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What has become of Disney?
- Thread starter JoeV
- Start date
French Quarter
Well-Known Member
The people who visit trip planning boards are not the ones who typically show up without plans. So, our perception is skewed. The people I meet in real life who aren't in the know typically have no idea what I'm talking about when I say things like FP and ADRs or they have some vague recollection of hearing about them but haven't used them.
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French Quarter
Well-Known Member
Most of the people don't care about these minute details that get debated here. I thinks that's what you're missing. There is no incentive for Disney to fix anything so long as the majority of people are happy and keep on showing up. So, the only real way to make a statement is to not show up.
rucifee
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure if that is the case at all, regardless people shouldn't sweep things they don't like under the rug and ignore it, that has never fixed anything.
French Quarter
Well-Known Member
We aren't talking about the refugee crisis or marriage inequality here. We are talking about a vacation destination. Be the change you want to see in the world doesn't quite apply here. Lol
rucifee
Well-Known Member
It may not be a major crisis, but that doesn't mean it should be ignored, what a silly comparison. Almost comical.
copcarguyp71
Well-Known Member
Fall break? That close to schools just opening? Wow. Wish they had that when I was a kid..
Not all schools open at the same time. Down south and some Midwest states go back as early as early to mid august. A fact which surprised me when I saw a friend of mine from Indiana posting back to school photos of his kids on Facebook in early August. Turns out I was just not aware.
Fact of the matter is that these days Disney wants the parks packed 365 days a year...which, yeah I understand profitability, shareholders, capitalism, blah, blah, blah...but as another kindred spirit who has fond memories of our trip in 1996 I totally understand the sense or crowding you felt and miss the old days...but those will never be here again and us old heads have to push our nostalgic waxings out of our heads (when you figure out how to do this let me know...I am unable to).
Magic bands not working and having issues this far after launch...well sorry but this is quite frankly inexcusable. This topic is touched on almost daily on these forums and people always make excuses that technology is foul able and that entry into the parks is no worse than it ever was to which I reply...bollocks! I never had my key to the world not scan nor not have my fingerprint get me right into the park. The bands are a marketing tool pure and simple. Whether they currently do or will in the future is a contested debate but the fact is that the bands are RFID technology that not only allows you to get into the park and make purchases but at some point if they wish (and may have to some extent already) they can place detectors throughout the park to track your "habits". It is my own personal feeling that they made the new fastpass system where you can only get your pre-booked passes in one park as an effort to hold you there and force you to kill time spending money in the stores mindlessly diminishing the kids college fund just in order to pass the time...and tracking crowd patterns and how long you spend in a store versus cash spent may be a great way to maximize profitability but it is my own personal feeling that I did not sign up for to be studied and find it a bit invasive. Maybe I am paranoid or just weird about this but it is my own personal weirdness that I do not expect anyone else to subscribe to. It is actually the reason I refuse to have am EZ Pass for the highways...same technology and same invasive issues.
I feel as you do on many fronts but fact of the matter is we are dinosaurs in a brave new world and learning to cope with that is difficult. I find myself gravitating to tropical islands more easily than towards a micromanaged, schedule laden stressfest these days. I will be back someday I am sure but not for quite sometime.
I think the magic band is an interesting concept. I really don't see it in a negative light outside of the issues I had with it. It is harder to lose than a standard paper-based pass or other form of ID. As far as privacy concerns about tracking your movements, they could do that with any other issued ID card as well, if they had scanners that passively read something on the card as you came in proximity to the reader. I can see them using this type of tracking program in the future to use passive scanners to record how much traffic goes where and how much people spend, etc, and use this info to alter their marketing or for store placement etc..Then again, it could be used to make life easier for people by being able to make better use of crowd planning.
I don't really have an issue with that. This type of behavior tracking is part of our lives these days anyways and is hard to avoid. Grocery store keeps track of everything we buy and when we buy it, Facebook pretty much tracks our identity, stores our phone numbers, internet usage and behaviors, payments we make online etc..Every time you go online there is a record of it somewhere, along with sites you visit, what you do etc..It can't be avoided these days without opting out of using the internet. That's just the way things are. We are in a true digital age.
I don't really have an issue with that. This type of behavior tracking is part of our lives these days anyways and is hard to avoid. Grocery store keeps track of everything we buy and when we buy it, Facebook pretty much tracks our identity, stores our phone numbers, internet usage and behaviors, payments we make online etc..Every time you go online there is a record of it somewhere, along with sites you visit, what you do etc..It can't be avoided these days without opting out of using the internet. That's just the way things are. We are in a true digital age.
rucifee
Well-Known Member
The magic band has two radios, one's a short range radio it's the one you use to get into the park, fast pass, and pay. The second radio is a long range radio that allows TWDC to geolocate you. Some people have a problem with that, but I can personally see some value in the technology.
ScarletBegonias
Well-Known Member
I read all 8 pages and my only question (that I am sincerely asking, not being snarky) is what you want to hear from Disney? Are they going to be able to say something to make your vacation (that you've already had) suddenly better?
You didn't sound like you enjoyed it, so did you just want to vent to Disney?
I went in September after not being for 10 years Was it crowded? YES, but I loved FP+, the magic bands, and the stores. It's just so funny how I had a completely different experience, but I went in with no expectations and had a great time.
Sorry you had a less than stellar time, but I'm failing to understand what Disney is going to say to make it better?
You didn't sound like you enjoyed it, so did you just want to vent to Disney?
I went in September after not being for 10 years Was it crowded? YES, but I loved FP+, the magic bands, and the stores. It's just so funny how I had a completely different experience, but I went in with no expectations and had a great time.
Sorry you had a less than stellar time, but I'm failing to understand what Disney is going to say to make it better?
Interesting. I did not know they used geotracking on the magic band.
All they would learn from my tracking is, 'This guy doesn't like Magic Kingdom that much.'
The only thing I was leery about was linking a credit card to the magic band. They said then I could just use the band to buy things in the park without having to use my card etc..I opted out. That kind of spooked me a bit. Firstly, it is too easy to impulse buy stuff that way. Just like with online shopping, it's easy to not see it as using real money and you can buy things you normally wouldn't on impulse as opposed to if you had to pull out your card or cash you might think twice. Also, I am not sure sure about security. If someone got hold of your magic band, whats stopping them from running amok and going on a shopping spree? All you need to do is swipe the band.
The only thing I purchased on the whole visit was one of the rain ponchos. Other than that, didn't spend anything. I used the meal plan and soda refills with the mug.
All they would learn from my tracking is, 'This guy doesn't like Magic Kingdom that much.'
The only thing I was leery about was linking a credit card to the magic band. They said then I could just use the band to buy things in the park without having to use my card etc..I opted out. That kind of spooked me a bit. Firstly, it is too easy to impulse buy stuff that way. Just like with online shopping, it's easy to not see it as using real money and you can buy things you normally wouldn't on impulse as opposed to if you had to pull out your card or cash you might think twice. Also, I am not sure sure about security. If someone got hold of your magic band, whats stopping them from running amok and going on a shopping spree? All you need to do is swipe the band.
The only thing I purchased on the whole visit was one of the rain ponchos. Other than that, didn't spend anything. I used the meal plan and soda refills with the mug.
JourneysEnd
Well-Known Member
You have a pin code that you use to keep anybody else from using your card and if you should lose your band you should deactivate immediately.
Self control, I can't help you with. What about the danger of losing your card? Somebody can use the card without a pin number, not so with the band. Just something to think about.
Probably the same as when you provide feedback or complaints to any business after spending money--just acknowledgement. I often provide feedback, both pro and con, when I go on trips or dining etc.
Yes I forgot about having to use the pin. Good point. Self control is a separate issue. I am not a big impulse type buyer but I just prefer to opt out of things like that. I noticed vendors like Amazon are now going to the one-click buy-it-now option. I always turn that off as well.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Umbrella strollers only work depending on how old your kids is. They're not great for sleeping, don't work for infants very well, and are uncomfortable for bigger kids. That said, the jogging strollers with the giant wheels are obnoxious too. I love something like this as a happy medium:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/inde...443.2255983.2256189.2256203&parentPage=search
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Yeah, that's not really how it works. At all. It's not tracking. They can see if you're in range of a reader, but it can't follow you as you walk around the park. In other words, it could see "JoeV just walked past the Emporium," but it's not like a blinking red dot that shows you walking down Main Street.
Further, even though they can track on an individual basis, they don't really. It's used more for crowd tracking than individual tracking. So "there's a bottleneck in Adventureland" type stuff.
rucifee
Well-Known Member
It could be used to get into your room though, as there's no pin code required. A few people have figured out how to clone them already, but I won't link to those articles in-case that's against forum rules.
Some people put the bands in their bags, or in their pockets because after a while they can become uncomfortable. I can see several scenarios where it would be possible, but not simple to take advantage of the magic bands. Disney did a pretty good job with security, but it doesn't seem like it's quite fool proof.
You're right about the card too. Unfortunately to take advantage of some of the benefits at WDW you have to have your card on hand anyway, like the VISA photo or the passholder discounts for example. You always should keep your ID and a credit card with you regardless, you never know when you'll need it.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
None of that is any less secure than any room key at any hotel on the planet, so it's not really a negative of the MagicBand form factor.
rucifee
Well-Known Member
"Each MagicBand contains an HF Radio Frequency device and a transmitter which sends and receives RF signals through a small antenna inside the MagicBand and enables it to be detected at short-range touch points throughout Walt Disney World Resort. MagicBands can also be read by long-range readers located at Walt Disney World Resort used to deliver personalized experiences, as well as provide information that helps us improve the overall experience in our parks."
- https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/my-disney-experience/frequency-technology/