WDW to use Wristbands in place of Tickets

[Magpie]

Just had a thought...

If the main security risk with regards to bracelets is the possibility of a thief using it to charge items to your account (whether by actually stealing the bracelet itself or using a portable RIFD reader to swipe the ID code)... couldn't they simply have people use a PIN number or password whenever they use it to make purchases?

 

[lugnut33]

Don't forget that with the Fantasyland expansion there will be approx. 25K more people allowed into the Magic Kingdom each day. These bands will be a way to get people in quicker (until one doesn't work) and to give out fast passes quicker.

 

[lugnut33]

Just had a thought...

If the main security risk with regards to bracelets is the possibility of a thief using it to charge items to your account (whether by actually stealing the bracelet itself or using a portable RIFD reader to swipe the ID code)... couldn't they simply have people use a PIN number or password whenever they use it to make purchases?

For those interested in RFID security, check out the write up by Snopes (my trusted site for the truth)

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/identity/pickpocket.asp

 

[JimmyV]

Me no like-y. I am old school when it comes to being in crowded places with pick-pockets and higher risks of losing things. My park passes are just that. Paper park passes. My room key is just that. It opens my hotel room. It does not have charging privileges. For making charges, I use a credit card. It doesn't get me into the park or get me fast passes, and it doesn't open my hotel room. It is just a method of payment. Oh, the horrors! I have to carry three separate things. A park pass, a room key and a credit card. My, how inconvenient. But far less inconvenient than putting all my eggs in one basket and having that basket get lost or stolen.

We've all been stuck behind a family at a turnstile who has one or more members with a KTTW that won't work correctly. It stinks. But once the problem is solved, off they go. Imagine how many times a day you are going to have to use this new thing-a-ma-bob, and now imagine what will happen when it hiccups. The last thing I want is to be stuck outside my hotel room at 2:00 a.m. listening to some security person talking into his radio telling HQ that "another guest can't get into their room because they got drenched on Kali Raiver Rapids."

And God help us if these things are supposed to be worn 24/7. Water Wolf Lodge, or whatever it is called, is no comparison. How many people do 10 day stays at Chlorine World? Do you really want a sweaty plastic band on your wrist for 10 days straight? Heck. I don't even sleep with my wedding ring on.

I miss tearing "E" tickets out of the books.

 

[Magpie]

Me no like-y. I am old school when it comes to being in crowded places with pick-pockets and higher risks of losing things. My park passes are just that. Paper park passes. My room key is just that. It opens my hotel room. It does not have charging privileges. For making charges, I use a credit card. It doesn't get me into the park or get me fast passes, and it doesn't open my hotel room. It is just a method of payment. Oh, the horrors! I have to carry three separate things. A park pass, a room key and a credit card. My, how inconvenient. But far less inconvenient than putting all my eggs in one basket and having that basket get lost or stolen.

We've all been stuck behind a family at a turnstile who has one or more members with a KTTW that won't work correctly. It stinks. But once the problem is solved, off they go. Imagine how many times a day you are going to have to use this new thing-a-ma-bob, and now imagine what will happen when it hiccups. The last thing I want is to be stuck outside my hotel room at 2:00 a.m. listening to some security person talking into his radio telling HQ that "another guest can't get into their room because they got drenched on Kali Raiver Rapids."

And God help us if these things are supposed to be worn 24/7. Water Wolf Lodge, or whatever it is called, is no comparison. How many people do 10 day stays at Chlorine World? Do you really want a sweaty plastic band on your wrist for 10 days straight? Heck. I don't even sleep with my wedding ring on.

I miss tearing "E" tickets out of the books.

Hmm... I would think that you do have all your eggs in one basket - it's called your wallet. When that's stolen, you have at least three items to replace instead of just one, tripling the headache.

Meanwhile if someone else's (almost certainly waterproof) bracelet gets stolen, they can simply confirm their ID at guest services and have a new bracelet reissued. No need to cancel credit cards, or replace identification.

I know which I'd choose! Mind you - I wear bracelets anyway, so adding another into the mix is no big deal. Sometimes I even wear a wristwatch, if I'm feeling all retro.

 

[JimmyV]

Hmm... I would think that you do have all your eggs in one basket - it's called your wallet. When that's stolen, you have at least three items to replace instead of just one, tripling the headache.

Nope. Don't carry a wallet in a back hip pocket in crowded places. Park cards are all kept in the cardboard folder in one pocket. Money and credit card in another pocket. And room key in another pocket. No fumbling around and no threat of losing everything at once. Besides. Once in the park, the hotel key serves no purpose, so it never gets taken out.

 

[JimmyV]

(almost certainly waterproof) bracelet gets stolen, they can simply confirm their ID at guest services and have a new bracelet reissued.

It's the "almost" that bothers me. And yes. This new system would have people going to guest services to fix "problems" which are undeniably inevitable. (See the earlier post from the person who had a FP+ nightmare on their trip). My method requires no intervention by guest services. It has served me well at WDW since 1972 without a single problem, though, admittedly, the process has changed now and again over time.

 

[heidijanesmith]

I know this is weird, but I hate wearing wristbands. I am very claustrophobic and for some reason wristbands trigger my claustrophobia. I have to have the wristband put on very loosely, so I can wiggle out of it.

I would have to attach the parkticket/wristband to my letter carrier purse, though I am not sure how that would work? Maybe on a clip, like the little sunscreen bottles have.

 

[Magpie]

Nope. Don't carry a wallet in a back hip pocket in crowded places. Park cards are all kept in the cardboard folder in one pocket. Money and credit card in another pocket. And room key in another pocket. No fumbling around and no threat of losing everything at once. Besides. Once in the park, the hotel key serves no purpose, so it never gets taken out.

You sound like a seasoned traveller!

It's the "almost" that bothers me. And yes. This new system would have people going to guest services to fix "problems" which are undeniably inevitable. (See the earlier post from the person who had a FP+ nightmare on their trip). My method requires no intervention by guest services. It has served me well at WDW since 1972 without a single problem, though, admittedly, the process has changed now and again over time.

I said "almost" because I can't imagine they'd design this thing not to be waterproof. After all, waterparks are already using the technology. So, no I don't foresee hoards of people torching their bracelets on Kali River Rapids. Or even in the shower after their park day is over.

Your method may not require guest services intervention (well, losing your park tickets and/or room key would), but I still think losing a credit card would be worse than losing an RFID bracelet! YMMV.

I think the main advantage to the bracelet is that none of the information is actually on the bracelet itself. It's all in Disney's computer database. The bracelet is just a key that allows you to access it. However, if you prefer to carry your money and ID and credit cards on your physical person, that's your right. I imagine Disney will always give you that option, so long as they still sell rooms and tickets a-la-carte.

The only time you'd have to worry is if Disney stopped selling room-only or single tickets and went to package only. But that will never happen, as then they'd lose all the guests who stay off-site.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I like everything about it except for the ability to track me. I don't like stalkers, even mouse eared ones.

I can certainly see Disney using the information to customize their marketing. However, I am assuming than any "traffic" tracking will not be "real time". I just don't think that would be feasible.


LOL, just imaging a room full of employees monitoring things such as:

Ride operators letting someone ride too many times in a row?

Someone who is going back and forth to their car a little too often?

Guests in "out of bound" areas? (Or Pool hopping violations / requiring your bracelet to enter your pool at any resort?)

Guests doing pug crawls?

 

[CleveRocks]

I've stayed at Great Wolf a lodge for up to 4 days at a time. We love that system. We're frequent WDW guests, and my wife and I have wondered why Disney doesn't go the RFID bracelet route.

If you don't even wear your wedding band to sleep, then sure, you won't like an irremovable bracelet for a week. But I venture to say that most people aren't as sensitized to that sort of thing as you are.

I can't wait for the convenience!

I love convenience. The little things truly matter to me. I love having charging privileges on my KTTW card. I love having to carry only one card, and I'll be happier to carry none. I'll love not having to carry anything on my person; this gives me much more versatile clothing options ... I won't have to limit myself to clothes with secure pockets.

Sure, I could live without cellphones or remote controls or HDTVs or pay-at-the-pump gasoline or bottled water or the Internet or dishwashers or .... But I embrace modern conveniences. I'm about to turn 46, and I refuse to be like my grandparents, walking anachronisms who didn't want a telephone in their house and insisted on throwing out garbage rather than using a garbage disposal and so on ....

 

[fla4fun]

While I think the wristbands may work well for some people, especially those who purchase packages, I don't think they will work for everyone. A lot depends on whether the wristbands are removable. As an AP holder, I don't want to wear a wristband for a year that I can't remove. Provided it's not too tight, I don't mind wearing one as my KTTW - but since I pay for my food OOP and have the AP, the only purpose for me having the wristband would be as a substitute for a KTTW.

Also, what impact will this have on legitimate ticket sellers like AAA? Are they going to have to stock wristbands? Will they just sell a voucher that has to be redeemed at the gate for a wristband? What about convention attendees who mail order their tickets in advance? Hard ticket parties?

I see this being a big benefit for one segment of Disney's audience, but not a one size fits all solution. We'll just have to see how it plays out.

 

[labattblue]

...As an AP holder, I don't want to wear a wristband for a year that I can't remove.

I know Disney makes some questionable decisions at times in terms of park operations, but do you really think they would come up with a solution that would make you wear your AP bracelet year round?

 

[Colleen27]

While I think the wristbands may work well for some people, especially those who purchase packages, I don't think they will work for everyone. A lot depends on whether the wristbands are removable. As an AP holder, I don't want to wear a wristband for a year that I can't remove. Provided it's not too tight, I don't mind wearing one as my KTTW - but since I pay for my food OOP and have the AP, the only purpose for me having the wristband would be as a substitute for a KTTW.

Also, what impact will this have on legitimate ticket sellers like AAA? Are they going to have to stock wristbands? Will they just sell a voucher that has to be redeemed at the gate for a wristband? What about convention attendees who mail order their tickets in advance? Hard ticket parties?

I see this being a big benefit for one segment of Disney's audience, but not a one size fits all solution. We'll just have to see how it plays out.

I don't see this rolling out as a one size fits all idea. From the information available thus far I think it would be more accurate to think of it as a KTTW replacement/upgrade rather than a ticketing issue. And as such the initial roll out may very well be limited to those with a vacation package or on site guests.

What I'm curious to see is if the new technology will allow for people who have separate tickets, whether an AP or convention/group tickets or tickets from an authorized reseller, to add their park admission to the bracelet. That would be a huge step forward in my mind; I love the one-card convenience of the KTTW and would be thrilled if this meant I could extend that convenience to trips taken with an AP or YES tickets.

 

[fla4fun]

What I'm curious to see is if the new technology will allow for people who have separate tickets, whether an AP or convention/group tickets or tickets from an authorized reseller, to add their park admission to the bracelet. That would be a huge step forward in my mind; I love the one-card convenience of the KTTW and would be thrilled if this meant I could extend that convenience to trips taken with an AP or YES tickets.

That's what I would like to see too. Issue a paper AP. When I check in, swipe my AP onto the bracelet as a sort of length of stay ticket with entitlements that match my AP. If we still have to use biometrics, that would keep people from trying to loan their paper AP to someone while they are using the bracelet. That way, the ticket would be good year round, but wouldn't be required for use during resort stays.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

I don't want to wear a wristband, especially if the weather is hot.

so you take it off and stick it in your pocket (as you would a ticket)

 

[NYDisneyKid]

One good thing,,,,I would hope it puts the places on 192 selling the so-called used tickets OUT OF BUSINESS

 

[Robo]

One good thing,,,,I would hope it puts the places on 192 selling the so-called used tickets OUT OF BUSINESS

Regular tickets will likely still be around for awhile.

And, it's not much of a stretch to figure that the places/people selling illegal used tickets will start selling illegal used wristbands.

Thus, it has always been.

 

[WedgieSock]

I know this is weird, but I hate wearing wristbands. I am very claustrophobic and for some reason wristbands trigger my claustrophobia. I have to have the wristband put on very loosely, so I can wiggle out of it.

I would have to attach the parkticket/wristband to my letter carrier purse, though I am not sure how that would work? Maybe on a clip, like the little sunscreen bottles have.

That is odd ... it should have the opposite effect. There is a pressure point on the under-side of your wrist, just below your thumb that, when pressed, relieves claustrophobia. You're backwards

 

[heidijanesmith]

That is odd ... it should have the opposite effect. There is a pressure point on the under-side of your wrist, just below your thumb that, when pressed, relieves claustrophobia. You're backwards

That might be true It's the whole enclosed, can't it off thing. I would not do well in a cast and I do not like wristbands. But if I can loop it onto my waist pack or letter carrier purse, it would be just fine.