Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of: <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/News-ID514320.asp" target="_blank"><b>LP Column: 1/4/13 Laughing Place Podcast: 2012</b></a> This podcast is dedicated to 2012 with a year in review, a look at Disney's hits and misses and a review of all our 2012 predictions including the results of our Bold Predictions. There's also a long NextGen discussion at the end.
Originally Posted By schnebs wOOt! I'll let'cha know what I think after I've listened to all two-plus hours of it.
Originally Posted By schnebs Still got an hour left. Doobie and FanBoy: You realize, of course, that the only reason USC football crashed and burned this season was that there was no friendly bet between us this year. They had nothing to play for.
Originally Posted By schnebs OK, all done! Interesting discussion by the Crew about Fastpass+. As far as the reason they're doing it, I've heard a theory that seems to make sense - call it the cruise account theory. Okay, imagine you're on a Disney cruise. (I do it all the time.) Now, once you go onboard with your Key to the World Card, you never have to touch your wallet, for the most part - almost everything not included with your cruise fare can be paid for by swiping or tapping your card, and signing up for something like an excursion, BINGO, or a tasting is a snap. Now, unless you have a tremendous amount of self-discipline, are obsessive about collecting and reading your receipts, or you go to the Guest Relations desk regularly, I can almost guarantee that you'll end up spending more than you expected to by the end of the cruise. Maybe the point of NextGen is to encourage Guests to do something similar on their Disney theme park vacations - that is, encourage people to do things they hadn't necessarily planned on doing and spend money they hadn't really planned on spending because doing and spending is made all that much easier. Sound implausible? Think of the Disney Dining Plan. For the sake of convenience more than anything else, by using the DDP, you lock in your dining choices far in advance, and get more food than you might get than if you paid out of pocket. With NextGen, I could see your whole vacation being similar to being on the DDP. Whther that's a good or a bad thing is up to the Guest.
Originally Posted By schnebs Now, having made it through almost three hours of the LPP, I'm off to listen to almost 6 hours of Paul Barrie and Ricky Brigante doing their Ear in Review.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I haven't listened yet, but it sounds like this will be the perfect way for me to spend my 2 hour flight down to WDW tomorrow morning! Can't wait! >>Now, once you go onboard with your Key to the World Card, you never have to touch your wallet, for the most part...<< But that's the part I don't understand. With WDW's existing setup, you can use your room key (Key to the World) for purchases. So why do they need the billion dollar investment to get people to use it? Does it really make that big of a difference to use a wristband than to pull a keycard out of your wallet? Maybe I'm just missing something here (since I haven't listened yet).
Originally Posted By schnebs Hmmm, valid point, FA. Maybe they're thinking it WILL make a big difference. I know that when I'm at the World I put charging privileges on the card, but I'm more likely to pay cash our use my Disney Visa rather than put it on the card - or worse (as far as Disney's concerned), I sometimes decide that I really don't need whatever it is they're offering and leave my wallet in my pocket. Maybe Disney's figuring that if I could just wave a Magic Band in front of a device instead of reaching for my wallet, I might forgo a little thinking and just buy or do it.
Originally Posted By schnebs Hmmm, paying for things at Disney by giving them the finger... Never mind, I'll behave.
