Report: Wristbands Replace Tickets

[longhorns2]

Interesting

 

[patsal]

Not sure how annual passholders will fare with this, as if you have an AP on a bracelet they would have to reprogram it for a different resort room every trip.

Or worse for those of us who resort hop 3 times in a trip!

 

[Sammie]

Yes I am sure there will be other options than a bracelet.

We might as well get used to the idea because it is here to stay and there is endless possibilities, including access to pools once they are gated, access to buildings, parking lots, bus queues; etc, etc.

 

[tjkraz]

Until Disney announces firm details regarding nextgen / Fastpass+ this really isn't worthy of the tiniest amount of fretting.

Personally I find it hard to believe that Disney would try to mandate wristbands for every guest walking through the gates. At the very least, RFID room key cards should be capable of performing identical functions.

 

[Starr W.]

Until Disney announces firm details regarding nextgen / Fastpass+ this really isn't worthy of the tiniest amount of fretting.

Personally I find it hard to believe that Disney would try to mandate wristbands for every guest walking through the gates. At the very least, RFID room key cards should be capable of performing identical functions.

While I agree with you, fretting is a favorite hobby for the DIS community.

 

[keishashadow]

My pets are implanted with microchips, maybe disney will offer that option in the future for guests.

The bracelet would force me to choose between it obscuring my left wrist (and MM watch) or my right one (festooned in a faux diamond MM tennis bracelet).

Disney seriously needs to rethink this dopey idea.

 

[DenLo]

DH and I were at Aulani last week and like SAB you needed to get a wristband daily. Some of the children and a few adults left every wristband on to show how many days they had been at Aulani. I could not sleep with it on though, just like I could never wear a watch or bracelet to bed. We usually removed them when showering for dinner. But some evenings we knew we'd be returning to the Lazy River after dark so we left them on. You get used to things.

Does anyone know what the alternative is at SAB for those guests allergic to plastic? They must have encountered that situation before.

 

[jade1]

My pets are implanted with microchips, maybe disney will offer that option in the future for guests.

The bracelet would force me to choose between it obscuring my left wrist (and MM watch) or my right one (festooned in a faux diamond MM tennis bracelet).

Disney seriously needs to rethink this dopey idea.

I vote for a neck collar like in running man, then if you leave Disney property your head explodes.

 

[dvcterry]

My pets are implanted with microchips, maybe disney will offer that option in the future for guests.

The bracelet would force me to choose between it obscuring my left wrist (and MM watch) or my right one (festooned in a faux diamond MM tennis bracelet).

Disney seriously needs to rethink this dopey idea.

ooooh i like your thinking! i'll take mine in my faux diamond MM watch. insert the microchip into watch next to the battery.

 

[RoutemanDan]

Why do people put there admission ticket on their room key???

This idea will catch on like wildfire because it's convenient and has a cool factor.

Bill

What's so cool about it?

 

[Reddog1134]

What's so cool about it?

There's the possibility of being able to get the color of your choice or even cool designs and characters. Kids and some adults would eat that up.

No need to pull out you ticket to get a FP, just tap your band. No need to pull out your KTTW every time you want to get on a ride during EMH.

 

[tjkraz]

DH and I were at Aulani last week and like SAB you needed to get a wristband daily.

Again, nothing is certain but I do not believe that the RFID wristbands will mirror the difficult-to-remove plastic bracelets used for pool entry and MK after-hours parties.

Those wristbands' sole purpose is identification. It gives CMs an easy visual means to confirm that pool and party guests have rights to access the facilities. And they are specifically designed as one-time-use items so that guests cannot remove their bracelets and share with others who did not pay the price of admission.

The RFID bracelets will serve a different purpose. They are more informational and probably fashionable in nature.

One of the earliest reports suggested that Disney would charge for the bracelets. Like Reddog1134 said, you could choose your own color and character(s)...possibly even have them custom engraved. The RFID chip could store (or link to) a tremendous amount of information including park tickets, electronic FASTPASSES, restaurant reservations, Photopass, refillable mug dispensers, hotel door entry, pool gates, credit card payment info, etc.

It would even store personal information you choose to provide. Disney has been openly testing meet-and-greet characters like Mickey Mouse when can actually speak to and interact with guests. Imagine Mickey Mouse already knowing your name before you "meet" him thanks to the RFID data. Similar interactive features have been planned for virtual queues in park attractions.

As for the bracelets themselves, my assumption is that they would be a rubberized material which can be slipped off and on with a little stretching. I don't see a need to mandate that the bracelets remain in place 24/7 throughout a stay.

I just cannot imagine Disney mandating bracelet use by all guests. The credit-card sized, RFID-enabled Key To The World cards would serve the same purpose and are probably cheaper, too.

 

[disneynutz]

What's so cool about it?

Being able to wave your band to open doors, update your high scores, enter Fast Pass lines, charge your bill to your room, I see it catching on with most guests.

I am sure that Disney will still offer a card for those who don't want a bracelet but as posted above, younger guests will display their bands proudly.

Bill

 

[sskem96]

We stayed at a resort last year that used RFID bracelets. They were some type of paper material, but waterproof. They were very light weight and we didn't really even notice we had them on. They worked as our room key, water park entry, arcade credits, and charge card for restaurants and shops.

We were a little nervous about it because we don't even link a credit card to our KTTW card at Disney, we just prefer to pay cash and know exactly where we stand with our budget. We were only there for 1 night, but the bracelet worked out great. It was really nice to be able to leave the room and know that's all we needed with us, and we didn't have to worry about carrying a room key, ID, money, etc.

 

[Greysword]

They could make our DVC member card into a RFID capable medium.

In addition to all the great things Tim mentioned, it could also probably be used to track our movements around the park , "and a ghost will follow you home..."

 

[aml3679]

I am not crazy about wearing anything around my wrist. I take my watch off asap. This would work for adults. What about children?

 

[tjkraz]

"and a ghost will follow you home..."

Funny you should mention that because I seem to recall that new scene at the end of Haunted Mansion being an example of something they could exploit with RFID. With RFID chip readers, they can attach a digital print of your personalized hitchhiking ghost image to your account--presumably make it part of your PhotoPass with no other manual intervention required.

That's just another rumor but given the technology they are working with, I see no reason why it couldn't happen.

 

[Chuck S]

Ooh, an annual pass on a sweaty wristband used over several trips. Not terribly appealing. I hope they have the option of the cards instead.

 

[disneynutz]

Ooh, an annual pass on a sweaty wristband used over several trips. Not terribly appealing. I hope they have the option of the cards instead.

The AP isn't on the band and I expect that you will get a new band each trip. People will be collecting and saving these things just like they do their old room keys.

Bill

 

[Anjelica]

I am not crazy about wearing anything around my wrist. I take my watch off asap. This would work for adults. What about children?

I believe most kids won't even notice after awhile they are wearing the bracelet - now there are the exceptions as I know there are some children who have sensory issues and therefore wearing the bracelet can cause problems for them (hopefully they will have an alternative, etc.).

I equate the bracelets for the children to what DCL does for the children on their cruises. Basically they get a bracelet, that is not removable unless cut off, at the beginning of the cruise that they wear the entire cruise (yes, waterproof, etc.). My kids don't even notice the bracelets after a few minutes - we leave them on for the 7 nights and take them off after we get off the ship.