FP+ is Live! Magic Bands in the park!

[*NikkiBell*]

I thought you could buy one once you are there? If you don't like grey just buy a different color.

Before your trip, you will have the option to select from a few colors. This will be done using the My Disney Experience website/app. The bands are then mailed to you.

Reports of designer bands have become strong over the past few months. It's no telling when those will be sold though. I have heard conflicting reports on whether or not someone who doesn't select a color in time for it to be mailed can switch it out at guest services. Only time will tell.

Here's a recent article about the timeline...

http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/05/17/first-look-disneys-mymagic-magicband/

Here are some pics of the color choices...

 

[SRUAlmn]

So when the timeline mentions needing to choose your colors within a certain day before your arrival that's only once this is full force live, right? We leave in 3 weeks and I'd love to choose a color, but I'm guessing this wont be an option for us that early?

 

[Z28KatCar]

So when the timeline mentions needing to choose your colors within a certain day before your arrival that's only once this is full force live, right? We leave in 3 weeks and I'd love to choose a color, but I'm guessing this wont be an option for us that early?

No, they are not using the Magic Bands, yet. Right now it appears that they are testing the FP+ system. You might get a chance to test out the system

 

[doconeill]

I thought you could buy one once you are there? If you don't like grey just buy a different color.

It will probably be a while before non-resort/AP guests will get to get MagicBands (heck, we don't even know when ANYONE will yet), but from the sounds of it, they will only keep gray ones on hand.

As for purchasing designer bands, Disney hasn't said much about that at all lately. I think they want to get the basics done first before they start worrying about that.

So when the timeline mentions needing to choose your colors within a certain day before your arrival that's only once this is full force live, right? We leave in 3 weeks and I'd love to choose a color, but I'm guessing this wont be an option for us that early?

It's a choice once they make it available to whoever they make it available to. No idea whether it will be before it's fully out or not. I suspect it will be available to a subset of guest at some point before it's 100% available. But it is extremely doubtful MagicBands will be available to any guests in three weeks.

 

[Squidgyness]

We are planning a trip for next year, sometime around June or July, staying offsite and purchasing tickets at the gate (exchange rate, they are the equivalent of over $400 each here) so... I'm not sure how this would work for us.

Maybe we won't even have access yet when we go, its all up in the air. I hope you can book fastpasses on the day, also none of our family would be inclined to take an expensive smartphone with us into the parks (only one of us own one anyway). I've heard of the kiosks, so it looks like that would be our only option there. I do hope all the headliners won't be booked out on the day... I imagine they would only allow so many fastpasses to be allocated early with the rest on the day, otherwise many who don't prebook will wait longer and spend less... Seems sensible to keep at least half the fastpasses back for on the day.

I will just have to keep an eye on things it seems. Saying that, I just realised we don't do sit in meals or many parades unless we pass them, so I will probably just mentally assign that 15mins extra we waited for btmrr or whatever if the fastpasses were used up as time we'd have been waiting somewhere else if we had done sit in meals or something.

 

[HippieChickadee]

First world problems

 

[bcrook]

First world problems

That seems like an odd comment here.

. It's the DIS boards. Everything regarding Disney is a First World Problem.

 

[SRUAlmn]

No, they are not using the Magic Bands, yet. Right now it appears that they are testing the FP+ system. You might get a chance to test out the system

It will probably be a while before non-resort/AP guests will get to get MagicBands (heck, we don't even know when ANYONE will yet), but from the sounds of it, they will only keep gray ones on hand.

As for purchasing designer bands, Disney hasn't said much about that at all lately. I think they want to get the basics done first before they start worrying about that.



It's a choice once they make it available to whoever they make it available to. No idea whether it will be before it's fully out or not. I suspect it will be available to a subset of guest at some point before it's 100% available. But it is extremely doubtful MagicBands will be available to any guests in three weeks.

Thanks! This is what I figured. I know the RFID cards are in effect, so I thought maybe they'd have the option of using the bracelets without FP+ being in effect (just using them to charge, access your room, etc...) It would be SO COOL to be one of the testers!

 

[lizzi6692]

That seems like an odd comment here.

. It's the DIS boards. Everything regarding Disney is a First World Problem.

Yes but people have to make comments like that to make themselves feel like they're better than other people because of course nothing they ever worry about could be considered a "first world problem".

 

[Squidgyness]

I'd like to be so laid back tbh, I think I'm doing my parents in with debate over this. They don't mind waiting in standby if this doesn't work for us, so I'm stressing over nothing but I can't help myself!

 

[Robo]

First world problems

 

[CatelynnMarie]

 

[HippieChickadee]

Hahaha, I love this.

 

[HippieChickadee]

Yes but people have to make comments like that to make themselves feel like they're better than other people because of course nothing they ever worry about could be considered a "first world problem".

You are right. I feel WAY better now that I've made that comment.

Now I will go back to secretly stressing about being stuck with a grey disney wrist band instead of a color of my choice.

 

[jdonat]

WDW is going to have to put wi-fi in the WDW bus system -this is a perfect time to check FP+, ride times, or schedule FP+. My biggest concern with FP+ is that it shuts down the park-hoppers like us. We may start at EC and head to the MK in the later AM -many times we can get FP's for something like Soarin' and then go to the MK and get FP's for something else there (after our FP 'get a new FP after' time kicks in). so now i have 2x FP's in 2x parks -evidently FP+ wont allow FP+'s in more than 1 park. Having to use either/or FP/FP+ is not going to please me either... And I'm an AP and DVC member, so hopefully folks 'might' listen to my family -we spend a bunch of $$ every time we're there. Helps that we're there every year at F&W and F&G, and over the holidays . We talked to CM's at the AP conversion that was going on at the Odyssey area in EC, and let them know about our concerns.

But, wi-fi is going to be a must in the busses..

 

[disneymagicgirl]

WDW is going to have to put wi-fi in the WDW bus system -this is a perfect time to check FP+, ride times, or schedule FP+. My biggest concern with FP+ is that it shuts down the park-hoppers like us. We may start at EC and head to the MK in the later AM -many times we can get FP's for something like Soarin' and then go to the MK and get FP's for something else there (after our FP 'get a new FP after' time kicks in). so now i have 2x FP's in 2x parks -evidently FP+ wont allow FP+'s in more than 1 park. Having to use either/or FP/FP+ is not going to please me either... And I'm an AP and DVC member, so hopefully folks 'might' listen to my family -we spend a bunch of $$ every time we're there. Helps that we're there every year at F&W and F&G, and over the holidays . We talked to CM's at the AP conversion that was going on at the Odyssey area in EC, and let them know about our concerns.

But, wi-fi is going to be a must in the busses..

I don't know how realistic that is. We just got back today after a 10 day trip and I could hardly use the wifi at all. Eventually I turned it off so I could use the Verizon network. Even that was incredibly slow in the parks. Not sure if it is the amount of people trying to use one tower or how that works but very frustrating!

 

[superdisneydork]

Has there been any feedback regarding the FP+ limits? Is it still 3 per day max? I was hoping the 3 per day limit only applied to the one's you booked in advance, and ones booked in the park were only limited by the normal FP style limits (2 hours, or the last one you pulled expiring).

Or perhaps only allowing 3 to be pending at any one time, that would be nice too, arguably even better. 3 total just seems like a slap in the face!

Matt

 

[jdonat]

I don't know how realistic that is. We just got back today after a 10 day trip and I could hardly use the wifi at all. Eventually I turned it off so I could use the Verizon network. Even that was incredibly slow in the parks. Not sure if it is the amount of people trying to use one tower or how that works but very frustrating!

We just got back last Tuesday -we could use our VZW network, too, but my iPad doesn't have cell, so I'm going to be using my smartphone, and using my data plan instead of the WDW wi-fi network. We have not had many issues using VZW in the parks -they have tended to have the best service among the cell phone providers. They're going to have to really increase the wi-fi bandwidth in the parks to handle all the folks that are querying their FP+ requests, and such. Having wi-fi nodes on the busses would make the trip more useful, but we'll see what develops. I have more concerns with FP+ and MDE than just wi-fi in the WDW transportation system

 

[ppony]

I'm excited about it! I don't envy the "guinea pigs" having to get the kinks out. But, as everyone else always love to point out, the "how does it affect ME angle (as that's the only one that matters to most people these days )... those kinks will be worked out by the time we get there... a year and a half from now. Becasue how it affects ME is all that matters. But seriously, I AM excited about it. Anyone that goes to WDW with any semi-regularlty, and for us that's every other year, you eventually are part of some kind of rennovation, upgradie, whatever...in progress. I'm happy to see this myself. Less stuff for me to carry. We already call our stroller the "mule" as it has bags hanging off it it every which way by noon. As REO sang: Just roll w/ the changes! If you're at Disney, there are a million reasons to be happy. Worrying before it's an issue does nothing positive for you. RELAX!

 

[White Rose]

I am hoping to see some sort of FP+ and/or bands in Oct. We only go to WDW every 5 years so i do not want to wait till 2018 to try out the bands.

I know we won't know till people are actually seen in the parks with em - the fact that this could be happening so cose to my trip is kinda unnerving.

If it is available during our trip - I know what days I'm going to what parks already, so I'll be happy to book a reservation for a ride as soon as I can. I'm just hoping it becomes live sometime in Sept so I can pre-order our bands.

I am not a militant RD person and I feel the stress over getting a FP for toy story mania (the only ride we ever had a long wait on) and knowing I have a pre-scheduled FP would help so much.

This next trip, we will not make any RD because we have morning tours booked and breakfasts also we are not early morning risers. FP+ sounds like it will finally be something that will make our vacation less stressful.