Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Lotion-View-1431.asp" target="_blank"><b>LP Lotion: Annual Passholder Ticket Exchange Center Opens at Epcot</b></a> Wendy and Donny go to Epcot to be among the first to convert her Annual Passport to a Radio Frequency (RF) enabled one and brings back a story with pictures - and even a video.
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 For just an exchange I think they did a nice job of trying to keep their guest busy while wating.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I agree. It looks like they did a really nice job with this temporary set up. While I'd love to get the chance to check some of those figures out in person, I'm also glad that WDW hasn't turned into too much of a museum of itself, like DL has done in recent years. It's great to see them bring this sort of stuff out for short promotions in a quiet corner, and then put it all away when it's done. And given that we still haven't heard any details about how they will implement the wristbands rather than RFID cards (considering how much hype they've had), I wonder when those will roll out. I also wonder what the price point will be on them, since Disney has been suspiciously silent on the matter. Originally I had assumed that they would be 'free' with your vacation package/hotel room/ticket, but I'm now starting to feel that they'll charge guests to buy them, so that they can make purchases easier. We'll see...
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I went to the ticket exchange at the Odyssey restaurant on Saturday. There were a lot of CM's there to help and a great small exhibit in the lobby. I ran into a friend and asked about when we could expect other aspects of the new FP+ stuff to come online for AP holders. I got a small chuckle and he told me that they are still working through some major kinks that they learned from the resort guest tests and not to expect AP holders to be able to use the new system until late in the year. He also said there were some concerns that when all resort guests go to the new system there will be major problems. He said that they are still not sure how the system will react when that happens. On the other side, the wrist bands looked cool but no one seemed to know when they would be available to AP holders
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm very concerned about how the system will be able to handle the demand once it goes live. There were a lot of issues with the My Magic+ system early one (and there may still be, but I'm not currently trying to plan a trip and deal with it). If Disney has proven one thing through the years, it's that they have major issues with every IT system possible, so it's baffling that they're trying something so bold, and still having major issues with it. As recently as this past fall, the system was supposed to be rolled out late last year. The fact that they've pushed it back a full year in that timeframe makes me hope that they're waiting until it's completely ready, but really doubt how stable it will be.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 The friend I ran into is working on the system and he had some similar concerns. I also had an interesting conversation with another friend who isn't a Disney geek but was just approached by Disney about a job. His current job is watching the competition and keeping abreast on what their doing so that they can stay ahead. He wasnt sure what the Disney job entails but I described to him MyMagic+ and he thought it was genius. He said that if Disney wanted to, they could know just about every step you take in the park, they would know if you stepped into a shop and then if you actually bought something. If you used your ticket to buy they would know what you bought. If you entered a building with attractions they could know what rides in the building you actually rode and which ones you didn't. He said the amount of personal information would be staggering.
