FastPass+

Walt Disney World is taking several major technological leaps forward this fall.. Along with MyDisneyExperience, and Disney's MagicBands, they have added the FastPass+ program. FastPass+ gives you the ability to log into your MyDisneyExperience account and pick three FastPass+ eligible rides in advance of your visit. This is very exciting for those travelers who have a touring plan, There are however some major restrictions such as limiting you to only three FastPass+ a day, and only for one of the parks even if you have a park hopper ticket. This differs for the paper FastPasses in that you can have one paper FastPass for multiple parks during a single day (but if you lose it or miss your time it is gone for good).

With FastPass+, it is loaded to your MagicBand so when your FP time comes up you scan the MagicBand at the kiosk and queue up in the FastPass line. This may also be a great way for those who have used the DAC (Disability Assistance Card) or GAC (Guest Assistance Card) for disability accommodations to avoid the hassles of standing in long standby lines without needing to sign up for the new program (although you will probably want to sign up so you can do more than three rides a day).

There are many things I love about this program, but one of the best in my opinion is that you don't have to be in the park at opening to get a FastPass+. This was one of my major complaints I had when the paper FastPass program started (mostly because if you wanted a relaxing morning you were likely to be shut out of the FastPasses due to limited numbers issued). I also like the convenience of not needing to fish around for the FP slip, or be out of luck if you lost it while doing another activity, brilliant!

So far the only drawback we have come across is that you need to have time and an idea of where you want to be and when you want to be there. Good if you like preplanning, which my wife does. Then translate all that into the MyDisneyExperience FastPass+ area. This can be a hassle because if you make changes to times or rides it bounces you back to the main page. It makes editing tedious but I am sure that this will be addressed after the beta testing is complete.

Overall organization is the key with FastPass+. You need to to have a plan, but if you are going to WDW and don't have some kind of plan of attack, I personally think you are crazy. This is not Disneyland, it is MUCH larger with many more parks and resorts. With the amount of apps and websites that can assist you with a touring plan it will only take a few hours to create a decent touring plan.that will save your sanity. We all know a sane traveler is a happy traveler. More to come.

Disney's new MyDisneyExperience vacation platform.

MyDisneyExperience is the Disney Resorts newest way to plan and organize your vacation. It gives you one location to make, change, or cancel hotel or advance dining reservations (ADR), choose FastPass+ ride times, and save special event registrations. This is an amazing tool if you have time set aside before your trip to figure out which park you will be in, what time you might want to eat, and what rides you may want to ride. Once you have your trip information in the MyDisneyExperience website it can be tweaked from your smart phone, laptop, or tablet. I am fortunate as my wife is very much a planner and even though there are some things that could vastly be improved on, we now have our trip in hand (via our smartphone apps).

For the moment this information will be used at the Walt Disney World Parks and resorts as your room key, park admission, event tickets, FastPasses, and charge things to your room through the Magicbands (see earlier post on Magicbands). This will probably expand to the other parks as the technology is proven reliable. I will welcome the day when I can go from cruise ship to park and only have one account. 

All your trip information will be stored and accessible so you can go back to review (for things you loved or hated) when planning your next trip. I definitely feel this will be a valuable tool as a person with a small child, and also a mobility impaired person, because it will be easier to notate something that we just didn't care for or had difficulty doing. Tell me how you might feel about this new tool.