News Disney MagicMobile Service coming soon beginning with Apple devices

[Jon81uk]

I used something similar at Disneyland's FP touch points with my phone in 2019, and I have to say, I had a bit of trouble using it. Hopefully the tech has improved since then and hopefully Magic Bands will still be available.

Disneyland still uses barcodes for their ticket media, both with digital tickets in the app and paper tickets.
WDW switched to NFC/RFID ticketing when MyMagic came in. So the technology won’t have “improved” as WDW has been using different technology for the last seven years anyway.

the NFC/RFID at WDW should be more reliable of course as the barcodes relay on a camera/scanner reading the barcode so glare on the screen or poorly printed paper tickets make for problems.

 

[harryk]

Disney MagicMobile Service coming soon to Walt Disney World beginning with Apple devices

MagicBand-type capabilities will debut first on iPhone and Apple Watch.

www.wdwmagic.com

Don't like, want to keep 'free' magic band. Fixing something that does not need fixing.

 

[Virtual Toad]

Disneyland still uses barcodes for their ticket media, both with digital tickets in the app and paper tickets.
WDW switched to NFC/RFID ticketing when MyMagic came in. So the technology won’t have “improved” as WDW has been using different technology for the last seven years anyway.

the NFC/RFID at WDW should be more reliable of course as the barcodes relay on a camera/scanner reading the barcode so glare on the screen or poorly printed paper tickets make for problems.

That's an important observation and explains why using the phone at DL was a bit cumbersome. Thanks for the insight. Hopefully WDWs system is a bit more user friendly.

Still concerned about the over-reliance on phones however, especially for mobile ordering. Hoping that a company which used to use the words "legendary service" in its advertisements does not devolve into the entertainment equivalent of a self-service gas station. Mobile ordering will undoubtedly save the company a ton on labor costs, but at what cost to the brand?

 

[chrisirmo]

Don't like, want to keep 'free' magic band. Fixing something that does not need fixing.

You're entitled to your opinion, but as an Apple Watch wearer, I've wanted this for a while. It never made sense to me why I needed to wear a separate bracelet when I already had an NFC chip on my wrist. The Express Mode they're using is used by lots of public transit agencies, so it's a tried and true technology just being put to use in a slightly different way.

 

[harryk]

I don't want to pay for another magic band when they came free with the reservation. I'm talking about charging for something that was included with reservations. You can use the technology you want, I have no problem with it.

 

[Horizons '83]

I don't want to pay for another magic band when they came free with the reservation. I'm talking about charging for something that was included with reservations. You can use the technology you want, I have no problem with it.

Can't you just reuse your magicbands you already have? They aren't eliminating magicbands, just adding another option.

 

[Jon81uk]

That's an important observation and explains why using the phone at DL was a bit cumbersome. Thanks for the insight. Hopefully WDWs system is a bit more user friendly.

Still concerned about the over-reliance on phones however, especially for mobile ordering. Hoping that a company which used to use the words "legendary service" in its advertisements does not devolve into the entertainment equivalent of a self-service gas station. Mobile ordering will undoubtedly save the company a ton on labor costs, but at what cost to the brand?

the WDW system of using a “card” in Apple wallet will feel exactly the same as using a physical KTTW card really.

Mobile Ordering is voluntary, you can still walk up to the cashier to place an order. For some people the ability to not have to wait in line for a cashier is enhancing the brand. Even with every register open some quick service places still got long lines, so being able to bypass them is a good thing.

 

[jeanericuser001]

Ahh so Disney is finally gonna use the same system as Busch Gardens and Sea World. Nice. It will be a nice way to simply sign in with my phone instead of relying on a band or card. I just hope they dont tie this too close to data connections as phone reception can get quite horrible in the parks at times. That would suck trying to use your disney card on your phone but you can't get the app to work without a data connection.

 

[donsullivan]

That's an important observation and explains why using the phone at DL was a bit cumbersome. Thanks for the insight. Hopefully WDWs system is a bit more user friendly.

Still concerned about the over-reliance on phones however, especially for mobile ordering. Hoping that a company which used to use the words "legendary service" in its advertisements does not devolve into the entertainment equivalent of a self-service gas station. Mobile ordering will undoubtedly save the company a ton on labor costs, but at what cost to the brand?

The reality is, things like Mobile Order and the upcoming MagicMobile are here to stay and we should all expect that sort of thing to expand. I was visiting with a friend two weeks ago and he decided to try Mobile Checkout at MouseGear. he scanned the bar code of the item on his phone, paid for it on the phone and grabbed a bag for the item and we were on our way. He never had to wait in a cashier line thus improving that retail experience.

I understand that not everyone wants to make these transitions but it is the way our society as a whole is going. Every place I’ve seen Disney implement these things it’s in addition to the legacy way of doing things so if you prefer that older model you can still do that. But if you are comfortable with the new technology model you can choose that. Having those choices is a positive for everyone.

Customer service isn’t just about direct contact with a cast member, it’s also about giving me the tools to enable me to complete the transaction I want whether it’s purchasing food or merchandise, or entering the park or redeeming a FastPass in the most frictionless way possible. If I can get in and out of MouseGear faster and not wait in a checkout line, that is a great improvement in customer service. If I don’t have to wait in line to order at a Quick Service Restaurant but just walk in when my food is ready, grab the tray and go sit down- that is an improvement in customer service to me.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Ahh so Disney is finally gonna use the same system as Busch Gardens and Sea World. Nice. It will be a nice way to simply sign in with my phone instead of relying on a band or card. I just hope they dont tie this too close to data connections as phone reception can get quite horrible in the parks at times. That would suck trying to use your disney card on your phone but you can't get the app to work without a data connection.

This is not a barcode. It is the same technology as the MagicBand and card, just in your phone.

 

[jeanericuser001]

I wasn't meaning the bar code. I was meaning using an app in your phone to access the park. The scan in technology is different but the concept is the same.

 

[Jon81uk]

Ahh so Disney is finally gonna use the same system as Busch Gardens and Sea World. Nice. It will be a nice way to simply sign in with my phone instead of relying on a band or card. I just hope they dont tie this too close to data connections as phone reception can get quite horrible in the parks at times. That would suck trying to use your disney card on your phone but you can't get the app to work without a data connection.

It doesn’t need a data connection as it’s not in the app. It’s in Apple Wallet, you just tap your phone/watch, same as Apple Pay.
You can turn data off and still use everything in your Apple Wallet.

not sure what system Seaworld use?

 

[harryk]

Can't you just reuse your magicbands you already have? They aren't eliminating magicbands, just adding another option.

The tend to die after a couple of years.

 

[Horizons '83]

The tend to die after a couple of years.

Interesting, none of mine have for years

 

[donsullivan]

The tend to die after a couple of years.

Only the Bluetooth portion that is used for things like On-Ride PhotoPass (since it requires the battery to enable the BlueTooth signal) will die. The RFID portion that is used for admission and FastPass redemption is passive RFID based and does not require the battery to function and should last essentially forever.

 

[larryz]

I would love to be a beta tester for this.

 

[GabeP]

I have a trip upcoming in 2 weeks and would like to do this, but when I go into it from the app, it still says coming soon. Is this being rolled out in certain phases or do I need to be closer to the park?

 

[donsullivan]

I have a trip upcoming in 2 weeks and would like to do this, but when I go into it from the app, it still says coming soon. Is this being rolled out in certain phases or do I need to be closer to the park?

It is not rolling out to the general public yet. They have just started Cast member testing this week and no timeline for general availability has been announced other than ‘later this year’. You should not plan on using it in 2 weeks.

 

[TikibirdLand]

Can't you just reuse your magicbands you already have? They aren't eliminating magicbands, just adding another option.

guessing there won't be a discount for the baked in price of the MB in your ticket. 5 bucks isn't a big deal individually. Apparently, it really adds up for Disney.

 

[MrPromey]

guessing there won't be a discount for the baked in price of the MB in your ticket. 5 bucks isn't a big deal individually. Apparently, it really adds up for Disney.

Something that was costing Disney $1-$2 times millions of guests per year is being eliminated.

In it's place is something that will make Disney $3-$4 in profit times times likely at least hundreds of thousands of guests... Actually it'll work out to more than that in profit because the upsell to fancier bands will be easier since there is no default included anymore and of course, the difference in cost to Disney for those other bands is nearly non-existent.

Since they aren't passing any of that savings on to the guests it's pure profit.

As I've mentioned in the past, if they wanted to be consumer friendly, they would set it up so that the default at the time of reservation would be bands being declined but with the ability to select bands and have them still be included in your price.

That way, mom and dad with their iPhones and Apple watches don't need bands and therefore don't waste them but grandparents and young kids still get the benifit of what was included last year in a standard resort stay, if needed without it now becoming a tacked on fee.