My husband didn't believe me about FP+

[itchin2go]

Two Billion Dollars.

Now, guests don't have to get up early and go to a theme park.
Now, guests don't have to walk all the way to a ride to get a FastPass.

Two

Billion

Dollars.

You forgot the colorful rubber bracelets.

 

[Jon84]

You forgot the colorful rubber bracelets.

They won't be part of the 2 Billion, thats a BAU cost that is being factored into the room rates.

 

[itchin2go]

Of all our trips, this past one was exactly what I said. If anything, FP+ helps reduce the need to rush and hurry and wear yourself out.

But still....

I don't go to a Disney park. While our last vacation was the most relaxing of all our vacations to WDW, none of them have had relaxing as a goal or expectation. I was actually surprised at how much less stressful this trip was.

Hope that helps your confusion.

So it wasn't actually relaxing and free-flowing, but when compared with other trips, it was slightly more relaxing and free-flowing than those?

 

[dokey]

I'm not surprised at the cost.

I think the scope of the project included all the infrastructure changes needed (power and WiFi are just the tip of the iceberg). As someone who works in IT projects (background in international banking) I can fully appreciate how a project with such broad scope got to that figure. On the surface it seems simple, it's really not.

Would a bank accept the substandard IT technology that is part of Disney's MDE?

Whenever I try accessing the site, I feel as if I'm playing a game of chance. Last time I tried logging in, I was told that I didn't have an MDE account. I found out later, on these boards, that it was another glitch.

I don't think the infrastructure is simple. I do think it is very flawed, just as it was before MDE was introduced.

 

[Jon84]

Would a bank accept the substandard IT technology that is part of Disney's MDE?

Whenever I try accessing the site, I feel as if I'm playing a game of chance. Last time I tried logging in, I was told that I didn't have an MDE account. I found out later, on these boards, that it was another glitch.

I don't think the infrastructure is simple. I do think it is very flawed, just as it was before MDE was introduced.

They don't accept it as such, but will go live to customers with bugs they know they need to fix. Bugs are not all flushed out until it reaches the public.

Alot of companies go live with things that don't work properly. It's an integral part of the project lifecycle to fix them as part of the embedding phase, then into BAU.

There is no way that Disney could have gone live with something this big without there being issues. There is just too much to come together.

 

[rpb718]

Two Billion Dollars.

Now, guests don't have to get up early and go to a theme park.
Now, guests don't have to walk all the way to a ride to get a FastPass.

Two

Billion

Dollars.

And folks wonder why Disney is going to milk the Frozen cow until it's dry.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

Well, at least Figment was still available!

And then you didn't have to walk far to use your Captain EO fastpass.

I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at this.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

Two Billion Dollars.

Now, guests don't have to get up early and go to a theme park.
Now, guests don't have to walk all the way to a ride to get a FastPass.

Two

Billion

Dollars.

Don't forget now you get the opportunity to know you'll be disappointed about not getting a FP+ 60 days out and can negatively obsess about your vacation for 2 months rather than thinking fondly of what might be. You can't put a price tag on that level of "making your own magic".

 

[Kalliope]

They don't accept it as such, but will go live to customers with bugs they know they need to fix. Bugs are not all flushed out until it reaches the public.

Alot of companies go live with things that don't work properly. It's an integral part of the project lifecycle to fix them as part of the embedding phase, then into BAU.

There is no way that Disney could have gone live with something this big without there being issues. There is just too much to come together.

It has been 2+ years. How long before it "comes together"?

 

[Jon84]

It has been 2+ years. How long before it "comes together"?

I've not seen their project plan. I'd say the project didn't close till over a year from the public Go Live.

I think we're still a couple more years away from it being how they originally wanted it.

They had too much scope creep leaving them no choice but to Go Live as long as it doesn't hurt the bottom line. Which it doesn't seem to be,

 

[cakebaker]

So it wasn't actually relaxing and free-flowing, but when compared with other trips, it was slightly more relaxing and free-flowing than those?

It was very free flowing. Free-flowing doesn't mean plan free to me. It means that what you have planned works smoothly, and it did. It couldn't have worked much better actually.

It was more relaxing in that it was much less stressful. There were no worries about how to get headliners in at an evening park or how to arrange a schedule that allowed us to go to a park in the morning that we'd prefer to go to in the evenings. We were very pleasantly surprised to find that touring as we did eliminated a great deal of standing in line and that was certainly more relaxing.

I come home from every Disney trip pretty much exhausted. It is not a "relaxing vacation" physically. But while no Disney trip is a laid back, relaxed vacation, this past one was probably as close as it will ever get.

But again, our goal for WDW is not relaxation. I don't think WDW is where one should go if that's what they're looking for. If someone came to me and asked me where they should go for a nice relaxing vacation, WDW would never come up in the conversation and that hasn't changed since our very first trip years ago.

But yes, compared to other trips, this last trip ( while it doesn't win best trip ever), was much more relaxing and free flowing and much less stressful. Which is pretty much what I've said all along.

 

[dokey]

I've not seen their project plan. I'd say the project didn't close till over a year from the public Go Live.

I think we're still a couple more years away from it being how they originally wanted it.

They had too much scope creep leaving them no choice but to Go Live as long as it doesn't hurt the bottom line. Which it doesn't seem to be,

As I said before, prior to MDE Disney's IT sucked. It's always been horrible. I'm glad you're confident things will improve, I'm not.

 

[lugnut33]

Here's an example of a free flowing FP+ line spilling out into the walkways in front of SSE.

 

[itchin2go]

Here's an example of a free flowing FP+ line spilling out into the walkways in front of SSE.

My, that looks relaxing. And the line is certainly free-flowing.

 

[itchin2go]

It was a joke - see the winky emoticon?

It was a joke designed to belittle those of us who are critical. A winky emoticon doesn't change that.

 

[Robo]

It's all fun and games until someone loses a tooth.

 

[rajak73]

Your expectations may just be too high. You've got to make your own magic on the internet!

You forgot to add the part about not having cancer!

 

[grimley1968]

Here's an example of a free flowing FP+ line spilling out into the walkways in front of SSE.

There's a picture of "planned spontaneity".

 

[JoshuaShaw]

There's a picture of "planned spontaneity".

Um, I don't see anyone in that line starving to death or being crippled by disease. They should all be grateful.

 

[itchin2go]

There's a picture of "planned spontaneity".

We did "spontaneously" play Family Feud on my phone while waiting in various lines. I think that's an example of "making your own magic" though.