Do you want to know exactly where Mickey Mouse is in Disneyland? Whether Finding Nemo just shut down? Or if a parade time was just changed?
You may not be able to actually take a Star Tour in space yet, but Disney Parks and Resorts is teaming up with Verizon Wireless to get your cell phones receiving wireless “magic.”
“With more than 90 percent of families bringing a mobile phone into our parks, our objective was to enhance the magical Disney experience through innovative wireless technology,” Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts said in a release.
“Imagine receiving up to the minute tips on special Park activities with just the touch of a button or receiving a call from Buzz Lightyear welcoming you to the Magic Kingdom.”
Christie Volastro, a spokeswoman for Disney Resorts’ tech department, said engineers and computer programmers were still working out all the details of the program, but the new communications infrastructure would fire off dispatches about ride shutdowns, show locations, events, restaurant specials and a lot of other information.
Some applications will even allow kids to track down the real Mickey as he wanders through the parks — making the seminal rodent even more of a hunted mouse in resorts around the U.S.
Volastro would not comment on whether Disney would implant in Mickey the kind of GPS chip many use to keep track of their pets.
But she said, “We’re certainly looking at the GPS signals and the phones that we have.”
According to current plans, park-goers would be able to sign up for the service online or in the park itself.
Volastro said the Disney and Verizon hadn’t hashed out how much the service will cost to customers, but said Disney would make it easy to unsubscribe once the trip is over.
The service will be available for phones with services other than Verizon, but Verizon will offer an exclusive version of the service with special applications.
For more information about Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, click here.
The above photo illustration is by Joshua Sudock.
Why not for the iphone?? I love disneyland..
live u!
cost????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Volastro said the Disney and Verizon hadn’t hashed out how much the service will cost to customers, but said Disney would make it easy to unsubscribe once the trip is over.
AT&T SUX
Just another way to squeeze money out of people. The tickets are already over $90 and the lines are 2-3 hours for one ride. It’s about $500 for a one day trip for a family of four. This is outrageous. They should change their slogan to: Disneyland….the most expensive place on earth.
Another way for Disney to gouge the customer. When I started reading the article, I assumed this was a free service to paying guests, and that would be cool. But no — Disney does NOTHING without making it a revenue booster, even if it means an extra dime. If it’s gonna cost– who needs it. We’ve gotten along just fine at D-land for 53 years without this. Now, if they can figure out a way to make a day at the park more than 5% fun and 95% fighting crowds and standing in endless lines, I might pay extra for that. Walt is spinning in his grave.
so everyone’s phones will be going off while we’re in Lincoln, Small World, Pirates, Haunted Mansion???? Gee..sounds like annoyance to me.
I’m a huge fan of the Disney legacy and history. However, the current Disney organization’s business philosophy is based on uashamedly squeezing every dime (literally) it can out of the public. For example, how many out there know that when high school bands perform in parades at the park, each kid participating is charged full admission price to get in? I would like someone from the Disney organization to explain that one to me. Don’t deny it because I happen to be one of the parents who will be writing the check so that my daughter can have the “honor” of providing entertainment in your park free-of-charge to you.
I also love the annual passports, with every date that a mortal human being could possibly go blacked out.
It’s clear that your business model now focuses 100% on tourists (who are willing to put up with this one time while on vacation) as opposed to locals, who must be an ever-diminishing % of your attendance. No wonder you’re upset with Arnold’s tax proposal.