NextGen, Magic Band, and FP+

[AgentC]

I honestly think this is a good idea. I must be the only one.


I'm going to take a "wait and see" approach here. We are not heading back to WDW until late in 2014, so we'll just have to see what happens with this between now and then.

I am totally a waiter and seer on this. I can see how it could be absolutely horrible and I can see how it could work really well. Until I actually see it working, I can't have a true opinion.

I definitely understand the potential for long standby lines (but don't we have those already when the parks are busy?). I understand the worries about pre-planning. I tend to be a very last minute ADR planner. So, yeah, it could be horrible.

But what if this allows an obsessive planner to plan in advance while still allowing a less obsessive planner to sign on in the morning before going to the park or even hitting a kiosk at the park and scheduling 3 fast passes for the day. Is this really any worse than having to get to the park at rope drop to ride certain rides? Is it worse than getting to the TSMM fast pass line at 10 and getting a fast pass for 2?

I just don't know so until I do know I'm not going to worry.

[Stu29573]

...Go Wrong...Go Wrungf...Go Wrm,gh.....Gkf kjfa fh....[system reboot...fail...information dump terminated....]

[etibbetts]

I don't like this idea at all. I found on my trip in November the lines barely moved in standby because they stopped every minute to let tons of FP people go. This sounds like it would make it worse.

I really enjoyed not having any TS dining reservations this past trip because I could just decide what I wanted to do everyday, not think we'll I gotta go to Epcot tonight because that is where my ADR is. It would be nice if you could just play your vacation by ear, but Disney is making it impossible to do that.

I wish they would do away with ADR's and FP.

[BigB]

I'm curious to try the new system. Not a huge fan of planning EVERYTHING. We enjoy planning where to eat at night but we like to keep which park to go to open. We avoid the crowds by going during slower times. We don't carry our phones at all in DW. We are in our dream and prefer not to be woken up by a phone call. We know we aren't the only ones so I'm worried that the kiosks would be just as crowded as the attractions.

The plus for us right now is that we are going in December this year and will have plenty of time to listen to the reviews and learn how to maximize the system.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Well, seems like Disney is finally waking up to realize just how bad this RFID stuff is... Literally, over night, they changed the PIN requirements on purchases... No longer is it $50 or more... Now it is for EVERY purchase... Guess they realized what we all knew... Someone can steal your information off these RFID chips you will be forced to used...

Just when a Disney vacation was supposed to be fun and relaxing, they do something stupid like this... Now a Disney vacation will seem more like a chore than a vacation...

[Stu29573]

My last Disney vacation was definately more of a chore than a vacation. Due to the computer stsyem crashing, I was forced to stand in line for hours over multiple days to try and get everything worked out. Magical? Yes, if you find the DMV magical... That's why I think this will be sucha huge disaster. I simply don't think that Disney's computer people can pull it off and make it work reliably. The more reliance Disney puts on its computer system, the less likely they have of success....

[Janmac]

I honestly think this is a good idea. I must be the only one.

There are too many people in the parks and no organization. If this wristband system speeds up processes, and eliminates people clogging up areas, great!

I have a local acquaintance whose family just took their first WDW trip. As soon as she found out I knew about WDW, she began asking questions. HOWEVER, I will say she was VERY educated already on a lot of stuff. She had been online, reading books, etc. For what it's worth, they had a FABULOUS time and she came back gushing about how easy and convenient it all was (they did ME, DDP, stayed onsite, etc.) She honestly didn't have anything bad to say.

I think it's legitimate to have concerns when anything you "love" begins to change. I'm all about strapping on some device that makes things easier for me on vacation, and truthfully, it sounds like fun to get on my phone and be able to change around my FP schedule if I need to.

I'm going to take a "wait and see" approach here.

I agree with much of what Natalie says here. Disney is so huge it needs a way to organize info on guests. It will remain to be seen if this new-gen is the answer. I'd be very surprised if it works much at all out of the box, so to speak, but hopefully bugs can be worked out.

It'd be great to be able to get FPs for our group without one person heading in an opposite direction to get said FPs.

I was on the phone last week with a Disney CM about something at our resort (i.e., not dining, etc.) and mentioned the wristbands. He acted as tho he didn't know anything at all about RFID wrist bands. My hope is that he was supposed to profess ignorance until the official announcement.

We're heading down in just a few weeks, so I suppose we won't be seeing much of this at all.

Jan

[Quadstriker]

There are a few things I think we are missing here, and I'll mention one of them right now... How many times do you have to duck out of the way of a rogue ECV or stroller? In my experiences, plenty... And that is with people looking straight ahead... Now, imagine if you will these people looking down at their phone staring at the app and not in front of them... Yea, I wouldn't want to be the person that is struck...

Good grief this is ridiculous.

People look at their cell phones all the time, everywhere. There's not going to be a rash of "looking at app" related injuries at WDW because of NextGen. That's absurd.

Enjoyed the laugh though.

[dtootsie42]

Not crazy about the idea of wearing a wristband however I'm trying to keep an open mind about the whole thing.

Dec 1997-Contemporary
Dec 1999-Poly
Dec 2001-Poly concierge
June 2002-Disneyland (off site)
Dec 2003-Poly concierge
Dec 2005-Poly concierge
Dec 2007-Poly concierge
Oct 2008-Disneyland (off site)
Dec 2009-Poly concierge
Nov 2010-Disneyland Hotel
Feb. 2012- Grand Floridian concierge celebrating 25 years of marriage just hubby and I
September 2012- DisneyLand Paradise Pier

[BrerGnat]

Well, seems like Disney is finally waking up to realize just how bad this RFID stuff is... Literally, over night, they changed the PIN requirements on purchases... No longer is it $50 or more... Now it is for EVERY purchase... Guess they realized what we all knew... Someone can steal your information off these RFID chips you will be forced to used...

It has nothing to do with anyone stealing anything.

The issue is that the RFID reader/charger needs to be manually "cleared" by a CM by pressing a button after EVERY transaction, or purchases will continue on the last RFID scanned. Therefore, you could purchase a coke, walk away, and if the CM doesn't hit the button, you could pay for Tom's coke, Sally's bottle of water, Jane's ice cream bar, etc. until such a time as the CM "remembers" to hit the button.

In order to prevent this from happening, a PIN is now required for all purchases.

[MargaretMessler]

But what if this allows an obsessive planner to plan in advance while still allowing a less obsessive planner to sign on in the morning before going to the park or even hitting a kiosk at the park and scheduling 3 fast passes for the day. Is this really any worse than having to get to the park at rope drop to ride certain rides? Is it worse than getting to the TSMM fast pass line at 10 and getting a fast pass for 2?

If there is a significant enough "hold back" of fastpasses, ADRs, etc. for those who prefer not to have to plan every breath of their vacation months in advance, I guess I'm ok with it. I just still don't see the need.

[Altair]

I realize prices have gone up, but they built Epcot in 1982 for $1 Billion. I don't see how this can cost $1.5 to $2 Billion.

[TinkerbellT421]

It has nothing to do with anyone stealing anything.

The issue is that the RFID reader/charger needs to be manually "cleared" by a CM by pressing a button after EVERY transaction, or purchases will continue on the last RFID scanned. Therefore, you could purchase a coke, walk away, and if the CM doesn't hit the button, you could pay for Tom's coke, Sally's bottle of water, Jane's ice cream bar, etc. until such a time as the CM "remembers" to hit the button.

In order to prevent this from happening, a PIN is now required for all purchases.

And this is "better" technology? Lol, sound like disney took three steps forward and ten steps back lol. That would infuriate me. I don't know if I read this anywhere legit or just in comments, but is the whole purchasing thing "opt-out able"? We don't put cards on reservations, we want nothing to do with that.

[BrerGnat]

And this is "better" technology? Lol, sound like disney took three steps forward and ten steps back lol. That would infuriate me. I don't know if I read this anywhere legit or just in comments, but is the whole purchasing thing "opt-out able"? We don't put cards on reservations, we want nothing to do with that.

From everything I've read, the entire system is optional. You do not have to "opt in."

In my opinion, entering a 4 digit PIN on a keypad is a lot less of a hassle than having to dig a card out of my wallet every time I want to make a purchase.

Remember, this is still very much in testing phases. This is the time where they work out the problems with the system. This was caught early. And, they found a solution. Great. Hope they find and work out the rest of the bugs before the initial launch. Social media has a way of exposing things that you would have never even been made aware of a couple of years ago...

For what it's worth, the Disney Cruise line effectively already uses this technology. And, it works flawlessly during a cruise. Your card is used for EVERYTHING on the ship. You board, lock up your wallet in the room safe, and never have to see it again until you disembark.

[DizneyFreak2002]

It has nothing to do with anyone stealing anything.

The issue is that the RFID reader/charger needs to be manually "cleared" by a CM by pressing a button after EVERY transaction, or purchases will continue on the last RFID scanned. Therefore, you could purchase a coke, walk away, and if the CM doesn't hit the button, you could pay for Tom's coke, Sally's bottle of water, Jane's ice cream bar, etc. until such a time as the CM "remembers" to hit the button.

In order to prevent this from happening, a PIN is now required for all purchases.

You do realize the information on your RFID bracelet can be stolen right? Google it... Stealing info off of RFID chips is very easy to do...

[DizneyFreak2002]

From everything I've read, the entire system is optional. You do not have to "opt in."

And if you don't opt in then your chore, I mean Disney vacation will be less magical... so, is it really optional?

[1DisneyNut]

You do realize the information on your RFID bracelet can be stolen right? Google it... Stealing info off of RFID chips is very easy to do...

It is extremely easy and it is fairly easy to build the necessary hardware yourself. You would think they are encrypting it in some fashion but it can probably be hacked pretty easily once someone gets their hands on one and takes it home.

And if you don't opt in then your chore, I mean Disney vacation will be less magical... so, is it really optional?

I completely agree. It isn't really optional unless you want to be standing in long lines. It is comparable to trying to get in the table service restaurants as I mentioned in a previous post. If you don't schedule an ADR 6 months ahead of time, it is completely frustrating. Of course that is one of the reasons I hardly ever do table service at WDW anymore.

[Ian]

When this whole thing was very first announced, I was totally underwhelmed by the whole thing.

Now, after getting more information and seeing a lot more of the details, I have to say I'm totally underwhelmed.

[DizneyFreak2002]

It is extremely easy and it is fairly easy to build the necessary hardware yourself. You would think they are encrypting it in some fashion but it can probably be hacked pretty easily once someone gets their hands on one and takes it home.

Thank you... This is exactly what I was trying to say... It is very easy to rip off someone's information from the RFID chips... If someone wants the info bad enough, and many people do, they will get it...

Reading many of the sites, this is one of the major concerns people are expressing... Well, this and the tracking/privacy issues this NextGen RFID nonsese brings up... How much you want to bet that Disney, who we all know monitors these Disney fan sites, saw the concern and pretty negative backlash and made changes to the PIN policy to help alleviate concerns? I'll bet my last bottom dollar...

And this isn't even the biggest concern people have... I'm trying to get more info but, if what's been said about this is true (and honestly, I cannot verify it right now that it is), PIN codes and stolen identity is going to be the least of Disney's worry... Wait until there are larger complaints about certain aspects...

I completely agree. It isn't really optional unless you want to be standing in long lines. It is comparable to trying to get in the table service restaurants as I mentioned in a previous post. If you don't schedule an ADR 6 months ahead of time, it is completely frustrating. Of course that is one of the reasons I hardly ever do table service at WDW anymore.

I refuse to ever do table service in WDW ever again... Not when I find much better meals on International Drive and along I-4 for much cheaper than Disney's prices...

[Figment!]

You would think they are encrypting it in some fashion ...

Alternatively, it appears the security concern is being addressed by only placing an arbitrary ID code on the bracelet to identify the Guest in Disney's database and not any actual personal information.