Disney quietly working on $1 billion-plus “next generation

[ericpabear]

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/01/ ... y-project/

Disney quietly working on $1 billion-plus “next generationâ€

[Mousekedude]

When the government decides they want to start tracking their citizens' every move, think they'll get Disney to implemement it?

[mindflipper]

Naw, they got Microsoft do that for them. Disney just working on the whole mind control gimmick-thing.

[imaginationcelebration]

Uh oh...say goodbye to being able to hang out in the pools and hot tubs of resorts other than the one you stay in.

[Len90]

Uh oh...say goodbye to being able to hang out in the pools and hot tubs of resorts other than the one you stay in.

Well, they have made that tough to do. Yacht/Beach is pretty much resort guests only where you have to show a room key and get wrist-banded. Other resorts implement that system sometimes during the busy days.

As for everything else, it seems very futuristic. I personally like how it is evolving the fast pass system.

[Soarin08]

That is the beauty of being a CM... I could go to any resort and use anything I wanted, no questions asked.

[Mamabaminjamin]

This might be cool. You can track how many times you have been on a ride and how well you did at planning the day to not wait in line. Skiers are using somehting similar to track the vertical feet they ski why not the miles walk at WDW. It could be fun!

[mindflipper]

What worries me with is maintaining a sense of fairness. A lot of people don't have all the latest and greatest techno gimmicks out there. If they get an advantage over the people who don't - like being a able to do more with fast-passes than the others, it creates a system where some park guests feel left out and resentful. The current methodology with the fast passes - using the kiosks to get the fast pass tickets - fairly allows all guests to be on "equal footing". It's one of the reasons I don't like the Universal Studios SELLING the fast pass option as a separate costs - those who can't afford due to the limited budget/finances get screwed. The system is geared to "those who can afford to pay more are better off". I hope Disney remembers that all of their guests - whether rich or poor, whether they have the technology or not - should all have an equal chance to enjoy the rides. Give everyone a fair chance.

[Mousekedude]

What worries me with is maintaining a sense of fairness. A lot of people don't have all the latest and greatest techno gimmicks out there. If they get an advantage over the people who don't - like being a able to do more with fast-passes than the others, it creates a system where some park guests feel left out and resentful. The current methodology with the fast passes - using the kiosks to get the fast pass tickets - fairly allows all guests to be on "equal footing". It's one of the reasons I don't like the Universal Studios SELLING the fast pass option as a separate costs - those who can't afford due to the limited budget/finances get screwed. The system is geared to "those who can afford to pay more are better off". I hope Disney remembers that all of their guests - whether rich or poor, whether they have the technology or not - should all have an equal chance to enjoy the rides. Give everyone a fair chance.

Why, Mindflipper...! How fair and chivalrous of you! I'm impressed! To tell you the truth, I had never really thought about it that way. Being of the "technically-advantaged" crowd, DW and I have always glommed onto the latest advances and advantages to enhance our Disney experience; never thinking about whether other less-fortunate folks are benefitting from those things. That's a good way to look at it though....

[Jacca5660]

I think Orwell put it best in 1984:

"Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct; nor was any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record. All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary."

WOW!! Disney is getting into some questionable stuff here. I don't think they're looking to enhance a visit. It's all about the marketing. I install and service high end security and surveillance. To me this is VERY scary!

It's like the thought marketers are upon us!

Or in the words of Mel Brooks:

Yogurt: Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs-the T-shirt, Spaceballs-the Coloring Book, Spaceballs-the Lunch box, Spaceballs-the Breakfast Cereal, Spaceballs-the Flame Thrower. The kids love this one.

[Len90]

It is a scary thought to think about all the power Diseny will have with this software, when developed. Like Mindflipper stated, it will be interesting to see how Disney markets themself. Will they look to use this in a discriminatory manner or will they remain fair? Only time will tell. However, I think Disney should be able to use theme parks around the world to see how an unfair system like Universal's does not work. It is almost like the high roller's line at the restaurants at the Atlantic City Casino Hotels.

I personally think that Disney will have the cost of this factored into something. Disney's current trend with park tickets is to have the park hopper option and/or water park option. I highly doubt that Disney will take the fast pass system and convert it into a surcharged system. I would most likely expect to see just an increase in the price of a base ticket.

[Mousekedude]

I would have to agree, Len. Disney's whole philosophy revolves around making everyone feel welcome. They don't like to be perceived as discriminating in any way. And the way prices have been going up on almost everything, I expect that trend will continue.

[agingerbugg]

I don't think this is going to be as bad as everyone says. Like Mousekedude stated, "Disney's whole philosophy revolves around making everyone feel welcome. They don't like to be perceived as discriminating in any way." I see this as a plus. I am sure that whatever form this technology takes, it will be available to anyone who has the money to afford the ticket price.

As for the "big brother" concern? Well, has anyone really looked into how much of their information is actually available to someone with a little knowledge? It's surprising what I have been able to find out about people online without hacking into any databases. There is a lot of information that is public record and municipalities are making that information available online faster than we realize. At one time, it required going to the court house to access those records, now most counties have a web-based portal one can use.

And Mindflipper, Google knows much more about you than Microsoft ever did. If there is any technological entity that will become "skynet," it is Google. Now, I know this post make me sound like a right-wing nut job, but I am not, I am just a realist and know that absolute privacy is a thing of the past.

[mindflipper]

Preaching to the choir on that one, agingerbugg! I think Google and Microsoft have got their grubby fingers into too much personal data that they don't need to have, and they don't have it as secured as they think!

I am sure that whatever form this technology takes, it will be available to anyone who has the money to afford the ticket price.

As the prices go higher, Disney is excluding more and more of the population who can't afford to go there. They need to find ways to keep the ticket prices more stable and affordable. Keep things like FastPass fair to all those who visit the park, not just whoever has the better technology. As Mouskedude pointed out about "making everyone feel welcome" - I hope Disney remembers that and does make it where some are more welcomed than others.

[joeyflds]

Not sure how much i like this, it seems to me that a billion bucks can better be spend somewhere else. That's a lot of money.....