FP+ w no rooms but AP???

[Coach81]

So we are checking in at VWL on Sunday

We have Annual Passes.

We have all of our FP+ selections made from Sunday - Friday...my question is..

On Saturday.. what if we decide to hit a park in the afternoon??? Can we use our Magic Bands to access the FP+ kiosks and get three FP selections that evening???

 

[Marthasor]

Do you mean the Saturday at the end of your trip? If so, yes. If you have an AP, once you stay onsite, you can select FP+ for any day as long as your AP is valid whether you are staying onsite or offsite. You don't even have to do it at an in-park kiosk. You can do it from your phone, iPad or computer prior to entering the park if you want. My DS has an AP (and I have a non-expire) and we stayed at AKL in November. Ever since, I can make FP+ for any day up to 60 days in advance. I'm in NY and could make FP+ for tomorrow if I wanted to, but I won't!

 

[Coach81]

I mean the Saturday before we check in to VWL...

 

[LaurenT]

I mean the Saturday before we check in to VWL...

If you are in a park with a ticket (in this case your MB is your ticket), you can use the kiosk to get FP+. you do not need to be staying on site to do this.
The caveat will be thatnif you are arriving at the park in the afternoon, there may not be slots for the rides you want, depending on what they are. You may also find very long lines for the FP+ kiosks.

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

Your MBs will not be active and your annual pass will not be enough to access FP+ via the website or app prior to your check in. When in the parks on the Saturday before your check in you will have to use the kiosks in the park to make your FP selections. We just did this about a week ago with friends who were staying onsite. We didn't check in for a couple of days later. We have AP as well and we had to use the kiosks. We went to AK in the late afternoon and the choices left at that time of the day were pretty slim. So if you're going to hit the parks before check in, check the wait times for all the parks to pick the right one to go to.

 

[delmar411]

So we are checking in at VWL on Sunday

We have Annual Passes.

We have all of our FP+ selections made from Sunday - Friday...my question is..

On Saturday.. what if we decide to hit a park in the afternoon??? Can we use our Magic Bands to access the FP+ kiosks and get three FP selections that evening???

Yes. Just use the in park kiosk but there may be little to nothing left so be prepared for that.

 

[Coach81]

If you are in a park with a ticket (in this case your MB is your ticket), you can use the kiosk to get FP+. you do not need to be staying on site to do this.
The caveat will be thatnif you are arriving at the park in the afternoon, there may not be slots for the rides you want, depending on what they are. You may also find very long lines for the FP+ kiosks.

Understood...

Your MBs will not be active and your annual pass will not be enough to access FP+ via the website or app prior to your check in. When in the parks on the Saturday before your check in you will have to use the kiosks in the park to make your FP selections. We just did this about a week ago with friends who were staying onsite. We didn't check in for a couple of days later. We have AP as well and we had to use the kiosks. We went to AK in the late afternoon and the choices left at that time of the day were pretty slim. So if you're going to hit the parks before check in, check the wait times for all the parks to pick the right one to go to.

Now HOLD THE PHONE.... this is in direct contradiction to what I got from another person... Ok that's it.. I'm calling Member services!!!!

Yes. Just use the in park kiosk but there may be little to nothing left so be prepared for that.

 

[Coach81]

ok.. just got off phone from member services.. it seems (according to MS) that our bands are not "ready out of the box" as we have been told.. they are only active from the Sunday to the Friday of our stay.. and we will have to use our Annual Passes for anything else....

that kinda sucks....

 

[delmar411]

ok.. just got off phone from member services.. it seems (according to MS) that our bands are not "ready out of the box" as we have been told.. they are only active from the Sunday to the Friday of our stay.. and we will have to use our Annual Passes for anything else....

that kinda sucks....

Well they will be useable forever after Sunday. AP bands just keep going.

 

[Coach81]

Well they will be useable forever after Sunday. AP bands just keep going.

At least until ours expire in May..

 

[Andrea817]

At least until ours expire in May..

Question about that, if you renew the pass in May prior to it expiring..will that MB still be usable?

We did a trip in December a few weeks prior to our AP's expiring and we are heading back next month (with our renewed AP's) I am wondering if our old MB's will still work? We have new ones for this trip but I'm mostly just curious.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

ok.. just got off phone from member services.. it seems (according to MS) that our bands are not "ready out of the box" as we have been told.. they are only active from the Sunday to the Friday of our stay.. and we will have to use our Annual Passes for anything else....

that kinda sucks....

nah - IF you decide to go on Saturday - go with your MB on (assuming you have them) and your AP in your pocket. Try to get in with you MB - I suspect they'll work - if not whip out your APs and use those to get in. Then once in the park you can use your AP (if your MB didn't work) at the kiosks - just card instead of band. No sweat - go forth and have fun!

 

[Pooksie]

ok.. just got off phone from member services.. it seems (according to MS) that our bands are not "ready out of the box" as we have been told.. they are only active from the Sunday to the Friday of our stay.. and we will have to use our Annual Passes for anything else....

that kinda sucks....

That doesn't sound quite right. You may have to use your AP to enter the park and make FP+ reservations on the Saturday before your stay begins, but if you have linked your AP's to your MDE account the magic bands may work to enter the park on Saturday. You would still have to use a kiosk or a CM with an IPAD to make same day FP+ reservations. But on Sunday, you can enter the parks and use your pre-made FP+ reservations before you check into your hotel. That's exactly what I did last September so unless something has changed I speak from experience. You will also be able to make FP+ reservations after your stay ends even if you don't have another stay planned. After my stay last September, I was and have been able to make FP+ reservations up to 60 days in advance any time that I want to. I've done it several times for day trips and have had no problem using my magic bands to enter the parks and access my FP+ reservations. Food for thought..

 

[ConvenientTruth]

Once I got MDE set up with with my Annual passes I was able to make FP+ selections 60 days out regardless if I was staying on site.

 

[Pooksie]

Once I got MDE set up with with my Annual passes I was able to make FP+ selections 60 days out regardless if I was staying on site.

Were you able to do this before your first stay onsite of only after?

Up until now, the ability for AP holders to book FP+ anytime has occurred after their initial stay at an onsite resort. They are currently running a test that allows participant AP holders who haven't stayed onsite and don't have a stay planned the ability to pre book FP+ up to 60 days in advance, but I've read that this is a limited test. Although the plan is to allow AP holders to do exactly that, it hasn't been rolled out to all AP holders yet.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

Were you able to do this before your first stay onsite of only after?

Up until now, the ability for AP holders to book FP+ anytime has occurred after their initial stay at an onsite resort. They are currently running a test that allows participant AP holders who haven't stayed onsite and don't have a stay planned the ability to pre book FP+ up to 60 days in advance, but I've read that this is a limited test. Although the plan is to allow AP holders to do exactly that, it hasn't been rolled out to all AP holders yet.

I did have to visit a park first (no actual room stay) to get it set up...

 

[bumbershoot]

ok.. just got off phone from member services.. it seems (according to MS) that our bands are not "ready out of the box" as we have been told.. they are only active from the Sunday to the Friday of our stay.. and we will have to use our Annual Passes for anything else....

that kinda sucks....

What are you wanting to do with the MBs that they are saying you can't do? If its just the preplanning of FP+, that's because you haven't had an onsite stay with the MBs and APs yet.

If its charging, again that's because you haven't gotten to the resort. They do t have it set to charge the cc, but rather to charge the room account which charges the cc.

This very very long test (anyone remember that it was Nov 2012 when they started the massive website changes that were the beginning of all this?) is rolled out in stages (because that's what the public loves).

Do you have your ap linked to MDE? If so I suspect you'll be able to use them to enter the park. We were a le to last oct before most CMs knew that that ability was rolled out.

 

[Coach81]

Thanks Bumber.. I plan to test them all kinds of ways!!!