New RFID technology in the parks?

[G00fyDad]

I don't really consider Disney monitoring what I buy as tracking me. If they want to send me fabulous offers and coupons based on what I like then I say great. Whether I buy them or not is still my free will. So who cares if that is being tracked. What I was referring to is the people being worried that Disney will "Know where they are at all times." To that I say who cares. I like getting mail anyways.

I'm with you on this. Some (and not just on here) are considering this the same as Disney following you around with a camera and invading your privacy in the comfort of your room. Like peeping on you while you shower or something. :ROFLOL: It is the whole Biometric Finger Machine debate all over again. "I don't want Disney using these biometric machines because then they'll have my finger prints in their system and can steal my identity." Yeah, that's what Disney has time for, stealing your identity. And thieves wouldn't get much if they spent the time and tenacity to even care to "hack" an armband. What would they get? Nothing. You still have to show ID when using your KttW card when making purchases right? I always have.

It's like people think that Disney is going to steal their soul or something. Hey, I have a magic stick here that lights up on one end. Must've gotten it from the God's. :ROFLOL:

 

[Kamikaze]

I'm with you on this. Some (and not just on here) are considering this the same as Disney following you around with a camera and invading your privacy in the comfort of your room. Like peeping on you while you shower or something. :ROFLOL: It is the whole Biometric Finger Machine debate all over again. "I don't want Disney using these biometric machines because then they'll have my finger prints in their system and can steal my identity." Yeah, that's what Disney has time for, stealing your identity. And thieves wouldn't get much if they spent the time and tenacity to even care to "hack" an armband. What would they get? Nothing. You still have to show ID when using your KttW card when making purchases right? I always have.

It's like people think that Disney is going to steal their soul or something. Hey, I have a magic stick here that lights up on one end. Must've gotten it from the God's. :ROFLOL:

I've never been asked for ID when using my KttW card.

 

[Daddymouse]

Welcome to the 21st century Disney! I see this as a long overdue tech upgrade and nothing more.

I have no problem with wristbands. I will love the convenience and not having to shuffle through a wallet for tickets, cards, etc. I've seen many comments on these boards from people complaining that they don't want to have to pull out cards repeatedly and worry about losing them. This would eliminate that altogether. Everything you need would be loaded on your wristband and the chance of losing that wristband is much less than losing a card. With the RFID technology, simply report it lost and it is disabled instantly. I also like the move in this direction to eliminate the current abuses of EMH wristbands and FP's.

As far as security concerns, RFID tech has been very commonplace for a long time now. I'm sure Disney has considered any known and anticipated security concerns and will address them. You won't be any more at risk with the info loaded on a wristband than you are with a card in your wallet.

I'm not a fan of the mentioned "personalized" ride experience however. Any break from the immersion into the attraction will be a real negative for me. I hope they rethink that idea. If I'm on POC, I don't want the characters saying the name of some kid on the boat. And that idea mentioned about IASW made me cringe! Please NO!! The character interactions are a great idea though. The character meet is a personal experience anyway. If Cinderella or Tink knows your name when you walk up to her how thrilling is that for a kid?

For those with "Big Brother" syndrome... really? You're paranoid about Disney knowing that you rode HM at 10:15 am on Thursday? Wow... that's really an invasion of your privacy isn't it? They already know you're there. They know what park you're in and they know what you're buying if you use your room key. If it helps them track and analyze guest preferences/crowd patterns/wait times, and make improvements to those issues, I'm fine with it.

I agree plus since Disney would be able to get more data to make our experience even better. We are a data driven society.

 

[G00fyDad]

I've never been asked for ID when using my KttW card.

I have. On several occasions in our 2009 trip, the ONLY trip I have ever done that on and the last one too. They never asked for it when using it for DDP credits. They did ask for my ID on all but maybe one purchase I tried to charge to my card.

 

[dismedic]

Only ever had been asked for ID when I made a high dollar purchase with my resort ID , Have no problem with what ever Disney may do with tracking , They can accomplish the same tracking in many ways , people need to realize it almost everything you buy , surf the internet seek medical attention anything usually is being tracked to some degree , business including health care utilizes this tracking to determine business models staffing etc. If it helps to improve Disney s presentation of services , goods etc I have no issue with it, Remember most credit card companies utilize tracking of your purchases so what is so wrong with Disney utilizing this technology?

 

[spartyinmd]

I will say that Disney had best have the locked down from hacking...RFID is EXTREMELY easy to hack.

 

[Thurp]

The truth is that Disney already has a fairly good idea on how the guests spend the day. Your KTTW card is scanned everywhere. When you buy your breakfast, enter a park, buy a coke, grab a fast pass, return to your room, etc. Every time that card is swiped anywhere there's a log of it.

Whether they then put all that information together or not is a different question, but they could.

I have no issue with them tracking people with RFID, it will only give them a bit more info that they already don't have.

 

[G00fyDad]

Only ever had been asked for ID when I made a high dollar purchase with my resort ID

Maybe that was why I was asked all but once. I only bought large stuff with the KttW card. I hadn't thought of that. A couple of statues, a monorail set, etc... That explains it Kamikaze. My mistake. I hadn't thought about the dollar amount, I just assumed it was an across the board type of thing.

I will say that Disney had best have the locked down from hacking...RFID is EXTREMELY easy to hack.

Exactly what will hacking my RFID bracelet get a hacker that has nothing better to do with his time than to spend his day walking around the WDW resort with a laptop hacking RFIDs? It is tied to your room and name. Not your credit card info or personal ID or anything else personal. It will have no different info on it than the current KttW card. And if you do not have charging privileges then they will only get my resort ID number and my name. No big deal. If I did have charging privileges then those charges can be disputed and the likelyhood that a hacker will give a *** about hacking your Disney RFID bracelet is pretty low. You'd be more likely to get pick-pocketed or struck with lightening.

 

[Kamikaze]

Only ever had been asked for ID when I made a high dollar purchase with my resort ID

Even then, I've never been asked. Last trip I spent over $1000 on one purchase at WoD (just had moved into a new house) and didn't get asked. I make literally ever single purchase while I'm at the World on my card. Every single one. And a lot of times, if its a day I'm going to get wet (Splash, a water park, Kali) I don't carry anything except my phone, a ziploc bag, and my KttW card. Even if they asked for ID, I couldn't provide it.

 

[G00fyDad]

Even then, I've never been asked. Last trip I spent over $1000 on one purchase at WoD (just had moved into a new house) and didn't get asked. I make literally ever single purchase while I'm at the World on my card. Every single one. And a lot of times, if its a day I'm going to get wet (Splash, a water park, Kali) I don't carry anything except my phone, a ziploc bag, and my KttW card. Even if they asked for ID, I couldn't provide it.

I'm not sure how much I like that. I would have hoped that Disney would have asked for ID. How do they know my KttW hasn't been stolen and that person handing it to them is me?

And a $1000 purchase? Good Lord. First, why wouldn't they ask you for ID on that one? Second, I thought the limit for the KttW card was $500 (I'm probably wrong on that though). And third, what the ------- did you buy for $1000? (I know there are $1k items there, just curious what it was.)

I thought we spent a lot on stuff while down with $1000 for each of the 4 of us for spending. Yikes.

 

[Kamikaze]

I'm not sure how much I like that. I would have hoped that Disney would have asked for ID. How do they know my KttW hasn't been stolen and that person handing it to them is me?

And a $1000 purchase? Good Lord. First, why wouldn't they ask you for ID on that one? Second, I thought the limit for the KttW card was $500 (I'm probably wrong on that though). And third, what the ------- did you buy for $1000? (I know there are $1k items there, just curious what it was.)

I thought we spent a lot on stuff while down with $1000 for each of the 4 of us for spending. Yikes.

The limit for the card depends on the resort where you are staying. I believe it is $500 for value, $1000 for mods, and $1500 for deluxe. You can also add more if you'd like.

I bought a LOT of stuff on that trip. Had it all shipped home. A lot of kitchen stuff (everything I had was old hand me downs at that point) couple small art pieces, a few gifts.

 

[G00fyDad]

The limit for the card depends on the resort where you are staying. I believe it is $500 for value, $1000 for mods, and $1500 for deluxe. You can also add more if you'd like.

I bought a LOT of stuff on that trip. Had it all shipped home. A lot of kitchen stuff (everything I had was old hand me downs at that point) couple small art pieces, a few gifts.

Ahhh. We've only ever stayed at one Mod (CBR) and we decided tio just go with Values since we spend very little time in the room or at he resort. I guess that's why we were told $500. Thanks.

 

[Kirk88]

I think this sounds pretty neat. Honestly, I like the fact that it would keep me from fumbling through all the stuff in my pockets (ie. park ticket, KTTW, Photo Pass, etc.) only to once again pull out the one I'm not looking for! LOL Anyhow, I say hooray for consolidation!

 

[G00fyDad]

I think this sounds pretty neat. Honestly, I like the fact that it would keep me from fumbling through all the stuff in my pockets (ie. park ticket, KTTW, Photo Pass, etc.) only to once again pull out the one I'm not looking for! LOL Anyhow, I say hooray for consolidation!

True. I understand how some people would rather opt out of this, and I really think that Disney will have that option. Maybe they will bring out new KttW cards with the RFID inside them for those who hate anything on their wrists. For us, this RFID bracelet thing is going be awesome if it gets past the test phase. I get so tired of trying to get my family to get their cards out and ready before the turnstiles and then we have to wait while they all put them securely back in their packs, wallets, etc... Having the band that you can just walk up and hold your wrist to would be sooooooooo much easier for us.

 

[flavious27]

True. I understand how some people would rather opt out of this, and I really think that Disney will have that option. Maybe they will bring out new KttW cards with the RFID inside them for those who hate anything on their wrists. For us, this RFID bracelet thing is going be awesome if it gets past the test phase. I get so tired of trying to get my family to get their cards out and ready before the turnstiles and then we have to wait while they all put them securely back in their packs, wallets, etc... Having the band that you can just walk up and hold your wrist to would be sooooooooo much easier for us.

I agree that it would make more sense that the rfid chip would be inside the kttw card, they have made credit cards with the same tech for the last decade or so. I can only think that they would test with wristbands to get guest interest. I just see a problem with having an e-wallet hanging out on your wrist.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I agree that it would make more sense that the rfid chip would be inside the kttw card, they have made credit cards with the same tech for the last decade or so. I can only think that they would test with wristbands to get guest interest. I just see a problem with having an e-wallet hanging out on your wrist.

Already been discussed that there is no direct credit card information on the KTTW card and likely will be none on the wrist band. The only benefit that anyone with a reader would get would be to get their meals and Disney junk free for the day, if they were then able to install your info on another band.

 

[erasure fan1]

Already been discussed that there is no direct credit card information on the KTTW card and likely will be none on the wrist band. The only benefit that anyone with a reader would get would be to get their meals and Disney junk free for the day, if they were then able to install your info on another band.

And is the risk/reward great enough? I wouldnt think it would be that hard to catch someone doing this. If a RFID is scanned at the MK and then 2 min later it is scanned again for an Everest fastpass, red flag triggered. Even in the same park, if scanned at splash and within a min or 2 its scanned at space, again red flag. And Im sure that with all the security cameras everywhere it wouldnt be to hard to find them. It seems like an awfully big gamble and a lot of work for a free dole whip. :lol:

 

[wm49rs]

And is the risk/reward great enough? I wouldnt think it would be that hard to catch someone doing this. If a RFID is scanned at the MK and then 2 min later it is scanned again for an Everest fastpass, red flag triggered. Even in the same park, if scanned at splash and within a min or 2 its scanned at space, again red flag. And Im sure that with all the security cameras everywhere it wouldnt be to hard to find them. It seems like an awfully big gamble and a lot of work for a free dole whip. :lol:

Agreed. And plus, once someone recognizes their band has gotten lost, they should be able to get a new one from Guest Relations, who also should be able to deactivate the old one. So, whoever found/took it will end up with little more than a free souvenir....

 

[G00fyDad]

And is the risk/reward great enough? I wouldnt think it would be that hard to catch someone doing this. If a RFID is scanned at the MK and then 2 min later it is scanned again for an Everest fastpass, red flag triggered. Even in the same park, if scanned at splash and within a min or 2 its scanned at space, again red flag. And Im sure that with all the security cameras everywhere it wouldnt be to hard to find them. It seems like an awfully big gamble and a lot of work for a free dole whip. :lol:

Okay, this has been discussed (and discussed, and discussed, and discussed, and discussed) too. Do you truly believe that someone has nothing better to do in their day than to steal RFID alphanumeric codes (as difficult as that would be), program tons of bracelets with them in the hopes of getting one with the correct privileges, then use them? I can see it now "Yes, please charge this wonderful meal to our account." *Shows them his recoded bracelet* "That one doesn't have charging privileges on it or the Disney Dining Plan? Oops.... try this one then." *hands her another one from his duffle bag*

:ROFLOL:

 

[G00fyDad]

...a free souvenir....

I think that is what it boils down to for me as well. I just want this for two reasons. Ease of use (no more digging in my lanyard for my KttW card) and a free souvenir. I love the idea that you can custom design these at home and they will be ready upon arrival.