The President of Walt Disney Imagineering addressed a common pain point on Disney theme park vacations in a recent video. He acknowledged that the need to use phones can take guests out of the theme park experience.
We have talked about this issue at length as we have called for certain complexities to be reduced from the theme park day. Let’s dive into what they said and the potential solution they shared for this problem. At Mickey Visit, we cover the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the exciting new Olaf robot and changes coming to Disney World. Disney just added these closures this month and released all 2026 Disneyland dates.
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How Disney Could Reduce Phone Use During Theme Park Day With New Tech
Walt Disney Imagineering President Bruce Vaughn commented on the Disney theme park experience and how phones get in the way of that. “A big differentiator for us is that you’re there together with friends and family and people that you care about, and every time you have to look down at a device or a phone, it breaks that spell.” He suggested that new technology from the research and development team could change that saying, “extended reality is gonna reinforce the shared experience.”
As part of the newest episode of the “We Call it Imagineering” YouTube series, we got a peek behind the curtain at the Research and Development division. During the episode, they made a major reveal of a new Olaf robotic figure coming to World of Frozen and discussed some of the other new technological advancements in the theme parks.
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They also spoke about their external technology partnerships with companies including Nvidia, Google, and Meta (Facebook). They even had Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the show to talk about the power of Disney combined with technology. He acknowledged how many technologists were first inspired by Disney theme parks and stories.
The video then went deeper into the partnership with Meta to discuss how the new Meta technology could improve the guest experience at the theme parks.
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Asa Kalama, an Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, who manages creative and interactive experiences, spoke about the possibilities of the new partnership with Meta and Ray-Ban.
Here’s what he shared in the new video:
We have a really wonderful partnership with Meta to leverage their Ray-Ban smart glasses for both guest-facing applications and also behind the scenes design applications as well. What’s great about these glasses is they’ve got cameras in them, microphones, speakers. For our guests, it allows us to put a virtual theme park guide in their ear.
The glasses can enhance the ways we tell stories for our guests, unlocking a world of information about the land that they’re in. Just by looking around, I can ask questions about some of the architectural details, and I get the answer right in my ear.
Maybe I wanna learn a little bit more about a merchandise item for my child. All I have to do is look at it, ask, “tell me more information about it”, and then, right in my ear, I get all of the product information.
The new glasses would be an interesting way to enhance a Disney vacation. Beyond just the additional information, having a hands-free camera could also reduce the need to use the phone.
The reality today is that people who are better with technology are rewarded with easier access to move through the world with less friction. The entire travel business has made access to their services simpler and easier for those who can handle apps on their phone well. I am thinking of airlines and hotels. Disney has leaned into this also, bringing services to their smartphone applications to make access to information even easier for guests.
For the super users, this has improved the park experience by letting us know what the wait time is for Big Thunder Mountain while we are in Tomorrowland or whether that ride is currently closed. It reduces the need to criss-cross the parks and gives us easy access. The most tech-savvy can swipe quickly across the app and come back with information that makes the entire group’s day better. There is a sacrifice to this information, though, and one member of the group often becomes the “tour guide” for the day.
Speaking as the person who is typically in that role, it can lead to exactly what Bruce Vaughn described, a breaking of the spell of the theme park for that person. Looking down at your phone constantly turns a group Disney day into more of a strike force mission than a walk in the park. Services like Lightning Lane and Mobile Order push you to think about the next thing rather than the moment in front of you.
So, I am interested to see how Disney is able to change and improve their systems to reduce the need for smartphones. I don’t know if adding an even more persistent layer between me and the rest of my group enjoying the theme park is necessarily the right way to accomplish this. I haven’t spent time wearing these new Ray-Ban glasses yet to be able to share if it would actually help with the experience.
Right now, the augmented reality and virtual reality that I have tried has felt clunky and heavy on my face. That said, the possibilities here do feel exciting in our general world. In addition to the possibility of improved logistics information at Disney, this could also lead to new magic layered on top of the parks experiences to blend the theme park reality and digital worlds.
What do you think of the possibility of having an app in your glasses giving you park instructions? It still feels a bit intrusive, but perhaps it would be better than having to keep looking at the app? Would you want to purchase these if these features were working well?
Here’s the full video from Disney, looking at the research team at Walt Disney Imagineering that is pushing the envelope to deliver new theme park experiences.
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Something else expensive for us to buy that we won’t use anywhere else. Also, have they thought about the oh so many people who wear prescription glasses to see?
Hopefully they’ll come up with some better ideas.
Believe me I used to think the same, but I was convinced to get a pair of Oakley smart glasses… and I love them! I even added my prescription to my pair. I use them for my daily walks and hikes, I use them for work, it has live translation(French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, and English). I used them at Disney to remind me where i parked at the end of the night haha!
Given recent news about Facebook’s participation (now Meta) in human trafficking, I really hope Disney thinks twice about partnering with them. Meta has so many privacy violations for a tech company, combined with the delicate nature of kids/Disney, they’re taking a huge risk.
I hate the idea of adding the ray band glasses. Just add one more layer of expense to a visit. Sure if you had the glasses and wanted that technology it might be great. How about just making all the lighting lanes one use and not need to be on your phone to use them. You might get mor sales that way.
More technology just a different way to view it. More glasses and more folks not looking where they are going and missing all the magic.
How will wearing glasses make someone not look where they are going? They are glasses! You can see through them!
I refuse to use anything from Meta. They have a bad history with respect to various types of information and personal information. This will be a hard pass from my family and I.
Let me get this straight….Disney now requires EVERYTHING related to tickets, restaurant reservations, ride statuses, etc., etc., etc. that has anything to do with your visit to the park be done through their Disney APP…which, if I am not mistaken, is on your smartphone device….So, why are they saying they want you to spend less time on your device when they literally are REQUIRING you to constantly use the app to maneuver around the park – from entry, to dining, to planning your day (dependent on queue lines, etc.)? Am I missing something or does this seem contradictory?
You are not required to use these things. I went last week and they gave me a physical plastic card for park entry (and we hopped) and we just showed up at the quick service and placed our order. Similarly, you can call and make reservations at a sit down restaurant and just show up when it’s time. However, these things are easier with a phone so, if you are tech savy it does make the day more smooth. As mentioned in the article, the downside is losing a little of that bubble.
Personally, I’m a fan of incorporating the tehcnology (phones, smart glasses, etc) and givign people the option.
At Disneyland Paris they’re currently in the process of eliminating the physical magic passes. For the past year you’ve been able to ask for a physical card (that works normally) but my trip last month it was just a souvenir card.
I suspect since they went to 2D with Ratatouille at DLP first, this is another experiment to see if they can roll out the elimination of the magic passes entirely as well at other parks.
Please never never never integrate smart glasses. Part of the magic is speaking with humans who have had some of the best customer service training in the world. I agree smartphones have ruined the magic for the group leader, but don’t make it even worse. Damage done. Stop “over-innovating” to integrate technology. People are sick of it. The less personal tech the better. Focus on rides, characters, and human interactive experiences.
Oh no no no no!!! Disney influencers already using these glasses to secretly film children without consent, rides that they are not allowed to film on etc. Who wants to wear glasses all day? What about people who already wear prescription glasses or can’t wear glasses? This is such a bad idea all the way around including the added cost!
You can add prescription with these sunnies.
Just wanted to put this out there…. I owned both a first Gen and 2nd gen pair and the battery is horrible and probably won’t last 30 mins doing interactive stuff…
It’s 8 hours for ray ban now and 9 hours for Oakley smartglasses… and the case has at least 32 hour charge, so just slip your sunnies back into the case. It’s not that hard plus it only take about 30 mins to charge.
Please, they’re proposing to replace one type of phone with another. How will the use of glasses put people back into the actual real essence of the parks? One AI enhancement with another. Technology is actually destroying more than it is creating.
They said it in the article… hands free, you don’t have to take your phone out and pop that bubble of magic experience
This is not what we want 🤦♀️ I don’t want to be glued to technology the entire time.
So, the same company that’s been investing heavily in FORCING people into their phones all day at the park now… wants us to STOP!?
“Keep people off their phones” and it’s just a way for them to phase out human employees (magic memory picture takers). At least it makes the Guides experience accessible to The Rabble (though of course no line skip for the plebians)
Disney: Let’s limit phone usage for a better experience.
Neta: Here, use our glasses instead.
Real Disney Mom: Nose deep in phone trying to find next lightning lane.
Here is a crazy suggestion. Go back to paper fast passes and stop the reliance on the app. Use it for things like food and booking experiences, and of course checking wait times, but take a small step back in technology to improve the experience. Also bring back some guest experiences like Sprcerors of the MK, and give away the initial stuff, and have the guests purchase packs to level up. That way it is a revenue driver without seeming like nickel and diming everything. Increase the number of wait time screens, or have some Interactive ones to see things like show and wait times.
Disney has not used technology wisely in the past. Their websites and apps, while improving a little, are pretty horrendous. Stop leaning into it until you fix it.
I do like the plussing for those that purchase smart glasses, I wont buy them. But a great idea for those that do.
Have they not watched Wall-E? That’s where this feels like it’s going. Why not ditch the technology all together and make it a nostalgic experience for families to actually be together and present?
There is certainly an easier way to improve the experience for all Disney park goers simultaneously. Just get rid and be done with the lightning lanes at all attractions and turn them into a second queue line. It will reduce by 50% all wait times across the board in all 4 parks simultaneously and double the satisfaction level of every visitor’s experience. That would certainly reduce the need to keep looking at mobile phones every 10 minutes during everyone’s park visit. And it would make less of a financial sacrifice and strain for regular day visitors to visit the parks.
This could be magical if done right : rented out as a family set … $ / day
Like over-glasses sunglasses
Corded … To a belt battery+processor pod
With an infrared-coded-beacon smart ring … Also corded to a wrist strap so it doesn’t get lost from kids
With dual infrared cameras tracking your own pulse coded ring (for virtual interactions or parent-menus) and hundreds of thousands of beacons around every park to establish the geometry of the user’s visual cone for character and Tinkerbell and Figment and Star-Wars ships and droids
Trade one tech for another? Oh wait… we have to buy that from them? How about we return to the fast pass of the past. It worked just fine.
The whole concept of the Meta glasses is terrifying to me. I think we would be replacing phones with something even worse. How do we know who is filming and taking pictures and when?? What about private spaces like restrooms?? These glasses are just not okay in my opinion
There is a flashing light that is very bright and obvious to let people know around. If the person with the glasses blocks it in any way the glasses won’t work at all.
This is beyond stupid. Just another thing to buy and distract us from actually living