Disney's NextGen Initiative

[STL]

On occasion the app runs frustratingly slow, must be the sheer amount off people accessing it.

Now multiply it's current number of users by 25,000 and how do you think this will run? Personally, I find this to be the biggest waste of money and will not be visiting WDW again until the kinks are worked out (at least 4-5 years) or they just get rid of it all together.

 

[IzzyB]

Now multiply it's current number of users by 25,000 and how do you think this will run? Personally, I find this to be the biggest waste of money and will not be visiting WDW again until the kinks are worked out (at least 4-5 years) or they just get rid of it all together.

I think we all have to come to terms that this new system is here to stay. If they were going to not do it, they would have stopped this money pit a long time ago. I also don't think it will take 4 tp 5 yrs to work out the kinks. Probably a year from now the system will be pretty smooth.

 

[sierrak5]

Does anyone know what the plan is for day visitors? Will they have access to Fastpass+ or is it just for AP holders and hotel guests?

 

[IzzyB]

Everyone will have access to the system. They would be able to add FPs via a smart phone, tablet, and probably kiosks too.

 

[Disneyhead]

Clearly, that don't have any idea what they are doing. Any answers you get today will be wrong tomorrow. Ops was never thought of when they decided to go "all in" with this system. They STILL have no idea how this thing is going to work.

This system was clearly designed as a coercion to sell resort rooms. Annual Passholders and Third Party hotels are an after thought. And day guests not even that.

 

[Thor]

Further proof Disney is half assing this: So, when I called DVC member services, I was told I'd get an email inviting me to the Bay Lake Tower roll out on September 30, and an email on October 21 for the Saratoga Springs roll out. I should then, at that point, go into my MDE account and make my FP+ selections and customize my bands. So, two days after the phone call, I log into my MDE accout, and lo and behold I have access to FP+ selections and to customize my bands. I make my FP+ selections (easy enough to do), and customize my bands. Now, anyone familiar with MDE and have customized bands already, you will know that you have until a certain date to customize. Well, those dates have now passed. I received my customized Bay Lake Tower bands last week, Wednesday morning. My Saratoga Springs bands should be received tomorrow.

Now, remember what I was told by Member Services, "DON'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL YOU GET THOSE EMAILS." Well, if I waited, who knows what options would be left for my FP+ selections, and I would have received generic gray bands, and would have lost out on the chance to customize the color I wanted. To top it off, I haven't received any emails yet inviting me to Bay Lake Tower's roll out (today is the 30th), but I have received letters in the mail inviting me to the BLT and SSR roll out. And I have been given dates in October to make sure my bands have been customized. UM I HAVE THEM IN MY HANDS ALREADY.

Yes, I feel this is half assed. They should be able to have the systems all communicating together by now. I'm sure this is happening to a lot of people.

 

[maxairmike]

It is happening to a lot of people, and DH is spot on in his post.

 

[UK-Trigg]

I was told that they very much want to look after dvc and AP guests as those are the guests "that spend the money". Not agreeing our disagreeing with anyone, just putting it out there

 

[Teebin]

Clearly, that don't have any idea what they are doing. Any answers you get today will be wrong tomorrow. Ops was never thought of when they decided to go "all in" with this system. They STILL have no idea how this thing is going to work.

This system was clearly designed as a coercion to sell resort rooms. Annual Passholders and Third Party hotels are an after thought. And day guests not even that.

my word, how is this viable then? I want to say more, but I find myself with nothing to say. I don't think this fact bodes well.

 

[maxairmike]

Hey, at least they have a merchandising opportunity! I see "I'm with the Band" or "I'm Incredible" shirts on a slightly regular basis now. :bonk: :ack: :bang:

 

[UK-Trigg]

Shirts are already on sale :ears:

 

[STL]

I actually stepped foot in MK and EPCOT on my recent trip for a total of 12 hours. I visited on 9-15, and to be totally honest, I didn't really see as many Sheep as I thought I would. I was surprised. I saw way more people using the RFID cards than people wearing Billion Dollar Bands. We have officially sworn off WDW after this trip. I mean, we totally knew in March we were done but this trip sealed the deal.

We had friends staying in the area and were visiting Disney during our trip so we gave in and spent one day with them. I made it thru the turnstile just fine with my old Tyvek NE PH ticket. Then I got literally berated when I told the IPAD CM that I didn't want to switch my ticket because I wasn't positive they could be accepted at DL in Anaheim. She went on to tell me that my ticket wasn't, and never has been valid at DL. I literally laughed. I explained that the ticket she just scanned was used at DL just last year. She then grabbed my wife's ticket, swiped it and explained that it had become demagnetized suddenly. Freakin' seriously?!

We have to follow her over to GR in order to HAVE it switched, no ifs ands or butts about it. The CM is telling the girl doing it that we thought these tickets were good at DL. The GR girl issues a new ticket and explains to us that this ticket is also good at DL now. I asked if they had the capability to read this ticket now because as of 9-14 that was impossible. She tried to get me to believe that the RFID tickets have always been good at DL. Sheesh. They truly are clueless, on sooooo many levels.

Fast forward to our hop to EPCOT and POOF! Suddenly my ticket that worked at MK (and at the FP machines) was suddenly demagnetized. What are the chances? This CM was rude as hell about me switching and I was having no part of it. She yelled at me to stand there at the Magic Mickey Pole while about 4 CMs were fascinated with my old fashion form of entry. Literally, 5 people could have just walked in for free. Said Huffmaster comes back with a young guy with a scanner gun and reads the ticket just fine. The woman yelled at me and told me that now I don't know how many days are left on my ticket now. I explained to her that I don't need a computer to tell me that I have 5 NE PH days left on this one ticket. I think she wanted to punch me....or eat me....it was near lunch time at that point.

Adios, WDW. It's been fun......just not in the last 6 years or so and I see nothing around the bend to change that.

 

[IzzyB]

That is odd that DL would not except the RFID tickets, because the plastic tickets have been given out for awhile now (before this system started testing) and they have always been accepted in the old turnstiles. Which I would think DL would use the same turnstiles as WDW.

I didn't know there was tickets excepted in both parks either, will need to check that out when I buy my DL tickets.

 

[Ash]

Am I the only person who has always thought, and still does think, that this is really really cool?

I think it has potential and is kinda cool.... I can't believe they spent a billion dollars on this thing though!

Does anyone know if people not staying on property will be able to use the bands.
We own a house in Orlando so don't stay on property but we do visit WDW between 5 and 10 times on our stays.
Why are the bands all themed to the incredibles...? Does anyone even remember that movie?

 

[STL]

That is odd that DL would not except the RFID tickets, because the plastic tickets have been given out for awhile now (before this system started testing) and they have always been accepted in the old turnstiles. Which I would think DL would use the same turnstiles as WDW.

I didn't know there was tickets excepted in both parks either, will need to check that out when I buy my DL tickets.

Only WDW tickets are accepted at DL, not vice versa.

 

[Hockeyman55]

Magical Lojac bracelets

 

[IzzyB]

Only WDW tickets are accepted at DL, not vice versa.

So basically if I have a 10 day WDW ticket, I can use that at DL? Hmm.... then I would only need to buy a ticket for my daughter since we have some tickets laying around the house we bought a long time ago. Of course they were FL Resident tickets, so I bet you those would not be accepted. But either way, I should buy WDW ones since any days left over I can use here. Gonna have to look that up.

Further proof Disney is half assing this: So, when I called DVC member services, I was told I'd get an email inviting me to the Bay Lake Tower roll out on September 30, and an email on October 21 for the Saratoga Springs roll out. I should then, at that point, go into my MDE account and make my FP+ selections and customize my bands. So, two days after the phone call, I log into my MDE accout, and lo and behold I have access to FP+ selections and to customize my bands. I make my FP+ selections (easy enough to do), and customize my bands. Now, anyone familiar with MDE and have customized bands already, you will know that you have until a certain date to customize. Well, those dates have now passed. I received my customized Bay Lake Tower bands last week, Wednesday morning. My Saratoga Springs bands should be received tomorrow.

Now, remember what I was told by Member Services, "DON'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL YOU GET THOSE EMAILS." Well, if I waited, who knows what options would be left for my FP+ selections, and I would have received generic gray bands, and would have lost out on the chance to customize the color I wanted. To top it off, I haven't received any emails yet inviting me to Bay Lake Tower's roll out (today is the 30th), but I have received letters in the mail inviting me to the BLT and SSR roll out. And I have been given dates in October to make sure my bands have been customized. UM I HAVE THEM IN MY HANDS ALREADY.

Yes, I feel this is half assed. They should be able to have the systems all communicating together by now. I'm sure this is happening to a lot of people.

So my manager e-mailed me and I thought of this post and wanted to respond now. I think everyone keeps forgetting two things.

1. Most of the GP doesn't know about this program until they receive an e-mail that they are in the program.

2. When I look at Disney website to find out about this, it clearly states it is in testing and that certain people will be picked and to be patient if you are not one of those groups.

The second one is the one that I thought about after getting an e-mail from my manager. I am actually surprised they gave you dates for the e-mails because it is in testing and testing dates change all the time. So I don't think it is half assed, it is typical testing crap. The reason I thought of this is back in August I received an e-mail from my manager stating I would need to regression test something the first week of September. We have multiple groups that use our database and when another group is going live with a major project we have to regression test our stuff. Well I didn't hear anything until last week when I got an e-mail from the project manager of the group saying testing would begin yesterday. So obviously they had changed the date once. Then I get no e-mail to start yesterday and e-mail my manager and now the testing has been moved to October. This is a project that throughout the whole process has moved dates of other testing phases too. So really, Disney not following their dates does not surprise me. In testing things come up and sometimes you have to fix something before you can bring more people into testing or things are going so great the next phase starts earlier (this has happened for me at work too).

 

[IzzyB]

dup - we need an option to delete posts

 

[Frank Drackman]

So I saw my first magic bands last week....just so happens I was at UOR when I saw a couple of families wearing them!?!

 

[sierrak5]

So I saw my first magic bands last week....just so happens I was at UOR when I saw a couple of families wearing them!?!

I've seen people wearing them outside of the Disney Parks as well. Seems that people find them "fashionable."