RFID wristbands for resort guests

[FireDancer]

I know this is all speculation and conjecture, but I wanted to add one thing to the discussion about them being removable.

One of the reasons I could see them wanting to use RFID is so that they could do away with the finger scans. If you have people put on a wrist band that they can't remove, they could then theoretically just walk into the park (after the security check) without having to provide a fingerprint scan. There's no way to transfer the band so there's no need for the scan. There would still have to be some way of transferring unused days off of the band for non-expiring tickets but that wouldn't be hard to do.

However if the band could be removed, you'd still have to do the scans since there's no way to ensure that people haven't swapped bands. The pictures don't really seem to show one way or another but it's something to think about.

One way that this could be mitigated is much like they do on DCL. As you pass through the gate your photo, which is tied to your RFID, is displayed on the screen. Of course close family members might be able to pass for each other but no system is perfect and at some point you accept the small amount of possible loss. Since you can refuse the fingerprint and use ID that same loophole exists now. Anyone who would pass for another guest via the embedded picture could pass for them with their license.

Again, the photo would be stored on a secure database and just queried with the RFID and not stored on the RFID chip itself.

 

[crashbb]

No not at all. My local pool uses them. If I use mine it is "locked" for a certain amount of time. Could be one or two hours.
I think no one will have waiting his family members outside until the "locked time" is over.

The issue is not locking it for an hour or so. The issue would be locking for days/weeks/years. The finger scan prevents people from buying a 10 day pass and spliting it between multiple people (e.g. two people use 5 days each, or 2 people use 3 days and 1 uses 4 days).

The finger scans would, thus, still need to be used.

 

[DisneyDreamerK]

The issue is not locking it for an hour or so. The issue would be locking for days/weeks/years. The finger scan prevents people from buying a 10 day pass and spliting it between multiple people (e.g. two people use 5 days each, or 2 people use 3 days and 1 uses 4 days).

The finger scans would, thus, still need to be used.

Not if they link a picture to each band....

 

[chartle]

I know this is all speculation and conjecture, but I wanted to add one thing to the discussion about them being removable.

One of the reasons I could see them wanting to use RFID is so that they could do away with the finger scans. If you have people put on a wrist band that they can't remove, they could then theoretically just walk into the park (after the security check) without having to provide a fingerprint scan. There's no way to transfer the band so there's no need for the scan. There would still have to be some way of transferring unused days off of the band for non-expiring tickets but that wouldn't be hard to do.

However if the band could be removed, you'd still have to do the scans since there's no way to ensure that people haven't swapped bands. The pictures don't really seem to show one way or another but it's something to think about.

I seriously doubt they are going to be permanently attached to your wrist.

They are just going to be like the current KTTW cards. In fact everything they are planning to do with the wrist bands they can do with KTTW cards right now with same programming changes and adding mag strip readers to the photo pass camera systems.

Its just that its quicker and easier to use RFID.

 

[jcemom]

I personally love this idea. You don't have to wear the bracelet on your wrist and for those complaining about having to hold the bracelet elsewhere..what did you do with your KTTW?

There are five people in my family. I stack the five KTTW cards and put them in my pocket. I'm the card-keeper and the fastpass runner. I don't think I'd like having to carry five bracelets in my pocket, and I'm thinking it would be more awkward to pull out and scan five bracelets for fastpasses than it is five cards. Maybe it wouldn't be, and I'd certainly be willing to try before making up my mind for certain, but I'm thinking the five cards are easier for MY family than five wristbands.

 

[Planogirl]

Not if they link a picture to each band....

There will be people who don't want pictures taken of themselves or in particular their children. If this should come to pass, it'll be interesting to see how those concerns are addressed.

 

[pilferk]

There will be people who don't want pictures taken of themselves or in particular their children. If this should come to pass, it'll be interesting to see how those concerns are addressed.

The bioscan method they use now is notoriously inept when it comes to kids (especially with AP's and no expiry tickets). When those issues crop up, MOST of the time the ticket CM just overrides and waves the kids through.

We had it happen with our AP's...trips about 11 months apart. My wife and I..the scans were fine. The kids? Not one of them worked.

 

[chartle]

Not if they link a picture to each band....

There will be people who don't want pictures taken of themselves or in particular their children. If this should come to pass, it'll be interesting to see how those concerns are addressed.

Also you are now adding another step to buying and using a ticket.

You would have to take a picture of everyone who buys a ticket and also you would at least double the staffing at the turnstiles.

Right now it look like a CM monitors two turnstiles at a time now you would have to have one per turnstile checking pic.

In fact I think bio metric scans first started to replace pictures on AP's.

 

[jdyer09]

I think the wristbands will do exactly what the KTTW cards do, hopefully more securely depending on the type of system implemented. What I see is this, unless they are going to limit FP and ADRs to resort guests only and issue "wristbands" to all park guests then you should still be able to get physical FPs like you always have and use those instead should you prefer.

 

[Azree]

The "I don't wanna wear a wristband for a week/my kids will never wear wristbands!" complaints in this thread are pretty funny.

You get a wristband at just about every water park/theme park in the Wisconsin Dells for their daily passes. I had three wristbands on for four days.

My little girl likes how they look and won't take them off. She wants to keep them on through the beginning of school to show them off.

The complaints here are just more "I don't like change!" reactions.

 

[mom2rtk]

The "I don't wanna wear a wristband for a week/my kids will never wear wristbands!" complaints in this thread are pretty funny.

You get a wristband at just about every water park/theme park in the Wisconsin Dells for their daily passes. I had three wristbands on for four days.

My little girl likes how they look and won't take them off. She wants to keep them on through the beginning of school to show them off.

The complaints here are just more "I don't like change!" reactions.

So do you stay at those Wisconsin theme parks for a week at at time? I doubt Disney is going to issue a new wristband every day, or park entry will bog down too much.

 

[Azree]

So do you stay at those Wisconsin theme parks for a week at at time? I doubt Disney is going to issue a new wristband every day, or park entry will bog down too much.

At the waterpark resorts (Kalahari, Great Wolf, Wilderness, Chula Vista are big resorts that have indoor and outdoor water parks) the staff slides the daily wristbands under your door every morning.

Simple. Never had to wait. Each day's band was a different color, and it had a bar code on it so you could charge things to your room.

 

[grimley1968]

The "I don't wanna wear a wristband for a week/my kids will never wear wristbands!" complaints in this thread are pretty funny.

You get a wristband at just about every water park/theme park in the Wisconsin Dells for their daily passes. I had three wristbands on for four days.

My little girl likes how they look and won't take them off. She wants to keep them on through the beginning of school to show them off.

The complaints here are just more "I don't like change!" reactions.

Sorry, but this is ridiculous and an over-generalization of other people's validly held opinions. It is not a valid comparison to relate wearing a little paper wristband they give you at a waterpark, for a few hours, to having to wear a wristband for an entire week at WDW.

Please don't lump my reason for not wanting to wear a wristband for an entire week into an "I don't like change!" category. If you'll read my posts, and others, I clearly point out that I'm personally in favor of barcodes or even RFID, but there's no reason they can't continue to use cards rather than wristbands. A lot of people also prefer to have a "runner" to go get fastpasses, while the rest of the family or group goes to get something to eat, etc. That's impossible if everyone has to show up at the FP machines to get them because of the wristbands. Taking wristbands on and off for FP running, or making sure little kids don't lose them, is a no go.

I have no problem with wristbands for waterparks, and even for events like MNSSHP (I'm all for them in this case), but an RFID wristband for the entire length of stay is a bad idea, IMHO.

 

[waynesgirl]

My friend is going in 3 weeks. Our other mutual friend, TP, and I are both up in the newest stuff from WDW but my friend isn't. It is his first trip since 82.

After inspection by our mutual friend, TP, he clearly stated he has never seen these before and suspects that it is the wristband trial. I am waiting on a picture of them to really verify if I think it is true. He was sure that it wasn't a luggage tag and each one has a specific guest name beside it.

I will post pics when I get them....

If it is true, then I am super excited to know someone who gets to be a trial person. I hope I get it in Nov. when we go.

 

[waynesgirl]

Sorry, but this is ridiculous and an over-generalization of other people's validly held opinions. It is not a valid comparison to relate wearing a little paper wristband they give you at a waterpark, for a few hours, to having to wear a wristband for an entire week at WDW.

Please don't lump my reason for not wanting to wear a wristband for an entire week into an "I don't like change!" category. If you'll read my posts, and others, I clearly point out that I'm personally in favor of barcodes or even RFID, but there's no reason they can't continue to use cards rather than wristbands. A lot of people also prefer to have a "runner" to go get fastpasses, while the rest of the family or group goes to get something to eat, etc. That's impossible if everyone has to show up at the FP machines to get them because of the wristbands. Taking wristbands on and off for FP running, or making sure little kids don't lose them, is a no go.

I have no problem with wristbands for waterparks, and even for events like MNSSHP (I'm all for them in this case), but an RFID wristband for the entire length of stay is a bad idea, IMHO.

Maybe WDW is trying to weed out FP running to prevent things. Maybe they are trying to use it for crowd control or something else to make it an all-over enjoyable experience for most of the masses. This technology is coming, whether we like it or not.

I empathize with your frustrations but unfortunately, there are many reasons behind the change, if it is definite, and it just needs to be seen. You might have to adjust your park style so I will apologize in advance, on behalf of those who really like the idea, if it is frustrating. I hope if it is true, that WDW will find a happy medium for die-hard key card fans and the other group.

 

[Azree]

My point is "I don't wanna wear a wristband for a week!" is a pretty ridiculous reason for people to be against this.

Are there other, more valid reasons? Sure, I guess. But I think the "hardship" of wearing a little plastic wristband for a few days is just a tad overstated..


EDIT: Not to mention that the "but I like to get FPs for the whole family!" might be one reason they want to switch - crowd control and movement issues. Disney's generally pretty smart that way.

 

[grimley1968]

Maybe WDW is trying to weed out FP running to prevent things. Maybe they are trying to use it for crowd control or something else to make it an all-over enjoyable experience for most of the masses. This technology is coming, whether we like it or not.

I empathize with your frustrations but unfortunately, there are many reasons behind the change, if it is definite, and it just needs to be seen. You might have to adjust your park style so I will apologize in advance, on behalf of those who really like the idea, if it is frustrating. I hope if it is true, that WDW will find a happy medium for die-hard key card fans and the other group.

Control is the operative word there, isn't it. Too much more of that kind of thing, and people will stop going there and find places that don't force people to wear an RFID wristband for their entire stay just to enjoy a park. Legoland opens in October, and Universal is just up the road.

There is no good reason to prevent FP runners. That is not an abuse of the FP system, and actually means people use it more efficiently, while still spending money on food, etc. Trying to stop that would simply be too much for me. You have to understand how much of a Disney fan I am to make such a statement. I would probably never come back if I had to wear an RFID wristband for the entire time. If you try to get rid of FP runners, you may as well end the whole FP system, as far as I'm concerned.

But we'll have to see. It could be the wristbands sent out don't have RFID in them, are just souvenirs, or whatever. I'll be there in about 5 weeks. I haven't heard anything about having to wear a wristband on the cruise we're taking or in the parks, and I've been getting all the regular emails, snail mail, etc.

Now if it's a choice given to people, I'd be fine with that. If people want to put a sweaty wristband on your arm that tracks your movements for a week like an ankle bracelet criminals have to wear, go for it. I'll choose cards, with whatever technology is used to charge things to a room and retrieve FP's, any day.

 

[YankeePrincess]

I am sorry but why can't a FP runner take the wrist bands? You don't have to keep them on the entire time you are in the park do you? Will some alarm go off if you take them off or something?? I don't get this argument.

 

[mom2rtk]

I am sorry but why can't a FP runner take the wrist bands? You don't have to keep them on the entire time you are in the park do you? Will some alarm go off if you take them off or something?? I don't get this argument.

I just think it's easier to put a family's worth of cards safely in your wallet than to carry around a family's wristbands. I don't want to just put them in my pocket. I might not want to wear them all, depending on how they fit and how they fasten.

 

[waynesgirl]

Control is the operative word there, isn't it. Too much more of that kind of thing, and people will stop going there and find places that don't force people to wear an RFID wristband for their entire stay just to enjoy a park. Legoland opens in October, and Universal is just up the road.

There is no good reason to prevent FP runners. That is not an abuse of the FP system, and actually means people use it more efficiently, while still spending money on food, etc. Trying to stop that would simply be too much for me. You have to understand how much of a Disney fan I am to make such a statement. I would probably never come back if I had to wear an RFID wristband for the entire time. If you try to get rid of FP runners, you may as well end the whole FP system, as far as I'm concerned.
But we'll have to see. It could be the wristbands sent out don't have RFID in them, are just souvenirs, or whatever. I'll be there in about 5 weeks. I haven't heard anything about having to wear a wristband on the cruise we're taking or in the parks, and I've been getting all the regular emails, snail mail, etc.

Now if it's a choice given to people, I'd be fine with that. If people want to put a sweaty wristband on your arm that tracks your movements for a week like an ankle bracelet criminals have to wear, go for it. I'll choose cards, with whatever technology is used to charge things to a room and retrieve FP's, any day.

Again, I do empathize. I deal with technology changes every day at work- sometimes just to make the V.P. or stockholders happy- so it is frustrating. I personally am a big fan of the wristband idea, simply because I want WDW to track me in the parks and restaurants and in lines so they can see the wait time immediately. It would make my free-flowing style easier as well as making the possibility of receiving "pixie dust" (free cookies or special prizes) a little bit greater. It comes across the computer system, not just because my kid is wearing a costume that I worked on for weeks and such, or because I am paying more money and staying in a more expensive hotel. I don't think it is a criminal mindset that I have. Every time you Google, or use an android or iphone, you are being tracked anyway. It's been proven with lawsuits to both companies.

I am also a HUGE Disney fan. My first trip was in 2001 and I have been back, as well as overseas trips, for what will be my 18th trip in Nov. I buy merchandise-big figures, specialty giclees, and I always return. So yes, what seems unfair to one might not be for the other. I am quite sure that Disney will find a medium ground- maybe wristbands for package customers that want it and cards for just parkhoppers and such.

Either way, I would hope it wouldn't discourage you that much to not return to Disney. And I won't be snide for the sake of a laugh by making a comment..I do mean that I hope it wouldn't be that bad that you wouldn't return and lose the opportunity to continue to make memories.