, bringing their total to 4 or 5. Now you are getting a bonus for staying deluxe instead of "being punished" for staying value. If they are not going to allow off site guests to reserve until day of they should/must hold back at least a small portion of reservations (say10%) to be released the day of. That would make the system more equitable and you would still have a nice incentive for staying on property.

This is what Universal will be doing when their value resort opens. If you stay deluxe for significantly more cash you get front of the line. If you stay value you wait with everyone else. If you can't beat em, join em.

what if these classifications are dynamic depending on load and season?
for example.. certain rides that are declared "premium" gets declared "standard" after certain day because the load and attendance was below the threshold?

 

[GoofGoof]

what if these classifications are dynamic depending on load and season?
for example.. certain rides that are declared "premium" gets declared "standard" after certain day because the load and attendance was below the threshold?

They could do it that way. The system should be flexible enough to do that. What could also happen is they could allow you to switch a lower tier reservation for one of the mountains on the day of if available. During busy times they won't be available, but at off peak times it could be possible. Then again if the crowds are low the FP reservations aren't as big of a deal.

 

[Cesar R M]

They could do it that way. The system should be flexible enough to do that. What could also happen is they could allow you to switch a lower tier reservation for one of the mountains on the day of if available. During busy times they won't be available, but at off peak times it could be possible. Then again if the crowds are low the FP reservations aren't as big of a deal.

my other suggestion would be if they implemented a point system similar to the dinning plans... but for FP+.
aka you get certain point allot depending on the number of park tickets you have, and you use them according to the value of the attraction.

something like the star wars ride .. aka premiun.. let's say 5 points to get a FP voucher...
on highest load hours.. 7 points.
normal attractions.. 1 point , and during highest loads.. 3 points.

that would prevent FP abuse, and people can give priority on what to select...

 

[JenniferS]

They could do it that way. The system should be flexible enough to do that. What could also happen is they could allow you to switch a lower tier reservation for one of the mountains on the day of if available. During busy times they won't be available, but at off peak times it could be possible. Then again if the crowds are low the FP reservations aren't as big of a deal.

Or ... (pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top), they could scrap FP+, reinstate Legacy FP, keep the bands, and build some MORE rides.
It is just becoming soooo complicated.
I was unable to link my bands to my account so I could book FP's last month. It took a 35 minute long distance, international call to WDW to try (unsuccessfully) to sort it out. I finally got the correct info from someone here. For free. I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about Disney, and although not the most tech-savvy, I'm not a dolt. If I can't make it work without considerable effort, time and expense, however is a first timer ever going to navigate these convoluted waters?

 

[Mr Bill]

^^ Haven't we taken a relatively easy to use system and overcomplicated it enough already?

 

[Bairstow]

Or ... (pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top), they could scrap FP+, reinstate Legacy FP, keep the bands, and build some MORE rides.
It is just becoming soooo complicated.
I was unable to link my bands to my account so I could book FP's last month. It took a 35 minute long distance, international call to WDW to try (unsuccessfully) to sort it out. I finally got the correct info from someone here. For free. I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about Disney, and although not the most tech-savvy, I'm not a dolt. If I can't make it work without considerable effort, time and expense, however is a first timer ever going to navigate these convoluted waters?

What was the trick?

 

[JenniferS]

What was the trick?

Couldn't do it through the MDE app (on iPhone or iPad) - had to go to www.disneyworld.disney.go.com, and click the My DisneyExperience logo on the top right hand corner.

 

[GoofGoof]

Or ... (pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top), they could scrap FP+, reinstate Legacy FP, keep the bands, and build some MORE rides.
It is just becoming soooo complicated.
I was unable to link my bands to my account so I could book FP's last month. It took a 35 minute long distance, international call to WDW to try (unsuccessfully) to sort it out. I finally got the correct info from someone here. For free. I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about Disney, and although not the most tech-savvy, I'm not a dolt. If I can't make it work without considerable effort, time and expense, however is a first timer ever going to navigate these convoluted waters?

Getting rid of the system all together would be preferable, but that ain't happening. They do need to spend some time improving the process of signing up and linking accounts and reservations. One thing that should help some is that going forward all of the reservations made should be with the system active. I know I struggled with linking existing park tickets which I was supposed to pick up at will call and my existing DVC room reservation. For my next trip when I book my room or buy tickets they should automatically link back to my account, especially if I make the reservations on-line. At least in theory anyway.

 

[ford91exploder]

I could see that working, but the issue is you have to then de-value the other attractions not in the premium group. I could see them spinning it as starting with 1 premium reservation and 2 non-premium for all on property guests and then offering additional premium reservations for deluxe guests, bringing their total to 4 or 5. Now you are getting a bonus for staying deluxe instead of "being punished" for staying value. If they are not going to allow off site guests to reserve until day of they should/must hold back at least a small portion of reservations (say10%) to be released the day of. That would make the system more equitable and you would still have a nice incentive for staying on property.

This is what Universal will be doing when their value resort opens. If you stay deluxe for significantly more cash you get front of the line. If you stay value you wait with everyone else. If you can't beat em, join em.

Note you can still get FOTL by paying for it even if at the new Value, So this system is better than disney's because it can be fully explained to a guest in 30 seconds or less.

 

[unkadug]

a FOTL FP+ for FOTLK
I love alliteration