Disney's NextGen Initiative

[Vyrus]

My guess is the stand by lines will be known as the stand still lines as you watch hundreds of "preferred" guests pass you by.

100% agreed

--- Update ---

This is a draconian business move from my perspective. They are attempting to turn each park into a quasi website... one that can track (and hopefully) control your every move. With every swap of the xpass you are setting a 'cookie'; one that you cannot delete. There is far more to this project then creating 'a better experience' for the guests. It's right up there with Magical Express where guests think they are getting a perk only to find they have just paid big bucks to be locked away in a kind of 'happy' prison for a week.

As for Nextgen's development of interactive queues, I have the feeling that they might have something to do with the so-called xpass. They seem over the top and outlandish now, but they might not when xpass is released. Imagine the fun for stand-by crowds; getting to stand outside and play with a pipe organ for 30 minutes before you move onto the next interactive for 30 minutes.

Sorry to sound so austere but this is what I feel Disney is working on in the long run.

Very well said and 100% agreed too.


This system is designed to control the guests movements, hence also the new "hub" they have set up in the park as well. Too much crowd in Fantasyland? Dispatch a parade. Peter Pan's line too long? Ride suddenly breaks down, clear the queue. Its too much control.

[Disneyhead]

What about stuff like the mouse knowing that you haven't paid him his money for dinner so you start getting repeated spam to your phone making suggestions based on everything you ever ate in the park or even bought at a grocery store or pharmacy?

[TheDecemberists]

And this is why RFID chips creep me out. Mythbusters did an episode on them and it got banned

[jtsalien]

And this is why RFID chips creep me out. Mythbusters did an episode on them and it got banned

Yeah. Privacy is quickly becoming a thing of the past. It's only a matter of time before the disease invades our theme parks.

[Teebin]

Mythbusters did an episode on them and it got banned

I never knew this but have further researched and found it to be the truth. What was behind all of this... MONEY. Capitalism can be a viper with a friendly smile. Disney Corporate is no better than Enron or Wallstreet or all of the banks holding mortgages. Makes one want to go and live in a cabin in the woods and shoot a rabbit for supper.

[Disneyhead]

Data mining is insidious. Remember, cash is untraceable. Your debit card is not.

[Disneyhead]

So Disney has rolled out its first use of the NextGen tech to enhance the guest experience.

At All Star Sports they have installed RFID Chip readers in the soda fountians. And every cup will have to have an activated chip for the soda fountain to work. Every cup that you buy will have an RFID Chip that is activated for 90 mins. After that the fountian will not work. If you buy one of the refillable souvineer mugs, it will be activated for the number of days that you pay for.

So Disney can't fix the monorails or the Yeti, but they can spend $1.5 BILLION to stop people from getting too much soda and spam your phone with high pressure sales of on ride photos. Yeah, I'm really loving how this NextGen thing is kicking up the vacation experience.

[Octobers Fade]

So Disney has rolled out its first use of the NextGen tech to enhance the guest experience.

At All Star Sports they have installed RFID Chip readers in the soda fountians. And every cup will have to have an activated chip for the soda fountain to work. Every cup that you buy will have an RFID Chip that is activated for 90 mins. After that the fountian will not work. If you buy one of the refillable souvineer mugs, it will be activated for the number of days that you pay for.

So Disney can't fix the monorails or the Yeti, but they can spend $1.5 BILLION to stop people from getting too much soda and spam your phone with high pressure sales of on ride photos. Yeah, I'm really loving how this NextGen thing is kicking up the vacation experience.

Really? Thats disgusting.

[zbob1992]

So Disney has rolled out its first use of the NextGen tech to enhance the guest experience.

At All Star Sports they have installed RFID Chip readers in the soda fountians. And every cup will have to have an activated chip for the soda fountain to work. Every cup that you buy will have an RFID Chip that is activated for 90 mins. After that the fountian will not work. If you buy one of the refillable souvineer mugs, it will be activated for the number of days that you pay for.

So Disney can't fix the monorails or the Yeti, but they can spend $1.5 BILLION to stop people from getting too much soda and spam your phone with high pressure sales of on ride photos. Yeah, I'm really loving how this NextGen thing is kicking up the vacation experience.

I can see Six Flags doing this but Disney? This is just wrong.

[beatlejuice]

100% agreed

--- Update ---



Very well said and 100% agreed too.


This system is designed to control the guests movements, hence also the new "hub" they have set up in the park as well. Too much crowd in Fantasyland? Dispatch a parade. Peter Pan's line too long? Ride suddenly breaks down, clear the queue. Its too much control.

I don't know where you got that crap but Disney has never brought down an attraction because the queue was too long. Having worked in attractions at Disney, I know first hand how the "system" works. Disney would only shut down an attraction ONLY if it effects the safety of the guests. Crowd control and any other "Big Brother" type thoughts you might have on the subject have nothing to do with it.

--- Update ---

So Disney has rolled out its first use of the NextGen tech to enhance the guest experience.

At All Star Sports they have installed RFID Chip readers in the soda fountians. And every cup will have to have an activated chip for the soda fountain to work. Every cup that you buy will have an RFID Chip that is activated for 90 mins. After that the fountian will not work. If you buy one of the refillable souvineer mugs, it will be activated for the number of days that you pay for.

So Disney can't fix the monorails or the Yeti, but they can spend $1.5 BILLION to stop people from getting too much soda and spam your phone with high pressure sales of on ride photos. Yeah, I'm really loving how this NextGen thing is kicking up the vacation experience.

The NextGen initiative is Bob Iger's thing. If you have a problem with the Monorails and the Yeti send an email to Meg Croftin. Also while we're on the topic of the Yeti, it's not going to be fixed for a long time. In order to fix the problem they would have to bring the ride down for an extended period of time which Animal Kingdom cannot afford.

[Vyrus]

I don't know where you got that crap but Disney has never brought down an attraction because the queue was too long. Having worked in attractions at Disney, I know first hand how the "system" works. Disney would only shut down an attraction ONLY if it effects the safety of the guests. Crowd control and any other "Big Brother" type thoughts you might have on the subject have nothing to do with it.

--- Update ---



The NextGen initiative is Bob Iger's thing. If you have a problem with the Monorails and the Yeti send an email to Meg Croftin. Also while we're on the topic of the Yeti, it's not going to be fixed for a long time. In order to fix the problem they would have to bring the ride down for an extended period of time which Animal Kingdom cannot afford.

Firstly, tone down the harshness of your post because mine was meant as a joke, secondly, since you want to be cynical, I can be back. We know the Yeti can't be fixed without bringing down the attraction, we are not a bunch of idiots have NO idea how theme parks works, we DO know a thing or two regardless if we've worked there or not.

Next time you want to ride in here on your white horse like a know it all, think first and know this is a discussion forum and we are here to have fun and discuss theme park topics, not be Mr/Mrs Know it all.

Now in the words of Apu, Thank you have a nice day, rant over

--- Update ---

So Disney has rolled out its first use of the NextGen tech to enhance the guest experience.

At All Star Sports they have installed RFID Chip readers in the soda fountians. And every cup will have to have an activated chip for the soda fountain to work. Every cup that you buy will have an RFID Chip that is activated for 90 mins. After that the fountian will not work. If you buy one of the refillable souvineer mugs, it will be activated for the number of days that you pay for.

So Disney can't fix the monorails or the Yeti, but they can spend $1.5 BILLION to stop people from getting too much soda and spam your phone with high pressure sales of on ride photos. Yeah, I'm really loving how this NextGen thing is kicking up the vacation experience.

Wow just wow, so they focus their energy on limiting a product that they mark up 200%.....I'm in shock

[hairyleo]

What was wrong with the stickers?

[jtsalien]

You can't act like ALL of the NextGen money went to the soda fountain idea. And the other program has even started yet and you're assuming how it will work. That's just ridiculous. And you know just as well that the Yeti has nothing to do with the money, but them not wanting to shut down the ride for such a long period of time. Maybe if people didn't use their hotel mugs all over the resort, they wouldn't have to do this or charge so much for drinks. It's the same argument as at a movie theater. Like it or not, Disney loses some money when people steal soda.

[BriMan]

You can't act like ALL of the NextGen money went to the soda fountain idea. And the other program has even started yet and you're assuming how it will work. That's just ridiculous. And you know just as well that the Yeti has nothing to do with the money, but them not wanting to shut down the ride for such a long period of time. Maybe if people didn't use their hotel mugs all over the resort, they wouldn't have to do this or charge so much for drinks. It's the same argument as at a movie theater. Like it or not, Disney loses some money when people steal soda.

I think the point behind their posts are that they focused on fixing the soda issue first, over other necessities.

[jtsalien]

I think the point behind their posts are that they focused on fixing the soda issue first, over other necessities.

Couldn't it be that this was the easiest way to implement the RFID chip technology? It's such a simple idea, that this could be how they are testing reliability in the field. Rather then trying using the chips in this Xpass thing for the first time when it rolls out.