For those who felt FastPass+ and MyMagic+ were failing at Walt Disney World, you may want to start re-thinking your theories.
As most of the major bugs in the system have been worked out over the last few months, it seems Disney is ready to launch the system globally. The Disneyland Resort in California will be conducting their very first tests for FastPass+ in August 2015. Hong Kong Disneyland will officially launch their system with the opening of the Iron Man Experience in 2016.
FastPass+ takes the FastPass ticketing system into the digital age, removing the paper FastPass distribution points at attractions with a system guests can use to book a FastPass online, in an app, or at one of several designated kiosks within the parks and have it linked to their ticket/MagicBand. Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland still use the original FastPass system currently.
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Hey, I’ll be their in August! I hope I can ask about it and try it out. Especially if they have the bands. I still want one. ;o;
The bands are cute. I’m a WDW cast member (not in ticket sales). The bands come with resort stays, or an annual type pass. Otherwise, you purchase them, and they’re available with many colors. And many ‘add ons’ that clip on the band for purchase. The add ons are becoming as popular as pin trading, and carry a similar theme and price.
The old system rewarded people who learned the parks and beat feet going to different kiosks.
The new system, though has a learning curve with the application, rewards those who plan farther ahead and spend the most at WDW in total, including tickets, lodging, stores, and restaurants.
I wonder if MagicBand support will be included in this or not?
This magic bands are looking great.
[…] Disney World News Today reported on Thursday afternoon that Disney is planning to test the Fastpass+ system at the Disneyland Resort in California this […]
My family is planning a trip in November. We have our Magic Band colors selected, ready and waiting for us when we arrive. Looking forward to being able to move about the parks with ease.
Ha ha. This guy’s cute.
Don’t know what you are talking about Toby. Having a MagicBand makes getting in the parks easy.
Hi! Do you think it will be for good neighbor hotels or just the 3 DLR hotels? Exciting!
Glad we are going before the testing. We were very good at the fast pass system and Disney World and have now used fast pass + we had half the amount of fast passes and had to stress and preplan. I agree the bands are nice and handy but would love it if they used the bands with the old system where you get fast passes the day of!
they do…..we went in February with normal paper tickets…..a cast member took us to a machine and asked us what rides we wanted to go on and the times we wanted…..so he punched in the info. and all we had to do was show up at those times for the rides and waved our paper tickets in front of the Mickey head….when it turned green we could proceed…..very cool :)
Of course the green Mickey is cool and all, but if you don’t pre book it is very hard to get major attractions. Our only choice of going is when students are on break. Last October we had our fast pass for Test Track so we couldn’t get one for Sorrin until we used it at 11:00 in the morning because of the pre booking we didn’t get one for Sorrin and we didn’t wait in line. Over Easter break we managed to go on both of those rides twice in a day with fast passes. Also, with the one park per day pre book if you want toy story you would have to choose three rides at Hollywood and honest we go to Hollywood only for toy story. It may work for you, but I wish that they had the bands but no pre booking.
The whole purpose of the new fastpass system is to allow more people to experience the major headliner rides. It’s designed to prevent a family getting on 3-4 times in one day and allowing others to experience it for the first time without the dreaded 2+ hour wait.
And also to get people in lines for the “lesser” rides.
I love the wdw system with magic bands and prebooked fastpasses.. . Way easier than paper fastpass system. So much better for me.
I wonder how that would work for Annual Pass holders?
At WDW, you get a MagicBand every year as a Passholder, and if staying at a resort you can make FP+ reservations just like other resort guests (60 days in advance, 3 FP+ per day for 1 park). If you’re local, looks like you can book FP+ for any 7 days per 30 day period, and only 30 days in advance. More here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/passholder/
I’m a WDW passholder. You can only get it up to 30 days in advance, and they don’t give you nearly as much availability as people staying on property. As of right now, I cannot get on Mine Train for 30 days. It’s blocked out as though they’re taken, but they’re not, it’s cleverly designed.
Trust me, this system will not allow you to utilize rides fast pass as much as before, and you’ll be spending much more time in lines. You don’t want it. That said, you will get it. They invested as much money at WDW on this system they could have opened a new theme park. Which would have been much better for us.
And they are monitoring spending closely. Soon, if you’re family spends a lot, you’ll notice they want to get you out of line and you magically have more available times. If you stay at Pop Century and aren’t spending a few hundred a day in stores, why should they give you more fast passes? Your app will show you limited, if any, fast pass choices.
Here, they’re adding tons of capacity, and stores, but not many attractions to divert the growing crowds. The fast pass isn’t much of a help.
I’m a WDW pass holder too, and live 5 minutes from WDW. I think MagicBands and FP+ is great and it’s made the experience much better for us.
[…] By Tom Corless […]
Maybe not, according to Park Vice-President for Disneyland Park Mary Niven. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-star-wars-coming-to-disneyland-but-no-magic-bands-20150521-story.html
FP+ is coming. MagicBands aren’t. Big difference.
Just in time for D23 Expo – which I’ll be attending. I hope I get to use the FP+.
The new sysmem IS a total fail for the guest experience. But Disney isn’t much about a good guest experience anymore or a ‘wow experience, it’s only about efficiency, and sheer profit at any other expense.
Sorry you had problems or couldn’t figure it out.
But FP+ and Magic hands were flawless for my Wife & I on our recent 12 night WDW vacation.
I’m so hopeful it becomes a permanent addition to my home park, DLR.
It’s not a matter of figuring it out, we’ve spent many trips with it, we are Disney Vacation Club members. it’s that they ‘throttle’ the availability of fast passes to your expenses. If you have guests traveling at different resorts, you’ll get differing availability. If you ‘re off site (not spending money on Disney lodging), you’re availability when parks are busy is bleak.
KEEP IN MIND: Fast pass was NEVER meant as a guest convenience, but as a method to keep people OUT of lines and spending money in the parks. Realizing this, the new system takes that to the entire level. If they didn’t think they’d make money, they wouldn’t have spent it. Just somewhere along the way, as a Disney fan, the guest experience is being left by the wayside. Completely.
Wrong. My guest experience with MagicBands and FP+ has been fantastic. I live 5 minutes from WDW and I’m an AP holder. I have no clue what you are talking about with it being a “fail”. We love it.
I agree with Kelly. At WDW it works great when the parks aren’t very busy. Once busy, you need to book way in advance, and they seem to control how many fast passes you get by how expensive of a resort you’re staying at on property. If you’re not staying on property, you’re out of luck for the best ride times. This is not transparent, but if you check your app (we live near Orlando) and check guests on resorts (have had that before), they get many more choices on the system, and to us, it just looks like there’s few or no times available. It’s all about making money folks. Which is ok. But it’s so in your face they don’t care much for guests having a wonderful time anymore that it’s nauseating. We go only when company visiting us in Orlando that insists to go.
What would the non-busy times be for those staying offsite? We would like to go either the second half of 2016 or the beginning of January 2017 (have already bought tickets (a few years back) and have to go before my middle child turns 10 on January 17, 2017 – but want to wait until our baby is two, so she can enjoy it more). Thanks!
[…] May 21 – WDW News Today is reporting that a FastPass+ System test is coming to Disneyland beginning in August 2015. (Link) […]
Any indication if Disneyland Paris will be getting the system as well? :)
The L.A.times reported the same day as your article that the president of Disneyland said no disney bands for.Disneyland….who’s right???
No MagicBands, but YES to FP+. You can have FP+ without MagicBands.
So, no FP+ testing in the Summer of 2015 – no FP+ testing through June of 2016 – you’re still holding on to that confederate money, I suppose.
They have tested, its a scanner system and it has been tested several times actually.