MagicBands WILL become a thing...

[Jo DeVil]

Everything here seems driven by fear, it has been since 9/11. I fear for my kids' safety all the time, but I also want them to be able to learn to make decisions and fend for themselves as they develop into adulthood. I don't think having them wear a tracking device necessarily makes them any safer. But fear is a strong emotion, and companies who recognize this can and will try to cash in on those fears in the name of safety and security. At the end of the day it's all about the money.

And while it may be a bit of a leap, it's not much of one. Mandatory RFID tracking of students is already being attempted in Texas and I'm sure the companies that produce this technology see a huge market in selling it to school systems.

I will admit it does seem to be that fear is a major problem over there, We have been dealing with terrorist 20 years prior to 9/11. No that is not meant to deflect from any of the pain and anguish caused by 9/11. We are lucky that we as a country came through it. We also don't have the same gun laws as you do over there, but that is a whole different thread. I am sorry that yours and your children's life's have to be so affected by fear, But I don't see how someone wearing a RFID will take away their ability to make choices. So I guess that our different views will have to de put down to locational differences!
On a lighter note don't the conspiracy nuts believe that the CIA or who ever have you all tracked anyway. LOL

 

[flynnibus]

Understood. But currently, the net sum applies only to roster of attractions that need FP (mostly) due to level of experience and que length and capacity

No - the net sum is about the entire park and your visit. FP affected the non-FP attractions by having FP-holders in those lines too. But the benefit of the system was what you could achieve as a net gain.. and not focusing only on 'astro jets take longer now because of all the FP people who should be in line for Buzz, not here..'. The benefit was even thou those standby lines for non-FP attractions were arguably longer.. the amount they were longer was always less than the amount of time you saved from your FP attractions. Net result.. you got more done.

The game changes now because FP+ isn't unlimited.. and how many FP+s they give out has the potential to make using standby for those FP+ attractions longer without your option to bypass the line. Too many variables to form a solid view of what the future holds with what little info we have.

What we do know is.. Disney is sensitive to how many attractions a guest gets to experience and how much they wait. We'll have to see what they prioritize.

But one of the options does look very much like 'pre-FP era'.. or it can also look like 'FP gone free for all' for some attractions.

 

[Prince-1]

They are "breathing" and not too bad to wear, even in Florida.
You can also shower, swim and use them pretty much everywhere...

No one has these yet and you know thatthey are breathable?? They are ruber, it doesnt breathe at all.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Wait a sec, I just thought of something. Notice how Mrs Incredible is on the box? What if this is a tease for an Incredibles ride?

[video]

 

[llrain]

I'd like to vote that post as the best on this thread. I know its so inconvenient to reach into your pocket and use a card that resembles your debit card you probably use every day, Not having to use a Disney type of one anymore is just going to make life so much easier to live.

Also let me be the first to apologize to everyone waiting in line behind me as a I continue to use my paper AP and have to run it through the turnstile 4 or 5 times before it works..I know that extra 30 seconds of your life waiting for me to go into the park is killer.

I would like this post 1000x if I were allowed.

 

[baylaketower]

Disney did not make the MagicBand for the purpose of tracking guests in the park. In reality, they could care less what you are doing. It is more of just a popularity estimate for all the rides and areas. Disney wants to increase guest satisfaction. And in many cases, it will. If Disney really wanted to track a person's every movements, their is a much simpler way of doing that. This same argument could be used when Disney Resorts switched from real keys to the former room cards. "Oh, Disney is doing this so that they can see how much time we spend in our room."
The truth is, they don't care.

 

[wm49rs]

Disney isn't putting $1.5 billion-plus into a program for it all to be about guest satisfaction and employee estimates. They want a return in the project that goes beyond guests being happy with pretty bracelets and guaranteed FastPasses.

 

[baylaketower]

Disney isn't putting $1.5 billion-plus into a program for it all to be about guest satisfaction and employee estimates. They want a return in the project that goes beyond guests being happy with pretty bracelets and guaranteed FastPasses.

Yes, but will they track each guests movements in the park?
Of course not. They don't care where, say, Rob Smith goes. They don't care where Bob goes. They care about where everyone goes.

 

[wm49rs]

Yes, but will they track each guests movements in the park?
Of course not. They don't care where, say, Rob Smith goes. They don't care where Bob goes. They care about where everyone goes.

Well, that makes it all better then.....

 

[Clamman73]

Yes, but will they track each guests movements in the park?
Of course not. They don't care where, say, Rob Smith goes. They don't care where Bob goes. They care about where everyone goes.

What about Robert Smith?

 

[Sped2424]

No one has these yet and you know thatthey are breathable?? They are ruber, it doesnt breathe at all.

Some people actually got to test them out so maybe they did but from the reports that I have heard they all suggest the same thing, breathable.

 

[danlb_2000]

Disney did not make the MagicBand for the purpose of tracking guests in the park. In reality, they could care less what you are doing. It is more of just a popularity estimate for all the rides and areas. Disney wants to increase guest satisfaction. And in many cases, it will. If Disney really wanted to track a person's every movements, their is a much simpler way of doing that. This same argument could be used when Disney Resorts switched from real keys to the former room cards. "Oh, Disney is doing this so that they can see how much time we spend in our room."
The truth is, they don't care.

They may not have made them for that purpose, but you can be sure they will use it for that purpose. They probably aren't going to track every move you make, but they will certainly track everything you do in the park since that information is invaluable. I would also argue that Disney DOES care about how much time you spend in your room. If you are sitting in your room, then you are not out in a park or restaurant spending money.

 

[baylaketower]

Interesting.....they have your names tied to them before you even get to the park.

Yes. The MagicBands will be mailed to passholders with names assigned.

 

[Adam5897]

I'm hoping these form to your wrist because they look triangles..

 

[michaels1976]

i like the idea of the magic bands in place of the tickets, they will reduce the amount of time people spend on lines to get into the parks, and you can use them to as your hotel key, and you can use them for paying for merchandise/food, i think they'll be very convenient to use

 

[novadad]

Here are a couple of questions that I have that I don't know have been addressed yet:

• What happens if these get lost? How much is a replacement going to be or are they going to give you a KTTW card again?
• How are they going to control people from using someone else's magicband? (Ex. If Mark has a AP friend that lives in Florida, how are they going to stop Mark from entering with his friends AP Magicband?)
• Aren't these magicbands going to have to be put on your wrist and not on a bag, purse, or in your pocket due to the scenario above? They are made for your wrist, not your belt loop or bag. If Disney intended these to be put somewhere else, I would think they would make a keychain version. What do you think?

I personally like them and think that they will give me and my family a better experience (***DISCLAIMER*** that's my opinion, and I have read the others on here that don't like/want these, and I respect their opinions, so please don't bash me for liking them). Thank you.

 

[JustJude]

Is this debate still going? Jeezo....

Bottom line is get one or don't. It's up to you. Don't see why people are getting their knickers in a twist over it?!?

 

[007mickey]

So soon, you will have a choice of band or card. And as of now, there is pretty good chance that those with the bands will get a more "personalized" experience. So no doubt about it, they want to steer you toward the band option. Okay, I don't have a huge issue with this...for now.

I'm just not on board yet with the FP+ changes. I've heard 3 passes per day for one park of your choice. I've even heard possibly categorizing the attractions for your FP+ choices, which might limit you to say choose Big Thunder vs Space Mtn vs Splash Mtn. Limiting your total is one thing but it's another if they "dictate" your choices. I can't think of too many trips where we didn't get FP's for all three in the same day. There have been times when we got FP's for Space Mtn in the morning and then went got another later in the afternoon. I don't see that happening under the FP+ system. Another issue I'm concerned about is if the FP+ can only be obtained for one park per day. If this happens, park hopping could become less appealing. I'll wait to hear more details but this FP+ doesn't sound like it has too many plusses to it.

 

[Donald96]

Here are a couple of questions that I have that I don't know have been addressed yet:

• What happens if these get lost? How much is a replacement going to be or are they going to give you a KTTW card again?
• How are they going to control people from using someone else's magicband? (Ex. If Mark has a AP friend that lives in Florida, how are they going to stop Mark from entering with his friends AP Magicband?)
• Aren't these magicbands going to have to be put on your wrist and not on a bag, purse, or in your pocket due to the scenario above? They are made for your wrist, not your belt loop or bag. If Disney intended these to be put somewhere else, I would think they would make a keychain version. What do you think?

I personally like them and think that they will give me and my family a better experience (***DISCLAIMER*** that's my opinion, and I have read the others on here that don't like/want these, and I respect their opinions, so please don't bash me for liking them). Thank you.

I can answer the second and third question:
-You will still have to do a biometric scan before you enter (fingerprint) so that eliminates any sharing of a pass. Also, you name will be inscribed on the inside of the band.
-You can place the magic band anywhere you like to use it as long as you can put it near the scanner but I do agree a key chain is a pretty great idea.

 

[G00fyDad]

Here are a couple of questions that I have that I don't know have been addressed yet:

• What happens if these get lost? How much is a replacement going to be or are they going to give you a KTTW card again?
• How are they going to control people from using someone else's magicband? (Ex. If Mark has a AP friend that lives in Florida, how are they going to stop Mark from entering with his friends AP Magicband?)
• Aren't these magicbands going to have to be put on your wrist and not on a bag, purse, or in your pocket due to the scenario above? They are made for your wrist, not your belt loop or bag. If Disney intended these to be put somewhere else, I would think they would make a keychain version. What do you think?

I personally like them and think that they will give me and my family a better experience (***DISCLAIMER*** that's my opinion, and I have read the others on here that don't like/want these, and I respect their opinions, so please don't bash me for liking them). Thank you.

• No mention of cost for replacements yet.
• It will still require biometric scanning, just like now with the card.
• No. Not really.