MDE & FP+ are NOT failures

[JZCubed]

Disney reported quarterly results. According to the linked article:

Sales at its theme parks and resorts rose 6% to nearly $3.6 billion, while profits rose 16% to $671 million, as guests spent more at its domestic parks and resorts during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Disney continues to roll out MyMagic+ at Walt Disney World and saw profits effected partially by investment in the new band that holds a guest’s theme park ticket, hotel room key, Fast Passes and credit card information.

Investments at the parks “continue to pay off” for Disney, said chief operating officer Jay Rasulo.

That includes the expansion of the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland and Disneyland’s “Cars Land,” but also the roll out of the MyMagic+ bands.

The parks were able to accommodate 3,000 more guests in the Magic Kingdom per day because of MyMagic+, Iger said during the investor call, stressing the significance of the time period — its busiest of the year — and location, its most popular theme park.

The addition of more guests in the park will clearly have an impact on the bottom line of the company in the future, Iger said, without giving any details.

http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/frozen-thor-sequel-heat-up-disney-first-quarter-results-1201088331/


While I have read other comments by Mr. Iger that increased spending by Park guests may or may not have been a direct result of FP+, he is certainly maintaining that this is the expectation and reason for the $1B investment.

Let's do some math - and assume all increases are a result of FP+/MDE - then:

Increase profits at Parks went from (+/-) $580M to $670M = $90M per quarter.....$360M increase in projected profits for one year.

Further assuming that no increased efficiency comes from MDE/FP+, it will take less than 3 years for MDE/FP+ to break even.

And besides the complaints from luddites & former FP- commandos, I am inclined to believe most people prefer FP+ for the host of reasons that many people have previously described.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

MB's and FP+ are here to stay....I have already embraced them !

 

[Robo]

Updated: Please ignore the 'typo' of the letter 'a' in the Thread Title. Sorry.

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[surferdave]

 

[JZCubed]

You can EDIT your title in two ways-

1- Do not open the thread, but in the listing,
double-click in the dead-space just to the RIGHT of the thread title.
When the title "highlights," just retype the title and hit the RETURN/ENTER key.

2- Open the thread.
In the lower right corner, click on "Edit."
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In the lower center, click on "Save Changes."

Thank you.

Your ability to enlighten is beyond reproach.

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Thank you for the facts! I'm really sick of people venting their hatred on MyMagic+ whenever they haven't even tried it out yet

 

[ChipnDale79]

Thank you for the facts! I'm really sick of people venting their hatred on MyMagic+ whenever they haven't even tried it out yet

I think disney is losing a PR battle, if they arent, then why are so many people, upset, scared, and nervous about the new system........

 

[john398]

I think disney is losing a PR battle, if they arent, then why are so many people, upset, scared, and nervous about the new system........

I think some people just don't like change

 

[rluey29]

Have tried it, that being said it has potential to be good but, as the system is now hated it. We are locals and everyone I work with that has passes dislikes the new system. Hopefully there will be some changes in the limits and everyone will feel better about it.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

 

[famy27]

I think some people just don't like change

Original FP was a big change. And when I first encountered, I loved it. But it was pretty much a uniformly positive change. I looked back through 1999 internet postings/reviews, and I couldn't find one negative report. Not so for FP+. There are gainers and losers in this system, and those that feel that they are losing something are going to complain.

I actually liked MBs a lot, and those are a big change. I don't even mind MDE (even with its glitches). I like the concept of FP+, but the limitation of number of FP in MK and tiers in EP and HS are very negative changes for me. So, I don't fear change. Just change that is going to have a negative impact on my park touring.

 

[JZCubed]

I think disney is losing a PR battle, if they arent, then why are so many people, upset, scared, and nervous about the new system........

With all due respect, could you please be more specif.

While I understand the website launched with far too many glitches, and continues to be imperfect, I cannot understand why anyone would be, "pset, scared, and nervous about the new system."

These words seem like overkill.

[By the way, I have often been accused of overkill myself.]

Further, I can understand why some people complain about the loss of spontaneity due to all the technology that rewards families who plan ahead. But similar concerns were likely mentioned when Disney Dining Plan was started - too much planning ahead.

So here's my issue - before there was FP (either + or -), people waited stand-by for lengthy periods (in my case, 1.5 hours for Space Mountain in the 1970's). Somehow, I think, plenty of people benefit from some form of FP. Should Disney just go back to 'E Ticket' days and force everyone to wait for every attraction - like the good 'ole days?

I guess what I'm saying is we know Disney is the great beneficiary of MDE/FP+, but why are so many people just unwilling to accept that these recent changes are here to stay and embrace what comes their way as a result. Because in the end, nobody is required to use MDE/FP+ and you can just 'wing it' - like the good ole' days before personal technology was available.

My biggest gripe about the technology - I only carry my Smart Phone when traveling inside Disney.

 

[over50visits]

The parks were able to accommodate 3,000 more guests in the Magic Kingdom per day because of MyMagic+, Iger said during the investor call, stressing the significance of the time period — its busiest of the year — and location, its most popular theme park.

Having 3,000 more guests at MK is not a success in my eyes! To me that means more people competing for the same rides. No wonder previously easy-to-experience rides now have a line and even FPs!

 

[JZCubed]

Have tried it, that being said it has potential to be good but, as the system is now hated it. We are locals and everyone I work with that has passes dislikes the new system. Hopefully there will be some changes in the limits and everyone will feel better about it.

I am not local, but I too feel your pain.

Because of 'affinity points', my family has been splitting stays between Swan & Dolphin and using DVC locations.

However, due to the limitaion of 7-days for FP+, we cannot choose to stay exclusively at Swan & Dolphin for our typical 8-9 nite Disney stay - because we would max out FP+ days.

In the case of my family, the limitation to 7-days for FP has incentivized me to consider Universal with more gusto. For better or worse, since my child is relatively young (soon to be 5 y.o.), Universal will become more appealing when she reaches the magic height of 48" in a few more years.

I too hope that Disney goes beyond the current 7-day FP+ policy. As mentioned, this should include at least 9-days for people who spend an extended week. And I can certainly see Disney adding days for locals as well.

 

[saskdw]

I think disney is losing a PR battle, if they arent, then why are so many people, upset, scared, and nervous about the new system........

What PR battle are they losing? The couple hundred complainers on DIS don't amount to losing a PR battle.

 

[JZCubed]

Original FP was a big change. And when I first encountered, I loved it. But it was pretty much a uniformly positive change. I looked back through 1999 internet postings/reviews, and I couldn't find one negative report. Not so for FP+. There are gainers and losers in this system, and those that feel that they are losing something are going to complain.

I actually liked MBs a lot, and those are a big change. I don't even mind MDE (even with its glitches). I like the concept of FP+, but the limitation of number of FP in MK and tiers in EP and HS are very negative changes for me. So, I don't fear change. Just change that is going to have a negative impact on my park touring.

But did you look at posts from 2000-2012?

I venture a guess that plenty of people were upset at the need to be at rope drop to obtain a 4pm FP for some of the E-ticket rides.

I also venture a guess that plenty of people were upset at FP-commandos gathering more than 1 FP for a ride before others were able to grab even one FP. Compounding this matter - many of these commandos had no intention of returning for the ride at the proscribed time.

So I also venture a guess that your overlooking all the complaints that came from Disney actually enforcing FP return times.

I will venture my last guess that the negative impact on folks who complain most vocally about FP+ has more to do with limiting the number of people who abused the system. Frankly, the people who pulled multiple-on-multiple FP- tickets without any desire to return at specified times deserve the new limitations.

Lastly, I just made my EPCOT FP+ reservations today. Test Track at 11am. Nothing is preventing my family from going to Soaring between 9am-10am on what should be a reasonable stand-by line. And in the old days of having to grab FP-, it was not so easy to grab FP- for both TT & Soarin' within a small window of opportunity. This common complaint is lost on me - I was never able to grab (after literally running) FP- for both Soarin' and TT without a substantial amount of time in-between that made no sense.

 

[TLSnell1981]

 

[Yellowstonetim]

What PR battle are they losing? The couple hundred complainers on DIS don't amount to losing a PR battle.

 

[Planogirl]

How can you praise FP+ just yet? They just instituted it without FP- as a backup. It hasn't even had time to contribute (or not) just yet.

However MDE seems to be fine so far.

 

[Disney Dad 88]

Wow...you should make a commercial...historic research...statistics...looking up people's 2 year threads....A Harvard Ph. D or.....??