MyMagic + Officially Announced

[mad madam mim78]

I'm pretty excited! I mean I do feel sorry for the uninformed people. There are still people who don't know what fastpass is. I on the other hand will make sure I know what's up before I go so I will be able to utilize it to its fullest. It could be pretty awesome. Only time will tell. Until then I'll troll the boards till I get this thing 100% figured out.

[DSNY4ever]

I hope this is not up and running before we go.

I hate to be negative before having all the facts, but nothing about this sounds good at all .

I already hate having to plan out my meals before we go, that is my LEAST favorite part about WDW. I wish I could just walk up to a restaurant and ask the wait and then decide to eat there or not.

This sounds awful for those with little ones who have to be extremely flexible or change their plans at the drop of a hat, and I really don't feel comfortable with my child (or me for that matter) wearing/carrying anything with some sort of tracking device in it.

There is no way in H-E double hockey sticks that I am going decide what I want to ride and when I want to ride it 60 days before my trip. We plan what park we will go to, but never what rides, and often we change our minds based on the weather or what we are in the mood to do.

I love the feeling of wandering and exploring in the parks, if this squashes all spontaneity out of our vacation this next trip could be our last.

[*NikkiBell*]

Originally Posted by OKW Lover

Some folks are dreading having a wrist band. I haven't seen anything that says you have to have one. I also haven't seen anything that says its permanently attached to your wrist and must be worn there. How about if I just put it through a belt loop? Or my camera strap? Or maybe just leave it in my pocket?

I'm really not worried about Disney tracking me in the parks and resorts. I'm there. They know I'm there. No mystery. Do I care if they know I walked right past the character meet and greet without going in? No, I don't care if they know. Actually maybe its good they do know that. Hmmmm.

Exactly, Jeff. It's optional.

Originally Posted by DSNY4ever

I hope this is not up and running before we go.

I hate to be negative before having all the facts, but nothing about this sounds good at all .

I already hate having to plan out my meals before we go, that is my LEAST favorite part about WDW. I wish I could just walk up to a restaurant and ask the wait and then decide to eat there or not.

This sounds awful for those with little ones who have to be extremely flexible or change their plans at the drop of a hat, and I really don't feel comfortable with my child (or me for that matter) wearing/carrying anything with some sort of tracking device in it.

There is no way in H-E double hockey sticks that I am going decide what I want to ride and when I want to ride it 60 days before my trip. We plan what park we will go to, but never what rides, and often we change our minds based on the weather or what we are in the mood to do.

I love the feeling of wandering and exploring in the parks, if this squashes all spontaneity out of our vacation this next trip could be our last.

No where in any of Disney's press releases did the company state you are forced to use the MagicBand. The program is optional, not mandatory. In fact, as mentioned in an earlier post of mine, Disney said you can use it as much or little as you want to:

We know that some people like to plan every aspect of their Disney vacation in advance while others like to plan very little, letting their day unfold spontaneously. No matter where guests fall in that spectrum, My Disney Experience gives them the flexibility to plan as much or as little as theyd like to create the exact Disney experience they want.]

Once more, this is not only to "reserve" or "plan ahead" experiences on your vacation. Instead it is to personalize your time in the parks:

Did you buy a balloon? What attractions did you ride and when? Did you shake Goofys hand, but snub Snow White? If you fully use MyMagic+, databases will be watching, allowing Disney to refine its offerings and customize its marketing messages...

MagicBands can also be encoded with all sorts of personal details, allowing for more personalized interaction with Disney employees. Before, the employee playing Cinderella could say hello only in a general way. Now if parents opt in hidden sensors will read MagicBand data, providing information needed for a personalized greeting: Hi, Angie, the character might say without prompting. I understand its your birthday.

The data will also be used to make waiting areas for rides (scene ones in Disney parlance) less of a drag. A new Magic Kingdom ride called Under the Sea, for instance, features a robotic version of Scuttle the sea gull from The Little Mermaid that will be able to chitchat with MagicBand wearers.

[DavidandLeahZ]

Originally Posted by *NikkiBell*

Exactly, Jeff. It's optional.



No where in any of Disney's press releases did the company state you are forced to use the MagicBand. The program is optional, not mandatory. In fact, as mentioned in an earlier post of mine, Disney said you can use it as much or little as you want to:



Once more, this is not only to "reserve" or "plan ahead" experiences on your vacation. Instead it is to personalize your time in the parks:

I think the differentiation being missed here is how much it would/could affect frequent guests vs first-timers/infrequent guests.

People who may be members of an online fan community that visit every year (or many times each year) won't "suffer" if they can't get a FP+ for Toy Story; they can get it on their next visit.

However, for the other group (first-timers/infrequent guests), they will have to choose between EITHER the old system or FastPass+. It also sounds as if as of a certain point (when full rollout is complete) there will only be the new ticket media (whether it's a bracelet, lanyard, keychain, etc). If that's true, first-timers and infrequent visitors could definitely run into issues. Now, they're issues that could be solved by planning on, say, a site like this but it could still affect them. Especially when it comes to park-hopping.

It almost seems as if the discussion should be revolving around the utilization of the technology and not the shape of the device.

- Dave

[k5jmh]

MagicBands can also be encoded with all sorts of personal details, allowing for more personalized interaction with Disney employees.

This is a falsity. RFID is not encoded. It is static with a unique number, that Disney uses as a UUID field in the "Master Database." Any data changes are made in the master database.

Sounds like I will be bringing my RFID readers and software with me to see what all I can see when we are out there next month.

[Mike2023]

Originally Posted by k5jmh

This is a falsity. RFID is not encoded. It is static with a unique number, that Disney uses as a UUID field in the "Master Database." Any data changes are made in the master database.

Sounds like I will be bringing my RFID readers and software with me to see what all I can see when we are out there next month.

Yes, you are correct to point out how the technology works, but the point that the poster was trying to make is still the same.

Disney will be able to store and reference loads of personal information regarding its guests that they are hoping will increase guest satisfaction and allow them to market more meaningful products to them.

[jcb]

Originally Posted by k5jmh

Sounds like I will be bringing my RFID readers and software with me to see what all I can see when we are out there next month.

This reminds me when i used to bring my police scanner. I sometimes miss the analog days.

[k5jmh]

Originally Posted by jcb

This reminds me when i used to bring my police scanner. I sometimes miss the analog days.

Jack, you can borrow my IDEN analyzer if you want to listen to the digital radios at WDW. (FYI they are moving away from the Nextel phones and over to the new Sprint Push-to-Talk phones) Nextel will be no more by 2015.






My fancy scanner

[k5jmh]

Originally Posted by Mike2023

Yes, you are correct to point out how the technology works, but the point that the poster was trying to make is still the same.

Disney will be able to store and reference loads of personal information regarding its guests that they are hoping will increase guest satisfaction and allow them to market more meaningful products to them.

I was referring to the specific, misleading statement in the article and not the position of the OP's post.

[jcb]

Originally Posted by k5jmh

Jack, you can borrow my IDEN analyzer if you want to listen to them at WDW.


My fancy scanner

That doesn't look like it is off the shelf from Radio Shack.

[Mike2023]

Originally Posted by k5jmh

I was referring to the specific, misleading statement in the article and not the position of the OP's post.

Lol, Thats just great that its in there own post.

The end result is the same I guess.

Depending on the tages they use there is a bit of usable storage but I would be very surprised if they use the tags as anything but an ID.

I think there are so many possibilities that this could be a very good thing.

I imagine being in the parks and getting hungry. Instead of getting in line at Peco's Bills I pull out my phone, load up the disney experience app, place my food order. Then I walk into the restaurant and find a vacant table. Because there is a RFID reader in the table, disney now knows who I am, what I ordered, and within minutes of sitting down like magic someone brings me my food. AMAZING. Now, if they can bring me the fixin's bar my meal would be complete.

[AndyPok1]

Originally Posted by Mike2023

I imagine being in the parks and getting hungry. Instead of getting in line at Peco's Bills I pull out my phone, load up the disney experience app, place my food order. Then I walk into the restaurant and find a vacant table. Because there is a RFID reader in the table, disney now knows who I am, what I ordered, and within minuts of sitting down like magic someone brings me my food. AMAZING. Now, if they can bring me the fixin's bar my meal would be complete.

So basically the lunch process at Be Our Guest... hmmm... Guests would be able to get their food quite quickly that way.

[dansyr2514]

This has peaked my interest. I think there will be good and bad that goes along with it. As Disney sees the problems that arise, they will simply tweak it...as they do with everything else. I am very interested to see what does come out of this. I think they have more up their sleeve than just pre planning fastpasses.

[Mike2023]

Originally Posted by AndyPok1

So basically the lunch process at Be Our Guest... hmmm... Guests would be able to get their food quite quickly that way.

Yes, exactly like be our guest minus going to the ordering kiosk. Families would not have to split up. Would not have to drag your kids to the line.

It has its benefits for sure.

[kbelle8995]

I am waiting to see how this works out. I am concerned.

I am one of the few who does not have a smartphone. I might have to invest in an ipod touch to avoid the data packages and still have the apps.

Will TSM become the ride version of Le Cellier? Even now with FPs open to everyone, it is tough to get one now.

I will be waiting for the first visitor who doesn't get it, standing there screaming expletives and banging the band against the reader.