Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Alas, hoisted on my own petard. I must not have clearly stated that what those commenting on this thread are doing is an expression of fear. I can see this from both sides and understand the fears many have (security issues being of gravest concern). Fear can be a good thing.I thought I stated my fear as being rousted from the parks by the iPad armed, "Band" toughs for not spending to my allotted quota or meeting their perceived notion of my "reserve price" ( I like that term).

More of the point I was trying to drive home (other than my gross materialism), was my investment in Disney is not being returned by their investment in me. By that, to be clear, they have removed incentives and perks from the programs they promoted at a fairly steady rate. In order to receive those perks, (especially in WDW as DLR is very different), you must now purchase them. A primary example of this is table service discounts only through Tables in Wonderland.

In the lack of investment in maintenance of existing attractions, development of new attractions, and improvements in transportation systems, P&R is failing many different groups of people at WDW. Specifically, they are failing stockholders (critically in the long term), they are failing their real estate investors (DVC is a managed capital investment), they are failing the varying forms of pass holders and their future visitors. I fit into three of the groups listed.

It seems clear to me (thanks to those disclosing these details), that Disney sees me as a "data point" to be tracked and re-purposed or re-directed if possible. (I am sure they see every living creature that way but that is for another thread I am sure.) They are spending upwards of 2 billion dollars to do it. If they applied NGE in a way to enhance my experience, as Tony Baxter espouses, I would be over the moon in support of it. If they apply it in a way to turn me upside down to shake out my loose change too, not so much. Navigating around these new guest enhancements and technology upgrades shouldn't be too difficult. I am sure I will be able to ignore my "iDevice" telling me there is a 5 minute wait at Maelstrom when I am 20 minutes into a 40 minute line at Test Track. I know the "value" curve. I do not perceive many here that are weak enough to fall victim to "guest experience adjustment". I have been lurking in the wings reading.

Manipulations and misrepresentations aside, this program sounds like it's full potential will never be realized. I will take pleasure in using new vernacular on my next visit. Greetings "data point", have you achieved your "reserve price" for the day? I am sure the "Band" geeks ( get it? I am not entirely humorless.) will look quizzically at me.

As an aside, I will be staying in the new GFV very near it's opening day. I'll be happy to share my perspective and photos if desired. (I know, off-topic. I'm sorry.)

Hey y'all, I really like this new guy. Look, he makes real sentences too. So. Refreshing. Welcome, again.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Magenta Panther nodded off to sleep. It would soon be time for the same nightmare he had every night. As if on queue, Panther was overcome with sleep paralysis as the muppets slowly began surrounding him pushing him facedown on his bed.

"Go ahead do your worst" Panther said to the manically laughing puppets
"OH today we have something special planned for you! Wakka Wakka!" boasted Fozzie Bear

Suddenly an iconic mechanical breath could be heard coming from outside his room. Panther went completely silent to listen again as if he misheard. No...the sound of breathing through a respirator occurred again. Suddenly a familiar silhouette stood in the doorway....it was Darth Vader.

"No...you aren't a real Disney character go away". Vader just proceeded towards him
"I'm not afraid of you!" Panther shouted in a desperate attempt to ward off Vader

Darth Vader proceeded towards him pulling out a plastic lightsaber from behind his cape.

"Oh you will be" proclaimed the Dark Lord "...you will be"

Panther hoped his alarm clock would go off soon.

Magenta Panther said to himself, "Man, that was a hell of a nightmare. I gotta stop reading the WDW forums before going to bed. Nerd rage is scary!"

 

[Darth Sidious]

Just because they aren't an original Disney creation, doesn't mean they are a bad fit or a bad purchase. The Muppets cost less than $200M and that was 9 years ago.

 

[Turtle]

Magenta Panther said to himself, "Man, that was a hell of a nightmare. I gotta stop reading the WDW forums before going to bed. Nerd rage is scary!"

Was that supposed to be funny?

 

[Nubs70]

I'm a little biased, but I'm pretty confident that well-trained engineers are still in very high demand.

Only if you have the specific skill set that fills the employers needs.

 

[Zweiland]

@Magenta Panther , you're responding to posts mocking your hatred of the Muppets with... posts about how much you hate the Muppets. Not the smartest thing to do.

But you know what? Keep it coming. This is entertaining to watch.

 

[Nubs70]

And people are concerned that the same bad things being done to us right now outside Disney will soon be taking place IN Disney, where people go to escape all that stress. Info is trickling out that points to this.

Or is what is being developed in Petri Dish of Disney destined to be deployed outside of the Petri dish?

 

[SJN1279]

Nope. Look, of all of Disney's unnecessary acquisitions, the Muppets are easily the weakest. Which is one reason there's a very strong possibility the puppets are getting kicked out of their theater at DCA and probably at WDW. And if that happens, it's likely they're not moving to a bigger better attraction. They're probably going to be downgraded and their presence in the parks reduced. Because they're so "profitable".

The 3D movie has aged terribly(despite Sam Eagle still being hilarious), and their comeback movie didn't catch fire. I doubt the sequel will spark much interest especially since it is being released in March instead of the plum November release the first movie had. I believe that an updated version of Muppet Babies on Disney Junior could be successful, but beyond that, I just don't see anything that promising for the franchise.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

The 3D movie has aged terribly(despite Sam Eagle still being hilarious), and their comeback movie didn't catch fire. I doubt the sequel will spark much interest especially since it is being released in March instead of the plum November release the first movie had. I believe that an updated version of Muppet Babies on Disney Junior could be successful, but beyond that, I just don't see anything that promising for the franchise.

The latest muppet movie didn't catch on? They're making a sequel right now... I actually thought it was really cute. It's not the muppets Christmas carol... But it's a mostly solid movie.

 

[JimboJones123]

The 3D movie has aged terribly(despite Sam Eagle still being hilarious), and their comeback movie didn't catch fire. I doubt the sequel will spark much interest especially since it is being released in March instead of the plum November release the first movie had. I believe that an updated version of Muppet Babies on Disney Junior could be successful, but beyond that, I just don't see anything that promising for the franchise.

Sam is THE BEST!

 

[Goofyernmost]

I hope I'm reading this wrong, but how can you say you're ok with disney data mining you and in the next breath say nothing melts your magic quicker than deception and manipulation when this entire program is doing just that?

And if I read that wrong, I'm truly sorry. It's been a long day and I'm considering what kind of wine I should drink for dinner.

It's hard to explain really, but, it is everyone else that is convinced that data mining is some despicable evil thing. It by itself does not deceive or manipulate. It only does that if it is used in ways other then the business purposes that have been in affect since the beginning of business. Every type of business has employed a way to extrapolate information from it's customers. Names, addresses, place of employment, size of family, recreational habits, types of items purchased...you name it they have asked it. It is others that see some sort of "by gosh that's new" evil in that. If a company sees that I want to have more places to purchase Mickey Bars then they might make more places to increase the chances of a sale. Only those that have been living under a rock for most of their lives don't know that has existed for years. The only difference between how it has been and what Disney is "probably" going to do with it is collect that information without you having to physically answer any questions. The surprising thing to me is that the one's being the most vocally opposed to it are the ones that have been the movers and the pushers for technology and staying current. Can't have it both ways. I want my smart phone but I don't want it to have any side effects. I want to be able to have my phone on without anyone being able to track where I am. Sorry, too late. That has already happened and it will continue to happen because of two things. The first is that it is inherently part of the system and second, no one seems to be the least bit concerned about it or enough to raise their voice in disagreement. Those that do know it rationalize by the thought, "yea, but I love my smart phone", "you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands".

There have been so many scenario's that have been brought up pointing out the possible bad things that no one has asked if the fact that something can be done...is it being done. There has been everything from child abduction, to stalking, to selling your information to anyone willing to pay for it. There has been no real credible evidence presented that this is anything other than it could possibly happen. It is, however, being talked about as if it is fact. This IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN! That hasn't been proven yet. And in light of the publicity it would create, I truly am doubtful that it will ever happen. The deceit and manipulation I spoke about is connected with how they actually use it. I don't know how they are going to use the information they can collect and no one, including Disney, knows for sure what and how much they will be able to use in any form, much less are they able to absolutely know what the final outcome will be. However, there are many on this board that are convinced that they are able to read minds and therefore know exactly what is going to happen. If Disney were to go that route, when it actually has a working system, it would take nano-seconds for that information to surface. It would be everywhere and it would be documentable. If they did that they they would have deceived and manipulated and at that point their credibility would be gone. This is a secret that they will not be able to keep under wraps anymore then they were able to not let anyone know about the GAC abuse.

To me it is no more then a corporate tool. It differs from what has been going on for years and years only by it's method, not necessarily by it's intent.

 

[JimboJones123]

I'm sure the show is just a slap in the face to real journalists, just like maybe House or ER was in turn to a real physican. But I really love that show. It's core ideals are laudable(at least IMHO)

Progessives Unite!!

There are no real journalists left. Just self important vulture egos.

 

[1023]

Strangely, I picture Sam Eagle walking to a podium and delivering the line," We would like to announce that we have many projects in the works we will be announcing. Furthermore, full deployment of our NextGen project is expected to be announced in the future and the "guest enhancement features" will be unprecedented." Meanwhile, all unforeseeable catastrophes are taking place behind him. Parabolic antennas hanging from above, cameras swinging, and a Muppet spy drone crashing as Sam continues on, mostly undaunted. " Additionally, we expect revenue to double in live action and animation despite recent gutting of most divisions." ....etc....

Actually, that sounds like a great segment for Muppet 3D.

 

[WDWFanDave]

Strangely, I picture Sam Eagle walking to a podium and delivering the line," We would like to announce that we have many projects in the works we will be announcing. Furthermore, full deployment of our NextGen project is expected to be announced in the future and the "guest enhancement features" will be unprecedented." Meanwhile, all unforeseeable catastrophes are taking place behind him. Parabolic antennas hanging from above, cameras swinging, and a Muppet spy drone crashing as Sam continues on, mostly undaunted. " Additionally, we expect revenue to double in live action and animation despite recent gutting of most divisions." ....etc....

Actually, that sounds like a great segment for Muppet 3D.

The like button is completely insufficient...

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Strangely, I picture Sam Eagle walking to a podium and delivering the line," We would like to announce that we have many projects in the works we will be announcing. Furthermore, full deployment of our NextGen project is expected to be announced in the future and the "guest enhancement features" will be unprecedented." Meanwhile, all unforeseeable catastrophes are taking place behind him. Parabolic antennas hanging from above, cameras swinging, and a Muppet spy drone crashing as Sam continues on, mostly undaunted. " Additionally, we expect revenue to double in live action and animation despite recent gutting of most divisions." ....etc....

Actually, that sounds like a great segment for Muppet 3D.

Read it entirel in Sam's voice. Awe.some.

The like button is completely insufficient...

Nearly broke my iPad tapping the "like" button so fast

 

[Captain Chaos]

Strangely, I picture Sam Eagle walking to a podium and delivering the line," We would like to announce that we have many projects in the works we will be announcing. Furthermore, full deployment of our NextGen project is expected to be announced in the future and the "guest enhancement features" will be unprecedented." Meanwhile, all unforeseeable catastrophes are taking place behind him. Parabolic antennas hanging from above, cameras swinging, and a Muppet spy drone crashing as Sam continues on, mostly undaunted. " Additionally, we expect revenue to double in live action and animation despite recent gutting of most divisions." ....etc....

Actually, that sounds like a great segment for Muppet 3D.

Where did this guy come from? Kudos! LoL...

 

[Beholder]

I'm not sure what NextGen will change, what it will entail for my future WDW visits, or how that knowledge will alter my feelings/perception of WDW, but I do know that if they do in fact "data mine" me for further financial gain, then the joke is on them. I have no doubt that once they find out exactly how much spending power I do have, they may actually pay ME.

This whole thing bothers me on some level, but with so many questions, I'm not sure how much I should worry. I value my privacy, my family's and my own. I don't want to be just an object for financial gain, but I also understand the world (like it or not) is changing. Companies are all looking for that edge, that "difference" that puts them ahead, but at what price? Reputation? Loss of an entire generation that views Disney as part of their families dynamic? I don't know, but I suspect I'll find out soon enough. The fact, however, that I'm even thinking about such things is sad. Apple? Samsung or Google? Yeah, maybe, but Disney? WALT'S Disney? I just don't know.

 

[TalkingHead]

Let's keep that talk out, please. Some of us haven't watched from the start and are binging to catch up (and won't before the end).

Just glad you're on board, buddy. This might be the greatest binging show of all time.

 

[Captain Neo]

Just glad you're on board, buddy. This might be the greatest binging show of all time.

no way. Fringe is the best tv show of all time.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Just because they aren't an original Disney creation, doesn't mean they are a bad fit or a bad purchase. The Muppets cost less than $200M and that was 9 years ago.

Well, you think what you wanna think. Me, I've booked a trip to WDW for October. I got a nice little bonus at work, so I've upgraded my hotel to the Swan and Dolphin, which will be cool because I've never stayed there before. And while I'm at WDW, maybe I'll take a stroll through DHS and pause and look at that echoing, dippy Muppet courtyard and enjoy listening to the crickets, because hardly anyone is ever there. And then maybe I'll stroll on over to Star Tours, and perhaps drop in and ride it, then leave and go through the queue again and ride it again, then ride it a couple more times, just for the heck of it, all probably within 20-25 minutes, because there has never been anything like a line there during any visit I've ever taken at WDW. Then maybe I'll go to the Magic Kingdom and see if I can book a dinner reservation at Be Our Guest, which isn't likely because, despite the fact that Kermit and Darth Vader aren't a part of it it's always booked solid for some reason, and then maybe I'll walk down to Peter Pan's Flight, which will be packed to the gills, and debate whether or not I want to stand in line for 45 minutes to ride it again. And then I'll probably decide it's worth it, and then, while I'm standing in line, I'll ponder just how vital the Muppets and Star Wars are to the welfare of WDW, yes, sirree.