Magic Bands and Photo + ? and vent...

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

Hi Everyone,
We were able to customize our magic bands…We were a bit saddened that there were not enough spaces to put DH's cell number onto DS's band (easy way to have a emergency number…) I just did our fast pass +'s and I feel kind of "stuck" into the plans. We plan…but with this being DS's 1st trip, we weren't going lock ourselves into anything…but seem like we have to anyway. I got around feeling this way by telling myself that we are going during value season and that we don't have to keep the plans. I also made sure that the one thing that I really wanted for DS was squared away in a time that would work...

Has anyone just taken a sharpie and put their phone number into their magic band?

Now, I'm trying to sort out the whole photo pass…We aren't going to be riding many thrill rides at this point (unless we kid swap) which is fine…and we aren't doing character dining…With the exception of BOG--which really isn't character dining. Is photo pass + worth it or should I just go with the basic one?

Thoughts?

Thanks for listening! I appreciate it!

 

[bumbershoot]

FWIW, the FP+s we did in October felt more freeing than locking us in. It was nice to know we would be doing xyz at abc times, and we could play around wherever we wanted outside of those times. It's OK to have plans.


Without ride photos or character meals with photo prints, there is NO reason to do +. The BOG photo, assuming you meet Beast at the end of dinner, goes on the normal photopass card; you don't need the +.


Child safety....I could be wrong, but I don't know that they check phone numbers and call. I DO know that my phone doesn't work all the time in the parks, and even if it does I can't always HEAR it. So having a phone number for a CM to call is not a guaranteed way of getting ahold of the parent.


Then the absolute BEST thing to do is to talk to DS about what to do if he is separated from you guys. And talk with each other as well.

Every morning, take a clear digital picture (on phone or camera) of your son so you can easily see what he is wearing that day in case you need to show a CM.

When you first enter the parks, start showing him Cast Members. Show them the different costumes you see on them, show him how they all have nametags. Show him the CMs behind registers, and let him know that those are the people who will help him if he gets separated. Best thing for a kid to do is to stay put; YOU will come back and find him, he doesn't need to go off and find you. Otherwise you might go in circles! He should also find a Cast Member with a nametag in the area where he has stopped, preferably one behind a cash register (b/c they either do, or used to, make nametags you could buy that look just like CM nametags) and tell them that his parents are lost.

Then everyone needs to TRUST their procedures. Disney has been doing this a long, long time. They aren't going to get freaked out, even if you (or your husband) are. They aren't going to lock all the doors. They have their procedures so let them happen.

Ultimately if they can't find you, he'll end up at the lost child area, so find out where that is. Try try TRY to allow at least one parent to be calm. Don't let the frantic one be angry at the calm one (either in the moment or afterwards); the calm one will be the one to get things done. If you need to, keep one parent there in the area while the other heads to where they take lost kidlets. Then you guys can keep in touch with each other (take your phone out so you can hear or feel it vibrate).


Ultimately, it's very unlikely that any of this will be needed. But I know from my son's self defense classes (Aikido) it can be VERY helpful for children to know just what to do. It's scary for everyone to think about at first, but when you give them tools on what to do it helps them be more confident. It helps you, too, to know you've done your best to help him out. But again, it's very unlikely he'll get separated from you guys.


If you really want the phone number, there are places you can make dog tags with a phone number on it, even in the parks (there's once place at the exit of Space Mountain, for instance). You can buy silicone bracelets online with whatever you want on them. Some people have gone so far as to write the info in Sharpie on their children's arms. Lots of ways to do that. But do the other stuff, too, because what if you've taken 8000 pictures on your phone that day and your battery is toast just at the wrong time?

Your trip will be fine, none of the above will be needed, and I hope you have a lovely time.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

Thank you for the post…To clarify DS is 2…We will talk about getting separated and show him CMs name tags…but I always worry that they won't be able to reach us if needed. I did not know they have a lost kiddie area…That is pretty cool.

Definitely won't be doing the photo +

 

[Canooknic]

I can't comment on FP+ yet because we aren't there until February but with regard to contact numbers I made dog tags at our local pet store. I put my cell number on one side and my husband's on the other. I attached them to our boy's shoe laces, and have moved them on to their new runners now.

I realised that I'd done all of this planning for their safety at Disney but that's not the only place we could get separated! One of my boys actually wandered out of the Disney store at our local mall thinking he was with me and he went back into the store and asked them to call me (I was still in the store!!)

 

[Luvchefmic]

Thank you for the post…To clarify DS is 2…We will talk about getting separated and show him CMs name tags…but I always worry that they won't be able to reach us if needed. I did not know they have a lost kiddie area…That is pretty cool.

Definitely won't be doing the photo +

Bumbershoot pretty much covered it all, ( great post ! ) just wanted to let you know WHERE your DS would be taken if you are ever lost, Babycare center in each park....near first aid

Not judging by any means, my oldest got away from me ( 37 yrs ago ! ) for a moment at that age and ran to her father in the grocery store where he worked In a second she fell and cut her face on a bread shelf...stitches for her and guilt for us I would seriously think about using the kids backpack thing with a " leash" to avoid any getting away incidents

 

[kiramay]

I heard that CMs won't be removing the MB to Chris the inside. I used a sharpie and wrote my cell phone number across ds2's arm, clearly insight.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

Bumbershoot pretty much covered it all, ( great post ! ) just wanted to let you know WHERE your DS would be taken if you are ever lost, Babycare center in each park....near first aid

Awesome thanks!

I heard that CMs won't be removing the MB to Chris the inside. I used a sharpie and wrote my cell phone number across ds2's arm, clearly insight.

Yeah. Pretty certain we are going with the sharpie thing...