Disney Magic Band and FastPass+ review

     When Disney first announced the coming of Magic Bands, I was a little more than skeptical. The current system of key cards and paper FastPasses seemed to be working just fine, so was a total overhaul of hotel rooms, park entries, and FastPass kiosks really necessary? But Disney has always loved to be one step ahead of the rest of the entertainment world when it comes to technology, so they were going there whether their fandom approved or not (and most of us did not). This new system got rid of paper tickets or “Key to the Kingdom” cards. Instead, each guest is given a personalized Magic Band months ahead of their vacation which acts as their theme park ticket, FastPass, hotel room key, and credit card. In reading the first reviews and articles, it made me weary to think that anyone, even the company that I trust most, would have that much of my information all stored in one tiny place. When I booked our fifth anniversary/maternity trip for this past week, I was hoping I would have the option to forego Magic Bands (as the system is officially still in testing phase). Alas, the choice wasn’t there, so try Magic Bands we did.
     I’ll be honest, after the first day I was fully prepared to write a huge post about how we were right all along and this was the dumbest thing Disney has done since turning Cinderella castle into a giant birthday cake. But by the last day of our trip, I was conflicted and confused. To put it shortly, Magic Bands and I have a love/hate relationship. Let’s start with the obvious: the hate part.

Magic Band Cons
They are quite uncomfortable. The bands are made of a plastic/rubber material and are waterproof and durable. The fastening mechanism is kind of like the one on those old trucker hats, with the prongs and holes. The way it’s made, it is a little difficult to put on one handed. The hard, inflexible area where the microchip sets, is about an inch to inch and a half long. This makes the ends of the band point down toward the center, creating a triangle shape that does not conform to the oval shape of your wrist. Thus, the band is quite annoying to wear. After entering the parks, we took ours off and put them away in the bag. We noticed a lot of other guests doing this too, and hardly anyone was actually wearing theirs. (Isn’t this exactly the thing that Magic Bands were supposed to save you from doing? Having to get your tickets in and out of your bags or wallet? Hmm...)
They don't always read correctly. This happened to both of us multiple times throughout our trip (to me, so much that mine had to be reset). If your band works properly, the Mickey symbol on the scanner will light up green (blue if it does not go through). We had issues getting into the parks at times (never at our hotel or with FastPass+). It often happened as we tried to enter our second or third park for the day. It would work fine one time, but the next it may take 3 or 4 tries before it would go through. I have no idea what could be causing it, whether it was something we were doing wrong or the bands themselves.
It's all in one. You lose your band, and you've lost your ticket, your FastPasses, your hotel room key, and a credit card. That just makes me nervous. Because we didn't want to wear them, it was harder to keep up with our bands because they can't just slide into a wallet like a card.

 

Magic Band ProsFaster entry to the parks. The introduction of Magic Band meant that all turnstiles were removed from the park entrances. Now, all that is there are the band scanners. There are two scanners per line (think of it like a gas station with multiple pumps). When the bands are working properly, it creates a much smoother and faster traffic flow into the park. It was amazing how much quicker we got in, even with long lines at park openings.

It's all in one. The very thing that first made me iffy about these bands is also one of the great things about it. In theory, it really is much more convenient to only have to keep up with one "key" if you will. You don't have to worry about keeping up with a hotel key, park tickets, and paper FastPasses individually. I'm just not sure a bracelet is the best thing to replace it all with. 

 

     I've mentioned before that I do not use FastPass. Because so many people do use it, standby lines have become much shorter and (if you know how to time things) FastPass is unnecessary. With the introduction of FastPass+ rules limiting the number of passes you can obtain per park per day, it means that standby lines are slightly longer than they have been in recent years (at least at busy times like Spring Break). With the new FastPass, you can only get passes for 3 attractions in each park per day. That means you will spend the rest of the day in standby lines for the other attractions. You can book your passes up to 60 days before your vacation via the My Disney Experience app on your phone or on the WDW website. You can also book them at the parks the day of, by visiting one of the new FastPass kiosks (right now these kiosks are just cast members with iPads in different areas of the park). I had no intention of using FastPass+ on this trip. The first day we were there, at Animal Kingdom, the FastPass return line was much longer than the standby line, further convincing me that FP was unnecessary. However, when we had ridiculous wait times at the other parks, we decided to give it a try. This is what we discovered:

 

FastPass+ Cons

You will spend all your time in line just to get your FastPass. Some of the longest lines we saw all day were the lines for the FastPass+ kiosks. We had already ridden three or four attractions before some people even had their passes. If you are going to use FastPass+, I highly recommend booking them using the My Disney Experience app. Otherwise you will not be accomplishing any kind of time-saving. I booked ours in less than 10 minutes on my phone while waiting in line for the Haunted Mansion.

It is only productive at certain times. As I mentioned earlier, we were at Animal Kingdom on our first day and noticed that the FastPass return lines were much longer than the standby lines. We were there from lunchtime until close and this was consistent throughout the entire time. FP is now offered on most every attraction, but is really only useful for a handful. The rides that they come in most handy for are: Rock n' Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, Soarin, and Test Track. All others tend to have comparable standby times.

You're day revolves around your FastPass. We did a lot of waiting around for our FP time to arrive, often standing right outside the attraction, but not being allowed to go in. Your time must be right on the dot, not one second earlier, before you are allowed to enter. Our return times for the different attractions did not permit much time to do anything in between them, especially since all the attractions were often on totally opposite ends of the park. Backtracking can sometimes be very unproductive and tiring (plus I can't stand being on that tight of a schedule).

 

FastPass+ Pros

You can save major time on certain attractions. Our biggest time gain was on Peter Pan's Flight. The standby wait was 45 minutes. We were on and off the ride in 7 minutes with our FastPasses. This will probably be the one ride that I will use FP for from now on. The other two attractions we had passes for  had reasonable standby times (less than 25 minutes), so we really didn't make up a lot of ground there.

The FastPass limit makes the system much more productive. The one thing that most people hate about the new FastPass+ is one of the things I like most. The biggest reasons standby lines back up is because there are too many FP people "breaking" line. With the new limit, we noticed these interruptions in traffic flow were much fewer, thereby making the line move faster than the posted wait time. The sign may have said 20 minutes, but we really only waited 10 or 15. It also means that you can't be as dependent on FP as before. I've seen too many people use FP as a crutch. They think that if they can't get a FP, then they can't ride it or it's not worth it. But they are missing so much! Sometimes the standby que is the best part of the ride. For example, the que line for Haunted Mansion is incredibly interactive and fun (it was even before all the upgrades. I loved reading the headstones). There are so many things to look at and play with that you don't feel like you're waiting at all. These elements also add to the story of the attraction. If you use the FP line, you miss every bit of it.

 

     Although Disney has been testing this new system for a while (almost a year I believe), there are still a few bugs that need to be worked out. It does, however, have a ton of potential. I guess, in the end, you could say that I'm not as against it as I was before. I see what they are trying to do, and I think the theory is a good one. Perhaps some changes need to be made in the execution, but that's what testing is for. The parks have changed tremendously just in the last 5 or 6 years. Crowds are much heavier than they have ever been (aren't we suppose to be in a down economy at the moment? Can't tell it!), and the next generation expects everything to be digital. Disney has always prided itself on adapting to a constantly changing world (one of the reasons they are so successful), so perhaps this really is the best way to, as Walt said, "keep moving forward."
     Overall, a grade of a B- from me!