Big article on the backstory to MyMagic+

[rteetz]

An article is out today explaining some of how this new system came about.

http://m.fastcompany.com/3044283/the-messy-business-of-reinventing-happiness

 

[rteetz]

Love this Joe rohde quote

Joe Rohde, “If I’m supposed to be living with fairies, fairies don’t have iPhones or MagicBands.”

 

[OKW Lover]

Very interesting article. Thanks for posting!

 

[rteetz]

I find it interesting how Staggs says that magicbands may not be used in future parks like Shanghai or Disneyland where an app could just be enough.

 

[DDLand]

Amazing article. It seems like some of the naysayers will be having a tougher time holding the line moving forward.

 

[DDLand]

The reporter just dropped the bomb. It only cost 1 billion. Some people are going to be facing some tough questions.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Amazing article. It seems like some of the naysayers will be having a tougher time holding the line moving forward.

And who exactly would that be? Did you just pick and choose certain parts of the article to come to that assumption?

 

[DDLand]

Love this Joe rohde quote

Joe Rohde, “If I’m supposed to be living with fairies, fairies don’t have iPhones or MagicBands.”

In a perfect fairytale world the Yeti would work...

 

[DDLand]

And who exactly would that be? Did you just pick and choose certain parts of the article to come to that assumption?

Nah, critical facts have been proven.
1) My Magic has boosted capacity of the Magic Kingdom 5000+
2) My Magic did not cost more then 1 billion
3) My Magic has boosted intent to return rates.
4) My Magic has boosted intent to recommend a vacation to WDW to over 70%
5) My Magic has boosted guest spending
6) There never was an official timeline, just an expected date of completion (admittedly, this could be spin)

That's a lot to contend with....

 

[Pemeberly]

Really interesting article.

Honestly, for me it really makes the Imagineers and IT Departments look at fault here. ...especially the Imagineers. While I understand the desire to keep things the way Walt planned them, Walt himself always believed in progress. MyMagic+ could be so much cooler if it was better integrated into rides and character meet and greets. The Imagineers' opposition to do more really set the whole project back.

Nah, critical facts have been proven.
1) My Magic has boosted capacity of the Magic Kingdom 5000+
2) My Magic did not cost more then 1 billion
3) My Magic has boosted intent to return rates.
4) My Magic has boosted intent to recommend a vacation to WDW to over 70%
5) My Magic has boosted guest spending
6) There never was an official timeline, just an expected date of completion (admittedly, this could be spin)

That's a lot to contend with....

I have to generally agree with you. I understand why a lot of people don't like MyMagic+, but it is a success from a Park perspective. People are just hesitant to embrace change, especially when it requires reworking strategy. Seems like a lot of Disney lovers were against the legacy FP system when it was first introduced, too. Those same group of people will probably be missing MyMagic+ once the newest thing replaces it.

#6 is definitely spin though. xD

 

[eXo]

I do find it disappointing that the imagineers are so territorial. They seem like a difficult bunch of folks who move at whatever pace they want, no matter what the business calls for.

I suppose that is the archetype of "creativity" though.

 

[rteetz]

In a perfect fairytale world the Yeti would work...

I am a big fan of Joe and he didn't seem to be the biggest fan of MyMagic+ in the article. But I was very intrigued about avatar in the article and how he confirmed the two rides and new high level animatronics.

 

[rteetz]

Nah, critical facts have been proven.
1) My Magic has boosted capacity of the Magic Kingdom 5000+
2) My Magic did not cost more then 1 billion
3) My Magic has boosted intent to return rates.
4) My Magic has boosted intent to recommend a vacation to WDW to over 70%
5) My Magic has boosted guest spending
6) There never was an official timeline, just an expected date of completion (admittedly, this could be spin)

That's a lot to contend with....

The last one I would think was spun because their target date was February 2012 and we all know that got pushed back multiple times but with this system you have to roll it out in stages so it was expected.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Nah, critical facts have been proven.
1) My Magic has boosted capacity of the Magic Kingdom 5000+
2) My Magic did not cost more then 1 billion
3) My Magic has boosted intent to return rates.
4) My Magic has boosted intent to recommend a vacation to WDW to over 70%
5) My Magic has boosted guest spending
6) There never was an official timeline, just an expected date of completion (admittedly, this could be spin)

That's a lot to contend with....

Lol...

I was just there, sister, and none of that stuff is the least bit quantifiable...

With the exception of magic kingdom capacity.

But even that is a headfake. Capacity is a fire Marshall type number based purely on size... So the actually increase is due to concrete - not bands.

And the definition of capacity is now in debate. The fastpass system allows easier navigation for a big fat THREE attractions per day...but makes the others a 30-120 minute proposition...

Which means you're getting less - potentially - and lowering expectations accordingly.

If you think that article shoves it down the throats of the skeptics...you must have read the French version.

Let me say this one more time...slowly...
Disney is greedy, they CAN be shortsighted, and they have and will fail/do wrong.

Stop with the delusions...just judge things on their merits/detracts - not as part of an ironclad philosophy...that doesn't hold up.

 

[rteetz]

I do find it disappointing that the imagineers are so territorial. They seem like a difficult bunch of folks who move at whatever pace they want, no matter what the business calls for.

I suppose that is the archetype of "creativity" though.

The imagineers want to do incredible big things by their budgets often get slashed and things get downsized. They were also opposed to how this would do with theming and I don't blame them there. Having your eyes on a phone rather than the experience around you is not what was intended when they built the parks.

 

[dwheaton]

I think the article was intriguing and even-handed enough that it can generate a lot of different reactions. I like that the Imagineers weren't so willing to budge and feel like they're the sensible people in this story. It sounds like an IT mess, and there appear to have been far too many cooks with different goals running the show. I did like the fact that they aren't pushing forward to make a lot more changes and it may not get to California. That would be a relief.

 

[DDLand]

Lol...

I was just there, sister, and none of that stuff is the least but quantifiable...

With the exception of magic kingdom capacity.

But even that is a headfake. Capacity is a fire Marshall type number based purely on size... So the actually increase is due to concrete - not bands.

And the definition of capacity is now in debate. The fastpass system allows easier navigation for a big fat THREE attractions per day...but makes the others a 30-120 minute proposition...

Which means you're getting less - potentially - and lowering expectations accordingly.

If you think that article shoves it down the throats of the skeptics...you must have read the French version.

Let me say this one more time...slowly...
Disney is greedy, they CAN be shortsighted, and they have and will fail/do wrong.

Stop with the delusions...just judge things on their merits/detracts - not as part of an ironclad philosophy...that doesn't hold up.

You maneuvered around the points in mention. Your argument boiled down to this article is wrong.
1) Fire marshal, and operations thing. If operations does not feel comfortable working in a situation with that many guests, they'll close the lid. MyMagic allows them to track crowd movements, learn guests plans for the day, and monitor wait times. Better staff and resource deployment occur due to these factors. Also, along with points above, it evenly disperses crowds around the park using FP+.
2) The "fact" that it's over budget has been debunked.
3) Intent to return rates are up. Unless you believe that it was your beloved New Fantasyland that singlehandidly did it.
4) Same as point 3.
5) You believe this is impossible to determine, so I won't try to convince you.
6) Like I said, a little shaky.

What if I told you I think they make mistakes too? It's just MM+ doesn't have any of the signs of one. MyMagic+ accomplished its goal. To simplify and enhance the WDW experience.

The side attacking MyMagic now has almost nothing going for it. It's diminished to something along the lines of "I don't like it." The side looking at the accumulating evidence are called out as crazies. Funny.

 

[eXo]

Imagineers can't control what people look at, and to think they can shows exactly what kind of hubris annoys me about them. The type of people who look at their phone nonstop at Disney are going to do the same thing whether they are in Paris, Dubai, etc...

The simple fact is that MagicBand, at it's core, is very effective for the company. It centralizes a lot of things and streamlines the experience for most folks. The FastPass+ is still divisive, but the FP is just one aspect of the magic band - not the core experience.

So knowing that the guests are going to have this magic band, and knowing it is going to be rolled out anyways, a true "imagineer" ought to find the best way to leverage it. I agree with Rhodes that it should never feel forced, but it also shouldn't be an afterthought or a gimmick. And I think that is exactly what the imagineers see it as.

I also think they (imagineers) live in their own fantasy world when it comes to theming. When I go to adventure land I don't use an outhouse. There are flush toilets, with sinks, etc... To argue that a little devic that reads your bracelet destroys the theme is to ignore the fact that you are surrounded by people from all over the world. All the themeing in the world amounts to a broken illusion when you are next to some lady and her husband wearing fanny packs talking loudly about her IBS and telling little Johnny to stop putting his hand down his pants.

I could make an entire list of things that exist in each section that detract from the themeing. Anyone who argues that the magicband kiosk stands out has simply attended the park so many times that they have become blind to the other non themed distractions.

 

[DDLand]

The imagineers want to do incredible big things by their budgets often get slashed and things get downsized. They were also opposed to how this would do with theming and I don't blame them there. Having your eyes on a phone rather than the experience around you is not what was intended when they built the parks.

Except MyMagic+ has boosted key customer metrics. WDW was in trouble a couple years ago as they just kept doing more of the same. Their tone deafness as an organization is disturbing. If they aren't willing to open their eyes and realize when there are problems... that's bad. Very bad. Imagineers need to realize the entire park is a story. Not just a ride or a land. The experience is part of that story.

Their design objections were well taken. It seems like they mostly got what they wanted.

 

[Andrew015]

And the definition of capacity is now in debate. The fastpass system allows easier navigation for a big fat THREE attractions per day...but makes the others a 30-120 minute proposition...

Which means you're getting less - potentially - and lowering expectations accordingly.

IMHO, this is the most blatant problem with the system, and ironically, the one that is most often glazed over with pixie dust. Fact of the matter is, I now find myself 1.) either waiting in more lines more often or 2.) simply saying "the hell with it" and skip rides that I used to take advantage of with a traditional FP.

If I choose option #1, Disney could care less, as they've already captured my steadily increasing ticket admission. If I choose option #2, Disney can only hope that I choose to spend my "idle time" munching on overpriced food or sifting through the "made in China" gift shops.

 

[rteetz]

Except MyMagic+ has boosted key customer metrics. WDW was in trouble a couple years ago as they just kept doing more of the same. Their tone deafness as an organization is disturbing. If they aren't willing to open their eyes and realize when there are problems... that's bad. Very bad. Imagineers need to realize the entire park is a story. Not just a ride or a land. The experience is part of that story.

Their design objections were well taken. It seems like they mostly got what they wanted.

Exactly the entire park is a story one they don't want people on phones all the time for. They want guests to be immersed in that story. It is what it is I'm fine with the system but I do see where the imagineers could have a problem with it.