XPass - You may never tour Walt Disney World the same way again ...

[JNota0005DakMC]

I keep a post-it note in my wallet with my ressie numbers. The CM at Prime Time told me we were not on the list and they were overbooked, sorry. I called the dining number gave them my ressie number and handed my cell phone over to the hostess after I was told it was too a valid reservation. She seated us.

I've had that in the past as well... its a little annoying but you did the right thing.. i store my res numbers in my notes on my phone... I'm a shorts flip flops and t-shirt guy... i hate carrying anything in the parks... the less the better...

[DVCDad]

We do a little of both. I let my kids each pick a restaurant that they want to make an ADR at, and I pick one as well. The rest of the trip we do walkups. A little planning, a little go with the flow.

Same thing with Fastpasses. We may do one a day, but we're not usually in the heard that marches to the Toy Story fastpass at rope drop. If we come across a fastpass box for a ride we like, we pick some up, if not, no biggie.

For the all sponteneity all the time people, I would argue that getting a fastpass or two a day actually increases your availability of spontaneous time, as you clear up some of teh time you would have been in like for that crazy busy attraction.

I'm sure Disney will work things out for the betterment of most guests. Sure there will be a few nay sayers, but you can't please everyone.

[supernova]

I've had that in the past as well... its a little annoying but you did the right thing.. i store my res numbers in my notes on my phone... I'm a shorts flip flops and t-shirt guy... i hate carrying anything in the parks... the less the better...

Thanks for calling it a "res" number, Joe, if not reservation. Referring to them as ressies/rezzies annoy me to no end. I would never walk into Tavern on the Green and tell the host that I have a ressie for 7pm. What the helI?

[DVCDad]

Thanks for calling it a "res" number, Joe, if not reservation. Referring to them as ressies/rezzies annoy me to no end. I would never walk into Tavern on the Green and tell the host that I have a ressie for 7pm. What the helI?

Ressies... arghhhh. Like PIN number. Hello? the N STANDS for number.

[JNota0005DakMC]

Thanks for calling it a "res" number, Joe, if not reservation. Referring to them as ressies/rezzies annoy me to no end. I would never walk into Tavern on the Green and tell the host that I have a ressie for 7pm. What the helI?

its those little things that get under my skin as well... i wonder what would happen if i was a CM...? id need to chew gum just so i don't jump over a counter... any other stress reducers can you think of...?

[HauntedGabe]

Well now this was the best laugh I've had in days. Tiny, insignificant words getting you all that bent out of shape? The need to tank yet another thread. That is my What the HelI! We have on this sight a few places meant for off topic rants to keep threads from being derailed like this.

http://www.wdwradio.com/forums/showt...int-of-the-day and http://www.wdwradio.com/forums/showt...de-Has-Cookies. Both are good places for you all to vent, rant and ask for stress advice. Somewhere in General Discussions is a thread for Pet Peeves too all good places for you gentleman to be catty.

[HauntedGabe]

I've had that in the past as well... its a little annoying but you did the right thing.. i store my res numbers in my notes on my phone... I'm a shorts flip flops and t-shirt guy... i hate carrying anything in the parks... the less the better...

I am going to have to get better about putting information on my phone. My post it goes in my wallet and that goes in my pocket. With Disney going towards XPass, I should move into the 21st century and leave my post-its behind.

[supernova]

Well now this was the best laugh I've had in days. Tiny, insignificant words getting you all that bent out of shape? The need to tank yet another thread. That is my What the HelI! We have on this sight a few places meant for off topic rants to keep threads from being derailed like this.

http://www.wdwradio.com/forums/showt...int-of-the-day and http://www.wdwradio.com/forums/showt...de-Has-Cookies. Both are good places for you all to vent, rant and ask for stress advice. Somewhere in General Discussions is a thread for Pet Peeves too all good places for you gentleman to be catty.

Don't go getting all bent out of shape on us. I wasn't talking about you in particular. I've seen the "ressie/rezzie" nonsense thrown around by quite a few people on the boards. (see? the smiley face means 'no hard feelings')

Ressies... arghhhh. Like PIN number. Hello? the N STANDS for number.

Thank you, good sir. PIN number is right up there with the dreaded ATM machine. Some people will never learn. Proper english, like good manners, cost nothinger. Whenever I dined at Elaine's was still open (before her death and they closed down her fine dining establishment), I was always sure to put my PIN number into the ATM machine before I showed up for my 8pm rezzie so I had enough cash to pay for my wife and my $300 diner check.

But personal experience aside, I would never walk up to a host station, whether it's a Matre D' at a five-star dining establishment like Elaine's was, or the greeter at a one-start eatery like Liberty Tree Tavern and tell them that I'm there for my rezzie. It's just not going to happen. They'd throw me out.

While we're on it, maybe we can add "nucular" and "li-berry" to that list.

[BamaJenn]

I'm sure Disney will work things out for the betterment of most guests. Sure there will be a few nay sayers, but you can't please everyone.

Bingo! This is exactly what it all comes down to. Everyone travels differently. I know if I didn't have any kids the way my DH and I vacation would be dramatically different too. It all comes down to the type of trip, the plans you make, who you go with, what you enjoy, and what your personal preferences are. Every negative has a positve and vice versa (well.... usually lol).

[HauntedGabe]

I'm not sure if this was posted while I was visiting the world or not.......

Disney's ‘NextGen’ plan is expected cut wait times for rides and more

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/0...#ixzz1t0yuhUUA

Disney's ‘NextGen’ plan is expected cut wait times for rides and more

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/0...#ixzz1t0yuhUUA
If you've ever been to Walt Disney World you know that planning is key and long lines can just about ruin your trip.
But image if you could book appointment times for your rides, meetings with Disney characters and other popular park attractions months before your vacation.
This isn't some fantasy land, but part of a high-tech reality being introduced across Disney theme parks as part of a billion-dollar project dubbed “NextGen.”
Details of the plan emerged in February 2011 when Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs announced some major changes at an investors' conference.
“Guests will be able to reserve times for their favorite attractions and character interactions…secure seats at our shows and spectaculars…make dining reservations…and pre-book many other favorite guest experiences -- all before even leaving their house," Staggs said.
Since then, Disney has remained quiet about the project -- even its existence.
“I can’t confirm nor deny it,” said Disney representative Marilyn Waters when FoxNews.com asked her about the NextGen project.
But the blogosphere has been rife with NextGen particulars from those who say they have details of the plan.
Entertainment blogger Jim Hill and editor of JimHillMedia.com, told FoxNews.com that he learned many intricate details of the project after someone at the “executive level in Burbank” showed Hill a PowerPoint presentation prepared for Walt Disney International President Bob Iger on the progress of the company’s NextGen initiatives.
According to Hill, one major initiative of NextGen focuses on what is being called an xPASS, which would allow guests to book rides weeks or months in advance. Here’s how Hill says it will work: Visitors planning their trip would go on the xPASS website and use the free service which allows you to reserve experiences, including ride times, exclusive meet-and-greets with Disney characters, even viewing spots for the nightly fireworks. The xPASS system would also help to avoid lines at restaurants by ordering food in advance.
“This xPASS/NextGen effort is going to fundamentally change how people visit the Disney parks,” said Hill.
Currently, Disney’s line-skipping system called FastPass allows guests to book a time for an attraction, leave to do other things, and return at an allotted time. Last month, Disney began enforcing return times, which many Disney watchers saw as the first step to the implementation of the xPASS system.
Another expected aspect of the plan is the use of a wrist bands embedded with radio-frequency identification microchips, or RFID, that reads your identity and acts as your ticket. Disney is already experimenting with RFID technology, for example, at Epcot. But the the NextGen wrist band concept is expected to go further. It’s believed that guests would provide information -- such as their names, credit card information and favorite attractions -- ahead of their arrival. After they enter at the park, the RFID would interact with sensors deployed throughout Disney’s resorts and trigger interactive features. So for example, an attraction may greet you and your family and call you by name.
Some have raised questions about privacy and what type of information Disney may require, while others say late bookers may not have access to many of the more popular attractions.
But Scott Smith, a former Disney employee who now teaches theme park management at the University of Central Florida, told DisneyDispatch that NextGen's goal is to eliminate the wait time, streamline the experience for guests --and more importantly for Disney to make money.
“Disney is a business, bottom line driven, and what they want to do with the wrist bands is make it easier for resort guests to spend money. It's almost like a Club Med situation: it's easier for you to spend money if you don't actually have to take the cash out of your wallet. All you have to do is swipe your wrist,” says Smith.
While it is unclear when xPASS or other NextGen features will be unveiled (some say as early as 2013), some who follow Disney theme parks say it will completely change people's theme park experience.
“It’s exciting,” said Disney blogger Ricky Brigante, editor of Inside the Magic. “Any way of taking a Disney theme park experience and making it individual and more memorable, I can’t see anything wrong with that.”
Travel writer and consultant Sandra Halket says Disney travel agencies are already preparing for the project to launch, as Disney fans and potential guests call and ask when they will see this.
“People really love the fact that we can give them tips prior so this would just take that to a next level because everything is done before you leave home,” said Halket.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/0...#ixzz1t0yeanos

[DVCDad]

A lot of words with very little information. Wait and see is still my motto with everything. You can't hate what you have no idea about.

[doconeill]

Even Jim Hill has flipped on who he thinks will get to use it...can't say using him as a source as to how it will work was a smart move for the article...

[HauntedGabe]

Even Jim Hill has flipped on who he thinks will get to use it...can't say using him as a source as to how it will work was a smart move for the article...

Yep, Jim can go out on limb to say the least. He did hit it right with the Art of Animation Resort though, so every once in a while he does accidentally get it right. I can imagine him viewing the original pitch PowerPoint of ALL the things a XPass could potentially do though, not that Disney will necessarily do them all.

I got a kick out of the pre-ordering your dinner. After just experiencing how quickly Disney is at trying to turn over their tables, it was annoying, I could see the bean counters loving this aspect and saying the Guests requested, because we want to get back out into the parks.

[doconeill]

Yep, Jim can go out on limb to say the least. He did hit it right with the Art of Animation Resort though, so every once in a while he does accidentally get it right. I can imagine him viewing the original pitch PowerPoint of ALL the things a XPass could potentially do though, not that Disney will necessarily do them all.

I got a kick out of the pre-ordering your dinner. After just experiencing how quickly Disney is at trying to turn over their tables, it was annoying, I could see the bean counters loving this aspect and saying the Guests requested, because we want to get back out into the parks.

I agree...it seems like a brilliant plan - turn over tables faster yet the guests will love it because it saves time...but I have a feeling that it's not for the table service meals, but rather the counter services...much like ordering from a kiosk rather than standing in a line and having order issues due to communications.

[DAR]

I'm not too crazy about this. I like the idea of spontaneity on my vacations.