Sam Oliver
The Walt Disney Company's expansive Orlando theme park empire will reportedly begin accepting Apple's fast-growing mobile payments system this week, while Disneyland Resort in California is expected to follow suit next year.
The rollout will begin with Walt Disney World stores, restaurants, bars, and ticket booths that have stationary payment terminals, according to WDWMagic. Areas where staff use portable terminals to accept payments will follow, though the timetable remains unknown.
Walt Disney World is the most popular vacation destination in the world, drawing more than 50 million visitors each year. The much smaller Disneyland Resort in California is in second place with over 20 million people passing through its gates annually.
Disney's theme parks — Â including those in Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo — Â generated $14.1 billion in revenue for the company in 2013. Combined with the sheer volume of transactions that the parks process on a yearly basis, they could quickly become one of Apple Pay's top merchants.
The parks, along with Disney's retail stores, were announced as part of the first round of Apple Pay partners in September.
Apple and Disney have a long history of close collaboration, beginning with a film distribution agreement for Toy Story — Â created by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs's Pixar studio — Â in 1995. Disney then bought Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006, granting Jobs 138 million shares of Disney stock, or 7.5 percent of the company, in the process.
Christine McKee
Sponsored Content
Wesley Hilliard
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
55 Comments
If they get this set up for both purchases and your pass, even perhaps those ride Faat Pass systems, it could be a huge win
Xmas Eve?
That is a bit distasteful.
You ought to be sharing a self prepared warm meal with your loved ones, not waving iPhones Actually, the iPhone disappears in a drawer.
I guess it must be a culture thing. Most of the people in Europe - 90%, Piper would say - are celebrating xmas eve with their family/loved ones at home.
[quote name="mr O" url="/t/184016/apple-pay-launching-at-walt-disney-world-on-christmas-eve-disneyland-in-2015#post_2653863"] Xmas Eve? That is a bit distasteful. You ought to be sharing a self prepared warm meal with your loved ones, not waving iPhones :no: Actually, the iPhone disappears in a drawer. I guess it must be a culture thing. Most of the people in Europe - 90%, Piper would say - are celebrating xmas eve with their family/loved ones at home. [/quote] 1) What the hell are you on about? Going to theme parks with the family for a holiday is very popular. Sometimes those national holidays days off are the only days off you can have with your family so why not take the kids someplace they've always wanted to go. 2) As for being [I]with[/I] loved ones, nothing says together like a long car ride, long tram line, long tram ride, long ticket line, and then long lines waiting for every ride or show you want to see in the park. 3) Some celebrate on Christmas morning, others in the evening, others days before or after due to various reasons, while others may need to radically change their tradition because of a major loss in the family, and others simply don't celebrate Christmas. 4) So where exactly is the distaste in adding ?Pay?
2) As for being with loved ones, nothing saying together like a long car ride, long tram line, long tram ride, long ticket line, and then long lines waiting for every ride or show you want to see in the park.
3) Some celebrate on Christmas morning, others in the evening, others days before or after due to various reasons, while others may need to radically change their tradition because of a major loss in the family, and others simply don't celebrate Christmas.
4) So where exactly is the distaste in adding ?Pay?
Beat me to it.
- Here in Canada The World Juniors are on, and they are always held over Christmas with the actual tournament starting on Boxing Day and exhibition games in the days leading up to it.
- Where I live it's common for many Chinese restaurants to be open on Christmas Day, and they are packed. Over the years our entire family has gone out for Dim Sum on Christmas Day. People can get sick of turkey over and over.
- Movie theatres are packed on Christmas Day and you often see major releases done either on Christmas Day or Eve.
- I don't know if Disneyland actually opens on Christmas Day, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they did and were very busy.
Who's to decide what people should and should not do over Christmas?
No real surprise here, given the close connection between Disney and Apple.