Disney Magic Bands
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (128833)
Gainesville, Florida
December 29, 2015 10:20am CST
Disney World is constantly improving and upgrading the technology in the theme parks, both to create more efficient operations and to improve the guest experience.
One of their most exciting developments is the Magic Band. It looks almost like a Fitbit that you wear on your wrist, and is imbedded with a computer chip that can store all kinds of data.
Magic Bands are designed to be used as your theme park tickets, hotel room key, charging privileges, dining reservations and Fast-Pass reservations! Any photos you get taken in the theme parks by Disney photographers is also loaded onto your band, and any photos taken of you on the rides are also uploaded to your band. A mobile app and online account makes it simple to go in manage your reservations, tickets, photos and more. It simplifies the guest experience by putting everything in one place for simple and easy access.
The Magic Bands require a 4-digit PIN number in order to charge anything using the bands, so it provides some level of security. If a Magic Band is lost, it is possible for the person who finds it to use it to get into the theme parks, but because of tracking abilities, it would be very easy to track down each and every location the band is used.
One last feature that can be thought of as great or horrible (depending on how you look at it), Disney can also track everything you've done in the theme parks throughout the day through the GPS capabilities of the bands.
Disney is still perfecting the Magic Bands, and constantly adding new features. The bands currently come in the following colors: blue, red, orange, pink, yellow and gray, but there is already a huge after-market for add-on features to the bands to customize and decorate them the way you want them to look.
Have any of you used a Magic Band or similar feature in any of your theme park adventures?
8 people like this
8 responses
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
24 May 17
@moffittjc Do they still have the Magic Bands now? And have they been tweaked some more?
I think it's a cool idea actually.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 May 17
Yes, they still use Magic Bands, but pretty soon they will be rolling out new and improved forms of the bands. Disney is always improving the technology they use.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Dec 15
I just saw that you're from New Hampshire. Last night, waiting in line at Magic Kingdom to ride Space Mountain, I met a family from New Hampshire! They were really nice people!
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Dec 15
I've pretty much come to the conclusion that we have zero privacy anymore these days. I own a smartphone, and that pretty much guarantees that my every move is being tracked or monitored or followed by someone. I don't like it, but I just choose to ignore that fact and not let it bother me. I'm just going to continue living my life how I want to live it, and if the government or anyone else wants to spy on me, then they can go for it. My life is not that exciting anyhow!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502343)
• Italy
30 Dec 15
@moffittjc You are probably right, but if they spy on us without letting us know, it's a violation, if we allow them to do so, it's not. I can do nothing to stop them their illegal spying, but I am not going to help them.
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Dec 15
@LadyDuck Nowadays, permissions to invade our privacy are buried so far down in the fine print that we don't ever notice. Do you ever read the terms and conditions or policies of all the companies you do business with? I sure don't. I'm one of those people that just hits "I agree" or just signs stating I accept the terms, without ever really reading what those terms are. Shame on me I guess. But it doesn't bother me too much, I live a life of honor and integrity, so I don't have anything to hide from anyone! They can spy on me all they want!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jan 16
I wouldn't be surprised to see the technology spread to also include music festivals! Music festivals are becoming such big productions now, that I think it is only a matter of time before you start seeing these bands used there as well.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jan 16
@TheHorse I always think it's funny to see these music festivals where the bands and the fans consider themselves "anti-establishment," "alternative," or other self-titled names that make them appear that they don't conform to today's society. But these music festivals are always sponsored by major corporations, and they mass-sell merchandise at the shows, and the fans use all sorts of technology (smartphones, iPads, tablets, etc) to record the music and share their experiences. I wonder if they realize that they are conforming to the establishment more than they ever knew! lol
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238290)
• Walnut Creek, California
1 Jan 16
@moffittjc Oh dear. We acoustic music types pride ourselves in NOT giving in to technology. But we shall see.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Dec 15
Have you been to Disney World before? Magic Bands came out about 2 years ago, but really took off in popularity last year. This year is when Disney has really been putting in place all the new features that Magic Bands can do. I can't wait to see what else they come out with in the future!
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jan 16
@JESSY3236 Ten years is a long time! You should make plans to go back! So much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same! You'll feel right at home and comfortable with the familiar rides, and at the same time excited and thrilled to see all the new rides!
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22247)
• United States
31 Dec 15
@moffittjc Chris and I went to Disney World about 10 years ago. I have been wanting to go back, but we haven't yet.
@JudyEv (381960)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Dec 15
There doesn't seem to be anything that can't be done or tracked nowadays.
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Dec 15
I've pretty much determined that there is very little places we can go nowadays, or very little we can do, without the government or private businesses watching and tracking us. The only surefire way to keep from being tracked and monitored is to completely live off the grid.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381960)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Jan 16
@moffittjc And living completely off the grid for most of us isn't really a viable option.
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Jan 16
@JudyEv True, living off the grid isn't a viable option for most of us, but I sure would like to give it a try someday! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Dec 15
They are free! I'm not sure if they give them out to everyone automatically, or if you only get them in certain situations. I'm an annual pass holder, so they automatically send me the bands when I renew my passes each year. I also know that if you stay at a Disney hotel or resort, they issue you a Magic Band when you check into the hotel, since the band serves as your room key. I'm not sure if you get a band if you buy a 1-day ticket to visit the parks. I still see a lot of people with the paper tickets and plastic tickets (that look like credit cards).
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Dec 15
Oh, I forgot to mention how exciting it is to hear that you went to Hong Kong Disney! Was it fun? Was there a lot to do there? I don't know much about that theme park.
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Dec 15
This is my third Christmas holiday using the Magic Bands, although the first year was a "test" year for them. Somehow, I was lucky enough to get randomly selected to test and use the new bands.
1 person likes this
