Any chance of MagicBands coming to the other parks?

[Gari14]

MagicBands seem to be very popular at WDW but it left me wondering, Is there any reason as to why they're only available to use at WDW and not the other Disney parks? also, any rumours if they'll come to the other parks in the future?

 

[Accident]

the mymagic+ technology yes.. the bands probably not.. shanghai was built with everything and disneyland has been getting the technology added slowly. There was a newspaper article a few months ago where a disney exec basically said shanghai was not getting bands and now mobile technology offers them the same things instead or the band technology they invented when there was no other option..

So we should start seeing more from phones and I doubt anywhere else will get magicbands for free. I do think if they make money that disney will sell them everywhere and they would work but something on the phone is going to be the free option.

I'm mixed on this myself as phones break or run out of power.. that would be weird with your room to not get in because your phone died.

 

[jpeden]

I could be wrong but my understanding is it would be too expensive and complicated to bring the tech to other parks. That and other parks don't want it after seeing the boondoggle that has been MDE and MM+.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Well, I'm not sure they are not universally beloved. I suppose they are popular in the sense that most guests now wear them, but I'm not sure I'd say that makes them universally beloved by all.

Long before WDW, Great Wolf Lodge offered similar bands to guests.

Credit card companies have experimented with similar technology. It hasn't always gone over well with customers.

I can't really answer your question, except to say that part of the difference in feasibility has to do with the percentage of onsite (overnight) guests. CA and Paris have a much higher % of day guests vs. overnight guests.

 

[Gari14]

the mymagic+ technology yes.. the bands probably not.. shanghai was built with everything and disneyland has been getting the technology added slowly. There was a newspaper article a few months ago where a disney exec basically said shanghai was not getting bands and now mobile technology offers them the same things instead or the band technology they invented when there was no other option..

So we should start seeing more from phones and I doubt anywhere else will get magicbands for free. I do think if they make money that disney will sell them everywhere and they would work but something on the phone is going to be the free option.

I'm mixed on this myself as phones break or run out of power.. that would be weird with your room to not get in because your phone died.

Fantastic reply, thanks for that.

Like you said, using a phone is ok at the start of the day, but by the end of the day, a lot of phones will be dead. My phone certainly will be as it barely lasts the 6 hours before I have to charge it again.

I could be wrong but my understanding is it would be too expensive and complicated to bring the tech to other parks. That and other parks don't want it after seeing the boondoggle that has been MDE and MM+.

I had a feeling the tech side of it might be a reasons as to why it might never happen. I can only imagine how much it would cost to get everything like that integrated into place.

I can't really answer your question, except to say that part of the difference in feasibility has to do with the percentage of onsite (overnight) guests. CA and Paris have a much higher % of day guests vs. overnight guests.

Thats a very good point actually. Although say Disneyland Paris (the closest park to me) has hotels, Id imagine that there are more tourists that go for a day trip or two and either stay off-site or come for the day and then go home.

 

[mom2rtk]

Execs have already said that magic bands are not coming to DLR. That's not to say they won't tinker with the FP system, but if they do it will likely not look like WDW's system.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The original FP system had many strengths. One of few genuine weaknesses it has/had was so much paper trash.

That said, a major weakness of WDW's (newer) electronic system is the limits placed on last-minute visits, and it probably isn't in Disney's interest to do dissuade guests at non-WDW parks from making a last-minute choice to visit.

Meanwhile, WDW's Magic Kingdom has to manage capacity issues. Allow me some shorthand here: Left on their own a majority (or at least a high percentage) of guests follow predictable patterns. They all want to eat lunch at noon (more or less). WDW doesn't have the capacity for that. WDW has to find a way to convince many guests to eat at 11:30am and 1:30pm.

Same thing with rides: Nobody wants to get drenched first thing in the morning. Convincing guests to get drenched at 9am = more even crowd distribution later in the day.

I imagine Disney will keep inventing creative ways to incentivize crowd dispersal in all their parks.