Free Wireless Internet Starts Today

[Mo Noyz]

This ties in to the convesation about fewer channels on the TV lineup. The more reason they give you to stay in your room, the less time you're out spending money.

See, I don't buy that logic. If you're dropping a mint on a Disney vacation you're not doing it to spend anymore time in your hotel than you absolutely have to.

You're not paying $200-$500 a night so you can sit in your room and surf the intertubes.

[HauntedGabe]

This ties in to the convesation about fewer channels on the TV lineup. The more reason they give you to stay in your room, the less time you're out spending money.

I have to go read the TV thread, haven't gotten to that yet. We have UVerse and they keep dropping channels too, unwilling to pay the rising prices to them. Annoying.

The resorts you have listed such as Boardwalk Resort does that include the Boardwalk villas(Dvc)?

No Bay Lake Tower? I thought that would be one of the first.

The DVC's have to be included if the main resort is named, don't you think?

Yes the DVC tied to those hotels are included in WiFi upgrade.

See, I don't buy that logic. If you're dropping a mint on a Disney vacation you're not doing it to spend anymore time in your hotel than you absolutely have to.

You're not paying $200-$500 a night so you can sit in your room and surf the intertubes.

I don't think "our types" would ever do that. I do believe there are a chunk of guests dramatically less enthused about being at the World. grumpy Teens, professionals that cant/wont take a break. I have witness people who miss so much with their iPods stuck in their ears or never leaving their iPhones alone enough to be in the moment. So I could see some family members staying back at the hotel for a few hours while the rest go to the parks just to play in cyber world.

[HauntedGabe]

As glad as I am that Disney finally moved into the new millenium, I am nervous.

Disney never does ANYTHING altruistically. We have a thread going about Disney's master plan of Guests planning their whole vacation in advance of the arrivals. Also getting fast passes from your room prior to hitting parks. People up in middle of night playing with their electronics to get shows and fastpasses as the days allotment opens up.

This master plan required the parks and hotels to have WiFi. I think this is a horrible plan and would make my vacations very regimented, worse than my everyday life. Iger and his crew has come up with some very dumb master plans in the last couple years. This could be another stupid move that likely the fans and guests would rebel against. As would guests that don't follow the fan boards that plan a vacation, get there and find they can't eat or ride a darn thing because everything is booked up. Spontaneous touring the parks would be out of the question.

If you go back to that thread, this WiFi installation seems to fit that new philosophy.

[grumpy of ohio]

Makes no difference for us.....we leave all that **** at home....we do enough of that there...WDW is for fun, relaxation and getting away from the cyber-world......we even leave our cell phones in the room safe on vacation......totally electronic free....

[WDW1014]

who cares about the internet world when your in a magical land lol

[supernova]

As glad as I am that Disney finally moved into the new millenium, I am nervous.

This master plan required the parks and hotels to have WiFi. I think this is a horrible plan and would make my vacations very regimented, worse than my everyday life. Iger and his crew has come up with some very dumb master plans in the last couple years. As would guests that don't follow the fan boards that plan a vacation, get there and find they can't eat or ride a darn thing because everything is booked up. Spontaneous touring the parks would be out of the question.

I personally cringe when I read people's pre-trip report, booking meals months and monts in advance, planning out every single meal, what park they are going to visit, what time they are alloting for bathroom visits. It's all pretty d#mn insane. Go with the flow and cut these manic steps out already.

[DVCDad]

OMG people, they give you something for free and people STILL complain? A master plan? What's next, wearing a tin foil hat around the parks? Give me a break.

Yes, Disney is a company, and one that makes money. But to say they never consider their guests interest is just ignorant.

[supernova]

I guess I never noticed because I've had it free through DVC for a (short) while now. I remember when it was just the wired service they gave us, along with a very short plug. I wound up driving to Walmart and buying a 50' cable that I could take into any room of the suite. I would have to carry it with me on each trip before they gave complementary wireless. I'm convinced it was more about getting guests out of the room than not being able to provide it to everyone. If you can get it at your local Holiday Inn, it's about time Disney stepped up to the plate. It's no longer a luxury and more of a way of life at this point.

[lorilovestigger]

Before Erin and I went on our last trip a few weeks ago we were talking about Free Wifi and said we couldn't believe they didn't have it yet. Then BAM! a week later they announce it. Having it wouldn't keep me in my room but I would use it if I had time to spare while the family was getting ready or when I get back to the room and want to chill before jumping into bed.

[Mo Noyz]

Exactly. And who would pay for a 24 block just to use it in that fashion? I get the counterarguments made here by HauntedGabe and supernova, I'm just not buying them. If people have already booked a resort chances are good they've also already bought their park tickets.

At that point, I'm pretty sure Disney isn't terribly concerned with what they do with their own time.

[DVCDad]

For international travellers like myself, we can't use our smart phones without paying through the nose when we get back home. The internet in our room (free for DVC) was a way of communicating back home. It's a nice way to unwind after a long day walking in the parks. Adding wifi will just add to the ease of use for many.

[HauntedGabe]

OMG people, they give you something for free and people STILL complain? A master plan? What's next, wearing a tin foil hat around the parks? Give me a break.

Yes, Disney is a company, and one that makes money. But to say they never consider their guests interest is just ignorant.

Wow! That is a lot of Drama packed into a few short sentences. Not accustomed to Drama on WDW Radio threads, it tends to tank threads especially when the Drama comes with insults.

I guess I never noticed because I've had it free through DVC for a (short) while now. I remember when it was just the wired service they gave us, along with a very short plug. I wound up driving to Walmart and buying a 50' cable that I could take into any room of the suite. I would have to carry it with me on each trip before they gave complementary wireless. I'm convinced it was more about getting guests out of the room than not being able to provide it to everyone. If you can get it at your local Holiday Inn, it's about time Disney stepped up to the plate. It's no longer a luxury and more of a way of life at this point.

Sadly, I do not have a DVC so I don't have a frame of reference. That college tuition for the kids always seems to win. I always have my laptop and iPod Touch with me but for the reasons you stated I've never forked over the $10/24 hours.

Before Erin and I went on our last trip a few weeks ago we were talking about Free Wifi and said we couldn't believe they didn't have it yet. Then BAM! a week later they announce it. Having it wouldn't keep me in my room but I would use it if I had time to spare while the family was getting ready or when I get back to the room and want to chill before jumping into bed.

I agree that is likely when I would use the WiFi too. We have friends who the DH is always catching up to the rest of the family 'cause there is some business he has to take care of plus he isn't really a big fan of the parks. I could see him now hanging by the pool, laptop and phone.

[QUOTE]

Exactly. And who would pay for a 24 block just to use it in that fashion? I get the counterarguments made here by HauntedGabe and supernova, I'm just not buying them. If people have already booked a resort chances are good they've also already bought their park tickets.

Thank you. My thought process is they want those guests out and about, buying water, snacks, souvenirs. With the volume of guests, the extras they buy throughout the day helps with the bottom line. Sitting in a hotel room guests are not likely to purchase those extra water bottles etc. That was the point I was trying to make.

Time will tell. My gut just tells me some version of the X Ticket is tied to the WiFi installation. Don't think that master plan would be well received.
In the last few years Igers and his subordinates have really missed the mark initially on so many projects and their individual master plans. Original Fantasyland, Hyperion, DVC Hawaii mega mess-up. I can see them trying to roll out some type of X Ticket and it either not happening or having to revise it. Likely we won't be hearing much until they have some more firm dates for WiFi completion in the resorts and parks.

[JohnO]

I think its great that theyre offering it although I wont find much time to use it. Just dont have a desire to "stay connected" to the outside world while in WDW.

JohnO

[supernova]

See, I don't buy that logic. If you're dropping a mint on a Disney vacation you're not doing it to spend anymore time in your hotel than you absolutely have to. You're not paying $200-$500 a night so you can sit in your room and surf the intertubes.

I don't think "our types" would ever do that. I do believe there are a chunk of guests dramatically less enthused about being at the World. grumpy Teens, professionals that cant/wont take a break. I have witness people who miss so much with their iPods stuck in their ears or never leaving their iPhones alone enough to be in the moment. So I could see some family members staying back at the hotel for a few hours while the rest go to the parks just to play in cyber world.

Thank you. My thought process is they want those guests out and about, buying water, snacks, souvenirs. With the volume of guests, the extras they buy throughout the day helps with the bottom line. Sitting in a hotel room guests are not likely to purchase those extra water bottles etc. That was the point I was trying to make.

Thanks. That is exactly what I was going to post until I found your comments. Too often board members will think like "us" rather than like an average park guest. Those who frequent these boards tend to go all-Disney-every-day. Heck, some of them won't even bother trying out Sea World or Universal. Live a bit, folks. Explore.

As many times as I've been there, it still baffles me that people walk around with park maps. Then I remember, there are people visiting for their first or second time. From all countries. And yes, while the adults here are still kids at heart, remembering trips we took with our families and are now thrilled to expose our new families to the parks, there are still those regular everyday teens who don't give a rat's butt that they're at WDW. They would much rather be home with their friends than being dragged around by their parents on a family trip at 13. And for those of you who want to reply back, "But my 13-year-old loves it there", yeah well you are the exact person I was talking about earlier. The average guest goes to the park, goes back to the room, and tries to figure out how to kill their evening. Maybe they don't buy length-of-stay tickets and want to explore the rest of the Orlando area. If they can stay connected on their laptop, surf the web, chat with friends, check email, get some work done while they're on vacation, then they are not out spending money on souveniers and food and such.

Honestly, think about it. Why does Disney offer the Magical Express for free? And why do they have bus service taking guests to every corner of their property? It has NOTHING to do with their being fan-friendly or just a great place to vacation. It costs them way less to operate a few buses and shuttle guests between the airport and your hotel, than it does on the money they would lose if every guest had a car and could therefore leave property and hit up other parks or attractions in the area. My wife always makes a point of going to the outlets in the area, all three of them. Without a car, we would never pay for a taxi, and I'm sure not paying for a cab to Universal or Sea World. Rent a car, and you're no longer an on-property prisoner. They're not offering bus service because they love you. They DO, however, love your money.

[Mo Noyz]

If they can stay connected on their laptop, surf the web, chat with friends, check email, get some work done while they're on vacation, then they are not out spending money on souveniers and food and such.

OK, I'll take that as a partial argument, and counter with this.

Why would going to the parks equate to them buying souvenirs? Sounds like the person you described had no intention of buying any to begin with. The food argument doesn't really hold up either, because they've still got to eat no matter where they are. Food at the resorts doesn't tend to be any cheaper. Though, probably a little bit better...

Honestly, think about it. Why does Disney offer the Magical Express for free? And why do they have bus service taking guests to every corner of their property? It has NOTHING to do with their being fan-friendly or just a great place to vacation. It costs them way less to operate a few buses and shuttle guests between the airport and your hotel, than it does on the money they would lose if every guest had a car and could therefore leave property and hit up other parks or attractions in the area. My wife always makes a point of going to the outlets in the area, all three of them. Without a car, we would never pay for a taxi, and I'm sure not paying for a cab to Universal or Sea World. Rent a car, and you're no longer an on-property prisoner. They're not offering bus service because they love you. They DO, however, love your money.

Yes, they are trying to lock you in. No question there. But, how does free wireless internet run contrary to anything you've listed here? If money were truly the bottom line, and I agree that it is certainly noteworthy in their endeavors, why would they offer free internet? Does offering it for free somehow keep you on property? Does it somehow change your intent when residing on property?

I do have to say that I find this to be an interesting conversation, and hope you don't think I'm totally discounting the arguments that both yourself and HauntedGabe are offering. I'm just not seeing the overall logic.