Magic bands being sent for Disney Cruise??

[CluelessDisFan]

Hi, I just received this message from DCL: Good news––your MagicBand package is on the way! Your package is being sent via US MAIL PARCEL POST and your tracking number is...

However, when I searched for the package via USPS, and also UPS both came up without any results. Can anyone clue me in to what this MagicBand package is for? I did not think we got MagicBands except for the kids for going to the clubs, but I was under the impression we'd get them on board.

TIA!

 

[MsJiminyCricket]

Are you staying on property at the parks before or after the trip? Is the email from DCL or Disney?

 

[CluelessDisFan]

Are you staying on property at the parks before or after the trip? Is the email from DCL or Disney?

No, not going to the parks this trip. I did get through to DCL though, and they said it's not exactly a MagicBand, but that they are RFID wrist bands for kids entering the clubs, and they can track them from the bridge if they get lost. I guess they were sent to Dreams Unlimited, and now we just wait for Dreams Unlimited to send them to us. I think it's silly they'd send them to the travel agent, especially when DCL sends everything else directly to us. I just hope they get here in time.

 

[CluelessDisFan]

Okay, on the phone with Disney again this morning. Dreams Unlimited, says Disney does send things directly to us. This CM I'm talking to now thinks it is just a glitch in the system, she also confirmed they never send out bands for DCL. At this point I'm just hoping they're not lost somewhere those bands have a charge of $12.95 each.

 

[wilkeliza]

I've never heard of the kids club bands being sent ahead of time.

Also just as an FYI the kids club bands can not be tracked from the bridge! All the bridge and kids club can see is if the kids have entered or exited the club and possibly which club they are currently in. There are no readers elsewhere on the ship so they would have no clue where the kids are. Some have said that there may be long rang readers at the exit of the boat just in case but I didn't notice any nor believe it since the crew that mans the boats has you scan your card not the kids MBs.

 

[belac]

LOL at least I am not alone it is a glitch. I got the same thing a few weeks back, when we PIF - no one at DCL or Disney CS knows why...Just happened

 

[JMHDisney]

I've never heard of the kids club bands being sent ahead of time.

Also just as an FYI the kids club bands can not be tracked from the bridge! All the bridge and kids club can see is if the kids have entered or exited the club and possibly which club they are currently in. There are no readers elsewhere on the ship so they would have no clue where the kids are. Some have said that there may be long rang readers at the exit of the boat just in case but I didn't notice any nor believe it since the crew that mans the boats has you scan your card not the kids MBs.

I'm curious about what they can see. I know they scan in and out at the kids club but I thought that was primarily to check the parent info. When I've picked up my son on days when the club was a zoo, the CM would smile at me and say, he's up in the treehouse or he's over at the art table and it definitely appeared that they were looking at the screen when they said that (and how would someone who is manning the front desk know exactly where my son is?). It made me think they actually can track without specifically scanning. It would be really cool if they could track from the bridge but I have my doubts about that with all the metal on the ship.

 

[wilkeliza]

I'm curious about what they can see. I know they scan in and out at the kids club but I thought that was primarily to check the parent info. When I've picked up my son on days when the club was a zoo, the CM would smile at me and say, he's up in the treehouse or he's over at the art table and it definitely appeared that they were looking at the screen when they said that (and how would someone who is manning the front desk know exactly where my son is?). It made me think they actually can track without specifically scanning. It would be really cool if they could track from the bridge but I have my doubts about that with all the metal on the ship.

I'm sure they can track with in the clubs. It is very possible there are long range readers inside the clubs itself. I believe that no problem. It is much harder to believe though that they can track a child anywhere on the ship. Seems like that would be something they would have to get parents to agree to in writing before they would be able to track like that.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

At one point in the past, not sure how long ago, someone asked and was told they could only track within the clubs and maybe the immediate vicinity such as the hall right outside. It's possible they may have upgraded that capability.

 

[bumbershoot]

Did you get an email, or is it an "alert" on your Disney account?

Up until, hmm, today, I have been able to see 3 ancient "alerts" on my Disneyworld AND DisneylAND accounts, telling me of MBs shipping from almost 2 years ago. Also about adding my friend's ticket to the account (for Wine and Dine 2014). This all showed up as something for me to look at urgently.

I hadn't logged into my DCL account in nearing a year, and now it's not showing (but it's not showing on WDW or DLR accounts either as of today), so I'm not sure if it would have shown up, but it might have.

So I wonder if this is just info about an old MB for a previous vacation.

If you're silly like me and keep all emails about old vacations, I wonder if you could do a search in your email for that tracking number, to see if it's what had been used for a previous vacation of yours.

But they don't mail Oceaneer's Club bands, so don't worry about that.

 

[hardis5]

At one point in the past, not sure how long ago, someone asked and was told they could only track within the clubs and maybe the immediate vicinity such as the hall right outside. It's possible they may have upgraded that capability.

Within the kids clubs, they can track to the room or immediate area ones child is in with the new bands. The only time I found this to not be accurate was when the DS was running from one room/activity/game to another.

 

[Tasmen]

Did you get an email, or is it an "alert" on your Disney account?

Up until, hmm, today, I have been able to see 3 ancient "alerts" on my Disneyworld AND DisneylAND accounts, telling me of MBs shipping from almost 2 years ago. Also about adding my friend's ticket to the account (for Wine and Dine 2014). This all showed up as something for me to look at urgently.

I was going to ask the same question. I had some old magicband notifications sitting around in my account messaging too. I would definitely check and see if that is what those messages were for you too.

 

[Broncho]

I noticed when we were on the Wonder last March that in the ceilings of both kids clubs there were antennas sticking through the ceiling. The antennas looked like the types of antennas you would see on a wi-fi router/access point. I'm sure that is how they track the bands in the clubs, but because of the structure of the ships the signal wouldn't be able to make it outside of the club.

I'm sure if they wanted to they could put those antennas all over the ship and could track them everywhere but the only benefit I could see for that would be to locate a lost kid.

 

[wilkeliza]

I noticed when we were on the Wonder last March that in the ceilings of both kids clubs there were antennas sticking through the ceiling. The antennas looked like the types of antennas you would see on a wi-fi router/access point. I'm sure that is how they track the bands in the clubs, but because of the structure of the ships the signal wouldn't be able to make it outside of the club.

I'm sure if they wanted to they could put those antennas all over the ship and could track them everywhere but the only benefit I could see for that would be to locate a lost kid.

At that point I believe they would need to get parental permission to track their kids all over the ship.

 

[stitch 6 2 6]

At that point I believe they would need to get parental permission to track their kids all over the ship.

Or just bury the permission in the fine print somewhere...

 

[wilkeliza]

Or just bury the permission in the fine print somewhere...

Well there is that too but I try to read all the fine print before I agree to something. It gets a little more difficult then hiding it in the fine print when kids are involved though. Disney actually had to answer to a senate commity over MDE due to the fine print and children's accounts.

 

[phinz]

No, not going to the parks this trip. I did get through to DCL though, and they said it's not exactly a MagicBand, but that they are RFID wrist bands for kids entering the clubs, and they can track them from the bridge if they get lost. I guess they were sent to Dreams Unlimited, and now we just wait for Dreams Unlimited to send them to us. I think it's silly they'd send them to the travel agent, especially when DCL sends everything else directly to us. I just hope they get here in time.

Our paperwork and luggage tags went to our TA's agency, who promptly sent half of them to the wrong TA. We didn't get our book and tags until 5 days before we left.