Walt Disney World Tech News & Discussion- Magic Bands, Genie+, and more

[Alicia]

They may still be available, but don't think I didn't notice the Parks Blog specifically talk about how we won't need them anymore next year as more of their functionality is ported over to the mobile app.

They're just gonna be a collectible in a year I bet. A novelty, or fun add-on for kids too young for a phone. The rest of us will have no need for them and they'll fall to the wayside of history before we know it.

But! They did say more designs will still be released! So, money! Yes.

 

[Nick]

They may still be available, but don't think I didn't notice the Parks Blog specifically talk about how we won't need them anymore next year as more of their functionality is ported over to the mobile app.

They're just gonna be a collectible in a year I bet. A novelty, or fun add-on for kids too young for a phone. The rest of us will have no need for them and they'll fall to the wayside of history before we know it.

But! They did say more designs will still be released! So, money! Yes.

Yup, as I mentioned, they see the success of special addition MB's - they're the new pins in their own way. Hell, i'm guilty of this. I'm looking at probably $100 worth of Magic Bands sitting in front of me - A Haunted Mansion MB I bought on my DCP, and then opening day Magic Bands for Pandora, TSL and SW:GE.

But yeah, Smart phones have the functionality to do everything that MB's can so they aren't really needed. Like, at all. It also doesn't even become a problem for international tourists who don't have smart phones because Disney still has plastic RFID cards for entry and those same cards can be used at FP+ kiosks as well as the FP+ readers at attractions.

Magic Bands have always been a gimmick, although I do have to say that I actually do like wearing them. I like being able just to tap to enter and tap to get on a ride. Even with a smart phone, that's something I have to pull out of my pocket, open an app etc. It'll slow down the line to get in, especially for those who aren't used to the app and maybe don't have everything set up correctly.

 

[SeventyOne]

Magic Bands have always been a gimmick, although I do have to say that I actually do like wearing them. I like being able just to tap to enter and tap to get on a ride. Even with a smart phone, that's something I have to pull out of my pocket, open an app etc. It'll slow down the line to get in, especially for those who aren't used to the app and maybe don't have everything set up correctly.

I have a couple "commando" friends who will probably keep them for that reason. But also, they've been around long enough to inspire sort of an instant nostalgia. There are kids in their teens and early 20s who associate WDW with having a band. And, of course, anything for the fans to assert their stronger-than-thou commitment to the fandom is always going to sell. "It's called a Magic Band, you've probably never heard of it ..."

 

[Magic Feather]

Magic Bands are (and will likely be for the foreseeable future) the most convenient way to utilize WDW’s tech infrastructure. The issue before was that thy didn’t have a cheaper way to provide some of the same experiences they wanted all guests to have. Now, smartphones can bridge that gap, enabling them to make MB’s the upcharge option.

 

[UAN17]

What’s the odds of 2021 days “selling out” soon then? I’m in an awkward position in that I’ve deferred my Disney Tickets from 2020, am going in 2021, and also staying on site at Disney. I’ve only paid the deposit for the park tickets so haven’t received them, from a third party site.

Seems like my options are to pay nearly £2,000 for Park Tickets a year in advance, for a holiday that might still not happen, or have the luxury of staying on-site at Disney with no parks to go to.

@Scott W. are you in a similar position with your cancelled trip?

 

[BigHouseFootball]

I’m bummed about Magic Bands. I quite liked them. Like Nick said, I liked having everything right there on my wrist and didn’t have to reach in my pockets for anything.

Another thing is that my cell phone battery drains really fast at Disney with having to constantly access the app to check wait times, FPS, mobile order food, etc. This will only add to the battery drain.

And I really don’t like the idea of having to take my phone with me to the pool to get back into my room.

I know there are work arounds and I can still buy a band, and it’s not that big a deal at all, but I really enjoy the bands.

 

[Nick]

I’m bummed about Magic Bands. I quite liked them. Like Nick said, I liked having everything right there on my wrist and didn’t have to reach in my pockets for anything.

Another thing is that my cell phone battery drains really fast at Disney with having to constantly access the app to check wait times, FPS, mobile order food, etc. This will only add to the battery drain.

And I really don’t like the idea of having to take my phone with me to the pool to get back into my room.

I know there are work arounds and I can still buy a band, and it’s not that big a deal at all, but I really enjoy the bands.

If you have any old band, you can just bring it back and they'll re-activate it for your current stay.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I’m bummed about Magic Bands. I quite liked them. Like Nick said, I liked having everything right there on my wrist and didn’t have to reach in my pockets for anything.

It's not that the bands are bad per say in my view, it's that Disney wanted to reinvent the wheel, got too ambitious, then stunted their park growth chasing a dragon.

 

[Nick]

It's not that the bands are bad per say in my view, it's that Disney wanted to reinvent the wheel, got too ambitious, then stunted their park growth chasing a dragon.

Their infrastructure needed an upgrade, which was why this came about. The infrastructure upgrade was a great thing that came out of this, but they then took it to the extreme and budgeted it like Star Wars Land with no viable plan to get their money back. And all the money people were somehow talked into approving a $1B budget for this.

 

[BigHouseFootball]

I’ve read articles in the past about what Disney wanted Magic Bands to be but it’s been so long. Things I remember that never happened: characters being able to know your name, your name appearing inside attractions (I have seen this in Everest and RRC lines), and at one point didn’t Disney want to be involved at your home airport?

And the bands are really convenient but for what they actually do it seems like it shouldn’t have been that much money to create it because wasn’t this technology already created?

 

[belloq87]

What’s the odds of 2021 days “selling out” soon then? I’m in an awkward position in that I’ve deferred my Disney Tickets from 2020, am going in 2021, and also staying on site at Disney. I’ve only paid the deposit for the park tickets so haven’t received them, from a third party site.

Seems like my options are to pay nearly £2,000 for Park Tickets a year in advance, for a holiday that might still not happen, or have the luxury of staying on-site at Disney with no parks to go to.

@Scott W. are you in a similar position with your cancelled trip?

I'm not quite in the same situation you're in, but as somebody who has been thinking about potential trips in 2021, I've been curious how Disney's new system is going to work in a variety of circumstances.

At minimum, I kind of think they have to allow guests to see that dates are open before buying tickets and then reserving those dates. It would be kind of ridiculous (but I guess I'm not putting it past them) to force guests to buy tickets on the off chance that the dates they can travel on aren't already full.

As for how fast the days will fill up ahead of time, it's anybody's guess!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I’ve read articles in the past about what Disney wanted Magic Bands to be but it’s been so long. Things I remember that never happened: characters being able to know your name, your name appearing inside attractions (I have seen this in Everest and RRC lines), and at one point didn’t Disney want to be involved at your home airport?

And the bands are really convenient but for what they actually do it seems like it shouldn’t have been that much money to create it because wasn’t this technology already created?

Also tracking in the parks which was a lot of the tech costs.

 

[HandsomePete]

And the bands are really convenient but for what they actually do it seems like it shouldn’t have been that much money to create it because wasn’t this technology already created?

It’s easy to lose track of time versus progress with tech - I’m guessing this project was conceived in the 2009-2010 timeframe, at which point things like Bluetooth and fingerprint scanners and NFC were almost or entirely non-existent in phones.

The underlying problem is that MM+ was a massive tech project (which are prone to overruns and not meeting goals) built by a bureaucratic company which is prone to overruns and not meeting goals.

I had a conversation with a fairly senior Ticketmaster executive about all of this about a year after it rolled out - I think it was after the horrible kinks were worked out but at a point that it was still a shiny new toy in the eyes of the GP. They were seriously looking at trying to build out something similar with wristbands to offer partners (think season ticket holders), and after I walked through explaining everything I told him it’s smarter just to sit back and let Apple/Google push the technology side and be a fast follower on what they create.

Also tracking in the parks which was a lot of the tech costs.

Yup... the band was just the vehicle to hold the long-range stuff which ended up being practically worthless. Almost none of the real-time tracking ideas became reality and by now you can back into a lot of activity. If Device ID 1234 is in the pocket of someone who shows up at queue entrances at the time MDX account ABCD redeems fastpasses, you can draw that link and figure out what MDX account ABCD does all day.

 

[BigHouseFootball]

Didn’t they sell this tracking idea that if they notice one area of the park is crowded that they would deploy pop up entertainment to that area?

Too bad with FastPass+ the parks feel more crowded than ever and wait times have increased across the board. I would not shed a tear if FP+ goes away. Or they significantly reduce the number given out put hour/day.

 

[darkridelover]

I think Fastpass is going to be an upcharge when it comes back.

 

[HandsomePete]

Didn’t they sell this tracking idea that if they notice one area of the park is crowded that they would deploy pop up entertainment to that area?

Too bad with FastPass+ the parks feel more crowded than ever and wait times have increased across the board. I would not shed a tear if FP+ goes away. Or they significantly reduce the number given out put hour/day.

I believe so... that never made a lot of sense to me.

It's a little hard to isolate FP+ as the culprit for crowding. Its debut also coincided with record numbers of tourists to Orlando, reductions in park hours that squeezed shoulder periods, and other some other things that are less noticeable. For instance, if you take one of 20 Space Mountain cars off the track, you reduce your wheel replacement cost by 1/20th.

I think Fastpass is going to be an upcharge when it comes back.

This would definitely be a chance for them to backtrack off of FP+ and switch to a MaxPass-like system.

 

[Scott W.]

What’s the odds of 2021 days “selling out” soon then? I’m in an awkward position in that I’ve deferred my Disney Tickets from 2020, am going in 2021, and also staying on site at Disney. I’ve only paid the deposit for the park tickets so haven’t received them, from a third party site.

Seems like my options are to pay nearly £2,000 for Park Tickets a year in advance, for a holiday that might still not happen, or have the luxury of staying on-site at Disney with no parks to go to.

@Scott W. are you in a similar position with your cancelled trip?

I cancelled everything. I've got a credit with the travel agent I booked the Disney hotels with and it's financially backed by the government. Even if I don't go to Florida, I'll spend it else where easily enough. I'm waiting on my refund from Virgin for the flights but I'm edging closer to contacting my credit card company and just doing a chargeback.

Truth be told, I'm in no rush to go to Florida and my concern with going the same time next year is that every where is going to be way busier than normal and prices will sky rocket. I refuse to play that game.

 

[Nick]

So on the topic of Magic Bands, if the NBA actually finishes it's season in Orlando, they are to play a central role in the NBA's safety protocols. Plan is for players to all wear Magic Bands as a form of tracking and for them to enter the WWoS facility.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I’ve read articles in the past about what Disney wanted Magic Bands to be but it’s been so long. Things I remember that never happened: characters being able to know your name, your name appearing inside attractions (I have seen this in Everest and RRC lines), and at one point didn’t Disney want to be involved at your home airport?

And the bands are really convenient but for what they actually do it seems like it shouldn’t have been that much money to create it because wasn’t this technology already created?

We never actually made it to the parks since MBs came out, but I still recall our last visit to WDW. They had just rolled out NFC payment readers linked to our room key.

It was crazy to me as it appeared Disney built there own intergraded system (basically meaning their readers could not read the NFC chip my Credit Card used at the time. The convivence you finally got to experience was lost for me. I went to but something, I need my PIN for the room key, that made sense, but then I needed my ticket to show I was a pass holder, then I need my ID to show I owned the pass....but they cut the bank processors out until you reached the trip limit (when they would run your card).

Also tracking in the parks which was a lot of the tech costs.

Never understood this either, I mean Iger was on the board of Apple (added around then?) and Jobs was on the Disney board and Apple had those pucks or markers, I forget what they were called. I do not think they ever took off, but they use Blue tooth to capture proximity data...the stuff they were already doing in stores (knowing which shelve you were looking at), but Disney decided to build in house or a system they had built ground up (from what things sounded and looked like from an outsiders point of view).

But I think that is some of what happened.

 

[Nick]

Disney World Sends Email to Guests Confirming End of Complimentary MagicBands Beginning January 2021

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