Themeparkceo Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 For all the theme park and techno gurus out there, Disney is going to start field testing this new system called Disney Magic Connection. It uses the Nintendo DS to get information wirelessly throughout the park. You can find out wait times and Fastpass availability, find out what characters are in the park and where to find them, you can enter the attractions and shows they’d like to see and have the device organize their day, play games themed to the attraction they’re visiting, and, my personal favorite, see interactive maps of the park! So a guest rents the DS at the front, pays a fee to use it and leaves a credit card number as a deposit, and gets live info the entire day. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is. LOL There's no more info as to whether you can use your own, or you have to actually buy there's or how much it'll even be to use. They're going to start field testing it in Magic Kingdom next week by randomly selecting families to test it. I think that Disney can really bank on this idea! I would pay $10-$15 to get all that info and map all day long. Would you? Tell us what you think about this new system!
BeemerBoy Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 How high tech does navigating a theme park need to get? This might be gravy for some, but I'm calling pointless and lame on this one. I guess I'm just oldschool.
Chrissie Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 What an amazing idea! Much better than Pal Mickey and gives you something to do while waiting in line! Im almost certain that you will be able to use it with your on DS. Themeparkceo - How did you find this out?
larrygator Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 How high tech does navigating a theme park need to get? This might be gravy for some, but I'm calling pointless and lame on this one. I guess I'm just oldschool. Scott - I think you are focusing on thepart whilethe devise helps you finds attractions.. However, many people don't use due diligence in planning before going to a park and I think these are the more useful features especially for families: You can find out wait times and Fastpass availability, find out what characters are in the park and where to find them, you can enter the attractions and shows they’d like to see and have the device organize their day
cfc Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 ^I look at it this way: I might not use this system, but it could be good for other folks.
BeemerBoy Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 ^^ Yeah, the comment did seem that way, but honestly, I could do without any of it myself. To me, it's just one more thing to carry. I know it'll be a big hit for others though.
Chrissie Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 many people don't use due diligence in planning before going to a park I can vouch for that! When I was a castmember, I always had people asking me where universal rides were or being annoyed because they couldn't find Space Mountain in Frontierland
mightypotato Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 I think that is an awesome idea. Not only is it creative and outside the box, but it'd be great for planningyour day and/or keeping kids under control while in line
Jew Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 Universal Orlando was (still is?) testing something similar using cell phones. Not sure how the system works, but I think Disney and Universal have a great idea! Especially for the things like wait times, downtimes, and fastpass times. Makes it much easier to get the most out of your day.
robbalvey Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 I think for the me it's all about finding out wait and fast pass times. I can't tell you how many times we've been at WDW with someone that works there who has the information on their Blackberry and we'll be all "Hey, should we go to Magic Kingdom?" and they'll look it up and be all "Ooohhh....Space Mountain is 90 minutes with all Fastpasses sold out....Thunder is 60 minutes..." and then we can be all "Hmm...maybe we go to Epcot or Downtown Disney instead?" Having this information available to anyone with a DS is a GREAT idea! --Robb
cfc Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 ^^ Yeah, the comment did seem that way, but honestly, I could do without any of it myself. To me, it's just one more thing to carry. I know it'll be a big hit for others though. I'm with you on that, Scott. I don't like to tote much more than a camera. But it could be a valuable service, so more power to Disney (and Universal).
WDWCP22 Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 I think for the me it's all about finding out wait and fast pass times. I can't tell you how many times we've been at WDW with someone that works there who has the information on their Blackberry and we'll be all "Hey, should we go to Magic Kingdom?" and they'll look it up and be all "Ooohhh....Space Mountain is 90 minutes with all Fastpasses sold out....Thunder is 60 minutes..." and then we can be all "Hmm...maybe we go to Epcot or Downtown Disney instead?" Having this information available to anyone with a DS is a GREAT idea! --Robb I couldn't agree more. I hate going to the parks and then finding out that all the Fastpasses are gone and the wait is enormous. I think this could be quite helpful to most of us.
BeemerBoy Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 I think for the me it's all about finding out wait and fast pass times. I can't tell you how many times we've been at WDW with someone that works there who has the information on their Blackberry and we'll be all "Hey, should we go to Magic Kingdom?" and they'll look it up and be all "Ooohhh....Space Mountain is 90 minutes with all Fastpasses sold out....Thunder is 60 minutes..." and then we can be all "Hmm...maybe we go to Epcot or Downtown Disney instead?" Having this information available to anyone with a DS is a GREAT idea! --Robb See, I can completely understand how this part could be helpful in some instances for those who appreciate that type of thing. I just think the concept would work better as a small upcharge, or (gasp, close your ears Disney) complimentary service to those who already have such capable devices. The idea of leaving a credit card number, etc, etc, sounds like a customer service nightmare in-the-making though.
eBen Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 Which parks and when is this trial happening in? Are there places to store it when you make it to a ride to prevent foolishly squashing it in your pocket.
Themeparkceo Posted January 10, 2008 Author Posted January 10, 2008 Which parks and when is this trial happening in? Are there places to store it when you make it to a ride to prevent foolishly squashing it in your pocket. They're testing it next week in Magic Kingdom. No other specifics were givin for the future of it. But it's an extremely handy thing to have, "complimentary". LOL Universal was testing, what Disney was already testing, with getting info via call phones. You'ld be able to get wait times and other info by texting in. But Universal never really went into it. And I'm guessing that if you were to lose or break the DS, you'ld pay for it. And like someone said, it REALLY comes in handy with the kids. Imagine waiting 1-2 hours in line for Splash Mountain with lillte kids on a hot summer day... If they were to have a DS with them, they could play games about the ride while they wait, and what not. Or you can avoid the line all-together because you would have seen the wait time when you were in Tomorrowland.
SharkTums Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 I really like this idea. I saw countless kids with their DS's at Disney last week and if Disney can figure out a way to have wireless info/games specific to where you are at Disney I think that's incredible. I hope this takes off!
Themeparkceo Posted January 10, 2008 Author Posted January 10, 2008 I really hope that the other parks follow, but, disney got nintendo. the only other console that could do this would be Sony's PSP, and universal isn't going to grab them beacuase sony is a competitor in the music biz. But imagine this system also available for use with the PSP! Anyway, great for Disney, bad for the others.
JT3000 Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 Universal was testing, what Disney was already testing, with getting info via call phones. You'ld be able to get wait times and other info by texting in. But Universal never really went into it. Huh? Universal is already doing this. They're beyond testing.
Themeparkceo Posted January 12, 2008 Author Posted January 12, 2008 ^really? i was under the impression that they had stoped doing it. I haven't heard of them still doing it. interesting
DATman Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 It'd be great if they turned it into a cartridge you could just buy at the park and re-use over and over. They could do a lot with it as well, like put in little Disney mini-games for when people are in line.
ahecht Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 I think for the me it's all about finding out wait and fast pass times. I can't tell you how many times we've been at WDW with someone that works there who has the information on their Blackberry and we'll be all "Hey, should we go to Magic Kingdom?" and they'll look it up and be all "Ooohhh....Space Mountain is 90 minutes with all Fastpasses sold out....Thunder is 60 minutes..." and then we can be all "Hmm...maybe we go to Epcot or Downtown Disney instead?" Having this information available to anyone with a DS is a GREAT idea! --Robb What would be awesome is if that information was available for the public. It would help Disney with load balancing, and help everyone else plan their day. If they just had a web site you could go to with that info, anyone with a phone that gets internet could have that information. If they wanted to limit it to people in the parks (so that people don't decide not to go because it's crowded), they could just have you type in your ticket number.
UniversalGSHo22 Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 Universal was testing, what Disney was already testing, with getting info via call phones. You'ld be able to get wait times and other info by texting in. But Universal never really went into it. Huh? Universal is already doing this. They're beyond testing. I have been with Unviersal Orlando for 18 months in Guest Services and I have not seen nor heard of anything like this at all. The managers all carry pagers so they can get wait times and express line times and down times and such but I have never seen a guest with a cell phone getting any sort of Universal Ride/Express Information. Maybe they were doing in in Hollywood??? Am I the only one who remembers some time last year that WDW did a run with the Nintendo DS ( which i own and LOVE Wario Wares FOREVER!!!). I SWEAR I heard something on Radio Disney about you would get special clues to open up secret levels on some games. I don't recall what game but I know they did something already.
ahecht Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 The Pirates 3 game for DS did have a feature where you could download cheat codes at certain WDW and DL locations. See http://disney.go.com/disneyinteractivestudios/pirates3/treasure/
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now