Disney World Is Finding NEW Ways To Keep Track of Capacity!

We’ve seen some pretty cool new Disney tech lately.

Facial recognition!

And recently, we’ve seen a lot of that tech go hands-free! Guests can use the new MagicMobile service on their phones instead of MagicBands, and they can enter Magic Kingdom using facial recognition instead of tapping a park ticket (wild right?!). But while browsing the gift shops in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we spotted a sign that a new kind of technology might be on the way.

If you’ve visited Disney World since its reopening, you may know that Cast Members monitor capacity in stores by counting guests who enter and exit. They’ll stand at the door and use tablets to keep track. But as we were walkin’ through the Hollywood Blvd shops today, we noticed something…

What is THAT?!

…a strange little machine! Of course, we wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery — so we talked to a Cast Member at Celebrity 5 & 10! He informed us that these handy little devices are to help count guests entering and exiting the shop, automating how capacity is limited.

Here’s a closer look!

However, that Cast Member did not know if they were actually in use yet. As you can see, a Cast Member at Mickey’s of Hollywood is still using a tablet to count the guests coming in.

Cast Member with tablet

We checked in on some other shops around Hollywood Studios and discovered that the Dark Room, Celebrity 5 & 10, Legends of Hollywood, Once Upon a Time, Mickey’s of Hollywood, and Keystone Clothiers all have these machines installed. However, Cast Members seemed unsure on which, if any, were already in use.

Another one!

The Cast Member at Celebrity 5 & 10 did mention that these devices were already installed in Disney Springs, which could explain why we saw a Cast Member with no tablet the last time we visited World of Disney. We checked on the shops in EPCOT, too, and noticed one at the entrance to Mouse Gear. However, a Cast Member was still standing outside with a tablet.

Mouse Gear!

Other shops in EPCOT, like the stores in the Germany Pavilion or Fjording in Norway, did not have them installed.

We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about this new feature — including when these machines officially debut. As always, stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news!

Learn About Facial Recognition in Disney World!

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