MagicBand system will not be used in Shanghai Disney Resort

in Disney, Shanghai Disneyland

Guests visiting the highly anticipated Shanghai Disney Resort, set to open this spring, will not be using the MagicBand system. Guests will be able to use their smart phones to enter the park, purchase merchandise, and possibly access attractions and rides as well.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, Chairman and CEO Bob Iger said, “What you’ll see in Shanghai is a park that from a technological perspective is more advanced than anything we’ve ever built. The consumer will be able to buy their tickets, use their mobile devices in far more advanced, compelling ways than any other place from a theme park perspective than we are today.”

Bloomberg Business reports that Disney spent $1 billion and several years developing MagicBands and many other technology upgrades to its Orlando resorts. But technology evolves quickly, so guests in Shanghai will be able to use their smart phone, in place of the MagicBand technology.

Phocuswright, a consulting firm in Atlanta, predicts that this year, China will become the “first market where the majority of online travel purchases will be made on mobile devices.”

Douglas Quinby, a vice president of research at Phocuswright said, “When Disney was first making their investment in Orlando, the mobile revolution was still at a very early stage. Nobody knew how all these technologies were going to shake out.”

The MagicBands system is highly popular with park guests in the Orlando area and tend to score very well in customer satisfaction surveys.

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