Why the hate for MyMagic and Fastpass+

[NearTheEars]

In my short time here I've seen plenty of "I hate it" "It's dumb" "What were they thinking" but little explanation why.

As a local, when I first heard about being able to book our Fastpasses before we head the park I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I even excitedly called up my DGF to tell her about how convenient it would be. No longer would we have to rush to space mountain first thing just so we didn't spend an hour in line. They would be scheduled and we could go wherever the park takes us between times.

So I'm interested why many believe it will ruin the experience. Just looking for some pros and cons.

I was all excited about it, but now just feel a little meh...

 

[RandomPrincess]

I'm still excited. We are trying it this Oct. I booked our FP+ times and I'm very glad to know my kids can ride TSMM without a 2 hour wait or a mad dash to the FP booth at rope drop. We can relax, sleep in if we want and we can get to DHS at 11:00 if we want and still get to ride it without a hassle.

 

[Master Yoda]

 

[coachwnh]

I'm still excited. We are trying it this Oct. I booked our FP+ times and I'm very glad to know my kids can ride TSMM without a 2 hour wait or a mad dash to the FP booth at rope drop. We can relax, sleep in if we want and we can get to DHS at 11:00 if we want and still get to ride it without a hassle.

We are like you. When we saw GF was added to testing for our trip in October, we were excited. Made some FP times to meet our schedule and cant wait to see if we can do the same in December at the YC.

 

[Tuvalu]

We went in August and had a very positive MagicBand FP+ experience. See my "Critic to Convert" post here:
http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymagicplus/reviews.htm

 

[1023]

In my short time here I've seen plenty of "I hate it" "It's dumb" "What were they thinking" but little explanation why.

As a local, when I first heard about being able to book our Fastpasses before we head the park I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I even excitedly called up my DGF to tell her about how convenient it would be. No longer would we have to rush to space mountain first thing just so we didn't spend an hour in line. They would be scheduled and we could go wherever the park takes us between times.

So I'm interested why many believe it will ruin the experience. Just looking for some pros and cons.

I was all excited about it, but now just feel a little meh...

Be glad you are feeling meh.... You may have a chance to be pleasantly surprised....

Since you are local, I would think you would be concerned that Space Mountain or any of the "mountains" may not have a FastPassMinus for you. (Yes, that is a little hate there.) You may go to select your attractions for your visit and since you are a day guest, you may see nothing of a "mountain" available. It has been reported, in at least one credible location, that you may log in and see only the secondary pool of FastPassMinus attractions if you are not staying on property. So, unless you are staying there, it may not be great as "legacy" FastPass will be going away.

Then there is the fact you are limited to the total number of FastPassMinus in a given day and you are limited to using them in only 1 park per day. Under the "legacy" system, your only limitation on FastPass was their availability and your ability to use them. Also, under the "legacy" system, you can park hop and use FastPass in each park if they were available.

Now as part of the MyMagicMinus, (see more hate there...?) you become even more of an open wallet with the use of "MagicBands". MagicBands are a 2 layered RFID system that enable you to more freely spend money, link your tickets to, or utilize the new FastPassMinus system. Big deal, right? You could do all that with the Key to the World card. "Well hold on there buckaroo, this here is a new fangled tracking thingy." It will help Disney direct traffic, offer incentives to perform certain behaviors, and while deployed with other types of biometric devices, know where you are at all times. Some apologists here say this isn't a big deal. How do you feel about google reading your e-mail or the NSA eavesdropping on your phone?

Finally, it's the poor deployment during testing that people are concerned with. All of the testing has been artificially enhancing guest experiences. You can get "legacy" FastPasses while utilizing the "new' system. If you had a problem during testing, added benefits were bestowed upon you. Neither of these things should exist if you wanted true feedback. In fact, there should have been artificial scarcity that further reduced the availability of FP- attractions everyday leading up to your trip. Nope. The worst thing of all was many guest logging into MDE and finding another "vacationeer's" profile on their page.

So far, I am concerned. I am concerned that I will be traveling over 2000 miles very soon to experience much less than I ever have before. I am concerned that as of right this moment, I can not link my "Premier" annual pass to MDE making it impossible to even get the FastPassMinus selections within my 60 day window. I am concerned that my large investments in future vacations, real estate interests and TWDC stock are all going to be negatively impacted by this.

While I have focused on the many negatives I observe about this "innovation", I am still going to attempt to participate in it. I will be honest about my experiences and report them back here. If I lived in the immediate vicinity of Orlando, I would have one more concern.

I hope this slightly grumpy response has helped outline some of the "hate".

*1023*

 

[G00fyDad]

We are so very excited to test this MM+/FP+ out. My son wants to wear his band already and he is kind of mad at me for not allowing him to do so. I feel like I should lock them in the safe until our trip so he doesn't sneak it out.

 

[NearTheEars]

Be glad you are feeling meh.... You may have a chance to be pleasantly surprised....

Since you are local, I would think you would be concerned that Space Mountain or any of the "mountains" may not have a FastPassMinus for you. (Yes, that is a little hate there.) You may go to select your attractions for your visit and since you are a day guest, you may see nothing of a "mountain" available. It has been reported, in at least one credible location, that you may log in and see only the secondary pool of FastPassMinus attractions if you are not staying on property. So, unless you are staying there, it may not be great as "legacy" FastPass will be going away.

Then there is the fact you are limited to the total number of FastPassMinus in a given day and you are limited to using them in only 1 park per day. Under the "legacy" system, your only limitation on FastPass was their availability and your ability to use them. Also, under the "legacy" system, you can park hop and use FastPass in each park if they were available.

Now as part of the MyMagicMinus, (see more hate there...?) you become even more of an open wallet with the use of "MagicBands". MagicBands are a 2 layered RFID system that enable you to more freely spend money, link your tickets to, or utilize the new FastPassMinus system. Big deal, right? You could do all that with the Key to the World card. "Well hold on there buckaroo, this here is a new fangled tracking thingy." It will help Disney direct traffic, offer incentives to perform certain behaviors, and while deployed with other types of biometric devices, know where you are at all times. Some apologists here say this isn't a big deal. How do you feel about google reading your e-mail or the NSA eavesdropping on your phone?

Finally, it's the poor deployment during testing that people are concerned with. All of the testing has been artificially enhancing guest experiences. You can get "legacy" FastPasses while utilizing the "new' system. If you had a problem during testing, added benefits were bestowed upon you. Neither of these things should exist if you wanted true feedback. In fact, there should have been artificial scarcity that further reduced the availability of FP- attractions everyday leading up to your trip. Nope. The worst thing of all was many guest logging into MDE and finding another "vacationeer's" profile on their page.

So far, I am concerned. I am concerned that I will be traveling over 2000 miles very soon to experience much less than I ever have before. I am concerned that as of right this moment, I can not link my "Premier" annual pass to MDE making it impossible to even get the FastPassMinus selections within my 60 day window. I am concerned that my large investments in future vacations, real estate interests and TWDC stock are all going to be negatively impacted by this.

While I have focused on the many negatives I observe about this "innovation", I am still going to attempt to participate in it. I will be honest about my experiences and report them back here. If I lived in the immediate vicinity of Orlando, I would have one more concern.

I hope this slightly grumpy response has helped outline some of the "hate".

*1023*

I appreciate the response! That was exactly what I was looking for. Like I said, I was just wondering why many disliked it, since I likely missed most of that discussion here when it was first announced.

Right now I just see the "grumpy" (haha) "MyMagicMinus" posts anytime someone brings it up.

I'll certainly hold my judgement until it is fully released and I can test it out in person.

Again, thanks for giving me you side!

 

[Bob]

Personally I am hoping that it has fully gone live by the time we get there in Dec. I've been looking forward to the new technology since rumors first started floating about the system.

 

[Bairstow]

1. Because the tracking and data-collection capabilities of the band and its embedded RFID transmitters offend people's sense of privacy.

2. Because the bands, reservation system, and associated computer infrastructure represent a near billion-dollar investment by the resort in something that will not enhance most guests' experience in any tangible way during a time when 3 of the 4 parks have seen fewr improvements or expansion for nearly a decade.

3. Because on its face the movement of a queue-skipping system dependent on resort stays or other factors seems a step backwards from the egalitarian nature of the current paper fastpass system.

We went in August and had a very positive MagicBand FP+ experience. See my "Critic to Convert" post here:
http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymagicplus/reviews.htm

I had a similar experience.

The band is very convenient to use, though my experience with it has convinced me that there is one reason in particular why Disney is going to the expense and trouble of implementing the system: the way the bands simplify and positively reward impulse buying. A lot of people with poor self control or low budgeting skills are going to be finding themselves spending a lot more money and snacks than they had planned once they don't have to even get their credit cards out anymore to spend money.

I would be shocked it the whole system doesn't pay for itself within 2 years of full implementation.

 

[Anotherfaceinthecrowd]

I appreciate the response! That was exactly what I was looking for. Like I said, I was just wondering why many disliked it, since I likely missed most of that discussion here when it was first announced.

Right now I just see the "grumpy" (haha) "MyMagicMinus" posts anytime someone brings it up.

I'll certainly hold my judgement until it is fully released and I can test it out in person.

Again, thanks for giving me you side!

Its ALL about things changing, People dont like changes, Me im cant wait to try it out next month

 

[Clancy Wiggum]

1. Because the tracking and data-collection capabilities of the band and its embedded RFID transmitters offend people's sense of privacy.

2. Because the bands, reservation system, and associated computer infrastructure represent a near billion-dollar investment by the resort in something that will not enhance most guests' experience in any tangible way during a time when 3 of the 4 parks have seen fewr improvements or expansion for nearly a decade.

3. Because on its face the movement of a queue-skipping system dependent on resort stays or other factors seems a step backwards from the egalitarian nature of the current paper fastpass system.

These are the reasons I see most commonly given for disliking MM+. Well, along with not liking even more "pre-planning" and only one park per day.

#1 is whining for the sake of whining, IMO. People don't have to use the band and can instead opt for the card, which has no more tracking capability than the current system.

#3, and other similar hand-wringing over Disney moving to kill park hoppers, are mere idle speculation based on..well, nothing. As far as I know, Disney will be allowing day guests to use MM+ in the fullness of time. For all we know, park hopping will get integrated in to FP+ once the system is full go and completely (or mostly) de-bugged.

#2 is something of a legitimate concern, IMO. While Disney has added New Fantasyland and given Test Track a major facelift, that is not the kind of new attractions and offerings happening down the road at Universal. Disney Springs, Avatarland and the rumored facelift for Hollywood Studios would go a long way to eliminating these concerns but that stuff is years away from completion.

The dislike of pre-planning is also a legitimate concern.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

You guys are ridiculous, it is not about hating or fearing change. And it is insulting to insinuate that some of us don't have legitimate concerns about the end result of the impact of the system.

1. As a local, I have NEVER planned a day visit to the parks 60 days out. And since the pool of FP+ opens up 60 days out, and it has also been reported that they will NOT be holding a pool of prime FP+ options for "day of" there appears to be little chance of us actually getting a FP+ for headliners such as Space Mtn. If locals only "day of" FP+ choices are for Aladdin's and Stitch I very much see this as having a HUGE negative effect on local's visits. So much so that it nullifies the reason to even have an annual pass.

2. And for my family (50 year old Me and 2 teenage daughters) I am concerned as to what access the 66,000 on site employees will have to my daughters personal info such as local address, personal special events such as birthdays, and likes and dislikes. This specifically applies BECAUSE we are locals. IF I still lived in West Virginia I wouldn't be nearly as concerned about this. But the possibility of misuse of that kind of info seems very real to me. I don't want the Uber-friendly slightly creepy older fellow to know that my 13 year old daughter lives 2 apartment complexes away from him, when her birthday is, and what she likes.

And I know some of you guys are going to scream "paranoid much". Well maybe, but I am a local news photographer and have already cover 3 Disney employees arrested for pedophilia related charges. So I say better safe than sorry.

Now, one of you rude people who say we irrationally fear/hate change explain to me why my 2 concerns aren't legitimate.

 

[NearTheEars]

You guys are ridiculous, it is not about hating or fearing change. And it is insulting to insinuate that some of us don't have legitimate concerns about the end result of the impact of the system.

1. As a local, I have NEVER planned a day visit to the parks 60 days out. And since the pool of FP+ opens up 60 days out, and it has also been reported that they will NOT be holding a pool of prime FP+ options for "day of" there appears to be little chance of us actually getting a FP+ for headliners such as Space Mtn. If locals only "day of" FP+ choices are for Aladdin's and Stitch I very much see this as having a HUGE negative effect on local's visits. So much so that it nullifies the reason to even have an annual pass.

2. And for my family (50 year old Me and 2 teenage daughters) I am concerned as to what access the 66,000 on site employees will have to my daughters personal info such as local address, personal special events such as birthdays, and likes and dislikes. This specifically applies BECAUSE we are locals. IF I still lived in West Virginia I wouldn't be nearly as concerned about this. But the possibility of misuse of that kind of info seems very real to me. I don't want the Uber-friendly slightly creepy older fellow to know that my 13 year old daughter lives 2 apartment complexes away from him, when her birthday is, and what she likes.

And I know some of you guys are going to scream "paranoid much". Well maybe, but I am a local news photographer and have already cover 3 Disney employees arrested for pedophilia related charges. So I say better safe than sorry.

Now, one of you rude people who say we irrationally fear/hate change explain to me why my 2 concerns aren't legitimate.

Thanks for you thoughts.
I think everyone's concerns are legitimate, I just wanted to find what the reasoning behind a lot of folks dislike for the system. The responses so far, good and bad, are clearing that up.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I'm a "Grumpy" when it comes to the new system, too, assuming that it rolls out the way it's currently predicted to, with limitations similar to those that have been applied during testing. My negative opinion is largely to do with the limitation on Fastpasses (1 park, 3 per day, no repeats), since my family typically makes extensive use of them. If Disney suddenly decides that: (1) you can Fastpass the same attraction more than once per day; (2) you can get, say, 5 Fastpasses a day instead of 3; and/or (3) those with Parkhopper tickets get an additional complement of Fastpasses in a second park per day, then I may change my tune.

As for the wearing of a bracelet (I can get used to it), the data collection angle (we live far away and have no interesting data), and having to plan ahead even more than we already do (we're already making ADRs that dictate where we'll be each evening, so choosing where to get Fastpasses is a no-brainer), those things don't bother me nearly as much.

The irony is that, thanks to Fastpass+ and that "one park": limit, WDW will get LESS money from us because we WON'T be parkhopping anymore, nor will we be staying longer in "less than a day" parks like DHS or AK. We'll just spend a little more time relaxing in our hotel pool or going offsite for dinner instead of dining in the park to which we would otherwise have hopped. Perhaps I should thank WDW for making my vacation a hair less expensive...

 

[Disneyhead'71]

They won't ever include park hopping in the system since one of the reasons they invented it is to stop the 3:30 exodus from DHS/DAK to the MK.

This is where I have to question Disney's thinking and shows exactly the stupid stubborn thinking of TDO. The reason for the exodus is the DHS and DAK have 6 rides each. People are done by 3:30pm. So they park hop. Disney HATES spending $$$ on rides soooo much that they will spend $2.5 billion on this system so that they won't have to spend a couple of hundred million on attractions.

How do these people still have jobs?

 

[twebber55]

In my short time here I've seen plenty of "I hate it" "It's dumb" "What were they thinking" but little explanation why.

As a local, when I first heard about being able to book our Fastpasses before we head the park I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I even excitedly called up my DGF to tell her about how convenient it would be. No longer would we have to rush to space mountain first thing just so we didn't spend an hour in line. They would be scheduled and we could go wherever the park takes us between times.

So I'm interested why many believe it will ruin the experience. Just looking for some pros and cons.

I was all excited about it, but now just feel a little meh...

the only issue i have with it is the cost..it seems awfully expensive..i do think the ability to book fast passes in advance is a good thing

 

[Clancy Wiggum]

the only issue i have with it is the cost..it seems awfully expensive..i do think the ability to book fast passes in advance is a good thing

I'm confused. It's free.

Or did you mean the cost to Disney that could have been invested elsewhere?

 

[King Racoon 77]

I am looking forward to it as an Uber NON-Planner.
Sure i will pick out FP as soon as i can online (no more mad dash at MGM and EPCOT).However if i don't do those parks on the day selected i am happy to change and accept that i may not get the "headline" attractions.

 

[Clancy Wiggum]

They won't ever include park hopping in the system since one of the reasons they invented it is to stop the 3:30 exodus from DHS/DAK to the MK.

This is where I have to question Disney's thinking and shows exactly the stupid stubborn thinking of TDO. The reason for the exodus is the DHS and DAK have 6 rides each. People are done by 3:30pm. So they park hop. Disney HATES spending $$$ on rides soooo much that they will spend $2.5 billion on this system so that they won't have to spend a couple of hundred million on attractions.

How do these people still have jobs?

They probably still have jobs because your opinion of their thought process makes no sense, thus making it unlikely to be the case. It's Occam's Razor. You have to make too many far-fecthed assumptions to land at MM+ being a tool to kill people leaving AK & HS after half a day. For example, you have to conclude that Disney would rather spend billions than millions to solve this problem. That's just not rational. You have to ignore that Avatarland is proceeding (albeit very slowly), meaning they are spending the billions and the millions. You have to ignore that park hopping is a free add-on to APs and a cheap add-on to MYW tickets. And, of course, closing those parks so much earlier on a regular basis than MK and Epcot does nothing to motivate people to not do exactly what you claim Disney wants to prevent.

It seems far more likely to me that the 3:30 exodus and MM+ are viewed as separate issues. It seems more likely to me that MM+ is there to enhance the guest experience, even if it is debatable about whether it will. And the 3:30 exodus issue is being addressed via the Avatarland expansion at AK and will be addressed via the rumored expansion(s) at HS.

I don't know if all that means park hopping will be an option for FP+ in a year, or two years. or whatever. But it seems to me that your reasoning for thinking it won't ever happen is an epic failure of logic.