How important are MB and LL?

  • For the way we prefer to enjoy the parks, it's way worse than Genie+ was. I know not everyone will agree, but for us, we were able to get wayyy more rides in with G+ than with this system
Just wanted to say that I completely agree, and I went during November (a slightly less crowded time than you experienced 😀) I had a very difficult time getting more Tier 1 rides at HS, but it was nearly impossible at Epcot. AK was a non-issue and MK was fine as there were so many more Tier 1 options than the other parks. I love having the ability to prebook reservations, but day-of, I really miss Genie+.
 
We're doing a family trip in June. Since it's been a while since we've been, I'll have a bunch of questions. Right now, DW & I are debating MB. Trying to figure out if they're "worth it". Factoring in to the discussion is in addition to the two of us, DD#1, DSiL, DS, DSFiance, and DD#2 are all going. So we have the choice of telling the kids (youngest 18) if they want MB, they can buy them, or we buy for them. Obviously $35-50 each for seven people add a chunk of change. So it comes down to functionality. Is it just "cool" or is it really that much better than just using room key?

LL (whether single or multiple) also factors in. We're staying on site and at a deluxe resort, so hoping to utilize EEH, but don't know what parks that will be available for. SOME people might use Early Entry, don't know. LLMP sounds like a decent price for a single person, but when you add multiple people and multiple days, that cost can explode.

The plan is 5 day park passes (not hoppers), so one park can be hit a 2nd day.

At this point, DS and DD#2 don't have jobs (still in college, but looking), so don't have solid income. If we buy for one we sort of feel we need to buy for all.

Random ramblings in the beginning of January.

TIA
We do a trip every year, so this is coming from someone who obviously enjoys Disney and the characters. We bought magic bands for each of our children as a gift with their favorite character. , Disney can also track you on rides so you can see certain ride pictures. Throughout the park it’s a special character band.that interacts with statues, fireworks. You get signals that add to the experience. You can buy them from your hotel at a reduced rate at10 dollars off. Usually and honestly, my daughters are now in their 30s and they still enjoy Going to Disney bringing their family now and they all use magic bands. I noticed one person said if you wear a watch, you really don’t need to wear a watch in Disney because you have your phone so I don’t think that’s a concern. I put mine on at the airport when we land and I don’t take it off until we’re on the plane going home as I said we go every year so we’re rope drop people and depending on what park you go to you’re in a line that may be 15 minutes long so you wanna do the one special ride that you want the most like seven dwarfs mine train or Tron at Magic Kingdom. And then you kind of meander through the park Going to the rides that your family has talked about the most at each park. Obviously age plays a part of that we have grandchildren that we take now and they want to ride Winnie the Pooh or Peter Pan or Dumbo or the carousel and the only one there that’s really hard to get on is Peter Pan, Your phone will tell you the length of wait at every ride in the park you’re in on your Disney app. we went last year in July and we did not buy fast passes LL. And we got to ride everything that we wanted to ride. You just have to plan your day and I agree with you. It is a huge amount of money for 10 of us that go together and the cost per day would be astronomical. 300$ per day We also buy $500 gift cards at Sam’s Club and we use those for our purchases be it food and or gifts, the way we do it is we give them as gifts to our children/grand kids for their birthdays or at Christmas or special occasions for the next year that we go. It helps break up the cost. We have tried the Disney dining plan, but found that you waste a lot of money because you’re required to eat certain things at each sitting we started using the gift cards about five years ago and noticed it was more beneficial $$ to us. I know you didn’t ask but park hopper is a great addition to your pass, you can leave magic kingdom and ride the monorail to Epcot ride ratatouille and get strudel in Germany or poutine in Canada. If you check the cost it isn’t horrible, you can also add it when you get to your hotel. Sorry I’ve droned on. We’ve eaten everywhere done most everything if you have any questions …
 
Thank you for all of the replies. Of course, it leads to the next question...

I keep reading about how, without MB+, you don't get "linked to ride photos". Meaning exactly what? That you stop by the little kiosk thing to "link" the ride photo you want vs it being automatic (I guess)? We do plan on getting Memory Maker (I still think of it as Photopass. :P)
 
I keep reading about how, without MB+, you don't get "linked to ride photos". Meaning exactly what? That you stop by the little kiosk thing to "link" the ride photo you want vs it being automatic (I guess)? We do plan on getting Memory Maker (I still think of it as Photopass. :P)
I have MB+ so can only answer your question partially. Basically I get the ride photos/videos of myself and everyone who is linked to my MDE even if they use their own account for ride selections.

Edited to add: Yes, the pictures/videos are automatically downloaded to MDE.
 
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Thank you for all of the replies. Of course, it leads to the next question...

I keep reading about how, without MB+, you don't get "linked to ride photos". Meaning exactly what? That you stop by the little kiosk thing to "link" the ride photo you want vs it being automatic (I guess)? We do plan on getting Memory Maker (I still think of it as Photopass. :P)
Some of the ride queues have a sign with a QR code to scan to get the photos to your MDE account. Off the top of my head I know Haunted Mansion, Frozen and Guardians have these signs.
 
I said the same thing...out loud at MK. People probably thought I was crazy.

I look forward to trying LLMP at Disneyland. From what I read, it is Genie-esque.
I did too and I still can't believe I think that way. I didn't even mind the change but now I would 100% be cool with Genie+ returning. I rode significantly less each day with LLMP.
 
Thank you for all of the replies. Of course, it leads to the next question...

I keep reading about how, without MB+, you don't get "linked to ride photos". Meaning exactly what? That you stop by the little kiosk thing to "link" the ride photo you want vs it being automatic (I guess)? We do plan on getting Memory Maker (I still think of it as Photopass. :P)
We have done many trips without MB+ and still get our ride photos. We scan the QR codes when offered but mainly just keep the Bluetooth on our phones turned on. It's part of the reason why I take my phone on Tron rather than lock it in a locker. If you choose that option though, you'll need to remember to grab your phone out of the holder. One time my phone enjoyed the ride so much it went for an extra spin after I left the attraction! ;)
 
We have done many trips without MB+ and still get our ride photos. We scan the QR codes when offered but mainly just keep the Bluetooth on our phones turned on. It's part of the reason why I take my phone on Tron rather than lock it in a locker. If you choose that option though, you'll need to remember to grab your phone out of the holder. One time my phone enjoyed the ride so much it went for an extra spin after I left the attraction! ;)
Can you elaborate on "scan the QR codes"? The last time we were at Disney, as you came off the ride, there was a section of monitors showing the various pictures, you identified yours (by number IIRC), and then had to go to a clerk (or possibly self service kiosk) to purchase it.
 
Can you elaborate on "scan the QR codes"? The last time we were at Disney, as you came off the ride, there was a section of monitors showing the various pictures, you identified yours (by number IIRC), and then had to go to a clerk (or possibly self service kiosk) to purchase it.
Some attractions (Guardians for sure and possibly Tron) have little plaques placed in the queue where guests can scan a QR code. Not sure it makes a difference but when I think of it I scan it with my phone to hopefully increase my chances of getting the attraction photos added to MDE.
 
I would skip the Magic Bands. I was just there in December with my DD21 and her MB got chewed up by our dog so she ended up just using her phone and had no problem with it. If your kids carry a phone (and who doesn't these days?), have them add it to their wallet and just use that.
 
While we do have some MB, they are circa 2016. My understanding is the odds are HIGH that they won't work.
Our magic bands are at least 10 years old and they still work perfectly. We will be using them next week again! They also load all the ride pictures no problem.
 
Can someone please explain the process for "loading the ride photos" (whether via MB or phone)?
 
Our magic bands are at least 10 years old and they still work perfectly. We will be using them next week again! They also load all the ride pictures no problem.
With a 10yo MB you will get ride photos for locations where you physically tap your band at the ride exit. E.g Buzz Lightyear, Tianas

For attractions where photos are linked automatically (e.g. Tron, Guardians) you would need to have Bluetooth functionality for MDE turned on on your phone. The battery in the MB is no longer capable of transmitting that distance.
Can someone please explain the process for "loading the ride photos" (whether via MB or phone)?
Please see above.
 
It depends. As above, for some attractions like Buzz, there are screens where you need to find your picture and tap your MB/KTTW card to a corresponding tap to have pics added. Those will work with old bands as guest is tapping,

For other attractions photos are picked up by associating guests’s MDE via wifi either to their MB or phone when Bluetooth is turned on. Those photos are added automatically without the guest tapping anywhere.
 
We just returned from an eight-member family trip to Disney. I am not one to spend money frivolously, but after a bit of thinking, I bought everyone new Magic Bands. I decided it would be easier to tap into the parks, rides, and rooms with a Magic Band than with a card. For the first time, I also bought Memory Maker, and the Magic Bands made it easy for everyone to access pictures. Would I buy Magic Bands again? Yes, the ease of use was worth it.

We also did five-day, non-hopper tickets. And, we stayed at a deluxe for early entry and extended evening hours. We bought two LLSP and LLMP for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. I am glad we did this. Actually, now that I understand the LL system, I would have bought LL for at least four of the park days-we did a day of each of the four parks and then a free day-go anywhere you want on the last day. Since the last day was spontaneous, LL probably wouldn't have worked well, but I loved having it for the other park days. We got onto virtually every ride we wanted.

What happened with us-we all entered the parks together with early entry. By late afternoon on two of the days (extended evening hours) we split up. Some members of our party were out until the parks closed, and some returned to their rooms to rest. Some rested and went back to the parks, some chose to stay in their rooms for the night. I was amazed at how much my children accessed Memory Maker. We got tons of great pictures. And, again, everyone got to ride all of the rides they wanted to.
 
While we do have some MB, they are circa 2016. My understanding is the odds are HIGH that they won't work.
i also have ones that go back to 2016 and they continue to work just fine. I have also removed the chip from the band and put it into holder and use a carabiner key chain attached to my belt loop and it makes it super easy to use to enter LL rides.
 
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