Thank you Bob Iger and gang for Magic Bands!!!!!!!

[Little c Travel]

How are you being tricked? I don't see Disney saying they are doing this out of the goodness of their heart. They have they want to improve the customer experience while increasing profits. Whether MM+ is still up for debate certainly, however I don't see how Disney is trying to trick you.

 

[beer dave]

Oh no! Not Walt. He meant the whole thing to be non-profit! LOL I refuse to say anything negative about Walt, especially on his birthday. He did it all for us, to fill our hearts with joy. :-


I don't have a problem with big corporations making big profits. I just hate the "idea" of being tricked. The reality is, though, that while complaining about it is big fun, it's much too hot in Florida to wear a tinfoil hat.

They could start branding us like cattle and tagging our ears and most of us could eventually be convinced that it's somehow a perk. Free Disney tattoo, right?

Is it his B-day?

If you coat your tinfoil with butter you can get a good tan with out the damaging rays of the sun.

Perception, if shared by a large enough group, becomes reality.

 

[beer dave]

How are you being tricked? I don't see Disney saying they are doing this out of the goodness of their heart. They have they want to improve the customer experience while increasing profits. Whether MM+ is still up for debate certainly, however I don't see how Disney is trying to trick you.

It's not necessarily being tricked... more like a slight of hand? (I didn't want to say manipulation)

All customer service is to give the illusion of "caring" to generate income. From the most basic ( wait staff at a restaurant)(do you think they really care if your drink is full?) to , well....

It's not a bad thing to accept this... I guess that is where the rose colored glasses come in. And they are so fashionable. I like to wear them sometimes.

They are better than blinders.

 

[artesian]

Yes you can shield yourself from them tracking your magic band. Hate to tell you it's not the only way anymore. Been reading some interesting articles of late on how stores are tracking you through your cell phones. Unless you shut off bluetooth and data on your device they can still watch how people shop. Big brother is everywhere

 

[Vidia2]

It's not necessarily being tricked... more like a slight of hand? (I didn't want to say manipulation) All customer service is to give the illusion of "caring" to generate income. From the most basic ( wait staff at a restaurant)(do you think they really care if your drink is full?) to , well.... It's not a bad thing to accept this... I guess that is where the rose colored glasses come in. And they are so fashionable. I like to wear them sometimes. They are better than blinders.

Yes this^^. I should have said something other than "tricked" as well. But it does feel like that sometimes. I'll always be a fan but I'm going to complain, out of earshot of my child, if it helps to get it out of my system before the actual vacation.

If Disney always gets a pass because they are a business then we should get to be consumers and expect quality for our money. It's not "entitled" thinking to expect a certain level of quality from Disney. It's our money they are spending on the new system that benefits only them.

The situation is such that if a CM smiles at you, it's supposed to be considered pixie dust and something we should be grateful for. If you expect smiles then you're a complainer who should feel grateful that you get to go on vacation in the first place when so many people can't go and CMs barely get paid a living wage.

I know this is off topic but I really wish Universal would buy land someplace else and build a huge park to rival WDW. They can be the hero in all of this. People are reporting that they have pixie dust in their parks and they don't guilt you to death over it.

The sooner Bob Iger is gone the better. He'll have all of our shopping preferences and credit card information to share with the NSA when he's sitting in his next useless job as the head of the theme parks committee in Congress. LOL

 

[tjkraz]

I like how my KTTK card worked with the new locks. Really easy, way better then using an awkward Magic Band that doesn't even work.

Well, it's safe to assume that Disney's ultimate goal is to issue MagicBands which work. And objectively, I think the MagicBands should be easier to use in many circumstances. When approaching the room with hands full, it's much easier to tap the band rather than fumbling for a KTTW card. It's easier (and more fun) for young children to use.

But the RFID-enabled KTTW card will remain an option if that's more your preference.

I'm not really one of those people who is overly concerned about tracking and being herded around the park but I don't think we should lose sight of the fact that this is all to Disney's benefit, not for our convenience, enjoyment, or real pixie dust.

EVERYTHING Disney does is intended to be to their benefit. But Disney profits and guest enjoyment are not mutually exclusive.

The jury is still out on FP+ since we don't know how that product will look when the dust settles.

But when you look at all of the other portions of that product--MagicBands included with hotel stay at no extra charge, the touch-to-pay / touch-to-enter systems, interactive queue enhancements, smartphone apps, free wifi in the parks, and so on--it's impossible to deny that those features have all improved my theme park experience.

Disney can track me to their heart's content. They can link ride photos to my band. They can send me coupons for merchandise or food if they feel I haven't spent enough.

But what they cannot do is force me to open my wallet. If I don't want the PhotoPass ride photo, I'm not going to buy it. If I don't want a t-shirt, even at 20% off, I won't get one.

I really don't understand why these enhancements are framed as some devious undertaking on Disney's part. I still have my own free will and can choose to buy or not buy. Perhaps the novelty and simplicity of MagicBands are sufficient to raise average guest spending. But far as I'm concerned, it's going to be the other suckers who are spending more.

 

[landsm99]

No offense, honestly...

But I think you were the minority and that's NOT what the place is there for...

I understand the fast pass junkies are ticked and I understand that...
What I don't understand is why there ever are any fastpass junkies?
That's just not the place... While its fun, the rides are not the focus... The environment is.

I understand it at cedar point...don't see it at wdw. It's like "amusements lite" and always has been.

Who is to say what the place is for. Some people want to ride the attractions non stop as many times as they can-that is their focus. If I am spending 1000+ on park admission I do not expect to be told what my focus is or how many fast passes I can get. If I want to run around all day collecting FP so be it.
I am not a FP junkie but we move from land/land based on FP. If we wanted to get 2 FP for the same attraction we would do so as soon as possible. I love sitting and enjoying the atmosphere - could do it for hours - but on my terms.

Don't often post but FP+/Magic Bands etc have us re-considering future WDW trips. It is not how we view a vacation.

 

[tjkraz]

Who is to say what the place is for. Some people want to ride the attractions non stop as many times as they can-that is their focus. If I am spending 1000+ on park admission I do not expect to be told what my focus is or how many fast passes I can get. If I want to run around all day collecting FP so be it.

I suspect Disney's motivation in this is an attempt to level the playing field. Reality is there are barely any attractions which allow ALL guests to ride 1x per day...much less many times.

Every day Disney caters to thousands of first-time visitors that haven't spent hours studying guidebooks. Countless guests have left disappointed because they paid their $100 admission but couldn't (reasonably) ride Soarin or Toy Story Mania after discovering FPs are gone and Standby lines just too long.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution so Disney risks alienating SOME group no matter what they do. With FP+ (at least, its current iteration), there's a mechanism for locking-in the most important attractions before even entering the park.

But I don't think we've seen the last of tweaks and adjustments to FP+.

 

[going/again]

A little too seriously?

The other Bob wont be to happy with them, his didn't work either.

 

[going/again]

With more profit they can make improvements to the parks and infustructure.

In your dreams

 

[Vidia2]

I suspect Disney's motivation in this is an attempt to level the playing field.

Like Robin Hood but with fastpasses?

 

[godolphin123]

the metallic pouches you can put your sunpass in when you don't want it scanned as you pass a booth would work

 

[mcd2745]

I suspect Disney's motivation in this is an attempt to level the playing field. Reality is there are barely any attractions which allow ALL guests to ride 1x per day...much less many times.

Every day Disney caters to thousands of first-time visitors that haven't spent hours studying guidebooks. Countless guests have left disappointed because they paid their $100 admission but couldn't (reasonably) ride Soarin or Toy Story Mania after discovering FPs are gone and Standby lines just too long.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution so Disney risks alienating SOME group no matter what they do. With FP+ (at least, its current iteration), there's a mechanism for locking-in the most important attractions before even entering the park.

But I don't think we've seen the last of tweaks and adjustments to FP+.

I think this is quite possibly the best post I've read throughout the entire DIS boards regarding FP+. A nice and concise summary of where we are at with this - and why we're here.

I completely agree about Disney's motivation being to "level the field" a little. Yes, they'll probably tick off the FP commandos. But like you said...there will always be some faction who is unhappy with whatever approach they take. However, they know that they already ticked off that group when they began enforcing FP- return times. And they still came back.

 

[FrolloFanatic]

How is this rumor OR news? Also, grow up. Still in testing phase if you havent noticed

 

[Jake]

I only wanted one F+. But had to take three. Also didn't have much choice in return time. So I didn't used the other two. And most likely took that time away from someone else.

 

[midaroco]

When approaching the room with hands full, it's much easier to tap the band rather than fumbling for a KTTW card.

In theory, yes this is certainly true. In practice, however it was another story. I am 6' tall so I am not a shorter individual and to line up the Mickey on the band with the RFID reader on the door to get it to open (while the band was on my wrist) was very awkward. I continuously had to twist my arm into uncomfortable positions to get the door to open - many times having to place whatever I was holding on the ground. It's not a simple tap and go. Yes, it's convenient that it's right there on your wrist, however the need to line the two up exactly to trigger the mechanism is a bit clumsy and not as easy and seamless as they are marketing it.

 

[Bob Roberts]

So should we thank Bobby Igg or what?

Bob Roberts