UPDATED: MagicBands will NOT be coming to Disneyland

[ehrawn]

The likelihood of MyMagic+ as we know it being replicated on the West Coast appears to be small.

Quote: Like [Bob] Iger, [Tom] Staggs heralds how MyMagic+ will eventually spread to the other Disney theme parks. But when I press him on exactly what this means, Staggs says the company will roll out "variations on MyMagic+." He explains that this "doesn’t mean the MagicBand will be used in every [park]." MagicBand probably won’t come to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, because restructuring costs would be too high. Shanghai is expected to have such a high proportion of guests with smartphones, he says, that there wouldn’t be any need to export the MagicBand. A MyMagic+ app could essentially replace it.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3044283/the-messy-business-of-reinventing-happiness#!

 

[thmcdonald1]

You know, with smartwatches becoming a thing (a projected 2.3 million Apple Watches sold in first 24 hours was the last estimate I saw), it could be that NFC app support is the future of the Magic Band.

 

[mom2rtk]

The likelihood of MyMagic+ as we know it being replicated on the West Coast appears to be small.

Quote: Like [Bob] Iger, [Tom] Staggs heralds how MyMagic+ will eventually spread to the other Disney theme parks. But when I press him on exactly what this means, Staggs says the company will roll out "variations on MyMagic+." He explains that this "doesn’t mean the MagicBand will be used in every [park]." MagicBand probably won’t come to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, because restructuring costs would be too high. Shanghai is expected to have such a high proportion of guests with smartphones, he says, that there wouldn’t be any need to export the MagicBand. A MyMagic+ app could essentially replace it.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3044283/the-messy-business-of-reinventing-happiness#!

Someone else just shared this with me yesterday. It's the best piece of Disney news I've read in a long time!

 

[vladimir p]

MFW:

 

[mom2rtk]

MFW:

So are those happy tears?

 

[bookgirl]

Coming to DLR after multiple trips to WDW I'm trying to figure out how to switch back to NOT having MB/FP+.

I found it very easy to use.

Wait I just read in a post. No WiFi?

There's no wifi at DLR, that sucks.

 

[vladimir p]

So are those happy tears?

hahaha no!!!!

 

[Planogirl]

I just heard the news. So no MB at DL and thus no FP+? Wow, I know where I'll be planning to go to next.

 

[IBFW]

Very interesting. The first thing any company can't wait to do after investing a huge amount of money and time into something is to roll it out to the rest of the company in order to reduce costs and realize the benefits company wide. For them to say this probably isn't going to happen is telling indeed.

For one, infrastructure costs at DL would be too high. Wait, what? They weren't too high at WDW where 24,000 room locks had to be retrofitted, thousands of POS had to be upgraded, and a wifi system had to be installed to cover an area equivalent to that of San Francisco? And it would cost too much at DL?

Is that another way of saying they learned that the returns aren't worth the cost to implement at any scale? And/or that a significant portion of the current investment is buried in technology that already became obsolete at roll-out?

Of course the back-end of MDE is nothing more than a very large Skynet database. It doesn't care if it receives it's input from RFID sensors or NFC sensors or a web service via smart phone apps. So it could still be used at DL and FP+ could still find it's way to DL just not via Disney-furnished wearables like a wrist band.

 

[disneyseniors]

I am very serious!! as honestly explained in a few of my previous posts of how my recent 2 week vacation was in Orlando! Yes all things were far from perfect on this trip BUT made the best of it & STILL manage to enjoy
Our time! :cheer2
Just really getting tired of all these negative posts.

and I'm getting tired of people who don't share your opinion, whatever it is, saying essentially, "love it or leave it!" This is aDISCUSSION site. I feel all people should be able to state their thoughts, experiences, yes even if they are viewed as "negative" by others. What they feel is negative, for others it might be the thing they are looking to check out for their trip. So, Please just because not everyone views things through rose colored glasses, don't just discount them and tell them to get lost! The same could be said for Anyone who disagrees with Anything. We all have our opinions and as this is a discussion board, we should be able to discuss them without others jumping on them all the time. Please, People, common sense!and consideration for others.

 

[V2000]

Yay! I am excited for this. It's really time consuming to walk across the park to get a fast pass and then wait to walk all the back to get on the ride. I used the magic bands in Florida and it worked really well for me. You can use the app to change your fast pass times if your schedule changes. Love it.

 

[imajinable]

I used the Magic Bands on my trip last year and i absolutly loved it!! I got on line to meet Anna & Elsa which was a 2hr wait and 2mins into the line i remembered that i could chk my phone for a FP which i did and i ended getting a FP for the exact moment that i was there so i hopped out of the 2hr line and walked straight into meeting Anna & Elsa all within 5mins!! I am not sure about how this would work at DLR bcuz this trip will be my 1st ever but i can't imagine that it would make things worst. I mean i was unsure about the Magic bands at 1st too but after trying it i must say i really liked it a lot. Its just like the paper FP to me but without having to zigzag from 1 side of the park to the other just to get your FP. I was able to cancel and rearrange the FP's to my liking. In fact, in order to get that Anna & Elsa FP i had to cancel another FP which i did and then i rebooked it for a lil later as soon as i was done w Anna & Elsa..Idk, i think this is a perfect example of 'don't knock it until you try it' type thing. Have an open mind and just see what happens.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yay! I am excited for this. It's really time consuming to walk across the park to get a fast pass and then wait to walk all the back to get on the ride. I used the magic bands in Florida and it worked really well for me. You can use the app to change your fast pass times if your schedule changes. Love it.

I used the Magic Bands on my trip last year and i absolutly loved it!! I got on line to meet Anna & Elsa which was a 2hr wait and 2mins into the line i remembered that i could chk my phone for a FP which i did and i ended getting a FP for the exact moment that i was there so i hopped out of the 2hr line and walked straight into meeting Anna & Elsa all within 5mins!! I am not sure about how this would work at DLR bcuz this trip will be my 1st ever but i can't imagine that it would make things worst. I mean i was unsure about the Magic bands at 1st too but after trying it i must say i really liked it a lot. Its just like the paper FP to me but without having to zigzag from 1 side of the park to the other just to get your FP. I was able to cancel and rearrange the FP's to my liking. In fact, in order to get that Anna & Elsa FP i had to cancel another FP which i did and then i rebooked it for a lil later as soon as i was done w Anna & Elsa..Idk, i think this is a perfect example of 'don't knock it until you try it' type thing. Have an open mind and just see what happens.

You guys might want to read all the way through to the end of the thread. There was an update in post 141 above in a quote from Tom Staggs.

 

[imajinable]

Well whether they use Magic bands or not which ever form of MyMagic+ they use will probably help make life easier while in the parks or at least that is what they are hoping.

 

[cakebaker]

Honestly, I don't see us going to DL anytime soon and it's such a different park that what system they use is of little difference to me but I think to assume because the MB might not be brought to DL means no FP+ is probably wishful thinking on the part of those who don't like FP+ to start with. Who knows how'd they implement any changes but wow- I didn't realize DL didn't even have WiFi ??? Our trips to DL were a long time ago.

What I found most interesting was the thought process behind the creation of the system and the feedback they were getting regarding intent to return from first time guests.

"In the mid-2000s, however, Disney executives had reason to worry about the future of the business. Disney World, Parks’ crown jewel, seemed to be losing its luster. According to multiple sources, certain key metrics, including guests’ "intent to return," were dropping; around half of first-time attendees signaled they likely would not come back because of long lines, high ticket costs, and other park pain points. Simultaneously, the stunningly fast adoption of social media and smartphones threatened the relevance of the parks. If Disney wanted these more tech-oriented generations to love it as much as their parents, who had grown up with fewer entertainment alternatives, had, it would have to embrace change now. "

Of course detractors will hail this as some kind of proof that it's a failure at WDW and they're learning their lesson. Truth is, it's not a one size fits all. What works at WDW may or may not work anywhere else. I much prefer them giving a lot of thought and consideration to what works best in each location.

 

[V2000]

You guys might want to read all the way through to the end of the thread. There was an update in post 141 above in a quote from Tom Staggs.

Oh I was replying to the article posted on the first thread.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/disney-646893-mymagic-disneyland.html

But I guess the article regarding this quote is more recent.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I am skeptical that not bringing MBs means also not bringing FP+. I could see them being able to.implement fp+ if they used handheld scanners by a CM instead of the touchpoints (which I'm assuming is part of the "too high"infrastructure costs) - like the ones they use at WDW when the checkpoints are down.

I do think we will see the integration.of MM+ (one card for everything, incl. Photos), but without the touchpoints at the attractions it does make me question what the fate of fp+ will be at dlr.

It is interesting that this is a pretty major shift front the original article of the thread.

 

[Chiomaca]

Honestly, I don't see us going to DL anytime soon and it's such a different park that what system they use is of little difference to me but I think to assume because the MB might not be brought to DL means no FP+ is probably wishful thinking on the part of those who don't like FP+ to start with. Who knows how'd they implement any changes but wow- I didn't realize DL didn't even have WiFi ??? Our trips to DL were a long time ago.

What I found most interesting was the thought process behind the creation of the system and the feedback they were getting regarding intent to return from first time guests.

"In the mid-2000s, however, Disney executives had reason to worry about the future of the business. Disney World, Parks’ crown jewel, seemed to be losing its luster. According to multiple sources, certain key metrics, including guests’ "intent to return," were dropping; around half of first-time attendees signaled they likely would not come back because of long lines, high ticket costs, and other park pain points. Simultaneously, the stunningly fast adoption of social media and smartphones threatened the relevance of the parks. If Disney wanted these more tech-oriented generations to love it as much as their parents, who had grown up with fewer entertainment alternatives, had, it would have to embrace change now. "

Of course detractors will hail this as some kind of proof that it's a failure at WDW and they're learning their lesson. Truth is, it's not a one size fits all. What works at WDW may or may not work anywhere else. I much prefer them giving a lot of thought and consideration to what works best in each location.

I don't think it's as much a matter of MB and FP+ being a failure at WDW as an acknowledgement of the different style of visitors at each park. It's been noted more than once that DLR is much more of a local's park than WDW is, notwithstanding that locals visit WDW and people fly in from around the world to visit DLR. I think Disneyland would lose a lot of it's core if the people who lived half a mile away suddenly had to get Fast Passes months ahead of time to ride the big ticket rides.

I'm a DLR native who has been to WDW recently thanks to the races, and I much prefer the more casual way of visiting that DLR offers - easy park hopping and relatively easy FP capability that doesn't require months of planning and spreadsheeting. I know many people dig that kind of planning, and more power to you, but I don't want to have to plan my vacation days...I am ruled by a calendar and clock at work, I don't want to do so when I'm playing. I would love to see some variant of MyMagic+ and electronic fast passes, but I much prefer same day fast passes.

 

[U-No]

I am skeptical that not bringing MBs means also not bringing FP+. I could see them being able to.implement fp+ if they used handheld scanners by a CM instead of the touchpoints (which I'm assuming is part of the "too high"infrastructure costs) - like the ones they use at WDW when the checkpoints are down.

I do think we will see the integration.of MM+ (one card for everything, incl. Photos), but without the touchpoints at the attractions it does make me question what the fate of fp+ will be at dlr.

It is interesting that this is a pretty major shift front the original article of the thread.

DLR is very compact. Rides and their lines are extremely close to one another. I just can't imagine them being able to implement FP+ into these parks, because it would require space for both a FP+ line and a SB line. Just not practical IMO.

I have used FP+ at WDW and I do not like it. IMO it takes away spontaneity. I was not able to experience as many attractions because the SB lines were considerably longer. The only reason I am saying this is in response to posters who assume you haven't tried FP+ and that' the reason you don't like it.

I will be thrilled if DLR remains as is. I love deciding what park to visit on the spur of the moment, I love having park hoppers and having FP's for both parks simultaneously, I love going in a shorter SB line for rides like POTC, HM, IASW, TSMM because there is no FP competition. I will not be returning to WDW because of FP+, it's nice to know I will not have to stop visiting DLR.

 

[Mad Hattered]

We are here right now and LOVE the FP- system. We were able to pull 10 on our first day. We actually had FIVE valid FP- at one time!!!

Soooooooo glad to hear they scrapped the idea of bringing that crap out here!!!