RailRider Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 The Kiosks are present in the parks and are currently staffed within the park. Currently Magic Kingdom boasts 7 different locations. I see Disney incentivizing resort stays over off site, which I think will lead to resorts guests will be allowed a 4th scheduling before arrival and off site guests will only be allowed 3 pre books. Disney is still testing the capacity of the system and how it is effecting waits throughout the park. Once again to plug EasyWDW, Josh post real time waits, historicals and compares them to previous years. Some pretty interesting data to comb through to see how FastPass + is effecting wait times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordSkippy Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Having not read this entire topic, just allow me to say this:I like FastPass+.There. Shoot me.That being said, I've been to WDW enough to where it's really not a big deal if I have to wait in line, or skip any particular attraction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Some of those locales mentioned as being in MK were either not operational or were not open to the public when I was there. Curiously, all the old FP machines are still in their original locales next to the rides, just covered up with tarps. At BTM, the FP return clock next to the old machines was even functional and could easily be seen behind the tarp. One would think Disney could make a quick buck by auctioning them off on ebay..enough Disney nuts with $$ would pony up a few grand each for some nostalgia. Also of note--there were some lines at the kiosks when I was there. Most people seemed to get how it worked, but with summer rapidly approaching, I envision much longer lines at the kiosks. Again, Kudos to Disney for evenly spacing out the no of FP for the day btwn those that reserved ahead of time and those wishing to do so at the park. I hope that even on much busier days than I had, the parkc ontinues to have FP available well into the evening. One final note--the opening date of May 28 for 7DMT is really irking a lot of people. They held a Media Day preview just before I was there and members of the media got to ride. The training is what is taking a while. I did see several MK park managers near the ride when I was there and I could overhear them telling guests that the goal is to soft open in time for the 24 hrs event coming up next wknd. Since the cars shake back and forth on the track, there are extra evacuation steps to learn. Also, this ride is going to have good capacity as I believe they can have 4 trains running at once. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 It is strange the legacy FP systems are still standing and many have questioned why. Seems like these would have been yanked out once FP+ went live. Im not sure if its just oversight or if there is a bigger issue at hand with removing the legacy systems. 4 trains running at once? That is crazy, but awesome. I didn't think the ride was long enough to do that, but with the 2 dark ride sections as blocks, a train in the station and one on the tracks I guess it is possible. I can see where keeping 4 trains going without stacking could be a big part of the training as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted May 13, 2014 Author Share Posted May 13, 2014 The system must not be to bad. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-disney-fast-pass-20140501,0,6675500.story I know this is reaching a few weeks back, but it's worth noting. The article is about how use of FP+ is up 40% over FP. Certainly. That's the point. With the old system, us pros who knew how to use (note: not abuse) the system could score five, six, seven Fastpass reservations over the course of a day. Many visitors would only get one or two, simply because of the running back-and-forth, return times, and a lack of understanding about the system's ins-and-outs. Still others assumed FastPass was an additional charge on top of park admission, as similar systems are at almost every other park on Earth, and used zero. The new system, FastPass+, is now part of trip planning for everyone. It's inserted into the early stages of vacation planning. First you pick how many days you want to visit the parks, then you pick your FastPass+ reservations, then you pick your hotel, then you make your dining reservations, etc. My understanding is that ideally, almost 100% of Walt Disney World visitors will now be using those FastPass+ queues, and instead of some getting 7 and some getting 0, everyone will have three - maybe four. In a sense, it's more equitable. It removes some learning curve (while admittedly installing many others) and walks you through the process of selecting ride reservations just like you select dining reservations. There are some great benefits, and there are some major detractors. Luckily, Disney is fine-tuning the system to smooth those bumps and detractors. The general viewpoints remains, though, that from a visitor's standpoint, old FastPass probably wasn't broken enough to necessitate this. There's more at play here than guest satisfaction. We all know that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 It is strange the legacy FP systems are still standing and many have questioned why. Seems like these would have been yanked out once FP+ went live. Im not sure if its just oversight or if there is a bigger issue at hand with removing the legacy systems. 4 trains running at once? That is crazy, but awesome. I didn't think the ride was long enough to do that, but with the 2 dark ride sections as blocks, a train in the station and one on the tracks I guess it is possible. I can see where keeping 4 trains going without stacking could be a big part of the training as well. Actually the ride has 5 fully built trains, just in case. I'm not sure why the old FP machines are still there--they're taking up valuable real estate that could easily be used to fit a food or merch cart. It's just a matter of unbolting them from the ground and taking them to a warehouse or sell them for scrap. I did also notice that there are still a very few paper FP+ floating around, presuambly to use if the electronic system goes down. Also, when you scan your Magicband at the FP+ entrance, your name comes up on the ipad inserted into the podium in front of the CM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 ^ What surprises me most of all is that even months later, the fix is still black tarps hung half-heartedly over old 'FastPass' signs. I get leaving the machines while they're converted into FastPass+ reservation kiosks (which, last I heard, was their fate) but to still just have black tarps strung over the signs is odd. And yeah, you'll still see paper FastPass tickets here and there. The system crashed at Disney's Hollywood Studios a few months ago. And unfortunately, park admission, dining reservations, and FastPass reservations are all controlled by the same system. It was mayhem, of course, and paper attraction readmission tickets were used instead. Genius idea, putting an entire theme park's infrastructure in the hands of a new technology, eh? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Glitches happen. If you built the system you will have to hand over control at some point.... Plus when you go digital for things you run the risk that a failure will happen... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Just another reason why I prefer paper tickets. Lose those and it's nobody's fault but your own. I'd rather not be left hanging and lose my reservation because the park's system went down through no fault of my own, thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Glitches are bound to happen, then again I am amazed of only the one known crash. Obviously not a Windows based operating system... I continue to hear rumors about new rollouts within the system over the next year or so and the one that intrigues me the most is utilizing the RFID technology in the Magic Band. Basically from my understanding is there would be interactive elements throughout the parks that would pick up your RFID as you went by in close proximity and it would activate some sort of unique experience. Think of something along the lines of Glow with the Show. Should be interesting to see how the system continues to develop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Just another reason why I prefer paper tickets. Lose those and it's nobody's fault but your own. I'd rather not be left hanging and lose my reservation because the park's system went down through no fault of my own, thank you very much. I understand but it's no different than a non theme park restaurant losing your reservations. It sucks but not the end of the world. These changes could be great. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Glitches are bound to happen, then again I am amazed of only the one known crash. Obviously not a Windows based operating system... I continue to hear rumors about new rollouts within the system over the next year or so and the one that intrigues me the most is utilizing the RFID technology in the Magic Band. Basically from my understanding is there would be interactive elements throughout the parks that would pick up your RFID as you went by in close proximity and it would activate some sort of unique experience. Think of something along the lines of Glow with the Show. Should be interesting to see how the system continues to develop. Yes. Starting with the characters later this summer. when you scan your Magicband, it will alert the character who will then talk to you by name (even the costumed characters are going to be able to do this, much like at Turtle Talk where the CM running the show magicaly sounds like Crush, so whoever is inside Mickey will have his/her voice transformed to sound like Mickey. There are already subtle changes to the costumed characters, whereby Mickey blinks his eyes and moves his mouth). I've heard the first such soft rollout will be at the Pirates experience in Adventureland where you can go around and collect things that will activate elements. The technology is quite amazing and will only get better. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron88stang Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Glitches are bound to happen, then again I am amazed of only the one known crash. Obviously not a Windows based operating system... I continue to hear rumors about new rollouts within the system over the next year or so and the one that intrigues me the most is utilizing the RFID technology in the Magic Band. Basically from my understanding is there would be interactive elements throughout the parks that would pick up your RFID as you went by in close proximity and it would activate some sort of unique experience. Think of something along the lines of Glow with the Show. Should be interesting to see how the system continues to develop. Yes. Starting with the characters later this summer. when you scan your Magicband, it will alert the character who will then talk to you by name (even the costumed characters are going to be able to do this, much like at Turtle Talk where the CM running the show magicaly sounds like Crush, so whoever is inside Mickey will have his/her voice transformed to sound like Mickey. There are already subtle changes to the costumed characters, whereby Mickey blinks his eyes and moves his mouth). I've heard the first such soft rollout will be at the Pirates experience in Adventureland where you can go around and collect things that will activate elements. The technology is quite amazing and will only get better. That sounds amazing. Hopefully all that is up and working good when we go in December. It will blow my daughter's mind if the characters speak to her and know her name. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 Already there's a screen installed at the end of "it's a small world" that will say goodbye to you by name. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 As predicted many months ago, they will be able to track your every move and eventually tell you where to eat and shop. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 ^ No as Disney has stated numerous times they are not tracking folks movement within the parks. RFID is not GPS, it is a very close proximity radio signal, that only picks up signals within a few meters. Don't worry you are not being micro chipped for government tracking purposes... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Lizard Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Well, if you get enough RFID sensors... It's not as though needing to be near a sensor to pick up the RFID means you can't transmit that information on to a centralized location. I'm not one of those people who fear being tracked or RFID in general. I think this has great potential. I look forward to getting to visit WDW again, they always were at the cutting edge of crowd management (in a making-your-day-better kind of way) and entertainment, and it sounds like they've only gotten better over the decades I've been away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Already there's a screen installed at the end of "it's a small world" that will say goodbye to you by name. Let's hope the dolls do a better job of recognizing your name than did a certain alien over at Universal who likes Reeses Pieces.."Goodbye, Gibe" lol! Epic Fail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 One last thing I forgot to mention in my orig trip report. The new Festival of Fantasy Parade at MK is nothing short of amazing! The floats created are fantastic and the mechanical dragon float (breathing fire) is a sight to behold. It just debuted last month so it will run for prob the next 5-6 years so don't miss it! As always, the best viewing locales are in Frontierland. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Already there's a screen installed at the end of "it's a small world" that will say goodbye to you by name. Let's hope the dolls do a better job of recognizing your name than did a certain alien over at Universal who likes Reeses Pieces.."Goodbye, Gibe" lol! Epic Fail. We started to make up names for fun, we'd spell our "names' for the attendant, with often hilarious results from the alien with the protruding finger....LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Http://behindthethrills.net/post/86414949521/is-Disney-not-open-yet-no-magic-is-just It is to laugh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Ouch.... Hopefully it's all fixed by next year Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel_SoB_fan Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 It was probably fixed same day. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 Active using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron88stang Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 at what point do they just start letting people in that have the bracelet on and sort the mess out later? Disney seems to be pretty focused on guest experience. I can not imagine they would leave people standing outside the gate very long. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 And as far as guest experience goes....what would have happened if guests lost prescheduled ride times, pre-paid meals, and pre-paid credit and more due to a glitch? Hope they have contingency plans in place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 As of today (May 28) the FL expansion is officially complete in the MK with the opening of the 7 Dwarves Mine Train. Disney now turns its attention to the continuing construction at DTD as it transforms to Disney Springs and Epcot, having moved one of its key park execs to oversee what will hopefully be a multi year revamp of Future World, along with the possible addition of a country (or 2?) to World Showcase. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 What is DTD Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I believe it is shorthand for Downtown Disney. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 As of today (May 28) the FL expansion is officially complete in the MK with the opening of the 7 Dwarves Mine Train. Disney now turns its attention to the continuing construction at DTD as it transforms to Disney Springs and Epcot, having moved one of its key park execs to oversee what will hopefully be a multi year revamp of Future World, along with the possible addition of a country (or 2?) to World Showcase. The Epcot thing is a perpetual rumor. To be fair, it needs a complete revamp today more than it did yesterday, etc etc. Truth be told, each of Walt Disney World's parks could use a $1 billion redo like Disney California Adventure. Epcot needs to entirely revitalize the Future World section; Disney's Hollywood Studios needs a complete identity shift from its tired "Studios" theme (see Universal Studios Florida & Universal Studios Hollywood); Disney's Animal Kingdom needs rides. I suppose Magic Kingdom is taken care of with New Fantasyland and Animal Kingdom with Pandora, but still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomTheater Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Future World needs a Dreamfinder, also show us a way to Century 3. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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