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.

Magic Bands

There is some new technology that is being utilized at Walt Disney World that will hopefully make things easier for visitors. The introduction of the Disney Magic Bands and My Disney Experience, which is in the beta testing stage, is designed for visitors to the park to have all of their reservations (for rooms as well as dining, and shows), FastPass +, and Disney Dining Plan located in one place that can be viewed on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Successful use of My Disney Experience will require a little forethought on your part in the form of going in and placing your reservations, event tickets in your reservation link in My Disney Experience. I can tell you though that it isn't as hard as it might first appear and if you are booking through Walt Disney Travel or WDW Dining your reservations will be entered automatically. Here is the trick to this application, you will need to have an account open to use this program. However you may already have one if you have already registered with one of the many subsidiaries of Disney (ESPN, ABC, Marvel, Etc.).
After you have had your My Disney Experience all set and completed you will need to request your Disney Magic Bands to be sent to you or pick them up at your resort. The Magic Bands are taking the place of your key to the world. That means you will not have to have your lanyard with your park ticket, paper FastPasses, DDP information. It will all be accessible through your bracelet which I think is pretty brilliant. The Magic Bands will also have the ability to be accessorized with character attachments, and covers that can make them look like a watch or a true designer bracelet.
We are set to use them in three weeks and I will post an update on how I think they are working. I am fully expecting there to be some bugs because they are still very new, but I am very excited to be among the first wave of guests to get a chance to use them. More to come soon.

34 Days Until Launch (to Megavacation!!)

We are now just over a month from our big Disney Cruise/Walt Disney World trip and we are all very excited around here. Now we start with the real fun. If you are taking a cruise there are plenty of things you need to be doing right now. Most cruise lines have online documents you need to complete to be able to board the ship. It takes about an hour to complete it all and you will need to have all travel documents (i.e. flight info, ground transfers, passports for everyone in your party). It is kind of a pain but it should shorten your time at the terminal checking in. Also make sure that you have sent in your special needs form or you may not get the accommodations you need.

This is also the time that you will want to check your online flight information. If you book your flights a long time before you need to fly, things have a tendency to change. Our flight went from being a 7 a.m. flight to a 5 a.m. flight and we didn't even get an email. Also while you are checking the times it is always a good ideal to review seats. You might even be able to change them to suit your needs. A little inconvenience now can save you time when you are in line.

So while you are doing these little "administrative duties" there are some that a lot of people might forget. You will want to place a hold on your mail and newspaper deliveries to avoid any build up in your box or front porch. I also recommend getting several timers for lights in several places in your house and hook them to lamps and maybe even a radio. I know some people also lower the temperature on their water heater to keep from having that rack up unnecessary expense while they are gone. These last tips can save you money but also are more about security of your home. 

Finally, if you are boarding your pets, this is the time to verify that reservation and double check the vaccination records to make sure that you have all the shots they require. I almost missed my last Hawaii trip because the vet didn't fax over the updated shot records. That is NOT how you want to start your vacation, believe me. 

Now that we are in the final stretch, I will be posting more about what we do before our trip. As always if you have any tips to share please leave me a comment.