So What's Disney's Big Gain from MyMagic+?

[GrumpyFan]

I would expect if the purchase is made with your MB/KTTW card then it can easily be tagged electronically (QR code) with your basic resort information for delivery to your resort gift shop as well and have basic information included in your receipt. Additionally expect that you will be able to be notified via MDE app/SMS that your package was ready at the GS/Gift Shop as well as possibly a "reminder" to pick it up when you leave the park or arrive at your resort.

Those are all good ideas, but I think it needs to go a step (or two) further.
Using MDE, enable scanning of barcodes while you're shopping in the parks and shopping. Then, do a virtual check out in the app, pay for the purchases and select whether you want them 1) available for pickup later, 2) delivered to your resort or 3) shipped to your home address. All of this would be done without having to pick and carry a single item to the register. The advantage here would be that you could always buy the items later, since they would be stored in MDE as selections you were interested in.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Those are all good ideas, but I think it needs to go a step (or two) further.
Using MDE, enable scanning of barcodes while you're shopping in the parks and shopping. Then, do a virtual check out in the app, pay for the purchases and select whether you want them 1) available for pickup later, 2) delivered to your resort or 3) shipped to your home address. All of this would be done without having to pick and carry a single item to the register. The advantage here would be that you could always buy the items later, since they would be stored in MDE as selections you were interested in.

That would be both fantastically easy and scary as well.

 

[GrumpyFan]

That would be both fantastically easy and scary as well.

I assume you mean scary, in that it would make it WAY to easy to buy things and have a semi-truck load of stuff sitting on your front porch by the time you got home.

Kind of the equivalent of free drinks, but pay to use restrooms!

 

[wendysue]

Disney thought they were rewriting the book on what it means to have a theme park vacation experience. That the conveniences of MyMagic+ would be so great that to do without them would be unthinkable.

Finally upgrading the technological infrastructure of Walt Disney World is another aspect.

Better controlling crowds with existing park infrastructure saves on the "poor" investment of park facilities. Better knowing crowds also has the potential to better control labor costs on scheduling.

It is also another step in trying to keep people on property. Lock them into an ecosystem that is cumbersome to escape.

Well, those thoughts didn't work. Our family and three others decided we didn't want to be micromanaged. We all cancelled a few weeks ago and now are planning something else for December that includes a few days at UNI, and some other things, but not WDW. We just don't want to have to plan meals months out, and now reserve rides from home? They can keep the magic bands and all the other stuff, we think they have ruined the experience completely! Part of the magic was being spontaneous and being able to stand anywhere you wanted for parades and being able to reserve a restaurant when you got to the resort. (i know, that was a long time ago). Glad we had many good vacations there in the years past, but the last couple were not that fun, so time to move on....

 

[wendysue]

This is about getting deeper and deeper.....and deeper.... into your wallet.

Use the information gleaned from the wearers to see how they can cut offerings and get the highest margin possible on each and every guest.

Try to limit what you can do in a day, so to experience the same amount as other trips necessitates longer stays (at higher and higher prices with less and less amenities, of course).

To use it as a stick to stay in their hotels. A suggestion by the 'Unofficial Guide of 14' (whether this is via inside info or just an educated guess) says that FP(-) of headliner attractions will be *unavailable* (completely and totally regardless of availability) to those who are off-site (and only 1 per day for Value and 2 for Moderate) at some point.

To make people fearful of missing their tea cup 'experience' to see the boy wizard.

And at the end of your trip, a huge tsunami of SPAM based on the doings of you and your entire family (including your young ones that are off-limits to tracking to each and every other business in the country) - used by them and their 'partners' (like say, the companies that sponsored the stuff you 'experienced' there).

Easily fixed...just stop going

 

[darthspielberg]

Spontaneous vacationing isn't going to die with the MagicBand and MM+, not in the slightest. Those who want to map things out to an inch of it's life will be thrilled, but those who like to live free and loose will be able to just that. FP+ isn't really going to effect Standby any more than FP already does, and so depending on what time you go, you can just get in line and ride a thing. FP+ will even offer some flexibility depending on when you are there. If it's super busy like Christmas or New Years, well, I can see that being a bit of an issue, but otherwise, not everything will be booked to hell and back (and FP+ having the ability to switch out of FPs will open more passes up every day)