News
from Disney.
The
magic bands, the latest and greatest and technologically brilliant
advancement, is just about ready to be moved to the obsolete pile.
I
know.
And
I’m not kidding.
Probably
like you, even though they have been around for several years,
and I’ve been to Disney World since they were unveiled, I’ve never
owned one of my own either. But before you can say fast pass deluxe
park hopper replacement initiative, it would appear there’s an
app for that.
Before
diving too deep however, let’s put some love out there for the
magic bands.
As
an all-in-one-tool, gosh, we’re talking amazing. Park tickets
and reservations for attractions and payment methods in retail
outlets and so much more. The darn things allowed for anything
and everything you wanted or needed. We’re not stretching the
truth to say you could walk into a store, wave your arm to both
pay for your purchase and confirm the details to have it shipped
to your hotel room, then take ten steps and wave it again to begin
your move to the front of the line at the next attraction.
Apparently
though, the replacement is your smartphone. Download that app,
match up all the details, and there you go.
I
already have my doubts.
The
main thing that comes to mind is that I cannot imagine how my
phone battery will survive an hour of such stress. (Wondering
what I mean? Ok…)
Friends
of ours are in Orlando as I write this. Hollywood Studios and
Galaxy’s Edge. They shared many stories about the things they
needed to ask their phones to assist with. One of the funny ones—there
are many, and we’ve been exchanging things only by text so far—that
is also the simplest: They needed to use their phones in order
to scan QR codes and access restaurant menus.
QR
codes for menus? Nothing new in this idea. A few of you may have
encountered this already in the precautions and cleanliness society
of today. A lot of restaurants have placed QR codes on tables,
and when you point your phone at them the phone opens a menu.
What
I want you to do is take that information and expand it. Put it
into Disney perspective. Waiting in line at a ride? You’ll probably
use your phone to play a game, send text messages, respond to
e-mails, or validate your existence by posting something witty
on social media and checking back to see how many have liked and
shared your posts. A bit more serious, you could be using your
phone to check out your Disney day by attempting to line up more
ride reservations and check table availability for dinner later.
(And
that validating existence thing? That’s just a social media joke.
Ha ha. I actually enjoy social media as much as anyone. But I
think we can all laugh about how obsessed we can become with it.)
So,
there you are in line using your phone. You’ll need it to make
a restaurant reservation, show the code for your reservation,
then open up the menu so you can order. Ride times? Those are
on your phone. It isn’t outrageous to think that from showing
your validation to enter the park and start your day until hours
later when you leave, you could need your phone dozens of times
every hour.
I
have problems taking a fully charged phone and playing five minutes
of Words with Friends without dropping thirty-percent of my battery
charge. A day at a Disney park? I’ll be looking for outlets the
entire visit.
This
isn’t an essay intended to make me sound incredibly old and out
of touch. I just want to point out how what I’ve read and the
people I’ve spoken with all seem to confirm that we’re moving
in reverse away from what had become an all-with-a-wave-of-the-hand
process.
And
perhaps more incredibly than the actions itself is the speed of
the process. It’s not like I haven’t visited in thirty years.
I have. And yet we’ve moved in and out of generations of FastPass+,
QR codes, magic bands and apps in a really brief period of time.
The
next visit is going to require some intense preparations in order
to spontaneously enjoy the fun.