Reviews of MagicBand
Reviewed by tpetty Review Date: 11/13/2013
Rating: (4) Recommended
Sorry this is so long but it combines our experience with the MagicBands and FP+ since Disney is lumping that together.
We were asked to participate in the testing of the MagicBands for our trip from Sept. 3rd to Sept 12th while staying at Pop Century. I had been playing on WDW website when I noticed our reservations had the option for Magic Bands and making Fast Pass reservations. I clicked around a little bit but didn’t make any plans for us or confirm we wanted either. By that evening I had received an email to participate and then the next day which was a Saturday morning we had received a letter via UPS asking us to participate. We had read different things about it and it got us curious since we know overnight shipping isn’t cheap let alone a Sat. morning delivery. We were concerned about participating because we had heard we only get 3 Fast Pass+ a day and only at one park. We tend to park hop and use the Fast Pass system as much as possible to our advantage so 3 passes wouldn’t be enough with our normal touring habits. My DH called the number they gave us and asked the CM if we could opt out at any time if we decided it was no longer for us and he said yes. He even went on to say that the old Fast Pass system and new Fast Pass system didn’t talk to one another so we were free to schedule our FastPass+ on the new system but still use the old system with our Key to the World Card that they would give us as a backup to the MagicBands. After hearing this we agreed we wanted to try it out for ourselves.
Next up was ordering the MagicBands. Kind of fun because we got to pick what colors we wanted but from the beginning I have said I thought they were ugly and who wants pictures ruined with everyone wearing silly bracelet type things in them. I knew though that we could use the Key to the World card in the end. After we completed that we had to try to link to different reservations up so we could plan for both traveling parties. Originally it was my DH, DS (age 2) and myself in one room and my DMIL in her own room. Right away we had problems linking the two reservations up. We ended up calling the number again and they even had trouble. We were told it would take 30 minutes and my DH would receive an email letting him know the reservations were linked. After 45 minutes we decided to call back because their office hours had them there for only 15 more minutes. The CM we talked to said they were still working on it and they would have it fixed before they went home for the night. After about an hour we received an email that it was fixed. We logged back in and it wasn’t fixed so we gave up for the night. The next day my DH called back and they did something else and it made it better but not 100% perfect. The problem was I could see that everyone was eligible for FP+ but couldn’t make changes for my DMIL. I was supposed to be able to make changes for everyone since I was part of the reservation and authorization to do so. We figured if we were at the park and my DH cell phone went dead we needed a backup or maybe he wasn’t around and I was needing to make the changes I should be able to do so. We decided we would deal with that later if nothing else at the park with a CM there.
The next on our agenda was to schedule the FP+ for the rides we wanted to ride. We tend to not be planners unless we are on the free dining plan where you have to plan the sit down meals. Otherwise we tend to go with the flow and decide which park we will visit even the night before usually looking at who has morning hours (skipping that park since we aren’t morning people) and knowing we might want to do the extra magic hours in the evening. So we tried to apply this same strategy with make the reservation. 3 per park with the exception of the MK where they threw in a bonus FP+ for the Little Mermaid ride. Fantasmic and Illuminations were an option but Main Street Electrical Parade was not which we found interesting.
Within 2 or 3 days of picking out our MagicBands they were overnighted to us and I received a reminder email from Disney a day or two before our trip to remind us to bring these with us and have them available when we arrive.
Fast forward to our trip and my DMIL had to cancel at the last minute for another family members health issues so that took care of not being able to make FP+ changes for her. After checking in at PC we headed to the food court to get our free resort mug since we were on the free quick food service dining plan. At check out the CM asked my DH to use his Magic Band and then input his key/passcode. Problem was his pass code wasn’t validating the mugs for us so the CM used our Keys to the World card to complete this transaction. Back to the check-in area where they had my DH confirm his passcode again hoping this would fix the problem.
Off we went to the MK and the MagicBands got us into the gate with no problem but you still have to link a finger with the band so it that slowed it down a bit. The rest of the night we had no problem.
Our 2nd day there we were off to DHS. We decided we didn’t think we would make our first FP+ ride so DH rescheduled it on his phone for later in the day. Once at the park we realized we could make it so pulled our My Plans FP+ on our phones and we showed we still had our original ride time and also the one we rescheduled. So we went to the ride and were denied access b/c their system said it wasn’t until later. We were fine with that but he suggested we go to the FP+ kiosk that has CM there to answer questions or give feedback to. When we arrived there they pulled up our FP+ plans for the day to their surprise and ours I was scheduled to ride this ride 4 time for the day (when you are only allowed to have 1 FP+ for each ride per day). They had never seen that before and when we showed them what our cell phone displayed it was completely different from what their screen showed. They ended up fixing it so we could ride the ride right then like we originally had scheduled as well as later in the day like we rescheduled.
Another day we noticed that Main Street Electrical parade was an option but we weren’t going to MK that day so we switched all of our FP+ to the MK. After making the switch our old FP+ for the other park were still there. We are guessing they weren’t valid like what happened previously but didn’t park hop that day to test it out.
Finally, on our last day we thought we would go to DHS before leaving for the airport but our DS was really getting into the MK so we decided after checking out of Pop Century to head there instead. We decided to make the change at guest services on Main Street since half the time our phone took forever to pull up our plans and the other half of the time it wouldn’t pull it up at all. When we got to the kiosk it pulled up our plans for DHS but there wasn’t a way to change it. The CM there was puzzled so he enlisted the help of 2 of the tech CM for this initiative and they were stumped. They then decided you couldn’t switch parks at the kiosk so we had to do it by our phone. This was fine but again after making the changes it pulled up our old reservations and the new ones which completely confused them. We should have only seen our MK plans at this point. They said they would look into it and we went on our way to enjoy our last day at the park.
In the end it was very interesting to be a part of the test. We still aren’t convinced this is worth the money that we have heard Disney put into it. Like I mentioned before half the time our phones weren’t able to pull up our plans. Imagine when this rolls out and everyone is trying to use their phones to get their plans. My MagicBand came unsnapped at different times throughout our trip so they aren’t the most secure thing. They sent us one for our 2 year old even though he was free for everything but imagine asking a 3 year old to wear one and have nothing happen to it. I guess there is the option of not putting it on him/her and use the card but it is needed to show you have a FP+ ride time with the rest of the family.
We also ran into multiple CM that didn’t know anything about the system or didn’t know how to deal with it. One example being at the Emporium when we went to use a snack credit the CM told us we need our card to do it but we had just used our bands at another shop buying snacks. She went backstage and confirmed we could use our band. Another example was when we went to use the FP+ at Fantasmic they had us form a separate line but then we were lead in with the general crowd. When we asked a CM where the FP+ seating was she said she didn’t even know they had FP+ seating. We finally found the section but then there was no one to prevent any guest from hopping under the rope to get into that section which we did see people do.
The one positive thing I do have to say about preplanning the FP+ is that my DH didn’t have to run from ride to ride getting us FP when we had time available to have one. We were able to stroll down Main Street and take it all in as a family so that was really nice.
Pros:
DH wasn't rushing to get us FPCons:
system problems, too much preplanning, only 3 per day and at 1 parkReviewed by cmusschoot Review Date: 11/15/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We were issued Magic Bands for our last stay at the Boardwalk hotel Nov. 8-11.
I had customized them on line weeks prior and they were delivered to my house about a month before our trip.
We used the bands to check-in for Magical Express and it was great.
At the hotel the system was down, but we were issued Key to the World cards while we were waiting for our room to be ready and for the system to assign us a room. These cards were not needed as we had purchased our tickets through the "sports" discount - Wine and Dine run, so we had paper cards as well .
We went right to Magic Kingdom from there and had no issues with the band itself.
Pros:
Ease of entering each themepark, ease of payment at vendors and shopsCons:
noneReviewed by dymondclay Review Date: 11/17/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We visited the World from 10/19-10/26 and stayed at BLT. We received the Magic Bands in the mail prior to the trip. I was able to secure Fastpass+ reservations on MDE before the trip. Other than the limitation of not being able to spread fast passes over multiple parks in one day(you had to pick 3 in one park), we liked the Fastpass+ system. Loved the easy room access, the Magical Express check-in, the dining charges, and the purchase usage. We loved making Fastpass+ reservations or modifying existing reservations on the fly.
We did have an instance where a member of our group lost their Magic Band in the pool at BLT. It was found and turned in before it was noticed missing. By the time our friend realized they had lost it, it was in the lost and found system. It may still be there to this day. Nobody could find out where it went and he was given a replacement. The replacement process was seamless and it worked just fine including charging to the room.
The app on the phone was very slow at times and it was not always clear how to get the results you wanted with the Fastpass+ reservation system. DH (a computer programmer) even accidentally deleted fastpasses when trying to change a fastpass time.
All in all, we really enjoyed the experience.
After our return home, I had "phantom Magic Band" feelings and my wrist felt naked without it.
Pros:
Not carrying key to the world card, easy charging, easy admission, and easy room access.Cons:
Fastpass+ limited to all fastpasses in one park, and lost and found still working on handling of "found" Magic BandsReviewed by kristy1992 Review Date: 11/19/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We tested the Magic Band system the week of November 10 and found it to be very good. It was very easy to use and easier than looking for your card to pay for items/meals/snacks.
Also having the FassPasses on it was wonderful! I was able to secure 3 FP per park/day. There were 9 in our party so I booked FP for everyone, yet if someone didn't ride something, like Everest, than we still had FP that could be utilized for a rider to go a second and in some cases a third time. It was wonderful. Several days I moved FP reservations to later times with no problems.
Do take a print out of your FP reservations with you though. We had one glitch with Soarin and luckily I had my printouts from My Disney Experience. The manager was more than accommodating and got us on the ride ASAP.
Even though I liked the system, the cast members we talked to about them did not. Most of the restaurants don't like the bands, as a matter of fact we couldn't find one waiter or waitress that was happy with the system. They all said it was more work.
Pros:
Convienent, easy to use, everything in one placeCons:
a little uncomfortable when it is hotReviewed by para522 Review Date: 11/19/2013
Rating: (5) Recommended
We visited the World for a short visit (long weekend) November 15-18, 2013, specifically to see the new things (i.e. Fantasyland) and the Christmas events/decorations. The bands basically worked great, except my DH had a hard time getting the hang of it and it took him a while to get through sometimes. It was easy for purchases, photopass, etc. DD10 LOVED using it. Basically a great system. The drawback and the reason I only give it a 5 is the Fastpass+ system. Others have mentioned this - you get three FP per day in one park - period. We did not know this ahead of time and I've looked through the site and I can't find mention of this, at all. So, we made FP for morning times and then found that we had to wait in line the rest of the day. Wasn't that big of a deal this time of year, but I can't imagine going through that when it is more crowded. I hope that is something they consider changing in the future.
Pros:
convenient, fun, fastCons:
Fastpass+Reviewed by Susan C Review Date: 11/20/2013
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
Just got back from Disney. A group of us went and all had the bands. Our bands were so bad that for 3 of our rooms we were refunded a full night for our deluxe resort along with 3 anytime any park fast passes for the length of our stay. We went from the bands not opening our doors, to getting into the parks, reservations etc... To also our cards not working. It was so frustrating to constantly having to have them fixed. We wasted more time on them. I know it wasn't just our group because you would see others having to deal with managers trying to enter the parks. They need to do a lot more work on these before they have everyone using them. We did hear they are going to hold back rolling them out until spring 2014 instead of by the end of the year. I do have to say there were a number of great cast members who tried to help!
Pros:
NoneCons:
—Reviewed by 2SweetFlowers Review Date: 11/20/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
These arm bands are amazing -- they contain all the information you need to board the Magical Express bus at the airport, open the door to your resort room, enter the parks, purchase food and merchandise, and get FastPass+ entry to attractions. At the Be Our Guest Restaurant, it even acted like a GPS so the servers knew right where to deliver our meal. When an attraction broke down minutes before our FastPass time, we didn't lose out on the attraction, but were able to return at a time convenient for us.
The downside is when the magic band didn't work. We repeatedly had problems with one of our magic bands entering the Magic Kingdom -- although it worked just fine at all of the other parks. The first time it didn't work, we needed to show photo ID and annual pass card (which we fortunately had with us). The second time, it was only necessary to show the annual pass card. The third time, we accidentally handed the cast member our Key to the World for the resort instead of the annual pass. Somehow, they managed to transfer our resort information onto the annual pass card, and vice versa. We were then sent to guest services to obtain a new annual pass card, which meant we had to update the info on My Disney Experience before changing or making any new FastPass+ selections. When the magic band worked, it was great...but there are still a few glitches to work out.
Pros:
Convenient -- no need to carry cards & passes!Cons:
When it doesn't work, still need to carry cards & passes!Reviewed by shoprgal Review Date: 11/20/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We used the MBs on our trip to WDW in Sept/Oct. The issue we had was that we mailed the MBs to our resort, but they were not there when we arrived (or so we thought, even though I had received a tracking no.) We were issued gray bands. Three days later the original bands showed up in our room.....Here's what happened...I had made our original Disney Co. Reservation, picked out the MBs, linked reservations to MDE in advance of the trip - BUT a week before the original arrival date, I made an adjustment to arrive 2 days earlier....that date was not programed into the original MBs that had been mailed to our resort prior to the new, earlier arrival date. We had double the MBs for the rest of the trip!
Pros:
—Cons:
—Reviewed by miketp Review Date: 11/20/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
It took 4 phone calls to Disney to get our bands linked tickets. I had a 10 day park hopper with no expiration date. I could not get My Disney Experience to accept ticket number but cast member fixed on first call. However, it took 3 more calls to get my wife's Premier Pass accepted. When we got to Magic Express neither band worked and cast member would not accept paper voucher. It took long enough to fix that we missed bus and did not get to resort until 1 a.m. Also we always have park hopper but Fast Pass+ is only good at one park a day! a major drawback.
Pros:
Ease of useCons:
No park hopper featureReviewed by elindros Review Date: 11/20/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Just returned from a week at Disney World and using Magic Bands and MDE. First snag was not being able to connect annual passes to bands before leaving home. Seems there is a little problem with anyone who purchased their annual pass last year, had to go to Guest Relations where they had to reissue the annual pass and then connect to Magic Band.
Whatever you do - do not use hand cream or sun screen on your hands before entering the park - it creates a problem with the finger reader.
Having the band was great when coming back from the park to our room no fumbling through anything to find the room key card much easier to just put the band on the door to unlock.
They are also starting new rules for the FastPass+ for the more popular rides which should help more people being able to get the most popular ones easier.
I think once all the bugs are ironed out the Magic Bands will be a great addition to everyone's vacation.
