Dear Mr. Iger:

I know you have a lot on your mind but my family of 10 just spent a week in Orlando, mostly at Disney World, and I have a request for you. Give the 58 million or so annual visitors to Disney World a break and make their lives a little easier. Follow my advice and you can do it. Here is my plan.

Currently, a family anticipating a Disney World experience needs to prepare as if they were the Allies planning the D-Day invasion. Beginning days or weeks in advance of the visit the family needs to study all the websites and social media pages catering to Disney to figure out which rides are age-appropriate, which attractions are attracting the most heat, how long the lines will be at any time of day, and where the food stands are. Then on the big day they struggle with the Disney app to order Genie+ passes and Lightning Lane entrances, with the prices of each of those adding on to the already high cost of admission.

And despite all this preparation, the lines are long, the food is bad, and the kids just want to go back to the hotel for a swim.

Why?

Bob, artificial intelligence is here. It’s the new frontier and with your team of Imagineers (is that what they still call Disney engineers?) you must harness it to make every day at the park the happiest day on Earth

What I want from you is Disney Daze, a free phone app that merges the wonderful attractions of your feature theme park with the savvy abilities of AI, making every moment the best moment it can be. Think of it as Waze for Walt.

Here’s what I have in mind. When each group of Disney fans buys their admission tickets they get Daze downloaded to their phones. One member of the group enters the ages and preferences of everyone in the group, the time they plan to arrive and leave, and lunch or dinner food preferences.

And then the magic begins. Daze creates a schedule for the day–and integrates it with schedules for every visitor in the park. By meshing the desires and the whereabouts of all guests, the crafty neural network will streamline everyone’s day. Shorter lines for everyone, without the added expense of Genie+ or Lightning Lanes.

And like any travel app, as conditions change Daze adjusts for you all day long. The rockets in Space Mountain crashed five minutes before you were scheduled to blast off? No worries, the app automatically redirects you to a ride, to a show, or to a parade on your preference list. You and your family barely lose a step

As for meals, Bob, here is how things are going to change. I know you can order your meals on the current Disney app, but first, you have to pick a restaurant and research the menu. It’s a pain when Lisa wants a hot dog and Lola wants pizza. With Daze directing things, all your restaurants will have the same items. Just enter into the app the time at which you want to eat and she will direct you to the restaurant most convenient for your park journey and pre-order your food. You get there and it’s wham, bam, here’s your burger, ma’am.

Bob–you can do this. I realize you will lose some revenue doing away with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, but more effectively moving people through the park should allow you to increase capacity and at least break even. I am sure you and your financial gurus will figure it out.

Bring Daze to life, and my family will be the first in (the new short) line to give her a try.

With best regards and high hopes,

Les

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