Guest Test of Magic Bands (Official Notice)

[mesaboy2]

I was able choose from a select list of attractions and was able to secure FP+ in ALL FOUR parks for various times throughout the day. They have three or four options to choose from and each option grouped the three FP+ I selected into time periods near each other. For example for the 3 FP+ I selected for our day at MK one of the options i got was for the following return windows:

Space Mtn: between 9:50&10:50
Pirates: between 11:10&12:10
Splash Mtn: between 1:10&2:10

I also had the option of selecting a set during mid afternoon and a set at night. After I made my initial selections I was able to go in and edit each individual FP+ to a time the more suited my plans. For example- at Hollywood Studios I selected the set of passes that gave me a return window for Star Tours right in the middle of our ADR at Brown Derby. So I went into that specific FP+ and changed the return window time to another selection.

Oh...and I was only able to select all three FP+ for the day at the same park. So I couldn't do 2 at MK and 1 at AK...they all had to be for MK.

I hope this all makes sense!!

This is encouraging--two top-tier attractions....

Thanks for the info!

 

[whatsarahsaid]

Oh yeah...they had a bunch of top tier attractions. On our last day we're going back to MK and got FP+ with return widows one right after the other for Pirates, Peter Pan and Big Thunder Mtn. For our day at Epcot we got FP+ for Soarin' - 9:25 to 10:25 and Test Track - 10:25 to 11:25.

 

[mesaboy2]

Oh yeah...they had a bunch of top tier attractions. On our last day we're going back to MK and got FP+ with return widows one right after the other for Pirates, Peter Pan and Big Thunder Mtn. For our day at Epcot we got FP+ for Soarin' - 9:25 to 10:25 and Test Track - 10:25 to 11:25.

Thanks again. Pretty much all tests to this point have grouped attractions into tiers, severely limiting the ability to choose more than one headliner per day. The appeal of that arrangement was, shall I say, lacking. Your information thankfully suggests for the first time, in a real way, that limitation may not be in the final product. Time will tell!

I'm so opening myself up, aren't I?

 

[doconeill]

I was able choose from a select list of attractions and was able to secure FP+ in ALL FOUR parks for various times throughout the day. They have three or four options to choose from and each option grouped the three FP+ I selected into time periods near each other. For example for the 3 FP+ I selected for our day at MK one of the options i got was for the following return windows:

Space Mtn: between 9:50&10:50
Pirates: between 11:10&12:10
Splash Mtn: between 1:10&2:10

I also had the option of selecting a set during mid afternoon and a set at night. After I made my initial selections I was able to go in and edit each individual FP+ to a time the more suited my plans. For example- at Hollywood Studios I selected the set of passes that gave me a return window for Star Tours right in the middle of our ADR at Brown Derby. So I went into that specific FP+ and changed the return window time to another selection.

Oh...and I was only able to select all three FP+ for the day at the same park. So I couldn't do 2 at MK and 1 at AK...they all had to be for MK.

I hope this all makes sense!!

Excellent info, thanks!

Seems to follow expectations so far, except as mesaboy2 said, it does not seem to be following the tiered selections as in the many previous tests...

 

[whatsarahsaid]

I really like the experience I have had so far in selecting my FP+. The one complaint I have is the following:

One day we're at AK in the a.m. to mid afternoon and then we'll go to HS for dinner and the rest of the evening. Since I know the FP will "sell out" at HS well before we arrive that evening I went ahead and got FP+ for that park. BUT this means I can't get any kind of FP for our visit to AK in the morning. Which leaves me pretty disappointed. We're going to have to race to EE and then race to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Basically we are stuck with stand by lines for that park.

 

[VACamm]

I'm checking in on June 15-24... So I guess I won't be chosen??? Booooo

 

[Nixie]

That is some major park criss crossing. I guess I am not sure how this all works. You pick a "group" and it will only give you the FP+s for that group. Say Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan, and Pirates? Do you then get to pick the specific times and order you want to do those or does it plan those out for you? I would never travel with my fams from Space Mountain then all the way over to Pirates in one hour. I would have a mutiny on my hands. Why aren't they grouped a little better say Buzz and Space or Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates or Peter Pan and Barnstormer?

 

[whatsarahsaid]

Ohhh good point! I didn't think about the park crossing! It's just DH and I so we won't have anyone else to worry about. But maybe I'll go in and edit my FP+ times for MK so I won't feel like I'm running all over the park in the span of a couple hours! Lol! Thanks for pointing that out!

 

[chartle]

never mind missed a page of posts

 

[whatsarahsaid]

Wait...do I not need a FP for Pirates? I honestly just grabbed FP+ for rides DH and I like. Figured I would need FP+ for any one of them considering the parks will be very busy.

 

[mesaboy2]

Wait...do I not need a FP for Pirates? I honestly just grabbed FP+ for rides DH and I like. Figured I would need FP+ for any one of them considering the parks will be very busy.

Pirates has done well for years without the FP option. It is unusual to see waits there in excess of 30 minutes most days. Summer might be a little higher. Keep it if you want though (of course).

However...the addition of a FP queue could easily increase those usual waits with a large test base. For such a limited number of guests using FP+, I would not expect any noticeable increase.

 

[doconeill]

Ohhh good point! I didn't think about the park crossing! It's just DH and I so we won't have anyone else to worry about. But maybe I'll go in and edit my FP+ times for MK so I won't feel like I'm running all over the park in the span of a couple hours! Lol! Thanks for pointing that out!

mesaboy2 I look at this and think fp pirates? what's up with this?

whatsarahsaid - it might be useful to see what attractions you actually have available to make choices - for instance, can you change Pirates to BTM or Peter Pan or some other top tier attraction?

Were there any non-traditional choices, like the parade?

 

[chartle]

Wait...do I not need a FP for Pirates? I honestly just grabbed FP+ for rides DH and I like. Figured I would need FP+ for any one of them considering the parks will be very busy.

i edited my post because some of what I posted i thought was already addressed.

but pirates is an attraction you go to while waiting for your other fp to come up. like small world.

 

[whatsarahsaid]

They did have options for parades and fireworks...but I'm confused on how that works. Do they have special viewing areas for FP+?

 

[mesaboy2]

They did have options for parades and fireworks...but I'm confused on how that works. Do they have special viewing areas for FP+?

That seems to be the idea.

I think I (and a few others) would love a complete and thorough brain-dump of everything you saw and exactly how it worked.

 

[whatsarahsaid]

Interesting...maybe we'll drop the FP+ for Pirates and get a Wishes FP+ instead?! Thanks for the insight.

 

[wilkeliza]

That is some major park criss crossing. I guess I am not sure how this all works. You pick a "group" and it will only give you the FP+s for that group. Say Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan, and Pirates? Do you then get to pick the specific times and order you want to do those or does it plan those out for you? I would never travel with my fams from Space Mountain then all the way over to Pirates in one hour. I would have a mutiny on my hands. Why aren't they grouped a little better say Buzz and Space or Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates or Peter Pan and Barnstormer?

If it is still working the way it did when I tested the "groups" are the tiers. You choose 1 FP+ from each group and then those 3 are grouped again into 3 to 4 options of time slots. You choose the option the best fits your need and confirm. Then you can go back and individually change selections to even better fit your schedule.

One feature I enjoyed from the first round of testing was the ability to adjust FP by person. So say you have a little one a pre-teen and 2 adults in the family you could adjust the fast passes so one adult is with the pre-teen at Space Mountain while another adult is with the little one at Buzz Lightyear space ranger spin or Pooh Bear etc or say you have teens you can allow them to have fastpass as to do their own thins and you have passes to do yours.

 

[doconeill]

i edited my post because some of what I posted i thought was already addressed.

but pirates is an attraction you go to while waiting for your fp to come up. like small world.

I remember the days of long waits at Pirates. But ever since Fastpass, seemingly contradictory, the Pirates line is seldom long. You'd think it would be longer with all the people waiting for their Splash/BTM Fastpasses...

They did have options for parades and fireworks...but I'm confused on how that works. Do they have special viewing areas for FP+?

That's what they've had during tests.

 

[mesaboy2]

Interesting...maybe we'll drop the FP+ for Pirates and get a Wishes FP+ instead?! Thanks for the insight.

I would certainly consider that. But it all comes down to what you want to do.

 

[Nixie]

Ohhh good point! I didn't think about the park crossing! It's just DH and I so we won't have anyone else to worry about. But maybe I'll go in and edit my FP+ times for MK so I won't feel like I'm running all over the park in the span of a couple hours! Lol! Thanks for pointing that out!

So you can pick pretty much whatever you want out of certain groups?? My plan would be something like this RD, hit up Splash, BTMR, rest of frontierland and adventureland, then get the FP+s for the afternoon or evening for things like Space, Peter Pan, etc. that definitely won't have FPs left in the evening. Or flip it. Space, Buzz, etc in the morning and FP+s Splash and BTMR in the afternoon or evening.
Just my opinion. I wouldn't use the FP+s for things first thing in the morning that probably won't have that great of a wait that early anyways.