Asked to test MyMagic+ during BLT stay 7/24

[dianeschlicht]

I have an HTC EVO phone, and I'm assuming I can get the app for this as well. I too hate to be chained to the phone on vacation though. ARGH, I'm thinking I'm NOT going to like FP+.

 

[bcrook]

Want to update that I went by World of Disney yesterday and made purchases using the bands. The CM there said she couldn't see whether I was Dvc/ap holder for discounts. She said even if the system did I would still need to have the actual Dvc card or ap as well a photo ID for verification. I will try this out again and see of I get the same response.

maybe you will get a different answer next time. Thank for trying.

 

[bcrook]

You are very welcome! Glad to do it!

I think it is really difficult to say how this would "feel" without paper fp, especially if there is a 3 or 4 limit per day per park. There are so many variables like normal touring plans, weather specifically rain, likes/dislikes etc. that go into accessing whether fp+ is good for you or not. I think your satisfaction may be based on your prior experiences and expectations. If the new system provides you with a better experience than you had previously it is great. If it doesn't, then I don't think you will be a big fan.

For us, being limited to only 3 fp per day at MK would be a downer. Our normal pattern would be to pull many more fp than that per day. We would normally be there at rope drop and ride certain rides multiple times. However last night at HS we strolled in at 6:00 pm and had fp for TSM, RR, and TT. We would never had expected to be able to ride those attractions that late in the day without having been there earlier to pull fp. So there it worked beautifully!! I'm still trying it out a few more days before making overall conclusions.

The concept of going into a park at 6:00 pm with 3 FP in hand is very appealing. This would work for me when I am on longer trips for sure.

 

[doconeill]

Want to update that I went by World of Disney yesterday and made purchases using the bands. The CM there said she couldn't see whether I was Dvc/ap holder for discounts. She said even if the system did I would still need to have the actual Dvc card or ap as well a photo ID for verification. I will try this out again and see of I get the same response.

I'm not surprised, but disappointed. Originally in the DMX Terms and Conditions, it stated that you had to keep the original AP media for verification. But that seemed to have been removed from the T&C in March, so I was hoping they came to their senses.

Carrying the photo ID still makes sense...technically, it's been a requirement, if lazily enforced.

But now, as least as far as testing has gone on, I have to potentially carry SEVEN things:

- MagicBand
- KTTW card (backup to MagicBand, at least until all locations can process MagicBand)
- Original AP media
- DVC membership card
- Tables in Wonderland card (Table Service should be fun...server comes over with new handheld touchpoint, but I give TIW card, back they go, come back later, THEN pay via touchpoint...)
- Disney VISA (Not sure if any discounts are not covered by the above, but to at least get in to the M&G at Epcot)
- Photo ID

Yeah, that's SO much more magical...

 

[ddhoeg]

I received a letter this a.m. to test magic+, but the reservation that shows for testing is my 2 night stay at Pop. We are not arriving until 11:00 p.m. the first night. Will I only be able to test for 1 day? We are moving on to Coronado for 4 days and then on to BWV for 4 days. It does mention to bring my DVC member card and AP with me.

I hope it is just not for the one day. What happens for the rest of my stay and resort switches? Does the band stop working? I see there is a phone number to call for questions, so I guess I will do that since I have a lot!

I don't know if the test will work the same way for you as it did for us, but we also had a split stay. Even though I only booked 2 nights at BLT, MDE gave me a window of 5 days in which to book fp. We were able to book fp for 4 of the 5 days. It seems that since our bands were tied to APs the fp selections stayed with us when we moved resorts.

I am hopeful that your fp selections will stay with you when you move to CS/BWV since you also have APs. Our bands have also continued to be active and have worked as room keys and to charge purchases to the room at the second resort without help or rekeying.

Have a great trip!

 

[ddhoeg]

I have an HTC EVO phone, and I'm assuming I can get the app for this as well. I too hate to be chained to the phone on vacation though. ARGH, I'm thinking I'm NOT going to like FP+.

I agree about not wanting to be chained to your phone on vacation!! I wasn't sure I was going to like the new system but each day has been a little bit better.

 

[ddhoeg]

The concept of going into a park at 6:00 pm with 3 FP in hand is very appealing. This would work for me when I am on longer trips for sure.

Yes this was awesome!

Today we were at MK a day after checking out of BLT. I can report that our bands continued to work and our fp selections were still there. The bands continued to work for room charge and room key as well for BCV.

bcrook you will be so excited about this (I think anyway)!! At the park today we were experimenting with tweaking times and changing attractions for today. I was able to book space mountain twice. We rode it once and then were able to select it again in place of our original third fp selection. I'm not sure if it became available after we redeemed it the first time but it worked that way. I will try out some other scenarios tomorrow to see if I can figure out why. Do you have any info on this? From playing with MDE it seems that type of change may only be able to happen the day of and not in advance. Does that sound right?

My other question I wanted to try out would be what happens if you book a fp time and then miss it? Maybe you overslept or whatever. Could you go into MDE after it expired and rebook something else or would it truly expire like a paper fp would? I wanted to try that scenario out but honestly didn't want to chance it and lose or fp.

 

[Sammie]

Yes this was awesome!

Today we were at MK a day after checking out of BLT. I can report that our bands continued to work and our fp selections were still there. The bands continued to work for room charge and room key as well for BCV.

bcrook you will be so excited about this (I think anyway)!! At the park today we were experimenting with tweaking times and changing attractions for today. I was able to book space mountain twice. We rode it once and then were able to select it again in place of our original third fp selection. I'm not sure if it became available after we redeemed it the first time but it worked that way. I will try out some other scenarios tomorrow to see if I can figure out why. Do you have any info on this? From playing with MDE it seems that type of change may only be able to happen the day of and not in advance. Does that sound right?

My other question I wanted to try out would be what happens if you book a fp time and then miss it? Maybe you overslept or whatever. Could you go into MDE after it expired and rebook something else or would it truly expire like a paper fp would? I wanted to try that scenario out but honestly didn't want to chance it and lose or fp.

I would hope they would expire, if not people will be booking and giving no regard to cancelling them.

 

[BlazerFan]

You need to add people to your 'Friends and Family' in MDE to be able to book the same FP+ times. Each person can select different attractions if they desire.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/fastpass-plus/

So do they all have to register for MDE? My DH has me do of the planning and I don't see him wanting to register and deal with it.

 

[doconeill]

So do they all have to register for MDE? My DH has me do of the planning and I don't see him wanting to register and deal with it.

No...you can add "managed" friends, as long as you're doing all the work.

 

[bcrook]

Yes this was awesome!

Today we were at MK a day after checking out of BLT. I can report that our bands continued to work and our fp selections were still there. The bands continued to work for room charge and room key as well for BCV.

bcrook you will be so excited about this (I think anyway)!! At the park today we were experimenting with tweaking times and changing attractions for today. I was able to book space mountain twice. We rode it once and then were able to select it again in place of our original third fp selection. I'm not sure if it became available after we redeemed it the first time but it worked that way. I will try out some other scenarios tomorrow to see if I can figure out why. Do you have any info on this? From playing with MDE it seems that type of change may only be able to happen the day of and not in advance. Does that sound right?

My other question I wanted to try out would be what happens if you book a fp time and then miss it? Maybe you overslept or whatever. Could you go into MDE after it expired and rebook something else or would it truly expire like a paper fp would? I wanted to try that scenario out but honestly didn't want to chance it and lose or fp.

My traveling groups really like that option. Especially the teens! I hope it sticks around!

 

[bcrook]

I'm not surprised, but disappointed. Originally in the DMX Terms and Conditions, it stated that you had to keep the original AP media for verification. But that seemed to have been removed from the T&C in March, so I was hoping they came to their senses.

Carrying the photo ID still makes sense...technically, it's been a requirement, if lazily enforced.

But now, as least as far as testing has gone on, I have to potentially carry SEVEN things:

- MagicBand
- KTTW card (backup to MagicBand, at least until all locations can process MagicBand)
- Original AP media
- DVC membership card
- Tables in Wonderland card (Table Service should be fun...server comes over with new handheld touchpoint, but I give TIW card, back they go, come back later, THEN pay via touchpoint...)
- Disney VISA (Not sure if any discounts are not covered by the above, but to at least get in to the M&G at Epcot)
- Photo ID

Yeah, that's SO much more magical...

I haven't heard if anybody is using PhotoPass in conjunction with the bands. That could be another card.

 

[ddhoeg]

I'm not surprised, but disappointed. Originally in the DMX Terms and Conditions, it stated that you had to keep the original AP media for verification. But that seemed to have been removed from the T&C in March, so I was hoping they came to their senses.

Carrying the photo ID still makes sense...technically, it's been a requirement, if lazily enforced.

But now, as least as far as testing has gone on, I have to potentially carry SEVEN things:

- MagicBand
- KTTW card (backup to MagicBand, at least until all locations can process MagicBand)
- Original AP media
- DVC membership card
- Tables in Wonderland card (Table Service should be fun...server comes over with new handheld touchpoint, but I give TIW card, back they go, come back later, THEN pay via touchpoint...)
- Disney VISA (Not sure if any discounts are not covered by the above, but to at least get in to the M&G at Epcot)
- Photo ID

Yeah, that's SO much more magical...

Lol!!!

I purchased things today at the emporium and the BCV marketplace. Both CMs said they currently were unable to see Dvc/ap discounts via the bands. One store asked for photo ID and one didn't. So right now it seems that we will be stuck carrying around a stack of cards.

 

[ddhoeg]

I would hope they would expire, if not people will be booking and giving no regard to cancelling them.

I would hope so too. I may let one of mine expire tomorrow to test it out and see. I would also like to see how far into the active fp time window I can still make changes.

 

[ddhoeg]

I would hope they would expire, if not people will be booking and giving no regard to cancelling them.

After doing a little looking on the MDE mobile app FAQ, I found this question and answer about missed fp times. Sorry I couldn't find a way to link or cut and paste.

Q. If I miss my fastpass arrival widow, do I lose my opportunity to experience the attraction?

A. Don't worry. If you miss your arrival window or your plans change, you'll have the opportunity to select a new arrival window based on availability. And all experiences still provide a standby option.

I guess the key words are "based on availability". I will try this out today and see what happens.

 

[Belle's Castle]

[/QUOTE]My other question I wanted to try out would be what happens if you book a fp time and then miss it? Maybe you overslept or whatever. Could you go into MDE after it expired and rebook something else or would it truly expire like a paper fp would? I wanted to try that scenario out but honestly didn't want to chance it and lose or fp.[/QUOTE]


At one point we were 15 minutes late to a fp time and at another we were 16 minutes early. A computer screen tells the cm if you are early. we were 15 minutes late to Nemo in Epcot and it read that we did bit have a fp, so they do expire. However, we have found that if you r wearing a magicband for fp the cast members are very flexible and still let us in.

 

[bcrook]

My other question I wanted to try out would be what happens if you book a fp time and then miss it? Maybe you overslept or whatever. Could you go into MDE after it expired and rebook something else or would it truly expire like a paper fp would? I wanted to try that scenario out but honestly didn't want to chance it and lose or fp.[/QUOTE]


At one point we were 15 minutes late to a fp time and at another we were 16 minutes early. A computer screen tells the cm if you are early. we were 15 minutes late to Nemo in Epcot and it read that we did bit have a fp, so they do expire. However, we have found that if you r wearing a magicband for fp the cast members are very flexible and still let us in.[/QUOTE]

A little like be Disney Royalty! .

I am amazed at how few testers there were this trial. Even though both of our DIS reporters have had technical issues, they have been treated very special. Something to always remember!

 

[ddhoeg]

Yesterday we were at Epcot. We selected Soarin as our first fp and then after redeeming that fp we exchanged our third fp for soarin again instead of mission space. So we had two soarin and one test track fp+. We also pulled paper fp for soarin and mission space.

To test out the theory of expiring fp+, during our third fp window I sent the rest of the fam on soarin. I stayed behind to play with the MDE mobile app to see what I could do (I had already ridden it twice).

What I found was as long as the fp had not been redeemed I could still use the mobile app to change the time or experience. I was able to change it during the active window as well as after the fp time expired. I was able to rebook all the way until the park closed last night.

So maybe if you go to the attraction after expiration the CM would say the pass had expired. But you still have the option of using the mobile app to rebook until closing.

We really enjoyed the option of having 3 fp at all the parks and figuring out times that worked great for us. It was great to be able to tweak things once at the parks as well. Not sure how flexible it will be when everyone is using it but we really liked it during our test.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yesterday we were at Epcot. We selected Soarin as our first fp and then after redeeming that fp we exchanged our third fp for soarin again instead of mission space. So we had two soarin and one test track fp+. We also pulled paper fp for soarin and mission space.

To test out the theory of expiring fp+, during our third fp window I sent the rest of the fam on soarin. I stayed behind to play with the MDE mobile app to see what I could do (I had already ridden it twice).

What I found was as long as the fp had not been redeemed I could still use the mobile app to change the time or experience. I was able to change it during the active window as well as after the fp time expired. I was able to rebook all the way until the park closed last night.

So maybe if you go to the attraction after expiration the CM would say the pass had expired. But you still have the option of using the mobile app to rebook until closing.

We really enjoyed the option of having 3 fp at all the parks and figuring out times that worked great for us. It was great to be able to tweak things once at the parks as well. Not sure how flexible it will be when everyone is using it but we really liked it during our test.

Okay, so THAT part is a definite plus to the FP+! I just wish they would get the bugs worked out and have it up and running for us in December. I'd say it's looking a little better for that now than it did a few months ago.

 

[ddhoeg]

We wrapped up our testing of fp+ on Sunday before heading to VB. Overall, after our initial glitches and problems everything went smoothly and we really enjoyed the hands free ease of not carrying a bunch of keys or wallets around and also the flexibility of the system.

We ended up using the mobile app while in the parks a lot so I would recommend having some kind of device with wifi capabilities. There will probably be a new business of phone charging centers to accommodate dying batteries in the parks. I brought my portable USB power bank charger as a backup for my quick draining phone battery.

I was hoping the bands would work as room keys here at VB because the doors are RFID, but no luck. They dont have the mickeyhead readers and pin numbers for purchases yet either. I have no idea whether they will eventually have this or not. We did get to watch two separate nests of loggerhead hatchlings emerge and make their way to the ocean!! So all is good.

We go to HH next so I will see if the bands work there next week.