The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[raymusiccity]

The new system is complex? Actually IMO the app (and MDE website) has made for a much clearer step-by-step planning guide than ever before. FP+ is laid out very well as a whole and provides guests reminders via email for ADRs and FP+ dates which help guests that are new, it helps eliminate some of the confusion. Heck, just not having to run around a park collecting FP slips is a major step forward for us. As for the caste system, what is the problem with it? Guests who pay more for the privilege should get what they pay for, I personally feel that TDO does themselves a disservice by NOT pushing the Deluxe resorts by offering more FP+ to onsite guests as other area parks do.



Really? I am willing to bet the average guest would wonder what an E-Ticket is. Of course most guests would want more rides, you do, I do and so do most others that go to the parks regularly. The first time guest... They are all new rides to them so they most likely don't care which is why Disney is not heavily investing in new attractions right now, not to mention they already have a significant capacity problem in MK that is being addressed slowly.



This is a common practice at all hotels, just look at the room rates posted on the back of room doors. The Hyatt in downtown NO charged $170 a night, heavily discounted for a conference I was at but the room retailed for $390. The purpose of the bait and switch is to make guests feel good that they got a good deal and is widely done throughout the US by all major chains.

I agree that it's common practice by all hotels to 'make hay when the sun shines'.

Just ask any downtown hotel what they charge during a national convention vs. their room charge in the 'off season'. Sort of like DVC points during the Christmas season. They'll always try to balance room occupancy with supply and demand without impacting the branding of their location or thei clientele.

 

[AEfx]

I have had several cases of CC fraud - but I'm old. In a few there was no question that someone had stolen my credit card number because of the time, location, and nature of the charges.

In others I had to prove that I had not made the charges, or that I had been double charged when a merchant refused to correct the error when both the CC company and I contacted him about it. In the latter case, I could not prove that I hadn't purchased two of the same item on the same day with two transactions, so I had to pay the charge. In a couple of instances instance the CC company took care of it on the spot. In another, I had to fill out a lot of paperwork with an affidavit.

Haha, I wouldn't put it on your age (besides, aren't mods ageless? like kept in glass casing or something?) - but more on the state you reside in. Florida is the #1 state for Credit Card Fraud in the nation. I already knew that, haha, but glad I found a link so I could justify saying it without adding that disclaimer again. It took all of ten seconds, though, and I had a selection of articles to choose from.

It does sound like you've experienced the gamut, though. It's usually rather easy to tell the first type you mentioned - I had that happen to me at a fast food drive-through. I knew something was off, they were around the corner too long. Sure enough, two weeks later when I was actually at WDW the card company called me to tell me there had been charges in FL - I was about to approve them, but they were for athletic supplies in Miami. It was just an odd coincidence I happened to be in FL at the time. Those are usually easily resolved and precisely what the laws in place are there to protect you from.

Another instance you mentioned is exactly the scenario I pointed out initially, when you were double-charged - when it has to do with a legitimate charge (you did purchase the first item, you were at the store), it pretty much becomes a "merchant issue" unless the merchant is suspected of knowingly committing fraud - if that happened three times in one week, or even the same year, there, you can bet it would be looked into (and BTW, sorry that happened to you - with so many folks claiming false fraud or over-claiming some legit folks do fall through the cracks - the laws are very specific, like anything, by telling the truth that you were there you got less protection and that just stinks).

That's exactly what would happen if someone tried to dispute a lump-sum Disney charge - you'd get referred to Disney to correct the one large charge. You authorize the charge, you just disagree as to the amount. Your credit card company has no knowledge of the individual transactions, they don't exist from a banking standpoint. Just because Disney is running them electronically doesn't make them legitimate banking transactions, it's all internal, so unless it actually came to a civil lawsuit (which does happen, albeit rarely) legally it's really no different in terms of banking regulations/laws than an argument with a bartender who is keeping your tab in his head.


All of this isn't to say that I think Fraud is more/less/otherwise likely to occur due to this system or anything else - I don't want folks to think I am one of those "privacy" junkies or that I think there is some inherent threat on MM+ for hacking, LOL. Simply talking about what would happen if/when it does happen - while I don't think the new system is inherently unsafe (and as I said, the KTTW card had the same exact flaw), but that it's certainly not more safe in terms of how the real world views it.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

The new system is complex? Actually IMO the app (and MDE website) has made for a much clearer step-by-step planning guide than ever before. FP+ is laid out very well as a whole and provides guests reminders via email for ADRs and FP+ dates which help guests that are new, it helps eliminate some of the confusion. Heck, just not having to run around a park collecting FP slips is a major step forward for us. As for the caste system, what is the problem with it? Guests who pay more for the privilege should get what they pay for, I personally feel that TDO does themselves a disservice by NOT pushing the Deluxe resorts by offering more FP+ to onsite guests as other area parks do.

The problem with this is that they don't have an app that is compatible with every phone. So many people won't have the ability to take advantage of it. Not to mention international guest who don't like to turn on their phones while out of the country.

It is no doubt easier to get fast passes but you still have to run around for the 4th fp.

The new system isn't perfect. But at least they are trying to iron out the kinks

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think it is so they can't be accused of price gouging. The DC hotels have incredible prices listed on the door, but I suspect that they can get some people to pay them for Inauguration.

Yes, it is for protection from price gouging accusations when demand far exceeds capacity (Inaugurations in DC, evacuations inland from coastal areas prone to hurricanes, etc.)

 

[danlb_2000]

I wonder if anyone at Diz is saying "If we had just known that Frozen was going to be a such a mega-phenomenon we wouldn't have thrown our money at George Lucas' already fully-developed and largely tapped-out franchise"?

I doubt anyone within Dis is saying that since Star Wars is no were near tapped-out. It is going to be a massive revenue generator for Disney for years to come starting next year with the release of EP VII.

 

[twebber55]

I doubt anyone within Dis is saying that since Star Wars is no were near tapped-out. It is going to be a massive revenue generator for Disney for years to come starting next year with the release of EP VII.

maybe that's why we may get a cheaped out star wars land...Disney thinks the star wars fans will spend all kinds of money no matter what they do

 

[AEfx]

The new system is complex? Actually IMO the app (and MDE website) has made for a much clearer step-by-step planning guide than ever before. FP+ is laid out very well as a whole and provides guests reminders via email for ADRs and FP+ dates which help guests that are new, it helps eliminate some of the confusion. Heck, just not having to run around a park collecting FP slips is a major step forward for us. As for the caste system, what is the problem with it? Guests who pay more for the privilege should get what they pay for, I personally feel that TDO does themselves a disservice by NOT pushing the Deluxe resorts by offering more FP+ to onsite guests as other area parks do.

1. Walk up to kiosk next to attraction
2. Insert Park Ticket
3. Take paper FP, come back at time specified

Now go read what you wrote again. Yes, the new system is much much more complex.

(And inane, because the practicality of picking a ride weeks or months in advance is pretty ridiculous - not knowing the weather, if that attraction will even be open that day, etc. - Disney is going to do a lot of comping over folks not getting on the ride they scheduled weeks/months before hand because of regular, every day circumstances, but that's an entirely different discussion.)

I also specifically said I was not calling the new system "unfair" - I said I completely understand why they are trying to quell the diminishing occupancy rates. However, it does create a caste system - I'm not disagreeing with it, I'm simply stating the fact that it is unlike the previous system where every guest had equal access.

Really? I am willing to bet the average guest would wonder what an E-Ticket is. Of course most guests would want more rides, you do, I do and so do most others that go to the parks regularly. The first time guest... They are all new rides to them so they most likely don't care which is why Disney is not heavily investing in new attractions right now, not to mention they already have a significant capacity problem in MK that is being addressed slowly.

You know what I mean. If you were one of those park survey takers and you held up little pictures to folks of the amazing new rides that could be built with the same amount of money that went into this IT project gone postal, they are going to pick more exciting attractions, even if they have been there before or not.

This is a common practice at all hotels, just look at the room rates posted on the back of room doors. The Hyatt in downtown NO charged $170 a night, heavily discounted for a conference I was at but the room retailed for $390. The purpose of the bait and switch is to make guests feel good that they got a good deal and is widely done throughout the US by all major chains.

It was a joke from earlier. Guess you had to be there.

 

[lazyboy97o]

maybe that's why we may get a cheaped out star wars land...Disney thinks the star wars fans will spend all kinds of money no matter what they do

Star Wars Weekends is probably one of the biggest things going against a Star Wars land.

 

[lebeau]

Especially a rubber band that can fall off quite easily if pulled a certain way. Makes total sense to me!

You can say that again!

Mine came off and I didn't even notice. I had a sleeping child in my arms. She must have nudged it just the wrong way. Fortunately, I noticed it had fallen off soon after because our next stop was dinner where they tried to scan my band.

Once I retrieved my missing band from guest services, I tested it to see how easily it comes loose. It feels secure with those two fasteners locked in place. But brush it the wrong way and they pop right out.

We found lost MBs all over the place. On buses, at the pool. When I picked mine up at guest relations, they told me that MBs are turned in all the time. I would say it's a relatively rare occurrence. Most MBs will stay securely fastened. But enough will come loose that it should be a concern. I'm keeping mine in my pocket from now on. Much safer.

 

[AEfx]

I doubt anyone within Dis is saying that since Star Wars is no were near tapped-out. It is going to be a massive revenue generator for Disney for years to come starting next year with the release of EP VII.

And according to Disney's public business plans, they have plans on exploiting the franchise for the next forty years.

On the surface that sounds absurd, but since Star Wars is showing no signs of slowing down as it nears 40 to begin with, certainly not a stretch for this particular special snowflake.

maybe that's why we may get a cheaped out star wars land...Disney thinks the star wars fans will spend all kinds of money no matter what they do

Star Wars Weekends is probably one of the biggest things going against a Star Wars land.

Uh-huh.

That said, I hope someone has enough sense to realize how exponential that would become if there was actually Star Wars attractions to attract folks. Hopefully someone has gotten it through their heads from Potter that "if you build it, they will come" is true - even in Orlando. You just have to have the right product (i.e., not AK).

When you look at the amount of business they do, and whole vacations they sell, on what effectively is a bunch of added Meet & Greets, some additional Streetmosphere, and what essentially boils down to a large merchandising event - imagine what it could do with real ground-breaking earth-shattering attractions based on Star Wars. And the merchandise...now that Disney gets to keep all the merchandise profits, and Star Wars merchandise is pretty much the most perennial collectable theme in recorded history - if done right, as I've said before - Disney could not only have the Potter-swatter, it would be the Potter-Thermal-Detonator.

I know it's naieve of me, but I still have a sliver of hope that Disney with throw down the gauntlet and do what we fully know they are capable of doing - which is to make the theme park world say, "Harry who?"

 

[seascape]

That's NOT what I said. When you make a dispute, It is YOUR burden to prove the veracity of the claim. Why should these companies just take your word for it? You aren't losing any rights.

There have been a total of 4 times I disputed charges. All 4 times were while the charges were pending. I look daily. I spoke with the Fraud Department and because the charges were still pending and not posted to my account I didn't have to sign anything. The other 3 were all charged via the internet so there was no issue with them taking the charges off. The Fraud Deptment rep also told me that if more people were like me and checked their accounts daily it would prevent lots of fraud and save everyone money. It is up to all of us to take steps to prevent fraud.

As for working out charges with Disney. They send an email every day with all my charges on it. I look at them and see if they were correct. As I previously posted I questioned one of them and they quickly got all the information and provided it to me. My wife charged something she forgot about. If their had been fraud or a mistake I am sure Disney would have resolved it correctly. Disney and every other company I have ever done business with fixes their errors. I am sure Universal and their hotels are the same way. I have a very positive view about the travel industry and how they treat customers and again I have complete trust in both companies.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I not saying that it has no benefits.
I actually like fp+, I am very much a sleeping in kind of person. So it helps that I can secure a fp for popular rides without rope drop. I also enjoy that I got to go bag-less for the first time on my vacation to WDW.
I'm absolutely sure that this will help with the things we don't always see. When we were there in May, we had a CM at the POR bus stop telling us when exactly a bus would be there, I have never seen that before. So, I can see the improvements.
The last part, I should have clarified. We used to waste time before our fp on walk on rides like Peoplemover, Pirates, Spaceship earth, etc but this time we found it hard to do that because those rides are no longer walk on attractions. I think my jaw dropped when I saw pirates had a 45 minute wait. They didn't force us to buy anything. We had some much more free time this trip, thanks to fp+, that we were wondering shops just to have something to do. Which is almost exactly what Rasulo was saying they wanted to happen.

I agree and I didn't really express myself very well. My experience is limited, I used FP+ for two days, but, during that time I was amazed at how easy it was to plan my day. I didn't even get to the MK before 10:30 and was able to get three (at the time) FP's, all within an hour of each other. One was for Peter Pan and that is something I was never able to do with the old system. Anyway, I was able, due to the fact that I had all my FP's in hand, plan the direction of my route through the park, decide based on wait time, which ones to go on between passes when and where to have lunch and had just a smooth circle around the park with minimal backtracking.

I believe that there is no way to completely quantify what impact it really has right now. This summer, according to all reports, has been a very busy one at WDW. Long lines would have existed regardless of FP, so to say that it caused longer lines, I'm not sure is provable at this point. I went in a slower season, but, I always do, and this time it went better then I had ever experienced.

I can certainly envision a better managed traffic flow because of this, a better managed CM distribution and a more efficient food service setup, but, I don't see those results as instantaneous. With time and management understanding of what the numbers and data means that they are accumulating will, I think, make for a much better experience.

I don't know if they have spent too much on this program, I don't have access to the books, I am not privy to the numbers or where the money is coming from. For some reason they never consulted me on exactly what and how the system is supposed to work. What we might, on the surface think is a failure, might be exactly what they were intending for it to do. They might have underestimated some of the glitches that they would run into while putting it into live form. The overage, if it exists, is probably the reason why plans were put on hold until everything stabilizes and they don't bite off more then they can chew. I am fairly certain that that money was never going to be spent on new attractions. It was a separate budget and even if they didn't do it at all, it appears that Disney is not in any hurry to rush into battle with Uni, so that, to me is a just a fan talking point.

As far as the waste of time FP's, even those have a logical reason. We, being experienced Disney people, know one from the other, newbee's do not. Giving out FP's for what was a past walk-on takes some of those people away from the more popular attractions, giving folks a chance to get to the needed ones while others are some place else. We know which ones need a FP and which ones don't, it will not alter a seasoned guest very much at all.

 

[lebeau]

From the Orlando Sentinel

From the Orlando Sentinel

This reminds me of when the Fantasyland Expansion opened.

Said no one.

 

[TeriofTerror]

I know it's naieve of me, but I still have a sliver of hope that Disney with throw down the gauntlet and do what we fully know they are capable of doing - which is to make the theme park world say, "Harry who?"

Maybe that's why Disney takes so long in building attractions. It's not that they really need that much time. They're just hoping that senility kicks in amongst its fan base by the time the attractions open, and no one will be sure if something is new or preexisting. "Hey look; it's Star Tours in Star Wars Land. It's a brand new land, so that must be a brand new attraction!"

 

[Lord_Vader]

The problem with this is that they don't have an app that is compatible with every phone. So many people won't have the ability to take advantage of it. Not to mention international guest who don't like to turn on their phones while out of the country.

It is no doubt easier to get fast passes but you still have to run around for the 4th fp.

The new system isn't perfect. But at least they are trying to iron out the kinks

The web app does work on all phones even though it is not quite as good as the iPhone version and yes international guests could be at a disadvantage. I have and will continue to recommend all international guests purchase a used (US version) iPod touch to use WiFi at the parks and in the resorts if they stay on-site. The $150-$200 investment can be short term as it can always be resold as soon as they return home if so inclined.

I agree with you on the fourth FP+ but hopefully the kinks will get ironed out and guests with smartphones (Android and IOS) will get the feature sooner than later to reduce that to no impact too.

There are still a lot of kinks in MDE, features that are rolling just now such as straight-to-room check-ins and the automatic attraction photo adds to MM to name a couple. I also anticipate something with the buses too, would be nice to see an inbound time for park buses based on your resort so guests can time their bus stop arrival based on real data. One glitch/bug that is particularly annoying to us is that the BoG FP+ lunch does not show up in MDE anywhere, you have to screen shot the reservation and manually add it to your plans at least in the iPhone version of the app.

 

[bhg469]

The web app does work on all phones even though it is not quite as good as the iPhone version and yes international guests could be at a disadvantage. I have and will continue to recommend all international guests purchase a used (US version) iPod touch to use WiFi at the parks and in the resorts if they stay on-site. The $150-$200 investment can be short term as it can always be resold as soon as they return home if so inclined.

I agree with you on the fourth FP+ but hopefully the kinks will get ironed out and guests with smartphones (Android and IOS) will get the feature sooner than later to reduce that to no impact too.

There are still a lot of kinks in MDE, features that are rolling just now such as straight-to-room check-ins and the automatic attraction photo adds to MM to name a couple. I also anticipate something with the buses too, would be nice to see an inbound time for park buses based on your resort so guests can time their bus stop arrival based on real data. One glitch/bug that is particularly annoying to us is that the BoG FP+ lunch does not show up in MDE anywhere, you have to screen shot the reservation and manually add it to your plans at least in the iPhone version of the app.

Wait a second here..

Your solution is to buy an iPad for the week then sell it?

Sounds like a reasonable plan for making up for the shortcomings of the fp- system that no one asked for...

 

[xdan0920]

I charge everything. Even my newspapers at 7-11. I don't care if you believe me or not. But look at your bills and see what 3 triple play packages cost and utility bills for 3 homes as a starter. Then add insurance for cars and homes. It's easy to spend a fortune. Credit cards are great if you know how to use them. I have the amtrack card for the 2 round trips a year, car and bedroom, and United Airlines card for my anniversary trip. Disney card for use at Disney. Discover for 5% off at six flags. I can go on....

Ok.

Assuming you're telling the truth about your finances. What makes you think anyone gives one single tiddly wink about it?

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

The web app does work on all phones even though it is not quite as good as the iPhone version and yes international guests could be at a disadvantage. I have and will continue to recommend all international guests purchase a used (US version) iPod touch to use WiFi at the parks and in the resorts if they stay on-site. The $150-$200 investment can be short term as it can always be resold as soon as they return home if so inclined.

I agree with you on the fourth FP+ but hopefully the kinks will get ironed out and guests with smartphones (Android and IOS) will get the feature sooner than later to reduce that to no impact too.

There are still a lot of kinks in MDE, features that are rolling just now such as straight-to-room check-ins and the automatic attraction photo adds to MM to name a couple. I also anticipate something with the buses too, would be nice to see an inbound time for park buses based on your resort so guests can time their bus stop arrival based on real data. One glitch/bug that is particularly annoying to us is that the BoG FP+ lunch does not show up in MDE anywhere, you have to screen shot the reservation and manually add it to your plans at least in the iPhone version of the app.

The new updated MDE app is just as good as the iphone version but no longer works on android phones running ICS or older. I don't believe windows has an app yet either.
It sucks that new/updated MDE is also no longer compatible on android tablets but is still compatible on Ipads. (I plan our vacations through my tablet so I loved having the app! Til they just took it away with the new update)
The mobile website is good too though.
Seems unfair to International guest to have to fork over money for an ipod just to enjoy their vacation like the rest of us. But yes, it can always be resold.

I haven't used the BOG lunch fp yet, so thanks for letting me know how to have it show up!

 

[monothingie]

This reminds me of opening day for the 7 Dwarfs Mine Ride. The


This reminds me of when the Fantasyland Expansion opened.

Said no one.

Yep Disney sure does suck.

 

[Kman101]

The MDE app isn't available for Windows (had the Windows Phone but now have the Samsung Galaxy S5). The upgrade to the app was nice enough, better than the last version. It at least pops up to sign in, although I think they'd have a way to let you stay logged-in. Kind of annoying (a minor gripe) to always have to log in.