Ok so I hate Magic Bands already....

[DougandBeth]

I have not even used them yet. Just too much work trying to coordinate for 10 people, link reservations, etc.

So the question is if we could care less about fast passes, can we just use old school key cards for room keys, purchases and passes?

 

[Anal Annie]

I think I just read a thread today that said they're about to do away with the old KTTW cards - by the end of this month it sounded like. You don't HAVE to schedule your FP+ if you really don't care about waiting standby for everything. But I think you WILL have to have the Magic Bands instead of a room card.

 

[erionm]

I have not even used them yet. Just too much work trying to coordinate for 10 people, link reservations, etc.

So the question is if we could care less about fast passes, can we just use old school key cards for room keys, purchases and passes?

If you care less about FP+, you can still use MagicBands for room entry, park entry (with admission linked to MDE), room charging (with CC on file at resort).

You would have to request KTTW cards at check-in, but they serve the same purpose at MagicBands. By 1/20, KTTW cards issued on request will not have an active magnetic stripe so they will not work in the legacy (paper) FastPass machines.

 

[disneydenisel]

Since AK doesn't use the legacy FPs anymore, and MK is next in line, you may need FP+ somewhere down the line. But, you don't have to schedule them right now. I ran into a lot of problems in scheduling ours for four people from home, but I found it was easier once we got there. There are a lot of kiosks with CMs who will be able to help you.

 

[AdamsMum]

So I'm gathering that if you want fastpasses in future you will have to schedule them? I don't always know what park I want to go to every day of my trip. Will there be a way of getting a fastpass when entering the park if I don't schedule them?

I found the scheduling of fast passes, dinners and food and beverage seminars on my October trip to feel more like work than vacation. This is why I don't use the table service dining plan any more. I believe there are less organized military exercises. By the third day I was just forgetting about the fast passes and going where I wanted.

I'll be really disappointed if I can't just go with the flow when I go to Disney in future.

 

[DebbieB]

So I'm gathering that if you want fastpasses in future you will have to schedule them? I don't always know what park I want to go to every day of my trip. Will there be a way of getting a fastpass when entering the park if I don't schedule them? I found the scheduling of fast passes, dinners and food and beverage seminars on my October trip to feel more like work than vacation. This is why I don't use the table service dining plan any more. I believe there are less organized military exercises. By the third day I was just forgetting about the fast passes and going where I wanted. I'll be really disappointed if I can't just go with the flow when I go to Disney in future.

You can wait until you get to the park and use the kiosks. Availability may be limited.

 

[rkold]

When we checked in at Jambo on 1/13 they told us it was the last day they were giving out KTTW and starting 1/14 the KTTW card wouldn't work anymore.

I'm not sure how it will be in the future, but I did use the app on my cell to change FP+ reservations while we were visiting the parks, and it wasn't too bad. I'm on a pretty strict schedule since I need to leave the parks between 1-2 for my DD to nap. Our first day in MK, 1/14, I changed our FP+s to meeting Ariel and Peter Pan, and never used the 3rd.

We never ended up needing to use all of our FP+s. The one thing we wanted to do and didn't (because it had a 2 hour long line!) did not offer FP+ so it didn't help.

 

[Micca]

MagicBands and FP+ have issues, but please don't fall victim to the hysteria you may have read/heard about.

We had a perfectly fine trip with the new media in late Sept/early October. DW setup everything in advance, and I know she made a call or three for assistance, but she got it worked out. On site everything functioned as it is supposed to, and if there was a question, the CMs were great in helping us.

 

[AmyB2006]

So the question is if we could care less about fast passes, can we just use old school key cards for room keys, purchases and passes?

Well, FPs have nothing to do with "old school" key cards for room keys, purchases and passes. They are no longer issuing KTTW cards. I believe you can request one, but it does the same thing as your band. There is no more paper FP as of 1/20/14, or 1/21/14.

If you want a FP you will have to "schedule" it. Whether it's ahead of time or that day once you arrive, subject to availability of course

But the band and KTTW card are basically the same thing now.

 

[LisaS]

can we just use old school key cards for room keys, purchases and passes?

Don't knock them until you try them. Ours worked great and were a pleasure to use.

• Getting into the room:
  • Old school: Juggle whatever I'm carrying while I open my handbag and dig out my room key to unlock the door.
  • Magic Bands: Touch my wrist band to the reader and I'm in!
• Purchases:
  • Old school: Open handbag and dig out my room key. Touch key card to reader, enter PIN, put room key back in bag.
  • Magic Bands: Touch wrist band to the reader, enter PIN.
• Getting into a park:
  • Old school: Fish out my park ticket from my bag, feed it into the reader, after verification put the park ticket back into my bag.
  • Magic Bands: Touch my wrist band to the reader, verify, and I'm in.
• Using FP:
  • Old school: Fish out paper FP from my bag, hand to CM to be checked, enter line, put paper FP in pocket, make mental note which pocket because I must later hand in the paper FP to another CM, get on ride.
  • Magic Bands: Touch my wrist band to the first reader, enter line, touch wrist band to second reader, get on ride.
• At the pool:
  • Old school: No pockets in ladies swimwear so no safe place to keep room key card.
  • Magic Bands: MBs are waterproof so I can wear my room key in the pool!

As I said, the Magic Bands were a pleasure to use!

 

[karebear06]

Don't knock them until you try them. Ours worked great and were a pleasure to use. [*]Getting into the room: [*]Old school: Juggle whatever I'm carrying while I open my handbag and dig out my room key to unlock the door. [*]Magic Bands: Touch my wrist band to the reader and I'm in! [*]Purchases: [*]Old school: Open handbag and dig out my room key. Touch key card to reader, enter PIN, put room key back in bag. [*]Magic Bands: Touch wrist band to the reader, enter PIN. [*]Getting into a park: [*]Old school: Fish out my park ticket from my bag, feed it into the reader, after verification put the park ticket back into my bag. [*]Magic Bands: Touch my wrist band to the reader, verify, and I'm in. [*]Using FP: [*]Old school: Fish out paper FP from my bag, hand to CM to be checked, enter line, put paper FP in pocket, make mental note which pocket because I must later hand in the paper FP to another CM, get on ride. [*]Magic Bands: Touch my wrist band to the first reader, enter line, touch wrist band to second reader, get on ride. [*]At the pool: [*]Old school: No pockets in ladies swimwear so no safe place to keep room key card. [*]Magic Bands: MBs are waterproof so I can wear my room key in the pool! As I said, the Magic Bands were a pleasure to use!

I agree 100%.
We loved them and don't get the mass hysteria on here.

 

[Silver Queen]

I have to agree with LisaS. We've used our MBs for two trips now and love the convenience, especially when we are swimming. In addition to the ease of entering the park and making a purchase we don't have to take the time to secure a KTTW card back in our purse/wallet after we've made a purchase or entered a park.

 

[TinkGirl]

I really liked the whole system except for some of the details of fp+. Really convenient.

 

[jco_direwolf]

I like them, MagicBands, as a concept. They clearly have some operational issues. Our door keys never worked right for more than a few hours. Room Charges never seem to work for me.

FastPass+ (which is not the same as MagicBands) has some issues. I think like most others, 3 in one park is not enough.

I've heard from some that the plan is to do "In Park/Day of" FastPass+ (like legacy FastPass, you have to use a kiosk or your smartphone app with GPS enabled) and have the bands used for entry.

Right now all the linkages between admission media, park entry, FastPass, SotMK, Check-In, etc... that use to exist are turned off/disabled. Once they get those back into play. I think we'll see the something that looks like Legacy FastPass back. But it will be long haul between now and then.