Hands-On with Disney’s FastPass+ and MagicBands – Your MyMagic+ questions answered FAQ

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We were able to be part of the testing for Disney’s new MyMagic+ recently, which includes the MagicBands, FastPass+ and more. After testing and researching, we can answer many of your frequently asked questions

MyMagic+ is the name of a new “next-gen” system Disney has been working on and hopes to fully release within the next few months. Once fully launched, Disney resort guests and annual passholders will be given MagicBands to wear, which will unlock their hotel room (resort guests), get them in the parks, allow them to charge food and merchandise to their account, collect PhotoPass photos and book FastPasses (AKA FastPass+) ahead of their visit (or the day of their visit).

Right now, most everyone staying at certain Disney World resorts will be given MagicBands to use throughout their trip. We received ours by booking a night at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. About nine Disney resorts are currently testing them. More are expected to be added over the next few months until they are at all Disney World resorts. (UPDATED 11-12-13: All of the Disney resorts are now testing them.)

We found the MagicBands and FastPass+ convenient and easy to use. All aspects of MyMagic+ was working except for adding your PhotoPass photos to your account. (UPDATED 9-19-13: PhotoPass is now working with the MagicBands.) The only problem we encountered was when we were given a bonus FastPass+ at the Magic Kingdom. The bonus was given to us with a ride time of 12 a.m. to 1 a.m., which was fine because the park was still open, but because it was after midnight, the FastPass+ system was showing it as being for the next day. We were able to resolve the problem with a guest services cast member.

We’ve put together a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list and we will update it as things change or new information is released. Remember, MyMagic+ is still in testing so just because things work one way today, doesn’t mean they will be working that same way tomorrow.

MAGICBANDS

How can I get a MagicBand?
Right now, you can only get one if you’re staying at a Disney resort that is testing them (see the comments below for the current list). (UPDATED 11-12-13: All of the Disney resorts are now testing them.) Once fully launched, all guests at all Disney World resorts and all annual passholders will get one for free. If you book more than 10 days ahead, your MagicBands will be sent to your house. Otherwise they’ll be waiting for you at your resort.

How can I get a MagicBand if I’m not staying at a Disney Resort? Do they cost anything?
The MagicBands will be free to all Disney resort guests and annual passholders. Other guests will receive a card as their park ticket. Those guests may upgrade their ticket to a MagicBand for a small fee once that service launches. (UPDATED 3-31-14: Guests staying off property can now purchase a MagicBand for $12.95 plus tax at many gift shops around the Resort.)

What can I do with my MagicBand?
That depends on if you’re an annual passholder or resort guest, or both. But here’s what can be done with the bands: (See Video Here)
Using Disney MagicBand to enter a hotel room• Check in for Magical Express at the Orlando Airport
• Check in at your Disney resort
• Charge purchases to your account
• Unlock you Disney Resort room door
• Add your PhotoPass pictures to your PhotoPass account
• Play interactive games and attractions (Test Track, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, A Pirate’s Adventure)
• Book Fastpass+
• Get free parking at the Disney parks
• Get into the Disney parks and water parks

How do the MagicBands work?
MagicBands use Radio Frequency (RFID) technology and can be read by short and long-range readers. In most cases, you’ll touch your MagicBand to a touch point at Disney World (most look like Mickey heads) to activate it. If the Mickey head lights green, you’re good to go.

What can the MagicBands do that card tickets can’t?
Because the MagicBands can be read by short- and long-range readers and the cards can only be read by short-range readers, there will be certain “magical” things that will happen only for MagicBand wearers. For example, your name may be said in an attraction or by a character, or some other personalization may happen somewhere in Walt Disney World as you walk by.

Can annual passholders be a part of the test?
Yes, if they book a stay at a Disney resort that is part of the test. (See list in the comments below.) (UPDATED 3-7-14: Annual passholders can now order their own MagicBands through their My Disney Experience account for free.)

Will the bands continue to work for annual passholders after their hotel stay?
Yes. Once their annual pass is linked to their MagicBand, they can continue to use it and book FastPass+.

How secure are the MagicBands? Can my credit card or personal information be stolen?
UPDATED 9-5-13: Just like most RFID chips, it’s likely someone could walk by you with an RFID reader and copy the information on your MagicBand or pass. But your credit card and personal information aren’t stored on the band or card. Only code is stored. Disney’s readers use that code to look up your information, which is stored in their secure database. Also, to make a purchase, you have to enter a four digit pin number, which you previously set up. But they could use your FastPass+ and get in your hotel room if they knew your room number. So it’s best to report it asap. (See the next question.)

What should I do if I lose my MagicBand?
If you lose it, you should immediately go to Guest Relations or log onto the My Disney Experience app and disable the band you lost. But even if someone finds your band or steals it, they can’t make purchases with it unless they know your pin number.

Do I have to give my personal information?
To take advantage of some of MyMagic+ features and benefits, you’ll need to give Disney some personal information when you sign up online. But if you don’t mind losing some of the benefits, you can opt out of giving them part of your information or all of it. You can also opt out for your children.

Can I stop my child from being able to charge on their MagicBand?
Yes. You can set who can charge and who can’t when checking in at your Disney resort.

When paying using MagicBand, how will I get my passholder (or other) discount?
Right now, for Passholders, DVC members and cast members to get their discounts, they’ll still need to show their pass/card ticket. UPDATED 2-16-14: Annual passholders will receive a discount card that they can show with ID for their discounts and free parking.

What if I forget to bring my MagicBand to the park?
UPDATED 9-5-13: You’ll still be able to get in the park and use some of the MyMagic features using your card ticket, if you receive one, including FastPass+. If you don’t have a card, you’ll need to visit guest services at the park.

Can I use my ticket/pass instead of a MagicBand, or opt out of getting a MagicBand?
UPDATED 9-5-13: You’ll get one automatically when booking a stay at Disney’s resorts but you don’t have to use it. With the new system, you can have multiple MagicBands and card tickets all connected to your account. They will all work independently of each other. But keep in mind that you may not get some of the MagicBand benefits if you don’t have it with you. FastPass+ will still work with your card ticket.
UPDATED 2-16-14: Disney has stopped offering the Key to the World cards and is only offering MagicBands to their resort guests. We’ve heard of some guests still being able to get Key to the World cards if they request them. But we’ve also heard of some resorts not offering them at all.

Can I re-use my MagicBand on my future visits?
Yes, but you may automatically receive a new MagicBand when you make Disney resort reservations. The online site and My Disney Experience app let you manage multiple passes and MagicBands.

Can I give my MagicBand to someone else to use?
You’re not supposed to. It won’t work for getting someone in the parks because all guests still have to scan their fingerprints or show ID. You could give it to someone else to use your FastPass+ reservations, but you’re not supposed to.

MagicBand accessoriesWhat sort of MagicBand accessories are available?
UPDATE 9-5-13: Disney sells buttons, sliders and covers for the bands. Disney is also selling T-shirts that have various designs using Magicbands. You can find them at most of the resorts that are testing the bands. Click Here to see our video of how to use the accessories. UPDATED 2-16-14: Disney has redesigned the covers, now offering large and small sizes and they now have a hole in them to show the Mickey logo on the MagicBands.

Is the MagicBand waterproof?
Yes, you can wear it in the pool, rain or ocean. You can also leave it on the dash of your car and it should to be OK.

What size MagicBands are available?
Making a Disney Magicband smallerThere is only one size available but it is supposed to fit on the wrists of 95 percent of guests. Kids and those with small wrists can peel away part of the band to make it smaller.

What do the bands feel like? Are they hypoallergenic?
They’re smooth, flexible and made of a non-latex hypoallergenic material.

What MagicBand colors are available?
You can get red, blue, green, pink, yellow, orange or gray.

How do I chose which color Magicband I want?
UPDATE 9-5-13: If you book your Disney resort stay about 10 days ahead of time, you can customize your MagicBand by choosing the color you want and the name you want printed on the back through Disney’s website. If you don’t choose your color, they will automatically give you a gray one.

Will the MagicBands work at Disney parks outside of Walt Disney World?
No, not yet. Walt Disney World is the only place they will work. Other Disney parks, including Disneyland in California, still use paper tickets.

Will my MagicBand do anything outside of Walt Disney World?
The only feature we’ve seen so far is in the Disney Infinity video game. Touch the MagicBand to the base and the Disney Dragon appears. Click Here to see it in action.

NEW 9-7-13: What if I’m buying my tickets or booking my Disney resort through a third-party?
You should still be able to register on Disney’s website and look up your hotel reservation and link your tickets to your online account.

FASTPASS+

How many attractions can I book per day with FastPass+?
You can book up to three attractions per day, but they must all be at the same park. All three must be from whichever park you chose that day.
UPDATED 11-1-13:: Disney is testing the limiting of FastPass+ selections at Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. During this test, the FastPass+ attractions have been placed into two groups. The most popular rides are in one group and the others are in the other. Guests are only able to chose one selection from the first group and their other two selections from the second group. When we checked at Epcot on Nov. 1, 2013, guests could only chose one among Illuminations, Maelstrom, Character Spot, Soarin’ and Test Track. They could choose two among Capt. EO, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Living With the Land, Mission: Space, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Spaceship Earth and Turtle Talk With Crush.
UPDATED 4-24-14: Beginning April 28, guests will be able to book more FastPass+ attractions after using the initial three. Just go to an in-park kiosk to select one more experience. Once that has been used, you’ll be able to select another, and so on.

Can I use the FastPass+ program if I don’t have a MagicBand?
UPDATED 9-3-13: If you’re not staying at a Disney resort and you don’t pay the fee to upgrade your card ticket to MagicBand, you are still able to link your ticket to the My Disney Experience app and use FastPass+.
UPDATED 2-16-14: Disney has stopped the use of FastPass machines at all Disney World parks. Guests without MagicBands can book their FastPass+ selections at kiosks in the park for the day of their visit.

How far ahead can I book FastPass+?
If you are staying at a Disney Resort, you can book your FastPasses 60 days in advance. Annual passholders and day guests can book 30 days in advance.

Do I have to choose my Fastpass+ selections ahead of time?
Disney FastPass+ kiosk in Storybook CircusNo, you can choose them when you get to the park at one of the many stations they have set up around the park or, if you have a MagicBand, through the My Disney Experience app.

Can I change my FastPass+ selections? How do I do it?
UPDATED 9-5-13: Yes, you can change them anytime up to your FastPass return time at one of the many stations around the park or, if you have a MagciBand, through the My Disney Experience app. If you miss one of your FastPass return times, you can reschedule it for a different time or attraction.

Can each person in our group choose different FastPasses?
Yes, you can choose the same FastPasses for everyone in your party at once or individually.

Where do I go in the park for help?
Cast members will be available at Guest Services and at the kiosks around the parks.

Can I book FastPass+ and use the old Fastpass machines?
UPDATED 9-5-13: Maybe. We read in Disney’s FAQ that you won’t be able to, but we were able to do it. If you have your card ticket or hotel room card with you, give it a try. (Resort guests are given the MagicBands and a backup Key to the World card.) In fact, we were able to book three FastPass+ times plus get a old FastPass with our room key and another one at the same time with our card ticket.
UPDATED: 11-12-13: Some resorts will begin testing only giving guests MagicBands and no hotel cards, or their hotel cards will not have a magnetic stripe needed for the old FastPass machines. These guests will only be able to use FastPass+, and not the old FastPass machines.
UPDATED 2-16-14: The old FastPass machines have been discontinued.

Will the old FastPass system remain after FastPass+ is fully launched?
Disney hasn’t said for sure. Our guess is the old FastPass system will be going away once FastPass+ is fully launched.
UPDATED 2-16-14: The old FastPass machines have been discontinued.

Do the FastPass+ reservations still include a time window for me to be there?
Yes, you will be given a one-hour window to return to the attraction in most cases. Some things, like the parade and show return times, are shorter.

What happens if an attraction I have FastPass+ booked for goes down?
UPDATED 9-5-13: You will be given a chance to pick a new FastPass attraction. If you have a MagicBand and have registered through the Disney app, you’ll also receive an e-mail telling you it’s no longer available. About 10 minutes before our FastPass+ time started for Test Track, we received an e-mail saying the attraction was temporarily unavailable. The e-mail listed several other attractions and said we could ride one of them anytime we wanted the rest of the day. We didn’t need to reserve a time or attraction. We just had to show up to ride. You may wait and see if the original ride you wanted reopens or go ride a different one.

Will guests be able to figure out the FastPass+ system?
That’s a good question. We will see how hard it ends up being for most guests. But Disney has set up a FastPick system which can automatically suggest FastPasses selections for those who can’t decide.

Will FastPass+ service make the attraction standby lines longer?
Disney says they don’t expect the standby queues will be any longer than they were before FastPass+.

NEW 2-16-14: Will the FastPass+ sign-up kiosk lines be longer than the rides themselves?
We have heard of some FastPass+ kiosk lines being 30-45 minutes long, but there are many kiosks in each park. If the line you’re at is long, ask a cast member where to find another one.

Which attractions offer FastPass+?
The old system had 28. The new one has more than 60. Disney has added FastPass+ to many attractions and experiences that never had it before, including some quick service restaurants, shows and parades.

NEW 9-5-13: Can I use all three of my FastPass+ reservations for the same ride, so I can ride it more than once?
Maybe. Disney’s Website, app and kiosks don’t allow you to, but you may be able to do this with the help of a cast member.

Why did they add more attractions than the old Fastpass system had?
Only Disney knows for sure, but we’ve heard this will help even things out at the more popular attractions. If only the most popular attractions were available, they would all fill up quickly. But with many guests not knowing ahead of time which rides will most likely have long lines, they’ll just pick FastPasses for the attractions they most want to see. This should help spread the selection out among all the attractions.

NEW 9-5-13: If I go to an attraction at my FastPass+ return time and see there is no line, can I change that experience to a different one?
Yes. If you don’t scan in at that attraction, then you may change it to a different one. But once you scan in, the attraction is marked that you used one of your three for the day.

Why do I need a FastPass for a parade/dining, etc.?
UPDATED 9-5-13: This allows you to have a guaranteed spot for whatever you book. You can reserve a FastPass+ for a parade or fireworks show and not have to sit on the curb for hours for a great viewing spot. You can get a FastPass+ for Be Our Guest quick service at lunch and not have to wait in line. The Be Our Guest test is currently by invite from Disney only.

NEW 9-3-13: Will some FastPass+ reservations be available for every attraction each day or will those who book ahead get them all?
Disney hasn’t said, but we expect they will hold some back from being booked until the day of. But like the current FastPass system, FastPass+ reservations for popular rides may be gone at various times each day.
UPDATED 2-16-14: In our experience, we’ve almost always been able to book the park’s most popular rides, even when booking in the afternoon for that day.

NEW 9-6-13: Will FastPass+ be available during special ticketed events such as Mickey’s Halloween and Christmas parties and Night of Joy?
No, neither the traditional FastPass system nor FastPass+ will be available during the special ticketed events.

Here’s a video showing most of the ways you can use MagicBands at Walt Disney World:

Disney's MagicBands in use at Walt Disney World - Unboxing - FastPass+, room key, games

This video shows some more detail FastPass+. This video was taken before MagicBands were available, when they were testing using FastPass+ cards:

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

UPDATED 2-16-14: Here’s a video explaining how FastPass+ works for those who aren’t staying at a Disney resort and don’t have MagicBands:

How to use Disney's FastPass+ system at Walt Disney World - Q&A and FAQ plus

Stay tuned and bookmark this page. We will continue to update it as things change and more information is released. If you have any questions not answered here, post your questions below and we’ll do our best to answer them and add them to the list.

MouseFanTravel

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134 Comments

  1. Great post! I was wondering. How far out did they contact you about personalizing your magic bands? I’m staying at Pop next month and would love to be able to try it out!

  2. Hi thanks for the great info I’m a annual pass holder and use Disney resorts will my resort reservation be added to my annual pass band once the reservation is made? if so can you skip check in and go to your resort room at 4pm?
    One last question will they e mail you with your room number etc if this was the case?

    Thanks keep up the great work x

    1. We’re not sure if you can go right to your room. I doubt it. They’re still giving out Key to the World cards as a backup to your MagicBands, so you’ll need to pick those up. You can do an online check-in and go to a shorter/faster line at check-in.

  3. Great Q&A. I have some more questions:
    So how many of these screens will there be to book or change you fastpass in the park?
    When all hotel guests are going to reserve fastpasses for the few mayor rides Disney has how many are left for day guests (if any)?
    Will there be a way to print all your reservations like rides, parades, restaurants. hug stations etc?

    1. It’s unknown how many kiosks will be added to each park. Right now, the Magic Kingdom has about four or five of them. It’s unknown how many, if any FastPasses will be held aside for day of booking. You can print your FastPass+ reservations from home or have them e-mailed to you while in the park.

  4. We are going first of October. We can get fastpass plus for attractions but can not seem to book any for Be Our Guest lunch, parades, Fantasmic, or fireworks. Are there levels and we aren’t approved for those or am I missing something?

  5. THANK YOU for taking the time to put together this awesome Q&A. Will certainly help more than just blasting it constantly before it’s even put to use.

  6. Matt I’m curious about what you mean you weren’t contacted but found it on the Disney site. As far as I was told the only way to get the magic bands was by invitation. Can you shine a little more light on that please?

  7. Christian: When we booked our room, we weren’t contacted about taking part in the test, but when we went on to the Disney World website and looked at our reservations, we saw a link to customize our MagicBands.

  8. David: If you’re staying at a resort that is testing, you’ll be able to book your FastPass+ and customize your MagicBand on the DisneyWorld website when viewing your reservations.

  9. Thanks for this great information. We received our bands and added fast passes to our bands yesterday. We arrive at AKL this Saturday (09/07).
    We could only book 3 fast passes per day, so my question is:
    How many fast passes are available per band each day? And can you add more after you have used some up?

  10. Kenny: The resorts currently testing are:
    Art of Animation Resort
    Beach Club Resort and Villas
    Polynesian Resort
    Port Orleans Resort
    Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House and Villas
    Contemporary Resort
    Pop Century Resort
    Yacht Club Resort

  11. When you say you can upgrade to a magic plus for a small fee if your not staying at the resort. Do you know how much ? And if this is available now as I can’t find anything online to indicate this.

  12. My family is staying at WDW next summer for my daughter’s 16 birthday and we were wondering if this will be in place by then?? We live out of state so we don’t have passes, we would love to try this if it is not in place by then. It looks like an amazing idea to keep people from losing there cards. My daughter had that problem last time we went.

  13. So I almost had a video camera stolen on Main St. USA , A thief used a razor to cut the strap , He did not get it because my strap had wire weaved in to prevent this . That flimsy little plastic can easily be stolen right off your wrist . Then they use your pin to make purchases . As in your video there is nothing to hide when typing in your pin code you cut the vidoe short but you first # was 2. On a crowded day you will never notice some one following you around .

  14. Jade: We don’t know what the fee will be yet. It’s not available yet as the whole system is still in testing.

    Barb D: It should be in place by then but we don’t know yet.

    JimDisney: Hopefully that won’t be a problem. You could cup your hand around the pin machine when you enter your number. (Our first number wasn’t 2, it was 5.)

  15. So I booked at the riverside resort for November for the TOT run and noticed that I had magic bands in my disney experience to customize. I am a pass holder and linked my information to the band already. However, I called back to see about Florida resident/ passholder discounts (as I always do for the best deal) and I’m considering changing hotels for a much better price. Will my bands still be of any use if I switch???

  16. Our family got the chance to test these magic bands out extensively on our last trip (we just got back about a week ago) and they are most certainly still “testing” them. While they sound great in theory, and I am sure once everything gets worked out will be great, in reality right now, the magic bands are good about 75% of the time, touch and go to just down right awful the other 25% of the time. And we got to test them out extensively as we were at Disney for 2 full weeks so we probably ran into nearly every flaw in the system as well as every positive in the system.
    First thing the Disney site is PAINFULLY SLOW, just down right AWFUL, and it has nothing to do with our computers or internet connection (I work in IT actually so I am knowledgeable in this department as well as ensuring my equipment is top notch) and I can tell you flat out, the Disney reservation / booking site is PAINFULLY SLOW, crashes frequently, and is just a real pain to use some times. And since it’s the main way to “book your fast passes” in advance, it’s a real bummer.

    Secondly, the system for fast passes is obsessively buggy, over our 14 day period we had multiple issues with fast passes.
    1. Simply booking them was an issue, we booked about 9 days’ worth of fast passes of the 14 days we were staying, and when we got to our 10th day, the website was giving us an error of “you no longer have any fast passes left…” when we booked NONE for that day, only person in our whole party who had “fast passes available” was my 4 year old son, which I couldn’t book him any anyway due to the fact that anyone that young requires an adult fast pass with them for an accompanying rider. So we had to open a “ticket” with Disney’s tech support, and it took them a day to fix the issue before we could book fast passes again to our magic bands.
    2. Then another day, while on vacation in the park the “Disney computer” decided “O what the heck let’s just switch your fast pass times…” We were in MK, had a fast pass for peter pan at 9-10, and buzz at 11-12, we went straight to peter pan which wound up being closed due to break down, so we went to buzz after, scanned our bands, lady says O no, you have fast pass for buzz at 9-10 (while it was 11:15 at the time due to us going at the proper time) I had to pull the fast passes up on my cell phone off the painfully slow new my Disney experience app (like the website) which took a good 5 min standing there at the front of the fast pass line to show the lady the system was screwed up before we could ride the ride. If the app didn’t load my wife was ready to resort back to the old tried and true paper fast passes (which we had to do at 1 occasion)
    3. Then while on the subject of the new “Disney experience app” to my knowledge that is the ONLY way to see your current fast passes while in a park. So if you happen to forget your exact times (it can be easy to forget when you get 3-4 different ones and different times each day) you have to try to log into that painfully slow app which literally takes a few minutes to load (and we all have brand new Samsung note 2’s on 4g network) so again its nothing on our end, but having those new phones on fast networks doesn’t help when the problem lies with the slow servers on Disney’s end though. And that’s IF the app works at all, one adult in our party also with a new android smart phone on verizon network could not load the Disney app the entire trip, so she could NEVER check the fast pass times while in the park which drove her up a wall. Each time she tried it would give her a loading error. I am not aware of another way to check fast pass times while in the park (maybe they have a central hub I didn’t see) but relegating the ONLY way to check current fast pass times while in the park is through a smart phone app (which everyone doesn’t even have a cell phone let along a smart phone) is also a poor idea and management. I saw firsthand how it is aggravating versus just having a piece of paper that says clear as day the time and ride.
    4. Then another day, it just decided to deactivate fast passes for half the party, (also happened to be in MK not that, that has anything to do with it since it’s all server based) but regardless, we attempted to get on haunted mansion (we are a very large party too 9 of us) but roughly half of us the fast passes worked, the other half did not, luckily Disney let us all ride together since they could tell we were a family, but had they been “sticklers” about it they could have forced half my family to not ride anything we had planned that day, luckily they understand the all the issues though and let us all ride. But I am sure in the future once the issues become less and less frequent they could become stricter about letting “freebies” though the fast pass line and this could be a real problem.
    5. Then again ANOTHER SEPERATE DAY (like I said we had multiple days and problems lol), we woke up ready to go to the park and simply ALL THE FAST PASSES for everyone were just gone, deleted, vanished, etc. Nothing we had was in there, so I had to go back on my laptop while on vacation and try to rebook fast passes again.
    6. Then lastly, it kind of stinks to have 1 point of failure. When you rely on that band for everything (tickets, fast passes, charging purposes for souvenirs or food) if that band malfunctions or dies, it’s a pain. If you leave your wallet behind (since you’re tempted to do since the band can do everything) it’s not like you can just pull out another credit card, or something, no you have to stop what you’re doing, walk all the way back to customer relations, and try to get a new one. This exact issue happened to us as well, 1 of our wristbands for an adult simply died mid trip while in the park. The person could not charge to it, no fast passes, no tickets etc, had to go back and get a replacement. It’s a potential real pain too when you’re sitting trying to pay for your food or souvenir or whatever, only to find out your band decided to stop working and you have to drop everything to go fix it. Luckily there were other adults in our party who could do whatever was needed for the remainder of that day, but if there wasn’t again its an issue.

    Now with all that said it probably sounds like I hate the bands lol, but I don’t, the general overall opinion of mine on them is I actually liked them (if these problems stay permanent though I wouldn’t, but I am cutting some slack assuming Disney will fix the major kinks in time which is why I am in favor of them as of now). The Magic Bands have a large upside (if Disney can fix all the stuff lol) it was very nice (when they worked right) to wake up, and have all the fast passes for the day already, you don’t have to get into a park, go run to the fast pass kiosk to get your fast passes lol. You simply go in, and enjoy the park, do something else besides wasting time getting fast passes, and once your fast pass time is up, you go on your ride quickly. I really liked that part of them, as well as I am the type of person that like to plan the trip, we book all our restaurants and food ahead of time, we plan out what days we will be in what park, so being able to plan out the fast passes as well really adds to the ease of the trip in general. So long as the ride doesn’t break down, you KNOW you will be getting to ride that ride on that day at that time. It was also nice having something on your wrist that literally could do everything including charging, so if you went to the pool, you could leave your wallet behind, but still charge stuff or get a drink, but didn’t have to worry about a wallet getting wet or being unattended etc same could be said for parks and water parks too (but like I said above you do run minor risks if wristband decides to die) but if multiple adults are in party risk is mitigated.

  17. Bill: Thanks for that great report. Although you didn’t notice them, there are a few different places to check and change your FastPass+ selections in the park besides using the app. Each park’s Guest Services area has kiosks. We also saw them near the traditional FastPass machines in Storybook Circus at the Magic Kingdom and at Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios. There are many others also and I believe there are plans to add more.

  18. Thanks Matt, I switched to pop century since they were providing transportation and doing the testing. I book everything over the phone to make sure I get discount and dining reservations that you just can’t do online. She said it shouldn’t be a problem with my bands and that she didn’t really know too much more about them. It seems that with the changes going on at disney it is also affecting the different discount options available too! For the first time my passholder/ Florida resident discount was useless. Kinda stinks for a person that goes 6-7 times a year. Thanks for the quick response, looking forward to giving these bands a test run!

  19. @matt,

    thats great that you saw a few “self check kiosks” around for the bands at fast pass distribution centers. Like I said we only had to resort to getting physical paper fast passes 1 or 2 times thankfully, and either they just weren’t at those ones or I missed them in the hecticness. Regardless I think Disney should install small 5inch by 5 inch screen at every “fast pass entrance” right in the front where anyone walking up to the fast pass entrance can scan their bands and see their times that quick. It would make it a TON easier imo instead of having to walk to a distribution center or the guest relations area… just a small screen attached to the fast pass entrance would fix that whole issue. The rest of the issues really boils down to back end software problems within the system, all stuff I am sure Disney will 99% iron out over the next year or so.

  20. We’re coming out in October from UK on a ‘build your own’ trip, whereby hotels and tickets have been purchased independently. Do you have any experience / suggestions as to how we might access magic band customisation and fastpass+ booking before the trip, or will it be a case of wait until check in to be issued a band. Hotels are via online agent and DVC membership, and park tickets are via WDW site (UK). Many thanks for any suggestions!

  21. Lindsay: We booked our reservation at the Pop Century a couple of weeks ago online and received a passholder discount.

    Simon D: If you’re staying at a Disney resort that is testing the MagicBands, you’ll be able to link your tickets to them. Even though a third party booked your hotel stay, you should still be able to look up your reservation on Disney’s website. Check with your online agent.

  22. It was riverside that they wouldn’t give a pass holder / FL resident discount. I was able to get one at pop century though. Not a huge fan of the beds at the value resorts but I’m also not interested in paying over 200 a night 🙂 thanks for all the info !

  23. We are staying at WL (non testing resort) if we have a room only at POP the day before our WL reservation, do we get the magicbands for our entire trip (including WL)

  24. By way of information, I stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge for one night and got my band. Prior to my stay, i linked my reservation to the My Disney Experience app and linked my annual pass, did FastPass+ and dining reservations. I picked up the band at the hotel when i arrived and during my stay, the band served as my room key and I could charge to my room and linked credit card. I also made changes to my FP+ reservations using the app.

    I’ve been back to WDW four times since and the band/app continue to work for FastPass+ and dining reservations without staying at any of the resort hotels. Obviously its no longer a room key but its also not linked to a credit card so I can’t use it to pay. Otherwise its still linked to my annual pass so I use it to get in and for FastPass+. My regular pass (card) works for regular FastPass even when I have FP+ scheduled.

    Hope this helps answer some of the questions people have!

  25. @ Lisa, Yes if you stay at pop (or any other participating resort) the first day, the band will continue to work the remainder of the trip for fastpasses and park entry (just not room key as you will be changing hotels)

    We actually did this our self’s too so I have first hand knowledge and experience as well. Our “main” hotel we stay at each trip is the “Beach club” which was not offering the magic bands until about 3 days AFTER we checked out. We stayed at popcentry the first night we got down there, got the bands in the mail ahead of time, activated them at the hotel on check in, and the bands worked for use the entire trip, no matter the hotel we stayed it (minus room key entry)

  26. Did you have option of any rides for three fast passes or were they in packages with one headliner and 2 less busy rides?

  27. @kari, you can pick ANY 3 rides you want, they then give you 4 “options” of times they pick, usually 3 morning times, 3 mid day, 3 evening, and just 3 anytime of day. You then select what “package” fits your needs best. But you still select the rides you want. Also depending on park and “demand” they some times throw in a 4th fast pass for free, they pick that one (like in MK alot of times it was the haunted mansion)

  28. Bonnie: There’s no guarantees but most likely yes, you would get them at the Pop.

    B Wayne: Thanks for the report. We are using our bands the same way.

    Lisa: Bill correctly answered your question. (Thanks Bill)

    Kari: Bill correctly answered your question. (Thanks again Bill) Magic Kingdom is currently the only park giving out bonus FastPass+.

    Alex: If you have the option to set it up, you’ll see it after logging into MyDisneyExperience.com.

  29. Thanks for all the info, both from Attractions and commenters! It sounds like, for the most part, Disney’s done an excellent job of this program, and that most people’s fears when it was initially announced were unfounded. Your information is generally secure, and the system sounds relatively simple to use.

    I’m still a little concerned about the changes to the FastPass system… especially limiting people to three FastPasses per day. I’ve had marathon days at Magic Kingdom, for instance, where I’d be there for 14-15 hours and use 6 or more FastPasses during the day. I think they should scale the number of FastPasses available to the park’s operation hours for the day. For instance, if you’re going to Animal Kingdom, and it’s only open from 9-5, you get 3-4 FastPasses. But if you’re going to Magic Kingdom, which may be open from 8am-1am, you’d be allotted a maximum of 7-8 FastPasses (roughly one every 2 hours).

    Personally, I’d probably book my FastPasses ahead of time for popular rides that I know have traditionally long lines, and then check the wait times when I got to the park to see if they needed any adjusting, which I could do via kiosk or smartphone app.

  30. Tim- you are limited to 3 FastPass+ (possibly receiving a 4th that you can’t select) but you can use the regular FastPass system in addition! I agree that it would be nice to be able to plan more.

  31. Heading to WDW at end of September, first week of October for opening week of Epcot Food and Wine. The family will be staying at DVC Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani Village. I noticed that this resort is NOT listed in the previous list of MagicBand ones.
    Has anyone staying on DVC points been able to test or use MagicBand or MyMagic+?
    Thanks!

  32. Im with Tim, I feel ‘slighted’ by only being allowed three FP for MK. We always pull at least 5 sometimes more, hmmf!
    Is there any chance Disney might adjust this amount on a ‘per park’ basis.
    Im wondering too what will happen to the ‘park hopper option’ with so much limitation of FP..wouldnt that make people not opt to buy park hoppers?

  33. We have reservations at Port Orleans Riverside and our trip is 58 days away. I have been checking online daily to see if Magic Bands or FastPass+ was available for us and it is not there. I thought Port Orleans Riverside would be testing the Magic Bands in November. I assumed everyone staying at that resort would be included.

    1. Lisa: I believe the tests at the certain resorts are for guests arriving between certain dates. Since yours is so far out, they’ll need to see if they’re still doing the test that month at your resort. So if they will be doing the test when you arrive, you should be able to see MagicBands are available for you in the month you arrive. Who knows, they may be out of testing by then.

  34. Are you able to use the old fastpass system in addition to or in place of the fas pass+? We booked our 3 for each day we will be there but aren’t sure if the times will work, etc.

  35. We are Disney vacation club members and staying at one of the testing resorts in October. I was curious if the fact that we don’t plan to buy our tickets for the park until we arrive at the hotel will effect our elligibility for the magicbands. Nothing has showed up in our account thus far about customizing the magic bands and we’re 30 days out from our trip… so I’m just wondering if I should hold out hope we’ll get to test them or not. Thanks for all the great info!

  36. Matt, interested that you booked one night at a participating hotel in order to participate. We are starting at the Disney Dolphin which isn’t participating. Do you think there is a way that we could book a night at another hotel, receive the bracelets and cancel that hotel, and still be able to use bracelets for our visit?

  37. Does anyone know if the all star music resort going to participate in the magic band soon. We are staying there next month. Would like to participate.

  38. Laura: Yes, for now, you can book using FastPass+ if you have a MagicBand and the old system.

    Jenni: You may not see the MagicBand option until October, and only if your resort is part of the test that month, but keep checking (See Mel’s comment.). You don’t have to have park tickets to get a MagicBand.

    Jeremy: If you book a night at a participating hotel, you’ll most likely get the bands, even if it’s only for one night.

  39. My family and I are arriving at Ft. Wilderness on Halloween. It is giving me the option to select my fastpass attractions. Does this mean they will be having the magic bands at this resort? Thanks

  40. We are staying at AOA in October and have 3 separate rooms booked…me, my sister and my mom. I just linked all three rooms to My Disney Experience account but it is only giving me the option to customize bands for 2 of the 3 rooms. Are all guests at the testing resorts receiving them or just selected guests because we are going to have 3l disappointed kids if half of them get them and half of them don’t.

  41. I am staying at the DVC section of the Boardwalk Inn in October. This trip has been reserved since January and I have been checking weekly to see if I was selected for the MagicBand test. Just yesterday (Sep 13, -30 days from the start of my vacation) when I logged in to the the Disney Experience website, the “customise your MagicBand” link was working and I saw a warning that there was only one day left to customise my Bands. What?! Yes, finally!
    So my advice to all is to check daily to see if the option to link or customise your Bands is available. And obviously the Boardwalk Inn (at least the DVC side) is now testing the Bands.
    Good luck to everyone.

  42. Hello My Family and I are going to be staying at the Polynesian Resort from Oct 27 to Nov 2. I know they are now a testing site. Do you know if we will be able to get the magic bands for our visit. If so how much in advance do you know if you will get them. I also notice few poeple found out they had Magic Bands by just going to their My Disney Experience page. I have my dinining under that, but not my hotel since I booked through a travel agent. Is it possible that I may see if I was choosen to test the bands by just loging into my Disney Experience even through I do not have my hotel reservation link to it and it is just my dining? Do you happen to know the break down of what hotels are in testing mode for each month?

  43. Melanie: That’s very interesting. I thought all guests would be part of the test. It could be a mistake. Let us know what happens when you check in.

    Brandon: Good advice.

    Noelle: We don’t know which hotels are testing which months. I would suggest you try to add your hotel reservation to My Disney Experience. You should be able to, even though you booked through someone else.

  44. thanks Matt. If our hotel is in testing mode when we go will we automatically get the bands? Also do you know how much in advance they notify you before your trip date that you are getting them?

  45. We are testing at Pop in September. We are AP holders and our going back to WL in October. The system is allowing us to book FP+ for October but it is saying my husband has reached his FP limit (he has they same as the rest of us). When I called Disney IT for help they told me that even though I am a passholder my magic band will be deactivated after my stay at Pop and they cannot help me with questions since WL is not participating. Very frustrating.

  46. Just customized our Bands for Grand Floridian Club Level arriving October 5th. Looks like they have added a hotel in the mix.

  47. We made our reservations through run disney for the Wine and Dine half marathon getting the run disney discount for the room and tickets. Will that affect us getting the magic bands and using fastpass+ if our hotel is testing them during our trip?

  48. Coming to Disney World in March 2014 and staying at Port Orleans Riverside. Will our Magic Bands be mailed to the UK? If not, will we still be able to customise them online or in-app in advance? How far in advance do they appear in My Disney Experience?

  49. I’ve run across a new problem with the Fastpass+ system. I have reservations twice this fall and successfully got my passes for the Sept 28th trip. Fastpasses have just become available for my Nov 15th trip but when I tried to get them I got a message stating that I had reached my Fastpass+ limit and could trade days with another day, from the first trip. I was allowed to choose parks, passes, given options and only got this message after I chose my option. What do you think is happening? No fast passes for mulitple trips? Can’t find anything about a limit online…. Help!!!

  50. Noelle: Yes, if your hotel is testing, you should get the bands automatically. Check the mydisneyexperience.com site about 30 days before your visit, or within the month of your visit.

    Kristi: Even though the bands will continue to work after you leave the resort, Disney most likely isn’t providing testing support for them. Try getting some help with it inside the park when you arrive.

    Lisa: It shouldn’t matter how you bought your tickets, just which resort you’re staying at. Although we’re not positive about that.

    Diana: We’ve heard that the bands won’t be mailed out of the U.S. If that’s the case, you’ll just get yours when you check in.

    Mary: You’re the second person to say something about reaching your FastPass+ limit. We haven’t heard of that. Are you an annual passholder? Perhaps passholders will be limited to so many per month?

  51. No – I’m not an AP although am going to convert when I get there in September. My trip is from the 28 till the 5th and I have FP+s for all those days. My next trip is Nov 15 – 17th – a short weekend to meet up with friends and I am within the FP+ window for that trip. Can’t find anything online to explain it.

  52. Wanted to pass on that my sister and I both have vacations at the Wilderness Lodge in October, and both have received our Magic Bands. We don’t have an option to make FastPass selections for parades or fireworks (boo!). Also, to the person concerned about them being stolen right off your body with a razor knife, I seriously doubt that could happen. They are very sturdy, I’m not sure if it would even be possible to cut them, even less possible to cut them and steal them subtly.

  53. We are staying for one night at Pop in October and for then a week off-site (rental house with additional families who are arriving a day later than we are). My husband and I have annual passes. Our two kids have 8 day MYW + parkhopper tickets. We have linked everything online in MDE (annual passes, MYW passes and magic bands) and have received the magic bands in the mail. I have spoken to Disney Internet Help Desk many times and get different answers depending who I speak with. I have a few questions/comments.

    1. I have made FP+ selections beginning on our check in date and the system will allow me to make selections for up to 60 days out. BUT, my husband and I are limited to 7 days of FP+ selections (it says limit reached on the 8th day) where as I can select the 8th day for our kids. Possibly annual passholders are limited to 7 days? (I haven’t gone online to try to book a 9th day for our kids to see if I get the limit reached error since this would exceed the MYW tickets we have for them.)
    2. I have been told by one Disney rep that we will be able to use our FP+ reservations with our Magic Bands on days even after we have checked out of Pop. I’ve been told by other Disney reps that at midnight on our day of checkout that our Magic Bands will deactivate and that any FP+ reservations we have made for future days will go away and the Magic Bands won’t work to use them. Is there a way to know which of these is right? Deciding if we will get up to be there at rope drop is impacted by if we can use FP+ for our full visit even after we are checked out of Pop.
    3. I’ve gotten pretty consistent feedback that we will be able to use our annual passes/MYW tix to get regular FP even on days when we are using the Magic Bands and FP+. (Disney has said that this will be true during this October test period but probably not long term). Is this consistent with your understanding?

    Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

  54. One more question: If Magic Bands do continue to work (for use of FP+) after checking out of the Disney hotel, would they continue to work both for annual passholders (my husband and me) and for non-passholders (our kids have 8 day MYW tickets)? We are all on the same Pop reseravation and in the same MDE account if that matters. thanks.

  55. Thanks for the great information!
    I have a split stay coming up in mid October starting at All Star Sports and then moving to Coronado Springs. I haven’t seen these hotels listed as participating in the testing, but I did have magic bands to customize within MyDisneyExperience and both bands just arrived at my house. I guess I’ll see when I get there whether they work as room keys, but very excited either way!

  56. We tested them back in June. We were the first non-employee guest group to test and the first with the colored bands. We received a lot of attention from cast members to say the least. We had a split stay at Riverside and Contemporary. The bands were only supposed to be good for Contemporary which was the last 3 days of our our trip but we were able to use them ahead of time at Riverside for the first 3 as well. Also when we checked in for the Magical Express. They were fantastic! We did have some bugs to work out before we got there but that was well taken care of on the phone. We had purchased our tickets ahead of time and did will call. Because of that we were missing the ticket number and could not link our park tickets to our bands and then choose our fast pass + selections. When we got to the park our bands were not linked to our park tickets. We had to go to guest services just outside the park and it took just a minute to get us all linked up! I was worried that my 3 and 5 year old’s would be frigidity with them but they did well and my 7 year old did just fine. I did usually take them from the younger kids once we got into the park just in case and pulled them out to access our fast pass plus. We used a few of them for preferred seating at the parade and fireworks and it was so great to not waste time sitting on the sidewalk. We received and invitation to do a fast pass plus for Be our Guest but received it the same day we already had a reservation for at night. There were a few small vendors that I had to use a credit card with but all in all, the magic band was well worth it. We continued on to the Disney Dream and I really wish it would have worked there. It’s such a pain to keep that card with you on the cruise. They said some day it would, but it was still in the works! Love me some Disney!

  57. Hi, we’re booked at the Saratoga springs for one week and an off-site hotel for one more week in January, I was wondering if I booked a hotel that’s testing the bands for on or two night will I only be able to use the bands for the nights that I’m staying at that hotel or can I use them for the remainder of my park tickets?

  58. Our vacation is November 9th – 14th, and I am now able to customize our magicbands and make fastpass+ selections. Very exciting! This is our 45 day mark until our vacation. It appears you have from between your 45 day and 30 day mark to customize your magicbands so that they can ship them to you. After that, you’ll just get the standard ones when you arrive…if your hotel is participating in it.

  59. Megan: From everything we’ve seen and our own experience, your MagicBands will continue to work for FastPass+ after you move to an off-property hotel. We’ve only tested this with annual passholders though.
    Yes, you should be able to use the traditional FastPass machines while testing is happening.

    Tyler: Yes, you should be able to. None of the resorts that have been testing have stopped testing. I think the plan is to have them all testing before fully launching them.

    Aaron: You should be able to keep using them for FastPass+ and entry.

  60. I was able to use Fastpass plus today. 59 days prior to our end of Nov. to beginning of Dec. vacation at Caribbean Beach. Will I be selected for the Magicband as well? I was surprised we could do fastpass today. Just sad no MB options yet.

  61. Yes Matt, I checked this morning, nd here it was….customize your bands :). So I DID !! 🙂
    Now, I can’t wait until they arrive.

  62. I received my MagicBands in the mail today and we are staying at Coronado Springs. Looks like they are adding new resorts!

  63. I am worried about the park hopper option. We often do marathon Disney days…we are in at Extra Magic Morning, hop to another park for afternoon and hit late night in Magic Kingdom. We will often have 3 fast passes in each park. If we can only have 3 fast passes per day, kinda makes it seem like park hopper is a waste of money..for those of us who do not want to stand in extensive lines. Any word on changing this limit?

  64. another concern I have, which I just thought of, we do not take our Iphones into the parks with us..it is our only time all year we are Iphone free..and it is wonderful. I worry that there will be long lines at the kiosks if I want to see if Disney changed my fast pass time and I wont know that because of not carrying my iphone. I know people can say, carry it, well what if I don’t want to be bothered by the outside world now it seems like I am going to be forced to. I will admit I am skeptical of this system…after going to the parks for 18 years straight we have a casual system that we like….nobody likes change very much.

    Thank you so much for the informative article and the answers to all of the questions and concerns. I am planning on going back to WDW in June and staying onsite, as usual, I will need to roll with the changes but have to consider my best route….having all of this information will help that.

  65. Great info. Was just wondering if anyone know the answer to this. We have a family vacation to DW in October. Half of us are staying in the Grand Floridan and have the bands/FastPass+, the other half are in the Wilderness Lodge and do not. We will all be together in the parks and want to go on the same attractions at the same times. So if half of us can set the times in advance and the other half can’t, we’d have a problem. Is there anything we could/should do about that? Thanks!

  66. Hi thanks for the info. I am not staying at a disney world property. I tried to link my ticket to the app and then be able to choose fastpasses but it tells me that I am not eligible.

    you wrote
    Can I used the FastPass+ program if I don’t have a MagicBand?
    UPDATED 9-3-13: If you’re not staying at a Disney resort and you don’t pay the fee to upgrade your card ticket to MagicBand, you should still be able to link your ticket to the My Disney Experience app and use FastPass+
    Although I can link my ticket I can’t seem to figure out how to get the fast passes in advance and I suspect I can’t. I just wanted to know on what you based the fact that you can get it without being part of the test resorts
    Thanks in advance for the response.

  67. Michelle from PA: Your concerns are valid. So far, the plan is to only allow the Fastpass+ to be used at one park per day. We won’t know how crowded the kiosks will be until the system is officially released.

    Alan: You’ll have to ask Disney when you get here. Best bet is to stop in Guest Relations at a park.

    Shawn: That answer, and most of the answers are for after the system is officially launched. Once it is, you will be able to link your tickets to MyDisneyExperience. While it’s testing, you need to get your MagicBand at a testing Disney resort for FastPass+.

  68. If I stayed at a hotel that was testing this System for a couple of days before the other hotel I booked, what I have to book through Disney, could be AAA or something to be able to get the magic bands

  69. I have a upcoming trip, on Disney property (park tickets and food included) which I booked through RunDisney and was told that I will not be able to take advantage of booking Fastpasses in advance which is extremely disappointing. Can anyone confirm this or give me advice?

  70. We are in the UK and just booked a 2 week stay at Saratoga Springs in May. We booked through a travel agent and do not have a resort reservation number to log in to the disney website. Where would I find our number or do I have to wait until all documents are sent to me in February. Thank you in advance

    1. Anne: If your travel agent can’t get you that number, try calling Disney directly and have them look up your reservation. Otherwise, as you said, just wait for your packet to arrive.

  71. I’m so glad I read this article! I am staying in the POFQ next month and was able to customize our Magic Bands through My Disney Experience. I wouldn’t have even known anything about it if I hadn’t read this! I’m looking forward to seeing how they work…

  72. We are going to Disney for the Wine and Dine Half and booked our trip through RunDisney. We were able to book fastpasses about 40 days out and also customize our magic bands.

  73. I just received our magic bands for an upcoming stay in November. Our magic bands are linked to our annual passes and we are heading to the parks this weekend. Because our magic bands are linked to our hotel reservation in November, are we not able to use them this weekend to enter the parks? Thanks!

  74. Hello~ I’m going to be staying at the Grand Floridian in December, and maybe I am just oblivious to this, but how will I know if I am going to get a Magic Band? I see the link to Manage Magic Bands under My Disney Experience, but when I click on it, it just prompts me to “link a Magic Band or Card” neither of which I have in my possession. So, does this mean I’m not going to get them??

  75. Hi just got back from disney the magic bands are great we just had the gray ones .They are great for fast passes and getting into room and you for get you have them on your arm they are so good

  76. I have a question that I cannot seem to find the answer to anywhere…..I was given the grey magic band at arrival because I made a last minute reservation. I was excited to have it Anne enjoyed it during my trip. I am an annual passholder, so it is now linked to my magic band. But when I got home, I was thinking that I really don’t want GREY. Can I trade or switch my magic band for another color?

  77. This sounds like a great way for Disney to move forward in the world of technology that we live in – as always with anything new, there will be kinks to work out. My biggest question/skepticism is what’s the likelihood that you’ll be able to still get a FastPass when you get to the parks if they’ve all already been taken by people who make decisions 60 days in advance by doing so online? I’m all for being proactive and planning, but it seems as though if I don’t want to plan that far in advance (b/c who knows exactly what each day/hour will look like?) I’m just going to be that park goer that’s out of luck and waiting in every single line b/c all the FastPasses were consumed before I even get to the park….is this right?

  78. I am wondering if anyone has used the Magic Bands and FP+ on a return visit and if so, did it work properly? We are going in November and staying on property and then again December and I staying off property. I would really like to think that they will work for the entire second vacation since it is longer. Do we need to be AP holders or can a regular ticket work with it? Thank you in advance for your help!

  79. You said the app did not work sometimes. Why didn’t you access the Disney website instead? Did you carry the backup Magic Cards with you?

  80. Before calling Disney to ask this question i figured i’d ask here…My boyfriend and i recently stayed on Disney property. We were able to customize our magic bands before arriving at Art of Animation and received them in the mail. We have our annual passes linked to these bands as well. Another family member who was not with us in September booked a trip for 4 of us in December. 2 of us have the bands and 2 do not. We are all linked together with the reservation on the My Disney Experience app and it is showing that the person who booked the trip needs to confirm the shipping address and then can customize the 4 magic bands. If the 2 of us who already have the bands get another band will that interfere with the first one or create issues for us while we are there?

    I am under the impression that the magic band will be good for 3 years and that as annual passholders we get to use the magic bands regardless of if we stay on property or not. We will be booking another trip for February and will be staying on property again so i just want to understand the process and see if we will be getting new bands every time we book at a Disney resort until they roll out the bands to annual passholders.

    Thanks in advance!

    1. Right now, each time you stay at a Disney resort, you’ll get new MagicBands. We have friends who are annual passholders and have multiple MagicBands because they’ve stayed at Disney resorts multiple times. They have all of the bands linked to their account and can use any of the bands they wish when they visit the parks. But they can still only book three Fastpass+’s per day per annual passholder.

  81. Hi. We are going in December. Couple questions. 1. Do we need to have purchased tickets for the parks before being able to schedule for the Fastpass+ rides? 2. Do we need to have the magic bands delivered before we could schedule or could we schedule before arrival? Thanks for the help.

    1. Yes you need to have your park tickets purchased and associated to your MagicBands to book FastPass+. No, you don’t have to have your MagicBands in hand to book FastPass+. Your MyDisneyExperience account just needs to show you’re getting them.

  82. This whole Fastpass+ system sucks BIG TIME. My family and I are able to easily use 10 fastpasses a day and like to park hop. My daughter loves R&R and Space, we can ride 5 or more times using fastpass. There is no way we would wait the 60 minutes or more the standby line is. This new piece of $%@#$ only allows 3 per day and must be in the same park, and all must be different rides. I can’t wait until my kids are big enough for all the rides at Universal. I will not be visiting Disney anymore if all the rumors come true!

  83. Hi Matt, I’ve read all these posts and still have a questions about getting additional fast passes once you get to the park (even if you already have the 3 selected fast passes on your magic band), It seems like you’re saying you can get more once you’re in the park (and one of the customer service people that I spoke to alluded to this maybe being the case), but how? Do they give you a key to the world card when you check into the hotel, and you use that card in the traditional fast pass return machines? Or do you load more on your Disney app on your smart phone once in the park? Do you have to wait until the three you picked online have expired? If so, do you suggest selecting morning times on line for you three magic band selections so that they have expired by noon? Leaving next week, so looking forward to your response!

    1. You are only allowed three FastPass+ selections per person per day for one park per day. But you may still get the old FastPasses once you’re in the park if they are still available using a Key to the World card or if you have a hard ticket in addition to your MagicBands.

  84. Hi Matt, What happens if i make a change of some sort , will they be able to link the new infomation to my magic band if it has alrteady been mailed to me? Example: I currently have a room only reservation and I’m thinking of adding the dining plan. I know this will change it to a package and I’ll have a new reservation #. Would I still be able to use the Magic Bands they already sent me?

  85. Hello, in your article you speak about buying the magicbands for a small fee, if you are staying off site. I can’t find any info. about this is Disney site but I keep hearing that’s the case. How do I go about doing this? I’m sure hoping they roll this out to off site people by mid Jan when we go!! It would be a huge bummer to not have access to any fastpasses or fastpass + (I heard the old fastpass goes quickly because of the FP+ system eating up the spots) 🙁

  86. Fwiw, my fast pass+s for Epcot include Soarin’, Test Track and Mission Mars for Nov and Dec trips and still show up on My Disney Experience. Obviously I am not going to try to change them for any reason after reading this update but at this point they are still available.

  87. We’re staying at the Poly the first week in December and I just tried reserving FP+ for my husband, myself and our two kids. First day’s reservations worked great but for the second day I get a message that others have mentioned — one member of the party has reached their FP+ limit. The web site selects a random member (it has changed every time I have reloaded the page to try again). I am only booking 3 fast passes per day so I don’t see how we have exceeded anything, but there doesn’t seem to be a workaround. Booking for three members and then going back to book for the fourth separately is not a solution because the time slots will be different. Does anyone have any insights?

  88. Disney asks people in their terms of service to not double dip with both FP+ and the old FP system. Thanks a lot for contributing to the lack of FP return times for day guests and local passholders.

  89. I just returned from Disney World. I booked a RunDisney trip through a travel agent, but was impatient and at the first opportunity to buy tickets did so separately. It was still part of the race package and the discounts were the same – but I got a card ticket in the mail, weeks before the travel agent let me know I was getting a MagicBand. I had both at the park. At Hollywood Studios I was able to use my card ticket at the Fast Pass machines and get extra Fast Passes. However at Magic Kingdom, I got a ticket that said it was not a valid Fast Pass, because the card I used had not been scanned at the entry. When I showed that card to the Cast Member in the Fast Pass area, she gave me a temporary card that I could use to get Fast Passes from the machines for the day – she said the card must not have been scanned properly at the entrance. It had not been scanned at all, of course! I was not wearing the MagicBand at the time, I don’t know if she saw it if I would have been denied the temporary pass.

    The app was unreliable on my Motorola Android phone. At times it started to feel like I was spending half each day waiting for My Plans to show up so I could juggle FP+, or load the Wait Times to decide where to go and what to do. Some steps are cumbersome, too – the limitations on adjusting FP+ – although it is actually easier on the app than the website. Loading ANYTHING, restaurant lists by park or park maps and probably other things, be super patient, because the screen appears to load…but it hasn’t…and it will shift under your fingers as it really loads. And then you may end up on the wrong restaurant screen and because the app is slow and unreliable it will feel like it takes forever to back up – now really wait for the screen to load – and actually select the correct restaurant. Or you will find yourself zoomed in to a blank forested area of the map, instead of the park. This was only my second trip and I need a map, I found I still needed to grab and carry a paper map. I think I made quite a site at sit-down meals with my maps and iPad and everything spread out, figuring out my plans. The app was easier to use on my iPad, but even though it’s a mini that’s not really practical while out walking around.

    I am optimistic for FP+. Disney is renowned for its customer service so I believe however the final program plays out, it will be designed to make guests as happy as possible. The current 3 pass limit is not to my liking but until final roll-out I will be optimistic that the Magic Band, Fast Pass+ program will be a great thing.

    HOWEVER – this one thing was CREEPY – I rode a handful of rides that take photos during the ride. I looked at the photos at the exit, laughed, and moved on. Those photos – because I was wearing the Magic Band – are available in My Disney Experience for me to purchase. Because of the Magic Band, Big Brother Disney knows which car I was in and therefore which ride photos are of me. That is cool…but creepy.

  90. We are going to be in Disney in 3 weeks. We have our magicbands and I have set up some of my FastPass options…my question…is there a limit to days you can do fastpasses? We have 6 day parkhopper passes and it is only letting me do fastpasses for 4 of the days. Has anyone else had this problem? Do I need to contact Disney directly?? I don’t want to miss out of getting to use them!!

  91. That is a great tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere.
    Short but very accurate info… Many thanks for sharing this one.
    A must read post!

  92. If you have an annual pass, and you receive a magic band while you are a resort guest, will the magic band continue to work for the remainder of your annual pass year?

    1. Yes it will. Once you have stayed at a resort and linked the band to your My Disney Experience account that has an annual pass linked as well, you will be able to continue using the band and full functions of the app after your stay.