Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World

Sunday 31 May 2015

One small step for mankind, one giant leap for Disney


The technical innovations happening at Disney World right now are nothing short of transformational. Our team joked it’s “a whole new world”, but it truly is. Hearing that the FastPass system evolved primarily as a way to increase operational efficiency explained so much to me. When I visited Disney World over 10 years ago, I remember standing in line to get in the park and for what seemed like ages to get on rides. The best enhancement at the time was misting fans to help with the Florida heat. Cut to today, I experienced no more than a 1-2 minute wait to get in any of the parks at various times of the day, and when I stood in line for rides, I knew what I was getting into as a standby guest.


New rides like Test Track and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster have longer beginning and ending experiences as creative and innovative solutions to long wait times. The PhotoPass+ experience removed that annoying photo sales line/process at the end of rides. Overall, the MyMagic+ innovations created a much more positive experience for me as a guest and the ability for Disney to allow more people to experience their rides and stories through greater efficiency.

There is always room for improvement though and for me, that area was really with the My Disney Experience app. The Magic Band felt pretty magical to me, as I missed it the instant I took it off and had to reach for my credit card to make a purchase today. I haven't formed the same bond yet with the app though I'm very excited at the opportunity Disney has to apply the same magical approach to the app that they bring to all other aspects of their products and services. As overheard in the Magical Express bus video today, Disney uses "the tools of our trade to create magic and delight for our guests.” I hope they embrace the app more and really bring it inline with their other amazing experiences, perhaps using a similar storytelling approach so the app has a nice beginning, middle and end for guests. Getting the infrastructure in place and guests comfortable and familiar with the new technologies is a tremendous first leap into this new world for Disney, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
Until next time iconic gray Magic Band. I'll miss you, but at least I have a nice tan line to remind me of our time together =).
-MS

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