Where is Disney going with Magic Bands?

[DPCummerbund]

After reading through a lot of posts about Magic Bands and current guests' experiences, it has me wondering where Magic Bands / MDE will be in another year or two (or several years down the road).

Will paper FP- really disappear in a few months? If so, will guests still get only 3 FP+ per day, at one park?

Does Disney have anything else in mind for MDE other than Fastpasses?


What do you think?


Here are some of my guesses:

1) FP+ was rolled out as a way to get guests to spend less time in line and more time in gift shops and restaurants. The current limit of 3 per day doesn't do that - instead, it's probably leading to MORE time in line for most people who are used to getting twice as many FP- (or more) per day. AFAIK, guests can book one ride per window, and each window is one hour. I would not be surprised if eventually every hour of the day is filled with Fastpass reservations. You'll literally be able to plan your way around every park.

2) If Disney allows one ride per hour, and the average wait is 20 minutes or so plus maybe 10 minutes per ride, that leaves guests 30 minutes out of every hour to stand around waiting for their next ride (assuming they picked a ride nearby, instead of crisscrossing the park). Plenty of time to do some shopping or pick up a snack.

3) Of course, if everybody can schedule every single hour, then they'd fill up the fastpass lines entirely, and there'd be no standby line, thus eliminating the entire system. So, Disney has to limit the number of FP+ somehow. Perhaps off property guests get fewer FP+, or maybe Deluxe resort guests get more than Value resort guests.
Here's my guess:
Off site: 3 FP+
Value Resort: 6 FP+
Moderate Resort: 9 FP+
Deluxe / DVC Resorts: 12 FP+ (the whole day)

4) Disney eliminates Extra Magic Hours. The whole point of EMH is to experience the parks when they're least crowded, so you can go on more rides. Keeping the parks open that extra hour is expensive for Disney - if they can accomplish the same goal by giving resorts guests more FP+, they can save money.


I'd be interested to hear whether anyone else has any ideas about where Disney can/might go with the whole MDE system.

 

[StuckInKS]

I'd be interested to hear whether anyone else has any ideas about where Disney can/might go with the whole MDE system.

NO!!!!!! I hope you are wrong! For me, EMH are not about experiencing the park when it is least crowded, I just being in the parks after midnight (plus, it allows us to get a late start).

I with all the glitches that are still happening with FP+ and MBs, I think it would be silly for Disney to completely get rid of FP- machines so quickly. At least give yourselves time to work out the kinks!

 

[Planogirl]

You could be right but I just get the chills even thinking about having every hour scheduled in that manner. That is not a vacation to me.

I know that people wouldn't have to go to their scheduled FP+ ride but what would the standby lines look like particularly if offsite visitors only get three? They certainly wouldn't have as much time to spend money...

It's interesting to think about.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

After reading through a lot of posts about Magic Bands and current guests' experiences, it has me wondering where Magic Bands / MDE will be in another year or two (or several years down the road).

Will paper FP- really disappear in a few months? If so, will guests still get only 3 FP+ per day, at one park?

Does Disney have anything else in mind for MDE other than Fastpasses?


What do you think?


Here are some of my guesses:

1) FP+ was rolled out as a way to get guests to spend less time in line and more time in gift shops and restaurants. The current limit of 3 per day doesn't do that - instead, it's probably leading to MORE time in line for most people who are used to getting twice as many FP- (or more) per day. AFAIK, guests can book one ride per window, and each window is one hour. I would not be surprised if eventually every hour of the day is filled with Fastpass reservations. You'll literally be able to plan your way around every park.

2) If Disney allows one ride per hour, and the average wait is 20 minutes or so plus maybe 10 minutes per ride, that leaves guests 30 minutes out of every hour to stand around waiting for their next ride (assuming they picked a ride nearby, instead of crisscrossing the park). Plenty of time to do some shopping or pick up a snack.

3) Of course, if everybody can schedule every single hour, then they'd fill up the fastpass lines entirely, and there'd be no standby line, thus eliminating the entire system. So, Disney has to limit the number of FP+ somehow. Perhaps off property guests get fewer FP+, or maybe Deluxe resort guests get more than Value resort guests.
Here's my guess:
Off site: 3 FP+
Value Resort: 6 FP+
Moderate Resort: 9 FP+
Deluxe / DVC Resorts: 12 FP+ (the whole day)

4) Disney eliminates Extra Magic Hours. The whole point of EMH is to experience the parks when they're least crowded, so you can go on more rides. Keeping the parks open that extra hour is expensive for Disney - if they can accomplish the same goal by giving resorts guests more FP+, they can save money.


I'd be interested to hear whether anyone else has any ideas about where Disney can/might go with the whole MDE system.

~I can't envision the legacy fastpass going away any time soon. Disney will have to phase legacy fp out gradually after everything associated with Magic Bands is in place and fully operational. My guess is a couple more years, maybe a little sooner if everything goes smoothly. I think Magic Bands will finally debut with the grand opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train -- that was my original prediction from the onset.

~Disney should allow one FP+ per hour with a max limit or at least every other hour with no limit. But, I think three will be the magic number. However, Disney also said there will be no set number in terms of fastpass availability concerning the Magic Bands -- as they intend to gauge attendance and make adjustments accordingly. I just don't know about that because it's so much easier to allocate the same number of fastpasses to everyone and be done with it.

~And, even though I only stay Deluxe Concierge, I absolutely despise the concept of Disney giving families who stay at Value resort less fastpasses than families who stay at Deluxe resorts. No way -- they better not! I'm also looking at the Four Seasons, so I do wonder how that will play out.

~I think Disney should monetize FP+ and Magic Bands by making them available for purchase as an add-on to *anyone* with a park admission ticket, and keep the legacy fp in place for everyone else. And, also make MDE exclusive to Magic Band/FP+ users only.

~Disney needs to add more EMH, not less. It is so hot in late August during the day, so the evening & nights are just fabulous to be in the parks! I want morning & evening EMH, every single day at every park! Is that too much to ask???

~I really don't think so.

 

[beer dave]

From my recent experience and reports of others, FP- is already being phased out-- they are already not available by noon on most occasions because of the reduced number.

Also EMH are greatly reduced and probably will continue to decline. IMO.

My thoughts on the FPP alotment--

Maybe pre booking will be tiered-- but when in the park, as you use one, you will be able to schedule a new one for the same day. Everyone will still have the option to use as many as they want, but not pre book more than a set amount.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

~I can't envision the legacy fastpass going away any time soon. Disney will have to phase legacy fp out gradually after everything associated with Magic Bands is in place and fully operational. My guess is a couple more years, maybe a little sooner if everything goes smoothly. I think Magic Bands will finally debut with the grand opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train -- that was my original prediction from the onset.

I think the ship has already sailed on that one. Legacy FP has already been substantially phased out - with the major rides often running out by 10-10:30am. This means anyone not part of the FP+ system is extremely limited in what they have access to. I simply don't see that as a situation Disney could sustain for more than a few months at most.

 

[ParrotBill]

Legacy FP will be gone soon... each month has shown Disney remains committed to rolling this system out to begin reaping the benefits.

They get tons of benefits from the data mining they can do - both anticipating crowds and measuring what everyone does with their day.

If the system ever gets more flexible we will like it. Until then, Disney has probably decided to take the risk of alienating its frequent visitor base for a while. But if this does not improve, I believe it will backfire and many of us super visitors will plan fewer visits.

 

[Hoodie]

There is a post on this board that says the rumor is that legacy fastpass will be phased out by January. Seeing the progress, I think that may be about right. We are scheduled for the last week of February. At the time we booked earlier this month, I was told that MagicBands/FP+ would be fully implemented at that time. Whether the CM meant "fully" as in all Disney guests at Disney Resorts or "fully" as in everyone entering, I don't know. I do know that MDE has the MagicBand/FP+ training video and when I click on the link to customize, my only error is that I haven't reached the 60 day window. With everything linked and in all my reservations/nots, there are no references to KTTW cards only MagicBands and really looks like I'm only waiting for the window to open.

Now, something could blow up in testing, but right now FP- looks on track to be gone within a couple of months.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Legacy FP will be gone soon... each month has shown Disney remains committed to rolling this system out to begin reaping the benefits.

They get tons of benefits from the data mining they can do - both anticipating crowds and measuring what everyone does with their day.

If the system ever gets more flexible we will like it. Until then, Disney has probably decided to take the risk of alienating its frequent visitor base for a while. But if this does not improve, I believe it will backfire and many of us super visitors will plan fewer visits.

That's pretty accurate... I believe.

Where they're going? In a nutshell?

1. Direct marketing
2. Staff/operation reductions (across the board...one would think)
3. The ability to further automate, allowing more "special" things using staff at additional fees

 

[lockedoutlogic]

You could be right but I just get the chills even thinking about having every hour scheduled in that manner. That is not a vacation to me.

I know that people wouldn't have to go to their scheduled FP+ ride but what would the standby lines look like particularly if offsite visitors only get three? They certainly wouldn't have as much time to spend money...

It's interesting to think about.

The battle has already been lost...

I never had considered the concept of wdw being a place that I would feel uncomfortable/wouldn't be worth the hassle to go to anymore...
But from my viewpoint it's all but certain.

I've shown them all the loyalty possible (and actually given blood)...but there's no way to save the place for me.

I'm just playing out the string...in my 30's with 2 little kids...our visits will decline... Maybe eventually to every few,five, ten years, etc.

I'd like to know who is truly excited about this thing? I don't mean "tolerate"...or "benefit of the doubt" - I fall Into those categories...
I mean "truly excited"

Can you honestly say that...perhaps other than some of the clinical OCD types...that only the developers of the hardware and the accountants could be geeked up about this?
I'm just curious...

 

[lockedoutlogic]

NO!!!!!! I hope you are wrong! For me, EMH are not about experiencing the park when it is least crowded, I just being in the parks after midnight (plus, it allows us to get a late start).

I with all the glitches that are still happening with FP+ and MBs, I think it would be silly for Disney to completely get rid of FP- machines so quickly. At least give yourselves time to work out the kinks!

EMH and fastpass machines are currently under hospice care...
It's a question of time. Not really a logical argument against it.

EMH doesn't generate revenue to justify the costs (never really has)...and the machines are pointless if they want advance data on rides... Which they do and always have craved like junkies.
The ability to know what's gonna happen before the ball is snapped all but ensures victory... That's what Disney wants.
Guaranteed financial success.

 

[iluvjus]

We were there last week. We were asked to do a survey for Disney research, we did for 3 days, afterwards I got to speak at length with one of the research members. The conversation included that the old fast pass system is going away, sooner rather than later at that time the # of fast plus + would increase.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

We were there last week. We were asked to do a survey for Disney research, we did for 3 days, afterwards I got to speak at length with one of the research members. The conversation included that the old fast pass system is going away, sooner rather than later at that time the # of fast plus + would increase.

Well that's interesting... And is a window into what they're doing here...

I didnt think they'd reveal their cards so early.

 

[Twin Dad]

Well that's interesting... And is a window into what they're doing here...

I didnt think they'd reveal their cards so early.

I heard from a CM (I know, take with a grain of salt) that off property guest will have a heck of a time getting FPs come Christmas time. The other thing I noticed when we were messing with FP+ last week was how hard the system tried to spread you out with selections and return times. We really had to fiddle with it to get rides times that are close together. And don't even get me started on trying to get two different accounts to match up.

 

[iluvjus]

I agree, trying to change anything was nearly impossible'

 

[disneynutz]

IMO Disney will use FP+ to control crowds and reward guests based on where they are staying. They might offer FP+ as part of a package like DDP with a reservation and tickets. They could also offer them as a cost add on.

This won't happen until we all get trained and addicted to using them.

Bill

 

[Planogirl]

This probably won't be popular but I like the idea of passes being offered with a FP+ add-on. They do it for hoppers and no expiration so why not this too?

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I heard from a CM (I know, take with a grain of salt) that off property guest will have a heck of a time getting FPs come Christmas time. The other thing I noticed when we were messing with FP+ last week was how hard the system tried to spread you out with selections and return times. We really had to fiddle with it to get rides times that are close together. And don't even get me started on trying to get two different accounts to match up.

If I were going at Christmas and staying off site I might be tempted to do what another poster did. She booked an extra day at the beginning of her trip at a Disney value resort. She already had UCT 5 day tickets. She got magic bands and could schedule FP+ for 5 days over a 14 day period. It didn't matter that she only stayed one day at a Disney hotel. She had already returned home and had no problems at all on her trip. Might be worth paying for one night in a Value to have access to FP+ for your whole offsite Christmas trip.

Just to clarify, I am not going to WDW over Christmas. I plan on waiting until the MB/FP+ situation has been thoroughly worked out. At that point I count on there being several threads here and at Touringplans.com telling me how to best use the new system.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

After reading through a lot of posts about Magic Bands and current guests' experiences, it has me wondering where Magic Bands / MDE will be in another year or two (or several years down the road).

Will paper FP- really disappear in a few months? If so, will guests still get only 3 FP+ per day, at one park?

Does Disney have anything else in mind for MDE other than Fastpasses?


What do you think?


Here are some of my guesses:

1) FP+ was rolled out as a way to get guests to spend less time in line and more time in gift shops and restaurants. The current limit of 3 per day doesn't do that - instead, it's probably leading to MORE time in line for most people who are used to getting twice as many FP- (or more) per day. AFAIK, guests can book one ride per window, and each window is one hour. I would not be surprised if eventually every hour of the day is filled with Fastpass reservations. You'll literally be able to plan your way around every park.

2) If Disney allows one ride per hour, and the average wait is 20 minutes or so plus maybe 10 minutes per ride, that leaves guests 30 minutes out of every hour to stand around waiting for their next ride (assuming they picked a ride nearby, instead of crisscrossing the park). Plenty of time to do some shopping or pick up a snack.

3) Of course, if everybody can schedule every single hour, then they'd fill up the fastpass lines entirely, and there'd be no standby line, thus eliminating the entire system. So, Disney has to limit the number of FP+ somehow. Perhaps off property guests get fewer FP+, or maybe Deluxe resort guests get more than Value resort guests.
Here's my guess:
Off site: 3 FP+
Value Resort: 6 FP+
Moderate Resort: 9 FP+
Deluxe / DVC Resorts: 12 FP+ (the whole day)

4) Disney eliminates Extra Magic Hours. The whole point of EMH is to experience the parks when they're least crowded, so you can go on more rides. Keeping the parks open that extra hour is expensive for Disney - if they can accomplish the same goal by giving resorts guests more FP+, they can save money.


I'd be interested to hear whether anyone else has any ideas about where Disney can/might go with the whole MDE system.

Ooooo, one more thing I just thought of and wonder what you predict. Will Disneyland Resort and WDW eventually have the same Fastpass policy? There does not seem to be a timeline for moving DLR to MB/FP+ that I can find. Will DLR keep the legacy fastpass system (FP-)? The two resorts do not currently have the same ticket systems so there is a history of each resort doing it's own thing. In addition the two places are totally different animals.

WDW is very resort driven, tons of over night guests, with many staying in resort hotels and offsite for various lengths of time.

DLR only has 3 smallish hotels and it's attendance is largely made up of the local SoCal population. Tons of day guests. Are those folks who pop over after work going to make FP+ reservations 60 days before they pop over?

Interested to see what you guys think.

 

[DPCummerbund]

WDW is very resort driven, tons of over night guests, with many staying in resort hotels and offsite for various lengths of time.

DLR only has 3 smallish hotels and it's attendance is largely made up of the local SoCal population. Tons of day guests. Are those folks who pop over after work going to make FP+ reservations 60 days before they pop over?

Interested to see what you guys think.

You're right about this. Whatever FP+ ends up being at DL, it won't be the same as at WDW. I'm guessing more of an "FP+ Lite". The virtual queuing aspect is still just as important there - Disney needs to encourage those after work visitors to stay for dinner and buy souvenirs too.