101–110 of 124 posts
I recently got back from my second trip to Disney World in which I had a Magic Band, the first time it was still test phase and had lots of kinks. This time around it worked flawlessly. To get into the park it requires you to scan your fingerprint as well, to buy anything with a credit card linked to your account or use your dining plan requires your pin number. Other than that it's pretty much tap and go. The crazy…
I recently got back from my second trip to Disney World in which I had a Magic Band, the first time it was still test phase and had lots of kinks. This time around it worked flawlessly. To get into the park it requires you to scan your fingerprint as well, to buy anything with a credit card linked to your account or use your dining plan requires your pin number. Other than that it's pretty much tap and go. The crazy…
The RFID refills bothered me. I didn't buy the dining plan/visit-long refillable cup, but when I got a soda at the Gasparilla in the Grand Floridian there was a refill count of either 2 or 3. I kind of fell that if I drop that much on a paper cup, and hundreds of dollars a night on a hotel, they shouldn't be limiting the number of refills I get on my cup of soda during lunch. I don't think I hit the limit to the poin…
A lot of that was driven by the cups they sell at the resorts, which used to be something like $15 but as many fills as you wanted for your entire stay. Some people actually brought the mugs back trip after trip and abused the system. I suppose they could do that with the paper cups as well.
But once that was in place, now they needed the dispenser to work with paper cups as well. They couldn't be infinite either (or nobody would buy the mugs) so a limit needed to be set.
One difficulty with the bands is that, unlike a regular hotel with a magnetic (or even RFID) wallet sized card, this needs to be placed on your wrist every morning. I've needed several replacement Magic Bands because I am used to walking out of my house/hotel room and just checking for my wallet, cell, keys and knowing I'm good. Usually a hotel card would be in my wallet and it is not an additional check. They are fr…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are scared because you are being tracked in a theme park that Disney controls... Odd type of paranoia. They've been tracking people for years (I grew up going to Disneyland and my sister worked there), with cameras, so this is nothing new -- it's just updated technology. Personally, I think it's cool and interesting.
In a way, it's mainly just creepy. Five years ago none of this was happening in such a digitized fashion. It's not stopping me from going back again. Outside of Disney I typically don't eat the same type of foods or drink the same things. Some of it was just a little unsettling, especially thinking about my daughter.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8838362
Edit: At the time of filing, the only existing patent was for a "single use RFID hospital bands" which was made to be disabled when removed and non-reusable (similar to existing non-RFID hospital bands).
One difficulty with the bands is that, unlike a regular hotel with a magnetic (or even RFID) wallet sized card, this needs to be placed on your wrist every morning. I've needed several replacement Magic Bands because I am used to walking out of my house/hotel room and just checking for my wallet, cell, keys and knowing I'm good. Usually a hotel card would be in my wallet and it is not an additional check. They are fr…
I don't understand. You leave the magic band in your hotel room and need to have it replaced? Why not go back into the hotel room and retrieve the original?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
My first reaction to the magicbands was pretty cynical, like this. But it's really astonishing how much more convenient and enjoyable it made the vacation. No need to slog a camera, wallet, etc. I was surprised that even the smallest out-of-the way Disney feature (Magic Express at the airport, entry into the resort pools, e.g.), they still had a way to scan the magic bands. If we did end up spending more because of i…
I don't really understand your use of "slog" here, do you mean carry? Why then didn't you need a camera - do they have photogs around the site?
I always wanted my kids to have a wristband that's tied to my credit card - good thing there's nothing they'd want at Disney World! Sarcasm aside, we always get a big wad of cash when we go on vacation (and especially to Disney World). It's almost impossible to track your spending if you follow the normal pattern of pulling out your credit card ... this wrist band (in my mind) is to make sure you don't realize what y…
My first response to this is to eschew the technology, but in retrospect, maybe getting pre-paid cc's for the kids and linking their cards to those may be a good option. "Here's $200 for the week, don't blow it all on the first day".
I always wanted my kids to have a wristband that's tied to my credit card - good thing there's nothing they'd want at Disney World! Sarcasm aside, we always get a big wad of cash when we go on vacation (and especially to Disney World). It's almost impossible to track your spending if you follow the normal pattern of pulling out your credit card ... this wrist band (in my mind) is to make sure you don't realize what y…
But i could imagine some smartwatch app(or phone app), that really helps you control spending, even better than cash.
For example, an app that has a list of things you really really want to buy, and whenever you are about to pay for a an impulse buy, you're shown that list, and asked if you prefer to save towards that.
I remember that not too long ago, somone commented on HN that he basically pitched this idea to Disney but they declined and said the idea wasn't really good. I hope he shows up and tells us his story. edit: found it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8839888
Reminds me of people who send scripts to sitcoms then complain they've been "ripped off" when a similar storyline emerges. Considering there are something like 6 or 7 unique sitcom plots and only so many possible pairings, its pretty obvious that "invention" here is non-existent. Oh you also wanted Rachel and Ross to get together? You don't say. We've probably been talking about RFID as people tracker for almost 20 y…