March Trip not staying at DVC - questions - parking, magic bands etc.

[ilovediznee]

Hello Fellow DVCers! I have taken over my Mom's timeshare at Vistana Villages which is great, but not staying in our usual DVC villa and have some questions.

First, can I use my DVC card for free parking at the parks? A long time ago we could, but I wasn't sure the latest.

Second, I have lots of magic bands from previous trips for 2 of the 3 of us (one is a friend of my daughter's who doesn't have one). Can I use our two and then just buy her one?

We are only going to the parks ONE DAY (getting a park hopper) so if I can use our previous ones and when I buy our tickets, just link them up to do fast passes, what do I do about the other girls stuff and linking it to a magic band if she doesn't have one yet?

I know I will have more but for now, that is it - PLEASE ADVISE. I want to be sure to get FP's for all we can but I'm concerned about the magic bands and her not having one now that I could link.

Thanks- Diane

 

[loves to dive]

I think the only free parking is if you are staying on site, don't have DVC so I could be wrong.
Yes, you can use your old magic bands, just make sure they are linked on MDE. You won't be able to link the FP for the other girl until she has a ticket.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hello Fellow DVCers! I have taken over my Mom's timeshare at Vistana Villages which is great, but not staying in our usual DVC villa and have some questions.

First, can I use my DVC card for free parking at the parks? A long time ago we could, but I wasn't sure the latest.

Second, I have lots of magic bands from previous trips for 2 of the 3 of us (one is a friend of my daughter's who doesn't have one). Can I use our two and then just buy her one?

We are only going to the parks ONE DAY (getting a park hopper) so if I can use our previous ones and when I buy our tickets, just link them up to do fast passes, what do I do about the other girls stuff and linking it to a magic band if she doesn't have one yet?

I know I will have more but for now, that is it - PLEASE ADVISE. I want to be sure to get FP's for all we can but I'm concerned about the magic bands and her not having one now that I could link.

Thanks- Diane

DVC doesn't give you free parking. An AP does give you free parking.

You can use old Magic Bands, but you will need to add the ticket to the band. Since your daughter's friend doesn't have a band issued to her, you will need to go to Guest Relations to get the band assigned to her. You can make your FP+ requests 30 days out as long as you have tickets for all three of you.

 

[imaginiff]

Hello Fellow DVCers! I have taken over my Mom's timeshare at Vistana Villages which is great, but not staying in our usual DVC villa and have some questions.

First, can I use my DVC card for free parking at the parks? A long time ago we could, but I wasn't sure the latest.

Second, I have lots of magic bands from previous trips for 2 of the 3 of us (one is a friend of my daughter's who doesn't have one). Can I use our two and then just buy her one?

We are only going to the parks ONE DAY (getting a park hopper) so if I can use our previous ones and when I buy our tickets, just link them up to do fast passes, what do I do about the other girls stuff and linking it to a magic band if she doesn't have one yet?

I know I will have more but for now, that is it - PLEASE ADVISE. I want to be sure to get FP's for all we can but I'm concerned about the magic bands and her not having one now that I could link.

Thanks- Diane

Do you plan on staying parked at one theme park? After paying to park (make sure you get a receipt) you can park at another theme park without paying again (unless this has changed) on the same day.

I had the same questions about the magic bands. I did an off-site stay and got park hoppers from AAA for the people in my party that did not have an AP (AAA has a discount for members, but you must visit their store....but not sure if they give a discount for a one-day park hopper or not). I had a number of magic bands and was wondering if I could "transfer" them for my guests to use. I called the WDW number to ask and a very helpful tech guy told me that once you have used a magic band, it is "tied" to you only (something about the fingerprint thing). However.....I did have some MB's from previous trips that we never used....we do split stays, but usually stick with our first MB. So, the ones that were never used were transferred to my guests. It took a bit of doing over the phone, but it all worked out. However, you have to have a ticket in order to do this.

Keep in mind, also, that since you won't be staying on-site, you can only do your FP+ 30 days out instead of 60. The only problem I had was for seven dwarfs mine train. I had greater success when I would try to get it one person at a time instead of the whole party. I had no problem with Toy Story or Soarin. Also....as of now you can only get 3 FP for one park on-line. You can't get any for another park until you use your 3 and then you have to go to a kiosk at the next park and get 3 more....and sometimes there isn't anything great left. Some CM's at the kiosk said they have heard lots of complaints about that and it is being "looked at". So things may change. I was able to get a FP for Fantasmic, though, pretty late in the day after using up our 3 FP's, so you never know.

Also, it is not the end of the world if she doesn't have a magic band to use....she can just use the plastic ticket, I've seen plenty of people doing that. Works the same, but the band is a lot easier.

You won't be able to charge anything you buy to your magic band, either, since you won't be staying on Disney property. Staying off-site really made me appreciate my DVC! It worked out okay, but I really missed being able to walk to some parks. The place we stayed was very roomy....lots of space and pools and all. We all had a great time.

 

[imaginiff]

I just had another thought...can you book a super cheap room at a value resort for the one night? You'd get magic bands (I think) plus free parking at the theme parks. And extra magic hours. And 60 days out for FP+. The values do have some DVC discounts and also AAA discounts.