TSM standby-less test Oct. 6-9

[auger]

We got there yesterday late afternoon without any FP+ because we were meeting cm. There were no FP available for TSM, F!, Mermaid, TSM or the singalong. And the only kiosk available was the one beside TSM. The street was lined with cm in red shirts. Surpringly, I didn't hear a single grumble from anyone. I expected to see people up in arms.

Yes, but did you also observe that each red shirt CM was holding a taser in each hand, and all the guests were wearing the free "Elsa necklaces", aka shock collars, that we're handed out at the gate as they came into the park?!

 

[faneuil]

Local news story about this from last night:

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10662316

Not very informative, but anyway.

 

[JanaDee]

What's funny about this...

I'm in the parks a lot. I see many, many people hanging out in the shops. I don't see a whole lot of people buying. Maybe an ear hat, or a T-shirt for the little one, a Mickey for sure, but not big bags of stuff like in years past.

I'm sure they're still making a killing in the shops, but from appearances, spending looks down.

I notice a lot more ppl just hanging out. Usually waiting for a FP+ appointment.

I love shopping, but there's only so many times you can look at the same Mickey shirt.

There is an easy explanation for why spending is down. Most of what they sell is cheap junk that is going to fall apart or break within hours.

 

[JanaDee]

Looks like yesterday's trial was a success! Lots of FPs given out, little or no wait to get on the ride, and no long wait for anyone in the SB line. People had plenty of time to shop and eat, rather than waste their time standing in line.

Sure, there are a few complainers, but some folks just don't like change. Now the single biggest complaint about WDW is gone (standing long lines), and guests are free to spend more money on souvenirs, snacks, meals, photos, tours, shirts, toys, candy, etc.

A bold move on Disney's part. If they extend it to all the rides, DHS will be the first major theme park to have no waiting lines for major attractions! What a success.

Now every guest's 8-hour day will be a total of 1 hour on rides, 1 hour watching parades, and 6 hours shopping and eating. No more hours wasted in SB lines. A magical day.

I'm telling you people, we need a sarcasm font!

 

[vacationer1954]

I don't think anyone said that spending was down. One person said that it seemed to them from just what they saw in the shops they visited when they visited them that spending was down. I wouldn't count on that being the case though. I look at Disney parks not just when we're visiting the parks but also from what their legal disclosures reveal. From what their legal disclosures say spending seems really healthy to me, up about 20% from last year.

 

[crostorfer]

I like the idea of a standby-less park and hope the tests show some way to make visiting WDW more of a reservation based experience.

So, you are ok with paying hundreds per person for a park ticket that will only enable you to ride three rides, maybe 4, pay to eat there, and then buy their shoddy merchandise.

 

[vacationer1954]

No. I'm okay with the idea of a standby-less park and a more a reservation based experience. I'm confident they'll have roughly the same number of attractions and roughly the same number of park goers will visit each attraction each day. If the change to a more reservation based experience means that more of that is available to me because other guests decide not to visit that's okay too I suppose but I bet that that won't happen. I bet that all that will happen is that it will be a standby-less park and more of a reservation based experience, with roughly most of the same guests visiting roughly most of the same attractions, just with less standby and more FP+.

 

[Missyrose]

27 pages later and I'm finally getting to check back into the thread I started yesterday... Yeesh! I'm of the mind that Disney is doing this test to see exactly what they can get away with while TSM and Soundstage One are under construction. I think Disney knows it has a attractions quantity problem at DHS now with Backlot Tour closed and it can't afford to shutter TSM for any length of time (even to add the capacity of a third track).

I also happen to think Disney handled this very, very badly. Can you imagine the people who were turned away from TSM yesterday morning and then they got back to their room yesterday afternoon and saw the FP+ queue was empty and they were sending empty cars through the ride?!?! Even as an AP-holder who gets to go to the parks more than the average person, I'd be livid in that scenario.

I understand that Disney sometimes needs to run things in real-time instead of just using formulas to guess at an outcome, but there has to be a more logical way to test in real time.

 

[momof2n2]

No. I'm okay with the idea of a standby-less park and a more a reservation based experience.

But how many rides do you think they will schedule? 4? 5? I doubt highly they'd ever offer the ride-packed days many of us were able to orchestrate in FP- days.

 

[vacationer1954]

Some guests were able to make better use of the days before FP and other guests are able to make better use of FP and FP+, and will be able to make the most of getting fourth and fifth and beyond FP+s in a reservation based system. People have different preferences. I'm glad that the trend is more toward those who are better served by FP.

 

[JanaDee]

I like the idea of a standby-less park and hope the tests show some way to make visiting WDW more of a reservation based experience.

So you're ok with paying the ridiculous ticket prices to ride 3, maybe 4 rides for the entire day?

I'm not.

 

[vacationer1954]

So you're ok with paying the ridiculous ticket prices to ride 3, maybe 4 rides for the entire day?

I already responded to this erroneous assumption.

No. I'm okay with the idea of a standby-less park and a more a reservation based experience. I'm confident they'll have roughly the same number of attractions and roughly the same number of park goers will visit each attraction each day. If the change to a more reservation based experience means that more of that is available to me because other guests decide not to visit that's okay too I suppose but I bet that that won't happen. I bet that all that will happen is that it will be a standby-less park and more of a reservation based experience, with roughly most of the same guests visiting roughly most of the same attractions, just with less standby and more FP+.

I'm not.

We all prefer things work the way we prefer them to work. Again, I'm glad things are turning toward the way I like things. I'm sorry that you don't share my preferences.

 

[JanaDee]

I already responded to this erroneous assumption.

I saw your later comment after I had already posted. I don't read ahead before I comment on a post I want to respond to.

 

[faneuil]

But how many rides do you think they will schedule? 4? 5? I doubt highly they'd ever offer the ride-packed days many of us were able to orchestrate in FP- days.

Gone would be the days of last minute trips too. Gosh, those kiosks would be busy. So. Busy.

My whole life is on a schedule. It's nice to have something that isn't.

 

[cakebaker]

Some guests were able to make better use of the days before FP and other guests are able to make better use of FP and FP+, and will be able to make the most of getting fourth and fifth and beyond FP+s in a reservation based system. People have different preferences. I'm glad that the trend is more toward those who are better served by FP.

In a nutshell, that's the problem here.

I'm not sure why people get upset when someone posts they prefer the new system. We do. It works better for us than the old fp system did. I understand that's not true of everyone. That's just the way it is sometimes.

I hope whatever their goal is, it works for us. A reservation based system could work well for us, but time will tell on that one.

 

[vacationer1954]

My whole life is on a schedule. It's nice to have something that isn't.

Living in Boston I feel my whole life is about jockeying for position with other people for limited space on the roads and highways, aisles in the grocery store, etc. It would be so nice to be able to reserve the time to have a clear shot driving from home to church, to reserve a time when I could go shopping without waiting 20 minutes in the checkout lane!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Disney knows how many attractions a guest needs to see in a day to feel like they got their money's worth, and it's more than 3 or 4. Last numbers I heard were 7-9 attractions a day. They do studies regularly on the topic, as do all amusement parks.

 

[mbrittb00]

I kind of love that. We need buttons. And a mascot.

Oo. Can we use the Raven as the mascot? You know, "Nevermore".

 

[vacationer1954]

I wonder how many slots Disney leaves open for a standby line. How would folks feel if FP+ was given all the available slots, and the standby line became a real standby line. The standby lines would probably get longer and longer without anyone being taken in from those lines unless there was a gap due to people not showing up for their FP+ reservations? That would give Disney what they are probably looking for, maximizing the number of guests who can enjoy premiere attractions, while not doing away with the standby line entirely. I think people who like to use the standby line would be even angrier waiting for three or four or five hours and still not getting in on days when the use of the assigned FP+s is high.

 

[MsMinnieMouse246]

I am in line now for toy story mania and they just opened up the standby line! Pretty sure they figured out that was a dumb idea!