FP+ Official Announcement

[seashoreCM]

Originally Posted by mom2rtk

I really do think they'll try this, just like they'll try offers for extra FPs to move people out of the busiest parks into the less busy parks.

It will take a lot of incentive*, possibly involving tangible (e.g. food) bonuses, to move people from one park to another park. When you get a text suggesting another park, it will be at least an hour before you are inside that other park, given you have to walk to the exit, wait for a bus, etc.

* Alternatively guaranteeing you that the crowd level once you get there is from your point of view "less than 7" or "less than 4" etc. Such could be accomplished by simulating open fastpass kiosks on the device that notified you of the park move even though the real fastpass kiosks (if any remain) show "sold out".

[brucerob62]

Originally Posted by tjkraz

Yes, because if you witness an adult checking their phone during the 5 seconds you encounter them in a theme park, they MUST be a horrible parent, right?

What a naive generalization.

the problem is ..it isnt just a few seconds..most of the time ...sometimes severak minutes..whatever it is on that phone is not that important.

[tjkraz]

Originally Posted by brucerob62

the problem is ..it isnt just a few seconds..most of the time ...sometimes severak minutes..whatever it is on that phone is not that important.

With all due respect, that's not your judgement to make.

I have been running my own business since my kids were 3 and 1 yrs old. I have a private office in my home. I'm here when the kids leave for school in the morning and when they step off the bus that afternoon.

Over the last 8 years I have spent FAR more quality time with my children than anyone who works a 40 hr/week job outside of the home.

The trade off is that I don't get to take "vacation time." I'm on call 24/7. That means taking the occasional phone call, monitoring emails and other minor duties anywhere from the Grand Canyon to Walt Disney World. All total, it's a few minutes of my day. And I can guarantee my children aren't moping around thinking "gee, I wish dad had time for us."

Other times I'm using the phone, tasks may include:
- Taking photos of our family.
- Posting photos to Facebook so that family members who are not on the trip can still share our adventures.
- Looking at the Hidden Mickey app as our family searches for the little buggers.
- Double-checking ADR times of our family meals.
- Checking ride wait times. (Please don't tell me I'd be a better father if I dragged my kids across the park to view the Standby board for Splash Mountain rather than looking on my smartphone.)

[raidermatt]

This is primarily a revenue driven initiative. Disney wouldn't be spending the kind of money they are if it weren't. Investors of course look at profits, but they also look hard at revenue, and they expect growth in that area regardless of what profits do. They know that you can't sustain growth with cost savings, but you can and must sustain it with revenue.

The end game of this initiative isn't entirely known to us of course, but the comparison being thrown around by many insiders is to a "cruise ship model". Meaning your ticket gets you a basic experience. Anything above and beyond that is going to be an upcharge.

The $1 billion+ question is what is going to define a basic experience? Along with that, how are they going to get more of our money? Will it be through ancillary streams, like hotel revenue (through more bookings and/or higher prices)? Will they charge for packages that include various numbers of "experiences"? Or will they simply assign prices to the various experiences, allowing you to swipe your magic bracelet and charge you credit card on the spot?

Whatever your opinion on that, keep in mind we are talking about a $1 billion+ investment. The corresponding revenue increases will need to be signifigant and they got burned on the original FP system by counting on how they thought guests would increase ancillary spending.

Me personally, I don't like where this is heading. A lot of what they have touted so far is primarily just a repackaging of things we already had access to (FPs, parade viewing spots). Or things very few of us were asking for (the ability to schedule a FP 6 months in advance).

Yes, there are some things that sound neat, like the ability to get a personalized experience on a ride. But it seems to be much more about finding ways to squeeze more $ out of us for things that are currently included. In other words, the cruise ship model. Redefine the basic experience so you can make more off of "extras".

[Dznefreek]

Over the last 8 years I have spent FAR more quality time with my children than anyone who works a 40 hr/week job outside of the home.

with all due respect that is pure conjecture on your part and quantity of time does not equal quality . . . .
You have no idea how people spend there time.

[brucerob62]

Originally Posted by tjkraz

With all due respect, that's not your judgement to make.

I have been running my own business since my kids were 3 and 1 yrs old. I have a private office in my home. I'm here when the kids leave for school in the morning and when they step off the bus that afternoon.

Over the last 8 years I have spent FAR more quality time with my children than anyone who works a 40 hr/week job outside of the home.

The trade off is that I don't get to take "vacation time." I'm on call 24/7. That means taking the occasional phone call, monitoring emails and other minor duties anywhere from the Grand Canyon to Walt Disney World. All total, it's a few minutes of my day. And I can guarantee my children aren't moping around thinking "gee, I wish dad had time for us."

Other times I'm using the phone, tasks may include:
- Taking photos of our family.
- Posting photos to Facebook so that family members who are not on the trip can still share our adventures.
- Looking at the Hidden Mickey app as our family searches for the little buggers.
- Double-checking ADR times of our family meals.
- Checking ride wait times. (Please don't tell me I'd be a better father if I dragged my kids across the park to view the Standby board for Splash Mountain rather than looking on my smartphone.)

i wasnt talking about you ...i was just making a generalization of what i see. there sure are alot of people then who run their own business and are on call then..from where i sit.happens way to much..i guess my question is would your biz have survived 25 yrs ago when there were no cell phones..just something to ponder.

[Sammie]

Originally Posted by brucerob62

i wasnt talking about you ...i was just making a generalization of what i see. there sure are alot of people then who run their own business and are on call then..from where i sit.happens way to much..i guess my question is would your biz have survived 25 yrs ago when there were no cell phones..just something to ponder.

It is not just conducting business either. My Mother is a widow, and is in her 80's when I am at Disney there are multiple times a day I have to check on her and she is always free to call me irregardless of where I am.

I don't think generalizations are good idea without really knowing the situation.

[dmiller64152]

Any conjecture how the roll-out will occur? If some resorts are able to opt-in first, do you think they might increase the number of FP+s as they add additional resorts? Otherwise, those booked at the rollout resorts would have an unfair advantage over those booked at other resorts. (130 days out, booked at CBR and very curious how all this will affect me)

Also -- anyone else had trouble with the mobile app? I'll do a search, but it doesn't recognize my e-mail/password combination I'm using on the website.

[tjkraz]

Originally Posted by Dznefreek

with all due respect that is pure conjecture on your part and quantity of time does not equal quality . . . .
You have no idea how people spend there time.

You are correct. I should not have responded to a generalization with one of my own.

Nevertheless, I resent the implication that people who rely on smartphones and similar tech while outside of the workplace should be labeled inadequate spouses / partners / parents / etc.

Yes, I am one of those people who you might see with his nose in an iPhone for 10% of my time at Walt Disney World. But if anyone wants to compare and contrast parenting techniques--particularly ones that extend to the other 51 weeks of the year--feel free to shoot me a PM.

Originally Posted by brucerob62

i wasnt talking about you ...i was just making a generalization of what i see. there sure are alot of people then who run their own business and are on call then..from where i sit.happens way to much..

What concern is it of yours?

You have no idea whether people are sharing trip photos with extended family, chatting with a sick relative, checking their flight status, responding to an urgent work matter or a myriad of other tasks.

My son and I are both avid sports fans. Checking scores on my phone while standing in line for Space Mountain gives us something interesting to discuss. Meaningful interaction between parent and child isn't limited to deep introspection and life coaching.

Technology has changed our society. My 72 year old mother has an iPod Touch that goes everywhere with her. Why do you care if she's reading her email or news from CNN while at McDonald's or Starbucks or Walt Disney World?

i guess my question is would your biz have survived 25 yrs ago when there were no cell phones..just something to ponder.

My business didn't exist 25 years ago.

[Robbi]

Saw this, I apologize if it's already been discussed:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General_...ce=twitterfeed Interesting

[GreenCntryGirl]

Originally Posted by Robbi

Saw this, I apologize if it's already been discussed:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General_...ce=twitterfeed Interesting

Wow. Just wow. This I didn't see coming. Wonder if it will have any effect on the roll out?

[KateB]

This letter is incredibly stupid! Explain why these bands would be approved by the FDA but now some random Massachusetts congressmen makes this an issue. SERIOUSLY!!! We are in a budget crisis & this is what he worries about! Argh! If you get a choice who cares?

[tjkraz]

Originally Posted by KateB

This letter is incredibly stupid! Explain why these bands would be approved by the FDA but now some random Massachusetts congressmen makes this an issue. SERIOUSLY!!! We are in a budget crisis & this is what he worries about! Argh! If you get a choice who cares?

I think you mean "FCC" rather than "FDA." But overall, I agree with the sentiment. I read the letter and the questions are quite rudimentary. It won't take Disney long to respond.

There's nothing wrong with asking the questions. While there are larger concerns in our country now, I don't believe that 500+ members of congress should give sole attention to a single issue. Markey probably read the Times story and instructed an aide to draft the letter.

Nevertheless, I'm sure Disney took all of this into account when designing the program. There are no "smoking gun" issues raised in the letter.

[raidermatt]

Originally Posted by tjkraz

I think you mean "FCC" rather than "FDA." But overall, I agree with the sentiment. I read the letter and the questions are quite rudimentary. It won't take Disney long to respond.

There's nothing wrong with asking the questions. While there are larger concerns in our country now, I don't believe that 500+ members of congress should give sole attention to a single issue. Markey probably read the Times story and instructed an aide to draft the letter.

Nevertheless, I'm sure Disney took all of this into account when designing the program. There are no "smoking gun" issues raised in the letter.

I tend to agree that the net result of this will be nothing. But I wouldn't completely discount it either. Credit Card companies use RFID even though they acknowledge it is possible for information to be intercepted. They do encrypt the info, and it is difficult to intercept, but still, consumer acceptance is an issue they are dealing with, and as technology improves it is possible intercepting the data will become easier.

Given the number of people that will be using this, I think it's very reasonable for a Congressmen to ask if Disney has properly dealt with the privacy issue. After all, they are subject to different rules than banks. It was done in grandstanding manner, but that's just par for the course.