Leaving Magic Band at Front Desk Question

[Little E]

Hi Disfriends!

This seems like such a minute thing, but here goes...

My family will be staying at VGF at the end of March, and DS will be flying in a couple of days later than the rest of the family. We will most likely be at a park when he arrives as DS is taking the Sunshine Flyer from MCO to our resort. We will have his magic band. Can we leave it with the front desk for him to pick up? Or, will the front desk not be willing to hang on to the magic band for him? We'd like for him to be able to drop his stuff in our villa, and then head to meet us in whatever park we're in.

Any thoughts on the front desk's willingness to hang on to DS's magic band til he arrives?

 

[Genie+]

Could you leave the magicband in the villa, and he can pick it up there when he drops his stuff off?

 

[bchbetha]

Why not just have him pick up a key at the front desk or simply enable the app as a room key on his phone? Leave his MB in the room. I would bet those (esp the app) would be a lot faster. Just a thought. I hope someone actually knows the answer to your question though.
Did you already pay for the bus? It has pretty poor reviews at the moment and Lyft and Uber are so easy- and direct.

 

[Mle8308]

Could you leave the magicband in the villa, and he can pick it up there when he drops his stuff off?

Exactly! If his name is on the room, the FD should give him a key card. That way it alleviates any possibility of the FD losing track of it.

 

[midwestdee]

I’m with team key card. If he’s arriving with just a backpack & he wasn’t planning on going to the room first- you keep his magic band with you. His key card will get him in the park.

 

[elvispursley]

I’m with team key card. If he’s arriving with just a backpack & he wasn’t planning on going to the room first- you keep his magic band with you. His key card will get him in the park.

i do agree with getting a key but the OP did say that DS was glowing to head to room to drop things off before heading to park. I’d say leave the MB in the room I’d that really is the plan.

 

[Little E]

Friends, you are terrific! Thanks for the advice! I didn't think about a having DS ask for a key card or using the app. I'll definitely leave his MB in the room and have him either get a key card or use his app. Love the support I get on these forums!

 

[Little E]

@bchbetha yeah. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous about the Sunshine Flyer. My friend and I used them in January and we had a decidedly "meh" experience with them. The bus itself was fine, once it got rolling, but we waited a really long time to board the bus. Unfortunately, I already paid for the SF for my son. He's flying solo from college, and while he's very experienced using Uber, he said he'd feel a little more comfortable riding a bus, rather than being a single Uber passenger. So, I wanted to honor that.

 

[elvispursley]

@bchbetha yeah. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous about the Sunshine Flyer. My friend and I used them in January and we had a decidedly "meh" experience with them. The bus itself was fine, once it got rolling, but we waited a really long time to board the bus. Unfortunately, I already paid for the SF for my son. He's flying solo from college, and while he's very experienced using Uber, he said he'd feel a little more comfortable riding a bus, rather than being a single Uber passenger. So, I wanted to honor that.

I'd totally put my college-age DS on the Sunshine Flyer or Mears connect as well if he were solo. I still get "worried" when he flies by himself at 19!

 

[bchbetha]

I'd totally put my college-age DS on the Sunshine Flyer or Mears connect as well if he were solo. I still get "worried" when he flies by himself at 19!

Nice thing about Uber and Lyft is the "share your ride" feature- you can allow someone to follow along as you travel. You can watch that little icon make it's way where it's supposed to go. My college kid takes Uber all the time so it's just the norm here (they don't often share their rides with me though as they tend to be late at night to get home safely from a party ).

 

[Disneychick13]

Just to chime in that I did do the exact thing the op mentioned. My daughter was coming in (via magical express at the time) and I did leave her magic band at the front desk for her to pick up. I never thought anything of it and it totally wasn’t a problem for them to do. Getting a key card at the front desk will obviously work as well though.

 

[Little E]

OP here...thanks for the feedback! My kiddo goes to college in a large midwestern city and is used to Ubering, but he doesn't love it. I think the fact that he has to get himself to the airport on time and then fly solo is stressful enough for him, he feels like he just wants to enter the Disney "bubble" and not have to worry about another solo Uber ride once he leaves MCO.

We'll be putting the Sunshine Flyer to the ultimate test. I used it for the first time in January with a gal pal trip, and we had an ok experience. The bus was fine, but we waited a really long time to board the bus, which was a drag. I HAVE paid for DH, DS (18), DS's buddy, and I to take the SF when we arrive on March 22nd, and I have paid for DS's SF ride when he comes on March 24. I've decided not to pursue refunds and we'll just do a little experimenting. It will be interesting to see if our experiences both mirror my January experience, or if we have more positive experiences. I'll report on a fresh thread when we get back.

@Disneychick13 thanks for letting me know that the original plan to leave the MB at the front desk is still an option!

And @elvispursley I worry all time with both DSs...when they drive and when they fly! I won't stop worrying until DS (21) lands at MCO, arrives at VGF, and then finds us at our park where I can give him a big hug!

 

[Dug720]

Nice thing about Uber and Lyft is the "share your ride" feature- you can allow someone to follow along as you travel. You can watch that little icon make it's way where it's supposed to go. My college kid takes Uber all the time so it's just the norm here (they don't often share their rides with me though as they tend to be late at night to get home safely from a party ).

Also, if the driver changes the expected route OR you're sitting too long in one location, you'll get a message on the app to check if things are ok. And if you don't answer they'll attempt to call you. I had that happen taking an Uber (solo female - never had an issue) from Brooklyn to Newark airport during traffic. It took forever to move about 3 blocks and I got the notification (didn't see a way to say "We're good" and a few minutes later a call checking.

 

[elvispursley]

Nice thing about Uber and Lyft is the "share your ride" feature- you can allow someone to follow along as you travel. You can watch that little icon make it's way where it's supposed to go. My college kid takes Uber all the time so it's just the norm here (they don't often share their rides with me though as they tend to be late at night to get home safely from a party ).

Also, if the driver changes the expected route OR you're sitting too long in one location, you'll get a message on the app to check if things are ok. And if you don't answer they'll attempt to call you. I had that happen taking an Uber (solo female - never had an issue) from Brooklyn to Newark airport during traffic. It took forever to move about 3 blocks and I got the notification (didn't see a way to say "We're good" and a few minutes later a call checking.

Had no idea these were features on Uber. We started using Lyft fairly exclusively after all the negative stories about Uber several years ago. I'll have to remember that feature though! Thanks

 

[bchbetha]

Had no idea these were features on Uber. We started using Lyft fairly exclusively after all the negative stories about Uber several years ago. I'll have to remember that feature though! Thanks

I only use Lyft too (college kid uses Uber). Lyft offers that feature too.

 

[Dug720]

Had no idea these were features on Uber. We started using Lyft fairly exclusively after all the negative stories about Uber several years ago. I'll have to remember that feature though! Thanks

I used to be only Lyft, but lately they have been more expensive. And they've been much more likely to cancel on me after the driver has accepted.

(And honestly most of the time, the driver who will show has both Uber and Lyft and they do drive for both of them.)

 

[elvispursley]

I only use Lyft too (college kid uses Uber). Lyft offers that feature too.

Oh, good to know!!

I used to be only Lyft, but lately they have been more expensive. And they've been much more likely to cancel on me after the driver has accepted.

(And honestly most of the time, the driver who will show has both Uber and Lyft and they do drive for both of them.)

I have noticed that a lot of the drivers do have both the Lyft/Uber when we request one at WDW. Typically when we go to/from the airport, we use a town car service since Lyft/Uber are so expensive where we used to live.