"My Disney Expedition" App (Windows Phone) with FP+! Walk through with pictures!

Happy Duck

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 18, 2012
As a Windows Phone user, I was frustrated with the inability to use the My Disney Experience app on my phone. While I did have access to some great “wait-times” apps, I didn’t have access to any “official” looking information. I’ve used the “My Disney Expedition” app on my trips in the past year. It was very reliable for wait times and other information and I was very pleased with it. However, once Fastpass+ came out, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to use the app on the go to make any changes to our reservation schedule. While I was hesitant about FP+ in the first place, this certainly didn’t make me warm up to the idea!

But—the pixie dust has started falling on us of the Windows persuasion. Recently, I found out that the “My Disney Expedition” app (NOT an ‘official’ app) had added the ability to reserve Fastpass+! I was ecstatic! I immediately started playing around with it. While there are one or two things that I noticed need some sprucing up, there was nothing that caused me any grave angst. In fact, it’s a very easy system to navigate.



I decided to put together a little walk-through of the app for anyone else who might be interested in the app.



(I am in no way apart of the production of this app…I just thought with all of the info about MDX out there, I might put out some info for “the other side”.)



The free version includes everything except the ability to book FP+. The full version costs $2.99.



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The app loads in about 10 seconds.

This is the home page. You can slide to access the other main menus (“hotels” and “activities”) in addition to “parks.”



As you can see, the homepage gives you the park hours for the current day, including Extra Magic Hours.



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The bottom menu buttons take you to FP+ scheduling and the ability to see park hours for additional days.


Hours for today, May 25th.


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Hours for tomorrow, May 26th.



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The “Hotels” menu


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Need information on the “Grand Floridian”?



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A listing of various activities around the resort.



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Dining options.


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The main “Activities” menu



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Let’s go check out “Magic Kingdom”


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The bottom menu changes slightly. We have easy access to FP+, a map of Magic Kingdom, Pin/Un-Pin the app to the start menu, and search.


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Under “Attractions”, you can see information about each attraction as well as updated wait times.



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The bottom menu options allow you to sort and filter the attractions.


You can sort the Attractions by…


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(The app does use your location while you are in the park, but you can turn off this option in settings.)


You can filter for many things, such as Age, Hearing and Visual Disability Services, Height, and Mobility Disabilities. This way you can customize the rides you are looking at to fit your needs.



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When you click on an attraction, you get some basic information about it, including guest height requirements.



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The map button would show you exactly where to go, while you could use the “sharing” option to post an update to the world that you….uh…got the scoop on the Mine Train.



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Click on “Shows” to get a listing of all of the options in that particular park.



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Notice that “Next Show” times are listed right away. I can’t vouch that this app is 100% accurate 24/7, but it’s always been solid for me. I like that even “small” shows, such as Casey’s Corner Pianist are listed. I always seem to miss him, but this app gives you an easy way to get the times.


Click on a show and you get additional information, including the full schedule. In this particular instance, the Dapper Dans had finished their shows for the day and were not scheduled until the following day.


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A great plus for this app is that little alarm button that shows up on the bottom of the screen. You can select a time that you would like to see a show and set an alarm to remind you.



I always seem to forget when all of those shows happen in Epcot.


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You can choose how far in advance of the scheduled show you would like to be reminded so that you have time to get from Point A to Point B in the park. This way, you won’t miss your favorite shows!

The “Dining” menu is another useful tool.



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Right on the homepage you can see the type of food served – (Be Our Guest---French!) – and which meals the restaurant serves.


Part 2 in Next Post!




 
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Here you can find some more information about the restaurant. One confusing aspect is the times they give for the restaurant operation. Sometimes they are not for full operation, just for certain meals.

You can access a food menu. Though I do not know how often it is updated, it seems to be relatively accurate and at least gives a good starting point for both food selection and pricing.

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There are many other options available if I scrolled down.

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Guest Services gives you the most important information of all…where those FP+ kiosks are!

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Also the new charging stations.

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Lost? Use the map.

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I like the detail that’s included…

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This has really helped me navigate around Downtown Disney.

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The map even gives you “turn by turn” (walking) directions when you are in the park.

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I’ve used it before… back in the Streets of America where I always get lost!

Now let’s explore the FP+ aspect of this app. Remember that this is not an “official” Disney app.

When you first select the FP+ option, you need to purchase the full app and then sign-in to your My Disney Experience account. Now you can book your selections!

Which day?

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Who’s getting the reservation?

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What would you like? (Or, more accurately, what’s available?)

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I just picked a few.

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Like the My Disney Experience, it gives you a handful of options to scroll through.

However, you have to be careful, because sometimes the different options will give you different attractions if the times are not available.

Remember: I was booking this “same day”, on Memorial Day, so I probably would have gotten better results had I booked for a future date.

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If you don’t like the times, you can tap the attraction and choose “reschedule”. SIMPLE.

Also noteworthy- when you want to cancel a single reservation, you can hit “Cancel Reservation” and it will cancel a single reservation. AMAZING.

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One annoying thing is that the times are NOT given in order. You really have to look at each one.

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One glitch for this app that is frustrating: once you select a new time, it doesn’t automatically take you back to your updated list. In fact there is no immediate confirmation on your time change. However, your time IS changed as soon as you have selected the time. If you leave the app, re-enter, and go to the FP+ option, you will see your updated schedule.

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This is what it looks like choosing in a tiered park.
Hollywood Studios

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After making my selections, I tested it by going to the My Disney Experience website. My selections were updated in my “official” schedule, ready to go. Too bad I am in Pennsylvania!

The app has a few settings that you can customize…

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Over all, I can heartily recommend this app. For any of you iOS users out there, I hope I made you a teensy bit curious. For you Windows folks out there, I hope I gave you some hope for the future.


Some Positives:

The app switches between screens quickly. There is only a short lag when (surprise) it has to link up with MDX.

When booking/rescheduling the FP+, you can do so without switching through multiple screens. It is very simple and straightforward.

The app is easy to load.

The map function is particularly neat. I especially enjoyed using the “turn by turn” directions in the park.

I like the information available on the “homepages” of each screen.

Prioritizing attractions based on lowest waits was incredibly helpful.


Some Negatives:

When rescheduling a time you have to exit the app and reload to see the updated schedule.

When giving a list of possible FP+ times, it does not give the times in order.

My FP+ schedule was not available as an option to be loaded immediately.

Dining reservations are not a part of the app.

It costs $2.99.

The information may not always be 100% accurate.

It is not an official app.



Just a few notes. I have used this app “in action” up until the latest update. I have not been able to use the FP+ functionality while actually in a park. I have been able to make reservations from the comfort of my couch here in PA. I did not test the new 4th/5th etc. FP+ using the app.

Also----unfortunately, just as I was getting ready to post this glowing review, the FP+ section of the app was malfunctioning! It coincided with the problems MDX was having, so that's probably related. Or they could be updating the system. I'm hoping it is up and running again soon. The rest of the app functions as usual.

I hope this was helpful!
 
Really love this app. Had it since last year (and before it supported FP+). It's funny, but I can run circles around my brother doing stuff on it compared to him using the official app on Android.

I've emailed the creator and he is working on cleaning up FP+ and will be adding dining reservation capability to it soon. I'm actually not looking forward to Disney putting out an official app on WP because this one works better than it does. Smoother, faster.
 
Thanks for the thorough run down. Do you know if this is available on blackberries?
 


Really love this app. Had it since last year (and before it supported FP+). It's funny, but I can run circles around my brother doing stuff on it compared to him using the official app on Android.

I've emailed the creator and he is working on cleaning up FP+ and will be adding dining reservation capability to it soon. I'm actually not looking forward to Disney putting out an official app on WP because this one works better than it does. Smoother, faster.

Same on all platforms I think where 3rd party apps are better. The only reason to use the official app is to change FP+ times.
 
WOW, what a wonderful post, and thanks so much, it must have taken a lot of time to do this.

This sounds great, I am not looking forward to having to monitor everything in the parks, but I do get lost and that feature alone is worth the 2.99 for me (especially in HS)

Thanks again
 


Wow congrats on being one of the last hold-outs lol.

I know right. Think I'm the only person on the planet who voluntarily bought one. I had one for work and can't breakaway from that dang keyboard.
 
Really love this app. Had it since last year (and before it supported FP+). It's funny, but I can run circles around my brother doing stuff on it compared to him using the official app on Android.

I've emailed the creator and he is working on cleaning up FP+ and will be adding dining reservation capability to it soon. I'm actually not looking forward to Disney putting out an official app on WP because this one works better than it does. Smoother, faster.

That's great about adding the dining reservations. I'm hoping that the addition of MDX to Windows doesn't detract from this app. In fact, I hope this app is able to grow to other platforms. I agree, it works much better!

Thanks for the thorough run down. Do you know if this is available on blackberries?

I don't think it is available for blackberry, but it never hurts to email the creators and ask. I've only seen it available in the Windows app store.

Same on all platforms I think where 3rd party apps are better. The only reason to use the official app is to change FP+ times.

The latest version of this app does allow you to change FP+ times, although it is still slightly glitchy on the execution. The change is made however when you reschedule a FP+. I'm hoping this is a sign of good things to come for app options for Disney!

WOW, what a wonderful post, and thanks so much, it must have taken a lot of time to do this.

This sounds great, I am not looking forward to having to monitor everything in the parks, but I do get lost and that feature alone is worth the 2.99 for me (especially in HS)

Thanks again

You're quite welcome! I wasn't feeling well, so it was a great way for me to pass the time.

I agree, that 2.99 was EASY for me to spend. However--- the map feature is available in the FREE version. You only need to spend the 2.99 to get FP+ functionality.


Another thanks from a WP user!!!

You're welcome!
No problem!

I like that app better than MDE!

I've never been able to personally use the My Disney Experience app, but I've seen screenshots and heard enough about it... I'm a fan of this one!
 
I'm very confused. How can some random app creators create something that works better than what Disney is doing themselves?

I wish this was available on an Android platform. I hate the MDE/MDX app and would delete it if I had another way of using FP+ on my phone.
 
This is a fantastic review. I didn't realize it had this many features. I used a combination of this and Disney Trip Companion for my last trip. I think they provide a great combo for all your trip planning needs.

Here are my usage scenarios:
Disney Expedition - wait times, maps/locations/directions, FP+ (for future trips)
Disney Trip Companion - countdown live tile, itinerary including ADRs, places/attractions I'd like to visit including crossing off things once I've done them.
 
I'm very confused. How can some random app creators create something that works better than what Disney is doing themselves?

I wish this was available on an Android platform. I hate the MDE/MDX app and would delete it if I had another way of using FP+ on my phone.

There are a couple reasons. First, Disney wants a very graphically oriented app for their official version AND many of those images have to load from online. Android and iOS are also both messes to develop for. If developers could choose a platform for most everyone to use, they would choose Windows and Windows Phone. Microsoft gives developers a lot more tools to create better workflows, fetch data faster, and work more smoothly. From a technical standpoint, the Windows Phone apps all have the power of .NET behind them. Both Android and iOS get app development from tools that haven't changed much in 20 years. Seriously, both use tools that were big deals when the 486 was still king and the Pentium was just coming out. The interfaces have been slightly tweaked, but I've never run into a developer that find it easy to put together apps for iOS or Android. .NET and C#, however, are pretty easy to deal with and powerful to boot. Microsoft is engaging in an initiative to get more .NET development on Android and iOS to make it easier to develop there (and simply port apps to ALL platforms immediately).

This app uses the Microsoft Metro design language, which was built for smoothness and speed. It's simple, easy to understand, and minimizes bulk to allow for greater speed from a user perspective. My main concern for a WP version of the official Disney app is that they'll just bring to bulky app over from Android and iOS through a poor port. Even the official app should run better on Windows Phone than it would on iOS or Android if it is built for WP8. The underlying infrastructure is so much better on the platform and the kernel is a lot more powerful (Windows Phone is running the desktop Windows NT kernel, not a Fisher Price Operating System like Android and iOS).
 
Thank you for this write up! It is very detailed. Really love all of the screen shots!
 
This write up was very informative. I guess I don't mind paying the $2.99 for it to get FP++ capabilities, but my question is this. If I already have FP++ reservations will they get pulled up automatically when I log into the My Disney Experience site?

Also if I have dining reservations on my itinerary will those show?
 

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