Future Ape
Member
If talking Mickey is already in regular use, then shouldn't they be calling him "current-gen" and not "next-gen" anymore? Tomorrow will they call him "past-gen"?
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Talking Mickey and the 'Next-Gen' project - the future of your Disney park experience
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
You forgot to add Mickey's little laugh at the end like they did on South Park.
NORMNB8S
Member
Thanks for that bit of info. Personally, I'm excited about the possibilities that lie just around the corner. It has a very "Disney" feel to it. "If you can dream it, you can do it" or "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow". I was concerned about the sensitive information being stored on an RFID chip since those are so easily hacked these days but your explanation cleared that up for me. I appreciate that bit of information.
princessrachel!
New Member
Awesome!!
Yowza! The doors this project opens.. this will absolutley make guests experience wayyy more personal which will make for more memories! hooray for us! :sohappy:
Yowza! The doors this project opens.. this will absolutley make guests experience wayyy more personal which will make for more memories! hooray for us! :sohappy:
wdw71fan
Well-Known Member
the only difference between the RFID tracking and what is there now:
Right now, Disney knows where you WERE at any given time..
With the RFID, Disney knows where you ARE at any given time..
you are tracked in the parks today.. just under a broad scope... this will be pin point and real time.... Thats the only difference..
Right now, Disney knows where you WERE at any given time..
With the RFID, Disney knows where you ARE at any given time..
you are tracked in the parks today.. just under a broad scope... this will be pin point and real time.... Thats the only difference..
marihalfen
New Member
Gee, some people just complain about everything.
If they had spent all this money in new monorails or something, people would say that they'd rather see new entertainment options.
The reason spend so much money on M&G is because most guests love the characters, stay on lines for hours to see them and then tell researchers about it. So it's no surprise Disney invests on it.
I think it's a great innovation and I can't wait to see how they incorporate this on the parks.
Plus, I don't mind the tracking system. I know they want to use this info to provide better service and better products for they're clients, so it's fine with me.
If they had spent all this money in new monorails or something, people would say that they'd rather see new entertainment options.
The reason spend so much money on M&G is because most guests love the characters, stay on lines for hours to see them and then tell researchers about it. So it's no surprise Disney invests on it.
I think it's a great innovation and I can't wait to see how they incorporate this on the parks.
Plus, I don't mind the tracking system. I know they want to use this info to provide better service and better products for they're clients, so it's fine with me.
Hobbes130
Member
I love talking Mickey and I am excited about the potential of the next gen project but right now my concern is this
I've spent ages explaining why the characters don't talk - now Mickey does my daughter wants to know why the others can't and to top that how do I explain that Mickey knows her and talks to her in the Town Square Theatre but he is mute and doesn't know anything about her in Chef Mickeys, Ohanas etc etc
I've spent ages explaining why the characters don't talk - now Mickey does my daughter wants to know why the others can't and to top that how do I explain that Mickey knows her and talks to her in the Town Square Theatre but he is mute and doesn't know anything about her in Chef Mickeys, Ohanas etc etc
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Disney is fundamentally missing what brings most people to its parks and resorts.
It isn't because Daisy might know Brittany's name before she meets her and that she has a FP for Space Mountain in 55 minutes.
$1.5 BILLION in what amounts to datamining while so much of the resort is in need ... everything from new attractions to renovating hotels to quality merchandise that isn't the same in every shop to paving parking lots ...
But so glad to see so much money going for so little. And I'll tell Mickey that the next time I see him!
~GFC~
It isn't because Daisy might know Brittany's name before she meets her and that she has a FP for Space Mountain in 55 minutes.
$1.5 BILLION in what amounts to datamining while so much of the resort is in need ... everything from new attractions to renovating hotels to quality merchandise that isn't the same in every shop to paving parking lots ...
But so glad to see so much money going for so little. And I'll tell Mickey that the next time I see him!
~GFC~
roadtripper
Member
Coorect me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember the monorails being so unreliable before the accident, and I don't remember people complaining about their reliability before the accident. I'm sure they went down occasionally, but never so often as they do now. Bottom line, the new stuff they had to add as safety measures is totally screwing them up. A case of something new not always being something better. As I stated previously, I really worry that the budget for repairs will go through the roof due to all of the next gen stuff. The things at the Haunted Mansion have been malfunctioning on 2 of our 3 trips in the last 9 months. The only time they all worked was when they were relatively new. I'm satisfied with great architecture, back stories, and intricate details, with one or two cool things mixed in. The tomb stone with the opening eyes is cool, and I doubt that it breaks as often as the stuff that gets interacted with. I'm not going to go to Disney more often because Mickey talks. You meet him once or twice a trip. I ride Big Thunder three or four times and the rocks haven't worked for the last three trips. Think about this, would you go to Disney if it were just talking characters and no rides? No, you go for the rides and the characters, but without the rides there are no Disney theme parks. Universal probably loves this next gen talking Mickey stuff. They can concentrate on making better rides and drawing more and more crowds. When my kids are big enough we're heading there, for sure. Let's focus on mechanical issues like rides and the monorail rather than a talking Mickey for now. Don't get me wrong, talking Mickey is cool, but not cool enough to warrant that kind of money.
I think ( almost ) everyone is focusing far too much on the talking mickey
.... which I think is really cool, however, I have the same concern as someone stated early having to explain why this mickey can talk but the other one can not, but that's neither here nor there, Disney has to roll this out in stages ....
But the "next gen" project as whole, at a reported price tag of 2 billion dollars is not just the talking mickey and the like ... once fully implemented ( if ever ), it will ( or should according to what tidbits of info are available ) effect everything, from entering the park, to waiting in line, to the rides themselves.
If they take the direction it looks like they are going to take, it will be used for better handling of crowds and/or wait times ... and so on leading to a better experience for all.
The talking mickey is just on piece of a very big puzzle.
... please keep in mind i am not claiming insider knowledge, this from info available through articles on the subject, that I have read. But clearly the end goal is not just a talking mickey.
.... which I think is really cool, however, I have the same concern as someone stated early having to explain why this mickey can talk but the other one can not, but that's neither here nor there, Disney has to roll this out in stages ....
But the "next gen" project as whole, at a reported price tag of 2 billion dollars is not just the talking mickey and the like ... once fully implemented ( if ever ), it will ( or should according to what tidbits of info are available ) effect everything, from entering the park, to waiting in line, to the rides themselves.
If they take the direction it looks like they are going to take, it will be used for better handling of crowds and/or wait times ... and so on leading to a better experience for all.
The talking mickey is just on piece of a very big puzzle.
... please keep in mind i am not claiming insider knowledge, this from info available through articles on the subject, that I have read. But clearly the end goal is not just a talking mickey.
Future Ape
Member
I want rides and monorail expansion, not tracking bracelets and characters already knowing my name.
roadtripper
Member
The "talking Mickey" has now become the symbol or posterboy of the next gen stuff. Just like the donkey is the symbol of the Democratic party. When people mention talking Mickey they are referring to the overall technology that will be used as part of this experience. Why can't we just get a talking Mickey attraction similar to Turtle Talk with Crush. Kids would associate it with a cartoon talking to them and probably not expect the actual dressed up Mickey to talk to them. Seems to me you could have much more fun with this sort of thing, and it's much less expensive to have an actual conversation with kids to find out what they've done rather than already knowing it. Put it in the Diamond Horseshoe building. Disney could still install all the tracking stuff they wanted but not have to try to hide it's real purpose by saying "we're going to make your park experience even better with talking Mickey!". To me it's scary technology and if it does end up working for Disney every company will want to start using it. Your car will always tell Onstar where you are, even if you don't push the button. That way GM will know how people drive and where they go at all times, making for a better driving experience in the future. SURE!
roadtripper
Member
Just after posting this I go to WDWinfo and it seems that Disneyland Paris has had another Big Thunder Mtn. accident in which the front wheels of a car came off the track. Then I see that a train in Disney Tokyo became derailed due to what is at first being called conductor error. Maybe they SHOULD spend more time training people and fixing things so they work properly all the time, and not worry about this other stuff till everything works correctly. I know people will say, "Well those aren't in WDW, and that's what we're talking about.", but it's a general lack of maintenance concerns that may have and may be running through the whole company right now.?
Skipper03
Member
It's magic yo!
googilycub
Active Member
No machine will work correctly all the time, no matter how much money is thrown at it.
NoChesterHester
Well-Known Member
Head hits wall.
roadtripper
Member
Stop being so literal. Of course it doesn't mean 100%of the time, only 99% of the time. After all, human lives are at risk if they don't. The monorails should not break down at some point every single day, wheels of a roller coaster should not come off the tracks, trains should not derail, these are things that scream "there's a bigger problem".
