Hey Disney call me when you find yourself.

[bluwater]

I find that Disney is evolving well, technologically. The Magic Bands offer Disney an amazing opportunity to better serve guests and, yes, they can also track what you are doing but Disney isnt into tracking individuals. They can, however, track what % of park guests are staying in the park all day versus what % leave at XX time. They can, and do, use geo fencing and positioning to know how the crowd is moving and to where and when. "Big Data". This will be all the better for the guests - with some time and fine-tuning. Kudos to Disney for this incredible investment.

Disney is definitely a corporate monster (monster in terms of a big company operating on corporate standards and run in the interest of shareholder dividends = DIS). Disney has new expense line items which they previously didn't have - technology and now Big Data. All that Wifi isn't free -- all of our data consumption -- the constant downloads and uploads. Running a private network solution in the parks is costly. But the investment was made and now it's done --- no going back.

I just think the guests needs to catch up with the technology....and some never will. Disney is leading the parade.

 

[JEmaryland]

We got back yesterday and I think all the new changes are fantastic. With Fastpass+ combined with rope drop and rider swap, we didn't wait more than 10 minutes for anything.

 

[waldiddy]

JEmaryland, i'm curious how you found navigating the crowds? We're arriving in a couple of weeks, and all indications are that it's gonna be BUSY. But, like you said, ropedrop + Fastpass should minimize waits. I've noticed on a wdw lines app that wait times, even on a day like today, were very short in the morning, and then waits on the not-as-popular attractions were pretty reasonable.

What gets to me is the massive crowds in the streets and trying to thread our party through them.

 

[RalphinSC]

No problems getting a 4th and 5th for Space Mountain on a crowded Saturday (today).

Shhhhhh! Some still believe that there are no good fastpasses to be had for the 4th and beyond.....

 

[agavegirl1]

Wow. Just. Wow.

ETA: Apparently the posts to which I was referring have been removed.

 

[flicx]

I just think the guests needs to catch up with the technology....and some never will. Disney is leading the parade.

Glitchy apps, mbs that don't work, lost reservations, websites down. If this is leading the parade I sure don't want be in it. This rollout has been far from well thought out or smooth!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

It took my three different tries to try and get my Rewards photo printed. Every time I went back to the photo center, sat in line, got to the kiosk and the CM punched in my photo pass numbers, nothing would be uploaded. I kept staying around innoventions because if I went to World showcase and met my group, it was already like 7, I'd end up having to get my portraits during Illum or right after (when the line was 50 people deep and no one in my group would have waited) so I just kept going back to the SE ball and checking for about 2 hrs.

Thanks Technology! If they can get their photos to upload with say 30 min and if they could fix their bogus Tier 1 problem, I would have praise for their new systems.

I don't know how Disney is calling us so strongly these last few yrs. Up to 2013, we hadn't been since 2008. I just got back and thanks to FP+, our trip wasn't as good as it could have been but it was really good otherwise. I find myself watching you tubes of the rides and shows kinda lost because the Magic trip I planned for a yr is done and I still wish I was back there, despite 3 days (DQ/DTD, HS, EP) this yr and 4 days (in two separate driving trips) last yr with MK/HS/hopping blitz, and another hopping blitz. And 3/4 days at sea.I'm still using my rewards for everything I can get 2% on and looking forward to redeeming the again! At the same time, I want to give themsome time to figure their crap out and make my Dream Avatar park. But I still wish I was there tomorrow.

I wonder what it is!

 

[kristin t]

Was there this much doom and gloom when Disney first introduced the paper FastPasses?

 

[sethschroeder]

Glitchy apps, mbs that don't work, lost reservations, websites down. If this is leading the parade I sure don't want be in it. This rollout has been far from well thought out or smooth!

Disney is bleeding edge (look it up if you don't know it) and proud of it. It is a great thing to have the worlds leading theme park company be this progressive and looking to the future.

New inventions and crazes don't come out of the blue it takes determination to bring something new to the market and long-term people will adjust and with good invention think back to how they could ever live without it.

Disney is first but once they perfect it then Universal, Six Flags, and the rest will be shortly behind.

Does it suck for some people who run into issues in the short run? Yes but in the long run every issue will build to a better end result.

 

[Later_Mater2009]

OP, I appreciate the post and the honestly of your experience. I do not like it that you didn't have the best time, but I thank you for sharing your experience with us.

 

[king kamehameha]

This was already posted before, but it fits this thread. "Hitler discovers fastpass+" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcT6h04qlAI

 

[surferdave]

Was there this much doom and gloom when Disney first introduced the paper FastPasses?

Despite some people who say otherwise, no. There were certainly some vocal people who didn't like any form of line bypassing system (and there still are) but it wasn't anything like this. And there wasn't anybody complaining because the system just plain failed part of the time, it was always pretty reliable.

 

[waldiddy]

Disney is first but once they perfect it then Universal, Six Flags, and the rest will be shortly behind.

But, if you look at other theme parks, their versions of Fastpass always require something extra to be paid on top of your admission. Disney hasn't done that, although it is interesting that so many folks on this board (me included) thought that early reservations would only be available to onsite guests and that extra Fastpasses would be available for a price. So, kudos to the Mouse for not going that route and opening Fastpass+ to every guest.

 

[mom2rtk]

And there wasn't anybody complaining because the system just plain failed part of the time, it was always pretty reliable.

I'm shocked at the number of people who think:

1) Any sort of tech advance is worth it even if it fails part of the time or

2) It worked for me, so those other people must be doing something wrong to cause all the problems they're having

 

[surferdave]

Disney is bleeding edge (look it up if you don't know it) and proud of it.

You can call yourself "bleeding edge" when you have a solid reputation for innovative IT and rapidly solving problems with the new technologies you introduce. Disney has the exact opposite reputation.

 

[think-like-tink]

OP, I am sorry you didn't have the best trip to Disney.

 

[MightyGitis]

Was there this much doom and gloom when Disney first introduced the paper FastPasses?

Yes. But in 1999 not as many people were on the internet so it was a much smaller scale. In fact I heard most of the complaining actually THERE.

I've determined that people just don't like change. But this isn't going anywhere. They've invested too much money and I would bet money Disneyland will end up with the MagicBands soon enough.

 

[mom2rtk]

I've determined that people just don't like change.

So is that what's causing the glitches?

 

[MightyGitis]

Despite some people who say otherwise, no. There were certainly some vocal people who didn't like any form of line bypassing system (and there still are) but it wasn't anything like this. And there wasn't anybody complaining because the system just plain failed part of the time, it was always pretty reliable.

I was there. The machines failed plenty and people complained plenty.

It happens.

 

[Mome Rath]

Yes. But in 1999 not as many people were on the internet so it was a much smaller scale. In fact I heard most of the complaining actually THERE.

Yep, I agree.