Over the last few years,
Disney’s MagicBands have been the newest technological device in the multimillion
dollar corporation. The creation and implementation of this new technology cost
Disney one billion dollars to create. MagicBands are rubber bracelets that
every guest receives when they stay in a Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida. The
bracelets allow guests to use them as a means of electronic payment, as well as
reducing the amount of time wasted trying to enter into the park. I have
personally had the opportunity to use the MagicBands and absolutely loved it. I
did not have to worry about my room key or if I had enough cash to buy my
favorite Mickey ice cream sandwich. The information and data was all easily
accessible on the MagicBand located on my wrist.
Although the bands have been a major hit and
success at Disney, an article on Bloomberg Business written by Christopher
Palmeri, “Why Disney Won’t be Taking Magic Wristbands to Its Chinese Park,”
tells the readers that that the new Disney park in Shanghai, China will not be
using the MagicBands. This 5.5 billion dollar Disney park in Shanghai will be
using smartphone devices to navigate magical experience at Disney.
This article demonstrates many great points.
For example, since everything will be done on a smartphone, they will not have
any costs in producing the MagicBands. This gives the park the ability to generate
more revenue or spend the money in other areas of production. Also, MagicBands
in Disney has been a huge success since there has been a steady growth in sales
and an increase in visitors. Lastly, this article shows us how fast technology
can really grow. Disney spent one billion dollars in MagicBands and will not be
continuing them in Shanghai or California’s parks.
After reading this article, I am still left
with some unanswered questions and thoughts. Pending the success of the
smartphone app at the Shanghai Disney Park. In the near future I predict Disney
in Florida will eliminate the use of MagicBands. So, has the MagicBands
creation been a waste? In the 2013 New York Times article “At Disney Parks, a
Bracelet Meant to Build Loyalty (and Sales), author Brooks Barnes talks about
having to train their 60,000 employees to use the MagicBands. Will employees
need to be retrained again? Also, when using the MagicBands one holds their
wrist to a Mickey Mouse stand or door, will iPhones also be compatible to that
or will Disney need to create new technology? Lastly, Disney will now be saving
money because they do not need to spend money on making the bracelets, but the
bracelets itself gave children a more magical time. They had the ability to go
open the room door, and stick their wrist in the machine to pay for something.
Now it is back to them looking up to their parents for them to take their
smartphone out and pay. Will the elimination of bracelets decrease children’s
experiences at Disney?
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