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News Disney will be ending complimentary MagicBand distribution to Disney Resort hotel guests and moving to smart devices
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
M:SpilotISTC12
Well-Known Member
Somewhere in Burbank California, Bob Cheap-ek is rubbing his bald head in glee at the expiration of something free.
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
For the folks spending the big bucks to stay at a WDW resort magic bands should be included!
This is just more penny wise and dollar foolish decisions by Disney. That said, no matter what TWDC does, the stock price stays high, it’s at $181 at this moment...
Well at least things are starting to get back to normal
This is just more penny wise and dollar foolish decisions by Disney. That said, no matter what TWDC does, the stock price stays high, it’s at $181 at this moment...
Well at least things are starting to get back to normal
Would be interesting to know the numbers. By January 2015, Disney had distributed more than 10 million MagicBands to guests. How many in the following 5 years.
John park hopper
Well-Known Member
It would make PR sense if Disney kept magic bands and for all those people with magic bands sitting in a draw have a program to recycle and you get a magic band as a free replacement. Promote recycling and saving the environment, I would think they could replace the battery and reprogram and use again. Remember the big PR deal with plastic straws replaced with paper. I have several MB in my closet.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Why wouldn't the cards work the same? Not a problem putting a RFID antenna in a card
M:SpilotISTC12
Well-Known Member
Oh I'm sure its an obscene amount but I think they could have found a happy medium. Give them to first time park goers which seems to be Disney main target audience anyway. Or give them to people to haven't gone since Magicband 1.0. They didn't need to give them to everyone for every trip if they already had one. They track everything we do any way so why not track how many magic bands you have and cut you off like a bartender. It doesn't have to be all or none.
well the cards may work - but what if you just use your phone? (Although I guess you'll still need the card or band to get into the parks)
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
The readers are RFID, your phone does not react to being "pinged" by the reader
castlecake2.0
Well-Known Member
While it’s definitely a cost reduction, it’s also part of commitment to trying to reduce the amount of waste the property creates. It would have been better if it was a seamless transition to smart device capability because now there is this weird gap in service.
I believe the cards only hold a passive RFID that requires very close proximity to the reader (like tapping upon park entry or at a Fastpass reader). The distance involved in the automatic on-ride photopass capability requires a powered RFID solution, i.e. a battery, which the magicbands contain. This is why folks have reported that even the oldest gen 1 magicbands will still work to get you into the park and function with the FastPass readers, but may not work for on-ride Photopass, since their batteries may have died.
Putting a battery in a card, while not impossible, would make them much thicker than a simple card.
giantgolfer
Well-Known Member
We have an enormous Mickey head frame on our wall in the family room that has all the magic bands we’ve used in our trips over the years. There’s no way we’re going to stop using magic bands. We need to fill up that frame! It’s just unfortunate that we’ll have to pay for them from no on.
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
I would love it if we could replace the battery to get full use of it for years. How hard would that have been?
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
See, I have a different thought on this, the Magic band is so convenient; it’s right there on your wrist, its waterproof, etc. I was hoping in the future it could be loaded with money like a gift card. Any time I don’t have to reach into my pocket to get something out of my wallet is a plus. This also goes for my phone.
Picture this. You have just finished your fun day at WDW, your hands are full with all the cool stuff you got at the park plus some treats to bring back to your room.
Using the magic band with your arms full, you can still get the door open. If you are using your phone or a card now you must fish it out of your pocket. In the case of the phone I wonder how may cracked screens will happen as a result of dropping your phone trying to get your phone out with your arms full to open the door.
That said, it looks like you will still be able to BUY magic bands, they just won’t be free any more. Disney wins again.
John park hopper
Well-Known Member
Tried one time to take a MB apart to get to the battery ---got to the battery and would be able to replace it but you can't put the MB back together. If they just made an access panel it would be so simple
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
If they made an access panel they couldn't give them to kids. Choking/battery hazzard
Probably, not. On a recent trip, after having reservations at Kona Cafe for breakfast for months, I wasn't able to check in unless I did it on the mobile app. My phone was requiring me to change a bunch of settings for it to work and i wasn't going to do it. I was INFURIATED at the CM with the huge smile her face basically telling me to bite it.
I dont use a MB. I use my card. There is no new to take it out of my wallet. I just tap my wallet to the ball.
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