I took a quick trip to Walt Disney World last week and had the opportunity to experience several new technological initiatives related to Dining at Disney World.
I’ve written these up in several posts for DFB, and today we’ll begin with the new Touch to Pay system that accompanies the unrolling of MyMagic+ in the parks — as well as take a look at some fun foodie bling that you can add to your MyMagic Band!
Stay tuned over the next week to see more new technology innovations that are affecting Disney dining in Disney World!
Tableside Touch To Pay Pads
In addition to the previously installed “Tap to Pay” pads located at the WDW quick service and snack locations, Tap To Pay Pads are now being used in many table service venues at the parks and resorts.
During our stay, some of the restaurants we dined at were Artist Point, Territory Lounge, Citricos, Raglan Road, and Tutto Gusto. At each of these locations, when we asked for our check, our server appeared at our table with a small touchpad, about the surface area of an iPhone, but much thicker.
Our server with a Touch to Pay device at Raglan Road.
When it was time to pay, the server scanned my MagicBand to link our restaurant bill to our WDW charge account. You could also use the Touch to Pay pad with an RFID-capable Key to the World Card.
Our server at Artist Point scanning my Magic Band for payment.
After the MagicBand or KTTWC is scanned, you enter your personal PIN code.
Hubby entering PIN at Raglan Road.
That was all super fun and easy. However, there were two points in the process that needed a little work. First, the system is not currently able to process some discounts via the Touch to Pay Pads.
I am a Tables in Wonderland card holder. During this trip, if I wanted to use my TiW discount, they had to bring the card to a physical register in the restaurant to process it. My understanding is that, at some point in the future, things like Tables in Wonderland, Disney Vacation Club (DVC), or Annual Pass discounts will automatically be recognized and applied if they’re noted in your My Disney Experience account on the DisneyWorld.com website.
The other oddity is that in order to complete the transaction, the server must bring you a printed receipt on which you tally the tip, add it up, and sign. I’d love to be able to do all that on the Touch Pad itself. Some retail stores, including Apple stores, now allow customers to sign electronically. And many more retail stores email you a receipt as a matter of course. My guess (only a guess, I have no scoop) is that these additional tech tools will appear in the not too distant future.
Even with the Touch to Pay pad, you still have paper as part of the transaction.
Overall, I thought the new restaurant Touch to Pay pads were fun, but paying for a meal this way is not a hugely different experience than it had been in the past. However, as more and more guests use MagicBands as their payment method, I believe they’ll implement ways to streamline the process.
Foodie MagicBand Bling
Speaking of MagicBands … The basic MagicBands being distributed to guests come in lots of cool colors. But if colors alone aren’t cool enough for you, then there are plenty of options for customizing them to suit your personal style.
There are fabric wraps, clip-on jewels, and other gizmos. But I just had to share with you my FAVORITE bit of MagicBand bling – the cupcake and Mickey bar sliders!
The cupcake is the same purple-with-Mickey design that’s been popping up on parks merchandise for years now. And the Mickey bar is as awesome as a Mickey bar should be. Slide one of these puppies onto your MagicBand and everyone will know you’re a foodie fan!
What foodie bling would you want to add to YOUR MyMagic+ Band? Let us know in the comments below.
Erin Foster is the Disney Food for Families columnist and a behind-the-scenes guru here at Disney Food Blog! Check out more of her posts here.
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is this still a project or will I using this when i go in the middle of september???
I’m going to be testing a MagicBand in a few weeks can’t wait.
turkey leg and dole whip of course!! 😉
I agree with Liana great idea….
I don’t mind being dragged into the future, which has always been a Disney specialty, as long as I can still use my abacus to check the math.
I wont use this band thing out of principle… The principle that I dont want a white band on my wrist when I get home offsetting my holiday tan!!!!!!!! 🙂
Great article, thank you! Got my MagicBands in the mail and am ready to test in 12 days! WooHOO!
I think having something on my wrist would be annoying and I can’t imagine trying to keep it on some children’s wrists. I think we will stick with the cards that work by touch.
Love the foodie band decor! Are they all ready on sale?
I guess I’m dense. I can see the benefits of the bands for entry into the parks or getting FPs. How is this pay by wave system better than using a room key or CC if you still have to do math and sign? Wouldn’t you still need to carry ID or is your age coded in there too? I was hoping it would like a sanctioned dine and dash.
And what happened to Mr. Erin’s magic band in that picture? He’s already wearing a watch so a magic band tan line would make things kinda symmetric.
Could you show the blings applied?
I’m guessing the receipt is like “cash” to the server and they trade them in for real cash at the end of the night?
I so love the magic band concept and can’t wait for it to be world wide.
Just opened my letter telling us we were invited to test the bands on our next visit! Excited! Thanks for a great post, I will be looking for the cupcake bling for sure!
Sandra
The Adored Home
Just returned from a short visit to WDW (visit every year since 1971) and was issued magic bands at check-in. Did not link them to a credit card, so they were only activated as room keys (card also issued). Not sure how I feel about what I initially reacted to as a Disney “leash”. Also, heard people questioning whether it would survive the pool. Answer was “Maybe”. I too feel like I’m being dragged into the future, like it or not. I do know I did not like waiting in a food line while each of four young children had to have their meal rung up separately, so they could each “pay” with their band. And wasn’t enticed to spend more money to decorate the band so I could spend more money using the band to charge more……etc…. etc…. Together with the “refillable cup” chip to monitor how much & when I refill, I think it just feels a little too controlling. Wonder how the magic band production cost compares to the plastic room key/charge card. Every band personalized with name inside and presented in a box of four………… Are they expecting or thinking that people will bring their bands back on future visits? Guess we’ll see………
I just wonder about the security of credit card information being stored on the MagicBands. What’s to stop high-tech criminals from scanning your wrist while you are in line for a ride, etc.?
How does the band work with the dining plan? Does everyone need a rose at be our guest? Our family was not invited to wear bands though I would have loved it. I wonder if its because we booked through a travel agent on a charter flight. Seems like a plane full of disney fols would have been a good test group. I’d like chese with my whine please. So jealous! It seems like a great way to schedule fast passes. Food items for the band goofy candy co lollipop for dd though she liked the mickey bar a margarita for dh and a mickey waffle for me I would have said steak but it wouldn’t translate well I fear. Thank you for this wonderful site. I purchased the snack issues for every park love it!
My husband snd I will be going to Disney World in 45 days and would love to wear the Magic Band. How do I request that we would like to wear one. We will be staying at Pop Century.
I’m thinking we’ll get the cards, wear them on lanyards. Carol, did each person in your party have to get their band scanned because you were on the dining plan or was that to charge the meals to your room? It was very convenient to use one room key to pay for our entire family’s meals, gifts, etc, all together. We called it our “BLAM” card. In regards to the receipt with the pay pads, I think that would work for me. I like to see what I’m being charged at the time of purchase; that way I can take care of any questions right away and not at checkout at the end of our trip. Hopefully, if we lost one of the cards the whole thing could be deactivated so as not to allow someone else to use our dining reservations and charge meals/gifts to our room.
Hi AJ
Our researcher on her last trip loved MagicBands but could not check daily spend using the App or online portal, have you seen any glimpse of that to come?
Without that, adding a credit card to a band offers a huge risk of overspending if you are part of a group linked to a payment method.
” I think we will stick with the cards that work by touch.”
That worked the exact same way — they touch the card to the reader, you put in the pin, and yes for ToW, they have to take the card back and you still have to sign a piece of paper. I used them just last week. The good thing is that they could scan your card/band, have you enter the PIN, and then take the ToW card and bring it back, so there isn’t an extra round trip for the server. And, with you signing the copy, you can see the exact tab being charged, and presumably object if something’s not right.
” What’s to stop high-tech criminals from scanning your wrist while you are in line for a ride, etc.?”
That’s the reason for the PIN. It’s called two-factor authentication, in this case, the factors are Something You Have (the Band/Card) and Something You Know (the PIN you set.) For park entry, we have the same Something You Have (Card/Band), but the second factor is Something You Are (the fingerprint scan.)
If you only have one, you can’t make a charge. So, keep your PIN safe, and there can be a thousand copies of your MagicBand — and only you can charge with it. For snacks in the park, you just enter the pin, you don’t countersign like you do in the restaurants. It’s safer than the old way with the room key, which, if you lost, could make charges without a PIN.
Hi! I just got my 5 magic bands in the mail for a trip next week. My question is about the “pin”. I don’t think I entered one yet – does that happen at check-in? Thanks for the picture using them at a restaurant. I was wondering how that would work.
Just got our magic bands yesterday. Can’t wait to use them. Not quite sure how they work with the free dining plan, but we will find out in two weeks.
So excited to get there!!!!!
I just got back 2 days ago after a 6 day stay with Magic Bands. For the most part they are great! I suggest telling servers in advance that you will be using the bands & the dining plan. We were the 1st for our server at Raglan Road and she admitted it might take her a few extra minutes to process. One server in a resort restaurant said they are easier for guests but an extra step for them (I asked how the crew liked them). On some non-food notes the bands are HOT on your wrist if you keep them on at all times but the Fast pass+ is awesome to use – you can pick times in advance.
Had absolutely fantastic meals by the way – Germany, Norway, Cape May Cafe, Raglan, Chef Mickey, & Ohana (just ok this time). Have fune!
Is there a picture of how the sliders work?
Autumn – I don’t have a photo of the back of the sliders, but they’re pretty easy to deal with. There’s a rubbery loop on the back of the slider and you literally just slide it on to the MagicBand. It takes about two seconds to put on.
I just wanted to see what they look like on the band…. I can’t picture it in my mind. Hmmm