MyMagic+ Review: MagicBands & FastPass+

Were you able to use regular Fastpass at the same time as using Fastpass +? Just curious!

Thanks...

Randi
 
We in Canada still do not have access to the mydisneyexperience website. It reroutes us to the regular https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan. The closer we get to our trip in December, the more worried we get about how this will work for us. We also rented dvc points for this trip, so we worry that this could have an effect on MyMagic+. I guess we will have to wait and see when we get closer to the 60 day window for reservations.
 

Thanks so much for the detailed review and linked post.
 
I may still be totally missing something b/c you and your team know way more about all of this than I do, but I am just so surprised that you liked the experience and seem to support it. Do you mind if I ask if you think you'd feel the same way if you went to a more ride centered park (like MK), and you went at a crowded time of year, and you "only" went to Disney once a year, and you weren't allowed to use regular fast pass?

I'm very worried about how this might affect our yearly Christmas vacation trips and you definitely know more about Disney, so I'm really curious for your thoughts about the kind of trip I described. I'm worried because it seems like so many people are so excited about this, and can't wait to be picked to try it out that Disney is probably getting glowing reviews. But it sounds like they haven't yet taken away the ability to get regular fast passes. I'm wondering if people who are not frequent visitors AND have not been able to use regular FP are still liking the new program.

In our situation, we go between Christmas and NY's and make every rope drop--even the 7am ones. Even with the enforced times on fast pass, we are easily able to get 5 FP a morning--we leave our RD park around 3 every day--AND are in control of the times (meaning our last sets of FP we choose based on when they will become available so we can still get 5, even if we need to adjust the rides we choose based on return times).

The only way I can possibly see FPplus helping us is for our evening parks. We do a RD park each day, leave around 3 and eventually hop to our "dinner" park for the night. Usually we don't ride much b/c of lines (which is fine b/c we're usually at Epcot and explore World Showcase then) but it would help if we could schedule 3 things at MK the night we eat at our BOG. Of course this won't even be able to happen though, b/c it sounds like you can only use one park a day for FPplus.

So I guess my question to the OP and other experienced Disney people who have used FPplus and are giving it good reviews, what would you say to me about how I travel to Disney--once a year, at a very busy time, not someone who likes to spend 4 hours in a park and the rest at my resort or downtime---I can't see how this doesn't negatively affect my future trips, but again I may be totally misunderstanding this.

Thanks so much!
 
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Great video (as always)! It doesn't change my apprehension about MM+ or FP+. It still seems very complicated to arrange things, especially for those who aren't smartphone savvy (like my parents). I noticed that the app gives you a time for your FP+ selection...are you not able to select a time you want? I thought Disney had said you could choose your time, not have one chosen for you.
 
Fantastic! I've linked our UT tickets plus resort reservation and dining - REALLY hoping to use Magic Bands for our regular trip in November!
 
Can't wait to see how it works with 30,000 people using it in the MK...
 
Great review! I can't wait for the official rollout but this review definitely cures some of my curiosity! This is a random question but does anyone think the crocs jiblets would fit into the band? The accessories disney sells look identical to the croc ones which undoubtably are cheaper.
 
The only way I can possibly see FPplus helping us is for our evening parks.
PF+ is probably most useful to people who go to a recommended (less crowded) park early, hit the major attractions early before the line builds, then has FP+ ready for the evening - either for that same park or for another. Great for people like me who tend to go during the slower seasons, but...

Christmas time, I can't imagine it. Obviously there's some amount of things you can get done at rope drop, then use FP+ in the evening for that same park or another. But with the crowd levels, I don't even want to think about it.

I know you said you were able to get 5 FP, which is pretty good, but also consider that with FP+, 3 is not that far off. The fact is that you'll still get to ride the big attractions in the morning, and then you'll still have 3 more biggies in the afternoon/evening if you schedule a FP+. (Keep in mind that many people have been getting 4 FP+ if they schedule a parade or fireworks at the MK, and that it's also been rumored that the MK, with its large attraction count, will eventually allow 4 FP+ selections right off the bat).

I'm sure for some this in going to mean a decrease in the amount of E-tickets they'll be able to ride (or at least a decrease in the number of times they'll ride them).

I don't mean to tell anyone how they should tour the parks and/or what rides they should go on or how often. However, let me say that for me, I started to realize I wasn't having fun trying to cram in as many e-tickets as I could, playing the FP-maximization game by running back and forth between FP distribution machines every time our window opened up to obtain a new one. It turned out to be the worst thing I was doing at Disney parks. I began to understand that there was a lot more that I was missing, rushing past without realizing the little little things that went overlooked as I sped to another FP machine or to another FP return time. I think I had one of my favorite days at the MK on my last visit when I went in the early evening, by myself (my family stayed at the resort), and just took pictures in the evening and night. I didn't ride a single attraction. I got into the little nooks, I people-watched, I looked at the children as they watched SpectroMagic (a little girl, still too young to talk, was half watching the parade and half flirting with me the whole time and it was hilarious and adorable, and 5 years later, that night taking pictures is one of the most memorable parts of my trip).

Now again, I'm not trying to tell you how to attend the parks. I used to be someone who desperately focused on the E-tickets like Splash, BTMRR, Space Mt... And I loved riding them. In the end, though, I found that even if I only got to ride those big ones once or twice each per day, I was okay. I actually discovered that I did more when I didn't have to constantly go back to the FP machines. I found time to do other hidden gems, spend more time exploring places like the Seas, riding the TTA, and looking at the details.

I understand the love for the big headliner attractions - and I, too, love riding Splash Mountain as much as I can. I don't know how the full implementation of FP+ will finally go, or if they'll make adjustments to the way you can ride the e-tickets by adding on some limited "original FP" style system using your Magicband/card, to allow an extra ride or two. But ultimately you have to adapt to whatever changes come.

I remember my first and only trip to WDW before FP - I was 15 - I rode Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, and Space Mountain once each on the only day I went to the MK. I waited 2.5 hours for Splash. The lines were bad (it was a crowded time of year). Somehow, at the end of the day, I was still completely satisfied that I had a great, full day. It all depends on how you look at the parks. If they are just 4 or 5 e-tickets and a bunch of other stuff, it's harder to maximize that under FP+. If, however, you sacrifice a bit of the focus on the e-tickets, FP+ affords you a lot more time by you not having to walk around to obtain the FP in the morning, and not be concerned what the return time might be when you get to the distribution area.

But to answer your fears, yes, I do think you're going to end up with a decreased total number of rides on the etickets, especially during Christmas week. It's just so crowded that it's hard to maximize your morning activities before the lines get long. This is an admitted downside to FP+ for those who toured the parks with original FP and want to maximize e-tickets. The silver lining is you might actually find that there's more time for you discover things you might not have, knowing that there's no FP machines to tend to.

But I can honestly say that for myself, it's going to open things up the way I've realized I want them to open up - with the e-ticket standby lines short in the morning, I can hit all of them at any park, sometimes 2-3 times each depending on the park, before the lines become long. Then the rest of the day is the less-crowded attractions and my FP+ selections. I'll readily do almost everything I used to with FP, but I will now have the luxury of not needing the extra step of going to FP machines. I recall more than one trip all the way across a park just to get a FP for hours later, then have to trudge all the way back to redeem it. It was so laborious, and I think I'm going to feel better knowing that I won't have the option to do that any more, because it was too tempting to resist. My legs and my mind will appreciate not having to play those FP scavenger hunts.
 
Can't wait to see how it works with 30,000 people using it in the MK...

30,000 people didn't use the original FP, why would 30,000 suddenly use FP+, a system that requires more technical know-how and advanced planning?

Disney had stated at one point that average person uses less than 2 fastpasses per day. With FP+, the average person will still use less than 2 FP+ per day, because a good portion of visitors won't even bother with it, just like they didn't bother with FP.
 
30,000 people didn't use the original FP, why would 30,000 suddenly use FP+, a system that requires more technical know-how and advanced planning?

Let's see... the MB serves as your room key, point-of-sale purchase device, FP+ token... and if you don't have an MB, you'll be using your RFID ticket card or regular room key.

Yeah, I think there'll be 30,000 people using RFID per day in the MK.

And that's just at MK.

You must remember -- MBs are more than just FastPasses.
 
Let's see... the MB serves as your room key, point-of-sale purchase device, FP+ token... and if you don't have an MB, you'll be using your RFID ticket card or regular room key.

Yeah, I think there'll be 30,000 people using RFID per day in the MK.

And that's just at MK.

You must remember -- MBs are more than just FastPasses.

I have no doubt there will be more people using FP+ than used the old FP system. It's going to be pushed as part of the reservation and check in process and heavily advertised. They want everyone using RFID and the features that go with it.
 
Can't wait to see how it works with 30,000 people using it in the MK...

This!:thumbsup2 I would like a full review when this thing is bogged down with more than 3,000 people using it during a test.
 
I have no doubt there will be more people using FP+ than used the old FP system. It's going to be pushed as part of the reservation and check in process and heavily advertised. They want everyone using RFID and the features that go with it.

And they want them to use it so they can redistribute crowds, I betcha no one is going to talk someone out of taking a FP+ for IASW vs Splash.
 
Hi There, I'm from Montreal Canada and I had no problem with MDE using the

Apps on my IPad. Good luck:goodvibes
 













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