Guest Test of Magic Bands (Official Notice)

[superdisneydork]

That was my point, earlier.

The inevitable feeding frenzy/sever-crasher that is focused on 5:58-6:05AM.

(And, don't forget that we're talking about guests attempting to access the must-do's at all 4 theme parks, at the same time. Server meltdown.)

Every.

Day.

Aha, I thought you were speaking from a logistics standpoint, not a technical capacity standpoint. Sadly, I must agree with those points, given their rather poor track record.

Matt

 

[doconeill]

That was my point, earlier.

The inevitable feeding frenzy/sever-crasher that is focused on 5:58-6:05AM.

OK, maybe it won't be at 6AM.
Maybe it will be at 7AM. 8AM.

(And, don't forget that we're talking about guests attempting to access the must-do's at all 4 theme parks, at the same time.)

Server meltdown, set by a clock-time.


Every.

Day.

And, of course the answer is to throw more hardware at it.

But no company is going to want that much hardware to ride a 15 minute blip out of 24 hours...

Cloud offerings can help, but I doubt Disney wants to put their database at Amazon...

 

[doconeill]

I don't think it's an attempt to make more people use FP. It's just an unfortunate by-product of Disney trying to milk every ounce of capacity out of the fastpass system.

Those fastpasses are the currency Disney intends to use to nudge people to do what they want. "Surprise and delight", anyone?

If you read the studies on queueless systems, the ideal is that there is not standby and everyone is 100% virtual queue. However, with such a system there isn't flexibility - if you aren't there for your exact slot, then there could potentially be a hole where no guest gets on, and efficiency drops. Then they have to displace everyone else to make room for you later.

So to add the flexibility, they don't go 100%. Be it 50%, or 75%, or 95% doesn't matter a lot (p.s. a 40-to-5 ratio is near 89%). But you have a standby line to fill in those holes, and have a less than 100% issue rate to have built-in holes to be flexible. You'd like to drive that as close to 100% as possible though - then you don't need a very big queue, less management hassle...but that poor sod in the standby line that has to wait an hour for the first hole to open up...

 

[mom2rtk]

I worry about starting a trip with disappointment, because I wasn't there at the 60 day mark to book rides. Or worse, because I was, and the rides are now broken, or the weather isn't cooperating, or any number of things. I just rather book the day of, in the park or before, don't really much about the how, as long as it works and there are spots available. I fear that is just a pipe dream though.

Matt

This got me thinking (always dangerous). But my first thought was "If a certain ride was that important and pre-booking had already started, I'd check availability and just not book if what I wanted wasn't available". But then I started wondering...... it probably won't be like dining where you can see ADR in a given timeframe whether you are booked or not. You probably won't even be able to see what is available until you enter a ticket number. For those who know better, this could cause people to be less likely to book at all during that 60 day window. I know it probably would for me.

 

[superdisneydork]

This got me thinking (always dangerous). But my first thought was "If a certain ride was that important and pre-booking had already started, I'd check availability and just not book if what I wanted wasn't available". But then I started wondering...... it probably won't be like dining where you can see ADR in a given timeframe whether you are booked or not. You probably won't even be able to see what is available until you enter a ticket number. For those who know better, this could cause people to be less likely to book at all during that 60 day window. I know it probably would for me.

It's a dangerous hobby of mine as well

Are you suggesting people won't use it because they don't want to commit to FP+ without knowing if it will work for them?

Matt

P.S. Regarding the server crashing every morning at 6am (or whenever) as Robo mentioned, it crashes all the time anyway, wouldn't it be nice to know when so we could avoid it?

 

[mom2rtk]

If you read the studies on queueless systems, the ideal is that there is not standby and everyone is 100% virtual queue. However, with such a system there isn't flexibility - if you aren't there for your exact slot, then there could potentially be a hole where no guest gets on, and efficiency drops. Then they have to displace everyone else to make room for you later.

So to add the flexibility, they don't go 100%. Be it 50%, or 75%, or 95% doesn't matter a lot (p.s. a 40-to-5 ratio is near 89%). But you have a standby line to fill in those holes, and have a less than 100% issue rate to have built-in holes to be flexible. You'd like to drive that as close to 100% as possible though - then you don't need a very big queue, less management hassle...but that poor sod in the standby line that has to wait an hour for the first hole to open up...

I think that's all well and good if folks know what they're getting into. Heck, I'd much rather wait in a virtual queue than a real one. But I have the sense that they have been silently moving that direction (appointment riding anyone?) since 3/8/12. But they haven't SAID they are moving that direction. So most folks have no idea. And for whatever reason, those standby wait times posted seem less and less accurate as time goes by. If I get in a line and it says 120 minutes, but I only see a handful of people..... and it really lasts 120 minutes, then so be it. If I get in a line that says 20 minutes and it turns out to be 60 or 90 minutes, you bet I'm going to be ticked.

 

[Robo]

This got me thinking (always dangerous).

-LeFou, I'm afraid I've been thinking

-A dangerous pastime

-I know

 

[Robo]

And, of course the answer is to throw more hardware at it.

But no company is going to want that much hardware to ride a 15 minute blip out of 24 hours...

Not to mention the daily "60 days in advance, zero-hour" at 6AM, 6:30AM, 7AM (or whatever time that may be) when those who are alert are first allowed to make "Advanced Attraction Reservations" (AAR's.) That would also potentially happen every day of the year.

 

[mom2rtk]

-LeFou, I'm afraid I've been thinking

-A dangerous pastime

-I know

Yep. I know you'd understand.

 

[squirrel4569]

There has to be flexibility built into the system. I'd say probably 80-90% of guests aren't booking their trip 6 months out and planning the entire thing. I've been a few times and even on this upcoming trip we didn't book until 5 months out and made the decision to book ADRs later than that still. AP holders, Florida residents, those that don't know they should plan or don't want to plan and the spontaneous guests will still need to be able to obtain fastpasses and/or not stand in a line for 60+ minutes at each attraction. It just won't work otherwise because you will alienate a significant percentage of the guests that arrive.

How it will be implemented is yet to be seen, but I suspect it will be a hybrid of the new system of pre-booking a small number of passes that will include things like parade spots and QS dining and day of fastpasses that will be for rides/attractions only.

 

[bauer1168]

That was my point, earlier.

The inevitable feeding frenzy/server-crasher that is focused on 5:58-6:05AM.

OK, maybe it won't be at 6AM.
Maybe it will be at 7AM. 8AM.

(And, don't forget that we're talking about guests attempting to access the must-do's at all 4 theme parks, at the same time.)

Server meltdown, set by a clock-time.

Every.

Day.

I wonder with this if it will be similar to when a major band/artists tickets go on sale for a tour on say, ticketmaster. You select your desired tickets (if you can get through), wait in a long queue and when you eventually get through its not the tickets you want or it's sold out.
Add those 60 days out FP+s with 180 day out ADRs and I can see it being ugly.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Four reasons jump to mind.....

1. It will save them in costs.....but I can't figure out how?

2. It will allow them to handle premium customers...... but they could do the same thing with handing out 100 fast passes to a family if they are willing to fork over $1,000 per person per day.

3. Provide incentives for people to stay at Disney hotels, so they can preorder fast passes

4. A more equitable way of handling ride allocation then the "Wild, wild west" that they are doing it now. Patrons pay the same price shouldn't they be entitled to getting a few tickets for premium rides without putting up with RD?

Answers would be appreciated....

The answer, IMO, is that they are eventually going to sell Fastpasses and/or use them as incentives where they might use room discounts or free dining now. Either way, it's monetizing the FP system.

Example, at Busch Gardens, you can buy a Quick Queue pass. It gets you one FOTL pass per headliner for that day only and they vary the price seasonally, anywhere from I think 20 bucks a day. Not inexpensive! Or look at Universal, who uses their FOTL pass as an incentive to stay at their hotels.

Not saying it will be exactly like that, because the parks are different by nature.

But I think that Disney knew they were giving away FPs for "free" and realized they could sell it. Ditto for prime fireworks and parade viewing spots and probably other things that no one has even thought of yet. This is just a (massive) extension of paying extra for things at Disney that many of us already do...We pay to go to a character meal not for the food usually, but to make seeing favorite characters easier. Or the Tomorrowland dessert party, another example.

And of course, selling covers and decorations and all that for the bands. Bonus.

All just my very humble opinion

I don't think they care about distributing FPs to more people.

 

[g-dad66]

We check in tonight and hit Animal Kingdom and DHS tomorrow. I'll be sure to check in at some point. We have all our FP+ scheduled for DHS later in the evening so I will let you know how those go. SO EXCITED! Less than 6 hours until our plan takes off!

Hope your plane takes off that soon too.

As far as your "plan" is concerned, there are many of us who will be looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Bon voyage!

 

[chasgoose]

Four reasons jump to mind.....

1. It will save them in costs.....but I can't figure out how?

2. It will allow them to handle premium customers...... but they could do the same thing with handing out 100 fast passes to a family if they are willing to fork over $1,000 per person per day.

3. Provide incentives for people to stay at Disney hotels, so they can preorder fast passes

4. A more equitable way of handling ride allocation then the "Wild, wild west" that they are doing it now. Patrons pay the same price shouldn't they be entitled to getting a few tickets for premium rides without putting up with RD?

Answers would be appreciated....

The main reason they are doing this is data collection. FP+ and the Magic Bands will allow Disney to keep tabs on practically everything people who enter its parks are doing. Disney can then use that data to make sure its resources are being used in the most efficient way possible. Every little boost to efficiency means lots of dollars.

 

[Robo]

The answer, IMO, is that they are eventually going to sell Fastpasses and/or use them as incentives where they might use room discounts or free dining now. Either way, it's monetizing the FP system...

I don't think they care about distributing FPs to more people.

And, the aforementioned train-wreck of trying to distribute FP+ to more people may become the "believable excuse" offered up to change the FP+ system into a pay-by-ride system.
But, that's kind of a sceptic's mercenary forecast.

I tend to fall into the "unintended briar patch" theory.

Along the lines that Disney started working toward (and announced) a "great new guest experience" and (as they tiptoed into the design) discovered that they had opened up some serious holes that must now be filled in order to "make things work."

 

[alimbrogno]

Is there an official release date for the bands yet? We go at the end of September and it would be great to be able to use these. I don't even care about the FP part. But for room keys, ressies, etc.

 

[Robo]

1- Is there an official release date for the bands yet?

2- We go at the end of September and it would be great to be able to use these.

1- Nope

2- I'd put that as a possibility, but odds at less than 50%.
We just have to wait and see.

 

[doconeill]

Is there an official release date for the bands yet? We go at the end of September and it would be great to be able to use these. I don't even care about the FP part. But for room keys, ressies, etc.

No. The limited guest test only started yesterday.

 

[doconeill]

Not to mention the daily "60 days in advance, zero-hour" at 6AM, 6:30AM, 7AM (or whatever time that may be) when those who are alert are first allowed to make "Advanced Attraction Reservations" (AAR's.) That would also potentially happen every day of the year.

Ah, but like with my previous example on the ADRs, the hump should be less than if 100% of people are trying to get them the day of, as they will be spread out a bit...

 

[Phil Dunphy]

Rumor has it the attendance numbers for the prebooked parades and fireworks yesterday at Magic Kingdom were embarrassingly low.