Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Isn't that the point?<< Well, yes, eventually the point is to have the system working for high-capacity crowds. However, everything they've done so far has shown that the system really isn't ready for prime time. They're still having a lot of issues with relatively simple transactions, and this is 8+ months after they started wide-scale tests. I would hope that they could fix those problems before creating new ones But yes, eventually the system will work fine and dandy for very crowded parks. I'm just surprised they didn't do this test last week or wait until January
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "However, everything they've done so far has shown that the system really isn't ready for prime time." According to the internet rumors anyway. Disney has said publicly that they are happy with the program so far. Of course they'd say that, so who knows.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Perhaps they are just internet rumors, but they come in the form of first-hand accounts of people who just spent several days in WDW and had a couple glitches along the way. I'm sure the internet compounds them into an ultimate doom and gloom scenario (see also: that ridiculous MiceAge rumor update a couple weeks ago), but from what I've heard they are still experiencing big issues A friend of mine works in mid-range guest control/logistical planning for WDW, and he told me that they still have big issues with it. As we walked around the park, he literally pointed to places that were being negatively impacted as a result of NextGen and its growing issues. Maybe he got his information from the internet too, but it sure sounded to me like these were issues that his team had to work with on a daily basis, and he was equally frusterated by them
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt You sound somewhat surprised. Major glitches are to be expected and frustration from operations isn't surprising when a game changing new program launches.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm not surprised that there are glitches with the system. However I am surprised that they're continuing to roll it out without fixing the existing problems first. By all accounts, there were glitches when NextGen was only in use for a handful of hotels; now that it's available to guests at all hotels, it seems like the glitches are just as common (if not moreso). For all intents and purposes from a Disney hotel guest perspective, they stopped 'testing' the program several months ago, and are now running it as they intend to for the foreseeable future. Is it really too much to expect that they would fix the problems before expanding them? Especially when guests are spending thousands of dollars on their vacations, I'm starting to find this more and more unacceptable. Although I'm no fan of the system on a conceptual level, I'll accept it and use it during my vacation, just like the paper FP system. However, if I'm spending oodles and oodles of my money and vacation time to visit WDW (I have a 6 day trip in 3 weeks), I have a really tough time calling a system full of so many glitches acceptable. If this were a bargain basement vacation, sure; but at Disney prices, they need to be providing Disney quality support, and it just doesn't sound like that's happening here (And yes I realize that Disney is notorious for having awful IT, so in this instance, Disney-quality probably isn't the best. But with an investment this big, I would have assumed they would have cleaned up their act some)
Originally Posted By sjhym333 Every person I have met that has used NexGen/MagicBands have loved it. I know there have been some issues, but even my friends who have experienced those have loved it. I am not surprised that Disney is doing some ongoing testing of various groups at this time. The next time they would get to do that would be Easter and I think they want to get more people (including AP holders) on the new system in early 2014
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "However I am surprised that they're continuing to roll it out without fixing the existing problems first." With a project with as complicated as this one there could be a disconnect between the various teams implementing and troubleshooting the project. Or perhaps the phases of the roll-out aren't necessarily dependent on one another. In any case, I think we fans tend to think of Disney Parks as a single massive whole, when in fact it's comprised of thousands of individual teams and units. In short, it's likely that it isn't that simple to just halt the testing of one feature because there are others that still have kinks to iron out.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Every person I have met that has used NexGen/MagicBands have loved it.<< I've also read generally-favorable reviews, but I have to wonder if the reaction is because it really is that good, or because it's new technology that not everybody gets to use yet. Once it's commonplace, will people still be as excited to use it? I can't say for sure, but I suspect not
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub So far all we know is people's general reactions to having an ugly wristband (not photogenic)) that gives FP+ to a large group of people that are getting duplicate FP's with the FP Hack . So whoopee to having Fps arranged ahead of time and then getting extras with old key cards or library cards (exaggerating, i think). Full disclosure of the FP Magic+ has not officially been discussed enough to give my acceptance of this. Billions of dollars for a wristband …yeah right. I hope DL locals use their power that eventually "fixed" DCA. That is when the fun will really begin.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Once it's commonplace, will people still be as excited to use it? I can't say for sure, but I suspect not" Of course, but it won't be "commonplace" until other theme parks and public venues adopt similar tracking systems. It will happen without a doubt, but for the foreseeable future Disney is way ahead of the game, maybe by a decade or more.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Way ahead of the game by a decade? Is that for theme parks or all world computers? If Disney is light years ahead of our security then we have more to worry about than imaginable cause everybody knows WDW and DL have terrible systems. Could you give a little bit more explanation to your theory? How much do we really know about Disney future world of tracked theme park attendees. Not impressed unless it solves World Peace…Sorry
Originally Posted By FerretAfros By commonplace, I meant that every guest in the park is using the system, not something that gets used in every day life for all guests. Once the "I have it and you don't" novelty wears off, I think a lot of the appeal will wear off with it too. Within a year or two, once all the bugs are worked out (hopefully) and the hacks are figured out, I think there will be a lot less excitement about it Heck, as it stands now, the system is awfully similar to my Metro card that I use to ride DC's not-so-magical public transit system. Except I can tap my Metro card while keeping it in my wallet, yet my MagicBand didn't seem to work from within the confines of my windbreaker. Pure Disney Magic. >>I hope DL locals use their power that eventually "fixed" DCA. That is when the fun will really begin.<< When they were "fixing" DCA, they were also laying conduit for the data systems needed to support their NextGen system. After years of squirmng while trying to figure out how to plan my WDW vacations, I can't wait to sit back and watch the chaos unfold with all the locals at DLR
Originally Posted By kennect For all the time and money invested all I see is an epic FAIL. Who thought this up in the first place?
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I visit some other sites that discuss MB from DVC aspect. They also do not want to be too negative since their timeshare value depends on the Magical Vacation Fantasy but they are discussing the frustration of limited capabilities that still need to be resolved. The "tragic band" nickname has an honestly deserved reputation to hurdle.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I know it's difficult for you guys and gals to cotrol your compulsion to criticize, nitpick, and find fault in everything Disney does, but all I'm saying is calm down on the rhetoric and let this thing play out. It's too soon to pass judgement on anything beyond what little information is available, most of which seems to be inaccurate and/or biased.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<Once the "I have it and you don't" novelty wears off, I think a lot of the appeal will wear off with it too.>> I think that depends on what Disney decides to do with it. If it's just for scheduling FastPass and paying for stuff, then yeah, I can see the novelty wearing off quickly. But, if they expand on the system, and start doing interesting things with it - like having talking characters that know your name and interact with you, then I can see this staying relevant and novel for years. It just depends on what they come up with.
Originally Posted By dizneed << I know it's difficult for you guys and gals to cotrol your compulsion to criticize, nitpick, and find fault in everything Disney does, but all I'm saying is calm down on the rhetoric and let this thing play out. It's too soon to pass judgement on anything beyond what little information is available, most of which seems to be inaccurate and/or biased. >> Well said!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>I know it's difficult for you guys and gals to cotrol your compulsion to criticize, nitpick, and find fault in everything Disney does, but all I'm saying is calm down on the rhetoric and let this thing play out.<< I'm nitpicky about everything I do. Whenever I experience something, I immediately begin to analyze the experience and try to see how it could be made better in the future. Disney is no exception. The special thing for WDW in my case is that it is significantly more expensive than, say, an evening out on the town or a sporting event. And with the additional money and time that I invest in a multi-day vacation, I try to hold it to a higher standard; I hope that Disney respects what I'm giving them and does the same I'm running several races while I'm down there in a few weeks, and I'm coming off an injury so I'm somewhat unpreparred for them. With the big unknown of how I'll do with those, I'd really appreciate some known quantities with what my park experience will be like. Having so many mysteries makes me a little antsy (okay, a lot antsy), so having more information would really do a lot to make me feel better about things; unfortunately it seems that Disney prefers to keep things quiet And if we cut down on the rhetoric and speculation, what exactly is the point of a discussion board? It seems to me that rumors, speculation, and opinions are all at the heart of LP and countless other Disney discussion boards All that said, I just got my DME tags in the mail today for my trip in January, and I'm really excited for it. Am I going to try and test out the MM+ stuff? Absolutely. Will I find flaws with it? Most likely. Will it ruin my vacation? Probably not. But it's part of the experience I'm looking forward to, much like any number of attractions or shows that can be different from one trip to the next
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "And if we cut down on the rhetoric and speculation, what exactly is the point of a discussion board?" I'm certainly not trying put the kabosh on this or any other conversation. We all know the difference though between angrily jumping to conclusions based on wild rumors and BS internet reports versus lively discourse where people weigh in with their opinions.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "With the big unknown of how I'll do with those, I'd really appreciate some known quantities with what my park experience will be like. Having so many mysteries makes me a little antsy (okay, a lot antsy), so having more information would really do a lot to make me feel better about things; unfortunately it seems that Disney prefers to keep things quiet" You've been to Disney what 300-400 times? I wouldn't be too worried, I'm sure you'll figure things out ;P
