MyMagic+

[Cardinals314]

DCA was considered a disappointment before the 1.1 billion dollar overhaul.

I see that you headed my warning. My rant does answer the question on the investment of NGE. NGE includes MyMagic+, Fastpass+, and anything dealing with the bands. It has been known to everyone that the NGE will cost at least 1 Billion. Here is one of the numerous articles online that states it...

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/201 ... y-vacation

[Wizzard419]

And so was DLRP, which goes back to the argument of "You can put lipstick on a pig..."

Unless that initial claim is confirmed by Disney, I am still calling bulls*it. The figure and official statements appear in the article, but there is a lack of evidence that they come from the same source. The article only seems to cite itself as the source for the billon dollar price tag to begin with, which isn't exactly the best reporting. Odds are those other articles also reference the initial rumor, which doesn't make it true but rather just shows the present face of journalism. Another recent example was the claims that Bioshock Infinite had a development cost of 200 Million, the CEO of the studio that made the game responded with "Did someone send checks to the wrong address?"

[cy1229]

Aside from having one's wrist band on the wrist, and not needing to dig through a pocket, wallet, purse, or lanyard for a card key, I'm still trying to figure out the advantage of having this big system if NOT to collect data.

I don't have a problem with a company with whom I do business collecting data about me and using it themselves. My feeling is that if it helps that business make my experience better, more power to 'em. If they sell my data without my permission, that will tick me off.

[theBIGyowski]

You can bet 100% that Disney's primary goal here is to collect data. Data mining is the #1 business driver in the IT world today and it probably will be for years to come. There is nothing wrong with that either because it is what helps a company operate and deliver more efficiently to its customers. I'm very excited to see where Disney will go with this because they know the only way they will be successful is if the guests are happy...which makes the guests do four things:

1) stay longer
2) make more impulse purchases
3) want to come back
4) tell their friends to do the same

Now...treating the MM+ bands like homing devices isn't feasible given that they are NFC devices...so only really good for things like park entrances, FP+, and POS. They could probably create doorway fields to pass through at attraction entrances and boarding areas that could give them data on how long you wait in lines...using magnets in the way a retail store does to keep you from shoplifting. We'll see though.

[Wizzard419]

Correction, to collect more granular data. They already collect data on the old system so they can adjust resources accordingly. There was an article on Giz a few years back about all the efforts that the company has done to make waiting suck less (such as air conditioning, music, floor materials, and a system that understands crowd flows to try and minimize wait times. WDW has one benefit that DLR does not, mainly that the majority of their visitors are going to be staying there for multiple days so scheduling can be more effective and they can see it coming.

They aren't going to be adding the system to every square inch of the property, so the data will still have some gaps, but as they are increasing the number of FP rides, it also lets them see how people flow in more real time.

If they really wanted to track, which strays into legal issues with minors, they could be able to see where the band was used and get an idea. But it would still be slow and require visual systems anyway. I think they might not be able to have fields to pass through that collect data without knowledge or consent because they are passive NFC devices and as a security feature they need to be very close to the readers to work.

I want to see how the bands impact impulse purchases since you literally have your credit card out at all times.

[theBIGyowski]

Could they not just add a magnetized chip or whatever is used on merchandise in a retail store? I guess you could technically warp the chip though via magnets on accident...but the purpose would primarily be to collect data and not do anything else.

[Wizzard419]

But the anti-theft style device only trips an alarm. It does not provide any data beyond a raw count, so it wouldn't be able to tell if a band from a specific family was being used. That would also stray into the danger zone for data collection since minors would also be wearing them.

[goofybrown9]

My family and I were test family for it, and it was so easy to use and not have to carry a wallet around the park (with the fear of losing it on the ride). The bands really annoying after awhile. The app was a big help for changing our fastpasses when Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was shut down for the day! There are a few bugs that need to be fixed, but overall I'm excited to use it again very soon!

[theBIGyowski]

Knowing a few things about the company who created/invented the technology being used...there are a few other things that may be available in the coming years that Disney would be interested in.

Regardless of the ways to collect data...the magic part is how you use it.

[Amy]

...I want to see how the bands impact impulse purchases since you literally have your credit card out at all times.

I did read a blog entry from a family who tested the bands and they did mention that they were a bit surprised when they checked their credit card balance online when they returned home. They had spent more than they anticipated and attributed it to the ease of using the bands for a purchase.

[Amy]

My family and I were test family for it, and it was so easy to use and not have to carry a wallet around the park (with the fear of losing it on the ride). The bands really annoying after awhile. The app was a big help for changing our fastpasses when Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was shut down for the day! There are a few bugs that need to be fixed, but overall I'm excited to use it again very soon!

May I ask why you found the band annoying after awhile? Was it uncomfortable? Not easy to tap to the readers? Not reliably read by the readers? Some other reason?
I did read that some guests have found the placement of the RFID chip to be a bit uncomfortable because of how you have to turn your wrist to tap the proper part of the band to the reader.

[Wizzard419]

My guess is high humidity and a thick silicone band are not a fun combo. It is probably good that you have to consciously use the band rather than simply wave your wrist in a general direction, making it a confirmed move rather than an accident.

[boilerbabe]

...I want to see how the bands impact impulse purchases since you literally have your credit card out at all times.

I did read a blog entry from a family who tested the bands and they did mention that they were a bit surprised when they checked their credit card balance online when they returned home. They had spent more than they anticipated and attributed it to the ease of using the bands for a purchase.

That was a thought I had! It makes it much easier to spend, you don't really think about it until you SEE it! Too easy to just wave your "magic" band!!!

[mindflipper]

Of course, you do NOT have to connect a credit card to the magicband. Probably be safer and wiser not to do so.

[Wizzard419]

Yes to both, Disney would rather you do join them for one very profitable reason. They don't have to pay the swipe fees. It is in the same line as why paying in cash is sort of stupid, stores know they have to pay swipe fees and unlike ATM/Debit, they can't/won't tack a fee on the transaction, so the cost is added to the prices of the products sold. If they could combine all those charges into the single price paid for the room then they can make a little extra. Considering the volume of transactions each day, that does add up.