Disney's take on MyMagic+

The Orlando Sentinel posted this story about how Disney views the new MyMagic+ system at WDW.

Disney said about three-quarters of travelers staying in one of Disney World's 27,000 company-owned hotel rooms and time-share suites are using MyMagic+, which includes a "FastPass+" reservation system that allows customers to book ride times for certain attractions up to two months before they ever set foot in a theme park.

While the high cost of the new system is reducing profits, Disney feels that the intended benefits are beginning to be seen.

One of the biggest benefits so far, the company said, was the rising number of visitors planning details of their trips in advance. Disney says its research shows that travelers who do more preplanning ultimately spend more time on its property — rather than visiting competing parks, shops and restaurants — "so we like these trends," Rasulo said.

In addition, Disney said it is more effectively spreading crowds inside its parks, allowing it to squeeze in "thousands" of additional visitors during peak periods such as Christmas and Easter.

The article quotes Disney as saying that the ability for people to get into the parks even on peak days provides a "huge enhancement" of guest experience.   Also, the MyMagic+ system might reduce the number of people going to Universal.  So, the strategy is to keep the parks as crowded as possible, keep people in the parks, and hope people spend more money.  However, when you get too many people going after too few attractions, and park facilities are constantly jammed, the guest experience might not be as enhanced as Disney thinks.