Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Computer Magic]

Much better than charging across the park in a mad dash to a FP machine in a lot of people's eyes.

This I agree with. Instead of deciding on dashing for TSM at rope drop or towards RNR/TOT, I can dash for RNR while getting a FP+ for TSM. As long as all the FP+ are not gone before rope drop

 

[Computer Magic]

You are absolutely right, we are in a new generation. This new generation expects everything to be on their iPhone. If it isn't, it is old fashioned. Walking around the park to machines grabbing bits of paper is going to seem very old-hat soon.

Getting away from paper is a hard habit to break. We have been paperlight at the hospital for years. We are not paperless because people have to have that piece of paper to hold. There is something about electronics and security/outages people won't get. Just like a GPS is only as good as you can power it on. The younger generation may get a rude awaking trusting too much in electronics. What happens if your smartphone breaks/battery life, run to the nearest kiosk?

 

[ChrisFL]

Getting away from paper is a hard habit to break. We have been paperlight at the hospital for years. We are not paperless because people have to have that piece of paper to hold. There is something about electronics and security/outages people won't get. Just like a GPS is only as good as you can power it on. The younger generation may get a rude awaking trusting too much in electronics. What happens if your smartphone breaks/batter life, run to the nearest kiosk?

Or worse...an electromagnetic pulse.

That would be a good experiment. Take a few dozen kids and teens and put them into a 1950's style home for a month, with no modern electronics....that would be interesting.

 

[twebber55]

Cedar point is pretty darn busy with coasters and no story!

agree...it pulls over 3 million in about 120 days of operation

 

[Animaniac93-98]

It wasn't all too long ago that being well presented wasn't something that was an attribute to only the wealthy, it was a universal thing that the majority of people did.

Though it doesn't help that now we have stores that sell premium priced clothing that in actuality looks like crap.

 

[Computer Magic]

Or worse...an electromagnetic pulse.

That would be a good experiment. Take a few dozen kids and teens and put them into a 1950's style home for a month, with no modern electronics....that would be interesting.

My CEO told me, Our paper cost has doubled since we went paperless. Everything is electronic but everybody prints out everything.

Yes, send them back in time.

 

[RyenDeckard]

Its a slippery slope Disney may be on.

A lot of families, my mother has a friend planning an Orlando vacation at work that, after learning I used to work at Disney, told my mother how terrible they have been recently and how it's the same crap that's been there for years.

Public opinion is shifting, and honestly only the huge Disney fans are holding on.

 

[bogdig]

Can anyone explain at this point how MM+ is supposed to have a positive ROI? Through the last few months, these are the main points I have seen discussed, and reasons why they don't make sense to me.

• Data-mining: Truly what data can be mined from a WDW guest? They can tell how long you were in a particular store? With the exception of Downtown Disney, almost every store in WDW sells the exact same things. Can they tell that I prefer to buy a Duffy from a circus themed store instead of frontier themed store and somehow target me more accurately for advertising? Also, does the average visitors vacation spending habits really match up to everyday spending habits? What new information can they get now that they couldn't before from tracking my KttW or credit card?
• Ease of Use / Impulse buying: Is tapping a wrist band and entering a pin really easier than swiping a KttW or credit card? I still need to pull out my AP for a discount at a store, or pull out my ID when buying alcohol, not to mention I still need to wait in line to get to the cashier to complete my purchase.
• Bringing in new guests: As discussed in this thread, people won't come to WDW for FP+, they come for new attractions.
• Increased Guest Satisfaction: I think that FP+ and MM+ could go either way. Plusses are that FP+ stops people from waiting in lines, but could also cause people to not need a full day at the park and feel that admission prices weren't justified.

I can see how this was planned to help back end costs with integrating legacy systems, expanding capacity, and probably covering some technology upgrades that were going to be required anyway. But at this point I just can't see how this is expected to generate new revenue.

I agree that the current line of thinking at WDW is really short sighted... If management really want to increase spending they should offer products that are unique to the parks. I was just at Walmart and they have a huge section of Disney products that look like the same cheap crap you can buy in the parks.

The reason that Universal has seen an exponential increase in guest spending is because they are offering products that cannot be purchased anywhere else! If you want to increase impulse spending, then offer a product that people cannot simply go to Walmart and buy when they get home...

 

[BrianLo]

Just took a look at that Madagascar ride in Singapore on youtube. Gotta say it looks really good! I didn't know it existed before the person above mentioned it.

Still playing catch up with this thread (taking forever...), but I wanted to add that I have been on this ride and it's solidly in the "meh" category.

To put into perspective, if Mermaid is a D-ticket wanting to be an E-, Madagascar is a C-ticket wanting to be an E-. It's not "bad", but not remotely cracked up to what it should be.

It may be attractive because it's exotic, and something Universal has built already, but they would be much better spent returning to the drawing board then cloning this attraction.

 

[jensenrick]

So why not let anyone in any park on any day go online and select a virtual fast pass, use it, then select another one? Simply show the app or web screen at the attraction entrance as they show a piece of paper now?

Say I'm in Epcot at 10am and I want a FP for Test Track. I open a free app and select it, it tells me on my iPhone to goto the ride at 4pm and show the app screen. Simple. I'm staying off property, I don't have any jewellery on my wrist, and I don't have to give any details.

THIS!! Oh my jeebus, why oh WHY didn't Disney go in this direction if they wanted to digitize FP? Oh that's right- they were hypnotized by the shiny dollars this system is supposedly going to bring in.

 

[doctornick]

A lot of families, my mother has a friend planning an Orlando vacation at work that, after learning I used to work at Disney, told my mother how terrible they have been recently and how it's the same crap that's been there for years.

Public opinion is shifting, and honestly only the huge Disney fans are holding on.

While that may be true, Disney still completely dominates the families-with-young-kids demo and I've seen no evidence that it is losing it's place as a "rite of passage" for children. Virtually every week, I see people post pics on facebook of trips to WDW (I'm mid 30's, so I'm talking mostly high school/college associates who have children under 10). Of course, that can often mean just a single trip when the kids are young and not going back.

 

[NoChesterHester]

Agreed, I really cant see how it will increase revenue. A MagicBand is really no easier than a credit card, and at the end of the day, there is a limit to what people will spend. That is not suddenly going to change with a band. I do see it perhaps allowing easier spending at waterparks, where guests may not have cash or a credit card at hand. However, is spending at water parks ever going to be that high? I don't think so.

Agree, revenue increase - hard to fathom.

Efficiency improvements - easy to imagine. If properly implemented they could have a far more clear picture of staffing needs, inventory demands, and guest patterns to develop estimates for the next year.

 

[ParentsOf4]

THIS!! Oh my jeebus, why oh WHY didn't Disney go in this direction if they wanted to digitize FP? Oh that's right- they were hypnotized by the shiny dollars this system is supposedly going to bring in.

You've got to realize that many of the executives who OK'ed MyMagic+ would never think of spending more than the absolutely minimum time necessary in their own theme parks but spend hours and hours every day on their smart phones.

All the then junior execs who cut their teeth under the Disney brothers, Don Tatum, or Card Walker are long gone, replaced by a bunch of finance-centric MBAs whose idea of fun involves pretty much anything except visiting a theme park.

IMHO, WDW is struggling exactly because there's no one high up the food chain who has the same passion for WDW the way that the old timers did.

 

[NoChesterHester]

While that may be true, Disney still completely dominates the families-with-young-kids demo and I've seen no evidence that it is losing it's place as a "rite of passage" for children. Virtually every week, I see people post pics on facebook of trips to WDW (I'm mid 30's, so I'm talking mostly high school/college associates who have children under 10). Of course, that can often mean just a single trip when the kids are young and not going back.

That is the real danger for Disney... A gradual shift can occur over time eroding that perception. If more and more people today visit Universal - their kids, who will eventually have kids - will perceive Universal through that same nostalgic lense. It is the place they remember their childhood happiness through.

It doesn't happen overnight and this generation is still following the old pattern. The next????

 

[doctornick]

Agree, revenue increase - hard to fathom.

Efficiency improvements - easy to imagine. If properly implemented they could have a far more clear picture of staffing needs, inventory demands, and guest patterns to develop estimates for the next year.

I think the easiest way for a revenue increase would be upcharging for premium experiences or giving them to resort guests only. Like extra FP+ to deluxe guests.

I guess conceptually the might have thought that improved experiences (Cinderella knows your name!) would improve guest visits and increase (or lengthen) repeat visits.

 

[NoChesterHester]

I think the easiest way for a revenue increase would be upcharging for premium experiences or giving them to resort guests only. Like extra FP+ to deluxe guests.

I guess conceptually the might have thought that improved experiences (Cinderella knows your name!) would improve guest visits and increase (or lengthen) repeat visits.

But to recover BILLIONS in cost to implement? Never will happen.

 

[Computer Magic]

IMHO, WDW is struggling exactly because there's no one high up the food chain who has the same passion for WDW the way that the old timers did.

Exactly! I've stated that in another thread. Roy Disney Jr was the last person with Disney passion. Now Wall Street runs Disney. I thought Jobs might be someone that could bring back the creative passion.

 

[ParentsOf4]

While that may be true, Disney still completely dominates the families-with-young-kids demo and I've seen no evidence that it is losing it's place as a "rite of passage" for children. Virtually every week, I see people post pics on facebook of trips to WDW (I'm mid 30's, so I'm talking mostly high school/college associates who have children under 10). Of course, that can often mean just a single trip when the kids are young and not going back.

WDW does dominate the under 48" crowd and no one (including Uni) can touch it.

However, children grow up and start wanting to go on the "big kid" rides. In the last decade or so, WDW management has gone out of its way to turn what once was a cross-generational resort into a kiddie park. Does WDW still have cross-generational appeal? You bet, but not like in the old days before Uni. WDW has exactly one 48" roller coaster. Many 10-year-olds want to ride Forbidden Journey, not Peter Pan's Flight.

Less and less, WDW is the de facto vacation destination place it once used to be with American families. Perhaps the single biggest cause of this is cost. Just look at a 7-day base ticket. In 2005 it was $199. Today it's $309. Family income just hasn't kept pace.

Today's WDW attendance is largely propped up by a growing middle class in Brazil and Argentina, who are using their new-found wealth to vacation at WDW. Take away that revenue stream and WDW attendance would be down appreciably.

 

[ShookieJones]

IMHO, WDW is struggling exactly because there's no one high up the food chain who has the same passion for WDW the way that the old timers did.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
It may be your humble opinion my friend but it's also a cold hard fact.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Still playing catch up with this thread (taking forever...), but I wanted to add that I have been on this ride and it's solidly in the "meh" category.

To put into perspective, if Mermaid is a D-ticket wanting to be an E-, Madagascar is a C-ticket wanting to be an E-. It's not "bad", but not remotely cracked up to what it should be.

It may be attractive because it's exotic, and something Universal has built already, but they would be much better spent returning to the drawing board then cloning this attraction.

From what i've seen of both, I think Madagascar looks superior to Mermaid. And i'd put Mermaid more on the C ticket scale from my standards. I don't dislike Mermaid, but I find it extremely disappointing considering what they were hyping it to be.

Mermaid has way too many figures that don't really have any motion other than feebly spinning or tipping. The few true animatronics it has are impressive, but they are just that- way too few considering how they hyped this ride to death. And while the animatronics are impressive from a technical perspective, the artists involved did a very poor job recreating Ariel's likeness. Content wise the ride starts out well but quickly begins to degrade as it goes along, they really messed up the ending in particular. There are a few things that work better on Mermaid, but from what little i've seen Madagascar would probably interest me more. The queue of Mermaid at WDW is far better designed than the ride itself.

I can see signs of cuts having been made to Madagascar. But Mermaid if anything is much worse. Now had they gone through with the plans to build the concept video version of Mermaid (and not overhyped it), then it probably would have been something truly great. I don't think Madagascar is anywhere close to being perfect, but it looks cool and I think i'd rather ride it than Mermaid. Had Mermaid been built in the early 90's, I have little doubt that it probably would have been amazing (maybe even actually worthy of the "E ticket lite" title they were trying to convince people the current version was).