Originally Posted By Mr X ***I think they are also positioning themselves for the next generation of guests who are more technology savvy. My 20 year old son who has grown up with XBox, iPods, DVR's, computers and smartphones is much less impressed with the classic Disney attractions than I was at his age. I think Disney realises that the company who can tap into that niche can position itself to be the theme park leader in the coming decades.*** Tap into it how though? I mean, sure the AA's are dated at this point...duh. Disney hasn't put any effort into updating the things! They were cool back in the day, but in this day and age they need to be more impressive and more immersive. Imagine what a billion dollars or so in amazing e-tickets would do if they decided to go with today's robot technology to really make the show scenes totally life-like. Instead we get "Cinderella will know your kids' name". Sorry, but that's more creepy and 1984 than anything else in my book. And no new rides. *sigh*
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Disney hasn't put any effort into updating the things!*** To put it in a fairer sense, I should say they haven't put ENOUGH effort into updating the things. Sure the new generation AA's are okay, and more impressive than their predecessors, BUT when you can click on YouTube and see Japanese Robot Models slinking their way down a runway it's pretty obvious that Disney is no longer (and far from) State of the Art. Instead they sink billions into this ham fisted "interactive" crap. I doubt people will be any more impressed with THAT, particularly if they feel in any sense of the word, bilked by it.
Originally Posted By sjhym33 I dont know for sure what is next but arent the possibilites endless at this point? From easy things like next generation FastPass type technology to custom built vacations based on your preferences to resturants who know what you want before your even seated. Add to that attractions like Sum of All Thrills that can be custom created for each guest without ever having to change the ride system. I wouldnt be surprised at some point you could make a Disney hotel reservation from home and then log into a personal account and design your 5 day vaction moment by moment that is then downloaded onto a chip or card and from the airport to the theme parks you might never have to stop at the front desk or guest services because everything is already on the card. Then you get on an attraction and it knows what you want that experience you want. Could it be that an attraction could use the technology that goes waaayyy beyond ET calling your name? Sure it can.
Originally Posted By sjhym33 Not enough coffee. The last couple of sentences should say... There you get on an attraction and it knows what you want that experience to be before you even get on it.
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad >> Disney is anal about anything leaking out >> I'm not sure the words anal and leaking should be used in the same sentence. Brings back memories of fat free chips.(;0))
Originally Posted By Mr X ***custom built vacations based on your preferences to resturants who know what you want before your even seated*** *I* don't even know what I want before I'm even seated! If some restaurant staff were to presume to know "what I want", I'd be pissed. WT???? ***>> Disney is anal about anything leaking out >> I'm not sure the words anal and leaking should be used in the same sentence. Brings back memories of fat free chips.(;0))*** lmao.
Originally Posted By dshyates One thing that really annoyed me on my last vacation was the feeling of being nickled and dimed ALL the time. I thought the emphasis that Disney has put into the science of separating me from my money was overwhelming. I just think this takes that to the next level. I wish they would put as much effort into entertaining me as they are at taking my money.
Originally Posted By sjhym33 I didnt mean that the resturant staff would presume to know what you want. What I was thinking is that you could look at an online menu and order your meal before you even get to the restaurant. For Disney that would mean that your meal could be ready to serve when you get there...you sit down and your appetizers and drinks magically appear. They could also turn tables faster which means more people and more money. I dont know if Disney is planning anything like that but it is possible. It seems the next natural step in the whole Disney dining universe. Remember when you could just walk up and get into a WS restaurant? Now many are booked out months in advance. I'm just saying.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***What I was thinking is that you could look at an online menu and order your meal before you even get to the restaurant.*** Why the hell would I want to bother doing that!? I don't even like deciding on a restaurant beforehand, unless a reservation is absolutely essential (which, apparently, is very true of WDW these days). I'd rather decide when I'm hungry, and know what I want to eat. And, I enjoy sitting down and perusing the menu, and perhaps having a conversation with my fellow dinners about what sounds good and what appetizers we might feel like sharing. Anything else is, well, uncivilized imho. ***For Disney that would mean that your meal could be ready to serve when you get there...you sit down and your appetizers and drinks magically appear.*** Yuck! I haven't even decided it I want a cold or hot drink yet! And what about the weather outside. Do I need to settle for a cold drink even though it turned unseasonably cold and now I have to settle? Or send my order back!? Yuck! ***They could also turn tables faster which means more people and more money.*** THAT'S the unholy point of all this crap, I'm glad you pointed it out!
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Remember when you could just walk up and get into a WS restaurant? Now many are booked out months in advance. I'm just saying.*** Are you saying that as a positive or a negative? Seems pretty damned negative, if you ask me. All the rest simply sounds like a deeper circle of dante's inferno!
Originally Posted By Mr X I think post 47 says it all. Unfortunately, it seems their emphasis now (to the tune of spending billions on it!) is to take that science to a whole new level. *sigh*
Originally Posted By mousegeezer What makes the Disney experience wonderful is people. Once again Disney has ignored the basics. Why not spend some money on training so park goers can enjoy a vacation without worrying about dying in a monorail crash. Or, being dumped in the water with a, "Hard docking." What's next? Does the TOT elevator call you by name as you plunge 13 stories to your death because the cable inspectors were shorthanded and failed to get to the cables in your elevator? Or, how about speaking with a live person when you want to call and ask a question about your reservation? Nooooo, we have the computer painfully extract your phone number, (technology can do that)Name, address and number in your party then make you wait on hold while wonderful Disney music plays for half an hour. And, by the way, did you notice that you did not call a toll free number? Disney is too cheap to even pay for the call that you make to them to spend thousands in their parks. I can tell from the postings here that many of us make decent money. But, no one at Disney considers Ma and Pa with their six kids from Nebraska that scraped together enough to get to WDW for four days and stay at a value resort. What do they tell the folks back home. Not so much about the attractions. But, more about the $6.00 mystery meat hot dogs and the $5.00 dollar sodas. Well, Disney, you got their money. But, everyone back home isn't wanting to spend all their hard earned dollars to go to Florida and have their pockets continually picked. How about returning to VALUE?
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Good point Mouseezer about Disney reservations...and when you finally receive a human voice they ask everything all over again! I think Disney wants to be SO COOL and Techno-Hip it will spend any amount of money to create that image. But "creating" that image feels fake. Unfortunately we are along for the ride; having fun yet?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Maybe having one of the characters call a little one by their first name would be a real treat. But as to the rest of it, maybe it's just me, but I;m not that much a creature of habit. I don't always want my meal prepared a certain way, I don't have any dietary restrictions and so forth. I'm just saying that the line between being customer-focused and being intrusive is thinner than the air in a Dyson Airblade. I am not the paranoid sort, but do I really need to be that much on the grid at all times, everywhere I go?>> That's a huge concern to me. I don't like Disney tracking me as is. And that IS what happens when you stick your finger in a biometric scanner and tell it you are entering MK at 5:41 p.m. on 1/18 using an AP ... etc ... etc ... I have no doubt most folks are going to look at the convenience and the special little touches that WILL happen because of this. But the majority of folks think the DDP is a good thing and that FastPass is a better theme park innovation that say the Hub and Spoke, a berm or Audio Animatronics. All of these things are designed to make things easier for everyone who vacations commando style. But many of us don't and never really have. And I might add that Disney's own 'innovations' like DDP and FastPass and DME have made OCD-like planning a necessary evil for some folks who only get to WDW say once a year or two years. I recall some of our own LPers talking about spreadsheets for vacations at WDW. I think that's just whack ... but Disney has created that mess and many of the solutions are IMHO just more problematic.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >>How about making it all about the climax with none of the foreplay?<< <<<--- suddenly rethinking his objections to this plan.>> Just glad I'm on a website where I can 'get away' with a punny statement like that. On a more MAGICal site, I compared the castle to a giant weenie (Walt's term, not mine, blame the dirty old man!) and the trees and um ah bushes like ... um ... hair ... and how removing all the greenery has taken away all mystery and made the Castle overwhelm Main Street in a way never intended. ... The Mom over there didn't like the comments, even though the comparison is a nice analogy if I do say so myself! And I do!
Originally Posted By mousermerf The Mom is the possibly the most humorless human being on the face of the earth.
Originally Posted By -em >>even though the comparison is a nice analogy if I do say so myself!<< and I shall not look at Main Street the same way again thanks... As for the whole costume thing- Basically before its been the classic barcode system- scan in, scan out. If you don't check to make sure everything was scanned- good luck on proving its not in your possession until it gets scanned in somewhere else down the line. Now with RFID you put everything you want (or are returning) in a designated spot and it automatically scans it all. No worries that the barcode didn't take etc. Now I'm sure there is a margin for error there but statistically its less..
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I think the vast majority of people will love this. Just like Fast Pass, and the DDP. I'll say it again, I think this will alter a Disney vacation into something I no longer recognize. I'm afraid it's going to increase the commando style Disney vacation that is starting to feel more prevelent each time I go. >> I didn't read this before posting, but it's almost like you read my mind, Pierce. Guess that's why you're my favorite minion of evil (can't wait to go spray-painting those construction walls with ya!!!) But yeah ... it's all about commando ... a term that I truly can never equate with a vacation. And it has sprung up cottage industries (no, not talking about DVDs of WDW trashcans!) ... there are books and websites devoted to touring plans. Maybe I'm just smarter than the average Spirit (OK, we know that's likely true! ;-) ) BUT ... how have I managed to visit Disney parks around the globe and enjoyed them by just showing up? >> But largely, this is designed to take you away from your money. << <<Tell me something new.>> OK, those pumps make your ass look bigger. >> You'll wind up spending more and Disney knows this. << <<Disney even admits that's what Fast Pass is about, and it works.>> I'd love to see the figures. I have heard this from some of my 'insiders' but I still don't buy it. Numbers will say anything if you waterboard them enough. I don't believe that most people decide to spend money they wouldn't have while waiting for their 4:45 p.m. FP for Space Mountain to open up. <<I'm not against Mickey playing pocket pool with my change. Heck, I've gladly forked over thousands in the past, and begged him to take more. I just don't want WDW to become so clinical, and sterile that it loses it's Magic for me.>> That's the direction. That's the difference from creating magical vacation experiences and shoving the DISNEY MAGIC down your throat. How did we ever live without mass character meals? Or without Disney branded crap in every shop? Or without character meet and greets? Or without toon tie-ins to everything? I guess we just didn't know what we were missing. <<Why do I keep visualizing the Pink Floyd video of "The Wall" with all those faceless children going down a conveyor belt.>> Great analogy. Good thing this thread is being read in Burbank ... I hate when our best material is wasted on 'the regulars' >> While this program is designed to completely overhaul the way a guest vacations at WDW, you need to look at this as simply taking Destination Disney (which brought you everything from Pal Mickey to Magic Your Way Tix to DDP to DME etc) to a new level and one that adds more personalization than was ever possible before due to the tech. << <<Again most people like those things, and I don't begrudge the Mouse an honest living. Just don't ruin my experience in the process.>> Exactly. For years Disney offered meal plans with packages ... hell, I remember as a kid in 1980s when my family had one. But they didn't ruin Disney Dining. The DDP is a whole different animal! >> ... and you better believe there are some huge privacy issues/concerns (of course, 78% of people supposedly have no issues being virtual strip-searched to get on a plane .. << <<Personally I like a good free message.>> I'm going to assume you meant massage ... and I'd love to take this in another direction, but won't. >> Disney will in fact be tracking you through its parks. Again, some fanbois may think this is uber-kewl if they walk by a mirror and suddenly their Fairy Godmother (or CM Bradley) appears on the other side calling to them. << <<I've kind of fantasized about being stalked by Pocahontas.>> Could happen ... >> I'm not sold. Technology can be very cool ... but without the layered storytelling and the immersion, all it does is leave me cold. << <<That is my only concern so far.>> Actually, I have another concern. And that's simply what COULD the money be spent on instead. Think about that ... as much of RFID won't be major ... >> That and I see far more upside for The Mouse than his guests, but I'm trying to NOT be a cynical Spirit here. << <<The mouse always has the upper hand.>> I just hate when I get the white glove treatment! >> It's not what CAN they do, but what WILL they do? << <<That's why I can't understand why they don't let the plans leak I believe this is going to get massive fan support.>> I dunno ... I'm actually surprised. Look at the fanboi reaction in other MAGICal realms. Hell, my favorite online stalker is coming out against this. The thing is Disney is leaving certain details out ... and things have fallen into my lap that I don't feel comfortable putting out because I sense they are trying to plug leaks (since they can't plug me!)
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >> Yes. They're going to implant chips in your neck that will make you buy pins, plush and princess crap. << <<From the Book of Revelation " And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. " Just in case nobody recognizes that, it's called sarcasim.>> Damn, I thought I was going back to Bible-study! >> and don't call me Lee ... (unless you buy me dinner first!) << <<Food Whore!>> And very proud of it. I personally think you are avoiding WDW so you don't have to buy me dinner! >> Disney is anal about anything leaking out ... remember nothing is official until PR tells you it is. And it's often ridiculous as the BLT proved. It was given a 'go' in 2004 and they closed Contemporary North in mid-2006 ... yet, even when they demolished a huge hotel wing dating back to 1971 and started building a giant timeshare tower and even when the design firm put the project on its website, Disney's official response was 'what demolition and massive construction? I don't see anything ... well ... wait, I think I can see Cuba from here.' << <<I completelt forgot about the secrecy surrounding BLT.>> Imagine driving by or railing by and they've already reached five stories and still have't said they're building anything. It's not 1989. Disney isn't going to be able to work like it has in the past. See last summer's F-land blueprint leak. >> It gets absurd. Disney knows what it's doing ... and information will get out. It always does! ;-) << <<But the insiders have all signed a death pack with the Mouse, and have all been issued a cyanide capsule.>> Well ... read what I posted previously. They are keeping this very controlled. And people are afraid.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<What's foreplay?>> That's what Mrs. Pierce says! (did you set me up for that one?)
