Disney World begins first full test of My Magic+ – MagicBands, Fastpass+, touch to enter and pay – MagicBand accessories on sale

guests entering the park with mymagic+

Disney has been testing various parts of their MyMagic+ system for the past few months, but today marks the first time the system, including MagicBands and Fastpass+, will be tested end to end with guests.

Select guests staying at the Contemporary Resort and Animal Kingdom Lodge were selected for the test. They will be given MagicBands to use for unlocking their hotel room door, entering the theme park parking lots and the parks themselves, paying for foods and merchandise and entering the Fastpass+ queues at select attractions at each Disney World theme park. This includes many attractions and experiences where Fastpass isn’t currently available such as the Haunted Mansion, parades and fireworks shows. Once fully launched, all attractions are expected to offer Fastpass+.

maymagic+ kiosk at magic kingdomGuests participating in the test may use the My Disney Experience mobile app to chose up to three Fastpass+ locations at one park per day. Touch-screen kiosks have been placed at various locations at each park, including guest services for the guests to change or add their Fastpass+ selections if they don’t want to or can’t use the app. The system will make “Fastpicks” for them if they don’t want to pick themselves. Guest Services cast members have been trained to help guests with all aspects of the My Magic+ system.

small world fastpass+ entranceDisney is in the process of adding Fastpass+ signs to each attraction and will continue to do so over the next few months as testing continues. This current test will continue through June 26. Disney passholders staying at the resort who are chosen for the test may continue to use their MagicBand for park entry after the test.

Disney is planning on making MyMagic+ available to all guests by the end of the year. In fact, MagicBand accessories have already gone on sale at select Disney World locations such as the Contemporary gift shop.

Here’s a look at some of the buttons, sliders and band covers on sale now. (Photos courtesy of Outpost Orlando.)

MagicBand accessories

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Here’s a video of the Fastpass+ testing with a special card from a few months ago:

FastPass+ test at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World - FastPass Plus

For more information on MyMagic+, read our announcement story.

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15 Comments

  1. Those bands are adorable! I like the idea but not sure how useful they will be since I am local! I am all in as long as it is free! lol =)

  2. So you have to buy fastpass now? Can you still get a fastpass with your regular park ticket? Seems like Disney is only making room for the rich….

  3. No, you don’t have to buy fastpasses, they’ll still be included with your park pass. They’re just going to make the fastpass system into fastpass+ and you’ll be able to add your fastpasses directly to your magic band ahead of time instead from your smart phone, computer, or at certain locations at the parks.:) Yay for My Magic+!

  4. This will work great when prices go up to $100 a park next year. Soon only the top 1% of Americans will be able to afford Disney (hence why most visitors aren’t from the US at this point).

  5. Anybody know if the 3 passes in one day is a permanent fixture or is it just for the testing period?

  6. Alex – Please sight source.
    I’m not in the “1%” and can afford Disney very easily. I put about $400 away every month for the trip.
    I think Alex is a little “jealous.”

  7. It is intriguing, but what about those of us who don’t have smart phones, etc.? Also, part of the fun is the spontaneity?

  8. Alex – I am not in the “top 1%” and I can easily afford Disney, its called saving your money and not spending it on crap that you don’t need each month.

    Penny – Not trying to be rude or anything BUT its 2013 and technology runs everything, either get a smartphone and enjoy the technoligical updates that Disney has to offer or don’t get a smartphone and just wait in line for over an hour at each ride, either way the choice is yours. The point it, why should Disney not update the parks just because a “select few” don’t have a smartphone?

  9. I am not in the 1%, but do well enough to afford frequent trips to WDW. Even so, I think it’s pretty flip to assume that the average person has $400 a month to set aside for travel. Some people are struggling to pay for crap such as mortgages.

    ANYWAY – Anyone know if all WDW guests will have the option to use FP+ through My Disney Experience. My trip is in 60 days, but the type of tickets I am holding do not seem to be represented n the ticket linking options on MDE.

  10. Kelly – If someone is struggling to pay their mortgage then planning a trip to Disney World should not even be on their radar! Disney is a business, not a charity, and it is not their “job” to ensure that every single individual on the planet can afford to go there.

  11. My wife and I tested out the bands this weekend. We stayed at one of the resorts and it worked really well. We used the band to get into our room, buy food (no sit down service now), get in the parks, and Fast Pass. We downloaded the My Disney Experience App and our group was able to set up three Fast Passes. I loved that we didn’t have to go running around the park to set up our Fast Passes. Did I mention you don’t need to worry about losing the Fast Pass papers because everything is stored on your band. When my wife checked in at Tower of Terror the cast member called my wife by name and welcomed her to her stay at the hotel as we were “Dropping in”. She did a double take and it was a lasting impression as we went through the line. I can’t wait to see more of the interaction with the bands.

  12. Yea I’m definitely not in the 1% and do not live in Florida but I can still manage an Annual Pass and about 5 trips a year for RunDisney events and vacations. I’m a lowly LVN/LPN as well, it’s just about knowing how to save and manage your money and planning the trip. It’s not Disney’s fault you can’t afford their parks, it’s a business not a free public play area. .

  13. OK I don’t have a smart phone and almost NO ONE I work with has one. Our office gave us all blackberries so why would we also cart around a smart phone just for places that insist on acting like everyone has one……..can do everything except special apps like this on my blackberry. Email, internet, etc. Even have the undercover app for wait times 🙂

    My only issue is the 3 fastpass limit. We almost always get multiple fastpasses when we go to Disney. We are there when the park opens and start right then and there.

    Did anyone find it limited them only getting 3 fastpasses?