Very impressed with IT on Disney web site!!!

[Pats Dragon]

No, not an early April Fool Post, Really! I totally messed up my Disney Experience. I had made 2 resorts, increasing from 1 room to 2, putting wrong names in the rooms, signing in with a nickname, linking my ticket to that and nothing was linked to my reservations! A very patient tech completely straightened out all of my problems in relatively little time. This with no sarcasm, or contempt. I was extremely impressed!!

 

[Disneylover99]

It's nice to hear a good news story about Disney IT for a change. Glad they were able to sort it all out for you. Sadly, I have no positive stories about Disney IT to share.

 

[Micca]

I had to click on this thread just to be sure the thread title wasn't followed by "...said no one ever!" I'm glad they were able to sort you out Pats Dragon.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I had to call them, too, to make some changes and correct a few things. They were extremely helpful and knew exactly how to fix the problems. It turned out to be well worth the call. I would not hesitate to call them again for anything.

 

[loutoo]

Only a database or software engineer could truly appreciate the complexity of Disney's IT. I say with all sincerity that it, like WDW's logistics in general, is a marvel. Both the logistics and the IT are things I put on par with a suspension bridge. You might take it for granted if you don't understand how it works, but if you have even an inkling of what is truly going on, you can stare at in awe for hours.

I am aware this isn't a popular opinion, but Disney has managed to merge multiple incredibly complex system into one platform. The creation of anyone of these systems, (room reservation, dining reservation, ride reservation system, ticketing system, payment system, meal voucher system, etc) is amazingly more complex than most people understand. The fact that those system then integrate into each other so that the ride reservation system knows if you have park tickets, if you have resort reservations etc is truly an impressive accomplishment. The fact that it works seamlessly 99.9% is incredible.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

Looks like the PR folks are alive and well.

 

[DrZoidberg]

This may be the first time that sentence has ever been written.

 

[Ambear]

Only a database or software engineer could truly appreciate the complexity of Disney's IT. I say with all sincerity that it, like WDW's logistics in general, is a marvel. Both the logistics and the IT are things I put on par with a suspension bridge. You might take it for granted if you don't understand how it works, but if you have even an inkling of what is truly going on, you can stare at in awe for hours.

I am aware this isn't a popular opinion, but Disney has managed to merge multiple incredibly complex system into one platform. The creation of anyone of these systems, (room reservation, dining reservation, ride reservation system, ticketing system, payment system, meal voucher system, etc) is amazingly more complex than most people understand. The fact that those system then integrate into each other so that the ride reservation system knows if you have park tickets, if you have resort reservations etc is truly an impressive accomplishment. The fact that it works seamlessly 99.9% is incredible.

As a software developer, I wholeheartedly agree. I was getting frustrated at how slow the site was acting, but then I remembered how completely crazy the SQL queries must be. Joins galore...

 

[Jennytoon]

As a software developer, I wholeheartedly agree.

Ditto.

I also always want to chime in (but don't) when people post about 60 and 30 day FP windows as being way too long, not understanding why you can't do 4th FP from phone, etc. As someone who is familiar with the network latency, bandwidth, row/transaction locking, etc. issues that apply to the question of how long to make FP windows and what would happen if people can make 4th FP from their phone, I can take a pretty good guess at why it is set up the way it is and it isn't arbitrary or because Disney is completely off their IT rocker!

This is not to say that we might not see 4th FP from phone at some point, technology is of course always evolving ... but I'm reasonably sure I know exactly why it doesn't happen now.

 

[Ladcassidy]

I had a great experience, too, when my MDE account disappeared the day I wanted to download MM pictures. A cheerful and patient IT tech straightened out the mess and made sure that I could access all my information.

 

[Alfalfa]

Software developers are probably also aware of the complexity of merchant charge systems, JIT inventory management, airline reservation systems, UPS/FedEX transport management, Amazon fulfillment, national pharmacy databases, Google analytics, and social media sites like Facebook. And if they are, what WDC has done with MDE by linking accommodations, dining, tickets, and ride reservation DB's pales in both scope and capabilities.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm using MDE for the first time for a trip in June. I knew the Disney IT systems were "less than stellar", but secretly hoped they'd have the kinks worked out by now. HAH. The system outages are very frustrating. I had one dining reservation in my cart and it froze up and was gone before I could try again. The last couple days I've been trying to link up resort reservations and tickets and have already had to call IT to remove a phantom spouse and extra child. Planning a Disney trip is something I always considered fun. Because of the required interaction with a sub-par IT system, it is not nearly as fun as it used to be.

I can safely say I have never before had to contact a company's IT department to plan a vacation.

 

[Hopefully]

Only a database or software engineer could truly appreciate the complexity of Disney's IT. I say with all sincerity that it, like WDW's logistics in general, is a marvel. Both the logistics and the IT are things I put on par with a suspension bridge. You might take it for granted if you don't understand how it works, but if you have even an inkling of what is truly going on, you can stare at in awe for hours.

I am aware this isn't a popular opinion, but Disney has managed to merge multiple incredibly complex system into one platform. The creation of anyone of these systems, (room reservation, dining reservation, ride reservation system, ticketing system, payment system, meal voucher system, etc) is amazingly more complex than most people understand. The fact that those system then integrate into each other so that the ride reservation system knows if you have park tickets, if you have resort reservations etc is truly an impressive accomplishment. The fact that it works seamlessly 99.9% is incredible.

I agree completely

Looks like the PR folks are alive and well.

Nasty!!!! And demeaning to the OP

 

[lizard1]

It's nice to hear a good news story about Disney IT for a change. Glad they were able to sort it all out for you. Sadly, I have no positive stories about Disney IT to share.

I agree! I've spent 3 hours (so far!) on the phone with tech support during the last week because part of my MDE account duplicated itself. It's still not totally resolved. Hopefully when they finally get it fixed u will still have all of my FP.

 

[mom2rtk]

If you have to be a software engineer to appreciate it...... it's a fail.

 

[Jennasis]

I can safely say I have never before had to contact a company's IT department to plan a vacation.

No one should ever have to.

 

[nilla]

As a software developer, I wholeheartedly agree. I was getting frustrated at how slow the site was acting, but then I remembered how completely crazy the SQL queries must be. Joins galore...

Yeah, I think every software developer can sympathize with buggy release rollouts

As much as I griped about the website last year, the CMs on the phone were extremely helpful.

 

[soniam]

Does anyone ever wish there was a "Don't like" button on these boards? I was hoping some of the negativity had slacked with people on vacation and it starting to get warmer in colder climates. I guess not. Technology is here to stay. I remember when people complained about bad phone waits. There's always something. Maybe we should look at the progress that has been made, which is amazingly fabulous. I am always surprised any of it works, but I work on tiny things made of sand that make all of this go. Soon we will have to worry about whether the sand really exists here or there (Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle).

 

[capegirl]

I had to call Disney IT when I could not link our Military Salute tickets. My expectations were rather low when I made the call, due in part to my negative experiences with the glitchy web site and app. Well, I was pleasantly surprised! The gentleman who took my call was patient, efficient, and solved my issue in no time. I was quite impressed!

 

[Jennytoon]

Does anyone ever wish there was a "Don't like" button on these boards?

Yes, all the time, but only when I want to use it. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to see it applied to me, no matter how little respect I might have based for whoever pushed it based on the content of their own posts.

I think the report button is a nice compromise ... if I don't like it bad enough, for a real reason other than just a difference of opinion, it's there if it's needed ...