Don't miss today's Mice Chat update HERE as very unfortunately there is VERY bad news about almost every awaited attractions, including the Star Wars lands, Monsters Inc mini-land, and many more. And why? Because of the failure of Next Gen and the Magic band, etc... Or to be more precise: because of the cost of the whole thing. I have to say that when i heard the cost of it - more or less $1Billion - i thought it was insane. We know why they were doing this Next Gen but one thing which i always thought was a mistake - and it's not even the current problem which is a technical one if i understood it well - is the idea that WDW or DL guests will enjoy this plus of technology, thanks to the Magic Band, etc...
Although people can undeniably enjoy new techs as smart phones and others iPad success told us it's not a reason to think they can enjoy it all the time. It always seems to me that when we go at Disneyland it's precisely to "change of world" and i'm pretty sure that most of the guests are happy to leave behind them during their day at DL all this technology which at the same time makes life more simple and in which we're all trapped. A Magic Band needed for a better enjoyment of the Magic Kingdoms? Really? What were they thinking?
Edited: But some may have a different opinion than me. Have a read to Kevin Yee's article also on Mice Chat who was quite happy with his Magic Band experience.
Picture: copyright Disney
5 comments:
People go to Disney resorts on holiday ... so does Disney really think tourists are waiting for a device / technology that comes straight out of Orwell's 1984?
Going on vacation means to relax in a stress free environment, being able to enjoy an occasional spur of the moment. NOT to walk around with a six months in advance planned time schedule that you must follow to avoid 90 min. waiting times in both attractions and restaurants.
I hope that people will start some sort of protest or boycot against WDW and DL resorts to make clear that so much money should be spent on attraction expansions in stead of a device made by Big Brother that kills a genuine holiday experience.
Luckily for me, I only visit DLP. And since DLP is constantly short on money, there is very little chance this abomination of technology will ever come to Paris. Who would have thought DLP's financial trouble would be useful someday?
i have detested the whole idea from the moment i first heard of it. I want to go on a vacation, not a military operation. Btw, has anybody mentioned that the bands (and the equally insane glow with the show ears) eat up millions and millions of (potentially toxic) batteries? And that stuff is so cheaply made, millions will land in trashcans, including the (toxic) electronics and batteries. Maybe Disney should think about that, instead of talking abut "environmentality" all the time...
Unfortunately, I am not so sure about the hope that people want to get away from the everyday stuff - the sight of people (especially younger people, of course) who are happily typing away at their i-whatevers during shows and parades has become so common that i sometimes think that many young people are not capable of enjoying anything analogue - they watch a live stream of a parade that is just going on right before their eyes...
I once dared to ask on a Disney forum why people demanded free WiFi for every single point at WDW, even inside show buildings, and I asked if that did not fly in the face of the idea of a vacation - I almost got killed for that, i was accused of elitism, of having lost all touch with reality (!), I was told to go back to may cave and so on, more hate than you can possibly imagine - all because i said that they shouold try and switch their phones and tablets off for a day or two...
It seems incredibly odd that WDW's failings almost constantly impact the chain; this seems the biggest and worst example of how Burbank (and beyond) is pulled down by a WDW blunder. If the billion dollars got WDI a gob of research data, I am still a little surprised that none of the data is being used to kill this initiative until the time and technology is right, and the push for "one park" includes contextualized common sense about how each park is unique (and a magic band may not work well). Appreciate the comments above, especially the realization that Magic wreaks of an Orwellian future, and the fact that taking vacation might just mean some prefer to enjoy "unplugged" relaxation and spontaneity - yes, even at a Disney Park. While I am increasingly "addicted" to my iPhone and otherwise, I am sad to read that my 2015 vacation plan just got nixed by a billion dollar NextGen glitch. Oh well, perhaps this is simply a sign that Paris for Christmas and a ride on Ratatouille IS in store [- it's a small world] after all. Thanks for the site, the link back to MiceAge, and the great insight.
whoops - 2016 plan. ;-) mistyped.
I also agree that spontaneity and unplugged relaxation is the best for a vacation, but during the most busy days at WDW and DL Resort parks I'd rather plan everything six months in advance and follow the schedule than spending the whole day in endless lines to go anywhere...
I don't think that the band idea is bad, and I'm not addicted to technology, far from that, when I'm on a Disney park I leave my phone and tablet in the hotel room and don't take them to the parks during the day, but I do think that US$ 1 billion would be much better used to make new attractions.
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