Thursday, January 01, 2015

Disney World in Review - Fastpass+

Fastpass+ and MagicBands


Since the last time that we visited Disney World they've introduced the MagicBands and the Fastpass+ system (which replaced the original Fastpass system).  The MagicBands were shipped about a month before our trip and each of the bands was customized to the wearer and personalized with our names imprinted on the inside.  The bands themselves were pretty slick.  While at Disney World we used them to get into our hotel room, enter the theme parks, pay for our purchases (either via our credit card linked to our room, or more commonly, as a debit against our dining plan) and for Fastpass+.

Fastpass+ is Disney's new and improved Fastpass system. I didn't mind the new system too much, but I much prefer the old system (which as far as I know is still at Disneyland). They have Fastpass+ available for nearly every attraction, including shows, parades, character greetings, rides, etc.  Up to 30 days (or 60 if you're staying in a Disney Resort), you log onto Disney's website and select up to 3 Fastpass+ attractions per park per day.  Even though I tried to make our selections 45-50 days in advance most of the popular rides and attractions were already unavailable.  In addition, at Disneyland we're used to using Fastpasses all day long because I'm willing to run across the park getting new Fastpasses as soon as they're available.  With this new method, that's not an option.  The times that we did use Fastpass+ were nice though.

All I can say is get used to it.  I'm betting that this system will migrate to Disneyland once the system has been perfected. I give the MagicBands 5 out of 5 stars and the Fastpass+ system 2 out of 5 stars.

No comments: