I didn’t think I would be going to Disney World again until 2015. My family has a trip planned to a different destination this year, and I reasoned that waiting until all the changes at the World revolving around MyMagic+ settled down might be a good thing. But last week, my husband says to me, my birthday is coming up and what I’d most like to do on that day is go to Star Wars weekends at Hollywood Studios.
Let the planning begin! But how would MyMagic+ change the way I would plan this trip versus trips in the past?
Where to Stay: Going to Star Wars weekends means crowds at Disney Hollywood Studios. I knew that staying at an Epcot resort, which would mean being within walking distance or a short boat ride to the park, could make our trip much more relaxed. We were able to easily book one of these wonderful resorts online and are looking forward to enjoying the entertainment on the Boardwalk, gazing out at Crescent Lake, and swimming in the pool.
So how did MyMagic+ change my planning of hotel reservations?
It didn’t. Okay, that part was easy.
Dining Reservations: Over the course of several days, I succeeded in getting the dining reservations I wanted—even this close to a trip! It was not altogether easy, though. For example, the always-busy Liberty Tree Tavern took some doing. In the course of one day, available dinner times at Liberty Tree Tavern for our night at the Magic Kingdom appeared and disappeared over a fairly widespread range of times. I would make one reservation, and an hour or so later a better time would be available. After three tries, I was able to make a reservation for what I think will be the perfect time. But we’ll see. Who knows what timing issues FastPass+ reservations will bring.
So how did MyMagic+ change my planning of dining reservations?
Just a little. Although the My Disney Experience website and app are a change (particularly the ability to make dining reservations on the My Disney Experience app), the current challenges with planning dining reservations are similar to those that have existed for years on the Disney World website—mostly hoping the app and website will work and, better yet, work well plus successfully finding the best times to fit with the rest of our vacation. I did, however, appreciate the fact that I didn’t need to be at home on my computer to make dining reservations, so that is a good change from the My Disney Experience app.
Tickets and Magic Bands: Tickets! Anyone need tickets? Yes, my family of four does. Tickets for DisneyWorld are not just plastic cards anymore—they have been transformed into Magic Bands (insert oohs and aahs)! Here’s when my questions about MyMagic+ increased exponentially.
We decided to get annual passes because they make the most financial sense for this visit and our planned 2015 visit. Here is what I learned about purchasing annual passes under the MyMagic+ system by cobbling together answers from a Disney chat room, various Disney websites, and a call to a cast member:
• Purchasing on the Disney website. When purchasing annual passes on the website, a confirmation number is given right away and a voucher is mailed. This has implications for FastPass+ and Magic Bands, as outlined below.
• Linking passes to My Disney Experience. We will be able to link our passes to our My Disney Experience accounts with the confirmation number. This linking will be the key to opening up our access to FastPass+ reservations.
• How Magic Bands work with a My Disney Experience account. According to the Disney cast member, you don’t link your annual pass (or any ticket) to a band but instead link it to your My Disney Experience account. That way, any active bands on your account are able to be associated with any pass or ticket.
• When you get your Magic Bands. Without existing Magic Bands, you are out of luck in terms of having a band for your first visit with an annual pass. The order for the Magic Bands appears on your account only after the annual pass voucher is redeemed at the park. Lucky for us, we will be able to associate the passes with bands from one of our previous trips.
• Redeeming the voucher. On the first day you are ready to use your annual pass, the voucher must be redeemed at the park. At that time, you will receive an annual pass card that, like the Magic Band, can be used for admission and FastPass+ stations. Plus, at this time, only the card, not the band, will allow you to receive any annual pass discounts.
So how did MyMagic+ change the purchasing of our admission/annual passes?
A lot!! Stay tuned to hear about my experiences with FastPass+ reservations. Because we are staying off-site, we can’t make these reservations until 30 days out. Also, I am really looking forward to seeing the new Festival of Fantasy Parade (and may consider a FastPass+ for it), and it is rumored that the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will be open and available for FastPass+ before we go. Let’s see what happens …
