Disney finally Made Me Mad

[Halloweenqueen]

I just watching the newest Disney World commercial, featuring Magicband. Looks like that TV family is using FP+ for every ride. Maybe this is a peek into the future. :/

 

[clsteve]

I imagine it will be the same as all the other FP+ enabled M&G, anybody who enters the queue needs a FP.

Hmm, one of your three, with a chance at a 4th later- not as big deal. Using, potentially, your families only Tier One.... we'd have to think long and hard on that one......

 

[CaffeinatedMama]

This may have already been said so forgive me if it has but I thought I read a rumor at one point last year that characters like these may start talking. This may be far fetched but if they do I also heard that with the new magic band technology the CM's know the name of each person entering when you scan, I experienced being greeted by name by the CM at the entrance after using a FP+ at a M&G last year during testing. Is possible that if they do talk it will be magical computer powered speaking since the CM's won't actually be able to do the voices and that with scanning the band at the entrance with the FP+ system it buys them time to insert the guest's names in the computer generated character voice? I'm just trying to think three steps ahead since I can't see them doing this without it being part of a larger magical plan. Otherwise it makes no sense. The fact that it's not face characters they are doing this with is what makes me really wonder.

 

[GillianP1301]

I've read through most of this thread now.... wow, entertaining. The pooh is really hitting the fan on this one.

My 2 cents is that this is a test only, which is why I think they have chosen one M&G each in 3 different parks, to see what type of uptake they will have to see if it's worthwhile pursuing an eventual rollout to all M&G's and potentially all rides.

I can see pros and cons to the forced scheduling of a M&G. On the Disney side, it gives them a ton more control over scheduling/breaks, etc... On the guest side, I think it opens up the possibility of a far more enhanced character experience.

The biggest negative I can see, from a guest perspective, is walking through a park with your child who happens to spot a character and spontaneously wants to meet them and can't, at that exact moment, because they have no FP. I think most M&G could probably have a lot of availability in a FP inventory (excluding the obvious A&E), so it's very conceivable that you could get a near immediate FP time and swap out a future pre-booked FP on your phone, or if you are past your first 3 FP, you need to get to a kiosk, which is a bit of hassle.

IMO, I think Disney should get a little further down the FP+ path and iron out kinks with the newly rolled out 4th FP+ and have that working on peoples mobile devices, then they can start layering in testing of FP+ Only experiences.

I personally, I think I would be fine with all attractions and rides needing FP, as long as I am able to manage it from my phone reliably. And I think MDE is a long way from being robust and reliable enough for that.

 

[poohj80]

Just now catching up with this news and agree with the OP. I'm a lifelong Pooh fan and LOVED this M&G because no one seemed to know it was there. When my DD was a baby, she spent extended moment with Pooh & Pals there as there was no line. I'm guessing they think adding a FP+ might get this location more attention and more traffic, but what about those of us who loved it because it didn't have traffic? One more hidden gem being thrown to the masses!

 

[GillianP1301]

This may have already been said so forgive me if it has but I thought I read a rumor at one point last year that characters like these may start talking. This may be far fetched but if they do I also heard that with the new magic band technology the CM's know the name of each person entering when you scan, I experienced being greeted by name by the CM at the entrance after using a FP+ at a M&G last year during testing. Is possible that if they do talk it will be magical computer powered speaking since the CM's won't actually be able to do the voices and that with scanning the band at the entrance with the FP+ system it buys them time to insert the guest's names in the computer generated character voice? I'm just trying to think three steps ahead since I can't see them doing this without it being part of a larger magical plan. Otherwise it makes no sense. The fact that it's not face characters they are doing this with is what makes me really wonder.

This makes a ton of sense to me. I agree, this is not just a random "hey let's throw FP+ only on Pooh and see what happens" type decision. There is an end goal here and the talking/personalized interaction may just be it. It would explain why they are picking M&G that don't have a huge crowd normally - smaller flow of people will allow them to work out bugs.

 

[2Tiggies]

I'm gonna miss seeing you over her on TPAS once your trip is over. Please promise you won't quit posting after your trip?

It's ok .... I have already booked our room for next year and banked a request for our DVC rental points so, sadly for some no doubt, I'm not disappearing anytime soon

 

[morethananyonex]

This may have already been said so forgive me if it has but I thought I read a rumor at one point last year that characters like these may start talking. This may be far fetched but if they do I also heard that with the new magic band technology the CM's know the name of each person entering when you scan, I experienced being greeted by name by the CM at the entrance after using a FP+ at a M&G last year during testing. Is possible that if they do talk it will be magical computer powered speaking since the CM's won't actually be able to do the voices and that with scanning the band at the entrance with the FP+ system it buys them time to insert the guest's names in the computer generated character voice? I'm just trying to think three steps ahead since I can't see them doing this without it being part of a larger magical plan. Otherwise it makes no sense. The fact that it's not face characters they are doing this with is what makes me really wonder.

Why would this require a FP+ only attraction though?

They could just require everybody to scan their band/ticket as they enter the stand by line.

 

[ferd]

The biggest negative I can see, from a guest perspective, is walking through a park with your child who happens to spot a character and spontaneously wants to meet them and can't, at that exact moment, because they have no FP. I think most M&G could probably have a lot of availability in a FP inventory (excluding the obvious A&E), so it's very conceivable that you could get a near immediate FP time and swap out a future pre-booked FP on your phone, or if you are past your first 3 FP, you need to get to a kiosk, which is a bit of hassle.

IMO, I think Disney should get a little further down the FP+ path and iron out kinks with the newly rolled out 4th FP+ and have that working on peoples mobile devices, then they can start layering in testing of FP+ Only experiences.

I personally, I think I would be fine with all attractions and rides needing FP, as long as I am able to manage it from my phone reliably. And I think MDE is a long way from being robust and reliable enough for that.

Just to play devil's advocate, this is also the case now for many characters that don't have a FP+ option of any sort. For example, this past weekend we took our DD to see Belle in France, and right after us the line was cut off (about 1:30pm) and everyone else who came up with their kids (the kids who could see Belle a few feet away from them) were told she wouldn't be back until 2:50pm and they would have to come back. Having to come back at a certain time, isn't much different than having to go to a kiosk or whatever to get a FP+ to see them, and honestly, I can see the benefit to being able to secure a FP+ with a guaranteed time to see a character, versing trying to check their times schedule and arriving back early enough to catch them before their line is cut off (Merida, Tiana, etc etc)

 

[FLchick415]

I've read through most of this thread now.... wow, entertaining. The pooh is really hitting the fan on this one.

My 2 cents is that this is a test only, which is why I think they have chosen one M&G each in 3 different parks, to see what type of uptake they will have to see if it's worthwhile pursuing an eventual rollout to all M&G's and potentially all rides.

I can see pros and cons to the forced scheduling of a M&G. On the Disney side, it gives them a ton more control over scheduling/breaks, etc... On the guest side, I think it opens up the possibility of a far more enhanced character experience.

The biggest negative I can see, from a guest perspective, is walking through a park with your child who happens to spot a character and spontaneously wants to meet them and can't, at that exact moment, because they have no FP. I think most M&G could probably have a lot of availability in a FP inventory (excluding the obvious A&E), so it's very conceivable that you could get a near immediate FP time and swap out a future pre-booked FP on your phone, or if you are past your first 3 FP, you need to get to a kiosk, which is a bit of hassle.

IMO, I think Disney should get a little further down the FP+ path and iron out kinks with the newly rolled out 4th FP+ and have that working on peoples mobile devices, then they can start layering in testing of FP+ Only experiences.

I personally, I think I would be fine with all attractions and rides needing FP, as long as I am able to manage it from my phone reliably. And I think MDE is a long way from being robust and reliable enough for that.

Re: the bold - The "plus" side of that (if you choose to see it) is that these all seem to be M&G's that are "out of the way" and you won't see it unless you're looking for it. Unlike, say, Mary Poppins that is off to the side on a busy walk way in Epcot, or Pluto and/or Marie that are right in the middle of Main Street. Like I said earlier, I didn't even know where exactly in the UK pavilion Pooh and Tigger meet, because I'm never looking for it.

 

[GillianP1301]

Just to play devil's advocate, this is also the case now for many characters that don't have a FP+ option of any sort. For example, this past weekend we took our DD to see Belle in France, and right after us the line was cut off (about 1:30pm) and everyone else who came up with their kids (the kids who could see Belle a few feet away from them) were told she wouldn't be back until 2:50pm and they would have to come back. Having to come back at a certain time, isn't much different than having to go to a kiosk or whatever to get a FP+ to see them, and honestly, I can see the benefit to being able to secure a FP+ with a guaranteed time to see a character, versing trying to check their times schedule and arriving back early enough to catch them before their line is cut off (Merida, Tiana, etc etc)

Totally agree with this. For me personally, the positive do outweigh the negative. I would actually prefer having my M&G time pre-booked then have to wait in a SB line and get to near the front and then wait on that character to have a break of swap out. I think it ensures you see the characters that are most important to you and your family with minimal waiting.

 

[morethananyonex]

Just to play devil's advocate, this is also the case now for many characters that don't have a FP+ option of any sort. For example, this past weekend we took our DD to see Belle in France, and right after us the line was cut off (about 1:30pm) and everyone else who came up with their kids (the kids who could see Belle a few feet away from them) were told she wouldn't be back until 2:50pm and they would have to come back. Having to come back at a certain time, isn't much different than having to go to a kiosk or whatever to get a FP+ to see them, and honestly, I can see the benefit to being able to secure a FP+ with a guaranteed time to see a character, versing trying to check their times schedule and arriving back early enough to catch them before their line is cut off (Merida, Tiana, etc etc)

I get what you're saying, but there's a big difference IMO between a CM telling you in Disney speak the character is going for a break so come back later, and being restricted from entering a line at all because of either lack of FP availability or your own lack of ability to get a FP (because you're holding one for something else).

FP+ for those kind of characters would make things a lot easier on planners who want to see them. It's FP+ only that makes it kind of like 1 step forward, 2 steps back. It would be nice if people could get a FP+ to mitigate the issues you brought up, without everybody having no choice but to get one, you know?

 

[Angel Ariel]

I say that because there are people that seemingly love to criticize and pile on every thing Disney does because:

1. It doesnt benefit them directly
2. They would do it so much better because they are an ___________ guru. Fill in the blank with Marketing, IT, advertising, accounting, etc.
3. They have never liked the FP+ rollout.




Oh, I can handle the truth. But the truth is....perception and truth are not always the same thing.



Is there one universal standard about perceived value for WDW across the board that every guest should be following?

What about a FP+ only line (for anything!) is a good thing?

The mantra from so many who like FP+ when talking to those who don't like SB has been - "well, there's always SB when you don't have a FP+"

Apparently not for Pooh. And it is concerning to think of how this could be rolled out beyond Pooh. Does anyone really think that this is going to stop with these 3 character meets? Have any of the other FP+ "tests" stopped? Most of them, if not all of them, have gone to greater roll out after a small introduction, not a lesser one.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm only up to page 6, but I think this is Disney using the "camel's nose under the tent" approach. They start FP+ only with a meet and greet that's fairly inconsequential. Then they cite its "success" as the basis for expanding it to all meet-and-greets, including A&E. From there they move it to rides, ending up with a reservation-only system where standby isn't allowed.

1971 called. They want their ride system back.

Yep.

 

[Planogirl]

Besides not everyone wants to have their faces buried in a phone while on vacation. I used to leave that thing in the room but I guess that that is no longer a good option. I realize that kiosks are available too but I'll reserve judgment on those until all of this gets finalized (if ever).

 

[ktlm]

1) The height challenged (many youngsters are more than 40" tall) are not going to be riding Soarin or Test Track - So it is not as if they are having to choose between them and a character interaction.

3) I suspect Pooh will not be out in the open where small children walk by. He will be through a door like Mickey on Main Street. And it may be more interactive than currently - not to the point of Enchanted Tales, but more than a hug and picture.


4) None of that will affect me, when I make my choices. However, putting ONLY with ANY FP is very concerning to me. That sets a precedence that has the potential of changing WDW that will have ramifications throughout the park. There is not much that would change my desire to go to WDW - but park wide implementation of this would.

Yep, but the height challenged are going to have to choose between characters since Mickey and Minnie are also a FP+ tier one at EPCOT. I can just imagine parents trying to explain to their 2 and 3 years olds that they have to pick Mickey or Pooh, but they can't see both because they are both Tier 1. At least Mickey and Minnie are not FP+ only...for now. Of course, if the parents decide to FP+ Illuminations as one of their 3, then there is never another FP+, and you have to pick Pooh, and just hope the line is short for Mickey/Minnie or that they don't go to FP+ only too, in which case you would just be totally out of luck if you wanted Illuminations as one of your 3.


Unless they totally wall the area off, if you go into the UK store, you can see Pooh and Tigger meeting and greeting people in the back. In fact, when we were there last fall, they had re-done the area and moved them where they were more visible in the store, so that that they could have the line for them move to coming in the back door of the store, instead of in the mid store area. I'm sure this was in part to have a place to install the FP+ readers. They had also put in signs outside and by the back door directing people to the meet and greet, So any kid that walks in the store with his or her parents will see them. They just won't be able to meet them, even if the characters are standing there with no line and nothing to do.

I suspect it will either:
1. be more interactive because they have even less of a line so kids can stay as long as they want until another family happens to show up;
2: be short lived as it will start a huge amount of complaints at guest services because kids can see Pooh, but aren't allowed to hug or take a photo with him even if he has no line because they have no FP+; or
3. Because of the lack of any type of heavy FP+ use for Pooh, WDW will decide that Pooh isn't that popular or needed and the meet and greet will go away- instead of realizing that it is their system that is the problem.


It will affect us to the extent that we won't meet and greet Pooh with Tigger anymore at EPCOT because DD isn't going to care enough to FP+ them, especially if it means giving up a possible FP+ for Soarin or Test Track as our initial Tier One, or even later in the day when we are allowed to add more on the very slim chance that any might still be available. She will be a little sad not to be able to give them a hug and get a photo there, but not enough sad to use a FP+ on them. I will miss that interaction because it was always cute. I usually jumped in and got a picture with them and her there too and sometimes we did family shots with them- neither of which we ever do at CP. So, it will take a few minutes of something we did enjoy out of our trips (and I guess it is no more pictures for me or for family pics with Pooh and Tigger) which makes me sad.

If these 3 are the only meet and greets that go FP+ only, it isn't a WDW deal breaker-but I am with you in that if they start to do more and more of this for meet and greets and rides and are headed in this direction, that is going to be a WDW deal breaker for us. I'm not going to pay their prices for a vacation where I have to plan and reserve every single thing I do every day. It will be DL trips only until they start something like this, and then it will be trips to other places. Our annual or bi-annual WDW trips will be a thing of the past, and we might show up again and check it out in 5 years. I still have to believe that this will never happen on a wide scale even if that is their plan- because I think there is going to be a huge customer push back, and ultimately a loss of repeat business if they go this direction. Even the WDW newbie is not going to want to have to make a reservation for every single ride and meet and greet during their trip.

 

[ferd]

I get what you're saying, but there's a big difference IMO between a CM telling you in Disney speak the character is going for a break so come back later, and being restricted from entering a line at all because of either lack of FP availability or your own lack of ability to get a FP (because you're holding one for something else).

FP+ for those kind of characters would make things a lot easier on planners who want to see them. It's FP+ only that makes it kind of like 1 step forward, 2 steps back. It would be nice if people could get a FP+ to mitigate the issues you brought up, without everybody having no choice but to get one, you know?

I absolutely agree. I don't like the idea that anything (or dare I say potentially everything?!) as FP+ONLY. I don't think it's a step in the right direction to remove spontaneity from anyone's day in the parks. Visitors should always have the option to hop on a line and wait without any pre-planning if they choose to. Personally, I'm HOPING that the recent developments with FP+ONLY are simply due to the limited queue space for dual lines, and possibly wanting to cut back the character hours for budgeting purposes or something.

 

[Planogirl]

Why would this require a FP+ only attraction though?

They could just require everybody to scan their band/ticket as they enter the stand by line.

Like a more refined version of the ET ride at Universal. Good point.

 

[JanaDee]

I'm only up to page 6, but I think this is Disney using the "camel's nose under the tent" approach. They start FP+ only with a meet and greet that's fairly inconsequential. Then they cite its "success" as the basis for expanding it to all meet-and-greets, including A&E. From there they move it to rides, ending up with a reservation-only system where standby isn't allowed.

1971 called. They want their ride system back.

Yup.

 

[DavidNYC]

OK, going to step out and play the devil's advocate here. It's actually a pretty shrewd marketing move. There are a lot of families with toddlers who don't spend a lot of time in Epcot. One of the things that is attractive to those families are the M&G, and very often the lines are very long. Making some of the M&G FP+ only might encourage those families to try Epcot, since getting the little ones in to see their favorite characters will be much easier and quicker, because for the most part, only the families with small children will spend a FP on those M&G. Now, it would make a whole lot of sense if they would make those a special tier (FPMG tier 1), but it still makes some sense to me for that demographic.

OK, let the flaming begin

No - I agree with you as well. Too many people think if it doesn't make sense to them, it's either for some nefarious purpose or that there's just no possible logical reason. I see many possible logical reasons and many demographics this benefits. I don't like it but not terribly upset by it either at this point considering there are other places to meet the characters that are FP+ only in certain locations. To be determined is how easy it will be to get one of these as a 4th FP+ and whether they either add a lot more kiosks or make the 4th available via app. But withholding judgment for now.