Haunted Mansion Graveyard Removal

[Zach Skellington]

I've read rumors that HM is starting to get their new interactive queue (next gen), and the rework will mean the end of the graveyard as we know it... It is still a mystery as to what this will be when completed.

What are your thoughts on a new graveyard scene replacing the original?

[DisneyGeek]

I like Dear Old Fred & reading the other markers, but otoh I love the new(er) staircase "M.C. Esher" room as I call it & the upgraded ghost projections and other enhanced versions of classic effects, so I'll be optimistic that queue changes might be good in the end... :fingerscrossed: Curious to hear more though. :listen:

[Zach Skellington]

I'm curious too, and I'm sure they'll do a nice job. I just hope it isn't part of a "pay more money to fully enjoy" experience.

[TimK]

I haven't investigated this fully but based upon what I have read, my assumption is that they are integrating the so-called NexGen, RFID technology. It isn't going to be video games or trivia contests like Soarin or Space Mountain. I'm envisioning new tombstones which will use RIFD chips to actually interact with guests as they walk past.

If anyone thinks I'm off-base on this, please let me know. But if that's pretty accurate, I think it's a cool idea.

I've glanced at discussions on some other websites. Posters who are typically "in the know" seem to be pretty excited about it. That's a good sign. Although it sounds like it still could be a couple of years before these modifications really bear fruit.

I'm just happy to see investments in the parks which go beyond new DVC sales booths :tomato:and carts selling spinney, flashy things.

Based upon everything I have heard, this RFID stuff could really transform the parks. But Disney can't afford to skimp on it. It's an opportunity for Disney to truly innovate, and put themselves in a position where competitors will need many years (and deep pockets) to even dream of matching their efforts.

[DisneyGeek]

Tim, can you point me to any additional info. on the RFID chip rumors? Are these something extra guests will have the option to buy, as Zach seemed to imply?

Edit: I just started Googling a bit, so nevermind...

[Zach Skellington]

I agree with you, Tim. I just hope they save the imagineer grave stones for another/expanded graveyard. I'm good with change, but I like my mix of nostalgia too. :p

[TimK]

Tim, can you point me to any additional info. on the RFID chip rumors? Are these something extra guests will have the option to buy, as Zach seemed to imply?

Edit: I just started Googling a bit, so nevermind...

I don't know that I've read anything specifically linking this HM project to RFID...that's just me putting 2 and 2 together.

There's been quite a bit of discussion about RFID (as you probably found), but very little concrete info. It has been said that Disney is in the process of investing more than a BILLION dollars in the RFID tech but I think even Disney is still deciding what to do with it.

The gist seems to be that they would put RFID chips in park tickets. These chips would be encoded with the guest's name, favorite characters, favorite rides and a host of other information. Then that info is integrated within attractions and queues. The RFID-enabled sections of the park would read data from the guest's chip, and be able to respond to him/her in a meaningful manner. For instance, a talking tombstone in the Haunted Mansion queue would know that my name is "Tim" and may pull some pun from its database to shout (moan? wail?) at me as I walk by.

The possibilities are truly limitless. We've all seen the YouTube demo of the costume Mickey "speaking" to a guest with the articulated lips. Imagine RFID tech integrated so that Mickey can not only speak but he already knows your name--or at least the name of your 5 year old--as you walk into the room. :eek:

Getting back to the Haunted Mansion, Disney certainly knows how beloved of an attraction it is to guests. I cannot fathom them demolishing the entire graveyard unless they are 100% confident that the replacement scene will be warmly received by all (...OK, make that 'MOST') guests.

There is work under way in the Winnie the Pooh queue to reportedly add RFID tech there as well.

[DisneyGeek]

I want Tigger to talk to me. ;) To be honest, I kinda' like a concept about putting RFID tags into optional wristbands, DEPENDING on what is stored and how it is used!

I would want the tag to encode a guest # of some kind. That # would then get looked up against the Disney computer network and could be used for room access & park access (in leiu of traditional KttW cards and park tickets) [like Great Wolf Lodge apparently already does]. You could then also do room charges using it, and the lookup could happen for all the other special NexGen features that have been described. I would NOT want my credit card # (and to a lesser extent even my name & other personal info & preferences) stored directly on the RFID tag for privacy & potential fraud reasons. The Mouse already stores things centrally now (afaik; I don't think everything is physically on the mag stripe in my swipe card- esp. my CC info!) so it seems to me that it should be pretty easy to extend that sort of architecture to the RFID use... :thumbsup2:

[TimK]

I'm sure many people will have privacy issues with this system but honestly I don't waste a lot of time thinking about that. Disney already has a ton of information about me if they really wanted to do some data mining.

They can tell when and where I visit: DVC & CRO reservation records
They can tell how much time I spend in the room: Room keys
They can tell how much time I spend in the parks: Park tickets
They can tell some data about my touring habits: Fastpasses
They can tell when, where and what I eat: ADRs, TiW, Room keys (charging), credit cards
They can tell when, where and what I buy: Room keys, credit cards

I don't know to what extent they bother to compile this information on guests but they certainly have the ability. And personally I don't think allowing them to track the date and time I walk through the queue lines at HM or Pooh, or telling them my favorite Disney character, is really sacrificing any more of my privacy.

Heck even with all that, my credit card company, bank, grocery store, Netflix and Amazon.com probably know more about me than Disney does. ;)

[DisneyGeek]

I'm sure many people will have privacy issues with this system but honestly I don't waste a lot of time thinking about that. Disney already has a ton of information about me if they really wanted to do some data mining.

I don't care about Disney having my information really (like you said, they already do! :grin:), it is just I don't want a lot stored on a device that other people can read without physical contact; more concerned with identity theft skimming of my data by other people, or having to cancel a CC if I lost my wristband or key to the world card, etc. If Disney stores my personal info. on a (hopefully) secure system and only puts a unique identifier that has no meaning outside of the Mouse's computers on the physical RFID item I carry then I'm good with it. :silly: I just want that degree of separation from what others can read. Even if the RFID data is encrypted, it could be hacked by skimming data in the parks, a bus, etc. and then attacking it later on outside of real time. Is that paranoid? Maybe a little, but I've read theoretical arguments about this and think it is a real potential threat. We KNOW identity theft has and does happen (even in WDW from time to time) when there are physical controls on needing to swipe a tangible card. Being within a few feet of someone just makes it easier if too much is on the wireless device...

[kathyseb]

We were at WDW for the past two weeks. When we went on HM at MNSSHP, the queue was boarded up. Was not that way earlier in the week.

Made for a rather warm wait time as there was no air movement.

[simbasmom]

We were at WDW for the past two weeks. When we went on HM at MNSSHP, the queue was boarded up. Was not that way earlier in the week.

Made for a rather warm wait time as there was no air movement.

Yes, Guy noticed that too. That was a major disappointment for him. Maybe it will help if I go home and tell him it was so they can improve things. There was no sign so we wondered if it just wasn't working or something.

[kathyseb]

Whatever day we did Rope Drop, it was not boarded. Mar, when was that?

[ghost1000]

I took a picture of the boarded up queue.

[rock_doctor]

snip--- I just want that degree of separation from what others can read. Even if the RFID data is encrypted, it could be hacked by skimming data in the parks, a bus, etc. and then attacking it later on outside of real time. Is that paranoid?
I agree with this, RFID is great but in reality you can pull off the id number from a tag from several feet away with a $10 reader that is available from tons of websites. The only way i would do this if it was used for simple things like the rides talking to you or time in line or so on. It can not be tied to anything remotely personal. It is just to easy to clone an RFID tag. You can litterally do it with simple program, reader and a smart phone. With that said, i would love to see what they do with it, it is easy enough to turn off the RFID transmitter with a metallic "anti-static" bag. I would not mind playing into it just for interest purposes. :)

[katiegel]

This RFID tech seems cool. But I already miss the gravestones.
Thinking of Big Brother - I mean Disney - from a law enforcement perspective they 100% store anything they legally can. And they probably have analyst going over it every day. From a marketing/advertising perspective they store/go over this info to know who to target and where. Just my 2cents.
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[denlo]

Didn't the U.S. Department of Statement have to do a quick fix on the new passports with the chip imbedded in them? I believe that on the earlier passports issued that anybody could pick up the identify information from a reader like rock_doctor mentioned. They fixed the problem and now passports issued with the chip are not scannable from a distance. But I always wondered if they recalled and fixed all of those early issued passports. Here's what the State Dept. does to prevent skimming of the personal data, question #12.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_2788.html#Ten