Within the fan community and beyond, there was a lot of snickering at MyMagic+ and some of the growing pains it experienced in its early days. However, with the value of the initiative finally showing and the nearly limitless possibilities of the technology being realized, it seems only logical that the number two theme park company would want in.
According to The Motley Fool, Universal and their parent company, Comcast, have been surveying guests for their thoughts on RFID technologies and MyMagic+ style offerings coming to their Orlando resort. As Fool notes, Universal has priced themselves in line with the Walt Disney World parks and so offering all the same amenities is a must in order to keep the momentum going and continue to enjoy the increasing attendance their two parks in central Florida have seen in recent years.
One of the questions asked of guests in the Universal survey is whether they’d be willing to purchase their own RFID device. This is somewhat in contrast to Disney which offers MagicBands to each resort guest and Annual Passholder for free (although upgraded and exclusive Bands are also available in the parks). Additionally Comcast asked guests what perks they’d expect to go along with the technology.
Disney spent a reported $1 billion developing MyMagic+ for Walt Disney World. Since that time, rumors have persisted about the technology coming to other Disney Parks resorts but no official plans have been announced at this time.