Disney Calling...

[tj4disney]

Outbound calling to try to get guests to go to a different park? That is so bizarre-o, and has got to be really inefficient (unless you're trying to use scare tactics to get them to move....nice). So why would Disney even issue so many FP's in the first place if they are just going to try to move people later?

Also seems hard to believe that this could just be Disney proactively reaching out to people to give them a heads up that they may reach capacity. Although with the direction they have gone with FP+ where they want to control everybody's movement in the parks, maybe the next logical step is to control the crowds coming in...ya know, people from each state will only be able to visit during one particular week during the year.

 

[Ellwood970]

When fastpass+ was introduced they said at earnings call they would be able to accommodate around 5000 more people in the MK because guests would be spread out. I guess they found out now they can't.

 

[dsdeleon]

I mentioned it in the Easter Hours thread but they are adjusting "feelings" and validating "behavior" for in-park crowd control validation.
This Link explains their crowd management and why the predictive behavior needs to be tested. Easter week is a test phase for summer.

 

[PKWallaby]

So I got the call...

We have 2 week upcoming stay starting on 3/22 with FPs at MK on Weds March 30. Rec'd a voice message last Weds from a "407" number identifying themselves as Guest Services. Initially I thought it might be a scam and wasn't going to return the call.

Curiosity got the better of me. I called back and spoke with friendly female who advised they anticipate higher than normal crowds at MK on 3/30 and asked if I would be willing to wait to go to MK until after 5pm. In exchange they would give me 3 FPs per person in the park of my choice.

Now the FPs I had for MK were already scheduled after 5pm. And we are going to change resorts from BWV to BLT on 3/30 anyway so I said sure and picked Epcot. They added the 3 extra FPs to my MDE immediately and gave me a number to call them with any questions before or while we are there.

Of course my husband is wondering why we would ever want to go to a park that we've already been warned is going to be potentially at capacity. It's spring break/Easter week...what else can you expect? Just go with the flow my dear...

 

[prestoncaldwell]

I mentioned it in the Easter Hours thread but they are adjusting "feelings" and validating "behavior" for in-park crowd control validation.
This Link explains their crowd management and why the predictive behavior needs to be tested. Easter week is a test phase for summer.

I'm not sure you are understanding the link you posted. They are using AI agents in a simulator environment to determine how physical changes to design will affect aggregate crowd decisions BEFORE designing and implementing in the real environment. Think Sim City. Nothing is being tested on the guests. Where I see guests coming into the picture (which is not discussed in the linked white paper) is the collection of real movement data via detection of magic bands. This data would lead to changes in the agents' decision tree to help them better equate to real guests when facing new obstacles and crowd flow devices that the real guests aren't experiencing.

Engineering crowd flow is a good thing, not something I see as intrusive or smacking of a conspiracy. In the hotel industry, we strategically placed people counters to come up with flow patterns through the casino and other public areas. I would have killed to get my hands on the kind of movement data magic bands can give. Two main reasons for wanting to know this information are the ability to strategically place revenue generators in the most lucrative path, and to provide guests a better, less stressful experience when moving through space.

 

[Ellwood970]

They won't know if you wait till after 5 to go to the MK. In order to make any difference they will have to change the plans of thousands of people. It doesn't sound very cost effective.

 

[dsdeleon]

I'm not sure you are understanding the link you posted.

Sorry but did you read the link? I am talking about the testing of the simulation. "In park validation" is specifically in there to test this simulation. Of course they are using the magic bands to test it. It was the plan all along.

 

[Karin1984]

I do think they can save costs with this technique, not before or during the visit, but I could see a reduction in complaints after Easter/Spring break saying: 'It was so busy, we couldn't ride anything, why didn't you tell me?' Now they did tell you. And for the people on the boards here, we know it's going to be busy, but for others this might not be the case.

 

[Ellwood970]

In 2011 I was there Good Friday all day they closed the park for capacity around 1 pm it didn't seem so bad to me but I know my way around.

 

[bryanb]

According to Josh on Easy WDW Disney is call people to try and get them to change their MK FP+ reservations to somewhere else during Easter week. But they have not added EMH mornings or posted extended hours for the week. He's speculating this is due to the CM cutback over the last few weeks.

Hopefully all this will yield enough complaints to re-staff the parks properly.

Could you please post a link to the article? I want to read it and wasn't able to find it. Thanks!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Engineering crowd flow is a good thing, not something I see as intrusive or smacking of a conspiracy

calling guests to get them to alter their plans is intrusive, imo. Not saying it's a conspiracy, but it is intrusive.

 

[Marbel]

Could you please post a link to the article? I want to read it and wasn't able to find it. Thanks!

He posted it on twitter. @easywdw

 

[Disneylover99]

So I got the call...

We have 2 week upcoming stay starting on 3/22 with FPs at MK on Weds March 30. Rec'd a voice message last Weds from a "407" number identifying themselves as Guest Services. Initially I thought it might be a scam and wasn't going to return the call.

Curiosity got the better of me. I called back and spoke with friendly female who advised they anticipate higher than normal crowds at MK on 3/30 and asked if I would be willing to wait to go to MK until after 5pm. In exchange they would give me 3 FPs per person in the park of my choice.

Now the FPs I had for MK were already scheduled after 5pm. And we are going to change resorts from BWV to BLT on 3/30 anyway so I said sure and picked Epcot. They added the 3 extra FPs to my MDE immediately and gave me a number to call them with any questions before or while we are there.

Of course my husband is wondering why we would ever want to go to a park that we've already been warned is going to be potentially at capacity. It's spring break/Easter week...what else can you expect? Just go with the flow my dear...

I figured they'd be giving extra fp's as an incentive to the people who opted to make the switch. That's Disney's "go to fix" to smooth things over and make people happy, plus it doesn't cost them a thing.

 

[Malibustyle23]

asked if I would be willing to wait to go to MK until after 5pm.

What happens if that park is at capacity and is closed at 5pm? I don't know the phased closings nor the normal crowds for that day. Is that a possibility?

They won't know if you wait till after 5 to go to the MK.

Oh but would they be evil enough to lock out her magicbands from entering MK until 5pm? They have all of her information and are beyond capable.

 

[MickeyPretzel15]

I have absolutely no issue with Disney calling guests to warn them there's a possibility they won't be able to use their scheduled FP's due to capacity closures.

But doing this without taking any other meaningful actions to ease or manage crowding (like a significant increase in park hours, increased staffing, etc.) is just further driving home the fact that the current head honchos are fixated on minimizing spending even if it negativity impacts their guests.

IMO, they know people will still come in droves even if Easter week ends up being a terrible cluster, so they've defaulted to doing the bare minimum.

 

[cabanafrau]

Cool, I hadn't heard Disney was offering a new wake up call directly to guests' homes! Sounds super magical!

Dear Disney, if you're scrambling to come up with the nickels and dimes to pay CMs to staff an extra hour or two here and there in one of the busiest weeks, perhaps you could take a gander at some of the bloat found in executive compensation -- you know, the geniuses who've managed record attendance into this farce!

 

[opal]

Seems to me that the FP+ program isn't working well on either the management side or the guest side.

If I had booked FP+ for the MK and the only times I could get were in the evening, shouldn't the expectation be that my family will be admitted into the Park to use the FP+ that my family is now looking forward to using? Did no one at WDW get the memo that Easter is one of the Parks busiest times?

Perhaps they were too busy cutting Cast Member's hours and figuring out how to squeeze a few more bucks out their loyal guests for things that used to be included in the ever rising ticket and resorts prices.

Pixie dust seems to be lacking these days....

 

[RedAngie]

If a guest does cancel previously booked MK FP+s, is Disney going to remove those from the inventory? Otherwise, wouldn't they be immediately snapped up by another guest?

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Wow. They did not extend the hours every day, just the Wednesday before and the Monday after, not over the holiday itself.

 

[mshanson3121]

What happens if that park is at capacity and is closed at 5pm? I don't know the phased closings nor the normal crowds for that day. Is that a possibility?

Yes, it's absolutely a possibility.