I know, I know. What with the talking interactive plush and the hidden digital cameras, this all sounds like something out of Michael Crichton’s “Westworld.” But the fact of the matter is, kids, the “Destination Disney” program IS real. By that I mean, key components of this ambitious program are already in place, while other elements will be making their WDW debut starting in early 2003.
So what exactly are we talking about here? Well, for those of you who missed last Wednesday’s article, let me do a quick recap: “Destination Disney” is a guest satisfaction program that the Walt Disney Company will be rolling out in Orlando shortly that (to put it bluntly) will totally re-invent the theme park going experience.
Goal No. 1 of the “Destination Disney” plan is to get guests who have booked their WDW vacation packages through www.disneyworld.com into the theme parks with two hours of their arrival at Orlando International Airport. The Mouse hopes to accomplish this by:
1. Collecting these guests’ bags right as they come off the plane and taking this luggage directly to the guests’ on-property WDW hotel room. (Thereby sparing these folks all that standing and waiting around OIA’s luggage carousels as well as all the sweat and strain involved with schlepping their own bags out to Disney property.)
2. Using the “Destination Disney” desk – which will be located right inside the airport terminal – to allow these folks to check into their WDW hotel prior to actually arriving on property. (Thereby eliminating the need for these guests to drop by the front desk and physically check in once they actually arrive at the Disney World resort that they’re staying at.)
3. Immediately issuing these guests their room keys, which will also double as their passes to get into the theme parks. (Thereby eliminating any reason for these WDW visitors to stand on line at the admission booths once they arrive at the parks).
Goal No. 2 of the “Destination Disney” program will be to make the whole WDW experience as easy and convenient (and – more importantly – as entertaining as possible) for guests who have booked their WDW vacation packages on line. Disney hopes to accomplish this by giving these guests a variety of hi-tech devices. These include:
A handheld PDA (personal digital assistant) that – since it will be tied in directly with WDW’s intranet system – will be able to perform a variety of functions:
1. It will be able to give these guests real time quotes on what the current wait times are for various attractions around the theme park.
2. It will allow these guests to make breakfast, lunch and dinner reservations while on the fly. (Thereby eliminating the need to physically drop by that restaurant and/or call ahead in order to secure a reservation.)
3. As the guest walks through the theme park, the PDA will constantly “volunteer” new information. (I.E. offer up interesting bits of trivia about the park, suggest shows and attractions that the guest may be interested in seeing while touring a particular section of the theme park, point out where the nearest restaurant or restroom is located.)
4. Eventually, WDW’s PDA system will supposedly allow guests to pre-book their Fast Pass tickets. (Thereby eliminating any reason to actually go to that attraction prior to riding the ride.)
A device the size of a key chain that will allow these guests to make use of Disney’s new in-theme-park digital imagery system. (Thereby eliminating the need for these guests to carry a camera with them in order to record memorable moments during their Disney World vacation.)
An interactive plush toy that – thanks to sensors that already embedded throughout the entire WDW resort – will act as entertainer / ambassador for these guests’ Disney World trip. Among the many things that this doll is reportedly programmed to do is:
1. The plush will make suggestions about what the guest can do next while touring the park. (“Hey, we’re passing ‘Small World.’ Do you want to go ride on that?”)
2. The plush will try to entertain the guest while they’re waiting in line. (“Press my left hand if you’d like me to tell a joke.”)
3. The plush will also try to keep the guest updated on what’s going on in the park (“The 3 o’clock parade starts in just 15 minutes”) or any unexpected changes in the schedule (“Aw, shucks! The 3 o’clock parade has been postponed due to rain. Let’s find something fun and indoors to do.”)
I know, I know. This all sounds so outlandish. But wait ’til you hear about what guests who booked their Disney World vacation packages on line will be able to do once they get back to their on-property hotel rooms. Thanks to this great leap forward in Disney’s technological capabilities down in Central Florida, guests will be able to use the television in their room to:
Preview photos that they took (using WDW’s digital imaging system) that day.
Find out what the current total is on their hotel room bill.
Make breakfast, lunch or dinner reservations for the following day.
Check their at-home e-mail account for any new messages.
(Some of you JimHillMedia.com readers may be puzzling over why the Walt Disney Company will – at least initially – be restricting guests’ access to the “Destination Disney” program. [I.E. only allowing those who booked their vacation package via www.disneyworld.com to take advantage of this program.] The feeling is that – given the numerous hi-tech devices that play a prominent role in this new system – only guests who already have some technical savvy will be able to use “Destination Disney” to its fullest extent. More to the point, these folks will be comfortable with / won’t be intimidated by PDAs, interactive plush, using WDW’s intra-net to review their digital pictures, etc. As time goes by, Disney hopes that they’ll be able to offer the “Destination Disney” vacation package to a wider variety of tourists. But – for at least the first year or so – the program will be an on-line exclusive. [See? Now aren’t you happy that you learned to use the Internet. Now you get an exclusive WDW perk!] Anyway …)
Again, I know. This all sounds so outrageous. Like something straight out of Fantasyland and/or Tomorrowland. But here’s the facts, folks: many pieces of this program – like the digital imaging system, for example – have been in place since this past August.
Take for example, the image capture system that’s already been installed inside the “Haunted Mansion” attraction at WDW’s Magic Kingdom. This particular camera can only be activated by guests who are carrying their “Destination Disney” key ring. The picture that this image capture unit will takes shows the guests in their doom buggy being menaced by a ghost that will be optically inserted after the fact. This photo opportunity will only be available to guests who taking part in the “Destination Disney” program.
As for the plush and the PDAs: they’re actually being constructed in China as we speak. The PDA will look a lot like that handheld “Magic Moments” electronic trivia game that’s currently on sale in the parks. (Which – given that the PDA will have access to 1500 different Disney trivia questions that it will lob at guests as they stroll through the parks – only seems kind of appropriate.)
The interactive plush? … I’m told that there will be just three different characters offered at the start of the “Destination Disney” program: Mickey and two other Disney favorites. (Should “DD” prove to be successful, other different versions of the interactive plush – featuring a wider variety of beloved Disney characters – are expected to be fielded.)
Now where this gets interesting is that I’ve been told that the interactive “Mickey” plush will NOT be a “Destination Disney” exclusive. To explain: The doll will be given – for free – to guests who have booked their “Destination Disney” vacation packages on line. But this interactive Mickey will also be available for sale in the park (current suggested retail: $50) or it can be rented for just $8 a day.
So guests who opt to buy and/or rent this interactive plush and lug it around WDW’s theme parks will have some sense of what it’s like to be taking part in the “Destination Disney” program. (Which – Disney hopes – will spur these very same tourists to book a “Destination Disney” vacation package the next time they journey to Orlando). FYI: The “Mickey” version of the interactive plush (barring any unforeseen delays, of course) is expected to hit store shelves at the Disney World resort on or about March 24, 2003.
Obviously, this sort of program takes a lot of advance planning (and – more importantly – a ton of money) to pull off. Which is why my sources are telling me that “Destination Disney” has been in the works for over two years now and that the costs involved in setting up the computer and technology infrastructure necessary to make this system go have been absolutely massive.
Toward this end, the Walt Disney Company has been leaning heavily on its corporate partners to contribute. To help pick up the tab for this several hundred million dollar upgrade of WDW’s technical systems. Which is one of the main reasons that American Express recently reportedly opted not to renew its 20 year long sponsorship deal with Disney. The credit card company just couldn’t see its way clear to contributing toward the creation of this bold new system.
But that’s okay. Because other corporations have been positively giddy to get on board with “Destination Disney.” For example: Compaq/HP. In lieu of cash, this computer giant will be providing much of the hardware necessary to drive the system. And Microsoft (which in the worst kept secret in Disney Company history, will soon replace AT&T as the new sponsor of the soon-to-be-revamped “Spaceship Earth” attraction at Epcot) will be pitching in to help out with the software. And good old Kodak is also a key partner with the “Destination Disney” project.
So what happens next? Well, in order for “Destination Disney” to succeed, every resort room on property will have to receive a major upgrade in PC/server connectivity and processing. Given the expense of doing all this, Disney will start with the higher end WDW resorts – with the Contemporary and the Yacht & Beach Club supposedly being the first to be wired up for broadband and intranet access starting in early 2003.
So when will the full blown “Destination Disney” system officially go live? Well, as I mentioned in Wednesday’s column, there are still concerns that in the wake of 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration may not allow the Mouse to remove WDW guests’ bags directly from OIA without having these travelers first come forward to identify their luggage. So that end of the program still needs to be sorted out.
And then – of course – there’s the always-essential debugging of any new technological system. Disney still has to put in hundreds of hours of field testing (not to mention idiot proofing) before the corporation can feel confident about handing out thousands of PDAs (Compaq iPaqs, actually) and interactive pieces of plush to WDW guests each day, knowing that they’re all going to perform flawlessly.
If it’s any consolation, Disney has already done extensive field testing of the PDA portion of the program. Folks who visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom back in 2001 may recall that a device similar to the one described earlier in this article was briefly available for rent at that theme park. It would direct DAK visitors to the nearest attractions, make them aware of show schedule changes, etc.
HP/Compaq has already put hundreds of hours into perfecting the PDA component of the “Destination Disney” program. Toward this end, the company built a 6 ounce iPaq which will be housed in a nearly unbreakable, waterproof plastic case that was deliberately designed to withstand the rigors of a busy day in a Disney theme park. They also tinkered with the unit’s power supply so that the battery could last all day without being recharged.
Which brings us back to the big question: When is “Destination Disney” – a program that the Walt Disney Company expects will boost WDW guest satisfaction rates right through the roof (not to mention creating a huge new revenue stream for the corporation) – go live in Orlando? To date, no one at the Mouse House is willing to go on the record about this program (or even admit that “Destination Disney” is actually in the works).
That said, company insiders are suggesting that “Destination Disney” will quietly be beta-tested throughout the spring and summer of 2003, with select groups of veteran Disney World vacationers being selected to take part in the program. Again provided that these tests go well, we can expect the official launch of “Destination Disney” (accompanied by tons of hoopla, of course) to kick off in October 2003. Just in time for WDW’s annual press event.
Again (let me stress this, folks), this is NOT conjecture. This is NOT science fiction. The pieces for many of “Destination Disney”‘s unique features are already in place and/or are already under construction.
So – if you want a really special Disney World vacation experience – you may want to hold off ’til late 2003 / early 2004 when the Mouse officially has its “Destination Disney” system up and running.
Remember: You heard it here first.