Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!
The next step is NextGen technology will be coming to Walt Disney World this Spring! The MyMagic+ bracelet, an RFID-enabled wristband or "bracelet", will allow guests to move about the parks with ease, unencumbered by bags or wallets. The bracelets will be encoded to function as park admission, room key, charge card and FASTPASS, as well as with information that will assist Cast Members and even characters interacting with you. The bracelets will also interact with hidden sensors around the parks, allowing Disney to monitor guest movement, crowd levels, and queue interactions.
Guests can choose how much information to share via the bracelets or opt out completely. Guests can also "bling out" their bracelets with charms and accessories that will be available for purchase around the Walt Disney World Resort. (I'll take one in pink please!)
While there is an obvious "Big Brother" aspect to the bracelets, the fact is that Disney has long been able to track guest movements, purchases, and corwd levels through a variety of means. If anything, the MyMagic+ bracelets, and the almost certain terms & conditions associated with their use, may actually give guests more control over how much information they share as they move about the parks. For me, seeing a character greet my son by name and wish him an unsolicited, "Happy Birthday!" – pin or no pin – is worth it. Not to mention the ease of the new admission "gates" at the parks, which are turnstile free making admission a more seamless process for those with strollers or ECVs.
Photo Courtesy of ©Disney
Check out the MyMagic+ bands on the Disney Parks Blog!
Be well and make magic wherever you go,
Sara Varney
Travel Planner
