So it's been a week now since the first big on-property beta
test of MyMagic+ was held, where Guests staying at four different WDW resorts
were given the opportunity to personalize their vacation experiences.
Of course, when these people elected to be part of the MyMagic+ beta test, I
don't think that they realized that " … personalizing their vacation
experiences" meant that these folks were going to get to know the Cast
Members who worked at the Front Desk at their particular WDW resort really,
really well. But all too often, that was the case. Given that many of the WDW
Guests who took part in last week's MyMagic+ beta test had to make repeated
trips to the Front Desk or Guest Relations to deal with malfunctioning or
mis-programmed MagicBands.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
To be fair here, The Walt Disney World Resort was very upfront about this being
a beta test of MyMagic+, FastPass+ and MagicBands. And those who experiencing
difficulties and wanted to opt out were immediately allowed to exit the test.
What was far more interesting (at least from Disney World executives' point of
view, anyway) were the large number of Guests who — after seeing other WDW
visitors walking around the Resort, using their MagicBands to enter the theme
parks or make purchases — then immediately went to Guest Relations to ask
about the beta test.
As one veteran Guest Relations staffer told me late last week:
Photo by Nancy Stadler
"Yes, we did see a number of Guests who were having some issues with their
MagicBands. And we'd quickly direct them to a Cast Member who could then set
them up with a new pin number or help straighten out whatever problems they
were having with their dinner reservations.
But we must have had 10 times that amount of people coming
into Guest Relations during the beta test who then wanted to know what the deal
was with those MagicBands that they'd seen other Guests wearing. And when we
explained that this was a beta test that had only been offered to a limited
number of Guests, these people would then get all incensed and start complaining
loudly about how their family wasn't being given the opportunity to be part in
the MyMagic+ testing.
It was kind of a wild couple of days to be working at Guest Relations. I even
had one guy try and bribe me so that he & his family could then be issued
MagicBands right there on the spot."
Photo by Nancy Stadler
So as you can see, the first week of beta testing on
MyMagic+ was kind of a mixed bag. With many of the Guests who had signed up to
be part of this test experiencing various issues with their MagicBands while
dozens upon dozens of other WDW visitors who were at the Resort at this same
time then making it very clear that they wanted in ASAP when it came to the My
Disney Experience program.
This is why — in spite of the fact that there are clearly a number of software
bugs which have yet to be cleared up — The Walt Disney Company has already
moved ahead with Phase Two of the MyMagic+ program. And that involves
promotion.
To explain: For members of the online Disneyana community who have been
following MyMagic+, My Disney Experience and MagicBands since news of this
program first began to leak out in the Spring of 2012, no explanation of this
program's perks & privileges is necessary. But as for the other 99.999% of
would-be Walt Disney World visitors, MyMagic+ — with its various online &
mobile tools which will then allow Guests to reserve access to entertainment,
Character Greetings and viewing areas for parades — some education really is
in order.
The folks on the Merchandise side of The Walt Disney
World Resort already obviously believe that Magic
Bands will eventually be a huge hit with Guests.
Otherwise would they have prepared such a
wide variety of styles of bands … Photo by
Nancy Stadler
So who did Disney decide to make the spokesperson for its MyMagic+ program?
Would you believe Edna Mode, that diminutive-yet-fierce super-hero costume
designer from "The Incredibles
." Here's a transcript of the
informational spot (which repurposes footage from that 2004 Pixar Animation
Studios release) which The Walt Disney World Resort put together to try & explain
MyMagic+. Which has Edna conversing with her robotic aid as she strides
purposely through her austere home.
As Ms. Mode's automaton explains, MyMagic+ is …
AUTOMATON: … a way for you and your family to take your
Walt Disney World vacation to a whole new level. Welcome to MyMagic+.
… and MagicSliders that can then be slid over the outside of these bands …
Photo by Nancy Stadler
EDNA: The name was a dispute. I won.
AUTOMATON: MyMagic+ will make your Disney vacation much more personalized.
EDNA: That is the "My."
… in addition to MagicBits. Photo by Nancy Stadler
AUTOMATON: And provide myriad opportunities for maximum vacation enjoyment.
EDNA: That is the "Plus."
AUTOMATON: My. Magic. Plus.
And when you combine all of these MagicBands, MagicBits & MagicSliders …
Photo by Nancy Stadler
EDNA: Yes. They understand. Moving on.
AUTOMATON: Beyond this door is an amazing new device that
allows you to connect to all of the features of MyMagic+. It's called a MagicBand.
EDNA: It's no mere accessory. Its power is substantial.
… you can then wind up with a very personalized MagicBand. Photo by Nancy Stadler
AUTOMATON: Quite substantial. The MagicBand allows you to tap into all of the
magic of a Disney vacation.
EDNA: You must first tell them about … Let's just say that
you will need some quick instruction on all of its powers.
AUTOMATON: With the MagicBand on your wrist, you now become
a high powered yet completely relaxed vacation super-hero. You will use your
Band to enter the theme park …
Photo by Nancy Stadler
EDNA: You will enter boldly.
AUTOMATON: You will access your FastPass attractions …
EDNA: … as if you owned the place.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
AUTOMATON: You will open the door to your room …
EDNA: … which you won't have to clean.
AUTOMATON: Make purchases …
Photo by Nancy Stadler
EDNA: Cash is so passe.
AUTOMATON: Your new abilities extend beyond the MagicBand. With MyMagic+, you
will gain the power to reserve your favorite things well in advance of your
visit. Including attractions, fireworks and Disney character greetings. We call
this feature FastPass+.
EDNA: The important thing is that this will allow you even more time to be
spontaneous.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
AUTOMATON: The final point … All of the magic actually begins here in a
secret location known as … your home. Here you will log in to My Disney
Experience, the nerve center of MyMagic+. Allowing you to harness all of your
new powers.
This concludes your briefing. Now simply log in to review all of your new
options.
EDNA: Well done. Prepare to embrace your new powers.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
I have to admit that — out of this whole promotional presentation (which will
supposedly soon begin airing on the Walt Disney World website as well as the My
Disney Experience webpage) — the phrase that stuck out most to me was Edna's
claim that using MyMagic+ will give WDW Guests " … even more time to be
spontaneous."
Which I get. I mean, if you're walking into the Magic Kingdom knowing that you
already have ride times booked for four of that theme park's most popular rides
& attractions AND you've already locked in a time to meet with your
daughter's favorite Disney Princess AND you're guaranteed primo view spots for
that afternoon's parade and that evening's fireworks display AND your family's
breakfast & dinner character dining reservations were taken care months ago
… Well, that does then allow you to be pretty spontaneous with the rest of
your day at the Magic Kingdom. Provided — of course — that you can still
manage to be on time for all of your previously-booked attraction times, meal
reservations, etc.
That's the part of MyMagic+ that kind of concerns me. That
— rather than going to Walt Disney World and then deciding when you get up in
the morning which theme park you'd like to go to that day — to make the most
of My Disney Experience, you'd got to make a lot of decisions weeks &
months before you actually get down to Orlando. Which — to my way of thinking
— does take a good amount of the spontaneity out of your WDW vacation
experience.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
But for those people who save up for years & years for their family's Walt
Disney World vacation, whose trip down to Orlando really is going to be a
once-in-a-lifetime experience, is the lack of spontaneity which is now involved
with their visit to the Magic Kingdom really going to matter in the face of
four booked-in-advance FastPasses to that theme park's most popular
attractions? Or a guaranteed primo viewing spot for that day's parade or that
night's fireworks display?
That's why — in spite of all of the constant carping about MyMagic+ that I
read on the discussion boards of various Disneyana websites — I wonder how
members of the general public are going to react to the My Disney Experience
program once it officially gets rolled out? Will the perks & privileges
that one can take advantage of by booking ride times & character greetings
weeks & months ahead of time on the MyMagic+ website really be enough to out-weigh
the whole you-have-to-do-your-homework-before-you-can-then-go-out-and-play feel
that currently pervades this program?
What are your thoughts on this? More to the point, are there any JHM
readers out there who actually got to take part in last week's MyMagic+ beta
test? If so, what sort of experiences did you & your family have while you
were out test-driving the My Disney Experience program?