There is no lone "Potter swatter." Not Star Wars, not Avatar, not Cars.
Because it's not just about finding a popular franchise to toss in there to compete with another franchise. Expanding Star Wars in DHS is not going to influence me to say, "Well, Star Wars is here? Forget the boy wizard" That's not going to happen. If Star Wars expanded, that would upgrade DHS from a half day park to a full day park. That doesn't stop guests from simply cutting their Disney vacation short and using another day out of their vacation to travel up I-4.
So what has Disney dumped all their cash into instead? Lord of the....Wristbands.
I was skeptical about Next Gen because I had heard that it was a travesty, a mistake, and a waste of money. Well, I will say over 1+ billion is quite the investment. However, if it improves my overall stay at WDW, then it might actually turn out to be a success.
If it can pass this foolproof method - The P.O.T.T.E.R. System
P - Productivity
Although I am questioning why the price was so high for this technology, there is no doubt that it is very innovative. If it can expedite the process of getting fastpasses, riding attractions, and allow the trip to just simply flow, rather than the 'hurry up and wait' philosophy our trips usually morph into, then I deem it a success.
O - Organization
Smartphones can be used to pay bills, get airline tickets etc. If I can now plan and contain most of my disney world vacation in the palm of my hand, it makes traveling with big groups a LOT easier. We travel with a lot of family members and the one thing that slows down the vacation is that nobody (including myself) wants to make a decision on where to go next. If we can all sit down months in advance and plan all of this stuff out, and have our Fastpass+'s all ready to go, I'd say that would be an improvement.
T - Timing
Disney started to implement this policy last summer, and I think it's the best way to handle the situation. The hour window for fastpass should be the only time you are allowed to ride. I don't know if that same hour will be given with Fastpass+, but if it is a specific time, let's say 5:00pm for Space Mountain. I think, just like ADR's, you should be given 15 extra minutes to arrive, then the fastpass is not valid anymore. Because it's not fair to show up at 9:00pm, and if others do that as well, the fastpass line gets backed up, it stalls the stand-by line, and it defeats the purpose.
T - Transportation
This might have been I rumor I read on here, or perhaps I read it wrong, but I saw someone post that eventually, the Magical Express will be able to take you straight to a specific park, then when you return to your hotel, the bags will be in your room. That is a neat feature. Wasting no time at the front desk, not having to wait for bags, just getting straight to the action. I like that. Whether it is true or not I can't say for sure, but it certainly works for me and besides I needed another "T" word to complete the acronym.
E - Efficency
This has not been said in the MobileMagic+ info, but it's something that I require. If operating hours are going to be changed, and EMH are going to be cut (because fastpass+ is supposed to "allievate" the need for extra hours) then I expect every attraction to be 100% efficient. That means, all effects are functioning, maintainance is top notch, and to beat a dead horse, I want the Yeti fixed. I don't want to ride Splash Mountain again and go through the horror that was the zip a dee do da scene again. Literally, you could have put that scene at the end of the Haunted Mansion and it would have fit right in. It was kinda scary. So I except that to change in the near future.
R - Refurbs
Again, not mentioned as part of the NextGen info released yet, but in the upcoming years, I expect attractions to undergo their much needed refurbs. If guests can be more productive in the parks, then losing one attraction for a refurb should not affect the guests too much. At least it wouldn't affect me, especially if I knew the attraction was being plussed (or should I say back to its original functioning self).
NextGen is not an attraction, it's not a land, nor should it be compared to rivaling any competition down the street. It's another genre entirely. I had thought that this system would be controlling of the guests, and in a way it is. But if it accomplishes all of these tasks, I think it's a big step in the right direction for WDW. If I can know my vacation will run smoothly, we all know what we are doing, and I'll get to truly enjoy my whole trip, then maybe I'll forget and just plan right over that day we were supposed to go to Hogwarts...
Because it's not just about finding a popular franchise to toss in there to compete with another franchise. Expanding Star Wars in DHS is not going to influence me to say, "Well, Star Wars is here? Forget the boy wizard" That's not going to happen. If Star Wars expanded, that would upgrade DHS from a half day park to a full day park. That doesn't stop guests from simply cutting their Disney vacation short and using another day out of their vacation to travel up I-4.
So what has Disney dumped all their cash into instead? Lord of the....Wristbands.
I was skeptical about Next Gen because I had heard that it was a travesty, a mistake, and a waste of money. Well, I will say over 1+ billion is quite the investment. However, if it improves my overall stay at WDW, then it might actually turn out to be a success.
If it can pass this foolproof method - The P.O.T.T.E.R. System
P - Productivity
Although I am questioning why the price was so high for this technology, there is no doubt that it is very innovative. If it can expedite the process of getting fastpasses, riding attractions, and allow the trip to just simply flow, rather than the 'hurry up and wait' philosophy our trips usually morph into, then I deem it a success.
O - Organization
Smartphones can be used to pay bills, get airline tickets etc. If I can now plan and contain most of my disney world vacation in the palm of my hand, it makes traveling with big groups a LOT easier. We travel with a lot of family members and the one thing that slows down the vacation is that nobody (including myself) wants to make a decision on where to go next. If we can all sit down months in advance and plan all of this stuff out, and have our Fastpass+'s all ready to go, I'd say that would be an improvement.
T - Timing
Disney started to implement this policy last summer, and I think it's the best way to handle the situation. The hour window for fastpass should be the only time you are allowed to ride. I don't know if that same hour will be given with Fastpass+, but if it is a specific time, let's say 5:00pm for Space Mountain. I think, just like ADR's, you should be given 15 extra minutes to arrive, then the fastpass is not valid anymore. Because it's not fair to show up at 9:00pm, and if others do that as well, the fastpass line gets backed up, it stalls the stand-by line, and it defeats the purpose.
T - Transportation
This might have been I rumor I read on here, or perhaps I read it wrong, but I saw someone post that eventually, the Magical Express will be able to take you straight to a specific park, then when you return to your hotel, the bags will be in your room. That is a neat feature. Wasting no time at the front desk, not having to wait for bags, just getting straight to the action. I like that. Whether it is true or not I can't say for sure, but it certainly works for me and besides I needed another "T" word to complete the acronym.
E - Efficency
This has not been said in the MobileMagic+ info, but it's something that I require. If operating hours are going to be changed, and EMH are going to be cut (because fastpass+ is supposed to "allievate" the need for extra hours) then I expect every attraction to be 100% efficient. That means, all effects are functioning, maintainance is top notch, and to beat a dead horse, I want the Yeti fixed. I don't want to ride Splash Mountain again and go through the horror that was the zip a dee do da scene again. Literally, you could have put that scene at the end of the Haunted Mansion and it would have fit right in. It was kinda scary. So I except that to change in the near future.
R - Refurbs
Again, not mentioned as part of the NextGen info released yet, but in the upcoming years, I expect attractions to undergo their much needed refurbs. If guests can be more productive in the parks, then losing one attraction for a refurb should not affect the guests too much. At least it wouldn't affect me, especially if I knew the attraction was being plussed (or should I say back to its original functioning self).
NextGen is not an attraction, it's not a land, nor should it be compared to rivaling any competition down the street. It's another genre entirely. I had thought that this system would be controlling of the guests, and in a way it is. But if it accomplishes all of these tasks, I think it's a big step in the right direction for WDW. If I can know my vacation will run smoothly, we all know what we are doing, and I'll get to truly enjoy my whole trip, then maybe I'll forget and just plan right over that day we were supposed to go to Hogwarts...
