techtony
Geektator
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2015
- Messages
- 122
Full Disclosure: I have visited Disney World several times in the short 43 years of my life on this planet, however I have not been to the parks since 2003. I have always gone with my parents or my sister family, but never with my own agenda like this upcoming trip in Mid April 2015.
My Disney Experience App Experience .....
The Good....
Downloading and installing the app was simple. I love being able to look up the current wait times for the attractions!
The Bad....
Linking my partners profile through the app turned out to be impossible. Had to do it on the website instead.
My Advice......
Set up the app as soon as you can AND bookmark the Disney Website on your laptop/tablet or computer to easily do anything Disney experience related. I think the app will be useful at the parks, but I do not see it being that useful beforehand.
Making Reservations for Dinner .....
The Good ....
I have had no issues so far making reservations and the reservation immediately showing up in MDE (My Disney Experience). Even when cancelling and booking something different was no problem.
The Bad ....
Some things you had to call for - like the Tomorrowland Terrace Desert Party and Fantasmic Dinner Package. They should make everything seamless and everything should be able to be booked online or in the app.
My Advice .....
Make your reservations early. DO NOT cancel a reservation unless you are SURE the other reservation is confirmed. The website does this for you, but it is a bit flaky at times.
Resort Reservations
The Good ....
Had no problem making a reservation online.
The Bad ...
Changing a resort requires that you call them. This is laziness on Disney's part. They should allow you to do everything online. I hate listening to really bad scratchy music while waiting on an operator. Also - I made my initial reservation online on a Friday. My Bank Account was not debited until the following Wednesday. It should be instant, but apparently they batch payments, and they don't do it daily for some reason. It is also annoying that you cannot pay the full amount when making the reservation. It automatically debits the downpayment, then you have to wait until the next day to make the rest of your payment. They should change this or give you the option at the time of the reservation.
My Advice ....
Make sure you are absolutely positive of your resort location before making the reservation - changing it is a pain.
A Note on Disney Accounts - Maybe I have not seen this anywhere, but it would be awesome to show you your account online. Such as when I upgraded to a better resort, I would have liked to see an account summary as in you paid X on X date, leaving a balance of X and we credited X on such and such date, leaving a balance of X. So far, I only have emails showing me what I have paid and the balance.
My FastPass+ Experience So Far:
I have not had an issue, BUT I will tell you that the whole Fast Pass+ thing is irritating. It is not because it is confusing or complicated, because it is surprisingly simple. The problem is not everyone wants to plan so far out. They need to give a limited number of fast passes that can be reserved ahead of time to onsite guests as a perk, but regular good old fast pass should be used like it was before. If they do not want to do this, then they should not make FastPass+ reservations for parades and fireworks - that should be separate so someone does not have to choose between a good fireworks spot or a Frozen Meet and Greet (I am not being selfish here either - I have no children and prefer to avoid parades and pay for better seating for fireworks - parentsd though should not have to give up their 4th pass for fireworks while telling their kid - sorry we can't meet Anna and Elsa).
Disney should also give consideration for those that decide to spontaneously visit. I know that people on here plan their vacations out way ahead of time, but my brother in laws family drove down, got a hotel and basically decided on the spot whether to go to Disney or Universal. They chose Universal because they had heard that fastpass changed and their chances of getting into the attractions they would want were slim to none. Lost revenue to Disney. The take away here is that MyMagic+ is awesome.....for planners, but short, spontaneous trips will lose out to Universal who encourages people to enjoy the park, not plan the park.
My Disney Experience App Experience .....
The Good....
Downloading and installing the app was simple. I love being able to look up the current wait times for the attractions!
The Bad....
Linking my partners profile through the app turned out to be impossible. Had to do it on the website instead.
My Advice......
Set up the app as soon as you can AND bookmark the Disney Website on your laptop/tablet or computer to easily do anything Disney experience related. I think the app will be useful at the parks, but I do not see it being that useful beforehand.
Making Reservations for Dinner .....
The Good ....
I have had no issues so far making reservations and the reservation immediately showing up in MDE (My Disney Experience). Even when cancelling and booking something different was no problem.
The Bad ....
Some things you had to call for - like the Tomorrowland Terrace Desert Party and Fantasmic Dinner Package. They should make everything seamless and everything should be able to be booked online or in the app.
My Advice .....
Make your reservations early. DO NOT cancel a reservation unless you are SURE the other reservation is confirmed. The website does this for you, but it is a bit flaky at times.
Resort Reservations
The Good ....
Had no problem making a reservation online.
The Bad ...
Changing a resort requires that you call them. This is laziness on Disney's part. They should allow you to do everything online. I hate listening to really bad scratchy music while waiting on an operator. Also - I made my initial reservation online on a Friday. My Bank Account was not debited until the following Wednesday. It should be instant, but apparently they batch payments, and they don't do it daily for some reason. It is also annoying that you cannot pay the full amount when making the reservation. It automatically debits the downpayment, then you have to wait until the next day to make the rest of your payment. They should change this or give you the option at the time of the reservation.
My Advice ....
Make sure you are absolutely positive of your resort location before making the reservation - changing it is a pain.
A Note on Disney Accounts - Maybe I have not seen this anywhere, but it would be awesome to show you your account online. Such as when I upgraded to a better resort, I would have liked to see an account summary as in you paid X on X date, leaving a balance of X and we credited X on such and such date, leaving a balance of X. So far, I only have emails showing me what I have paid and the balance.
My FastPass+ Experience So Far:
I have not had an issue, BUT I will tell you that the whole Fast Pass+ thing is irritating. It is not because it is confusing or complicated, because it is surprisingly simple. The problem is not everyone wants to plan so far out. They need to give a limited number of fast passes that can be reserved ahead of time to onsite guests as a perk, but regular good old fast pass should be used like it was before. If they do not want to do this, then they should not make FastPass+ reservations for parades and fireworks - that should be separate so someone does not have to choose between a good fireworks spot or a Frozen Meet and Greet (I am not being selfish here either - I have no children and prefer to avoid parades and pay for better seating for fireworks - parentsd though should not have to give up their 4th pass for fireworks while telling their kid - sorry we can't meet Anna and Elsa).
Disney should also give consideration for those that decide to spontaneously visit. I know that people on here plan their vacations out way ahead of time, but my brother in laws family drove down, got a hotel and basically decided on the spot whether to go to Disney or Universal. They chose Universal because they had heard that fastpass changed and their chances of getting into the attractions they would want were slim to none. Lost revenue to Disney. The take away here is that MyMagic+ is awesome.....for planners, but short, spontaneous trips will lose out to Universal who encourages people to enjoy the park, not plan the park.
