Disney +

[amberwc]

Now that the new streaming is live, do you think we’ll be able to sign in to our accounts on the stateroom TV?

 

[Marc D]

Now that the new streaming is live, do you think we’ll be able to sign in to our accounts on the stateroom TV?

I don’t think so. That would require a solid internet connection, something the ships do not have.

 

[dclpluto]

Even if they did have it,and it was reliable which it wouldn’t be. do you really want to pay the cost of what the internet would cost you?

 

[KT2038]

There is constantly Disney movies showing anyway. It’s like free Disney+

 

[Numtini]

It might lead DCL to add more content to their internal servers, but as others have said, it's not viable to stream, and whatever they have would likely be offered to everyone. And for the most part, maybe they don't have all the seasons of something, but they have enough to keep you busy in the time you spend in your cabin.

 

[BartmanLA]

It's highly doubtful that they'll add it to the ships, not only does it require a dedicated high speed internet connection to the server, but the bandwidth for streaming is so massive DCL wouldn't be able to offer WiFi access or even have internet access for their own business or phone systems on board the ships. Think about it, why would you spend all that time in your stateroom watching tv shows and movies when you're ON a cruise?? DCL would much rather the guests spend as little time out of their staterooms as possible so the crew can clean and refresh them.

 

[sethschroeder]

It's weird they wouldn't have it on the ships. People are missing Disney owns all the IP and the service. They could have skinned a new local network OS and downloaded the movies/shows that would release during the cruise.

Disney does a pretty good job marketing but I think that is a missed opportunity.

Call it Disney + presented by DCL or some such.

 

[Numtini]

It's weird they wouldn't have it on the ships. People are missing Disney owns all the IP and the service. They could have skinned a new local network OS and downloaded the movies/shows that would release during the cruise.

That's pretty much what they have in their current VOD system.

 

[sethschroeder]

That's pretty much what they have in their current VOD system.

Which is why its perplexing that they don't take it the extra step. Skin it as Disney Plus and add the movies/shows/originals to the catalog as they are to be released.

Think about the value add if you got to the watch the new Star Wars or High School Musical episode up to 6 days early on Disney Cruises? They could also just hold content back until the normal go live date as well.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Which is why its perplexing that they don't take it the extra step. Skin it as Disney Plus and add the movies/shows/originals to the catalog as they are to be released.

More content requires more storage. More storage requires additional network equipment. More content being watched means more network bandwidth to handle. It's just not something they are likely to want to put money into, at least on the older ships. It is certainly something they can look at for the new ships as they won't require retrofitting to get the extra gear in.

More people in their staterooms watching tv means more disruptions in Mousekeeping. It also means people aren't out and about on the ship spending more money.

 

[sethschroeder]

More content requires more storage. More storage requires additional network equipment. More content being watched means more network bandwidth to handle. It's just not something they are likely to want to put money into, at least on the older ships. It is certainly something they can look at for the new ships as they won't require retrofitting to get the extra gear in.

More people in their staterooms watching tv means more disruptions in Mousekeeping. It also means people aren't out and about on the ship spending more money.

Except they would need the network bandwidth for the current setup regardless. People watching more does not impact the max bandwidth need that the ship would have been designed with. That would be a serious flaw if they didn't design the ships to be ready for peak usage.

As far as storage requirements both in terms of data and physical size it is actually shrinking from when the ships would have been built. Especially since they don't need the more data intensive 4k/hdr support on the ships in addition to smaller file sizes since they would have a dedicated bitrate/resolution.

As far as spending money on a ship do you think having some Disney+ content is going to stop that? People as you said already have access to movies and such on the TV. This is simply a marketing strategy to further gain additional subscribers. Whats the difference between the current setup of videos on demand? What we are talking about here is minimal additional content and pushing sales of Disney+ which is Disney's number 1 thing right now.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Except they would need the network bandwidth for the current setup regardless. People watching more does not impact the max bandwidth need that the ship would have been designed with. That would be a serious flaw if they didn't design the ships to be ready for peak usage.

People watching more does not impact the peak bandwidth the ship was equipped for. But if DCL planned for X bandwidth and are suddenly having spikes of Y or Z, that is an issue. Further, what happens if 200 staterooms decide to watch the premier of a new episode of something? Netflix can handle that due to their massive server capability.

As far as storage requirements both in terms of data and physical size it is actually shrinking from when the ships would have been built. Especially since they don't need the more data intensive 4k/hdr support on the ships in addition to smaller file sizes since they would have a dedicated bitrate/resolution.

HD video, especially a library the size of Disney+, will still take a LOT of server space. You can get denser drives but it is a trade-off between storage size and price.

As I said in the other thread (I think), they can offer a small library of the D+ content but not all of it.

 

[squirk]

The idea of re-skinning the TV interface to mirror that of Disney+ is an interesting idea. Maybe not something they wanted to invest resources in until they knew the service launched successfully?

Imagine if they spent the money and labor hours to do that in advance, and then the service bombed (for whatever reason).

What I’d really like to know is: Are they showing “The Mandalorian” in the theaters on the ships?

 

[sethschroeder]

Further, what happens if 200 staterooms decide to watch the premier of a new episode of something?

Netflix can have a peak usage over their subscriber count based on password sharing, family allotment of logins, new sign-ups, and large scale streaming services not having capacity for peak usage.

On a ship with like 1000 staterooms that is something that would be planned for likely already. I would be shocked if they can't already handle every single device streaming that is hooked up. Same with WDW hotels that are getting the new streaming TVs.

HD video, especially a library the size of Disney+, will still take a LOT of server space. You can get denser drives but it is a trade-off between storage size and price.

Here is the thing because of dedicated viewing locations and control end to end they can encrypt in a different format.

I could see the cost of these server upgrades coming from both the DCL and Disney+ Marekting budgets.

There could be a deal to sign up for 3 years on the ship right from your TV as well which would be charged to the stateroom.

I think you are getting caught up too much on the tech side. Most problems are easily solvable but without knowing the tech side Disney has in place or would switch to there is no way to even estimate cost really. If they couldnt get budget for upgraded NAS they could also do Disney Plus trials with just the last OG releases of each series and an overlay pushing people to sign up when at home.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

I think you are getting caught up too much on the tech side. Most problems are easily solvable but without knowing the tech side Disney has in place or would switch to there is no way to even estimate cost really. If they couldnt get budget for upgraded NAS they could also do Disney Plus trials with just the last OG releases of each series and an overlay pushing people to sign up when at home.

I think you are getting caught up too much in dismissing the tech side. It's not always an easy and quickly dismissable issue. I have already conceded they could offer limited content. We are just going to have to agree to disagree because this discussion is going nowhere.

 

[phinz]

That's pretty much what they have in their current VOD system.

Unless it has changed in the last year, they actually neutered their VOD system with the last update. They took away a *lot* of the movies that were available on demand. I remember watching vintage stuff like Apple Dumpling Gang and the original Pete's Dragon on the first couple of Fantasy cruises, but after her dry dock those same movies were nowhere to be found, leaving only the more recent stuff. Their VOD system was sadly a shadow of its former self.

 

[Lynne M]

With tech, it’s often not a matter of “can we do it,” but “is it worth the cost to do it.” I’m sure it’s technically feasible to put Disney+ on the ships, even the older ones. How much it will cost, and whether they’ll get a return on investment that justifies the cost - that’s the issue.

 

[sethschroeder]

I think you are getting caught up too much in dismissing the tech side.

Let's just say I have a background in "tech stuff" and know people who do as well that weird enough deal with another line.

With tech, it’s often not a matter of “can we do it,” but “is it worth the cost to do it.” I’m sure it’s technically feasible to put Disney+ on the ships, even the older ones. How much it will cost, and whether they’ll get a return on investment that justifies the cost - that’s the issue.

100%, I am shooting for the moon because this is a forum and not an office meeting where we have all the facts. I guess my point is that even if it was extremely paired down I am surprised they didn't launch something Disney+ branded for the infotainment centers in each room.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I agree. They should revamp the menu to mirror the Disney + menu and then they should offer limited content, along with a promotion to sign up for a discount. Sort of like a taste of Disney +. Once the system is more mature, and they have their client base, they could then maybe take requests of what people want available via their Disney + account.

 

[Sleepyluke]

As a non tech guy, I think most of you are living in Fantasyland thinking they could/would/should put Disney + at sea. The real solution would be to house the entire library in a server on the ship, without the need for the very expensive streaming internet (even to Disney, relatively). You do realize these are the same people that can not seem to keep a website running on opening day and they have all that tech land based where they can control it!