News Disney Ends $10 MagicBand Discount for Annual Passholders and Resort Hotel Guests

[doctornick]

As someone who really hates taking out a phone at the parks, I liked the MB. However, given that you are almost required to take your phone out at this point anyways (LL, etc.), I guess it doesn't matter.

I still find the MB very useful. It's just easily accessible and tapping is so simple as opposed to taking out the phone, opening the app, etc. They are great for kids to have room access and use them to charge if you allow. They make going to the pool (or water park) so much easier. I envision continuing to use them until/unless they stop being functional.

We haven't purchased LLs on recent trips so I don't think we've really used our phones that much.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I still find the MB very useful. It's just easily accessible and tapping is so simple as opposed to taking out the phone, opening the app, etc. They are great for kids to have room access and use them to charge if you allow. They make going to the pool (or water park) so much easier. I envision continuing to use them until/unless they stop being functional.

We haven't purchased LLs on recent trips so I don't think we've really used our phones that much.

We still find the MBs useful also, they really do simplify a trip, we used them our last DCL trip and they really simplified that also, we’re still using ones we bought a couple years ago though, even with the $10 discount they are obscenely overpriced for what they do and there’s no way we could justify buying new ones.

What’s really sad is we just did our first Princess cruise and their medallion tech absolutely humiliates the MB tech, it’s smaller, lighter, more convenient, and works far far better… and it’s free (included).

Disney tech is a decade behind the competition and charging $50 for what the others include for free with purchase, just another example of how far their customer service has fallen.

 

[KDM31091]

I prefer the band to using my phone. Sometimes it’s nice disconnecting and not being on the phone. That said mb+ are way too pricey.

 

[doctornick]

We still find the MBs useful also, they really do simplify a trip, we used them our last DCL trip and they really simplified that also, we’re still using ones we bought a couple years ago though, even with the $10 discount they are obscenely overpriced for what they do and there’s no way we could justify buying new ones.

What’s really sad is we just did our first Princess cruise and their medallion tech absolutely humiliates the MB tech, it’s smaller, lighter, more convenient, and works far far better… and it’s free (included).

Disney tech is a decade behind the competition and charging $50 for what the others include for free with purchase, just another example of how far their customer service has fallen.

Yes. Having free (plain) bands coming with a resort reservation was a good value add. I don't think they need to be shipped out (or they can even have that as an option for a fee) but just having them at check in would be good. And if you want to have upcharges for "special" bands, that doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

But it absolutely should be something that should be included with stays and is a great example of harmful nickel and diming of customers.

 

[UNCgolf]

I’m kind of surprised they haven’t monetized transportation already, a small fee to board the buses, boats, and monorails would generate tons of money. Start with $1 a person, not a high amount, then raise it to $2, then $3… in no time it’s $25 a person to get to the parks from your hotel/car and another $25 to return to it… could be an easy $200 a day in extra cash from every family of 4, I’m not sure how they missed such an obvious nickel and dime money generator…

I don't think it's feasible logistically -- having to check to make sure every single person boarding a bus, Skyliner, etc. had paid would slow down the service so much that the combination of cost/slowness would probably then prevent people from purchasing. It would also probably be a hit to Disney Springs.

It certainly wouldn't surprise me if they investigated it, but think it would end up hurting business overall instead of adding revenue.

 

[Bullseye1967]

I don't think it's feasible logistically -- having to check to make sure every single person boarding a bus, Skyliner, etc. had paid would slow down the service so much that the combination of cost/slowness would probably then prevent people from purchasing. It would also probably be a hit to Disney Springs.

It certainly wouldn't surprise me if they investigated it, but think it would end up hurting business overall instead of adding revenue.

I fully agree. The impact of this would be enormous. Free transportation by bus to DS is in the contracts to the venues there. They (the businesses) pay for the water transport from the resorts and Disney pays for the buses. I read the standard contract through years ago and I believe the terms of transport just repeat, whereas other things could change from contract to contract.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I don't think it's feasible logistically -- having to check to make sure every single person boarding a bus, Skyliner, etc. had paid would slow down the service so much that the combination of cost/slowness would probably then prevent people from purchasing. It would also probably be a hit to Disney Springs.

It certainly wouldn't surprise me if they investigated it, but think it would end up hurting business overall instead of adding revenue.

My post was sarcasm… it wouldn’t surprise me if nickel and dime Disney actually did something this insane though… as long as it would result in more short term revenue I think Disney would happily sacrifice a large % of their long term guests to prop up the quarterly reports.

Declining attendance and corporate image will be the next CEO/boards problem, Iger just needs to prop up the books for a few more quarters and he can sail off into the sunset.

I actually feel kind of bad for the next CEO, as bad as you can for someone who’s going to make tens of millions for being a fall guy anyway, they’re going to be put in the exact same situation as Chapek, they are going to have to make incredibly unpopular decisions just to keep the company afloat and undo a decade of brand damage. The fans are probably going to hate their decisions and the shareholders will probably hate them also, whoever gets the position is being set up for failure.

 

[larryz]

having to check to make sure every single person boarding a bus, Skyliner, etc. had paid would slow down the service so much that the combination of cost/slowness would probably then prevent people from purchasing

gosh, I wonder how all those municipal bus systems manage to operate by somehow checking to make sure everyone on board has paid...

 

[KDM31091]

Please don't give the any ideas. The lines for transport are already nightmarish at the wrong times. If they had to ensure every guest had paid it would be a logistical nightmare. We were just recently watching a video of someone at Disney Springs who then took the free and pleasant boat ride to Port Orleans. It's one of the few free things left at Disney. My partner mentioned he is shocked they haven't monetized the boats/Skyliner/etc. I think (hope) it's just not possible given the volume.

But if they did monetize all of that, I think it would hurt more than it helped in the long run. Locals would no longer do things on a whim like ride the boat to a resort to eat, etc.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I'm slightly inclined to think this is just WDW's way of phasing out MB. They were neat when they were new, but I imagine most visitors no longer buy them. Most parkgoers have them from a prior visit, use a KTTW card, or use a phone.

 

[UNCgolf]

gosh, I wonder how all those municipal bus systems manage to operate by somehow checking to make sure everyone on board has paid...

This misses the point.

Municipal bus services generally have a handful of people boarding at any given time because they make many stops. Disney buses are A to B (well, most are) and often have 30+ people boarding at once. Also, while Disney bus service isn't always the most reliable, it's generally far more reliable than municipal buses.

If the service suddenly took 2-3x longer than it takes now, would people even be willing to pay for it?

It's not that it's impossible for Disney to do it; of course they could. But it would likely be a stupid business decision, which is also probably why they haven't. It makes a lot more sense to keep it as a "free" service and just increase hotel and ticket prices to make up for it.

 

[Splash4eva]

The selection of bands eligible for the discount was always extremely limited. Sometimes it felt like a reject pile. Still, the optics and feel of another perk being removed is almost worse than the monetary loss.

Exactly. In recent years the options were far from enticing smart business would have just kept reducing items or adding items that just dont sell giving the illusion of a “discount” nope. Lets remove a “discount” and have some more bad optics.

 

[CoastalElite64]

And the circle finally comes all the way 'round.

That's how it used to be.

Interesting, I didn't know that. All businesses are looking at cost cutting these days, so its possible.

I think that will be the first step to eliminating free transportation completely. Disney has mastered incremental decreases so the nickel and diming isn’t quite so obvious to the average guest.

If they were to do it I think busses would remain free. But the monorail, boats, and skyliner could be a different story.

 

[larryz]

This misses the point.

Municipal bus services generally have a handful of people boarding at any given time because they make many stops. Disney buses are A to B (well, most are) and often have 30+ people boarding at once. Also, while Disney bus service isn't always the most reliable, it's generally far more reliable than municipal buses.

If the service suddenly took 2-3x longer than it takes now, would people even be willing to pay for it?

It's not that it's impossible for Disney to do it; of course they could. But it would likely be a stupid business decision, which is also probably why they haven't. It makes a lot more sense to keep it as a "free" service and just increase hotel and ticket prices to make up for it.

In the past it took maybe a tenth of a second for a driver to glance at a resort ID card.

It wouldn't take 2-3X longer to board busses if people had to show a card or phone screen.

Pinging RFID, on the other hand, would eat some time. That's why I think they'd go back to charging so much per ticket to prepay for transportation services.

True, they'd get no fares for people just riding the busses all day, but in reality, who does that?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm slightly inclined to think this is just WDW's way of phasing out MB. They were neat when they were new, but I imagine most visitors no longer buy them. Most parkgoers have them from a prior visit, use a KTTW card, or use a phone.

definitely could be that - or at a minimum they aren't something that entices people or that they associate with staying on property like they used to ... their role/position has changed and this offer wasn't motivating people to stay on property or to even buy a MB as part of their stay

I think it is an example of Disney missing how these offers/perks - even for individuals that don't advantage of them directly - still mentally increased the value of staying on property

 

[UNCgolf]

In the past it took maybe a tenth of a second for a driver to glance at a resort ID card.

It wouldn't take 2-3X longer to board busses if people had to show a card or phone screen.

Pinging RFID, on the other hand, would eat some time. That's why I think they'd go back to charging so much per ticket to prepay for transportation services.

True, they'd get no fares for people just riding the busses all day, but in reality, who does that?

I think the slow down would be more from people trying to board without paying, which would likely happen a lot early on due to lack of knowledge/habit/whatever.

You're probably right that after it became standard practice it wouldn't cause significant slowdowns, but I really don't think Disney would do it.

It's just so much easier to increase hotel/ticket prices while offering "free" transportation and not have to deal with the backlash over charging for it.

 

[mattpeto]

I think the slow down would be more from people trying to board without paying, which would likely happen a lot early on due to lack of knowledge/habit/whatever.

You're probably right that after it became standard practice it wouldn't cause significant slowdowns, but I really don't think Disney would do it.

It's just so much easier to increase hotel/ticket prices while offering "free" transportation and not have to deal with the backlash over charging for it.

People are going down a rabbit hole a bit on the topic honestly.

I think if they wanted to do this, they would have done it by now.

 

[UNCgolf]

People are going down a rabbit hole a bit on the topic honestly.

I think if they wanted to do this, they would have done it by now.

It definitely feels like something that would have happened in the Chapek era if it was going to happen, like charging an additional fee for parking at resorts.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I think it is an example of Disney missing how these offers/perks - even for individuals that don't advantage of them directly - still mentally increased the value of staying on property

While I mostly agree, I also have a pile of old bands. I've kept them, but all that plastic now seems a bit wasteful.

And that's just my stack. How many thousands of Mbands are sitting in landfills?

There is a positive aspect to phasing them out.

We might see a new option in the future that does more fun stuff, costs less, and uses less plastic.

 

[dmc493]

While I mostly agree, I also have a pile of old bands. I've kept them, but all that plastic now seems a bit wasteful.

And that's just my stack. How many thousands of Mbands are sitting in landfills?

There is a positive aspect to phasing them out.

We might see a new option in the future that does more fun stuff, costs less, and uses less plastic.

But for now my mother in law just bought 10 for a big family trip next year because she felt she had to. And even more unfortunate she had no idea that the discount had been taken away