By now most of us have heard of the new Magic Band technology being used at the Walt Disney World Resort. Right now guests staying at any Disney Resort receive a Magic Band which replaces the Key to the World card. Hopefully sometime this year Annual Pass Holders, Seasonal Pass Holders and Cast Members will receive Magic Bands, but until then Disney is slowly getting the their parks ready by removing the Legacy Fast Pass system and adding the Fast Pass+ system. Note, if you are an Annual Pass Holder and stay on property, your Annual Pass card can be attached to the My Disney Experience. I have not stayed on property, so I wanted to try out the new Fast Pass+ with my Annual Pass so off to Magic Kingdom I went!
Once into the park I found eager Cast Members (aka CM’s) holding Fast Pass+ signs and directing those that need to make their Fast Pass selections for the day to the FP+ kiosks.
Here is the information the CMs were handing out.
Some of the kiosks had long lines while others were empty. I suggest walking to the next kiosk if you find a long line. They have set up mobile kiosks as well all throughout the park, which will help when the crowds are huge.
In this picture you can see a CM set up as a mobile FP+ kiosk.
Here are my Fast Pass+ selections for the day. My Annual Pass is not linked to My Disney Experience account so I was told to take a picture of the screen so I would remember my selections. It was a quick process. I tapped my Annual Pass to the Mickey head and a Welcome Screen popped up. I was able to choose my 3 experiences (rides) and then was offered three different time frames of availability. The process is very user friendly and because it was a slow day at the Magic Kingdom all experiences and times were available. One thing to note on the screen above is the green Make Changes tab. You will see later on I decided to change the Haunted Mansion to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin . So you are not locked in as long as you change the selection before the FP+ time is up!
Here we are entering The Pirates of the Caribbean. Tap your Annual Pass to the Mickey head and ding…you’re on your way!
I love that green glow 🙂
Next…Peter Pan’s Flight!
OK now to make some changes. If you decide you want to try another ride or if the wait isn’t long and you don’t want to waste a FP you can make changes to your selections. You can choose to change the time of your current experience, your experience all together or both. I decided to change both. I made my selection…
Very simple and you always get to confirm your changes. Don’t worry, if you need help plenty of CMs are nearby.
Now I have my new FP+ selection. Notice it still shows the selections we have already done for the day. Also, notice that I can still make changes to my new experience. Again, I took a picture to remember my time frame.
Time for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin!
As I was leaving, I did notice some of the kiosks getting busy. I have two worries as an Annual Pass Holder. The first is not being able to have the ride experience or timeframe I desire. Having to wait until the day of while others with Magic Bands may choose weeks in advance puts me at a disadvantage, I believe. The second is having to wait in long lines to make my FP+ selections or changes. Only time will tell how it all works out, but I really had a good day experience the day I visited the Magic Kingdom.