Disney's $1 billion dollar bet on magical wristband - Wired

[rteetz]

Disagree. This is a Disney Website, we are Disney's biggest fans. I am seeing an awful lot of posts from people saying they are cutting back on their visit frequency or else cutting out WDW. In my case, I've reduced my time at Disney in half for my next vacation. At this point theme park attendance is up, but that 's for all theme parks, not just Disney.

I am seeing posts on non-Disney fan sites that say the amount of planning is ridiculous. I don't think Disney can sustain a system that elicits this amount of negative feedback. We shall see, but I don't think they'll be able to turn this around.

I don't disagree but we here on message boards make up a very small amount of who is in a disney park at any given time. Disney doesn't listen to these boards, they watch for leaks but they don't really care about opinions I know that for a fact. All these boards are opinions. I'm sure everyone here wants to see a new monorail, expanded monorail, or a new ride in the MK but just because we say that on here doesn't mean they are going to do it. I agree that there are tons of posts negatively about it but there are also positive ones. Disney isn't going to change because of these boards and admit FP+ was the wrong thing to do. Also my next question is if they were to get rid of it then what to back to legacy, have nothing? They have spent two billion on this project all together I don't see them going back now.

 

[rteetz]

Additionally, Legacy did not elicit the amount of negative comments currently enjoyed by FP+. I agree there are always going to be unhappy guests, but IMO this is not just a few people. Just because Disney invested a lot of money to lock guests in, doesn't mean they're going to achieve their objective.

They are achieving their objective tho.

 

[Cormoran]

I don't disagree but we here on message boards make up a very small amount of who is in a disney park at any given time. Disney doesn't listen to these boards, they watch for leaks but they don't really care about opinions I know that for a fact. All these boards are opinions. I'm sure everyone here wants to see a new monorail, expanded monorail, or a new ride in the MK but just because we say that on here doesn't mean they are going to do it. I agree that there are tons of posts negatively about it but there are also positive ones. Disney isn't going to change because of these boards and admit FP+ was the wrong thing to do. Also my next question is if they were to get rid of it then what to back to legacy, have nothing? They have spent two billion on this project all together I don't see them going back now.

They spent 2 Billlion on MDE, not on FP+. They could dump FP+ and keep the rest. IMO FP+ will be tweaked to the point where it closely resembles Legacy. They never had enough decent attractions for FP+ and I think it's insulting that they slapped FP+ on attractions that used to be walk-ons.

 

[Cormoran]

They are achieving their objective tho.

In your opinion. We have no way of knowing this for sure.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I've seen a few of Disney's surveys. Was it magical or wonderful or exciting or... They are quite good at spin when they want to be.

I'm glad to see tiering being brought up. What a ridiculous concept that is.

Two of those three terms have no identifiable meaning and should be stripped from the vernacular anyway...

Just ask me if I'm excited.

As far as tiering...

The idea that I have to pay $100 to enter a park... And can't book their system specifically design to cut my wait on rockinrollercoaster because my kids want to go on midway mania...is beyond comprehension.

There is no language on this planet...nor star wars or Star Trek universe...that could have the words to explain it to me so that I could understand.

The reason is that they've failed to provide enough experiences to provide for their level of attendance...and it doesn't have to be spoken. Plain as day.

On second tbought...maybe it could be explained in ferengi

 

[rteetz]

They spent 2 Billlion on MDE, not on FP+. They could dump FP+ and keep the rest. IMO FP+ will be tweaked to the point where it closely resembles Legacy. They never had enough decent attractions for FP+ and I think it's insulting that they slapped FP+ on attractions that used to be walk-ons.

I agree. FP+ is included in MDE is all part of the same system.

 

[rteetz]

In your opinion. We have no way of knowing this for sure.

Staggs has said guest spending is up since they did MM+.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

They spent 2 Billlion on MDE, not on FP+. They could dump FP+ and keep the rest. IMO FP+ will be tweaked to the point where it closely resembles Legacy. They never had enough decent attractions for FP+ and I think it's insulting that they slapped FP+ on attractions that used to be walk-ons.

I actually get depressed when I go on the site and attempt to find 3 things to book in AK, MGM, and EPCOT...

My Brain can't tolerate the fact that most of those things should not have a reservation system.

It's actually annoying and sure as hell isn't "magical"

Mission: not accomplished.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Staggs has said guest spending is up since they did MM+.

Which is a Falacy of debate...

It would have been up anyway because they are in a boom and there was never a doubt on increased profits and revenues with higher prices and streamlining (ride closures).

Unless they have a system where they transmit something to your band... Like an upsell...and then you purchase it...

There will never be a way to put an actual profit tied to the bands with any level of certainty.

 

[Cormoran]

Staggs has said guest spending is up since they did MM+.

Well of course he did! This is a CYA manuever. But what he didn't say was that guest spending is up because of MM+. Guest spending is up because they raised the prices for everything.

 

[Cormoran]

I actually get depressed when I go on the site and attempt to find 3 things to book in AK, MGM, and EPCOT...

My Brain can't tolerate the fact that most of those things should not have a reservation system.

It's actually annoying and sure as hell isn't "magical"

Mission: not accomplished.

You mean to tell me that you weren't excited to get a FP+ for EO? Say it ain't so!

 

[rteetz]

Well of course he did! This is a CYA manuever. But what he didn't say was that guest spending is up because of MM+. Guest spending is up because they raised the prices for everything.

I know I'm just saying what he said

 

[nkosiek]

Two of those three terms have no identifiable meaning and should be stripped from the vernacular anyway...

Just ask me if I'm excited.

As far as tiering...

The idea that I have to pay $100 to enter a park... And can't book their system specifically design to cut my wait on rockinrollercoaster because my kids want to go on midway mania...is beyond comprehension.

There is no language on this planet...nor star wars or Star Trek universe...that could have the words to explain it to me so that I could understand.

The reason is that they've failed to provide enough experiences to provide for their level of attendance...and it doesn't have to be spoken. Plain as day.

On second tbought...maybe it could be explained in ferengi

I believe 1, 10, & 48 from the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition could explain it to you. There are a few other ones that I think Disney is living by now:
1. Once you have their money, never give it back.
10. Greed is eternal.
48. The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.
74. Knowledge equals profit
194. It's always good to know about new customers before they walk in your door.


That said, there are a few they seem to have either forgotten or just disregard:
57. Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them.
95. "Expand or die".

 

[WillJenDisney]

Staggs' spontaneity remark makes perfect sense to me. I'm now able to get the fast passes I want, for the times I want, well in advance. I don't have to show up at rope drop and race somewhere, or know that if I don't come to a park until noon, it's too late to fastpass any E-ticket attractions. That allows me to treat the rest of my day with spontaneity, because I'm not longer bound by arriving so early, or rushing to a certain area of the park to start the day. I can walk in, take my time strolling down Main Street and shopping, going on other attractions, etc. I can do whatever I feel like doing, because the tough-to-get fast passes that would normally dictate my day are already taken care of. I'm entirely unsure how the old system, wherein you had no other option but to show up early and head straight for the FP kiosks, did anything but curtail spontaneity.

Example) On our last trip, we had a Space Mountain FP booked for the early afternoon. Previously, the only way to do that was to be at Magic Kingdom early. Instead, we slept in a little later that day, decided to go to EPCOT for lunch, and then made our way over to MK in the afternoon. We were able to get on SM with very little wait, then immediately start enjoying other parts of the park. Our morning was entirely spontaneous because we no longer had to worry about how early we got there in order to ride Space Mountain. Pre-magic band, we would've had only two options for SM: (1) show up early to the park, or (2) wait in a 90 minute line.

We were able to enjoy WDW immensely more this past trip than our previous trips because of the freedom the MBs provided us. Of course it sounds counterintuitive to say our extensive pre-planning allowed for greater spontaneity, but it's the case. I'd much prefer to spend time pre-planning before my vacation so that I can relax more during it, than do less planning but be forced into excessively early mornings or longer waits.

So I'm thrilled with the system. I ride the rides I want, when I want, with less time spent in line. Does that mean I spend more time seeing other things and spending more money? Yep. But I'm hardly going to say shame on Disney for that. They aren't picking my pockets during that time, I'm freely choosing to spend more, because I want to. And I'm glad for the additional time to do it.

Finally, I just want to say that this board isn't even close to representative of the majority of WDW visitors. This board is for us fanatics. It's the same thing you see on message boards for sports teams. We're the extreme. This board is full of the rope-drop types of folks, and the folks who know the ins and outs. So while magicbands may have limited the fanatics' ability to rack up FPs for the day by starting early and often, I'm betting the vaaaaast majority of visitors who weren't as knowledgable about how to take advantage of the FP system benefit much moer from the current system.

Finally part 2: It's silly to think Disney can't compute the ROI for this. To anyone saying "yeah, money spent per customer is up, but that's only because prices are up," do you really think they don't account for that variable....? Of course they do. But yeah, I'm sure Staggs is being promoted and lined up for CEO because it's failing to generate any ROI.

 

[rteetz]

Staggs' spontaneity remark makes perfect sense to me. I'm now able to get the fast passes I want, for the times I want, well in advance. I don't have to show up at rope drop and race somewhere, or know that if I don't come to a park until noon, it's too late to fastpass any E-ticket attractions. That allows me to treat the rest of my day with spontaneity, because I'm not longer bound by arriving so early, or rushing to a certain area of the park to start the day. I can walk in, take my time strolling down Main Street and shopping, going on other attractions, etc. I can do whatever I feel like doing, because the tough-to-get fast passes that would normally dictate my day are already taken care of. I'm entirely unsure how the old system, wherein you had no other option but to show up early and head straight for the FP kiosks, did anything but curtail spontaneity.

Example) On our last trip, we had a Space Mountain FP booked for the early afternoon. Previously, the only way to do that was to be at Magic Kingdom early. Instead, we slept in a little later that day, decided to go to EPCOT for lunch, and then made our way over to MK in the afternoon. We were able to get on SM with very little wait, then immediately start enjoying other parts of the park. Our morning was entirely spontaneous because we no longer had to worry about how early we got there in order to ride Space Mountain. Pre-magic band, we would've had only two options for SM: (1) show up early to the park, or (2) wait in a 90 minute line.

We were able to enjoy WDW immensely more this past trip than our previous trips because of the freedom the MBs provided us. Of course it sounds counterintuitive to say our extensive pre-planning allowed for greater spontaneity, but it's the case. I'd much prefer to spend time pre-planning before my vacation so that I can relax more during it, than do less planning but be forced into excessively early mornings or longer waits.

So I'm thrilled with the system. I ride the rides I want, when I want, with less time spent in line. Does that mean I spend more time seeing other things and spending more money? Yep. But I'm hardly going to say shame on Disney for that. They aren't picking my pockets during that time, I'm freely choosing to spend more, because I want to. And I'm glad for the additional time to do it.

Finally, I just want to say that this board isn't even close to representative of the majority of WDW visitors. This board is for us fanatics. It's the same thing you see on message boards for sports teams. We're the extreme. This board is full of the rope-drop types of folks, and the folks who know the ins and outs. So while magicbands may have limited the fanatics' ability to rack up FPs for the day by starting early and often, I'm betting the vaaaaast majority of visitors who weren't as knowledgable about how to take advantage of the FP system benefit much moer from the current system.

Finally part 2: It's silly to think Disney can't compute the ROI for this. To anyone saying "yeah, money spent per customer is up, but that's only because prices are up," do you really think they don't account for that variable....? Of course they do. But yeah, I'm sure Staggs is being promoted and lined up for CEO because it's failing to generate any ROI.

FP+ by no means plans more spontaneity. You are planning out your day 60 days in advance how is that spontaneous. Spontaneous means going to a park looking at wait times and saying oh space mountain is at 30 so let's go there or I want steak so let's go to Le Cellier. Now you book reservations 180 days in advance and even in some cases schedule what food you want days in advance.

The system works for me but I will disagree that it does not add spontaneity. FP+ basically is and ADR for your ride.

I will agree that these boards don't make up the majority of WDW visitors.

This is a 2 billion dollar infrastructure system. They raise prices every year sometimes twice a year. That is where the big profit increases come from. The biggest return on MM+ is people buying limited edition magicbands.

 

[WillJenDisney]

FP+ by no means plans more spontaneity. You are planning out your day 60 days in advance how is that spontaneous. Spontaneous means going to a park looking at wait times and saying oh space mountain is at 30 so let's go there or I want steak so let's go to Le Cellier. Now you book reservations 180 days in advance and even in some cases schedule what food you want days in advance.

The system works for me but I will disagree that it does not add spontaneity. FP+ basically is and ADR for your ride.

I will agree that these boards don't make up the majority of WDW visitors.

This is a 2 billion dollar infrastructure system. They raise prices every year sometimes twice a year. That is where the big profit increases come from. The biggest return on MM+ is people buying limited edition magicbands.

What you just described as spontaneity is still just as available now as it was before. You can still do exactly that if you want to. But you're going to wait in a lot more lines.

The new system allows you to both be spontaneous AND hit the long line rides faster. Previously, to hit everything, you needed to be very structured. Now, I find I can do just as much with less structure (other than, be at Magic Kingdom by afternoon), which is nowhere near as structured as it previously had to be, and thus more time is available to do spontaneous things.

 

[jade1]

FP+ by no means plans more spontaneity. You are planning out your day 60 days in advance how is that spontaneous. Spontaneous means going to a park looking at wait times and saying oh space mountain is at 30 so let's go there..

Sometimes we reserve ahead, and sometimes we just go to a park and select what headliners we want on the FP+ kiosks.

 

[rteetz]

Sometimes we reserve ahead, and sometimes we just go to a park and select any headliners we want on the FP+ kiosks.

I'm sure that's possible but definitely not every day

 

[OldsDr]

What you just described as spontaneity is still just as available now as it was before. You can still do exactly that if you want to. But you're going to wait in a lot more lines.

The new system allows you to both be spontaneous AND hit the long line rides faster. Previously, to hit everything, you needed to be very structured. Now, I find I can do just as much with less structure (other than, be at Magic Kingdom by afternoon), which is nowhere near as structured as it previously had to be, and thus more time is available to do spontaneous things.

You lost me here. If you are waiting in a lot more lines, how is there more time to be spontaneous?

 

[jade1]

I'm sure that's possible but definitely not every day

"Not every day" is a far cry from having to reserve at 60 days out.

I just showed all 4 parks within a 5 day window showing every headliner available INSIDE the park at the kiosks-including A&E and 7DMT.