Mickey Mouse has his eyes on you – creepy or innovative?
Disney has added a new element to their MyMagic+ vacation management system – in lieu of paper tickets, Disney guests can opt for a waterproof, rubber wristband embedded with a computer chip called Magic Bands. This wristband takes the place of not only paper admission tickets, but also, FastPasses, hotel keys, and credit cards. You can also be alerted when attraction ride lines are shortest. Magic Bands are completely optional, but probably the most enjoyable part of the MyMagic+ system.
As awesome as this sounds, the cynic in me wonders, just how safe is this? It seems akin to the anklet style tracking devices parolees receive. The MyMagic+ system is designed to track users’ purchases, when they come and go, and perhaps most creepy, address their children: if parents agree to and set up certain elements in their MyMagic+ management system, the characters in the park can use the hidden wristband sensors to track children and their information.
Now, I realize this could be invaluable if you lose a child in the park, but the thought of having a Mickey walk up and say, “Hello, Justin,” is a little bit creepy. I am sure in the eyes of a child, it is magical though. However, there is also the security risk of having all of your information stored centrally, could someone lift or scan your credit card number or duplicate your hotel room key off your wristband? I am not sure, but I would definitely want to know more about encryption and security features.
The massive business advantage
From a business perspective however, this is an advantageous way to aggregate data from multiple sources. Disney will be able to receive demographics of their guests (via their MyMagic+ profiles), in conjunction with what they purchase, and where they purchase it. Also, they will be able to see what attractions are most popular with guests and compare these statistics across the board.
Basically, Disney will receive every bit of information about their guests from the moment they check in to the Disney hotel. Guests are in control of how much information they share with Disney, however. As well as, whether or not their children participate in the program, as mentioned above.
While the idea of centralizing all things Magic Kingdom is great, the execution seems a bit creepy, but that is just my opinion. We already live in a society where the government freely tracks our movement, so the land of Mickey Mouse, should not be any different. There are thousands of DisneyLand/DisneyWorld fans waiting to get their hands on a Magic Band, so there must be something to it. Whether you think it is creepy or cool, it is a good way for Disney to collect more data and hopefully use it to make the Disney experience even better.
Heather Elias
January 6, 2014 at 8:57 am
We just returned from a wonderful Disney trip, and our whole family used the bands for park access, as a room key, to purchase food on the dining plan, and to manage our Fastpasses to the rides. Obviously, it’s a trade off between data privacy and convenience, but we were thrilled to use them. The simplification of having everything strapped to your wrist is great when you don’t want to run the risk of dropping your wallet (with credit cards, room keys, etc) while riding one of the roller coasters.
I wasn’t aware of some of the features you listed, despite having done a bit of research in advance and utilizing the Disney phone app while on site to manage our reservations and passes. I’m looking forward to seeing what features get added; there is a lot more that they could do with it without over-complicating the system. (One great feature would be if parents could use the app and the bands to map older kids’ location within the parks.) For my crew, at least, the Disney level of customer service was so high (magical, even) that the creep factor faded into the background.
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