Is the Lack of Magic Bands hurting UOR's Overall Image?

[wreck]

I don't want and never will be tagged and chipped like cattle. It's degrading and a waist of tech.

The is one of the funniest lines I have ever read on the every keystroke tracked by the goverment internet. I guess you don't own a computer, a cell phone, a gps or a newer car and never use a credit card.

No phone, no lights no motor cars,
Not a single luxury,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
As primative as can be.

 

[captainmoch]

Obvious solution if they wanna use NFC: Once Nintendo comes, let you enter the park with a UOR exclusive amiibo that can be linked with your annual pass!

Honestly, I'm only half-joking. That would be really cool.

 

[s8film40]

I guess this advertisement from WDW pretty much says it all. If your this type of person then MM+ appeals to you.

 

[natespf]

Obvious solution if they wanna use NFC: Once Nintendo comes, let you enter the park with a UOR exclusive amiibo that can be linked with your annual pass!

Honestly, I'm only half-joking. That would be really cool.

Well they could make some interesting Amiibo exhibits, I don't see it being your ticket though

 

[IzzyB]

This was my argument, I said that Fast pass was kind of a hassle with scheduling attractions before your visit, and the lack of fast pass availability on popular rides. But this didn't seem to be an issue for them. They said that fast pass at least gives them choices on what rides to do. I think it's an illusion of choice personally.

I have heard from people that they don't like how they have to pay for express at Uni vs. getting it free at Disney. But I have never heard of the complaint of it being behind the times. I do hear a lot from people that normally go to Disney (not pixie dusters, like you said, typical Florida family) that they still don't like Universal. Everyone has their own complaints. I hear too many screens, not enough classic rides, too much thrill and not enough family rides, not enough theming, etc. It seems like there is always something that Disney beats them in. Some say it feels less "magical". I truly think it is just they are used to a certain way of vacation and you are taking them out of their norm and turning everything upside down. They need something to complain about. Strange how people get set in their ways, but I see it all the time at work, so it doesn't shock me.

I absolutely agree, well, not as much with MagicBands hurting Universal's image but with them making Disney look like a cut above the competition to the general public. As much as nerds on the Internet seem to hate it, I still stand by my position that MM+ is incredible in scope and influence. In fact, one of my relatives at a top hotel company was just talking about their hope to replicate the tech (to at least a small degree) in their resorts and hotels.

Marriott vacation club just implemented them in the last year. You can purchase them (portion of proceeds go to Miracle Network) and use them for all of your stays at any MVC destination. We have thought about purchasing them since we go to MVC at least twice a year if not more.

The fact that POTC and HM aren't easily rideable now is the worst thing about FP+, which is already terrible in general

OK, I don't think anyone can deny on here that I frequented Disney a ton prior to my son passing away. I was at that park pretty much every weekend. I am very aware of lines especially at POTC and HM because handicapped lines were only open when the line was longer. Now I will admit I have not been to the parks as much since FP+ went live, but the times I have been there I haven't noticed much difference in these two rides. Earlier in the day there is a line and at night it is walk on. I have seen POTC at 40 minutes pre and post FP+. I have seen HM 30+ pre and post FP+. I hear that these rides were always walk ons and I laugh, because they were not. It was always timing based on the day. We would start at various points in the park. Sometimes we would start in one part and the next time start in a different part. If we went towards POTC first there was ALWAYS a line, if we went there last there was NEVER a line. I haven't seen that change.

Now could lines have increased by 5 to 10 minutes, sure, I would not have noticed that type of increase. But it hasn't been the doom and gloom people predicted. Also, I think more and more people are coming during off season times. I know talking to someone that works in finance it is a trend Disney has seen and I know this trend has been seen in my friends and family who live out of town. So I think dead periods are not as dead as they used to be. That I have noticed. But it is general crowd feeling more than just longer lines.

 

[Imperius]

I have been a Universal Pass holder for 10+ years and was a Disney pass holder for a year ten years ago. Yesterday the wife and I purchased the weekday select passes and then two magic bands. I never seen the point of them, but man, do they make the park easier to run through. Being able to touch the band for tickets and fast pass is so much better then grabbing my wallet and finding the passes.

Now do I think any less of universal because of it? Nope because the park experience is so much better there. Hollywood studios is so bad. We spent a lot of time there in order to experience the Osborne lights and I have no idea how they expect people to pay $99 to spend a day there.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Universal selling Express combined with Disney's use of FP makes frequent Disney visitors think they need Express at UOR, which is not true. It's a huge gripe I have with UOR.

 

[Nick]

Universal selling Express combined with Disney's use of FP makes frequent Disney visitors think they need Express at UOR, which is not true. It's a huge gripe I have with UOR.

Yeah, it's almost never "necessary" to have express and still experience everything.

 

[bob albert]

Yeah, it's almost never "necessary" to have express and still experience everything.

While it isn't usually required, I think having the express system in its current form means that there will never be something like fast pass because it is such a cash cow. A fast pass system evens out crowds and wait times especially during busy days. I can't imagine how annoying universal must be during crowded days where every single ride is a huge wait. At least at Disney being able to fp a few rides means you can guarantee to get a few key rides done and makes the other long waits not seem so bad.

 

[captainmoch]

While it isn't usually required, I think having the express system in its current form means that there will never be something like fast pass because it is such a cash cow. A fast pass system evens out crowds and wait times especially during busy days. I can't imagine how annoying universal must be during crowded days where every single ride is a huge wait. At least at Disney being able to fp a few rides means you can guarantee to get a few key rides done and makes the other long waits not seem so bad.

It's not really bad, though. Most of Universal's rides are very high capacity, so even on super busy days, the lines only range from 30-60, with a few exceptions (Despicable Me).

 

[bob albert]

It's not really bad, though. Most of Universal's rides are very high capacity, so even on super busy days, the lines only range from 30-60, with a few exceptions (Despicable Me).

I wonder how crowded things will get as universal grows? It could be much bigger problem in the future.

 

[sjago13]

I wonder how crowded things will get as universal grows? It could be much bigger problem in the future.

Yeah but their capacity will grow also. With Kong and Nintendo they are adding rides where there previously were none and with twister and distaster they are replacing attractions that very rarely were used to their full capacity with rides that are more relevant and will draw people in.

 

[Mad Dog]

Universal keeps increasing their capacity which tends to keep up with attendance gains.

 

[IzzyB]

It's not really bad, though. Most of Universal's rides are very high capacity, so even on super busy days, the lines only range from 30-60, with a few exceptions (Despicable Me).

But on busy days the majority are over 45 and closer to 60. Having to wait 60 minutes for almost every ride gets annoying. I know, I was there on a busy day in October and we didn't get to ride much and my sister complained a lot about it. But at Disney with Fast Pass I can go ride 3 things without really waiting at all. That is better than none. Just my personal opinion and I know I am in the minority opinion with this one. But I prefer the free system at Disney. Both parks have inflated wait times because of their systems, but at least at Disney I don't have to pay to take advantage of it. But Disney does have its downfalls, like people who wait to book the day of because they have to (type of pass they have) or don't know about it, do get screwed. Also, people who have no clue what is going on, book lame rides as FP and don't realize it (my friends and I were talking about this yesterday when they said their parents got Nemo and Jungle Cruise fast passes). But for me, who knows how the system works, who normally at least books the night before, the system works for me very well. Where at Uni I am waiting in 45 to 60 minute lines which I would never do at Disney. I just go on something with a lower wait that is still good or already booked a fast pass knowing the line would be long. Or I wait until the end of the evening right before close (stupid mine train) and since fast passes end at closing the line moves really fast.

 

[sjago13]

But on busy days the majority are over 45 and closer to 60. Having to wait 60 minutes for almost every ride gets annoying. I know, I was there on a busy day in October and we didn't get to ride much and my sister complained a lot about it. But at Disney with Fast Pass I can go ride 3 things without really waiting at all. That is better than none. Just my personal opinion and I know I am in the minority opinion with this one. But I prefer the free system at Disney. Both parks have inflated wait times because of their systems, but at least at Disney I don't have to pay to take advantage of it. But Disney does have its downfalls, like people who wait to book the day of because they have to (type of pass they have) or don't know about it, do get screwed. Also, people who have no clue what is going on, book lame rides as FP and don't realize it (my friends and I were talking about this yesterday when they said their parents got Nemo and Jungle Cruise fast passes). But for me, who knows how the system works, who normally at least books the night before, the system works for me very well. Where at Uni I am waiting in 45 to 60 minute lines which I would never do at Disney. I just go on something with a lower wait that is still good or already booked a fast pass knowing the line would be long. Or I wait until the end of the evening right before close (stupid mine train) and since fast passes end at closing the line moves really fast.

You mention you have your method for optimizing Disney and likewise there are ways to work around the crowds at Universal. I'm curious what order you did stuff and when you arrived at universal that day. Also since I haven't been to disney since '08 do they have single rider lines?

 

[Macfr3ak]

I have no time at the moment to read nor skim through previous comments above. However i LOVE that this topic has been raised for discussion. It may be an overall controversial topic but i think its one that needs to be raised. Thank you for starting it...

My opinion..

While i think the overall "magic band" with pre-selected times for fast pass has potential i think it is incredibly broken and changes the way we visit theme parks entirely and its not all for the better. What i have noticed is that it causes chaos when you're on one side and your hungry strolling taking note of detail or simply standing in line of an attraction that you do not have a fast pass for and the end time for your fast pass is fast approaching and the attraction is on the other side of the park... what ends up happening is added distance walked.. missed experiences.. loss of immersion.


However,

I do think Universal needs to embrace TECHNOLOGY for queues and park admission. In what way? well there are many and i'm not sure if they've been discussed but its something that needs to be explored by Universal i like the concept of magic bands and NFC technology however i feel it can be used better and what company but Universal Comcast to enhance it.

 

[IzzyB]

You mention you have your method for optimizing Disney and likewise there are ways to work around the crowds at Universal. I'm curious what order you did stuff and when you arrived at universal that day. Also since I haven't been to disney since '08 do they have single rider lines?

We arrived around 11 AM and we tried to use the wait time app to determine where to start, but honestly the app was pretty far off on wait times which surprised me because Disney's app is pretty on target. So we went to Gringotts first and did that area. We honestly ended up all over the place and our plan failed on all accounts. We are just not a rope drop type of family so I think that hurt us too. I am used to Disney where wait times drop at night, but that didn't happen at Uni, so that didn't help either.

They have very few single rider lines. Test Track, Everest, and Rockin are the 3 I can think of. We also couldn't do Single rider at Uni which hurt us because my 4 year old was with us. I do know single rider can help a lot, but again families with kids under 7 this doesn't help much.

For my family the FP+ system is WAY better than the old system and obviously since free I feel it is better than Uni system. But again, for those that stay on property I can see where you think Uni is better because your express passes are built into room. I also see for older families who can use single rider that Uni system works nicely because they have more single rider lines. Those who go at rope drop will get more in vs. the night owls (like us) who stay later. I think both systems have plusses and minuses and really depends on the type of family you are. For us Disney type system works well and I book my Fast Passes around my day, so I do them all in a row in a certain area so I go from one to the other to the other. Many times I put smaller rides in between or meals. I went to MK with my daughter in October and we rode a ton of stuff and we were there the same amount of time as the day in Uni and showed up at the same time. It was a much more pleasant day than the day at Uni.

 

[Mad Dog]

Fast passes and Express passes are so very different at the two resorts. There's so many fastpasses given out (Disney says 80% average line capacity are fastpasses... source:TP response from Disney..., only 20% standby) that we were in some really long wait fastpass lines at WDW in early October. There were a few FP that were quick but most were like a standby line at Universal during moderate or slow crowd times. When I use my hotel express passes at Universal during the times I'm there, usually moderate crowds, it's almost always a walk on. Generally there's only a few people in the express lines, nothing like the waits at Disney. Even with the express passes they sell, I doubt Universal's percentages come anywhere near those types of figures (80%). What I'm trying to say is that they are two almost completely different systems, so I think it's unfair to even try to compare them.

 

[IzzyB]

Fast passes and Express passes are so very different at the two resorts. There's so many fastpasses given out (Disney says 80% average line capacity are fastpasses... source:TP response from Disney..., only 20% standby) that we were in some really long wait fastpass lines at WDW in early October. There were a few FP that were quick but most were like a standby line at Universal during moderate or slow crowd times. When I use my hotel express passes at Universal during the times I'm there, usually moderate crowds, it's almost always a walk on. Generally there's only a few people in the express lines, nothing like the waits at Disney. Even with the express passes they sell, I doubt Universal's percentages come anywhere near those types of figures (80%). What I'm trying to say is that they are two almost completely different systems, so I think it's unfair to even try to compare them.

I never heard the 80% number. Is that more recent? Just wondering because we used FP 3 years ago exclusively with the ADA pass and I can say 1 out of every 20 lines was longer than a 5 minute wait. And we went year round, busy and slow seasons. When we were in lines when I was recently there with my daughter I didn't see the 80% either. Seemed more like 50%. But that is perception and doesn't mean much.

But you are right you can't compare them. I completely agree with you there. Just saying which system as a local APer I prefer.

 

[Mad Dog]

I never heard the 80% number. Is that more recent? Just wondering because we used FP 3 years ago exclusively with the ADA pass and I can say 1 out of every 20 lines was longer than a 5 minute wait. And we went year round, busy and slow seasons. When we were in lines when I was recently there with my daughter I didn't see the 80% either. Seemed more like 50%. But that is perception and doesn't mean much.

But you are right you can't compare them. I completely agree with you there. Just saying which system as a local APer I prefer.

That's from a week or two ago. Touring Plan's predictions have been off by a lot this year, most especially the past three months, so they're doing an in depth analysis of the line & fastpass plus system and revising stuff. WDW lines have been significantly longer. The ratio of fastpasses issued compared to standby is a little over 80%, which Disney adjusts according to the crowds. I was surprised by those percentage numbers since I never realized they were so huge. Those are according to communications between Touring plans & Disney. And the cast members are supposed to follow those general percentage guidelines. You might want to read the blog articles on TP dating back a couple of weeks. There's about 6 or 7 different articles, including each park and the resort as a whole. You might also want to read the customer comments since a lot of people were upset the predictions weren't the same as actual crowds and a lot of people spent way more time in lines than predicted. We were there the first two weeks in October and I'd say more than half of our fastpass lines, and I only got them for E ticket type attractions, were twenty to thirty minutes long. I would think the percentage of people in Universal Express lines are significantly small, nothing like those Disney percentages. Which is one reason I love hotel express since its really a true front of the line pass.