Wired Feature "Disney's $1 Billion Bet on a Magical Wristband"

[MichWolv]

However, if I got up this morning and just decided right now to head to MK, there is availability for everything except Frozen M&G and 7DMT. Dinner would be late, but everything but BoG and Cindy's is available tonight.
.

True on a Wednesday in early March. Not gonna happen during a particularly busy time. We were there around Xmas. For the couple days when we moved things around, and therefore needed to get FPs for a different park only a day or two before, as opposed to 60, all of the top things were booked (7DMT, Frozen, Space, TSMM, Soarin', Test Track). Even so, we did fine, and we hit everything we wanted to hit at some point during the trip, because we used most of our pre-booked FPs. But if we had wanted to show up Dec 22, walk into a park, and only then get FPs for top attractions, we'd have been pretty much SOL.

For me, it worked great. But I can see others not liking it.

 

[Todd H]

“It lets people’s vacations unfold naturally,” Staggs says. “The ability to plan and personalize has given way to spontaneity.” And that feeling of ease, and whatever flows from it, just might make you more apt to come back.

Dear Mr. Staggs...

Call me crazy but vacationing at a theme park shouldn't involve having to create a spreadsheet to plan out every single day you're there. I'm personally dreading the 60 day window for our upcoming trip because I will have to sit down, plan which park I'm going to be at what day, get Fastpasses for those days, and make sure to plan my Fastpasses around my dining reservations. This is the very antithesis of "spontaneity."

 

[jakeman]

True on a Wednesday in early March. Not gonna happen during a particularly busy time. We were there around Xmas. For the couple days when we moved things around, and therefore needed to get FPs for a different park only a day or two before, as opposed to 60, all of the top things were booked (7DMT, Frozen, Space, TSMM, Soarin', Test Track). Even so, we did fine, and we able to hit everything we wanted to hit at some point during the trip, because we used most of our pre-booked FPs. But if we had wanted to show up Dec 22, walk into a park, and only then get FPs for top attractions, we'd have been pretty much SOL.

For me, it worked great. But I can see others not liking it.

I like it, but I'm pretty flexible with my time at WDW.

I enjoy sleeping in and not having to be at rope drop to get a 1:30 p.m. FP for TSMM. I think that aspect of the old FP system is lost. TSMM, TT, Soarin: if you weren't in the park by noon, you didn't get a FP. If you were in the park before noon, you might be stuck there until 8 or 9 at night to use your FP.

 

[biggy H]

Well its not just Disney that uses this tech.

The new Centre Parcs at Woburn in the UK uses it in just about the same way as Disney ie entry to villas, controls lockers at the swimming pool and for paying for goods amongst other uses. http://content.yudu.com/Library/A3gyo7/LeisureDesignandBuil/resources/35.htm

No idea if they have licenced it from Disney or its a completely different system.

 

[danlb_2000]

Well its not just Disney that uses this tech.

The new Centre Parcs at Woburn in the UK uses it in just about the same way as Disney ie entry to villas, controls lockers at the swimming pool and for paying for goods amongst other uses. http://content.yudu.com/Library/A3gyo7/LeisureDesignandBuil/resources/35.htm

No idea if they have licenced it from Disney or its a completely different system.

There have been systems around like this for over a decade.

 

[jakeman]

Call me crazy but vacationing at a theme park shouldn't involve having to create a spreadsheet to plan out every single day you're there. I'm personally dreading the 60 day window for our upcoming trip because I will have to sit down, plan which park I'm going to be at what day, get Fastpasses for those days, and make sure to plan my Fastpasses around my dining reservations. This is the very antithesis of "spontaneity."

Wouldn't you have to do that anyways in the park?

You would still have to look at your dinning time and decide if you can get a FP for a certain attraction or not. You still might miss out on either dining or a ride if the times overlap. You would just be spending your time in the park figuring that out instead of sorting it out ahead of time.

 

[MichWolv]

I like it, but I'm pretty flexible with my time at WDW.

I enjoy sleeping in and not having to be at rope drop to get a 1:30 p.m. FP for TSMM. I think that aspect of the old FP system is lost. TSMM, TT, Soarin: if you weren't in the park by noon, you didn't get a FP. If you were in the park before noon, you might be stuck there until 8 or 9 at night to use your FP.

Yep. Don't miss that at all.

 

[Todd H]

Wouldn't you have to do that anyways in the park?

You would still have to look at your dinning time and decide if you can get a FP for a certain attraction or not. You still might miss out on either dining or a ride if the times overlap. You would just be spending your time in the park figuring that out instead of sorting it out ahead of time.

Nope. Never did much planning. I usually only make one or two dining reservations at most for the entire trip. We would usually wake up early, decide what park to head to that morning, and go. We usually arrived early enough to get whatever Fastpasses we needed. Plus the lines early in the morning were short enough that the wait wasn't bad. But thanks to FP+, those days are long gone. Now if you don't make your Fastpass reservations at the 60 day mark the chances of getting one the day of your visit are pretty low.

This will probably be our last trip. Disney doesn't like families like mine that hate planning every minute of our vacation. I think after this we are going to be a Universal family. Nothing beats staying on site and getting front of the line access. When the wife and I went there a couple of years ago we were amazed at how much more relaxing it was compared to WDW. We didn't have to worry about dining reservations or fastpasses. It allowed us to be "spontaneous" and do whatever we wanted to do. To me THAT'S a relaxing vacation.

 

[jakeman]

Nope. Never did much planning. I usually only make one or two dining reservations at most for the entire trip. We would usually wake up early, decide what park to head to that morning, and go. We usually arrived early enough to get whatever Fastpasses we needed. Plus the lines early in the morning were short enough that the wait wasn't bad. But thanks to FP+, those days are long gone. Now if you don't make your Fastpass reservations at the 60 day mark the chances of getting one the day of your visit are pretty low.

This will probably be our last trip. Disney doesn't like families like mine that hate planning every minute of our vacation. I think after this we are going to be a Universal family. Nothing beats staying on site and getting front of the line access. When the wife and I went there a couple of years ago we were amazed at how much more relaxing it was compared to WDW. We didn't have to worry about dining reservations or fastpasses. It allowed us to be "spontaneous" and do whatever we wanted to do. To me THAT'S a relaxing vacation.

When was the last time you went to WDW?

 

[Todd H]

When was the last time you went to WDW?

Not quite two years ago. Up until that point we went every year.

 

[jakeman]

Not quite two years ago. Up until that point we went every year.

So you used MM+ on your last trip?

 

[Todd H]

So you used MM+ on your last trip?

Nope, we just missed it.

 

[JohnD]

Dear Mr. Staggs...

Call me crazy but vacationing at a theme park shouldn't involve having to create a spreadsheet to plan out every single day you're there. I'm personally dreading the 60 day window for our upcoming trip because I will have to sit down, plan which park I'm going to be at what day, get Fastpasses for those days, and make sure to plan my Fastpasses around my dining reservations. This is the very antithesis of "spontaneity."

Yeah, I always make my ADRs first, thinking ahead to what parks/other areas I'll be in before even putting down a deposit for the room. I'm now 63 days out from a May 12-18 trip to WDW, so in several days it's time to plan my three FP+ in each park. I'm also going during the last week of the F&G festival and the 1st SWW so will need to plan around those events as well. Now, I'm a detail person anyway (I'm a budget analyst, go figure) so this kind of planning doesn't bother me so much. But it must be done to at least plan these things out to at least have some kind of order during the trip. Ironically, I've heard time and again about those who want to be completely spontaneous finding out they have the most miserable time because they can't go on the rides they want, eat where they want to eat, do what they want to do. So advance planning has become, for lack of a better term, the "necessary evil" of a WDW trip.

 

[Magenta Panther]

And now they can track us everywhere. There's no escape!!!!

 

[JohnD]

And now they can track us everywhere. There's no escape!!!!

I can imagine a sensor detecting a stall running out of TP then, using the same technology in BOG, notice that there is someone in the stall. Next thing you know, here comes a CM rolling a TP roll underneath the stall.

I'm not sure I want that kind of convenience. I'll just check for TP before closing the stall door, thank you.

 

[Todd H]

Yeah, I always make my ADRs first, thinking ahead to what parks/other areas I'll be in before even putting down a deposit for the room. I'm now 63 days out from a May 12-18 trip to WDW, so in several days it's time to plan my three FP+ in each park. I'm also going during the last week of the F&G festival and the 1st SWW so will need to plan around those events as well. Now, I'm a detail person anyway (I'm a budget analyst, go figure) so this kind of planning doesn't bother me so much. But it must be done to at least plan these things out to at least have some kind of order during the trip. Ironically, I've heard time and again about those who want to be completely spontaneous finding out they have the most miserable time because they can't go on the rides they want, eat where they want to eat, do what they want to do. So advance planning has become, for lack of a better term, the "necessary evil" of a WDW trip.

I'm in IT and spend a lot of time planning and designing networking systems. I'm currently working on a huge fiber project as we speak. The last thing I want to do on a vacation is meticulously plan every single minute of my vacation. People like me aren't the demographic Disney is after it seems.

 

[NMBC1993]

This will probably be our last trip. Disney doesn't like families like mine that hate planning every minute of our vacation. I think after this we are going to be a Universal family.

I don't blame you one bit. Last month I made the decision to swap out my WDW AP for a Universal AP and so far it has been worth every penny. Although my reasoning for this was not really due to the "pre-planning" as much as I want to get the best value for my money. Universal is making a large effort to re-image their parks, creating new lands and attractions that put you in the movies.

Meanwhile at WDW....."uh, we've got plastic wristbands and Avatar-land opening several years from now".

 

[DisneyOutsider]

I'm in IT and spend a lot of time planning and designing networking systems. I'm currently working on a huge fiber project as we speak. The last thing I want to do on a vacation is meticulously plan every single minute of my vacation. People like me aren't the demographic Disney is after it seems.

I think you're correct. I think the typical WDW visitor will try to maximize the amount that they can do/see each day during their trip, especially considering the prices and the crowds these days. This necessitates planning out each day, something that my family has done long before MM+. It's very much an active vacation.

The touring style that you describe sounds much more conducive to the beach or maybe an urban-exploration type vacation rather than a very crowded and very expensive theme park.

I think that on your upcoming trip if you're able to map out your days around your FP's in each park, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the pace of your touring as you're not worried about snagging a paper FP at just the right time.

 

[Todd H]

I think you're correct. I think the typical WDW visitor will try to maximize the amount that they can do/see each day during their trip, especially considering the prices and the crowds these days. This necessitates planning out each day, something that my family has done long before MM+. It's very much an active vacation.

The touring style that you describe sounds much more conducive to the beach or maybe an urban-exploration type vacation rather than a very crowded and very expensive theme park.

I think that on your upcoming trip if you're able to map out your days around your FP's in each park, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the pace of your touring as you're not worried about snagging a paper FP at just the right time.

But there's the rub. I've been going for decades and never had the need to plan each day. I could hit almost all of the rides in the morning and get a fastpass for the afternoon for that one attraction I wanted to ride later in the day. Now if I don't plan 60 days ahead I have to use the standby lines, which have now been inflated thanks to FP+. If Disney had built more attractions to spread the crowds out there wouldn't be a need for this idiotic FP+ system.

If it wasn't for my son wanting to go back I probably wouldn't be going again. At least I have my yearly trips to the beach and mountains to look forward to.

 

[jakeman]

But there's the rub. I've been going for decades and never had the need to plan each day. I could hit almost all of the rides in the morning and get a fastpass for the afternoon for that one attraction I wanted to ride later in the day. Now if I don't plan 60 days ahead I have to use the standby lines, which have now been inflated thanks to FP+. If Disney had built more attractions to spread the crowds out there wouldn't be a need for this idiotic FP+ system.

If it wasn't for my son wanting to go back I probably wouldn't be going again. At least I have my yearly trips to the beach and mountains to look forward to.

Why can't you still do that? Just cheat your FPs to the afternoon?

Honestly, it just sounds like you've already made up your mind regarding the system without using it, which is unfortunate, but is also your prerogative.