MyMagic MagicBand testing currently underway at Disney's Animal Kingdom

[CuteAsMinnie]

They do not need to make people happy. The numbers are three the roof and they are not going to just shell out all this crazy amounts of money to make more rides per parks when the parks are maxing at capacity as it is with the rides and things they already have.

This will absolutely boost their revenue. Disney is smarter then we all think and they are usually a step ahead of us on how exactly to make money.

We'll see...

 

[N365PA]

In theory its an awesome idea. In practicality, it's being harder to implement than initially thought. I'm still holding out that they get it working properly.

 

[livsmom04]

I think my MagicBand will be Silver color. As in wrapped in Aluminum foil! And a tinfoil hat to protect me from all the Magic being beamed at me!

 

[doconeill]

Could also be about collecting data, which they intend to mine in order to figure out how to get us to spend more money. At least that is what I would do

Well, yes...also part of that 10-20%

They do not need to make people happy. The numbers are three the roof and they are not going to just shell out all this crazy amounts of money to make more rides per parks when the parks are maxing at capacity as it is with the rides and things they already have.

Well, that's debatable. If parks are at capacity, that is good for the bottom line, but bad for guest satisfaction. If they let satisfaction drop too much, they will get a bad reputation and guests will stop coming, and the bottom line will drop. They will then need to figure out how to get them back, or find other revenue streams.

Expanding existing parks with new attractions and freshening others is one way to do it.

DVC is an example of another revenue stream, although the sustainability is somewhat of a question unless they keep building until they get to 2042 when the first contracts run out and they can resell. And if they keep building, that's more guests to take the place of those who left, so they can forestall expansion.

But it still would be bad business to run things at 100% too long, as it would make DVC a tougher selling point.

 

[Colleen27]

They are conducting testing. It seems to be very limited scale, I'd be surprised if it was anything more than a percentage of guests at AKL because I didn't see many bands in all the people-watching I do, but I did speak with a family who had their Magic Bands on at Animal Kingdom on Sunday. They were FL residents and the mother said a CM friend told them when to book a short stay to get a chance to participate. She seemed fairly ambivalent about the system as a whole. She had some of the same complaints that have come up in every thread on the subject here on the DIS - she ended up having to write down their pre-selected times because the band offers no reminder, they didn't like being limited to only 3 FP per day because they normally use more than that, she didn't like that they were limited to selecting each attraction once (we had this convo in the loading area for Dinosaur during a "technical difficulty" - it was a walk-on but they had chosen it as their 3rd FP+ attraction simply because they couldn't get a second set for the safari or Everest). But she did say the bracelets were comfortable and stayed securely fastened even on her kids, and that she liked not having to worry about taking a room key to the pool. It was sort of funny, hearing her list off so many of the downsides that DISers are already anticipating. No new info, nothing juicy at all, but when I saw them wearing the bands I had to strike up a conversation to get their impressions.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymag...g-begins-today-at-disney's-animal-kingdom.htm

~Thanks for the update! I can't wait for the magic bands!

I don't think there is anything stopping them from rolling out the magicband portion of the MDE other then the fact that I'm sure they wan't to roll it out all at once. I don't believe the delays are due to the bands.

~I agree. There is no definitive explanation as to why the testing was "delayed" --it's just all speculation and rumors. There was never an official date announced for FP+ to begin with and from day one I've always predicted FP+ to debut in late 2013 or early 2014. With that said, I'm hoping it's sooner than later, but later is okay, too. Disney should take as much time as needed to make sure this thing works.

I think my MagicBand will be Silver color. As in wrapped in Aluminum foil! And a tinfoil hat to protect me from all the Magic being beamed at me!

~LOL! Here is your matching tin foil hat!

 

[Whatsthegoodword]

Boooooooo to this whole idea! My life is already complicated enough, and now I'm supposed to plan ahead when I'm riding Splash Mtn? Just let me take a vacation - for crying out loud!

 

[cheer25mom]

HATE HATE this idea, and hope it will NOT be up and working in 6 weeks when we are there!!

 

[ParrotBill]

~LOL! Here is your matching tin foil hat!

Yes! that is just what, ehem, the "DR" ordered. Wait, no, it has satellite dishes attached!

Well, I hope it gets that channel with Samantha what's-her-name.

 

[princess sunshine]

Hi, this is my first time posting I had to post this one because the foil hat reference with the foil bracelet had me laughing. When ParrotBill referenced Samantha what's her name who's always on TV in Orlando...no matter WHERE you stay, I laughed out loud! My family and i always kid about this preset channel that greets people at most every hotel/resort/timeshare in the area. Thanks to you both for the laughs, I appreciated it =)

 

[doconeill]

Hi, this is my first time posting I had to post this one because the foil hat reference with the foil bracelet had me laughing. When ParrotBill referenced Samantha what's her name who's always on TV in Orlando...no matter WHERE you stay, I laughed out loud! My family and i always kid about this preset channel that greets people at most every hotel/resort/timeshare in the area. Thanks to you both for the laughs, I appreciated it =)

You might be confusing the Travel Channel's Samantha Brown (who has done quite a few Disney-centric shows, but has several travel series on the channel) with Stacey of the old "Top 7"/current "Must Dos" perpetual loop channel in the resorts. (I was going to call her "Must Dos Stacey", but that might be taken the wrong way...)

 

[princess sunshine]

Yes, thank you for clarifying The Disney Must Do one is what I was referencing.

 

[makeitmagic39]

I cannot wait for magic bands! As much as I love using fastpasses, I am not too worried about fastpass+. Sometimes it is just fun to wait in line!! Spend some quality time together and just relax.

Someone said they don't want to "plan" on their vacation. HA. I love planning. I find it to be a beautiful thing, and makes everything so much less stressful.

Bah I just want my freaking magic band. Please and thank you.

 

[deadheadmamma4]

I really hope they have it for our first trip ever in sept I think it's great for people who don't get to go all the time my kids will be heartbroken if they miss toystory.

 

[ParrotBill]

Welcome Princess Sunshine, glad I made you laugh!

In fact I was intentionally mixing up Samantha and Stacy. Over the last 2 years Samantha has also become a Disney property, not just on the Travel Channel.

Google "Samantha Brown Disney" and look at the hits... Everything I see on TV at home and much that I run into online about Disney is done by her now... and she is as bad as Stacy!

 

[EagleScout]

Welcome Princess Sunshine, glad I made you laugh!

In fact I was intentionally mixing up Samantha and Stacy. Over the last 2 years Samantha has also become a Disney property, not just on the Travel Channel.

Google "Samantha Brown Disney" and look at the hits... Everything I see on TV at home and much that I run into online about Disney is done by her now... and she is as bad as Stacy!

Indeed, regarding Samantha Brown /Stacey - Stacey was always just a Disney spokesperson, but Samantha "used to" be sort of an objective journalist/reviewer/critic (although I literally never heard give a critical review), but then became a paid spokesperson for Disney. But what was a bit "sneaky" (some might say sleazy) was that the Samantha Brown promos were clearly produced to resemble her Travel Channel pieces (color schemes, photography styles, etc.). I don't begrudge her finding new employment, but the whole promo just seems a bit "off" - could have even just included a very brief - "samantha brown here on behalf of Disney" - as opposed to "samantha brown here AT Disney" (which makes it look like disney just playing a travel channel piece) - maybe it is just so obvious that they would not be able to use a Travel Channel piece without proper attribution, etc (obviously I figured it out), but did take me a few minutes in my Disney-induced haze to discern it.

 

[Sound Guy Jim]

Why is this such a hard thing to roll-out? I understand that Fastpass+ is/can be a difficult thing to roll-out, but why are the magic bands hard to figure out? Couldn't they just unleash the Magicband with everything but Fastpass+ and then integrate that later (what they have done with My Disney Experience). Isn't the band the same thing as the RFID card you get when checking into the resort right? I am seriously considering hot-gluing a band to my ticket/room key when I get there and then I will have my own DIY Magicband.

What you have to realize is that the fastpass+ / Magic band isn’t just a new way to carry a room key. If you look at the money they are spending on this system it is obvious that it is something much more.

Disclaimer/full disclosure: I am not nor have I ever been a Disney employee. I am an observer of technology, and as a frequent attender to Disney over the years. I’ve interacted with most of their computer systems, at least as a customer, many times.

Having said that, I believe that the new magic band fast pass+ system is a holistic replacement of all the various computer/database systems with a single central database that controls and stores data from all the various aspects of the guest experience.

The current guest system consists of at least 7 different databases with specific functions. There is some interaction between systems, but it seems to be limited. The 7 that I can think of are these:
1. Resort room keys and charges (KTTW).
2. Park ticketing
3. Annual passes. (it’s my observation that this is separate from park ticketing due personal interaction with cast members and the system)
4. Point of sale for merchandise.
5. Point of sale and reservations for eating establishments.
6. Fast pass.
7. Online experiences.
(This doesn’t even include the DVC and DCL stuff)
With the size of Disney and the amount of data that they store and retrieve is huge and having a guest’s data stored in multiple systems is cumbersome and requires a lot a database management. Add to that Disney’s desire to make the guest experience more seamless and enjoyable, getting all these systems to talk to each other is a programming nightmare. The ultimate goal is to have one database entry for each guest. It will hold all the information needed for that guest and when it is modified anywhere it is modified for everything.

The reason that it takes so long to implement something like this is each of those systems need to be programmed to interact with the master data base. Each of these modules need to be tested and debugged. Once they have all the modules debugged they can start to unify all the old databases into the new single database this will probably happen one system/module at a time. As time goes on the single database becomes more unified, and the different systems come online until it is all one. This doesn’t take into account the hardware changes that have to happen. All the POS terminals, all the room locks, all the “turnstiles”, all the computers, all the fastpass machines, all the fast pass readers. Anything that will interact with the RFID cards/bands needs to be upgraded or installed, and debugged. After that the cast members need to be trained on the modules they will be interacting with.
Obviously this is an enormous undertaking. I’m sure a lot of it has been taking place behind the scenes for some time, but when they needed to start installing hardware, they needed to make an announcement, otherwise lots of people on forums and blogs start yelling “what’s that”.
In the end I think it’ll be great, Things like when I buy something at a store that has a discount for AP holders, It automatically deducts it. The wait time signs will be more accurate, because everybody will be a data point, not just the people handed the red card. Ultimately there will be a lot of data that will help Disney better understand how people move through the park. And they can design the park for better flow, and a better guest experience.

There's my opinion, It is worth every penny you paid for it.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

Basically with Fastpass+ you can pre-book your fastpass. Let's say you know you are going to Magic Kingdom on August 7th and a must do attraction for your family is Storytime with Belle. Now you can log on to the My Disney Experience website and basically search open times for that attraction and book your Fastpass. So now when you are there, your Fastpass will be connected to your MagicBand which is connected to your account on the My Disney Experience website. It's great for us Passholders who live locally and love Toy Story Mania but can NEVER get a Fastpass b/c they are gone after 10am, lol. I am very excited about this by the way, will make our lives much easier. I just hope the Disney website gets it's act together b/c it is not very reliable at all most of the time.

I live in Illinois but I share your feelings on this. Been going to WDW since 72 and whenever FP started, with FP+ I will finally, if I want, NOT have to do rope drop to get all the good fastpasses . Only problem will be when my two DD's catch wind of the system and figure out they don't have to get up so early on vacation anymore !

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

What you have to realize is that the fastpass+ / Magic band isn’t just a new way to carry a room key. If you look at the money they are spending on this system it is obvious that it is something much more.

Disclaimer/full disclosure: I am not nor have I ever been a Disney employee. I am an observer of technology, and as a frequent attender to Disney over the years. I’ve interacted with most of their computer systems, at least as a customer, many times.

Having said that, I believe that the new magic band fast pass+ system is a holistic replacement of all the various computer/database systems with a single central database that controls and stores data from all the various aspects of the guest experience.

The current guest system consists of at least 7 different databases with specific functions. There is some interaction between systems, but it seems to be limited. The 7 that I can think of are these:
1. Resort room keys and charges (KTTW).
2. Park ticketing
3. Annual passes. (it’s my observation that this is separate from park ticketing due personal interaction with cast members and the system)
4. Point of sale for merchandise.
5. Point of sale and reservations for eating establishments.
6. Fast pass.
7. Online experiences.
(This doesn’t even include the DVC and DCL stuff)
With the size of Disney and the amount of data that they store and retrieve is huge and having a guest’s data stored in multiple systems is cumbersome and requires a lot a database management. Add to that Disney’s desire to make the guest experience more seamless and enjoyable, getting all these systems to talk to each other is a programming nightmare. The ultimate goal is to have one database entry for each guest. It will hold all the information needed for that guest and when it is modified anywhere it is modified for everything.

The reason that it takes so long to implement something like this is each of those systems need to be programmed to interact with the master data base. Each of these modules need to be tested and debugged. Once they have all the modules debugged they can start to unify all the old databases into the new single database this will probably happen one system/module at a time. As time goes on the single database becomes more unified, and the different systems come online until it is all one. This doesn’t take into account the hardware changes that have to happen. All the POS terminals, all the room locks, all the “turnstiles”, all the computers, all the fastpass machines, all the fast pass readers. Anything that will interact with the RFID cards/bands needs to be upgraded or installed, and debugged. After that the cast members need to be trained on the modules they will be interacting with.
Obviously this is an enormous undertaking. I’m sure a lot of it has been taking place behind the scenes for some time, but when they needed to start installing hardware, they needed to make an announcement, otherwise lots of people on forums and blogs start yelling “what’s that”.
In the end I think it’ll be great, Things like when I buy something at a store that has a discount for AP holders, It automatically deducts it. The wait time signs will be more accurate, because everybody will be a data point, not just the people handed the red card. Ultimately there will be a lot of data that will help Disney better understand how people move through the park. And they can design the park for better flow, and a better guest experience.

There's my opinion, It is worth every penny you paid for it.

Thanks for your thoughts.

What happens when the ONE system goes down?

 

[Rileygirl]

You might be confusing the Travel Channel's Samantha Brown (who has done quite a few Disney-centric shows, but has several travel series on the channel) with Stacey of the old "Top 7"/current "Must Dos" perpetual loop channel in the resorts. (I was going to call her "Must Dos Stacey", but that might be taken the wrong way...)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Love it :>)

Also, Interesting post Sound Guy Jim. Master Data Base. Hmmm. That gets me thinking.

~A