Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Maybe I missed it, but what forced their hand? That blog whose name escapes me, that leaked some info about MyMagic? Why did they trot out Nick Franklin for the media and start trickling out info about it? What was the rush?>> WDWNT put out a scoop/leaked information out on it. I'm not a fan of the people that run that site, but they definitely got a scoop with that one.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I thought that Iger has spoken about Next Gen on several occasions recently. I think that when the CEO discusses something in the news you can consider it as announced. I think there are some valid concerns about NexGen and how it will affect the WDW experience. Is anyone here losing sleep over it? Not really. It is a discussion board after all and we are discussing it. I do have a friend who is working on NexGen and some of what he has told me has concerned me as an AP holder. Especially how it will potentially affect how I can access FP's. Today if I decide to go to EPCOT first thing in the morning I can get a Soarin FP. He is telling me that the plan as NexGen gets rolled out and becomes the norm that FP's will be prebooked with a very limited number available at the park the day of. In fact he told me that if I expect to get up, hop on my computer before heading the park before opening I probably will not be able to get FP's for the most popular attraction. That is an issue for me.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "Even with FP WDW was always a level playing field. It didn't matter where you were staying or what type of ticket admission that you bought you got access to exactly the same experience. A very small minority has always had premium access but that doesn't impact regular guests. MyMagic+ has the ability to prioritize resort guests to the detriment of off-site guests and AP-holders. I'm not comfortable with that notion. I understand the logic but there have always been better ways to reward resort guests like EMH." EMH isn't a level playing field. AP perks aren't a level playing field. But concern about the impact is one thing, but I see plenty of reaction that's way beyond concern. There are people who are pretty angry. "I think there are some valid concerns about NexGen and how it will affect the WDW experience. Is anyone here losing sleep over it?" I bet there is.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<EMH isn't a level playing field. AP perks aren't a level playing field. >> Both indeed are. They in no way, shape, or form affect a normal day guest's normal day at the park.
Originally Posted By leemac <<EMH isn't a level playing field. AP perks aren't a level playing field.>> I know you've tried to defend this POV on another thread but that is pure nonsense. There is a huge difference to opening a park early or closing it later for a select bunch of guests and impacting the average guest during normal operating hours. EMH is a perk that doesn't impact non-resort guests. MyMagic+ has the ability to change the entire dynamic of ALL guests' experiences.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 The whole EMH thing falls on deaf ears. Guess the concept that the park has posted hours (9 to 9 say) but is then open to 11 (beyond the posted hours) at every ticket booth is a hard to understand
Originally Posted By leemac <<I do have a friend who is working on NexGen and some of what he has told me has concerned me as an AP holder. Especially how it will potentially affect how I can access FP's.>> That is what we have always been told - it was about monetizing the FP perk. What I can't fathom is how this impacts our AOP/5YP process. The decision to add attractions to WDW is entirely driven by the overall guest experience - there is a benchmark number of attractions that an average guest must experience each day. For much of this decade MK fell below that threshold and that necessitated the need to do something - hence the FLE (that was entirely driven by the capacity availability of TLM). Even rudimentary maths proves that if you prioritise a certain type of guest then that will be to the detriment of another type of guest. You will have a massive disparity between experiences. All of the US parks are struggling with undercapacity - there is not a single park that has excess capacity at present. Therefore in a finite universe if you introduce a priority system then it moves the goalposts for other guests. I don't know how we will look at the overall park landscape again. I'm glad that NGE isn't coming anywhere near the non-US parks at present.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 Agreed. And to what end? Disney can't be expecting to upsell that much stuff to make it work financially. I wouldn't be surprised that to meet the need of capacity that more and more attractions will be added to the NexGen system so that you will be choosing one E ticket, 2 or 3 D tickets and 2 or 3 C ticket attraction. I also think that Disney feels that they can equalize the capacity issue by increasing the number of shows and parade space.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>I just can't wrap my head around why people are so scared about this technology, and why they don't realize Disney already had access to much of this real-time information since the first credit card reader was installed in the 1970's. What's the big deal? << For me, the big deal is the arguments we've been having already. Making it much harder for those of us who prefer to keep our vacations spontaneous ... and being turned away from shows, to restaurants .. and tolerable ride waits .... in favor of people who will pay the money to go about their vacations - commando style. Part of me feels, WDW should just be forgotten. They build new things at a snails pace. Some things are clones of what's already in Anaheim ... and now this new extra pay system is going to drive restaurant, show, and ride waits up in even higher. It's not worth it anymore.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Making it much harder for those of us who prefer to keep our vacations spontaneous ... and being turned away from shows, to restaurants .. and tolerable ride waits .... in favor of people who will pay the money to go about their vacations - commando style.<< Yep. But Disney isn't dumb, they know their guests well, and I'm starting to grasp that most people really are the plan-everything-ahead vacationer. So, it makes sense for Disney to cater to them, especially when it generates a lot of additional revenue. Trying to look at it from the other side, from the point of view of a "planner" vacationer, this makes a Disney vacation more appealing. If I am that person, now I can ensure that I will see exactly what I want to see by scheduling it well in advance. Yes, it'll cost a bit more, but it's probably peanuts compared to the overall cost of a Disney vacation anyway.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 But is the reality that people are being forced into being planners because of the systems? For instance if I wanted to Le Cellier for instance I have to decide what day and time I would like to do that so that I can get a reservation. The potential that NexGen will take that to the next level for things like FP will continue to make people decide today about what they want to do and when months down the road.
Originally Posted By oc_dean There is an element of fun that goes out the window in planning out everything. It's the difference between me, and the ones who won't care if their time at WDW is a bit less fun. And a reason for me to opt out - permanently! Unless they chose to pull EPCOT out of the serious stagnation that it is in ... and do something with Tomorrowland, and seriously add to the studio park .... WDW is becoming the park with very little new .. and a reason to leave it to memory.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> WDWNT put out a scoop/leaked information out on it. I'm not a fan of the people that run that site, but they definitely got a scoop with that one. << I didn't remember WDWNT's story giving us a lot of new information, though. It basically rehashed what we already knew, with the possible exception of the MagicBand stuff. Not to mention according to their story, they were simply presenting a document distributed to CMs. At least that's what Stevo at WDWM said. I don't see how anyone forced Disney's hand. They'd already announced NextGen year(s?) ago in the press. They're handling this like they had no idea that there would be resistence. Truly have to be morons not to be able to anticipate negative reactions to this.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Well, in ways I don't even know how to comment. I'm so old (60) and have been to WDW so many times (25+) that I'm sure my expectations are far different from the normal guest. My first and best visit to WDW was in 1991. Besides the first time always being the best time, it was wonderfully unplanned, new and exciting. Other than a few of the "headliners" I didn't even know what attractions existed in the parks. The thrill of discovery was at least as exciting as the fun any attraction provided. That was back when they had actual Guide BOOKS to the parks with one page devoted to each attraction. I took them home with me and looked at them on a weekly basis for the next few years while saving the money so that I could go back again in 1994. Over time, the experience has become much diminished. Part of that is "familiarity breeds contempt". Maybe WDW is best experienced when it is a ONCE in a lifetime experience. But beyond that it has become way too expensive and with way too much pre-planning involved. The excitement of discovery is no longer there. Partly due to Disney, partly due to sites like this (which I love). I guess you just can't stop progress. So now I use my DVC points on Disney Cruises. Works for me. Very little pre-planning needed except for what time I want to eat dinner each night. Each day I wake up and know that whatever I do that day is pretty much up to me. Isn't that the way vacations are supposed to be?
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "I know you've tried to defend this POV on another thread but that is pure nonsense. There is a huge difference to opening a park early or closing it later for a select bunch of guests and impacting the average guest during normal operating hours." What's nonsense is pretending that EMH is a "level playing field". Disney has greater perks for people willing to pay for them. That is nothing new. Having access to the parks when non resort guests don't sure ain't "level". "EMH is a perk that doesn't impact non-resort guests." Sure it does. Not directly on the time they actually spend in the park, but that's a rather narrow way to look it impact. "MyMagic+ has the ability to change the entire dynamic of ALL guests' experiences." Possibly. It sure seems it will have a bigger impact than the other perks have had. How big remains to be seen. Not sure it's worth the anger and panic though. If it does have enough negative impact without the financial return, I'm sure it will go away. If it turns out to be lucrative enough, then Disney has made a good business decision. If it means the resort isn't worth going to for me or others, meh, life goes on and there are other options. Loads of them. But not all of us have a huge sense of entitlement about Disney parks.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom << They're handling this like they had no idea that there would be resistence.>> They have been handling this like the top secret project it has been. And apparently important enough to create two new management titles; Nick Franklin's newest title is "executive vice president of next generation experience", and Jim MacPhee, vice president of park operations and next generation experience, respectively. From what I have been reading this whole thing has less to do with the parks and more to do with filling empty WDW resort rooms, which sagged to a below 78% occupancy rate during the 4th quarter of last year. Expect a major tie in with more perks for on property resort guests.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>I'm still waiting for someone to tell me when Disney officially made an announcement or exactly when the official roll out will be - or has that announcement even been made?<< Here's a link to a speech that Tom Staggs gave to investors, dated 2/17/11. The NextGen details are on pages 6-7, but I've copied the gist of the descritpion below. I'm not sure if this was the first official recognition of the NextGen program (which only got its official name in the NYT article), but this was right around the time that they were starting to release preliminary information. <a href="http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/parks_resorts/WDPR%20-%20Tom%20Staggs%20-%20Investor%20Conference.pdf" target="_blank">http://corporate.disney.go.com...ence.pdf</a> "As a result, we are currently developing an innovative system that will, in essence, create a version of FASTPASS for their entire Disney vacations. Now we define the guest experience as beginning from the time a potential guest sits down at a computer or picks up a phone to make a reservation. Our new tools will help them better understand all that we have to offer and better plan their time with us. They’ll be able to create a personalized itinerary that gives them the exact Disney vacation they want."
Originally Posted By Mr X ***and better plan their time with us*** Blech. ***They’ll be able to create a personalized itinerary that gives them the exact Disney vacation they want*** Unless the exact Disney vacation they want doesn't involve planning itineraries.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Here's a link to a speech that Tom Staggs gave to investors, dated 2/17/11." OK, thanks Ferret.
Originally Posted By hopemax IMO, early entry does have an effect on non-resort guests. The most prominent example is Midway Mania at DHS. On non-early entry days, I can show up at opening and ride with little wait. On early entry days the wait time is already 40 min or more, by the time I'm allowed in the park. Fastpasses return times are farther out too.
