sshindel
The Epcot Manifesto
No, I'm not creeped out that Mickey could find your kids at your resort.
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Wired Feature "Disney's $1 Billion Bet on a Magical Wristband"
- Thread starter PeoplemoverTTA
- Start date
I understand that the security at Disney's Todd H Resort is fairly strict.
Because maybe it isn't all about JUST making money. Maybe Disney is at least TRYING to make the guest experience better. Please remember that there are naysayers here that claim NOTHING Disney does is for the guest, and only for a buck. I disagree.
dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
its not just money... the program is designed to accept one sequence of numbers, and the iWatch or whatever they call the darn thing may not have the same sequence ie: 5 digits a dash then 7 digits...
plutoismyhero
Active Member
Techincally there is a number for how many fastpass rides get moved on to the ride before stand by and it is not ALL the fastpass rides something like if they let 30 fastpass riders on then they let 10 stand by riders on. Now this was from a while ago could have changed but since we were there with the FP+ it looked the same now it just happens for rides that do not need it such as ones mentions above(spaceship earth, figment, IASW, POTC) All have seen increases but it was designed that way to disperse the lines of Big ticket ride. I still think the system needs alot of work but for now we are stuck with it.
Todd H
Well-Known Member
I walked into that one! That's what I get for posting while exhausted. A life in IT and being on call can make for long days. 
AEfx
Well-Known Member
While that's a lovely notion, one that I enthusiastically wish were the case, we simply have too much direct evidence spanning many years that unfortunately that just is not true.
Disney allowing people to use an iwatch is equated to them "trying to make the experience better"? Thats how hard it is to find a true enhancement lately that isnt financially motivated. Please dont take that as an attack on your post either. I believe Disney cares about guest experience, but enhancing it in the Orlando parks does not seem to be a concern. True enhancements occur more naturally, not forced upon you via constant reminding in articles and commercials, (Imo of course).
jakeman
Well-Known Member
Wouldn't integrating the MM+ into the watch be a natural enhancement (heh)? I think forcing you to use a MagicBand when you have a device that can do all that (or a card) is one of the major issues people have with the NGE program.
EDIT: Why isn't the hub remodel, or NFL, or the hat demolition considered non-financially motivated enhancements?
Isnt a major part of the hub remodel to have a viewing area for FP+. I dont consider it an enhancement especially compared to how much better it was years ago when there was actually more trees in MK. They love concrete everywhere now.
NFL is an expansion of an existing land. The atmosphere is an enhancement, IMO. The rest is debatable. The highlight being 7DMT, which I like. Its nice, but they seriously over hyped it as some modern marvel of ride innovation which actually takes away from the experience when you go into expecting what they told us it would be. If they had just built it and not made such a big deal about it, it would have been nice. NFL does have enhancements though, I wont argue that.
I cant consider the hat demo an enhancement because it was supposed to be gone years ago anyway. Giving them credit for it as an enhancement is just thanking them for being lazy and cheap about its removal. Plus, just as many people are upset about it being taken away.
Im not trying to be argumentative and Ill admit Im extremely critical of the company. My grumpiness is more based on growing up with different type of enhancements in the parks. I will be the first to admit that what I dont like may very well be great for the next guest. I keep that in mind when a friend asks about WDW or for tips on visiting. I would never want to skew a non-super fans vision of the parks with my personal opinions. It would only confuse them and probly make me look weird for caring so much about a theme park. Not that Im embarrassed, most of my friends already know Im a Disney nut
AEfx
Well-Known Member
Here is the bottom line for many: Disney has reportedly spent somewhere around $2 BILLION dollars on this thing.
When it takes half a decade to build the little mountain now in Fantasyland, when the literal and figurative heart of the park, the Hub, has been in shreds for an embarrassingly long period of time, and anything that might be even part way exciting likely three to five years away in any park, after we've had nearly a decade of a stagnant resort to begin with...is it really hard to get that what is the true issue is the VALUE of those dollars being spent on little plastic bracelets?
Sure, it's all charming and such (and personally, I think the folks that worry about privacy, etc. are nuts, Disney already captures so much information about you it's not even funny), but when you get down to it, they did not spend $2B to however incrementally it may improve the vacation of those who choose or are able to use it. No one can be that naive, not even the most ardent TwitDuster would pretend that was the case. Everyone knows it's about trying to get the already existing visiting folks to spend incrementally more - you'd have more luck arguing that you can pray away the gay.
Now, it's becoming cliche to bring up, but like most cliches - there is a reason it becomes one, but look at what Universal has been doing up the road. Go from a razed lot to opening day of an E-ticket in a year, year in a half...between Potter, 2.0, Transformers, etc. - they reportedly have spent less than HALF of what Disney has spent messing around with little plastic bracelets - on all those new areas and world-class attractions that are proving there is a whole audience who wants to come to Orlando if only there was something exciting to come for.
Even 2 or 3 years ago you couldn't get away with saying what I just did here - you'd be shoo'd off to a Universal board faster than @PhotoDave219 could snap a pic of a touchdown with 2 seconds left on the clock. But now...it's just fact. It's just true. As much as we all hate to admit it.
So that's why folks are so down on MM+ - yes, folks post how yippie skippie they are at getting a FP+ for a ride weeks before they even arrive (as absolutely absurd as that is on so many, many levels) and the thrill they get just swiping their band to open up their door, but when it comes down to it...even if the rumored other abilities arrive (talking characters, etc.) - was that REALLY worth $2B?
@marni1971 can correct me if I am wrong, but for $2B, couldn't you pretty much build Tokyo DisneySeas in Orlando?
jakeman
Well-Known Member
That tirade against MM+ had nothing to do with my post, but thanks for posting!
BrerJon
Well-Known Member
Bravo, post of the week.
More attractions = more maintenance teams (salaries and health benefits), more expensive parts that need to constantly be replaced, more space they have to dedicate in the shops backstage to the refurbishment (anybody whose been in the Central Shops area and seen the massive amounts of real estate needed for this knows what i'm talking about), more operations teams (salaries & health benefits), more administrative people to handle the fact that there are more employees (salaries & health benefits), more parking needed for employees backstage, etc etc.
I'm not saying they shouldn't add rides because obviously that is necessary in order to attract attendance and keep the parks fresh, but all of these costs have to be figured out and balanced. That's why I find it funny when people complain when rides are removed to make space for new ones...yes they have basically unlimited land to build whatever they want but they have to balance the cost to actually operate with the margins they expect to have. For each new attraction they add they are literally adding millions of dollars to their operating budget each year so it better be worth it.
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Not really, given the bloated WDI way of charging for things but you'd certainly get a pretty good park for opening day.
DisneySea actually cost just under 4 billion US Dollars to open. A figure US guests can only dream of.
A better example would be EPCOT Center. 1.2 Billiion on opening day. Add $80 million for Horizons, plus The Living Seas, Morocco, Norway and Wonders of Life and a night time show of the scale of IllumiNations and you're just about there in 1980s figures.
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DManRightHere
Well-Known Member
This thread is starting to look like the pre MM+ boards!
All you people stop going to Disney, make the parks lose some money. Prices will stop increasing, attractions will get built competitively, vacation specials will be great!
People won't stop, Disney is too much fun, and the MM+ is worth it. I actually wish MM+ was in California for our June visit.
All you people stop going to Disney, make the parks lose some money. Prices will stop increasing, attractions will get built competitively, vacation specials will be great!
People won't stop, Disney is too much fun, and the MM+ is worth it. I actually wish MM+ was in California for our June visit.
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While all that makes sense, how does it relate to my post? Are you saying its acceptable for Wired to write a completely one sided story on MM+, or that Disney execs can make extremely misleading and borderline inaccurate statements in effort to make NGE look more appealing simply because they have employee salary and benefits to pay?
The same financial issues were just as prevalent in the past as they are now but that never stopped them. They actually had far less money in the past than they do today yet they still managed churn out entire parks and E tickets and in far less time.
Your last sentence (bolded) is very true and I just dont see which attraction theyve built recently thats "worth it" in terms of money spent or time of construction.
Would it not sound rude of me to request the same of you?
Stop coming in the the thread if you dont like it, the thread post will go down, you wont have to read comments that upset you, people will stop voicing their concerns and everything on this site will be more cheery than a group of Lou Mongelo 'Box People'.
Id argue that the people who voice their concerns and still visit and spend money with Disney are far more loyal AND concerned about the future of the parks than any fanboi or defender of the brand. Complaining about the complainers yields absolutely nothing.