Moneymaking Magic

The MagicBands have proven to be a big moneymaker for Disney as well. The extra funds that the company is raking in are helping to offset the spending that’s occurring before the company’s newest park, Shanghai Disneyland, opens.

Some guests consider the bands to be collector’s items, and they race to get one in every color and design possible. Disney has made a noticable effort to pump out new character-focused MagicBands every few months, and limited edition bands exclusive to upcharge events have become quite the incentive for guests to pay that extra money to get an exclusive band.

However, Disney isn't the only one making money off of the MagicBand craze. Some enterprising Disney fans have also started their own businesses to make stickers and other embellishments for the bands.

Disney: The company that's leading others into the future

Walt Disney was a man who seemed to always be focused on the future and what new ideas would come into focus. In 1955, Walt Disney dedicated Tomorrowland in Disneyland with the following words: “A vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man’s achievements ... a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come. Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure and ideals: The Atomic Age, the challenge of outer space, and the hope for a peaceful and unified world."

And when he created the concept for his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, toward the end of his life, he probably didn’t imagine the idea of a wristband replacing ride tickets, money, room keys and more. "EPCOT will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are emerging from the forefront of American industry,” Disney reportedly said. “It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed. It will always be showcasing and testing and demonstrating new materials and new systems."  

Now, the Disney company is at the forefront of the technology that has other big corporations keeping their eyes on it, and is truly showcasing and demonstrating new systems.

Walt Disney World itself had a birthday on October 1, when it turned 44 years old, and all kinds of things are on the horizon for it as well as the company's other parks across the globe. Walt Disney Imagineering developed a new form of ride system technology that features a trackless Pooh’s Hunny Hunt ride, with sensors embedded in the ride’s floor, at Tokyo Disneyland, and the technology is also part of Tokyo DisneySea’s Aquatopia ride and Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Manor (a version of the Haunted Mansion). And who knows, maybe soon that technology will come to Walt Disney World and be synced up with MagicBands for a completely unique ride experience for each guest.

More benefits on the horizon

Keeping with the spirit of making things easier for its guests, Disney company officials have said that they plan to roll out more uses for MagicBands and MyMagic+ in the very near future. One development that is now in the works pertains to park transportation. One of the confusing things about Walt Disney World, for brand-new visitors, and sometimes even park veterans, is the resort's transportation system. Many guests have endured long wait times for buses, monorails and boats, and even figuring out which mode of transportation to take in order to get to a specific destination in time for a FastPass+ window or Advanced Dining Reservation can be a challenge. But fortunately, help is on the way. There are now plans in place to add transportation options into the MyMagic+ system, so that guests can select certain options just like they would with a FastPass+ and view route times, stops and stations. This should make transportation much more easy to navigate for anyone at the parks.

And another bit of technology that's sure to be welcomed will let guests have the ability to receive notifications about their transportation options too. This should allow guests to make the most of their time and spend it in restaurants, shops or rides, instead of waiting to board transportation to go to another park or attraction. For example, a guest could be at the Magic Kingdom and know precisely what time a bus will arrive to take them to Downtown Disney, so they could hop on Pirates of the Caribbean before they had to leave the park to line up for their bus.

And just as Be Our Guest has embraced the MagicBand and MyMagic+ technology, other restaurants are expected to do the same soon. The ability to order meals in advance will likely come to busy counter-service restaurants such as the Electric Umbrella in Epcot first, but more sites will probably be added after that, and table-service restaurants could even get into the act too. If guests can order entrees, appetizers, drinks and desserts at sit-down restaurants in advance as well, meals might take less time and Disney could serve more guests throughout the day and night – especially at the most popular table-service restaurants with hard-to-obtain Advance Dining Reservations, like Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom and Le Cellier at Epcot.

Disney has also relaxed some of the rules about its own bands. While MagicBands can be purchased by anyone at Walt Disney World shops, guests used to have to present proof of valid theme park admission, a Memory Maker card or an active MagicBand so it could be in operation instantly. But last year, Disney rolled out a feature called "Link-It Later," so MagicBands can be bought as gifts (or for the guests themselves) and linked to an account in the future. 

Feedback on MagicBands and MyMagic+ has been mostly positive. Guests have said they appreciate not having to dig out a card every time they want to get a FastPass, buy a souvenir or get into their room. They say it also helps them better organize their trips. One drawback, however, is that plans aren't always easily able to be changed with the MyMagic+ system. If a guest wants to change a FastPass+ ride reservation because of bad weather, for example, they'll find that it can only be changed on a mobile phone or kiosk in the park if another time is available. And prime times for popular rides go quickly, as many guests reserve them as soon as they possibly can – up to 30 days in advance of each day of a park visit with the purchase of theme park admission, or up to 60 days in advance of a visit that includes a stay at a Walt Disney World resort hotel.  

However, Disney appears to continuously be making improvements and tweaks to the system, so guests can expect some rules and other factors to change as the system evolves. 

And parents might especially appreciate the fact that a MagicBand could easily help them find their child, if he or she ever wanders off. A cast member can scan the lost child's MagicBand, then call the phone number listed on the hotel reservation. 

The possibilities for the MagicBand technology are virtually endless, and they’ll help ensure that the parks stay magical well into the future.