TSM standby-less test Oct. 6-9

[cakebaker]

There are family rides (Magic Kingdom has many of those) and there are carnival rides. High quality family rides are good. Carnival rides...not so much.

I'm pretty confident Disney is not going to build carnival type rides. I just think getting all up
in arms at this point is a little premature.

Disney, at least in my book, has a great track record for building great family rides. I fully expect that to continue. I see no reason to go over the edge just yet.

 

[Laketravis]

I wonder how much that thought is a reflection of what you want to be rather than what is. In reality, there is no better comparison that could be made.

If I could spell the theme to Twilight Zone I'd play it right now........

 

[vacationer1954]

Well I think that says it all.

 

[summerskye]

I'm pretty confident Disney is not going to build carnival type rides. I just think getting all up
in arms at this point is a little premature.

Disney, at least in my book, has a great track record for building great family rides. I fully expect that to continue. I see no reason to go over the edge just yet.

Tomorrowland Speedway - need I say more.

I just couldn't resist.

 

[Laketravis]

I think this sums up many of the comments on WDW's FB page:

"Shannon Campbell I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can only fool newbies with this junk, and even that will only last so long. You are making mistake after mistake and forgetting about your customers and what they want. You raise prices and give less in return. We WANT you to succeed. We want to visit the park, but I refuse to spend thousands of dollars to spend more time in line and have more stress. Fix My Magic Plus, forget fastpass+, and return to the old fastpass system. Quit trying to cram thousands of people into the parks without adding rides and attractions for them to go on. Most importantly, please start listening to your customers!"

It's not a pretty thread

 

[Laketravis]

Tomorrowland Speedway - need I say more.

I just couldn't resist.

Oh no you didn't..........

 

[JanaDee]

Meanwhile, those WDW Facebook posts keep pouring in... have you read some of them recently? Those people are PISSED.

Yeah, they are and I don't blame them one bit.

Someone seems to be a bit slow on the FB delete button, though.

 

[FLchick415]

I think this sums up many of the comments on WDW's FB page:

"Shannon Campbell I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can only fool newbies with this junk, and even that will only last so long. You are making mistake after mistake and forgetting about your customers and what they want. You raise prices and give less in return. We WANT you to succeed. We want to visit the park, but I refuse to spend thousands of dollars to spend more time in line and have more stress. Fix My Magic Plus, forget fastpass+, and return to the old fastpass system. Quit trying to cram thousands of people into the parks without adding rides and attractions for them to go on. Most importantly, please start listening to your customers!"

It's not a pretty thread

Unfortunately, going back to FP- wouldn't make a hill of beans difference if the same number of people are using it.

 

[Laketravis]

Yeah, they are and I don't blame them one bit.

Someone seems to be a bit slow on the FB delete button, though.

And if they aren't representative of the general public, who would be?

 

[Laketravis]

Unfortunately, going back to FP- wouldn't make a hill of beans difference if the same number of people are using it.

+1

Have to address capacity.

 

[ladeedeb]

Didn't read through entire thread, but does this mean that if you couldn't get a FP+ or didn't know about them, go to DHS and obviously can't ride TSMM, then you have to go wait in line at a kiosk to get the FP+ and hope that they have them? If they don't have any, you are out of luck riding. Also, if you have your 3 FP+ and go early entry to ride TSMM without FP, you are out of luck because once you are done with your 3, there aren't any left? 3rd, if they do this for all the rides, does this mean you have your 3 FP+, which everyone will get asap in the AM, then after you have used them, you have to go to the kiosks each time you want to do your next ride because you can't stand in line? This is ridiculous and may mean going cross country more often to get my Disney fix. Love WDW, but having no option to ride on the day you are at that park is a deal breaker for some rides. Also, those who know nothing about Disney and planning as we do will go one time be miserable and never want to return. Of course with FP+ and their unfortunately crowd levels, some do that anyway.

 

[hakepb]

I'm pretty confident Disney is not going to build carnival type rides. I just think getting all up
in arms at this point is a little premature.

Disney, at least in my book, has a great track record for building great family rides. I fully expect that to continue. I see no reason to go over the edge just yet.

You should take a visit to DCA in Cali

Although DCA is basically DHS +Soarin, Kali(GRR) Test Track(RSR), a few dark rides and the carnival rides....all which allow TSMM to be standby only with 45minute or less waits.

 

[flicx]

Unfortunately, going back to FP- wouldn't make a hill of beans difference if the same number of people are using it.

Yes but that isn't going to happen(same number of people using them). Disney is forcing you to book 3 fast passes. With the old system it is one at a time. Plus you don't get forced to take ones you really don't want. Now I don't believe for one minute it is going to happen! However if they keep testing this no stand by system I can see a mass wave of disgruntled customers. Who knows then.

 

[DisUniversal]

I'm pretty confident Disney is not going to build carnival type rides. I just think getting all up
in arms at this point is a little premature.

Disney, at least in my book, has a great track record for building great family rides. I fully expect that to continue. I see no reason to go over the edge just yet.

 

[grnflash]

Disney, at least in my book, has a great track record for building great family rides. I fully expect that to continue. I see no reason to go over the edge just yet.

Aren't "kiddie rides" exactly what everyone says DHS is lacking? You think little kids are gonna care if they're "off the shelf"?

I'll caveat that it's all rumor and conjecture at this point, but my money will be that the kiddie rides will be off the shelf and not great family rides.

And you'd be surprised that yes, little kids do care. Those off the shelf kiddie rides have a shelf life of about 2 years, from age 2 - 4. Definitely nowhere near until 10 yo.

My opinion, based on the rumors and on past Disney performance, is that DHS is not getting fantastic, Fantasyland quality rides. I think it'll get watered down, Bugsland quality rides.

The same complaints about needing family friendly rides were pervasive when DCA opened. So they built Bugsland - which is indeed very well themed and has a fun splash play area. But that's it. The rides are a watered down tea cups, a blah bucket ride and bumper cars. The one ride with real Disney potential (Heimlich) is so short you're off almost as soon as you sit down. And yes, my kid did enjoy those rides - when he was a toddler. But by the time was 4 and hit that magic height of 40", any appeal for Bugsland went out the door.

Lest you think it's all about thrill rides for him, it's not. He's 6.5 now and still wants to ride Peter Pan, loves the spookiness of Snow White and Roger Rabbit is still on his top 5 ride list. These are all good to great rides with originality. Off the shelf kiddie rides are not and even he figured that out.

And it's not just my kid. Walk through Bugsland anytime of day and except maybe the most peak days of the year, they'll all be walk on to 10 minute waits. Heck, regularly you see the rides sitting idle. Because even if they're not tall enough for any of the rides there, the kids want to be in Carsland. 'Cause it's interesting.

I hope DHS gets a better Bugsland. But I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Josh Hendy]

This was pasted from an article elsewhere in this thread.

"However, most operators are aiming to increase in-park spending by visitors by increasing the sale of pre-paid packages and through the use of innovative technologies that alter visitors’ psychology and subsequent spending patterns ... "

ALTER visitors' PSYCHOLOGY ????

Oh really now! A very large proportion of college-educated people, including practically anyone with a B.A., B.Comm. or MBA degree, has taken at least "Psych 101" or some such course, and business majors probably have taken more than one course on psychology.

I haven't taken a class like this, but I've skimmed through a couple of textbooks that friends or family members were using in their classes. I don't remember ever reading or hearing about the possibility to "alter people's psychology" through the deployment of "innovative technologies". If you believe this, it means they think that tourists will change the way that they dispose of their money depending on how nifty the vacation resort's website is or how smart their RFID wrist-thingy is. Meaning, they'll cancel their kids' future music lessons, or cut back on their kids' clothes budget, or they'll cut back on contributions to their retirement fund, or they'll stop buying premium coffees for themselves, because their entire mental approach to leisure time, spending and saving will have been somehow "altered". Because that's what it means to alter someone's spending - it means you've made them decide to give up something else - now or in the future - that they otherwise would have used their money to buy.

I guess it's true in one way though - the lure of innovative technology DID alter the spending habits of Disney executives, to the tune of dropping $1 billion plus (of shareholders' money) on a pipe dream that THEIR OWN COLLEGE EDUCATION (not to mention plain common sense) should have told them is just a pipe dream!

I've got three words for those Disney execs:

 

[Laketravis]

LOL! Excellent point.

Which reminds me - was Tony Hawk a takeoff on Primeval Whirl or was it the other way around?

 

[DisUniversal]

This was pasted from an article elsewhere in this thread.



ALTER visitors' PSYCHOLOGY ????

Oh really now! A very large proportion of college-educated people, including practically anyone with a B.A., B.Comm. or MBA degree, has taken at least "Psych 101" or some such course, and business majors probably have taken more than one course on psychology.

Yes...I have a feeling that if they thought they could get away with it they would just attempt to alter visitors psychology to the point where they would just mindlessly send money to Disney without expecting anything in return. Perhaps they should look into replacing Iger with Joel Osteen.

 

[mbrittb00]

Concept art for Epcot was floating around in 1966. It would not surprise me if it took 20 years from concept to opening. That $1.4B would be $3.5B in todays dollars.

I'm guessing it took more than 5 years from concept to opening for Animal Kingdom also. And yes, that $800M, for a half day park, would be $1.4B in todays dollars.

Don't forget that gate prices and profits were also a fraction of what they are today. For a legitimate comparison, you also need to adjust the gate prices and profits to today's dollars.

It was reported almost two years ago that Disney had spent roughly $1B on FP+/NextGen/MM+, so it is safe to assume that they are easily in the $1.5B to $2B range by now. Which still isn't enough to build a major park like Epcot, and AK is as you stated only a 1/2 day park, so that wouldn't work either.

From what I have seen (Will finally see it in person at the end of this month), the new fantasyland is very well done. But I'll admit I am MUCH more looking forward to seeing Diagon Alley than the New Fantasyland. I think part of the reason is that the New Fantasyland isn't really anything new. It is re-engineering of an old idea.

Speaking of Harry Potter. Since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Hogsmead) opened in June of 2010, Disney has re-furbished/re-designed some rides and built New Fantasyland which includes, Under the Sea and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The jury is still out on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but the last major attraction that Disney had added was Toy Story Maina in 2008.

 

[lugnut33]

I've been on the taking end of unexpected closures and problems as much as anyone. I completely understand the frustration - but I also know when I go that these things can and will happen.

If they have to run the tests, they have to run them. Its too bad for those few who miss out/ just like it always is.

So they couldn't run an off-hours test using castmembers to determine FP+ flow-through?