*** The Official August 2018 Thread*** - let's have some fun....

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

So Epcot today felt empty. Like a 5 tops.
I fast passed every ride. Didn’t feel very crowded

Stand by times were around 40-60 for the top rides there.

Frozen was incredible. Rode it twice. Love it.

Note to everyone. Living with the land had to be the most boring ride I have ever rode

Great day!

The frozen party gave the best spot for illmuninations. Felt like a whole new show watching from there

 

[luvmy2babies]

First park day is in the books. We went to Epcot. Things were going great. We went through the Living Seas, rode Finding Nemo, looked around some and were just enjoying the beautiful day outside. Then we hit a snag when I went to purchase a pain reliever in the first aid station. I had made several purchases yesterday and things were working great; so for the first time since their inception I decide to go to the park with just my magic band. Never again. Their tap and pay system is down.

Of course it is because I decided for the first time ever to leave the room without my card and cash. I went to where the kids wanted lunch in the Mexico Pavilion to confirm it was park wide. It was. I was so mad at myself. I should have known better. My 15 year-old volunteered to stay behind with the bags, (one of which was my cooler backpack with plenty to drink) while my 8 year-old and I went back to the room. We power-walked back to the bus stop. Of course it is midday so the bus takes forever and the All-Stars are sharing. I ask the driver when we get back to the resort if he is the only one driving the Epcot/All-Star route right now. He says no; but when we got back to the stop after grabbing my card and cash plus drinks from the fridge, it said 25 minutes to the next one. Even longer for Magic Kingdom; so ds and I headed to bell services and took a cab back. We were back at Epcot before the predicted time a bus was to arrive at our resort.

With no bags we got back to dd pretty quick. We had some Mexican food for lunch and went on about our day. My daughter who has some anxiety challenges at times, was determined to ride Soarin' with us. She loved it. I admit I got a little emotional.

As planned, we returned to the resort after dinner. Depending on the crowd calendar and fast pass availability, we will probably switch our plans and go to MK tomorrow. We usually go there first; but with the weather yesterday and how tired we were it was best to stay in.

So I know several times I have read people go in with only magic bands often. Others say they never would. I never will again. Just a heads up as one CM told me they had been having issues since yesterday. Was working fine at our resort yesterday though.

 

[luvmy2babies]

So Epcot today felt empty. Like a 5 tops.
I fast passed every ride. Didn’t feel very crowded

Stand by times were around 40-60 for the top rides there.

Frozen was incredible. Rode it twice. Love it.

Note to everyone. Living with the land had to be the most boring ride I have ever rode

Great day!

The frozen party gave the best spot for illmuninations. Felt like a whole new show watching from there

Yes, it was very comfortable in Epcot today crowd wise. It was nice. Even rides with a little wait like 15 minutes or so were less than what was posted.

 

[ashnicole]

So Epcot today felt empty. Like a 5 tops.
I fast passed every ride. Didn’t feel very crowded

Stand by times were around 40-60 for the top rides there.

Frozen was incredible. Rode it twice. Love it.

Note to everyone. Living with the land had to be the most boring ride I have ever rode

Great day!

The frozen party gave the best spot for illmuninations. Felt like a whole new show watching from there

Yay for low crowds!! I looked at MDE once or twice and the crowds looked pretty low for summer. Hopefully they stay that way!
I absolutely loved Frozen when I rode it for the first time and am looking forward to riding it again! I agree with you about Living with the Land. I was really excited to ride it a couple of trips ago because people seemed to love it, but it isn't something I plan on riding again. But talk to me again once I'm in the Florida heat, haha!

First park day is in the books. We went to Epcot. Things were going great. We went through the Living Seas, rode Finding Nemo, looked around some and were just enjoying the beautiful day outside. Then we hit a snag when I went to purchase a pain reliever in the first aid station. I had made several purchases yesterday and things were working great; so for the first time since their inception I decide to go to the park with just my magic band. Never again. Their tap and pay system is down.

Of course it is because I decided for the first time ever to leave the room without my card and cash. I went to where the kids wanted lunch in the Mexico Pavilion to confirm it was park wide. It was. I was so mad at myself. I should have known better. My 15 year-old volunteered to stay behind with the bags, (one of which was my cooler backpack with plenty to drink) while my 8 year-old and I went back to the room. We power-walked back to the bus stop. Of course it is midday so the bus takes forever and the All-Stars are sharing. I ask the driver when we get back to the resort if he is the only one driving the Epcot/All-Star route right now. He says no; but when we got back to the stop after grabbing my card and cash plus drinks from the fridge, it said 25 minutes to the next one. Even longer for Magic Kingdom; so ds and I headed to bell services and took a cab back. We were back at Epcot before the predicted time a bus was to arrive at our resort.

With no bags we got back to dd pretty quick. We had some Mexican food for lunch and went on about our day. My daughter who has some anxiety challenges at times, was determined to ride Soarin' with us. She loved it. I admit I got a little emotional.

As planned, we returned to the resort after dinner. Depending on the crowd calendar and fast pass availability, we will probably switch our plans and go to MK tomorrow. We usually go there first; but with the weather yesterday and how tired we were it was best to stay in.

So I know several times I have read people go in with only magic bands often. Others say they never would. I never will again. Just a heads up as one CM told me they had been having issues since yesterday. Was working fine at our resort yesterday though.

Oh No! I've heard of that happening recently. I'm always paranoid that's going to happen to me.
I'm glad your daughter conquered Soarin' and loved it!

I leave in a couple of weeks! Magic Bands arrived today! I started packing today, as well! Reading everyone's arrivals and plans makes it feel real! Since this trip was so last minute, it's hard to believe it's so close! I still need to solidify days and plans! DSis wants a more relaxed trip so I'm trying to make plans while keeping an open mind.
I'm hoping we'll be able to see some of the fall decorations in MK. Does anyone know when they go up? We'll be there a couple of days before the first MNSSHP.

 

[DisneyObsessed87]

First park day is in the books. We went to Epcot. Things were going great. We went through the Living Seas, rode Finding Nemo, looked around some and were just enjoying the beautiful day outside. Then we hit a snag when I went to purchase a pain reliever in the first aid station. I had made several purchases yesterday and things were working great; so for the first time since their inception I decide to go to the park with just my magic band. Never again. Their tap and pay system is down.

Of course it is because I decided for the first time ever to leave the room without my card and cash. I went to where the kids wanted lunch in the Mexico Pavilion to confirm it was park wide. It was. I was so mad at myself. I should have known better. My 15 year-old volunteered to stay behind with the bags, (one of which was my cooler backpack with plenty to drink) while my 8 year-old and I went back to the room. We power-walked back to the bus stop. Of course it is midday so the bus takes forever and the All-Stars are sharing. I ask the driver when we get back to the resort if he is the only one driving the Epcot/All-Star route right now. He says no; but when we got back to the stop after grabbing my card and cash plus drinks from the fridge, it said 25 minutes to the next one. Even longer for Magic Kingdom; so ds and I headed to bell services and took a cab back. We were back at Epcot before the predicted time a bus was to arrive at our resort.

With no bags we got back to dd pretty quick. We had some Mexican food for lunch and went on about our day. My daughter who has some anxiety challenges at times, was determined to ride Soarin' with us. She loved it. I admit I got a little emotional.

As planned, we returned to the resort after dinner. Depending on the crowd calendar and fast pass availability, we will probably switch our plans and go to MK tomorrow. We usually go there first; but with the weather yesterday and how tired we were it was best to stay in.

So I know several times I have read people go in with only magic bands often. Others say they never would. I never will again. Just a heads up as one CM told me they had been having issues since yesterday. Was working fine at our resort yesterday though.

Oh no! I have never went without my card, but had thought about it this trip. Now I will bring it anyway, just incase! Thank you for sharing. Sounds like a good day anyway.

 

[Tomh]

So Epcot today felt empty. Like a 5 tops.
I fast passed every ride. Didn’t feel very crowded

Stand by times were around 40-60 for the top rides there.

Frozen was incredible. Rode it twice. Love it.

Note to everyone. Living with the land had to be the most boring ride I have ever rode

Great day!

The frozen party gave the best spot for illmuninations. Felt like a whole new show watching from there

Great to hear that the crowds seem so low. I've read this a few times recently, has my hopes up for our upcoming trip. To be honest, I was kind of expecting this to happen this year. DHS is a disaster. Toy Story Land is nice, but at least in my opinion, not the kind of thing that is going to convince people to come visit Disney, just something to see if you are already there. Pandora is amazing, but I think that drew most of it's crowds last summer. This summer, it is more of what you see if you are already there, but not the main driving force behind people's decision to visit. Star Wars will be opening next summer, I think a lot of folks are now holding off to visit when it opens, making this summer a slower year.

Sorry you found Living with the Land boring. To be honest, I absolutely love that ride, but perhaps in part because it is slower. It is part of what I love about Epcot.

I agree about Frozen, they did a great job with that.

So I know several times I have read people go in with only magic bands often. Others say they never would. I never will again. Just a heads up as one CM told me they had been having issues since yesterday. Was working fine at our resort yesterday though.

First off, I want to say great job adapting, and moving on. It is far too easy to let something like that truly ruin your day.

Secondly, I am with you 100%. I never trust technology that much. We stay offsite now, so paying by MB isn't an option, but even when we were staying onsite, I never trusted that as my only payment method. I always had backup with me. Now that we stay offsite, our primary payment method is Disney gift cards. We purchase discounted gift cards at Sam's Club, and use them to pay for most of our in park purchases. However, I always have my debit card, my credit card, and some cash with me as well, just in case.

 

[Mika02]

So Epcot today felt empty. Like a 5 tops.
I fast passed every ride. Didn’t feel very crowded

Stand by times were around 40-60 for the top rides there.

Frozen was incredible. Rode it twice. Love it.

Note to everyone. Living with the land had to be the most boring ride I have ever rode

Great day!

The frozen party gave the best spot for illmuninations. Felt like a whole new show watching from there

Living on the land is not terrible it's a nice cool ride indoors. I wouldn't stand for a long time to ride it through lol

So excited for low crowds didn't even feel like low crowds on our January trip so definitely would be a nice change.

First park day is in the books. We went to Epcot. Things were going great. We went through the Living Seas, rode Finding Nemo, looked around some and were just enjoying the beautiful day outside. Then we hit a snag when I went to purchase a pain reliever in the first aid station. I had made several purchases yesterday and things were working great; so for the first time since their inception I decide to go to the park with just my magic band. Never again. Their tap and pay system is down.

Of course it is because I decided for the first time ever to leave the room without my card and cash. I went to where the kids wanted lunch in the Mexico Pavilion to confirm it was park wide. It was. I was so mad at myself. I should have known better. My 15 year-old volunteered to stay behind with the bags, (one of which was my cooler backpack with plenty to drink) while my 8 year-old and I went back to the room. We power-walked back to the bus stop. Of course it is midday so the bus takes forever and the All-Stars are sharing. I ask the driver when we get back to the resort if he is the only one driving the Epcot/All-Star route right now. He says no; but when we got back to the stop after grabbing my card and cash plus drinks from the fridge, it said 25 minutes to the next one. Even longer for Magic Kingdom; so ds and I headed to bell services and took a cab back. We were back at Epcot before the predicted time a bus was to arrive at our resort.

With no bags we got back to dd pretty quick. We had some Mexican food for lunch and went on about our day. My daughter who has some anxiety challenges at times, was determined to ride Soarin' with us. She loved it. I admit I got a little emotional.

As planned, we returned to the resort after dinner. Depending on the crowd calendar and fast pass availability, we will probably switch our plans and go to MK tomorrow. We usually go there first; but with the weather yesterday and how tired we were it was best to stay in.

So I know several times I have read people go in with only magic bands often. Others say they never would. I never will again. Just a heads up as one CM told me they had been having issues since yesterday. Was working fine at our resort yesterday though.

This is why I almost never go bagless. If I do I have a little belt that has pockets that I can stick cash, credit cards and an external charger for emergencies. I don't know how people get away with it their whole trip...

 

[pd1138]

I always keep my Disney visa with me as well as one $20 bill. Takes up no room and just a little insurance for technical issues. When we use the magic band to charge back to the room the cc we have on file gets better rewards then the Disney one but I have the Disney one on me for the meet and greets. We only use it for a table service if we get the discount, but in a pinch it can be used if magic bands are down.

 

[Mousemommy1]

First park day is in the books. We went to Epcot. Things were going great. We went through the Living Seas, rode Finding Nemo, looked around some and were just enjoying the beautiful day outside. Then we hit a snag when I went to purchase a pain reliever in the first aid station. I had made several purchases yesterday and things were working great; so for the first time since their inception I decide to go to the park with just my magic band. Never again. Their tap and pay system is down.

Of course it is because I decided for the first time ever to leave the room without my card and cash. I went to where the kids wanted lunch in the Mexico Pavilion to confirm it was park wide. It was. I was so mad at myself. I should have known better. My 15 year-old volunteered to stay behind with the bags, (one of which was my cooler backpack with plenty to drink) while my 8 year-old and I went back to the room. We power-walked back to the bus stop. Of course it is midday so the bus takes forever and the All-Stars are sharing. I ask the driver when we get back to the resort if he is the only one driving the Epcot/All-Star route right now. He says no; but when we got back to the stop after grabbing my card and cash plus drinks from the fridge, it said 25 minutes to the next one. Even longer for Magic Kingdom; so ds and I headed to bell services and took a cab back. We were back at Epcot before the predicted time a bus was to arrive at our resort.

With no bags we got back to dd pretty quick. We had some Mexican food for lunch and went on about our day. My daughter who has some anxiety challenges at times, was determined to ride Soarin' with us. She loved it. I admit I got a little emotional.

As planned, we returned to the resort after dinner. Depending on the crowd calendar and fast pass availability, we will probably switch our plans and go to MK tomorrow. We usually go there first; but with the weather yesterday and how tired we were it was best to stay in.

So I know several times I have read people go in with only magic bands often. Others say they never would. I never will again. Just a heads up as one CM told me they had been having issues since yesterday. Was working fine at our resort yesterday though.

See, I'm super skeptical of using the MB's to pay as well, but my DH wants to do it this year. I'm going to have him read this post and see if he changes his mind.

 

[Disneylover99]

See, I'm super skeptical of using the MB's to pay as well, but my DH wants to do it this year. I'm going to have him read this post and see if he changes his mind.

Let him do it. But still bring your credit card and a wad of cash, just in case.

 

[Tulles]

Wow I haven't carried cash or a card the last 2 trips but this time I will for sure.

 

[Mousemommy1]

So quick question. We always do the Disney gift cards, and I'm planning on buying them through Target as usual. $2000 worth of gift cards = $100 of savings!!

But, I hate that we are going to have 20 gift cards. That always annoys me. So, if I consolidate them on the Disney gift card website, what is the limit for one card? Is it $1000? I can't remember.

 

[disneyjr77]

So quick question. We always do the Disney gift cards, and I'm planning on buying them through Target as usual. $2000 worth of gift cards = $100 of savings!!

But, I hate that we are going to have 20 gift cards. That always annoys me. So, if I consolidate them on the Disney gift card website, what is the limit for one card? Is it $1000? I can't remember.

Oh wow, i wish i knew about this on Friday! We got 2 $500 cards at BJ's thinking we'd save $5 a card, but apparently that only works on the ones with the pre-determined amount and i didn't want to carry 10 gift cards around and worry about losing them.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Oh wow, i wish i knew about this on Friday! We got 2 $500 cards at BJ's thinking we'd save $5 a card, but apparently that only works on the ones with the pre-determined amount and i didn't want to carry 10 gift cards around and worry about losing them.

Oh dang!!!

I wonder if they'd let you return them?

 

[disneyjr77]

Oh dang!!!

I wonder if they'd let you return them?

I don't think you can return gift cards, but i'm not sure.

 

[ADS2508]

So quick question. We always do the Disney gift cards, and I'm planning on buying them through Target as usual. $2000 worth of gift cards = $100 of savings!!

But, I hate that we are going to have 20 gift cards. That always annoys me. So, if I consolidate them on the Disney gift card website, what is the limit for one card? Is it $1000? I can't remember.

Yes the max per card is $1,000. I keep the ones with a balance saved on the site along with the physical card. I also tend to bring a blank card and keep it in a separate place so that if a card gets lost I can quickly log on and transfer the remaining balance and not loose the money. You can save up to 5 cards on the my gift card website at a time.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Yes the max per card is $1,000. I keep the ones with a balance saved on the site along with the physical card. I also tend to bring a blank card and keep it in a separate place so that if a card gets lost I can quickly log on and transfer the remaining balance and not loose the money. You can save up to 5 cards on the my gift card website at a time.

Sorry if this sounds stupid, but what does saving them on the site do? You still have access to the physical card, correct?

 

[QueenGsMama]

For instances where the MB reader was down for payments, do you know if Apple Pay would work? I don't like going with my cards if I can avoid it, but I would most definitely have my phone. Or was it cash only?

 

[disneyjr77]

Oh dang!!!

I wonder if they'd let you return them?

I don't think you can return gift cards, but i'm not sure.

I just checked, and they're not returnable.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

My resort said the magic bands might not work to buy things yesterday but in the end after about an hour, it works fine the rest of the day.

Still brought my card anyway just Incase