One Trip - THREE sets of Magic Bands! Maybe this is why Disney prices keep going up!

[bonrea]

I feel it is worth mentioning here as this is a thread on the MB and is it worth the cost and such. Some have wondered about this type of topic and I did find one piece of information that IMO is worth mentioning. However like any topic such as this it is a matter of personal perspective and opinion.

Take it as you will just sharing some information.

http://www.end-times-prophecy.org/mark-of-beast-rfid-technology.html

 

[WelcomeHome]

When answering your question in the prior post, I remembered a collective inference from the ORIGINAL post in the thread and referenced yours mistakenly.
-bob

Hi WilsonFlyer!

I am the writer of the original post and I also have a history of good intentions in all my posts - I never used the word "dumb" either. While I certainly understand Disney's equally good intention to provide a new magic band for each person for each trip, I also believe that THREE sets of magic bands per person for one trip is an excessive waste of my DVC maintenance dues and my Annual Pass subscription fee.

Even with a huge high volume discount, the fancy customized box alone has to cost at least $2 and I'll bet the technology for each waterproof magic band with RFID technology has to run at least $5 each. Add to that shipping 3 sets of magic bands at an average shipping cost of $3 per box and them multiply it by the enormous number of EXTRA magic bands that people are receiving as verified by this thread. My point is this is simply an excessive waste of money that likely ranges in the hundreds of thousands of dollars!

There is a big difference between complaining and starting a new thread which draws attention to a big inefficiency problem that a large corporation like Disney could easily have anticipated and corrected.

Like you WilsonFlyer, I am a big Disney fan that applauds and defends Disney's many achievements. But without exaggeration, HUNDREDS of underprivileged families with children could receive an all expense paid vacation to Disneyworld with the unnecessary amount of money being wasted on these expensive extra shipments. I regret that you misinterpreted the intention of my thread as just a "complaint."

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[disneynutz]

Hi WilsonFlyer!

I am the writer of the original post and I also have a history of good intentions in all my posts - I never used the word "dumb" either. While I certainly understand Disney's equally good intention to provide a new magic band for each person for each trip, I also believe that THREE sets of magic bands per person for one trip is an excessive waste of my DVC maintenance dues and my Annual Pass subscription fee.

Even with a huge high volume discount, the fancy customized box alone has to cost at least $2 and I'll bet the technology for each waterproof magic band with RFID technology has to run at least $5 each. Add to that shipping 3 sets of magic bands at an average shipping cost of $3 per box and them multiply it by the enormous number of EXTRA magic bands that people are receiving as verified by this thread. My point is this is simply an excessive waste of money that likely ranges in the hundreds of thousands of dollars!

There is a big difference between complaining and starting a new thread which draws attention to a big inefficiency problem that a large corporation like Disney could easily have anticipated and corrected.

Like you WilsonFlyer, I am a big Disney fan that applauds and defends Disney's many achievements. But without exaggeration, HUNDREDS of underprivileged families with children could receive an all expense paid vacation to Disneyworld with the unnecessary amount of money being wasted on these expensive extra shipments. I regret that you misinterpreted the intention of my thread as just a "complaint."

Best wishes,
Dave

I was told that the multiple MB issue is due to a major software issue. The people responsible have been fired. Disney is working towards a fix but it will take awhile. Meanwhile they consider the mailings as positive PR to get the program rolling. Iger has gone on record stating that MB's have increased merchandise spending by 20% and increased park attendance so it isn't costing them money out of pocket.

I expect many changes to the program as Disney learns to use it to their maximum advantage.

Bill

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Hmmm... Battery? I don't think these things have a battery. They work much like the secure RF ID card badges big corporations use to access buildings and special rooms. The older KTW Cards that they used to give out are the same technology. One simply holds the band or the card (both RF technology) up to the transmitter, the RF device in the band or the card reacts to the radiation and sends out its own signal of some sort to show it is there and its ID number. Then the transmitter receives it and confirms with the computer that the ID number is correct and processes the proper transaction.

I cut one of the bands open and didn't find a battery. I may be in correct.

The RFID technology has two components – the reader and the tag. The reader has two parts – a transceiver and an antenna. The transceiver generates a weak radio signal that may have a range from a few feet to a few yards. The signal is necessary to wake or activate the tag and is transmitted through the antenna. The signal itself is a form of energy that can be used to power the tag. In this case the tag is the MB or RFID cards.

MBs have a battery. Expected battery life is 2-3 years on the MBs. Although batteries are not required for all RFID technology, they are for Disney's implementation.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I was told that the multiple MB issue is due to a major software issue. The people responsible have been fired. Disney is working towards a fix but it will take awhile. Meanwhile they consider the mailings as positive PR to get the program rolling. Iger has gone on record stating that MB's have increased merchandise spending by 20% and increased park attendance so it isn't costing them money out of pocket.

I expect many changes to the program as Disney learns to use it to their maximum advantage.

Bill

I cannot comment on what you say except to say that I stand by my claim above that multiple distributions to the same person (for a limited time) was budgeted in at the beginning of the project as part of the cost of the roll-out. I cannot comment on extents or why.

 

[SuperRob]

MBs have a battery. Expected battery life is 2-3 years on the MBs. Although batteries are not required for all RFID technology, they are for Disney's implementation.

The bands are not just RFID. They also use low-power Bluetooth (Bluetooth LE), and that's why the battery is necessary, to power that transceiver. That said, I don't believe they are actually USING the Bluetooth capability of the bands yet, but I might be wrong on that.

 

[disneynutz]

The bands are not just RFID. They also use low-power Bluetooth (Bluetooth LE), and that's why the battery is necessary, to power that transceiver. That said, I don't believe they are actually USING the Bluetooth capability of the bands yet, but I might be wrong on that.

I was told that they are using the 2.4 gigahertz signal to track crowd movement and densities.

Bill

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I was told that the multiple MB issue is due to a major software issue. The people responsible have been fired. Disney is working towards a fix but it will take awhile. Meanwhile they consider the mailings as positive PR to get the program rolling. Iger has gone on record stating that MB's have increased merchandise spending by 20% and increased park attendance so it isn't costing them money out of pocket.

I expect many changes to the program as Disney learns to use it to their maximum advantage.

Bill

Not quite that definite - he implied that and then when asked specifics backtracked a bit and said that it could be due to that but more analysis was needed.

 

[mrsgoose8]

I made a spreadsheet to make sure no one has duplicate colors for our upcoming trip... We will have 4 sets of MBs after this trip.... And assuming that DVC members aren't the ones to stop getting repeat bands (probably the group Wilson referred to we will get at least one more set in 2014! I'll need to buy some sort of Mickey container to hold them all. personally I think everyone who works for Disney is a genius. I am totally the person who would buy a Magic Band display with each year's slider or each resorts slider on it. They are evil, addictive, geniuses.

 

[SevenWonkas]

. I am totally the person who would buy a Magic Band display with each year's slider or each resorts slider on it. They are evil, addictive, geniuses.

Are there sliders for specific resorts?? That is genius. lol I knew about DVC and AP sliders, and I knew you could buy sliders at certain shops, but didn't know there were any that were themed to the resorts!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[SuperRob]

By the way, for anyone interested in what's inside the MagicBands, there's a teardown here. Note that he does indeed find the button-cell battery and the second trasnceiver/antenna.

http://atdisneyagain.com/2014/01/27/making-the-band-magicband-teardown-and-more/

 

[bbluvsdis]

This is off topic but can anyone answer this question. I was told that the magic band doesn't actually have any info on it other than a code that links to your account. If that is the case can I use any band that I have for any trip? Or can I use different bands on different days of our trip? I recently received a set of bands for our trip next week and also AP bands. Does it matter which band I use?

 

[SuperRob]

This is off topic but can anyone answer this question. I was told that the magic band doesn't actually have any info on it other than a code that links to your account. If that is the case can I use any band that I have for any trip? Or can I use different bands on different days of our trip? I recently received a set of bands for our trip next week and also AP bands. Does it matter which band I use?

Yes. Any active MagicBand on your account will be seen as the same. I would plan to bring both, just in case one gets lost.

 

[DizDaD7]

I know this may sound stupid bbut, Do we have to pay for these & how do I go about getting them for our upcoming trip? TIA>

 

[disneynutz]

This is off topic but can anyone answer this question. I was told that the magic band doesn't actually have any info on it other than a code that links to your account. If that is the case can I use any band that I have for any trip? Or can I use different bands on different days of our trip? I recently received a set of bands for our trip next week and also AP bands. Does it matter which band I use?

I would decide which bands that you want to use and inactivate the rest, you can always activate them again later.

Bill

 

[SuperRob]

I know this may sound stupid bbut, Do we have to pay for these & how do I go about getting them for our upcoming trip? TIA>

If you're staying at a Disney-owned hotel, or are an annual passholder, no ... the MagicBands are shipped to you free of charge.

If you're an off-site guest and would like one for the limited amount of convenience it would afford you, it will cost you $12.95 for the privilege.

 

[disneynutz]

I know this may sound stupid bbut, Do we have to pay for these & how do I go about getting them for our upcoming trip? TIA>

If you are staying at a Disney resort, you will receive the bands for free. You can access your MDE account and order the bands 60 days prior to check in.

If you don't pre-order, you will be given bands when you check in at the resort.

Bill

 

[princesspooh323]

This is a bit of a dumb question, but we originally were not going to get new bands, but then when I found out I could get AP and DVC tags, and ohhh....collecting every color, I decided to order another round of this trip. We actually have three resorts we are staying at plus an annual pass. If I "collected" a few sets (I feel like disney has already gotten plenty of my money over the years, and I would gladly give them back some mugs), would they all be set up the same? In other words, could I get them in the mail and then choose the set that I would like to use for my trip and stick to them.

I hope this question makes sense. I believe I know the answers, but I am just checking.

 

[princesspooh323]

Nevermind. I didn't make it to the last page. I see my answer. Sorry.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I agree it is very ridiculous we get so many sets of magic bands! I take one set with me and the sliders. What is the point? I wish they'd send me Disney luggage tags INSTEAD of the 2nd and 3rd set of magic bands at least once like they do on cash reservations Wishful thinking on my part of course