Who needs MB when you have a smart phone?

[Leelo]

I'm with you. I've used my phone for an electronic boarding pass at the airport all of once and I have no intention of doing it again. Wouldn't you know, while I was in line for security my phone disconnected and then couldn't find a good signal! I ended up being able to just step back from the stand for a couple minutes and my boarding pass eventually loaded and I was able to continue on, but if the signal had been any spottier in that part of the airport I was looking at having to backtrack through a crowded queue in order to get somewhere I could access data. I enjoy the connectivity my phone offers and I'm a stereotypical millennial when it comes to how much time I spend using it, but I avoid putting myself in any situation where I have absolute reliance on it functioning correctly at any given moment. Absolutely would not use it for a hotel key, and the only reason I was comfortable using it for MaxPass at Disneyland was that I knew my fastpasses could also be pulled up using my paper ticket if the phone didn't work.

If you have an iPhone, save the boarding pass to your Wallet app and it should work without wifi or cellular data.

 

[YawningDodo]

If you have an iPhone, save the boarding pass to your Wallet app and it should work without wifi or cellular data.

I deleted the Wallet app because I had no interest in tying my credit cards to my phone and it kept asking me to finish setting it up after I'd gotten curious and went through the first step or two to see how it worked. Didn't realize it had other uses.

 

[tcufrog]

I'm with you. I've used my phone for an electronic boarding pass at the airport all of once and I have no intention of doing it again. Wouldn't you know, while I was in line for security my phone disconnected and then couldn't find a good signal! I ended up being able to just step back from the stand for a couple minutes and my boarding pass eventually loaded and I was able to continue on, but if the signal had been any spottier in that part of the airport I was looking at having to backtrack through a crowded queue in order to get somewhere I could access data. I enjoy the connectivity my phone offers and I'm a stereotypical millennial when it comes to how much time I spend using it, but I avoid putting myself in any situation where I have absolute reliance on it functioning correctly at any given moment. Absolutely would not use it for a hotel key, and the only reason I was comfortable using it for MaxPass at Disneyland was that I knew my fastpasses could also be pulled up using my paper ticket if the phone didn't work.

That's why I still print out boarding passes even though I rely on my phone for so many things such as movie tickets. It's no biggie if I enter a movie theater late because of cell phone issues but I don't want to risk problems with boarding a plane because my cell phone decides to act up at the wrong time.

I have a smart phone as does my dh and DS10. I also have an Apple Watch Series 2. I don't trust DS 6 though with a smartphone or a smart watch. I am willing to trust him though with a Magic Band since it's easy to replace it if he damages it or loses it.

 

[DisneyOma]

Don't have a cellphone? Ask for a keycard.
Phone dies? Carry an extra battery, most people do these days.

Your life is not tied to a phone, you are connected to the world like never before...move into the 21st century or get left behind. Choosing to live in the past is pathetic in my opinion. Technology is blamed for too many of societie's ills. Remember when TV was going to be the ruin of us all?

I just disagree - walk around MK, and notice how many people are glued to their phones, not talking to the people they are with! And think of the idiots made famous from stupid reality shows, and how kids think they are great - we have been ruined by some TV.

I do carry a portable charger, but I'm talking about the phone actually dying - as in, not working anymore. People are so tied to them, they are lost without them.

 

[Tomh]

Only one, the RFID is passive.

With the advent of blue tooth for opening resort doors, two may very well soon be the norm.

 

[Lightsoutx12]

I feel like they may in the future but then that may decrease any revenue from people who purchase a MB. I realize they give them out when you check in to use, but there is a market for the LE MagicBands and things like that so I feel like that could end up hurting them. But maybe they don't make that much money off of MB purchases so it could be an easy switch for Disney.

 

[Tomh]

Some Starwood hotels (Element, W Hotels, Aloft) also offer mobile keyless entry. I've used it and it's really great, though there are definitely more steps like downloading the app, registering it, and then opening it each time you approach your room door.

I'm also hopeful that Disney will partner with phone companies, but I don't think they're going to go out of their way to do so for several reasons:

1. Among many functions, MagicBands help Disney collect a lot of data. They feature always-on radio transmitters that can communicate with long-range readers located throughout WDW on attractions, shops, bus stops, walkways, event spaces, etc.. This function continues to teach Disney about guest behavior, from how many people stop to watch a street performer to how many are waiting for a particular bus to property-wide traffic patterns. The possibilities for this data are so vast that they've only begun to scratch the surface of these possibilities.

2. MagicBands were billed as a way to create new customized experiences. Everything from having an attraction say your name, to letting cast members know when you should get a little extra magic. Again, the promise of this technology is still in the early stages. I think that dream will still take time to be realized but it's in the future.

3. The MagicBand payment system has proven to be very effective in stimulating guest spending. Phones might do the same, but then the payment information isn't tied to your Disney ID (MDE login), so they can't tie all that data back to the user.

4. Phones and smartwatches can't really replicate the long-range function just yet. MagicBands are power efficient (their battery can run for a couple of years) and work without user intervention. Phone makers heavily lock down what's allowed on the phone. The NFC function (Apple Pay / Samsung Pay /etc.), can't just be activated by Disney... they are heavily secured parts of the hardware and software. Also, apps can't just do whatever they want. Apple regulates apps to keep them from sucking up resources in the background. So Disney would need to ask Apple (and maybe others) to break some of these limitations, which I think would be hard and expensive.

Mostly for reasons 1-3, though, I think Disney wouldn't be motivated to push something other than MagicBands for now.

1. Going the smart watch route as I hope for would not prevent any of this. A partnership between Disney and a watch manufacturer should be plenty capable of placing those RFID transmitters into the smart watch, allowing Disney to collect the exact same information it collects now with the Magic Bands.

2. Any device which interacts with the RFID system at Disney will link back to the guests Disney account, and have the exact same access to customized experiences that the current Magic Bands have, no loss of potential here.

3. Again, the Magic Band payment system is simply implemented by the RFID connecting to your Disney account. The exact same thing could be accomplished with a phone, or Smart Watch as long as it had the RFID integrated into it.

4. There is absolutely no reason I can think of why the RFID system could not be integrated into a Smart Watch. Keep in mind that Smart Watches run on a rechargeable battery, so no reason why the tiny power draw of Disney's RFID should be too high a burden for a Smart Watch, and it should also be possible for the user to turn the feature off when they aren't on Disney property. Smart Watches are not selling great right now. I would think that the added functionality would give the smart watch manufacturer a whole new audience, and therefore lots more potential customers. That should give them incentive to be willing to build in the RFID system. I honestly think that this could be a win win. Disney could potentially make more money on the Smart Watches than it does on MB, customers get a device that can be recharged instead of being replaced every 2 or 3 years, Disney can sell doo dads, and baubles to decorate them for extra earnings (like extra bands etc. etc.) and the manufacturer gets a whole new customer base.

 

[Linkura]

I'm fine with it being an option. But the MagicBands are just too convenient. And phones can be a hassle with this type of stuff, especially with Disney IT. Had some issues with linked tickets at DLR.

 

[bryanb]

1. Going the smart watch route as I hope for would not prevent any of this. A partnership between Disney and a watch manufacturer should be plenty capable of placing those RFID transmitters into the smart watch, allowing Disney to collect the exact same information it collects now with the Magic Bands.

2. Any device which interacts with the RFID system at Disney will link back to the guests Disney account, and have the exact same access to customized experiences that the current Magic Bands have, no loss of potential here.

3. Again, the Magic Band payment system is simply implemented by the RFID connecting to your Disney account. The exact same thing could be accomplished with a phone, or Smart Watch as long as it had the RFID integrated into it.

4. There is absolutely no reason I can think of why the RFID system could not be integrated into a Smart Watch. Keep in mind that Smart Watches run on a rechargeable battery, so no reason why the tiny power draw of Disney's RFID should be too high a burden for a Smart Watch, and it should also be possible for the user to turn the feature off when they aren't on Disney property. Smart Watches are not selling great right now. I would think that the added functionality would give the smart watch manufacturer a whole new audience, and therefore lots more potential customers. That should give them incentive to be willing to build in the RFID system. I honestly think that this could be a win win. Disney could potentially make more money on the Smart Watches than it does on MB, customers get a device that can be recharged instead of being replaced every 2 or 3 years, Disney can sell doo dads, and baubles to decorate them for extra earnings (like extra bands etc. etc.) and the manufacturer gets a whole new customer base.

Mostly because the smartwatch maker you have to get on board is Apple. (Nobody else has a smart watch with as much reach.) Not saying it's not possible. But Apple is a notoriously difficult company to work with (as is Disney). Everything you suggest is technically and legally possible, but it would have to be a custom solution that requires both sides to compromise. For example, Apple doesn't open up its RFID to third party developers. A compromise would have to be made on sharing of RFID data, and routing payments outside of Apple Pay.

The IT resources needed by both parties makes it a difficult collaboration. Not saying it can't happen. You're right that the solution is to show that making these changes will sell a lot of smartwatches. For that to happen, Disney might offer a significant media value. Maybe Apple sponsors a new pavilion in the parks, like the new Epcot Future World. A significant partnership (or acquisition) between the two companies would make everything suggested into a priority.

 

[Cinderella94]

I just disagree - walk around MK, and notice how many people are glued to their phones, not talking to the people they are with! And think of the idiots made famous from stupid reality shows, and how kids think they are great - we have been ruined by some TV.

I do carry a portable charger, but I'm talking about the phone actually dying - as in, not working anymore. People are so tied to them, they are lost without them.

I’m going slightly off topic from the main thread here, I know, but just wanted to add that if television hadn’t come around to ‘ruin’ us, I think something else would’ve. People not teaching their children, or themselves, how to effectively use a tool isn’t the fault of the tool, IMO.

 

[YawningDodo]

I’m going slightly off topic from the main thread here, I know, but just wanted to add that if television hadn’t come around to ‘ruin’ us, I think something else would’ve. People not teaching their children, or themselves, how to effectively use a tool isn’t the fault of the tool, IMO.

If I could like this post twice, I would. Before TV, it was radio that was ruining everyone's children -- and anyway, this is a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of relying on smartphones to access services. Guess it's not possible to have a discussion about the use of technology without people coming along and declaring how they're better than everyone else for not using it the same way as others, though.

 

[gwb]

Don't have a cellphone? Ask for a keycard.
Phone dies? Carry an extra battery, most people do these days.
agic bands
Your life is not tied to a phone, you are connected to the world like never before...move into the 21st century or get left behind. Choosing to live in the past is pathetic in my opinion. Technology is blamed for too many of societie's ills. Remember when TV was going to be the ruin of us all?

totally disagree with this. People do tie their lives to a cellphone they live by it. But many don't and don't want to have to use it for everything. Also far too many new cell phones aren't able to change the battery anymore. When you use blue tooth, which is how these apps to open doors work, you drain batteries fast. And they don't have the security that you can get with the encoded o I don't want to pull out a cellphone for everything. That can be seen with all the hacked cell phone picture out there. A savy hacker would have a field day with that opportunity. The magic bands are far too easier to use

 

[Tomh]

Mostly because the smartwatch maker you have to get on board is Apple. (Nobody else has a smart watch with as much reach.) Not saying it's not possible. But Apple is a notoriously difficult company to work with (as is Disney). Everything you suggest is technically and legally possible, but it would have to be a custom solution that requires both sides to compromise. For example, Apple doesn't open up its RFID to third party developers. A compromise would have to be made on sharing of RFID data, and routing payments outside of Apple Pay.

The IT resources needed by both parties makes it a difficult collaboration. Not saying it can't happen. You're right that the solution is to show that making these changes will sell a lot of smartwatches. For that to happen, Disney might offer a significant media value. Maybe Apple sponsors a new pavilion in the parks, like the new Epcot Future World. A significant partnership (or acquisition) between the two companies would make everything suggested into a priority.

Room charge / paying with the Magic Band is NOT a financial transaction. It would not require routing a payment anywhere. The RFID in this system simply identifies the My Disney Experience account of the user. The financials are entirely handled within Disney, and have nothing to do with the RFID.

There is absolutely no reason why it would have to be Apple. The reach of the Apple watch compared to Android is not an issue to my way of thinking, as Disney will generate it's own interest. I don't see this as being a retrofit / use of existing smart watches, but rather a new product, which includes, in addition to anything already part of the smart watch, the complete hardware and attendant functionality of the existing MB . . . in other words, they would add the radio system that is in the MB now into an existing Smart Watch. What ever the Smart Watch uses as far as payment / RFID would be completely and wholly separate from the Disney bits. No need for the two to mingle. The Disney stuff doesn't need computing power or an app to work, it is simple, and just links to an account. You buy the watch, it is associated with your account, and done. There is no need to open up the existing RFID to the folks at Disney, there is no need for intermingled IT, just run them as two separate systems powered off one rechargeable battery. The added value becomes being able to use MDE on the smart watch for FP+, and ADR etc.

I don't own a smart watch, and honestly, have no real interest in buying one. I swear though, if I could get one that would double as a MB, and run MDE on it, that would be enough to convince me to hand over my money.

 

[sunflare]

I'm with you. I've used my phone for an electronic boarding pass at the airport all of once and I have no intention of doing it again. Wouldn't you know, while I was in line for security my phone disconnected and then couldn't find a good signal! I ended up being able to just step back from the stand for a couple minutes and my boarding pass eventually loaded and I was able to continue on, but if the signal had been any spottier in that part of the airport I was looking at having to backtrack through a crowded queue in order to get somewhere I could access data.

Most of the airline apps have an offline mode. Whenever I lose my signal my app asks me if I would like to view my offline boarding pass because the online one couldn't refresh. The same could be done with tickets - in fact, I know many people who take a screen shot of their electronic ticket at Disneyland, save it as their background and use it for entry and fastpasses instead of their paper ticket.

 

[YawningDodo]

Most of the airline apps have an offline mode. Whenever I lose my signal my app asks me if I would like to view my offline boarding pass because the online one couldn't refresh. The same could be done with tickets - in fact, I know many people who take a screen shot of their electronic ticket at Disneyland, save it as their background and use it for entry and fastpasses instead of their paper ticket.

They'd sent a link in a text message, as I did not download the app for the airline -- I try to limit how much of that stuff I put on my phone. I get that there are ways to solve the problem by using apps I don't currently have or taking a picture of the boarding pass, etc.; it was just something I did on the fly for the sake of convenience that ended up not being convenient.

 

[Gehrig1B]

totally disagree with this. People do tie their lives to a cellphone they live by it. But many don't and don't want to have to use it for everything. Also far too many new cell phones aren't able to change the battery anymore. When you use blue tooth, which is how these apps to open doors work, you drain batteries fast. And they don't have the security that you can get with the encoded o I don't want to pull out a cellphone for everything. That can be seen with all the hacked cell phone picture out there. A savy hacker would have a field day with that opportunity. The magic bands are far too easier to use

Please read the entire thread. All of your fears have been successfully debunked.

A lot of technology phobia out there.

 

[b52hbuff]

Room charge / paying with the Magic Band is NOT a financial transaction. It would not require routing a payment anywhere. The RFID in this system simply identifies the My Disney Experience account of the user. The financials are entirely handled within Disney, and have nothing to do with the RFID.

There is absolutely no reason why it would have to be Apple. The reach of the Apple watch compared to Android is not an issue to my way of thinking, as Disney will generate it's own interest. I don't see this as being a retrofit / use of existing smart watches, but rather a new product, which includes, in addition to anything already part of the smart watch, the complete hardware and attendant functionality of the existing MB . . . in other words, they would add the radio system that is in the MB now into an existing Smart Watch. What ever the Smart Watch uses as far as payment / RFID would be completely and wholly separate from the Disney bits. No need for the two to mingle. The Disney stuff doesn't need computing power or an app to work, it is simple, and just links to an account. You buy the watch, it is associated with your account, and done. There is no need to open up the existing RFID to the folks at Disney, there is no need for intermingled IT, just run them as two separate systems powered off one rechargeable battery. The added value becomes being able to use MDE on the smart watch for FP+, and ADR etc.

I don't own a smart watch, and honestly, have no real interest in buying one. I swear though, if I could get one that would double as a MB, and run MDE on it, that would be enough to convince me to hand over my money.

Recovering engineer here...

Remember how everyone howled when Apple removed the 3.5mm jack from the iPhone 7? The rationale was that it made phone more waterproof and volume taken up by jack could be used for other purposes.

Remember how people continue to complain about Apple Watch and iPhone battery life?

...now consider the volume required inside an iPhone/Apple Watch to implement passive RFID component of Magic Band. And then consider the increased power draw to power the active RFID component.

Oh, and don't forget that the existing MagicBands are way more robust than smart watches. Maybe it doesn't matter in the pool, but I'd rather leave my Apple Watch and iPhone in the room safe on a sandy beach.

 

[kenthanson]

Just think of how easy it will be to take info off of your phone when you use it like that and give something else access to it. I know things like applepay exist but money transactions are easy to spot irregularities and it's usually tough for a clerk to tamper with a payment pad, wouldnt be hard for someone to tamper with a hotel lock and add something that would skim data from your phone.

 

[kenthanson]

Don't have a cellphone? Ask for a keycard.
Phone dies? Carry an extra battery, most people do these days.

Your life is not tied to a phone, you are connected to the world like never before...move into the 21st century or get left behind. Choosing to live in the past is pathetic in my opinion. Technology is blamed for too many of societie's ills. Remember when TV was going to be the ruin of us all?

Yeah, i'll carry an extra battery for my iphone.....really.

 

[Gehrig1B]

Yeah, i'll carry an extra battery for my iphone.....really.

I do, it's external and works just fine. And it is sold by Apple. It does increase the weight of my phone a bit!