Looks like they are testing magic band stuff at DL today!

[JadeDarkstar]

I think if they have the FP+ they will need the Kiosks at the front of the park, the back of the park and a few at the entrees to each land. I hate using FP right now because having to run to get them. I wish it was easier to get like have them by the board let you have a computer to go up to see what fp is available and be able to get one.

 

[jani3]

WDW generally has their scheduling act more together than DLR. But they don't let FP+ stop them from making last minute changes, or out and out cancelling big groups of fastpasses for various reasons once scheduled. It's crazy sometimes.

Or changing park operating hours less than 30 days out causing people to have pre-park ADRs, that they scheduled 6 months ago, to not be anpre-park ADR anymore. I've seen so many complaints about this and feel bad for those who plan well in advance.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think if they have the FP+ they will need the Kiosks at the front of the park, the back of the park and a few at the entrees to each land. I hate using FP right now because having to run to get them. I wish it was easier to get like have them by the board let you have a computer to go up to see what fp is available and be able to get one.

They did have kiosks around MK like that at first. They've slowly dwindled them. Hard to have confidence they wouldn't do the same at DLR.

 

[only hope]

That's because it's faster for a CM to fan out a pile of FP return tickets for an entire group and look at them than it is for each individual to line the Mickey up and scan. Remains to be seen if it is the same for a barcode scanner, but I think any time you move from having groups move through with one act as opposed to each individual doing something, it takes longer. They had a real issue with this in the early days at WDW, but I think have reacted by turning off the second scanner, which I think only invites cheating (people entering through standby then ducking under the rope to the FP line knowing they won't need to scan again).

Even when every person in the group carries their own paper fp, the line still goes quicker than the fp+ lines. But yeah, eliminating the option for one person to show multiple fp's slows it down too. The second scanner is not off at all the attractions. I've been to all the parks but AK in the past month and some attractions did check twice. I think at attractions where it is easy to jump lines, they should be checked twice.

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

I don't understand the bolded as it pertains to this matter. With FP+ (as set up in WDW), no you won't be running between FL and DCA - because you won't even be able to get FP's for 2 different parks at the same time. Running between the two parks is a pain though - which is why we choose not to do it. If you do choose to, then it's good that you have that option imo.

I believe you misunderstood me. I meant the FP system as it stands now. If my research is correct, I can grab a paper FP at one park, then another FP at the other park providing that I have park hopper. The FP system at DCA is stand alone with the current FP system, and therefore Park Hopper is the way to maximize FP. I know I don't have to run or grab any FP, but again I'm crazy with planning and wish to my family to have get the most out of our vacation.

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

WDW generally has their scheduling act more together than DLR. But they don't let FP+ stop them from making last minute changes, or out and out cancelling big groups of fastpasses for various reasons once scheduled. It's crazy sometimes.

That's true. However, I didn't get to ride Toy Story Mania at THS for 2 years with the old system because I didn't get to the park early enough and refused to spent 120 mins on standby. Out of my 3 experiences with FP+, I had 2 occasions with FP+ cancellation--7DMT last October and Splash Mountain in summer. I was given the option to wait until the ride reopen or change to a different ride. That happened with the paper FP system too, but I was not notify by email and didn't have the option to change ride (maybe I could but I didn't know better, just like I didn't know I could use expired FP until Disney started to enforce the time--oh, all the Soaring FPs I threw away)

I'm super excited about my DCA trips. I love Disney. It is my dream to visit all the Disneyland in the world. I'm happy just walking up to Main Street and surround myself in the magic (with either a Turkey Leg or Dole Whip in hand)

 

[bethwc101]

I'm not too excited for this. We don't plan our trips out way far in advance and I certainly don't want to be limited to the number of FP i can get in one day. Just leave it alone.

 

[mom2rtk]

That's true. However, I didn't get to ride Toy Story Mania at THS for 2 years with the old system because I didn't get to the park early enough and refused to spent 120 mins on standby. Out of my 3 experiences with FP+, I had 2 occasions with FP+ cancellation--7DMT last October and Splash Mountain in summer. I was given the option to wait until the ride reopen or change to a different ride. That happened with the paper FP system too, but I was not notify by email and didn't have the option to change ride (maybe I could but I didn't know better, just like I didn't know I could use expired FP until Disney started to enforce the time--oh, all the Soaring FPs I threw away)

I'm super excited about my DCA trips. I love Disney. It is my dream to visit all the Disneyland in the world. I'm happy just walking up to Main Street and surround myself in the magic (with either a Turkey Leg or Dole Whip in hand)

At least it was in your control to ride TSMM if you wanted to without a 2 hour wait. You could have chosen to get there early enough to get the FP. With FP+ there is often no choice left once the FPs are gone (which happens on a number of rides before day of).

 

[AustinTink]

I just don't understand liking FP+ simply because you don't enjoy walking (or running) to get FPs. That seems to be the common thread among FP+ lovers, that and advance reservations. Disney vacations are all about walking. We walk 10-13 miles a day on a Disney vacation and we love it. It's the best way to exercise... while enjoying the parks. We strategize the best FP route for each of our days to gather the most FPs. We ride everything we care to ride each day. The ride limits imposed by FP+ are ridiculous. 6-8 rides a day as opposed to 12, no thanks.

Yes, I know standby is still available as an option. They are always anxious to point that out. So, I should go from riding anything and everything I want... simply fueled by getting up early and (gasp!) walking with purpose between FP machines... to the FP+ alternative- 4 rides upfront and whatever is leftover after I ride those... oh and don't forget the 2 hour standby lines are always available should I care to opt out of FP+. Yeah, no. No thanks.

I like walking, I like pulling as many FPs that I can in a day. It's fun and part of the Disney experience.

 

[wilkeliza]

I just don't understand liking FP+ simply because you don't enjoy walking (or running) to get FPs. That seems to be the common thread among FP+ lovers, that and advance reservations. Disney vacations are all about walking. We walk 10-13 miles a day on a Disney vacation and we love it. It's the best way to exercise... while enjoying the parks. We strategize the best FP route for each of our days to gather the most FPs. We ride everything we care to ride each day. The ride limits imposed by FP+ are ridiculous. 6-8 rides a day as opposed to 12, no thanks.

Yes, I know standby is still available as an option. They are always anxious to point that out. So, I should go from riding anything and everything I want... simply fueled by getting up early and (gasp!) walking with purpose between FP machines... to the FP+ alternative- 4 rides upfront and whatever is leftover after I ride those... oh and don't forget the 2 hour standby lines are always available should I care to opt out of FP+. Yeah, no. No thanks.

I like walking, I like pulling as many FPs that I can in a day. It's fun and part of the Disney experience.

I walk a ton in my everyday life and walk a ton at Disney as well but I still like FP+ and the fact that I don't have to walk to a ride to get a return time and either go do something else and then walk back or stay in the area until my FP is up. I'm on vacation and I'm a night owl who likes to sleep in. With that FP+ allows me to vacation how I like with out having to get up rush over to Hollywood Studios for my TSMM FP legacy then go all the way back to the resort and sleep until 12 and then get up and go back to DHS. Now I can make my TSMM for 11-12 and sleep until 10 and get the same amount of sleep as I had before with out having to interrupt it for the extra trip to the park.

 

[amberinFL13]

I was a huge fan of the old paper tickets, but I'm really getting used to FP+ at WDW. It might sound lame, but it's pretty darn handy to "wear" your fastpass around your wrist, instead of fishing thru my purse for my ticket.

 

[grnflash]

I was a huge fan of the old paper tickets, but I'm really getting used to FP+ at WDW. It might sound lame, but it's pretty darn handy to "wear" your fastpass around your wrist, instead of fishing thru my purse for my ticket.

How about just putting them in a designated pocket - pants pocket, wallet pocket, purse pocket. It's an easy solution. Any pocket will do.

 

[Tyggress]

I was a huge fan of the old paper tickets, but I'm really getting used to FP+ at WDW. It might sound lame, but it's pretty darn handy to "wear" your fastpass around your wrist, instead of fishing thru my purse for my ticket.

I think the convenience of having them on your wrist like that sounds great...what I DON'T want to do is decide what rides to go on months in advance. I'm an AP holder. I do most of my trips with very little planning, and I don't want to get to the parks and not be able to ride anything because all the FP's are gone, either.

If they want to put kiosks around the park that you can go pull FP's from and they would load onto a Magic Band the day of; I'm all about that. No more tickets, electronic would be great. But planning months out...NOPE.

 

[agamble]

FP+ isn't coming to DL its already been proven to be false that it is.

The only thing we were told is that Magic Bands weren't coming to Disneyland. They never said FP+ wasn't coming to Disneyland. The reality is that the convenience of Magic Bands that many seem to love are supposedly not coming to Disneyland as stated by one of the Presidents (although they could change their minds, it is Disney). And some form of FP+ is likely to come to Disneyland. Hopefully not the same system that is in place at WDW, but it's just a matter of time...

 

[ArchOwl]

I just don't understand liking FP+ simply because you don't enjoy walking (or running) to get FPs. That seems to be the common thread among FP+ lovers, that and advance reservations. Disney vacations are all about walking. We walk 10-13 miles a day on a Disney vacation and we love it. It's the best way to exercise... while enjoying the parks. We strategize the best FP route for each of our days to gather the most FPs. We ride everything we care to ride each day. The ride limits imposed by FP+ are ridiculous. 6-8 rides a day as opposed to 12, no thanks.

Yes, I know standby is still available as an option. They are always anxious to point that out. So, I should go from riding anything and everything I want... simply fueled by getting up early and (gasp!) walking with purpose between FP machines... to the FP+ alternative- 4 rides upfront and whatever is leftover after I ride those... oh and don't forget the 2 hour standby lines are always available should I care to opt out of FP+. Yeah, no. No thanks.

I like walking, I like pulling as many FPs that I can in a day. It's fun and part of the Disney experience.

It is great that you find walking and pulling FPs to be part of the Disney experience. Not everyone feels that way and it is not because they are lazy or whatever. It is because they value other things. There is plenty of walking to be done without FP pulling.

I do agree with you that the purpose of FP+ in WDW is to make it easier for some people to get on more rides. That comes at the expense of people who previously knew how to get the most out of the system.

However, there is zero evidence that FP+ in DL would operate this way. It could just be a way to eliminate paper FPs and there would be no pre-planning element at all. It could be that all FPs would have to be reserved in the park on the same day. I would enjoy that aspect.

There are people such as myself who have mobility issues that would welcome the elimination of pulling a physical FP. And there are others who would rather do other things with their time than fetch FPs. That just means they have different priorities than you.

 

[AustinTink]

It is great that you find walking and pulling FPs to be part of the Disney experience. Not everyone feels that way and it is not because they are lazy or whatever. It is because they value other things. There is plenty of walking to be done without FP pulling.

I do agree with you that the purpose of FP+ in WDW is to make it easier for some people to get on more rides. That comes at the expense of people who previously knew how to get the most out of the system.

However, there is zero evidence that FP+ in DL would operate this way. It could just be a way to eliminate paper FPs and there would be no pre-planning element at all. It could be that all FPs would have to be reserved in the park on the same day. I would enjoy that aspect.

There are people such as myself who have mobility issues that would welcome the elimination of pulling a physical FP. And there are others who would rather do other things with their time than fetch FPs. That just means they have different priorities than you.

Yes, I'm agreeing with the bolded. Of course, we all have different priorities when vacationing. Why is it that mine are feeling the pinch over at WDW? Just because others would prefer to shop, eat, wake up late, mosey, etc. I now get far fewer rides in a day at WDW. And that is exactly what Disney wants... more people in the restaurants, shops and resort hotels instead of racking up FPs and riding. These things = money to them.

I don't want to see FP+ in it's entirety happen at DLR. If they eliminate the advanced reservation system element and just go paperless at DLR then great! But I think that's wishful thinking.

 

[Tyggress]

It could just be a way to eliminate paper FPs and there would be no pre-planning element at all. It could be that all FPs would have to be reserved in the park on the same day. I would enjoy that aspect.

If they eliminate the advanced reservation system element and just go paperless at DLR then great!

I think pretty much all of us regular DL visitors feel this way...no more paper, great. Advance reservations of FPs...no way!

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

How about just putting them in a designated pocket - pants pocket, wallet pocket, purse pocket. It's an easy solution. Any pocket will do.

I used to put them in my back pockets for easy access and more difficult to loose. However, I was constantly touching my behind to make sure the tickets/FP were still there. LOL

 

[Angel Ariel]

From The OC Register:

ANAHEIM – Two Fastpass bar-code readers temporarily stationed at the entrance of Space Mountain are not a precursor to the much-discussed Magic Bands, a Disney official said on Tuesday.

Disneyland spokeswoman Betsy Sanchez said the bar-code readers are being tested for the next few days to measure their efficiency, only at Space Mountain. She said they routinely test things at the park.

The readers appeared on Monday and look similar to those at Walt Disney World. That similarity lead many Disney fans and blog sites to speculate that this could be a test run for Magic Bands.

The MyMagic+ and Magic Band technology is currently only available at Walt Disney World and Magic Bands on the Disney Cruise Line as part of the children’s programming. MyMagic+ allows visitors to customize theme park experiences via a small wristband with a radio-frequency identification chip.

With a single tap of the wrist using a Magic Band, MyMagic+ can serve as that guest’s theme park ticket, Fastpass for rides, pay for food and merchandise, and work as a key to enter hotel rooms. Visitors can align it with a phone application.

At Disneyland, visitors with Fastpasses were being asked to scan them before entering the attraction. Usually, a cast member stops to look at visitors’ Fastpass tickets and time stamps before letting them proceed.

The Fastpass system is a free in-park perk that provides visitors with times to come back to some popular attractions and wait in shorter lines.

If this is indeed a test for MyMagic+, it wouldn’t come as a total surprise.

Tom Staggs, the Walt Disney Co.’s chief operating officer, told the Orlando Sentinel last year that the technology would be coming to Disneyland and other Disney theme parks. Staggs, though, did not set a timetable and added that it would not replicate the version at Walt Disney World.

The system was fully implemented in early 2014 at Walt Disney World with some estimating the development of it at around $800 million to $1 billion, the New York Times said.

Source

None of this means that a FP+-like system won't come to DLR at some point, but Disney officials are still saying Magic Bands are not coming to DLR.

 

[LoraJ]

I loathed the FP+ at WDW and am honestly hesitant to go back. We rode a lot less with FP+ than we did with legacy passes. Not to mention the lines at rides that never had lines before. And we are park hoppers, but not being able to reserve FP's at two parks in one day was ridiculous. I think we ended up doing standby for something we had a FP for because there was no line earlier in the day. It then became a big pain to try and get FP's once we got to the second park.

I hope DL never implements this awful system. I think the ones who love it are the ones who love to plan every minute of their day months in advance. It's not a good system for the ones who want to play it by ear.