A slightly different trip report. BLT and BWV were great, but what I really wanted to know on this trip was how was all the new technology. Would the e-gift card work well with my Apple Watch? How is magic mobile on the app? How it is with the Apple Watch? Can I really let go of the magic band?
I never liked the magic band. Part of the reason is I never even wore a watch until I bought an Apple Watch several years ago. Wearing two things on my wrist only seemed more unnatural. So for this trip I hooked my magic band puck to a lanyard and committed to using only my watch.
How did I check in?
Using my mobile phone. It wasn't possible to use only the watch but it was a piece of cake using the disney app on my iPhone and I was able to head straight to the room.
Did the Apple Watch unlock the room?
No, unfortunately it didn't. The watch would cause the card reader to flash green but it would only flash and didn't actually unlock the door. I tried this multiple times at both resorts. It unlocked normally with the magic band as well as via the app on the phone.
Was I able to put charges to the room?
Absolutely. It caused some confusion with the wait staff, many of them wanted me to pull open the QR code. What I learned is that it wasn't necessary. Just raise the watch just like you would with a magic band and it'll read the same.
Does the e-gift card in the wallet work the same?
Unfortunately not. The e-gift card was usable but overall I found it to be a bit of a pain. It does require pulling it up and to be scanned and its not as simple as raising your arm and using the tap to pay. I like having it in my wallet in case of emergencies but overall I'll continue charging it back to the room and pay the room with a disney gift card the night before.
Could you get into the parks?
Yes. There's settings in the app on the phone to make sure it's allowed to be read. On the iPhone open the Apple Watch app, find your magic mobile pass in the wallet and ensure "Express Mode" is enabled. This allows that tapping; similar to the magic band. If you're using the phone instead of the magic band, you'll want to make sure it's enabled in your phone wallet as well. Once that's done, just use it like a magic band, raise the watch to the mickey and put your finger down.
How about FP/DAS/Genie+?
G+ wasn't out when I went. FP wasn't back. But it's essentially the same system with DAS and rider swap. These worked the same way as entry, just make sure your express mode is enabled in your wallet.
And the photos?
This took a while to figure out. The ride photos were NOT showing up and it was a little frustrating since we had memory maker. We ended up scanning for our photos after the ride. Then while in queue for test track I noticed a VERY tiny sign with a QR code on it. I scanned it and it was instructions on how to make sure ride photos work with mobile pass. This initiated a bunch of questions from nearby folks on - what was that for? Followed by a bunch of "Oh...!!" So it seems I wasn't the only one.
For ride photos to work, you need to enable location sharing as well as precise location on the Disney World App. You also need to enable Bluetooth. It doesn't say this anywhere, but you have to also allow background app refresh. Once that was done, all of my ride photos came up consistently.
How about pool access?
Unfortunately it didn't work. I ended up having to walk back to the room to grab the lanyard. It was the same issue where it would flash green, but it wouldn't actually unlock.
Did it affect battery life?
Yes but my Series 5 44mm was still able to last all day. Rope Drop to Fireworks. We used it a fair bit for rider swap, we also used it for room charges. I do have my watch set so that it turns off if I'm not using it instead of the always on function and by the time we got back to the room it still had juice. I don't think I'd be able to go a 2nd day without charging but the power usage wasn't significantly noticeable.
Were there any problems?
Absolutely. I used my lanyard a fair bit more than I wanted to. The watch was able to replace the magic band 90% of the time. The remaining 10%, was due to the room access and I would say most of it was due to unfamiliarity. The staff didn't know how to interact with it and weren't really interested in trying. I can only think of one time over a 8 day trip where it truly didn't work. Luckily the staff member was very well informed and said that I needed to re-enable everything in my iPhone. There's a bug that requires it occasionally and apparently they're already working with Apple on it. Once I followed his instructions it worked again, but it did hold me back at rope drop.
Overall impressions & TLDR?
It's good. If they can get room/pool access sorted, I'd be wiling to do my next trip magic band free. It was useful enough that I actually forgot several times I had the magic band lanyard.
Last impression. I know the pool at BLT is "exclusive" but please don't slam the gate shut in front of me and my family when we're literally right behind you. There's nothing wrong with politely stating - would you mind scanning your band please, this pool is for guests staying here only?
I never liked the magic band. Part of the reason is I never even wore a watch until I bought an Apple Watch several years ago. Wearing two things on my wrist only seemed more unnatural. So for this trip I hooked my magic band puck to a lanyard and committed to using only my watch.
How did I check in?
Using my mobile phone. It wasn't possible to use only the watch but it was a piece of cake using the disney app on my iPhone and I was able to head straight to the room.
Did the Apple Watch unlock the room?
No, unfortunately it didn't. The watch would cause the card reader to flash green but it would only flash and didn't actually unlock the door. I tried this multiple times at both resorts. It unlocked normally with the magic band as well as via the app on the phone.
Was I able to put charges to the room?
Absolutely. It caused some confusion with the wait staff, many of them wanted me to pull open the QR code. What I learned is that it wasn't necessary. Just raise the watch just like you would with a magic band and it'll read the same.
Does the e-gift card in the wallet work the same?
Unfortunately not. The e-gift card was usable but overall I found it to be a bit of a pain. It does require pulling it up and to be scanned and its not as simple as raising your arm and using the tap to pay. I like having it in my wallet in case of emergencies but overall I'll continue charging it back to the room and pay the room with a disney gift card the night before.
Could you get into the parks?
Yes. There's settings in the app on the phone to make sure it's allowed to be read. On the iPhone open the Apple Watch app, find your magic mobile pass in the wallet and ensure "Express Mode" is enabled. This allows that tapping; similar to the magic band. If you're using the phone instead of the magic band, you'll want to make sure it's enabled in your phone wallet as well. Once that's done, just use it like a magic band, raise the watch to the mickey and put your finger down.
How about FP/DAS/Genie+?
G+ wasn't out when I went. FP wasn't back. But it's essentially the same system with DAS and rider swap. These worked the same way as entry, just make sure your express mode is enabled in your wallet.
And the photos?
This took a while to figure out. The ride photos were NOT showing up and it was a little frustrating since we had memory maker. We ended up scanning for our photos after the ride. Then while in queue for test track I noticed a VERY tiny sign with a QR code on it. I scanned it and it was instructions on how to make sure ride photos work with mobile pass. This initiated a bunch of questions from nearby folks on - what was that for? Followed by a bunch of "Oh...!!" So it seems I wasn't the only one.
For ride photos to work, you need to enable location sharing as well as precise location on the Disney World App. You also need to enable Bluetooth. It doesn't say this anywhere, but you have to also allow background app refresh. Once that was done, all of my ride photos came up consistently.
How about pool access?
Unfortunately it didn't work. I ended up having to walk back to the room to grab the lanyard. It was the same issue where it would flash green, but it wouldn't actually unlock.
Did it affect battery life?
Yes but my Series 5 44mm was still able to last all day. Rope Drop to Fireworks. We used it a fair bit for rider swap, we also used it for room charges. I do have my watch set so that it turns off if I'm not using it instead of the always on function and by the time we got back to the room it still had juice. I don't think I'd be able to go a 2nd day without charging but the power usage wasn't significantly noticeable.
Were there any problems?
Absolutely. I used my lanyard a fair bit more than I wanted to. The watch was able to replace the magic band 90% of the time. The remaining 10%, was due to the room access and I would say most of it was due to unfamiliarity. The staff didn't know how to interact with it and weren't really interested in trying. I can only think of one time over a 8 day trip where it truly didn't work. Luckily the staff member was very well informed and said that I needed to re-enable everything in my iPhone. There's a bug that requires it occasionally and apparently they're already working with Apple on it. Once I followed his instructions it worked again, but it did hold me back at rope drop.
Overall impressions & TLDR?
It's good. If they can get room/pool access sorted, I'd be wiling to do my next trip magic band free. It was useful enough that I actually forgot several times I had the magic band lanyard.
Last impression. I know the pool at BLT is "exclusive" but please don't slam the gate shut in front of me and my family when we're literally right behind you. There's nothing wrong with politely stating - would you mind scanning your band please, this pool is for guests staying here only?
