Walt Disney World opens its doors to some 30million visitors every year. It’s not difficult to imagine the lines at the entry turnstiles, the rides, the unavoidable clumsiness of trying to handle money, credit cards, a hyper bunch of kids running in different directions, overcrowded rides; at some point it starts sounding like a nightmare!

And therefore, MyMagic+ was created. The industry calls it a “vacation management system”. What it actually is, is an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) bracelet with an embedded credit card. We’d like to think of it as a super bracelet that lets you whiz past the long queues and gives you personalized information as well. It doubles up as

|Room key

|Park ticket

|FastPass

|Credit card

Says Disney’s chairman, Tom Staggs:

“A major component of MyMagic+ is the new My Disney Experience website and mobile app, which gives guests planning their trip the latest information on all Walt Disney World Resort has to offer. My Disney Experience gives them the flexibility to plan as much or as little as they’d like to create the exact Disney experience they want. They can book dining and other experiences and reserve times for their favorite attractions, shows and more through an enhanced FastPass system, FastPass+. Once they arrive, they can use their smart phones to spontaneously change their plans in the moment, exploring our parks at their own pace and getting the most out of their visit.

These MagicBands can also be encoded with all sorts of personal details, allowing for more personalized interaction with Disney employees. Before, the employee playing Goofy would say hello only in a general way. Now — if you opt for it — hidden sensors will read MagicBand data, providing information needed for a personalized greeting: ‘Hi Raoul,’ the character might say with no prompting. “Happy Birthday!’”

And now the Flipsyde

In a world where privacy is on the verge of extinction, how much more information do u want to give away? The whole concept does sound pretty awesome; but you are giving Disney access to valuable personal information. Although not mentioned, location tracking will be a possibility. On the one hand, it might be creepy but on the other, it could be a boon if say, your child went missing.

And what if the band goes missing? We hear there will be a deactivation system in place before they roll out this year. This is a $1 billion gamble for Disney, it had better work!