Shanghai Disneyland Won’t Be Using MagicBands
With Disney set to open up the Shanghai Disney Resort this spring, guests won’t be using MagicBands, which guests are using in Walt Disney World. Instead guests will be able to use their mobile devices to enter the park, purchase merchandise and likely access rides and attractions.
While Disney might have spent over $1 billion dollars developing the MagicBands and its technology, Disney can now use people’s own technology to achieve the same effect.
“When Disney was first making their investment in Orlando, the mobile revolution was still at a very early stage,” said Douglas Quinby, a vice president of research at the consulting firm Phocuswright in Atlanta. “Nobody knew how all these technologies were going to shake out.”
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger spoke with Bloomberg recently and said
“What you’ll see in Shanghai is a park that from a technological perspective is more advanced than anything we’ve ever built. The consumer will be able to buy their tickets, use their mobile devices in far more advanced, compelling ways than any other place from a theme park perspective than we are today.”
While the MagicBands have been a huge success in Florida, Disney will save the cost of making the devices and with the MagicBands being in development before the iPhone debuted, it seems technology has moved quicker than Disney expected and now with designing a whole new theme park, there is no need for MagicBands.
What do you think about Shanghai not needing MagicBands?
To be honest the band is simpler than the iPhone or any phone for that matter. Because people have the tenancy to fumble through their purse or pocket pants and that just adds to waiting in line to get in or when they purchase items in the stores. With the band all you have to do is waive an go and no need to remember which pocket or which part of the purse they put the iPhone. Please do not consider in taking out the bands in magic kingdom Florida.