I thought this was an interesting article. Navigating Disney parks has become so tech-heavy that some older people (and some not-so-older-people) simply cannot do it. Even down to ordering food.

Is Disney Pushing Out Guests in Their Golden Years with Tech-Heavy Experiences?

www.wdwinfo.com/disneylandcalifornia/is-disney-pushing-out-guests-in-their-golden-years-with-tech-heavy-experiences/

Excerpts:

For years now, we have been able to schedule everything from our FastPasses to our Advanced Dining Reservations from our phones. However, there was always a secondary method of obtaining what we needed using the Disney Custom Service phone number or booking through a travel agent to make these arrangements for us. As we move closer to a world where virtual queuing becomes the new norm, and the onus is on the individual to be ready, willing, and able to electronically jump when needed, are we excluding a generation of Disney guests that can't -- or simply shouldn't have to -- keep up as their only option to enjoy new experiences?

When my parents and grandparents first walked the pavement of Main Street U.S.A., I don't think they ever envisaged a world where you would need to fight for a virtual lottery in the first moments of dawn to enjoy an attraction. I can only imagine that they also never considered a scenario where you could order quick-service food (at times, exclusively) from a small handheld device with the good old days of standing in line and making a verbal order being stamped out.

I understand that, as a society, we are constantly striving forward toward the continuously narrowing goal of convenience dressed up in the name of efficiency. Still, when it comes at the expense of human interaction and fairness for all, we have to take a step back and rethink our priorities. I strongly dislike the idea that we are increasingly excluding a percentage of long-time Disney lovers from the immediate future in some aspects of Disney. To me, it seems to defeat the intention on which Disneyland itself was built.

More and more, I am encountering stories of senior guests, and some of younger ones, that can't stay on top of the technology with little assistance able to be offered by cast members. It makes me wonder if the trajectory we are on directly contradicts what Disneyland was founded upon. Walt may have had the dream, but it was our grandparents and parents that kept it alive, teaching many of us the concept of a family vacation based on the principle of having inclusive fun as a whole, not only as spectators to your children's enjoyment. Are we leaving them, along with that ideology, behind?

Food for thought :)

The world has changed, become very high tech and more and more every year so it seems.
I know many seniors (older than I) who have a hard time coping with today's technology.  I feel for them.
Personally I got rid of my phone years ago, got tired of people phoning me everywhere I was. I like my privacy and  just got rid of it. Don't want the hassle of people contacting me anywhere. Don't want to be a slave to any technology.  If you want me, leave a message on my landline phone or send me an email. 
I have never sent a text message, I have never downloaded an app to a phone, and I don't really want to either. 

Not just Disney, but everything. Years ago I would go into my bank and try to get a copy of my credit report. They say we don’t do that anymore, go online. Fast food is probably headed that way too, and I think it exists overseas, where it all runs without people. I don’t know if it’s an old person thing, I know plenty of old folks who are phone and web savvy. I used to be good 20 years ago, but nowadays I’m lost. Partly because I never had high speed internet until just months ago. So I learned to not care or it would have driven me crazy. Then I learned to prefer my old school ways.

Food for thought :)

The world has changed, become very high tech and more and more every year so it seems.
I know many seniors (older than I) who have a hard time coping with today's technology.  I feel for them.
Personally I got rid of my phone years ago, got tired of people phoning me everywhere I was. I like my privacy and  just got rid of it. Don't want the hassle of people contacting me anywhere. Don't want to be a slave to any technology.  If you want me, leave a message on my landline phone or send me an email. 
I have never sent a text message, I have never downloaded an app to a phone, and I don't really want to either.


Once in an interview, Keith Richards was asked why he didn't have a cell phone. He replied "I don't want to be found, mate".  ;)

Once in an interview, Keith Richards was asked why he didn't have a cell phone. He replied "I don't want to be found, mate".  ;)


https://www.southbayriders.com/forums/attachments/550654/

https://www.southbayriders.com/forums/attachments/550654/


;D  ;D    ;D

Once in an interview, Keith Richards was asked why he didn't have a cell phone. He replied "I don't want to be found, mate".  ;)


I used to say the same thing, minus mate. The people who had cell phones always seemed overwhelmed because they were expected to be available 24/7. I never wanted that. I was given one for Father’s Day 2007 I think. A little brick about the size of a Hot Wheels car that I used forever. Mainly for emergencies. Same reason I don’t do Facebook or whatever. If I want someone to know about what I’m doing or have done, I’ll tell them.

I used to say the same thing, minus mate. The people who had cell phones always seemed overwhelmed because they were expected to be available 24/7. I never wanted that. I was given one for Father’s Day 2007 I think. A little brick about the size of a Hot Wheels car that I used forever. Mainly for emergencies. Same reason I don’t do Facebook or whatever. If I want someone to know about what I’m doing or have done, I’ll tell them.


The strange observation I have about people speaking on cell phones in public is that--almost without exception--they always seem to be arguing with somebody. Nobody appears to be having a pleasant conversation. The only explanation I can think of for this is that sometimes when people argue they raise their voice, so it is easier for innocent bystanders to hear such conversations. The other odd thing I frequently see is people holding the phone to their ear for unnaturally long stretches, without ever saying anything. Either there is an incredibly long-winded person on the other end, or there is nobody at all. I'd be tempted to say maybe they are listening to a recording, but in this day and age we are required to talk back to recordings on the phone.

Personally I got rid of my phone years ago, got tired of people phoning me everywhere I was. I like my privacy and  just got rid of it. Don't want the hassle of people contacting me anywhere. Don't want to be a slave to any technology.  If you want me, leave a message on my landline phone or send me an email. 
I have never sent a text message, I have never downloaded an app to a phone, and I don't really want to either.

I do have a smartphone and wouldn't want to go back to no phone or a dumb phone. I didn't get a smartphone until about 3 years ago because my trusty old Nokia would still work. But now I'm glad I have one. You see a phone is a tool. You have to know how to use it for it to be useful to you. You don't like people calling you? Don't give them your number.  I get rarely called because only a few people have my number but I can always make calls on the go. Your Whats App group keeps spamming messages? Mute it and look up what's going on when you feel like it (or leave the group). With the phone I always have a camera with me, can always access the internet in case I need information while being away from my computer, always have a navigation system with me (one of the biggest benefits for me), have a flash light, an MP3 player and a radio. The list goes on. It's a super useful tool to me.
You see, it's not the device that is bad. It's how people use it.  ;)

I didn’t want to derail this thread when you first posted it but I see it has now happened anyway.

It is not just Disney where this is happening. I think the pandemic has accelerated it in some places with the promise of contact free ticketing etc. For example, we are going to a cricket match next week. I had to download an app to get the tickets. We could buy them online, but they would only send them out to the app.

A few weeks ago we were trying to get into a small university run museum. We had to pre-book tickets via their website. I managed to access it on my phone, but we couldn’t get it to work. In the end my son went in and explained the problem and we were allowed in. My daughter said that another museum in town has an iPad on a table and a member of staff helping people book their entry tickets.

Our bank has had a refurb and has somehow gone to a digital branch. No clue what this means, as I haven’t been inside yet. My dad felt it meant he should switch to online banking because there would be no point going to the branch if they were just going to sit you down at a computer anyway.