RFID wristbands for resort guests

[smidgy]

I'm not crazy about the idea (of course, I fought cell phones!)
seriously, tho, I don't like having a band on my wrist, either. and I do think it would be easy to steal info from it.
and I DO wear a fannypack, and it's stuffed enough without putting various wristbands in it.

as far as the Revelations thing goes, it was left out that it says the mark will be in the hand or in the forehead. so many eschatologists (those studying the "end times" in terms of the Bible) speculate that it might be some sort of chip that could be scanned , without it, you couldn'
t buy or sell as that would be how you would pay for things.
could be

but technology is here to stay. the technology itself isn't bad, just means that the "means" are now available for this scenario to come true. know one knows the time or the day of His return, after all.


and, after than paernthetical aside, I still am not crazy about it. I fear I won't be able to be the fast pass runner, or use the FP after the so-called "expired" time and I definitely do NOT like the idea of reserving fast passes at home.. yuk! even us uber-planners think that's a bit much!

as to the specualtion if it will up the price: I really dislike when, if someone expresses concern about the cost of something, someone else pipes up with, "well, if that little bit of money is too much for you, maybe WDW is too expensive a trip for you". that is condescending.

 

[seashoreCM]

Disney will think long and hard about skimming. A skimmed wristband code is likely to be used all through the parks and the various shops and restaurants will be out the money for the purchases the original guest did not make or authorized.

I do not want the room key function on the RFID. Someone with a skimmer could notice where the original guest was going within a resort and follow him long enough to find the room. Whereas a dropped key card will most likely not be matched up with a guest to let a thief identify the room.

 

[Sammie]

Disney will think long and hard about skimming. A skimmed wristband code is likely to be used all through the parks and the various shops and restaurants will be out the money for the purchases the original guest did not make or authorized.

I do not want the room key function on the RFID. Someone with a skimmer could notice where the original guest was going within a resort and follow him long enough to find the room. Whereas a dropped key card will most likely not be matched up with a guest to let a thief identify the room.

Definitely food for thought as to safety concerns.

 

[Sammie]

Heh...the discussion is really fascinating to me. Oddly enough, the arguments here and on other boards seem to focus on the wristband. If I understand RFID correctly (which I may not), isn't the point that it could be embedded anywhere from a key card to a wrist band to a pair of mouse ears to a lanyard?

I don't really care one way or the other about the wristband, but I do find the idea of property-integrated RFID to heavily customize my experience fascinating. Certainly it skirts the ol' invasion of privacy thing, but Google already knows when I sneeze, so I tend to think the idea of a princess at a character dinner calling me by name when she comes to my table sounds pretty cool.

Now can I get Tables in Wonderland and my passholder perks added to that chip...

Yes it could be embedded in alot of options including a card just like your Resort ID, who knows they might even give you different options.

 

[DisneyDreamerK]

So you scan your wristband for fastpass....what if you forget your time? Is there a way to check? The pics show that you scan at the FP booth then you scan at the ride...will something still print out?

 

[geishagirl81]

You wouldn't catch me wearing one of those wristbands; they look too dorky. The first thing I'd do is cut it off with the scissors I carry in my fanny pack.

I am not flaming you or making fun of you. Seriously. But Fannypack are kinda' dorky too LOL!

I don't like it. Mainly because my hubby is a conspiracy nut and I would have to hear him complain about how WDW is Big Brother.

 

[Figmificent]

I love the idea. If you don't want to wear the wrist band, don't. Stick it in a pocket or a purse or whatever. We will soon be making our third trip to GWL and the RFID wrist bands make life super easy. I for one like the idea of not having to carry a purse and go through bag check (the cards don't fit well in my pockets, and I can only tolerate a lanyard for so long). As far as allergies, I am sure Disney will think well ahead of this, most bracelets now do not contain latex anyway as they are prone to easy breakdown. And I don't see why an autistic child would have to wear theirs, just scan it for them then put it away, or on your own arm. Just my 2 cents. Count me in the like camp, even if it's the minority (oh and I was surveyed about a year ago about all the personalized experiences, they looked AMAZING)

 

[mimzkat]

I am hoping that you can get the choice to get the regular plastic tickets or the new wristbands. I can't imagine a young child tolerating a giant RFID wristband very well in the heat and humidity. (I can't imagine many adults tolerating it either!)

My husband agrees with you. I would be okay with the wrist band but he would prefer to have a card. They can put an RFID chip in the card. We worked at a company in the 90's that had that system to enter the building.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

id rather have the band then keep putting my card out of my wallet.

 

[DisneyDreamerK]

I'd love for this to have the option to be linked to my Facebook/twitter so I don't have to keep updating my foursquare every 10 mins!

 

[mousegear]

I have to say that RFID wrist bands at Great Wolf Lodge is awesome. It's great that there's less risk of losing unlike paper/plastic tickets. However, at GWL it's only a couple of days as to a week or longer at Disney. I guess Disney need to come up with a way to remove/rewear just like a watch and that should be more costly than GFL's. I am looking foward to changes.

 

[bookmama]

awesome! i hope they're there when we get to disney next year.

 

[pgowder]

Wonder if they will use this for lost children too?

The system surely could be designed to allow CMs to find a child according to where his RFID has checked in last.

That would give me some peace of mind as a parent!

 

[smidgy]

So you scan your wristband for fastpass....what if you forget your time? Is there a way to check? The pics show that you scan at the FP booth then you scan at the ride...will something still print out?

''Good point

I am not flaming you or making fun of you. Seriously. But Fannypack are kinda' dorky too LOL!

.

she knows fannypacks are dorky. that's why she put the "wink" smilie next to it!

ps I know they're dorky, and wear one anyway.I'm not there for a fashion show (unlike the silly gooses in high heels)

 

[waynesgirl]

I'd love for this to have the option to be linked to my Facebook/twitter so I don't have to keep updating my foursquare every 10 mins!

That would be great...that way I don't have to run my battery down with all my Disney apps running...
Line times would be updated
Facebook check-ins
ADRs could be controlled
FPs would be controlled
foursquare...oh the possibilities


Disney's taking over the world....just like Google!!!

 

[huge mickey fan]

I think this whole concept is a little too big brother. To those who claim they can get lost, put them away safely just like your KTTW now. You are responsible now for your items going into the parks, so the form it takes shouldn't matter. However I think too many things on a wristband are not a good idea. What if a system crashes? Does it affect everything on the wristband? If a the fastpass system crashes does that mean the park gates will not open?

Now if they are concerned about the paper use and such than include a refillable mug will every park ticket. Or at least make it so you can refill them more than your own resort. I would stop buy and throwing out plastic bottles if I was able to hand a cast member my cup and have them fill it. Yes I have to carry it around with me, but I am concerned about the environment enough to not want to throw out bottles, then I will be willing to carry around a cup. Now if they want to measure kids at the front of the park for height requirements for a ride than I am fine with bracelets for that idea.

 

[crazybones27]

I skimmed through most of this thread. I think everyone will have some worries about these but I think we have to give them a chance at least. For me personally I won't mind them. I like the idea of the bright colors as this will help with extra magic hours. Now CM's can clearly see from afar that you're a resort guest and not someone just trying to stick around when they should be leaving. Yes, I understand this is a small thing but this will clear up the parks a bit. This will also make the process of entering the parks a lot quicker.

Disney is always looking for ways to make the guests experiences go more smoothly. I think we need to at least give this a chance.

 

[mom2rtk]

This will also make the process of entering the parks a lot quicker.

Doutful. I'm sure they'll still have to use a finger scan.

 

[chartle]

I skimmed through most of this thread. I think everyone will have some worries about these but I think we have to give them a chance at least. For me personally I won't mind them. I like the idea of the bright colors as this will help with extra magic hours. Now CM's can clearly see from afar that you're a resort guest and not someone just trying to stick around when they should be leaving. Yes, I understand this is a small thing but this will clear up the parks a bit. This will also make the process of entering the parks a lot quicker.

Not to change the subject too much, off site guests do not have to leave during evening EMH they just can't ride.

Even if it was the case that non on site guests had to leave, just having a wrist band doesn't mean you are OK because people could walk around with old wristbands.

What it may speed up a little is checking KTTW cards at the entrance, they would just have to have readers to see if your wristband is still valid.

 

[crazybones27]

Doutful. I'm sure they'll still have to use a finger scan.

I find the biggest hold up with entering is not the finger scanner but the card reader not reading the tickets properly.

Not to change the subject too much, off site guests do not have to leave during evening EMH they just can't ride.

Even if it was the case that non on site guests had to leave, just having a wrist band doesn't mean you are OK because people could walk around with old wristbands.

What it may speed up a little is checking KTTW cards at the entrance, they would just have to have readers to see if your wristband is still valid.

I was unaware people staying off site were allowed to stay in the parks during EMHs. Below is something I copied from WDW site :

"Extended Disney park hours, known as Extra Magic Hours, offer a rare and unique opportunity to enjoy additional time in Walt Disney World parks—above and beyond the standard operating schedule—at no extra charge. This special perk is offered to Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, and Residents and Guests of Golden Oak."

This doesn't say anything about allowing offsite guests to walk around. I have witnessed a few times guests being escorted out because they were not on site guests, and no they weren't going on rides. I think they have become lax with this, but I have never felt it ok for offsite guests to be sticking around during EMHs. I'm just saying that's one of the perks Disney boasts about getting you to stay in their hotels is that you can get extra time in the parks with less crowds because you're staying on property. It's just my opinion I'm not looking for any flames here. But I feel shopping and walking around is included in the EMHs nit just rides.