Disney's MagicBand wrist band to replace paper tickets

[clara]

I just saw this on ABC News

Disney's Rumored MagicBand a Go - Yahoo!

An official announcement confirming the band was made Monday on the Disney Parks blog. A Disney spokesperson told ABC News the bands would be rolling out this year over the next several months.
Worn on the wrist, the "MagicBand" will serve as a guest's room key, theme park ticket, access to FastPass+ selections, PhotoPass card and optional payment account all rolled into one.

Here is the link to the Disney Parks Blog that the article mentions:

Taking the Disney Guest Experience to the Next Level


I see also Al mentioned this change in his latest article. So this wrist band thing is not for AP's correct? Just for actual ticket holders?

P.S. Since this is news that is for all parks...if a mod feels the need to move this thread elsewhere, please feel free
Ah crud...and I see it's also in the Walt Disney World Forum: Mymagic+ is here!
So merge if you like...sorry I didn't see that before.

[Pizzapants]

My very first initial reaction was "I'm fine with this." Then I thought about it for a few minutes and read a few things. Besides the weird wrist tan line everyone will have, I'm still fine with this.

[calsig31]

It would be great if they offered it to passholders as well.

[DJS]

You will hear mention of "police state" and "big brother". But... It's a wonderful system for the resort. I'm guessing its for those who are staying at the hotels only, room & resort options. Now, as far as a lost band being used by a thief ... I might be concerned.

[clippers6]

I'm okay with the actual wristband since from the photo it looks like something you can take off. I'd probably keep it in my pocket since I hate wearing things on my wrist, but I'm pretty sure the general public will like it and it might even speed up lines a little. I'm still waiting for more detail on FastPass+ before I make a decision on that.

[Poisonedapples]

You will hear mention of "police state" and "big brother". But... It's a wonderful system for the resort. I'm guessing its for those who are staying at the hotels only, room & resort options. Now, as far as a lost band being used by a thief ... I might be concerned.

police state

[clara]

You will hear mention of "police state" and "big brother". But... It's a wonderful system for the resort. I'm guessing its for those who are staying at the hotels only, room & resort options. Now, as far as a lost band being used by a thief ... I might be concerned.

I wonder what the policy is for lost bands. I'm sure it will happen alot. Unless they are those clip ones that you can't take off unless with scissors, like they give at concerts and such.

[sleepyjeff]

I wonder what the policy is for lost bands. I'm sure it will happen alot. Unless they are those clip ones that you can't take off unless with scissors, like they give at concerts and such.

Why would it be different than the policy for lost rooms keys or tickets?

[DJS]

Will it include a photo like an AP entry?

[DrFink]

At first I was like, well this is cool. After re-reading I don't really like it. I can understand using a bracelet like this for park admission and the FP system, but extending it for hotel keys and optional payment makes me a little uncomfortable.

[MSCguy]

I wonder what the policy is for lost bands. I'm sure it will happen alot. Unless they are those clip ones that you can't take off unless with scissors, like they give at concerts and such.

IMO, that would be horrible for resort guests with multi-day hoppers. I know I would hate to go to sleep with that thing stuck on me.

[Austin]

If it works for AP's I would actually really like this... I could preset the bracelet with a certain amount of money before leaving and than I would never go over! A lot of people are worried about entering credit card information but from what I've read it still requires a pin # to make transactions. And what's the difference between entering your credit card info on an online shop and entering it into a wristband thats ON your wrist? It's just as safe, if not safer.

And anyone else worried about it tracking your information should already be alerted that almost everything you do on the internet is already tracked by all of the major corporations to try to market products to you (Disney, Facebook, Google etc.)

[calsig31]

At first I was like, well this is cool. After re-reading I don't really like it. I can understand using a bracelet like this for park admission and the FP system, but extending it for hotel keys and optional payment makes me a little uncomfortable.

The hotel key thing doesn't bother me. Just like the keys they have now, they would be no good unless you knew what room they belonged to. I'm happy the payment thing is optional. I don't think I would want that unless you were provided a PIN number to accompany it.

[DrFink]

The hotel key thing doesn't bother me. Just like the keys they have now, they would be no good unless you knew what room they belonged to. I'm happy the payment thing is optional. I don't think I would want that unless you were provided a PIN number to accompany it.

I would much rather just carry my credit card around and use that rather than giving them my information and letting them link it to an electronic bracelet.

[calsig31]

I would much rather just carry my credit card around and use that rather than giving them my information and letting them link it to an electronic bracelet.

That's why it's optional.