MagicBands to be used in place of parking permit paperwork for resort guests

Mar 18, 2015 in "MyMagic+"

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Posted: Wednesday March 18, 2015 10:29am EST by WDWMAGIC Staff

The traditional parking permits that are issued for Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests are soon to be discontinued.

Beginning the roll-out today at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort, the parking permits will no longer be handed out at check-in, with guests now being asked to use their MagicBand for parking access.

At the theme parks, guests will present their MagicBand at the auto plaza booth to validate free parking permission. When returning to the resort hotel, guests can enter the dedicated guest lane and use the MagicBand for access through the barrier.

Those guests that do not have a MagicBand can use their RFID Key to the World cards instead.

The change to a paperless parking system is especially important following the recent introduction of the direct to room capability that allows guests to bypass traditional check in.

Following the initial introduction of the new system at Yacht and Beach Club, expect the roll out to continue to the other resorts over the next few months.

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ford91exploderMar 22, 2015

You would be surprised at what TWDC has access to at the federal level and the information flow goes both ways simply because WDW/DL are such 'high value soft targets' Nothing to do with conspiracies it's pretty much that way with all high profile venues like major league sports stadia etc. Just because they don't trumpet this does not mean it does not exist.

lazyboy97oMar 22, 2015

I am not really talking about what Disney legally can or cannot do. There are actions that Reedy Creek Improvement District can legally undertake that would be unpopular and easier to use to build support for dissolving the district. And before the aforementioned lawsuit Disney Security did have the blue lights.

SJFPKTMar 22, 2015

If approved by a legislature, corporations can have actual law enforcement with police powers. Here in Alabama, there is a dog track and several hospitals that have sworn law enforcement under their control. It is all up to the state legislature. That being said, I don't think Disney Security can pull you over as they aren't equipped with a blue light (or red depending on what is required in FL). Since they do have a quasi city type organization, they can contract with the sheriff to work the public roads or entire area for that matter. You aren't on a private road until you go through a pay gate. We can argue this all you want and it doesn't matter who maintains the roads, if the public has free access, they are public. I believe we have looked the law up in FL previously on this sight (See the getting pulled over in DHS parking lot thread) and established that the SO there can write you on private property. All of that being said, Disney has no employees that are sworn and there is no way in hell Uncle Sam is giving Disney access to CJIS (LE Databases) or anything like that. Sorry I replied to just you, but I wanted to clear up what appears to be A LOT of confusion on this thread.

lazyboy97oMar 21, 2015

Because of the lawsuit @fillerup mentioned. Disney Security was pretty much acting like a police force, and a very aggressive one at that. Part of the results of that law suit was Disney Security acting more like traditional private security and the respective sheriffs offices being on property in a more active role. Maybe enough people have moved into the area for widespread anger to have died down, but the power brokers of the Orlando attractions industry probably have not. The Reedy Creek Improvement District has been threatened before (it's never been very popular after Walt died and Eisner made the situation worse) and Disney head back towards a line they were told not to get near would be a great reason to revoke the grand powers handed over to secure the never built EPCOT.

CDavidMar 21, 2015

There have long been corporations with their own police force - not just security, but with actual 'police' powers. They're known as the railroad police, and they still exist today. So long as Reedy Creek didn't greatly overstep its bounds, why would the state legislature be so opposed to the idea of Disney doing something similar?

Flight SafetyMar 21, 2015

This... Theres a lot to do @ Boardwalk that doesn't require ADR, so hopefully this isn't the case. Yea, I can see myself now pulling up with my arm out the window waiting for a scan... But possibly maybe they could have a scanner already out there, and you just wait for a green light instead of waiting for a CM to wave you through?

MarkTwainMar 21, 2015

Yep. At this point it sounds like they're just trying to find ways to justify the MM+ price tag. As you said, it's really just making things harder — the opposite of what the bands were implemented to do.

reptar77Mar 21, 2015

Agreed!!

cspencer96Mar 21, 2015

Yeah, I think the only way that RCID has been allowed to continue the way it has without the whole EPCOT plan going through is that it's mutually beneficial for all parties involved, and Disney isn't totally autonomous in terms of law enforcement and other things that a private company probably shouldn't get involved in. If they moved beyond that, it wouldn't last another year - and that's just for the red tape to shut it down.

jakemanMar 21, 2015

Oh come now...there is nothing dystopian about a private corporation trying to put together it's own police force. Wait...isn't that the plot of Robocop?

lazyboy97oMar 21, 2015

Disney trying to actually put together a Reedy Creek Improvement District, Bay Lake and/or Lake Buena Vista police force would probably result in the Reedy Creek Improvement District being dissolved by the state legislature.

fillerupMar 20, 2015

The two municipalities inside the RCID could have police departments if they so chose. Since they've chosen not to, they can't issue tickets. My statement was in response to the suggestion that Parking and Security CMs could issue tickets in the lots. They can't. That's why although Security can pull you over for speeding or reckless driving, they can't give you anything more than a warning to slow it down and be careful. This was all gone over pretty thoroughly in a lawsuit back in the '90s.

jakemanMar 20, 2015

Having used both the MB and the KTTW cards at the reader they are both the same level of inconvenience. There really isn't any difference between taking a card out of your wallet or from around your next or unsnapping a MB off your wrist.