News Disney will be ending complimentary MagicBand distribution to Disney Resort hotel guests and moving to smart devices

[G00fyDad]

It is bizarre that Disney is cutting complimentary MagicBands, the guest-facing cornerstone of their billion dollar MyMagic+ initiative.

It may have a little to do with being shutdown for as long as they have an a revenue stream. Any little bit helps.

 

[Jon81uk]

Except that it isn’t. Apple has explicitly not opened up that functionality outside of the Campus ID use case. I am 100% sure that this is going to be BLE-based at least initially. This is precisely the reason why the second generation Touch Points have BLE support. This has been planned for years.

Who knows what Apple & Disney may have been working on behind the scenes though? Given Apple have opened it up to campus ID it doesn't seem beyond the realms of possibility that they have worked with Disney on a solution.

But yes it probably would make more sense to use Bluetooth as then it works with android as well.

 

[aaronml]

As a follow up note..... this will absolutely be less secure than a KTTW card or MagicBand.

Both KTTW cards and MagicBands leverage contactless smart card technology where the data and encryption/authentication keys are stored in a secure hardware element in the card itself.

With the Seos Mobile Keys SDK, key material is stored in normal memory / persistent storage which means that if your phone is compromised someone could duplicate your “mobile key”. Granted, that is more of a problem with Android than iOS but still.

 

[Jon81uk]

I agree, particularly with the ide of the "Disney difference." There is something that is lost when a young child can no longer tap his "magical bracelet" and get into his room, enter the parks, or check in for a fastpass, and instead has to rely on mom or dad's cell phone. This will be seen as what it is, blatant cost cutting and upcharging.

Going back to pre-MagicBands though that didn't exist either. It was only late 2013 that they started to roll-out, so it will be seven years that they were offered for free. Prior to that personalised Key to the World cards were around at least since 2000 so were around much longer.

 

[Hakunamatata]

As long as my Pal Mickey still works Im ok with it.

 

[Brooklin Disney Dad]

This is super frustrating, albeit not surprising. I had a feeling this would happen at some point after they introduced the mobile key feature.

Problems I can see with this approach:
- People’s phones dying and not being able to enter the park / use an FP+
- People missing out on PhotoPass ride photos that use the long range RFID chip
- People taking longer to enter/scan in the FP+ line due to having to get their KTTW card out of their wallet, etc. (think about how a cashless line at a grocery store usually moves fastest)

I think photopass will end for the time being as well as photographer cast members. Creates bottlenecks and social distancing issues.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Think bigger. NFC or bluetooth.

Think smaller. No bluetooth and no mickey stands. More like what Universal has.

 

[aaronml]

Who knows what Apple & Disney may have been working on behind the scenes though? Given Apple have opened it up to campus ID it doesn't seem beyond the realms of possibility that they have worked with Disney on a solution.

But yes it probably would make more sense to use Bluetooth as then it works with android as well.

Actually Android has had NFC HCE support for a while. BLE support is needed more on the iOS side.

Disney has actually had the option for years to enable NFC Mobile Key support on Android, but has declined to do so. The Seos SDK they are using absolutely supports it.

The Seos Mobile Keys SDK they are using literally doesn’t support NFC on iOS, so don’t expect this to be in Apple Wallet anytime soon.

 

[WondersOfLife]

That is disappointing. MagicBands > cell phones at WDW for several reasons:

• Children without cell phones can use MagicBands.
• MagicBands don't need to be charged.
• MagicBands are all waterproof.
• MagicBands are a tangible reminder of the Disney difference. They remind you that WDW isn't a normal place where you pay with your cell phone or a credit card; rather, there is something fun and "magical" about using a MagicBand to enter rides, pay for meals, or open your room. It might sound silly, but this is part of the reason why people are so sad to take them off at the end of their trip.
• They reduce the need for cell phones. The best times at WDW are when you're free of distraction from the outside world and you can be wholly immersed in the environment. Cell phones—with social media, work emails, etc.—work against that immersion. I think any new plan that encourages guests to use their phones more is a step in the wrong direction.

Children won't need to use anything now.

If you have a full battery at the start of the day and it dies before the end of your day, consider putting your phone down for a couple of hours while enjoying family time, or investing in a newer better phone.

MagicBands will still be available, and the magicband batteries last for 2 years.

Cell phones aren't a distraction if you're only using it for reservations.





Sometimes it's okay to accept change and move with the evolving technology and times.

 

[Mainahman]

Children won't need to use anything now.

If you have a full battery at the start of the day and it dies before the end of your day, consider putting your phone down for a couple of hours while enjoying family time, or investing in a newer better phone.

MagicBands will still be available, and the magicband batteries last for 2 years.

Cell phones aren't a distraction if you're only using it for reservations.





Sometimes it's okay to accept change and move with the evolving technology and times.

We carry an Anker powerbank and some cords for if and when our phones are low. We usually limit kiddos phones, and use my wifes or mine depending on battery life, im a picture taker.

 

[No Name]

or if they're actually backing off the data collection a little.

I’ve never once heard of an instance where they used data from the bands to research and make improvements. Part of me thinks that’s just because our insiders aren’t really friends with people in that department, and part of me thinks that’s because said department is so tiny or straight up doesn’t exist.

If I were in charge I wouldn’t let an ounce of that go to waste.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Not a fan of this change - one less benefit for on property guests. Plus, Disney apps are already notorious battery drains. Having to keep the app running for photopass on rides to work is not going to be good for the battery. Nope, not happy about this.

THIS! Whenever I'm using the app to try and grab fastpasses, it drains my battery. Plus sometimes I just don't want to take my cell phone out. I like the convenience of magicbands.

 

[Notes from Neverland]

Seems like this will cause things to move even slower for FastPass+ and payment kiosks while people fumble with their phones.

We'll still be using/buying MagicBands as it helps a lot in disconnecting from the real world.

 

[easyrowrdw]

My magic bands from 5 years ago still work perfectly with almost weekly heavy use in the parks. That said, batteries are a crapshoot, even getting the "same" one from a manufacturer could have wild differences as they often use multiple different sources or factories to get their product.

Yeah. My understanding is that the batteries are only needed for a few functions (e.g., automatic linking on-ride photos). Stuff like scanning into the parks, fastpass scanning, and payments don't need the battery.

We don't do ride photos so I imagine we'll be fine just reusing our old bands in perpetuity. I know everyone's different, though.

 

[ShookieJones]

Perfect time to switch to the Disneyland's MaxPass \ FastPass system.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Maybe I missed it, but has it been said what the "discounted" price will be for the solid color bands rather used to be free?

 

[Touchdown]

So now I have to have my Bluetooth on and not have my phone in battery saver in order to get photopass? I think this is going to go over like a lead balloon.

 

[MrPromey]

I’ve never once heard of an instance where they used data from the bands to research and make improvements. Part of me thinks that’s just because our insiders aren’t really friends with people in that department, and part of me thinks that’s because said department is so tiny or straight up doesn’t exist.

If I were in charge I wouldn’t let an ounce of that go to waste.

We were sold the idea that they'd use them to improve guest experiences - things like pop-up meet-and-greets to handle crowded areas of the park and other such things. My assumption was that it was more likely used to figure out where to have merchandise/food carts open and where they could reduce staffing during certain times, etc. - not necessarily things that would improve guest experiences but things that might be saving/making them money.

Would be interesting if they were effectively getting no benefit for anyone at all from the bands in this regard.

 

[icc2515]

I guess the whole multi billion dollar program that Disney had to develop is getting flushed and this is step 1. I thought that there were 2 main selling points to the Disney Company. One being the ability to track people which you have control of on your phone. And the other being the payment option which I assume was to help with the swipe fees and people not being able to track their spending as easily. The other items were just ancillary. With regards to the phone I don't think that they will make you tape the phone or watch I think it will more like DL where you scan a barcode. Works very well at DL.

I think next they will eliminate Magic bands altogether as the popularity declines.

 

[Seanual757]

I will continue to pay for them that is fine. We don't take our phones to the pool and if our kids need to run back to the room they do not have phones.