Magic Bands and lost children

[MrsHammer]

Can cast members utilize info from Magic Bands to contact parents of lost children? Just curious....I had bought rubber id bracelets for my child when she was younger, but now I was wondering if Magic Bands are used to get cell phone numbers, etc in lost children instances.

 

[Robo]

Can cast members utilize info from Magic Bands to contact parents of lost children? Just curious....I had bought rubber id bracelets for my child when she was younger, but now I was wondering if Magic Bands are used to get cell phone numbers, etc in lost children instances.

It has been reported that they CAN do so.
I've not read any first-hand reports that they HAVE done so.

 

[wilkeliza]

Can cast members utilize info from Magic Bands to contact parents of lost children? Just curious....I had bought rubber id bracelets for my child when she was younger, but now I was wondering if Magic Bands are used to get cell phone numbers, etc in lost children instances.

The easy answer is No. The most a regular CM with a magicband reader can see is the child's name and any reservations they are tied to. Now if that was a guest relations CM who had the reservation information they could then use that to track back to a party member however this is not something that is done. CMs are actively discouraged from using such a method because it could potentially violate all sorts of laws because you don't actually give Disney permission to track your child to you with their MB or reservations and when it comes to kids you typically need permission before you can use their information like that.

 

[MrsHammer]

Ok, makes sense. Thanks!

 

[Boski]

The easy answer is No. The most a regular CM with a magicband reader can see is the child's name and any reservations they are tied to. Now if that was a guest relations CM who had the reservation information they could then use that to track back to a party member however this is not something that is done. CMs are actively discouraged from using such a method because it could potentially violate all sorts of laws because you don't actually give Disney permission to track your child to you with their MB or reservations and when it comes to kids you typically need permission before you can use their information like that.

That's not true. I've seen it done in person.

 

[ottawamom]

You could always use the personalized name part on the inside of the magic band to add your cell #

 

[wilkeliza]

That's not true. I've seen it done in person.

What exactly did you see in person? I have asked and have been told that it is highly discouraged. Even when they first came out and I was a CM we were told that you can not use them to relocated lost children to parents.

 

[hiroMYhero]

You could always use the personalized name part on the inside of the magic band to add your cell #

Unfortunately, there's a 9 character limit so a phone # doesn't fit. Adding it with a Sharpie would work if the child can't memorize a parent's cell #.

 

[Boski]

What exactly did you see in person? I have asked and have been told that it is highly discouraged. Even when they first came out and I was a CM we were told that you can not use them to relocated lost children to parents.

Last year we were with another family at the resort and one of their children got separated from us. While we were looking for him the Dad got a call from someone at guest services, like you mentioned, saying they had his son and met us in the lobby with him. They were able to get his phone number by scanning his son's MB. I also heard, from a reputable CM they found a lost child by tracking him with his MB but can't confirm that.

 

[wilkeliza]

Last year we were with another family at the resort and one of their children got separated from us. While we were looking for him the Dad got a call from someone at guest services, like you mentioned, saying they had his son and met us in the lobby with him. They were able to get his phone number by scanning his son's MB. I also heard, from a reputable CM they found a lost child by tracking him with his MB but can't confirm that.

MBs can only very losingly "track" people. It only can let them know that a specific band went past a specific reader. Yes Guest Services could have gotten off the band but also GS could have gotten the number from the child and called. It isn't frowned upon to call parents but it is frowned upon to go through the system to find people's information unless it is dire.

 

[linzbear]

My kid got lost when he was 3 and a CM found him, scanned his band, and called me. This was in AK near the end of the safari.

 

[Dismama2boys]

It isn't frowned upon to call parents but it is frowned upon to go through the system to find people's information unless it is dire.

I would think a lost child is "dire"?

ETA: sorry to single you out here! I just have seen this come up before, and I cannot imagine a parent getting upset that their info was used in this manner. Although, I've worked with the general public and people are crazy.....

 

[bumbershoot]

I would think a lost child is "dire"?

A child being lost at Disney isn't the same as being lost in a city. Or a park. etc.

At Disney they have LONG-standing ways of helping the situation out. So if I turned around at WDW and DS wasn't there, I wouldn't be AS freaked out as, say, the time he decided to hide inside a circular rack of clothing at JC Penney and was silent for a minute or two.

At Disney I know their procedures; at JCP I don't.

I cannot imagine a parent getting upset that their info was used in this manner.

A company like Disney has to take customer info privacy seriously.


I would never EVER rely on a CM with a scanner that can get all the info (not all scanners can, from what I've read, and very few CMs have access to those scanners, or any scanner) from the MB to call me. I would never rely on my cellular service in the park. I would really never rely on my hearing that cellphone ringing!

 

[Dismama2boys]

A child being lost at Disney isn't the same as being lost in a city. Or a park. etc.

At Disney they have LONG-standing ways of helping the situation out. So if I turned around at WDW and DS wasn't there, I wouldn't be AS freaked out as, say, the time he decided to hide inside a circular rack of clothing at JC Penney and was silent for a minute or two.

At Disney I know their procedures; at JCP I don't.



A company like Disney has to take customer info privacy seriously.


I would never EVER rely on a CM with a scanner that can get all the info (not all scanners can, from what I've read, and very few CMs have access to those scanners, or any scanner) from the MB to call me. I would never rely on my cellular service in the park. I would really never rely on my hearing that cellphone ringing!

Yes, I'm familiar with all of this. I'm also well-versed in customer privacy. And I don't recall saying that I would ever depend on a CM to call me, or hearing my phone, or whatnot. I don't feel that Disney is quite as safe as you do, though. My children are still very young, so that may factor in here, but I would be panicked if we were separated for any length of time, at Disney or elsewhere. Feel free to disagree.

 

[ChimCher-ee]

We had a situation at our resort where I thought DD was with my mom and she thought she was with me. When I went to the front desk, they asked me what DD was wearing, where we had seen her last, where we had checked, and were in the process of notifying some security. However, they didn't suggest tracking DD through her MB, which is, I think, different from scanning her band for my # after finding her... Maybe they can do the latter but the former is a no-no.

Of course, DD turned up just before I embarrassed myself by losing it...)

 

[Robo]

Never reply to a thread that mentions kids.

 

[rastahomie]

I got lost at River Country back when I was 7-ish (1977). Mom had a coronary (understandably), but there only so many places I could have gone (correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't River Country on an island?). The lifeguard who found me, however, was MAD, lol. Put me in time-out for like ten minutes and made me sit at the bottom of his lifeguard chair.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Never reply to a thread they mentions kids.

I hear you

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Yes, I'm familiar with all of this. I'm also well-versed in customer privacy. And I don't recall saying that I would ever depend on a CM to call me, or hearing my phone, or whatnot. I don't feel that Disney is quite as safe as you do, though. My children are still very young, so that may factor in here, but I would be panicked if we were separated for any length of time, at Disney or elsewhere. Feel free to disagree.

not something you asked but this happened last season at the small park where I work. from what security told me they had found child about 15 minutes before parents came to us for help but it took another 10 minutes to get them back together because mother was sure boy was wearing a green shirt. boy who was found had a red shirt. it took father coming back with phone to show mom that he did have a red shirt. security was not going to take adults where child was until they were sure they had right parents. have on all phones a pic of each child so you know what they are wearing each day. do not trust your memory with that info

 

[CarrieR]

I get all of the "whys" why Disney doesn't do it at present, but it seems like it would be an easy feature to add when customizing MBs. Have a button like the one for allergy dining to click to add "lost child alert phone number," that when clicked pops up a box to put in cell phone & a alternate cell - as well as a checkbox for accepting T&C that boil down to "you give us permission to scan this band and call this number if we find your kid loose in a park/resort/etc."