NextGen and the Keyless Entry

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Thu, 06/07/2012 - 13:05

Kristen K.

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NextGen and the Keyless Entry

Disney's Art of Animation Resort opened last month making technological strides for Disney's guests in both function and service. One of the most remarked upon feature was the new RFID based, keyless entry to the hotel rooms and suites.

According to the Orlando Sentinel "Disney has set an aggressive schedule to retrofit all of its existing hotels with the keyless locks " approximately 26,000 hotel rooms and time-share suites in all. [Kevin] Myers [WDW Vice President of Resort Operations] said he expects installation to begin in June [2012] with Disney's Contemporary Resort and to be complete at all Disney World properties by the end of next year [2013]."

This retro fit marks the beginning of bringing the NextGen project right to the guests. Once all Disney Resort Guests are chipped... the Parks can move forward with some of the more exciting possibilities of the technology.

What do you think of the the new keyless entry and how it paves the way for the NextGen project? Are you looking forward to the possibilities this RFID technology can bring? I honestly don't know what I feel about it. In general I'm not a fan of being able to be tracked to the extent that this will allow, but when it comes to Disney.. well I sold my soul a long time ago.

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Thu, 06/07/2012 - 17:25

Mase

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I say bring it on! Why not? Keyless Entries are pretty cool... at least I think... lol

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Thu, 06/07/2012 - 18:39

dontthrowsand

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they already know which rides I really want to go on by my fast pass, they already know when I return to my hotel room and they know what I buy based on me either charging it to my KTTW card or sending it back to my resort. I don't know how much more they really will know from RFID except maybe how long I am willing to stand in line for.

Fri, 06/08/2012 - 02:12

DisneyDee27

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Same locks as on DCL? I'm all for it. I actually hate the slide in keys, they never work on the first swipe. On the cruise ships I didn't have to take my card off my lanyard. It was awesome
Dee

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Sat, 06/16/2012 - 14:18

Nancy D

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Wait, I'm confused...is RFID just like something you wave in front of the door to unlock it?

Sat, 06/16/2012 - 22:39

DisneyDee27

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Nancy D wrote:

Wait, I'm confused...is RFID just like something you wave in front of the door to unlock it?

It's like a London Metro card, you press it against the door lock area and it opens. There aren't any giant yellow circles but it's well marked if they're like the ones on DCL

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Sun, 06/17/2012 - 14:46

JustCar

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Bring on Next Gen, a lot of the information that they will be gathering are cost savings, such as bringing the rfid cups, if they can save a few dollars to keep my costs down then so be it.

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Sun, 06/17/2012 - 15:24

Jessi5989

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Disney already uses alot of RFID backstage, so I'm not surprised that they are gonna start incorporating it onstage.

Everyday going into HS, we just wave our ID in front of a box and it opens the gate. And our costumes are checked out using RFID so its super quick and super easy!

Sun, 06/17/2012 - 18:32

MrHub

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They are smart cards. You can put a ton of info on them, the only thing is, it is easy to steal the info too!

Sun, 06/17/2012 - 18:48

The Cookie Crumbler

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Not sure how I feel about the idea of choosing times for shows or rides in advance of the day I'm going to the park. We like to have general outline of the day (such as one park in the morning, another in the evening, followed by a specific fireworks show), but we're not ones for very strict schedules. Planning a day at HS around the times that we've reserved spots on Star Tours (which I guarantee we will do multiple times!) wouldn't be very fun. And when it comes to weather, I may decide to change the order that I had planned to do things.

Everything else though, especially the keyless entry, sounds pretty awesome. I've stayed in some hotels that have them on the doors and it's amazing how much easier they are than the swipe cards.

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Sun, 06/17/2012 - 20:40

finngirl

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The Cookie Crumbler wrote:

Not sure how I feel about the idea of choosing times for shows or rides in advance of the day I'm going to the park. We like to have general outline of the day (such as one park in the morning, another in the evening, followed by a specific fireworks show), but we're not ones for very strict schedules.

I agree. I don't think we would be happy with having to book our ride times before we even get there. If they start doing this, it would definitely affect whether we would even go back. DH won't even make ADR's because he doesn't want to have to be anywhere at any particular time. Having to book ride times would not go over well with him! Part of the reason we love going is that we AREN'T on any firm schedule, and can come and go as we please. Fastpasses are very democratic - get in the park, and get your pass. Standby lines are already at a disadvantage sometimes now, especially after a ride has shut down for an hour or more, so if there was pre-booking, I can envision a time when there are NO standby lines that are reasonable. Spontaneity is important too.

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Sun, 06/17/2012 - 20:44

Jessi5989

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finngirl wrote:

The Cookie Crumbler wrote:
Not sure how I feel about the idea of choosing times for shows or rides in advance of the day I'm going to the park. We like to have general outline of the day (such as one park in the morning, another in the evening, followed by a specific fireworks show), but we're not ones for very strict schedules.

I agree. I don't think we would be happy with having to book our ride times before we even get there. If they start doing this, it would definitely affect whether we would even go back. DH won't even make ADR's because he doesn't want to have to be anywhere at any particular time. Having to book ride times would not go over well with him! Part of the reason we love going is that we AREN'T on any firm schedule, and can come and go as we please. Fastpasses are very democratic - get in the park, and get your pass. Standby lines are already at a disadvantage sometimes now, especially after a ride has shut down for an hour or more, so if there was pre-booking, I can envision a time when there are NO standby lines that are reasonable. Spontaneity is important too.

From everything I've heard, regular fastpasses will stay the same. So if you still wanna get into the park and go get your fastpass, you can!

Sun, 06/17/2012 - 20:53

The Cookie Crumbler

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finngirl wrote:

If they start doing this, it would definitely affect whether we would even go back. DH won't even make ADR's because he doesn't want to have to be anywhere at any particular time. Having to book ride times would not go over well with him! Part of the reason we love going is that we AREN'T on any firm schedule, and can come and go as we please. Fastpasses are very democratic - get in the park, and get your pass.

Exactly! I like the Fastpasses, especially since I'm not very big on rides so I don't need to hit up a dozen places in the park as soon as I get there to get them. They're very convenient. I can't imagine too many people would be happy with advance ride reservations being the norm, many people - especially children - are too fickle to keep to that kind of schedule.

This whole ADR thing in itself is a mystery to me. When I went I never made ADRs and never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a table. Granted, we only went to a few table service places (50s Prime Time Cafe, Restaurant Marrakesh).

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Sun, 06/17/2012 - 23:55

finngirl

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Jessi5989 wrote:

finngirl wrote:
The Cookie Crumbler wrote:
Not sure how I feel about the idea of choosing times for shows or rides in advance of the day I'm going to the park. We like to have general outline of the day (such as one park in the morning, another in the evening, followed by a specific fireworks show), but we're not ones for very strict schedules.

I agree. I don't think we would be happy with having to book our ride times before we even get there. If they start doing this, it would definitely affect whether we would even go back. DH won't even make ADR's because he doesn't want to have to be anywhere at any particular time. Having to book ride times would not go over well with him! Part of the reason we love going is that we AREN'T on any firm schedule, and can come and go as we please. Fastpasses are very democratic - get in the park, and get your pass. Standby lines are already at a disadvantage sometimes now, especially after a ride has shut down for an hour or more, so if there was pre-booking, I can envision a time when there are NO standby lines that are reasonable. Spontaneity is important too.

From everything I've heard, regular fastpasses will stay the same. So if you still wanna get into the park and go get your fastpass, you can!

My concern would be that if there are a ton of advance bookings for attractions, the fastpass return times will be ridiculously long, and that the amount of them would be really reduced. I wonder also about the number of "no shows" if you can advance book, and the chaos that could cause with lines and staffing.

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Mon, 06/18/2012 - 03:42

The Cookie Crumbler

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Thanks for the info, Jessi!

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Mon, 06/18/2012 - 15:24

Kristen K.

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The Cookie Crumbler wrote:

finngirl wrote:

This whole ADR thing in itself is a mystery to me. When I went I never made ADRs and never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a table. Granted, we only went to a few table service places (50s Prime Time Cafe, Restaurant Marrakesh).

Time of year has a LOT to do with if you HAVE to have an ADR or not. I don't usually travel without them, but we usually go during the slow season. I can't imagine trying to go right now without ADRs.

Tue, 06/19/2012 - 12:53

Melissa W

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I think it will be great...whatever makes it easier!

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