Are "Magic Bands" the next gen Room Key/ FP?

[mrzrich]

So tonight I was browsing the WDW site, and they asked me to take a survey. The survey was to rate new Home Page designs for Disney Parks. The new Home Page they showed me was similar to what it is now, but some of the headings and layout are changed. I look over the page very carefully, and I notice under the heading "My Vacation" (or My itinerary, something like that), something called "Magic Bands"

 

[MrsFerrell]

Aw that makes me super bummed that I didnt do the survey when it popped up --facepalm--

 

[k5jm]

Disney is using RFID bands for the kids clubs on DCL now (The Dream is for sure). This has been speculated for a while.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2472192&highlight=rfid

 

[mrzrich]

I knew it was coming, I'm just speculating whether this is what they will be called.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I just hoe they give people an option to have a regular room key if they don't want the wrist band. Do they really expect that people will want to wera them for a week or more?

 

[*NikkiBell*]

This could be interesting. A few years ago, I bought one of the wrist gift cards at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. I've been using it ever since on big trips. I recharge the card before my trip and love how easy it is to use when doing some serious shopping. I wonder what it'd be like to have other things linked to a wristband.

 

[doconeill]

"Magic bands" does seem to be what they are going to call the RFID based system that is part of NextGen, and will become the focus of several things, including several current KTTW features. X-Pass/Fastpass+, photopass and tickets certainly seem to be part of it in the first pass. Room charging and interactive queue/ride features may be as well, based on more rumors.

It may not replace room keys, unless they also retrofit every resort (at least where it is offered) with new locks as well. But between room charge and room key, I'd have serious security concerns on it being an RFID-only system.

There were some marketing materials leaked some time back that showed the bands - various colors, etc. Kinda looked like those "health" bands that were taking a lot of heat from critics a few months ago.