Ah. Yes. 50p for the NFC tag, but let’s ignore the hundreds of thousands for the backend systems
Plus the servicing contracts and various updates. It's also relatively easy, with little knowledge, to clone or edit an NFC chip on pretty much any Android phone; unless you start paying silly money to secure everything.Ah. Yes. 50p for the NFC tag, but let’s ignore the hundreds of thousands for the backend systems
Nothing screams fun day out like a device designed to data mine and track every experience you, or your family, have.
Ahh, such a promising first half to the post, then the tinfoil hat had to come out for the second
. It’s clearly not much of an issue to the millions of people that use it at Disney 
No tinfoil hat here, Disney are quite open with using the insights gained from the wristbands to "enhance the Disney experience".Ahh, such a promising first half to the post, then the tinfoil hat had to come out for the second
Hmm, neither was cancer to the billions of people who smoked, including Disney himself.It’s clearly not much of an issue to the millions of people that use it at Disney
Sorry, to be clear, I of course didn't mean to imply that Disney don't mine the data they gather to the extreme - of course they do. I meant more that realistically, to the vast majority, it really doesn't matter, is a fair price to pay for an incredible experience, and virtue signalling the supposed negatives is of little value.
20,679 Physicians say 'LUCKIES are less irritating' to the throat.Sorry, to be clear, I of course didn't mean to imply that Disney don't mine the data they gather to the extreme - of course they do. I meant more that realistically, to the vast majority, it really doesn't matter, is a fair price to pay for an incredible experience, and virtue signalling the supposed negatives is of little value.
Anyways, very off topic
More like billions into it, I have seen a few estimations ranging from $1-2 billion (https://www.wired.com/2015/03/disney-magicband/)
Sorry to hear that mate, you're certainly not the only one who's been caught out. As others have said there is a waitlist bit it's first come first served and not guaranteed, and keep checking the pre-book site as people do cancel.I'm here out of a mixture of frustration and desperation after trying to organise an annual Scare Fest and Fright Nights visit to Alton and Thorpe only to discover I can't go to either this year as RAP slots are already gone.
I'm a RAP holder, used to be a MAP holder but not for a few years now after too many bad experiences. I did not know the system had changed up until today when trying to book for the two spooky season events. Double-checked my email inbox in case I somehow missed a communication from Merlin, but nope, no email notifying me of the change. Just a whole bunch trying to get me to buy a MAP again.
Edit: I almost booked a Thorpe cabin stay without even realising the system had changed! The only reason I didn't was because the booking system was broken and returned an error. I just happened to click on the RAP FAQ while browsing the site in general, and, to my horror, that's when I found out about the new system.
After reading here how early slots have booked up, I guess I didn't stand a chance
I have the delightful combo of ASD, ADHD, sensory problems, Dyspraxia, and a fun combo of medication for a mixture of other physical issues that means I both get extremely dehydrated & frequently need to use a toilet as part of the meds' side effects.
Part of my sensory problems are auditory, but than can be helped by wearing ear plugs or ear defenders. The bigger issues are my tactile sensitivities which make it extremely difficult to be in enclosed spaces where people will end up brushing against me etc. That + the frequent need for the toilet are what granted me the queuing symbol on my Nimbus card & ultimately, a RAP. Both of which were things I was encouraged to apply for by a doctor I was seeing in relation to my autism and sensory difficulties.
As I imagine is the case for many neurodivergent people, my dad acts as my carer. When I was younger, in the days before I had RAP, we would only ever go to theme parks on rainy days outside of school holidays (basically, if he was rained off of work), and if visiting on a busier day, always purchase fast tracks. The handful of times we ended up unable to afford fast track and parks were busier than anticipated, the experience was awful. I wound up having meltdowns, and we left the park early with me in tears (this was before any diagnosis.)
It reached a point where I thought I was going to have to give up going to theme parks for good because all of the days that used to be 'safe' days seemed to be busier year on year.
Theme parks and horror are 2 of my special interests. I spend most of the year waiting for Halloween. Because of how stressful going to theme parks can be even with RAP, I limit my trips to once per year (for Scarefest at Alton and Fright Nights at Thorpe), even though I'd dearly love to be able to visit more often. Sadly, the stress can often outweigh the joy.
I don't even have the words to describe how it feels to find out that I can't even go at all this year. To say I'm utterly devastated would be an understatement.
I can understand the need for change in the RAP system as I've had some horrific experiences with it in the past as well as good ones. On multiple occasions, I've had no choice but to leave RAP queues because they're too long, and I'm unable to cope with that.
But how far in advance are RAP users expected to book these limited slots now and plan their days out?
When I can go depends on when my dad is able to accompany me (generally only weekends nowadays), and how my conditions are impacting me on any given day, as sometimes, I would be physically unable to travel and/or go outdoors.
We have never booked our Scare Fest or Fright Nights tickets before September in the past because it's just not really possible for us to do so.
So do we now need to watch the RAP booking system like hawks just to obtain a pass for days we may or may not be able to attend in the future?
If so, that seems like insanity, and not particularly accessible. With this new system in place, I am essentially unable to attend Scare Fest or Fright Nights this year for the first time.
That sounds like too much extra stress to me
I already found it difficult to book a trip as it was before. The extra step would be fine if you could just tack it onto a ticket and not worry about availability, but having to constantly check or book up slots waaaay in advance is just too much for me. They may think it's one little extra step, but to people like me, it's a step too far that means I can't access the thing anymore. Not that Merlin deserve another penny out of me after making a change like this. I just wish there were theme park alternatives in this country. Unfortunately, we live in a location where nothing is close by. It's madness. Surely alert people when they're booking hotels and tickets too! Otherwise you end up having to ask for a refund for a stay you can't attend because you wouldn't be able to access the rides on the date of your booking.I don't think there will be anything else we can go to as we don't really live near much. We still have to book hotels for Merlin parks cos of the travel distance from home.
I think to be fair the blame lies far more with RAP users who block-book dates months in advance on the off-chance they'll visit, rather than when they know they will. It's simple abuse of the system.So yeah, I guess it's not just for spooky season, I may well never be able to visit AT or TP again thanks to this system. It sure feels like discrimination.
The people who come up with changes like this must never have had the experience of trying to book holidays where one or more of the party going away has one or more disability
Having a waitlist is a good idea, but it doesn't help so much if, like me, you have to make a holiday out of the thing and book several hotels to account for both the travel & time at the park
My dad does it for me because I can't bring myself to speak to staff (I have bad social anxiety too, yay!), but even still, it's just an extra layer of stress to the visit.Ah, right, I didn't find that out because when I went to book, on the rooms section, clicking 'book now' wouldn't allow me to proceed last night. It just told me there was an error of some sort (can't remember the exact message), and to try again later.There is an info box that appears on the checkout page when booking a Thorpe stay, the same message is programmed into the other resorts hotel booking system.
