[ADVISORY] WDW - MagicBand-Only Testing Begins at Disney's Pop Century Resort

[SoarinSC]

This will no longer be the case, as well. Starting Monday, November 18, Magic Kingdom Park (and possibly the others) will be issuing an iPod touch with an RFID scanner to the greeter Cast Members at every attraction. Hollywood Studios has been periodically testing this now for a few weeks. The CastApp that we will be using will show us what resort you are staying at, how long your stay is and if you are authorized to use Extra Magic Hours this evening. If you are staying at WDW Swan/Dolphin, Shades of Green or Hilton on Hotel Plaza Blvd, you will still present your room key and we will check valid dates.

Okay, well that's smart, Disney.

 

[golfntob]

This will no longer be the case, as well. Starting Monday, November 18, Magic Kingdom Park (and possibly the others) will be issuing an iPod touch with an RFID scanner to the greeter Cast Members at every attraction. Hollywood Studios has been periodically testing this now for a few weeks. The CastApp that we will be using will show us what resort you are staying at, how long your stay is and if you are authorized to use Extra Magic Hours this evening. If you are staying at WDW Swan/Dolphin, Shades of Green or Hilton on Hotel Plaza Blvd, you will still present your room key and we will check valid dates.

Interesting, wondering if this will be all of the time or just during EMH?

 

[SoarinSC]

Interesting, wondering if this will be all of the time or just during EMH?

Per the podcast sounds permanent. It'll be no different than the cast member stationed towards the end of the queue who takes your paper FP. Otherwise anyone with an old band can jump lines anytime of the day.

 

[doconeill]

This will no longer be the case, as well. Starting Monday, November 18, Magic Kingdom Park (and possibly the others) will be issuing an iPod touch with an RFID scanner to the greeter Cast Members at every attraction. Hollywood Studios has been periodically testing this now for a few weeks. The CastApp that we will be using will show us what resort you are staying at, how long your stay is and if you are authorized to use Extra Magic Hours this evening. If you are staying at WDW Swan/Dolphin, Shades of Green or Hilton on Hotel Plaza Blvd, you will still present your room key and we will check valid dates.

Seems like an unneeded expensive solution.

If they are not going to offer FP/FP+ during evening EMH, they could easily flip over the FP+ touchpoints to indicate if the guest has a resort stay, and use those. Most attractions have them.

It HAS to be faster than having a CM manually scan them all.

 

[mom2rtk]

It HAS to be faster than having a CM manually scan them all.

Honestly that sounds like a terribly inefficient way to handle things.

 

[SoarinSC]

Honestly that sounds like a terribly inefficient way to handle things.

If the MB to scanner contact point is as specific as I'm hearing it will slow things down.

 

[curemyreed]

This will no longer be the case, as well. Starting Monday, November 18, Magic Kingdom Park (and possibly the others) will be issuing an iPod touch with an RFID scanner to the greeter Cast Members at every attraction. Hollywood Studios has been periodically testing this now for a few weeks. The CastApp that we will be using will show us what resort you are staying at, how long your stay is and if you are authorized to use Extra Magic Hours this evening. If you are staying at WDW Swan/Dolphin, Shades of Green or Hilton on Hotel Plaza Blvd, you will still present your room key and we will check valid dates.

I appreciate the effort to keep out those MB wearers who are not staying on-site, as EMH are a perk offered to on-site guests only. But I think the iPad scanning is going to really back up the lines. In the past when I have been in a line with CMs looking at each KTTW card this was fast & efficient.....guest holding up card, CM looking at card dates & admitting guest to ride. Using an iPad with a scanner involves more steps, therefore more time to approve each guest, so I think the lines to enter the ride will stack up. I can foresee the CMs not checking each guest as they see that line to get checked getting too long and waving guests through to ease congestion at the ride entrance.

Add to that the fact that Dis has said everyone will be able to have a MB, even off-site guests who would like to purchase one (since it isn't provided free with new MDE for off-site guests), and all MBs will each HAVE to be checked at EACH ride to keep out those trying to sneak on. Currently, only KTTW card with resort dates printed on them can be presented. So that knocks out a huge segment of cheaters even approaching a ride line because they have no KTTW card to display. With MB, nearly everyone in the park eventually could make the attempt to cheat because they possess the right-looking media and congestion can occur while multiple iPad steps are necessary to vet the guest.

Does contemplating this make me a Disney Downer? I hope I'm not perceived that way. If a new system is considered, I think it is best to consider all potentials, good and bad, to work toward the best system being implemented. When I, who am not an engineer, see a flaw, it concerns me to know this big corporation isn't seeing what I see. However, I am not privy to all the analysis, so there is that.

Lastly, I am not a "Disney police" type of person. I do like that through the years an efficient system has come into being that allows me the benefit of EMH without being held up getting onto the ride. With Disney having reduced evening EMH from 3 to 2 hours in recent years, I don't want any additional reduction in the time available to enjoy those 2 hours.

Edited to add: I don't see this as being an issue for morning EMH, because the RFID turnstyles should be programmed to only allow entry to MBs with current on-site stays. Therefore, there is no need to check legitimacy at the ride itself.

 

[doconeill]

If the MB to scanner contact point is as specific as I'm hearing it will slow things down.

I saw a fairly long line of people at Soarin' zip pretty quickly through the FP+ line using both MBs and cards, no problem.

Currently, only KTTW card with resort dates printed on them can be presented. So that knocks out a huge segment of cheaters even approaching a ride line because they have no KTTW card to display. With MB, nearly everyone in the park eventually could make the attempt to cheat because they possess the right-looking media and congestion can occur while multiple iPad steps are necessary to vet the guest.

This is already changed this week. Guests at POP are not getting KTTW cards be default (only if the refuse MB), so they can no longer rely on showing a KTTW card for EMH, and the plan is to eliminate KTTW cards for the most part. So they HAVE to be able to scan MBs.

 

[mom2rtk]

If the MB to scanner contact point is as specific as I'm hearing it will slow things down.

There is no way on earth they can scan and check those bands as quickly as they can load people onto rides.

 

[doconeill]

There is no way on earth they can scan and check those bands as quickly as they can load people onto rides.

Depends on the attraction. For instance, there is plenty of time to do it at Soarin'. And like I said, it went pretty snappy for FP+ at Soarin' as it was.

 

[mom2rtk]

Depends on the attraction. For instance, there is plenty of time to do it at Soarin'. And like I said, it went pretty snappy for FP+ at Soarin' as it was.

Sure. Not all. But enough to matter. Rides with a longer duration like Soarin would not be a problem since they can clear through enough over the duration of that attraction (even with 2 screens going) to be ready to load when it comes open. But I was thinking of the continual loaders..... any of the mountains, POC, HM and the like.

 

[wisblue]

Sure. Not all. But enough to matter. Rides with a longer duration like Soarin would not be a problem since they can clear through enough over the duration of that attraction (even with 2 screens going) to be ready to load when it comes open. But I was thinking of the continual loaders..... any of the mountains, POC, HM and the like.

Based on what we saw last week, the scanning points are far enough from the actual loading points that they have no impact on FP wait or load times. There may be a backup at the first scan point, but all it does is delay getting to the last contact point where the FP and standby lines come together.

 

[mom2rtk]

Based on what we saw last week, the scanning points are far enough from the actual loading points that they have no impact on FP wait or load times. There may be a backup at the first scan point, but all it does is delay getting to the last contact point where the FP and standby lines come together.

I believe that about FP+ since they are pulling from standby and FP lines. But for EMH, I'm doubtful that will work efficiently because at that point every single rider will have to be scanned.


I could be wrong, but I don't think we've heard feedback yet on how it works with EMH because up until now they have only looked to see that people HAVE bands, they have not actually scanned them.

 

[curemyreed]

I saw a fairly long line of people at Soarin' zip pretty quickly through the FP+ line using both MBs and cards, no problem.



This is already changed this week. Guests at POP are not getting KTTW cards be default (only if the refuse MB), so they can no longer rely on showing a KTTW card for EMH, and the plan is to eliminate KTTW cards for the most part. So they HAVE to be able to scan MBs.

I wasn't clear enough. I know that KTTW are out, so that option is kaput. But, like you, I do think that the FP+ touchpoints at the ride entrance make more sense than CMs using iPads to check each band. It seems like a no-brainer because your resort stay should be noted within the MB. Why introduce an additional check when the FP+ touchpoints could confirm it and move people into the ride?

 

[curemyreed]

I believe that about FP+ since they are pulling from standby and FP lines. But for EMH, I'm doubtful that will work efficiently because at that point every single rider will have to be scanned.


I could be wrong, but I don't think we've heard feedback yet on how it works with EMH because up until now they have only looked to see that people HAVE bands, they have not actually scanned them.

I question the efficiency due to every single rider needing to be scanned as well. TheHub said they have been testing using the iPads at HS. Hopefully, they will quickly adapt the system to work well? (Ok. I admit it. It was hard to type that with a straight face! )

 

[Wood Nymph]

Has anyone who has checked into the Pop Century on Nov 14th or later reported that their KTTW card did not work in the legacy fp machines? I had expected to see more outrage by current guests who found out that they were excluded from using fp- and so far I haven't seen it. I could be looking at the wrong threads.

Does anyone know what the current situation is for people staying at POP right now?

 

[curemyreed]

Has anyone who has checked into the Pop Century on Nov 14th or later reported that their KTTW card did not work in the legacy fp machines? I had expected to see more outrage by current guests who found out that they were excluded from using fp- and so far I haven't seen it. I could be looking at the wrong threads.

Does anyone know what the current situation is for people staying at POP right now?

The only two reports I have read from people there who checked-in stated the KTTW cards issued to them did NOT work in legacy FP machines. Maybe we will get more feedback when they return? I never come on in here while at WDW, maybe others are the same.

 

[doconeill]

Has anyone who has checked into the Pop Century on Nov 14th or later reported that their KTTW card did not work in the legacy fp machines? I had expected to see more outrage by current guests who found out that they were excluded from using fp- and so far I haven't seen it. I could be looking at the wrong threads.

Does anyone know what the current situation is for people staying at POP right now?

Yes. There is a thread on the Resorts board about it. It is as reported - no KTTW card with a MagicBand, if you opt out you get a KTTW card that will not work in the FP kiosks.

 

[wisblue]

I believe that about FP+ since they are pulling from standby and FP lines. But for EMH, I'm doubtful that will work efficiently because at that point every single rider will have to be scanned.


I could be wrong, but I don't think we've heard feedback yet on how it works with EMH because up until now they have only looked to see that people HAVE bands, they have not actually scanned them.

I saw your first comment out of the EMH context.

Is it possible that the ipads will be in addition to the other scanners to provide more capacity when everyone has to be scanned? That way they can scan people going down what is usually the standby entrance.

 

[SoarinSC]

I wasn't clear enough. I know that KTTW are out, so that option is kaput. But, like you, I do think that the FP+ touchpoints at the ride entrance make more sense than CMs using iPads to check each band. It seems like a no-brainer because your resort stay should be noted within the MB. Why introduce an additional check when the FP+ touchpoints could confirm it and move people into the ride?

This is a good point during EMH...if you're not onsite and thus no actively coded MB no entry. Perhaps they'll modify procedure for EMH.