Originally Posted By HokieSkipper So a big article in the NYT where the head of WDI and the head of parks and resorts are discussing the program doesn't count as an announcement? Announcing it on the parks blog doesn't count as announcing? Advertising it to your guests in their hotel doesn't count as announcing? I see we're attempting to be obtuse here.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<But not the same access.>> It's irrelevant. And EMH day is no different to a normal guest as a day that is slightly more crowded.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<It's a level playing field.>> Your welcome to your belief. But, all things considered, it isn't a level playing field. Anyway, I don't have a problem with Disney offering perks for guests staying on property at Disney owned hotels, resorts and DVCs. I do think they should offer the same perk to at least guests staying at Shades of Green. If the WDW resorts vacancy rates are going up, then Disney needs to sweeten the deal for potential resort guests. That is between Disney and their resort guests and Congess needs to butt out. I'm not against NextGen. I think it will have some good, clear benefits that most guests will enjoy. But, there are many specific, unanswered questions about the program, and the WDC has not been forthcoming with the truth.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<And EMH day is no different to a normal guest as a day that is slightly more crowded.>> Unless your the guy standing in line at 9:15 am for Soarin with a 3 hour wait time. And all the Fast Passes are for afternoon hours. Meanwhile, the World Showcase doesn't open till 11 am. So, it is not as if there is an entire park to visit at your disposal. Hense the reason why many WDW visitors avoid parks that day with morning EMH.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I see we're attempting to be obtuse here." Lee took it a step further and stated that there has been no "official" announcement, which is true. It's pretty stupid, IMO, the way that Disney has handled the release of information to the public about this program, but oh well. <But not the same access.>> "It's irrelevant." How? Are we not talking about unequal access as a result of the MyMagic+ program?
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper If there's fasptasses available for the afternoon hours...get a fastpass for the afternoon hours. In EPCOT before WS opens you still have: Test Track Mission: Space Spaceship Earth Universe of Energy Living with the Land Circle of Life The Seas with Nemo and Friends (ride) Turtle Talk with Crush The Seas with Nemo and Friends (pavilion) Captain EO Innoventions Journey Into Imagination Less than 1/2 of that could get you to 11 AM, which opens up the entirety of WS to keep your time until your fastpass is open. It's not like you HAVE to wait in a three hour line then. Besides, during the slow season, the line isn't going to get that long. And during the busy seasons, it'll get that long by 9:30 and the fastpasses will still be for the after noon by that time.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<How? Are we not talking about unequal access as a result of the MyMagic+ program?>> The minute the clock strikes 9AM (which is the official opening time), day guests and resort guests have the same exact experience and opportunities in the park. There is no difference. Between 9AM and when the park closes, everyone gets the same treatment.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "The minute the clock strikes 9AM (which is the official opening time), day guests and resort guests have the same exact experience and opportunities in the park. There is no difference." Seriously? Hokie please go back and read post 61. In addition, people with EMH have a more hours in the park than people who don't.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Hokie please go back and read post 61.>> And? The day I went to DCA RSR had a 120 minute wait 15 minutes after the park opened. I don't see any difference. <<In addition, people with EMH have a more hours in the park than people who don't. >> But the people who don't get those hours aren't losing anything. They're still getting the same treatment during the normal, posted operating hours.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "And? The day I went to DCA RSR had a 120 minute wait 15 minutes after the park opened. I don't see any difference." Apparently you're the one being obtuse here.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper How is there a difference between a ride being 120 minutes at 9AM and at 9:15 AM? 15 minutes? So do you want me to say that EMH changes the playing field by giving resort guests a .02% advantage each day? Okay, early morning EMH gives resort guests a negligible amount of advantage. Evening gives none.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I honestly have no problem with resort guests getting EMH. Considering the price of the Disney resorts it is one of the few tangible perks that Disney offers besides location. I might add that Disney has gotten fairly lenient about EMH in that non-resort guests cannot ride attractions but Disney often will not hassle non-resort guests from staying in the park and allowing them to shop and eat. I don't find EMH unfair to anyone. I do understand that an EMH guest does have a little advantage of being at an attraction at 9am when the FP machines go live, but having worked a major FP attraction for a couple of years I can tell you that the effect on day guests getting FP's for early in the day is minimal. A day guest who wishes to get a FP for Test Track for instance and heads there at park opening will be able to use that FP usually within the first hour or so of the FP window. The exception may be during the holidays at which point everything is crazy. NexGen is going to change a lot of this. I know two people who are working on NexGen and they tell me that it is going to change the Disney park experience. Lets just take the fact that there are over 30,000 Disney resort rooms. If every resort guest has the opportunity to pre-select their FP's how can that not have an impact on guests not staying at a Disney resort? Early on one friend told me that Disney's expectation is that they can offset that by offering things like priority seating at shows and parades and such. But the tests show that idea may not be as workable as they thought. It is going to be interesting to see how it plays out. There are two things I know. FP has changed the theme park going experience not only at Disney but at many other theme parks. NexGen is going to do the same. The other thing I know is that I won't be seeing it first hand. My pass expires in June and we are not renewing.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Thanks for the insight. I obviously worked a FP attraction too, but we didn't have much demand for ours, so I couldn't really comment much there. I plan on going back for the 1/2 marathon next year. I'll stay at Port Orleans Riverside again, and after that I'll assess how NextGen affects me and my family before deciding to return ot not.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Lets just take the fact that there are over 30,000 Disney resort rooms. If every resort guest has the opportunity to pre-select their FP's how can that not have an impact on guests not staying at a Disney resort?" Is anyone saying that it isn't?
Originally Posted By sjhym333 Yes. I think there have been a couple of people who believe the impact will be minimal
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I don't have a problem with Disney offering perks to guests who are staying onsite.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "The point remains that EMH is not a level playing field." Right. I'm seeing lots of goal post moving. If you can't see how EMH "unlevsls" the playing field, you're either not too bright or have an agenda. I mean seriously, the argument is that EMH doesn't effect the hours the rest have access to the parks means there's a level playing field? And that this doesn't impact those guests? Really? Sure, MyMagic+ could potentially have a huge impact. Maybe even a sea change if Disney really messes things up. But to pretend that offering greater access to onsite guests is something new is disingenuous.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "The minute the clock strikes 9AM (which is the official opening time), day guests and resort guests have the same exact experience and opportunities in the park." 9AM may be the "official" opening time, but the park opens at 8 for some. "Yes. I think there have been a couple of people who believe the impact will be minimal" Who? The impact could be minimal. It could be huge. Disney probably knows better than us and they don't really know. If the impact is huge and mostly negative, I be they change things. "Early on one friend told me that Disney's expectation is that they can offset that by offering things like priority seating at shows and parades and such. But the tests show that idea may not be as workable as they thought. It is going to be interesting to see how it plays out." Yeah. I'm sure there will be plenty of tweaking to find the right balance. We'll see.
Originally Posted By leemac <<But to pretend that offering greater access to onsite guests is something new is disingenuous.>> I don't think anyone is suggesting that the provision of perks and benefits to on-site guests is new. However the massive distinction is that when EMH takes place it is not during regular operating hours. Every single one of the four parks continues it regular operating hours. Epcot has been 9-9 for a generation and EMH doesn't impact that. DAK's annual operating hours are exactly the same as they were pre-EMH. NGE has the ability to affect every single guest during every single second of normal operating hours. That is the distinction. If you genuinely believe that EMH and NGE are analogous then I hope you are right. However I don't for a second believe that you are.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I don't think anyone is suggesting that the provision of perks and benefits to on-site guests is new." That's exactly what is being said.
