RFID in the House of Mouse
When someone says Disney, most people think clever animation movies, princesses, or big amusement parks. What I don’t usually think of with the House of Mouse, is clever use of modern technology. As I write this, I am sitting in Orlando Florida, checking out Disney World for the first time, and some subtle and not so subtle uses of technology are blowing my mind out here! From ease of use around the park, to a little big-brotherish moves, Disney has made some significant changes in amusement parks.
RFID (radio frequency identification) is not new technology by any means. This is the same tech that goes into the plastic passes you keep in your cars to pay for tolls over bridges in areas, or even the chip in your (new) passports that records where you go and for how long. What Disney has done is give every single park guest who is staying at one of the Disney Hotels, a wristband that ties your park ticket information and your credit card information to that band. So when you walk to the gate of the park, you tap your band on a reader, and that’s all you need!
With the RFID in your band tied to your ticket, you can also use this same system for the fast passes – basically a way to save yourself a spot in line for a ride. Prior to now, you had to walk to the ride, get a pass from a machine that would tell you what time to return to the ride. With these bands, you can now book your rides in advance, as soon as you book your vacation. You can also book your dinner reservations on site, seating for parades, fireworks, and more. This same tech is tied to your credit card (if you want), so when you purchase food or merchandise in the park, all the shops have readers set up at their registers, so you can just tap your band, and everything is routed there.
What I found most impressive was the RFID used within the restaurant “Be Our Guest” inside the Magic Kingdom (you’re seated inside the Beast’s castle); everyone places their lunch order at a register and pays up front. Guests without the bands are given a plastic rose to carry that has an RFID chip in it that is tagged with their lunch order, while those with bands have it tagged to their band. You are then let loose in the castle and are free to find any table you like – no waiters or servers necessary. Every table is built with an RFID reader, so the staff knows where you’re seated and roll out your lunch to you like ‘magic’. What a great way to use simple tech to speed up a process of getting people in, seated, and make it all look seamless!
Another small piece of tech that amused me to no end, was the use of short wave RFID in some of the Mickey Mouse ears that people can buy in all the parks. We were told by the hawker that these ears would light up and time themselves with any performance in any Disney park in Orlando. I didn’t think twice about it, because I didn’t want big plastic ears taking residence in my house when I returned, but then while we were watching the show Fantasmic (a show with actors, fireworks, river being set on fire, and visuals displayed on a screen of water all timed to music), Charles poked me in the ribs and told me to look at the audience. The crowd was filled with these ears, that would light up on queue and flash along with the thunder, turn red and pulse in time with the villains music, and even flash and sparkle with fireworks. It doesn’t do much for the person wearing the hat, but it was fun to watch the crowd be turned into a part of the show. A side note, as I was exiting the Magic Kingdom last night and they introduced the start of their Christmas season, all the ears using the short wave RFID chips, where blinking red and green until folks were far enough out of range of the park, and they started blinking their usual range of colors.
The big brother part that i’m still wrapping my brain around is in the reader at the entrance of the parks – yes there is a RFID chip
in my band or plastic pass if you’re not staying in a Disney hotel – but this reader also requires a finger print. WTF? Why does Disney need my finger print? Is this so I can’t re-sell my pass to their park? Is the database that Disney is growing on customer data now including our biometric data? I honestly have no clue what this data is being used for, and the people at the gate had no information other than it was just part of their new ticketing process. I wish I pushed a little further, but honestly the draw of a big giant park with amazing rides was more important to me at that moment.
Not one of these uses of technology is new, but it is new to put in an amusement park that still makes everything look like magic if you aren’t paying attention! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some rides calling my name!
