Annual Pass Magic Bands

[Disney Fan Dan]

Please forgive me if this question as already been answered! Our family had to buy new annual passes this year for our upcoming trip on January 17th. We decided to go on and buy the exchange certificates which just came in the mail. When we get down to Disney World to exchange them later this month, does anyone know if they will be giving us the paper tickets still or if they will give us magic bands? We will probably be staying off-site. Thanks!!

 

[Monty]

You'll get plastic cards. The new APs have RFID chips.

I don't think you get bands unless you're a resort guest, though your APs can be associated with the bands, you get the card as well in that case.

 

[donsullivan]

You'll get plastic cards. The new APs have RFID chips.

I don't think you get bands unless you're a resort guest, though your APs can be associated with the bands, you get the card as well in that case.

Monty is correct, you will not get Magicbands. They are only available to resort guests. That also means you will not have access to advance reservation aspects of Fastpass+ either. You'll only be able to use day-of legacy FP at MK, EC, DHS and day-of FP+ at Animal Kingdom.

However, it's expected that more parks are going to drop legacy FP for FP+ in the coming weeks but no formal schedule has been communicated yet.

 

[JohnD]

Monty is correct, you will not get Magicbands. They are only available to resort guests. That also means you will not have access to advance reservation aspects of Fastpass+ either. You'll only be able to use day-of legacy FP at MK, EC, DHS and day-of FP+ at Animal Kingdom.

However, it's expected that more parks are going to drop legacy FP for FP+ in the coming weeks but no formal schedule has been communicated yet.

Partly correct. Yes, you will not have MBs because not a resort guest. HOWEVER, because you have an AP, you can access FP+. Just make sure you have your AP logged into MDE. Your paper certificates should have a serial number on them. You can associate those with your MDE account. Then you can make FP+ reservations like anyone else. When you arrive, exchange the certificates for the cards. When using the readers at the parks for your FP+ reservation, tap your pass (plastic card) instead.

 

[donsullivan]

Partly correct. Yes, you will not have MBs because not a resort guest. HOWEVER, because you have an AP, you can access FP+. Just make sure you have your AP logged into MDE. Then you can make FP+ reservations like anyone else. When using the readers at the parks for your FP+ reservation, tap your pass (plastic card) instead.

Unless you know some magic trick the rest of us haven't figured out, Annual Passholders who have not had a resort stay since testing started cannot reserve Fastpass+ in advance on the website or in the My Disney Experience App. This has been a growing issue of contention with Passholders being excluded from the advance reservation that Disney has so far refused to respond to.

If you've figured out a way to do it without a resort reservation, please share the trick.

 

[JohnD]

Unless you know some magic trick the rest of us haven't figured out, Annual Passholders who have not had a resort stay since testing started cannot reserve Fastpass+ in advance on the website or in the My Disney Experience App. This has been a growing issue of contention with Passholders being excluded from the advance reservation that Disney has so far refused to respond to.

If you've figured out a way to do it without a resort reservation, please share the trick.

Hmm. Okay. My first trip in a long time was purchasing a FR Weekday select pass and staying at POFQ. Maybe for APs, I guess it's stay once, always have access. Right now, I can make FP+ 60 days out from today even though I have no plans to stay at resort during that time. I will be going in early April, in which case the 60 day window will open up for me in February to make viable FP+ reservations.

Also, the AP page says nothing about staying at a resort, although it says FP+ is available: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/passholder/.

To OP, you can still link your certificates to MDE. Then see if you have FP+ access. That will clarify things. If not, it means you have to stay at a resort at least once.

 

[donsullivan]

Hmm. Okay. My first trip in a long time was purchasing a FR Weekday select pass and staying at POFQ. I guess stay once, always have access. Right now, I can make FP+ 60 days out from today even though I have no plans to stay at resort during that time. I will be going in early April, in which case the 60 day window will open up for me in February to make viable FP+ reservations.

Also, the AP page says nothing about staying at a resort, although it says FP+ is available: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/passholder/

The Passholder page describing My Disney Experience has not been updated since April 2013.

 

[JohnD]

The Passholder page describing My Disney Experience has not been updated since April 2013.

I revised my post as you posted: "To OP, you can still link your certificates to MDE. Then see if you have FP+ access. That will clarify things. If not, it means you have to stay at a resort at least once."

Let's see what the result is.

 

[seafoodbuffet]

I think unless you have AP AND are staying at a qualifying resort, you will not get MagicBands nor will you have access to the FP+ kiosks in the parks.

For example, during our december trip, we just got our AP and stayed at S&D. For our stay, we were basically like any S&D guests in that we had access to same-day FP+ selections at all the parks (but they checked our S&D room keys before they let us do that). Our plastic AP had rfids that were able to scan at the FP+ readers. We were also able to access legacy FP through the machines.

I've heard that as an AP, once you have a single Disney resort stay (actual stay, not just reservation), you will get your magicbands AND you will have continued access to advanced FP+ bookings through MDE.

You could probably book a single night at Pop or AllStars for less than $100 if you really can't wait to see if they will officially offer FP+ to AP.

 

[seafoodbuffet]

And really? This is as it SHOULD be.

Sandy and I are APs. An AP is a park ticket... it may be a really GOOD park ticket, but it's a park ticket . Whatever WDW does for people with a PARK TICKET, in regards to FP+, MBs, stuffed animals - they should do with an AP.

Now, we also happen to be DVC members - so, we stay ON SITE. It's HERE that I expect the real value of FP+ to kick in... and I have to be honest, it's about TIME WDW figured out that no perks for ON SITE guests is pretty much equal to empty hotels, 48% discounts, free dining for entire countries.... just to get someone to actually stay ON SITE. Others may call for my death.... but I believe WDW may actually have come up with a logical business plan to promote ON SITE stays.

I know many APs would likely disagree with you in that they've guaranteed Disney a lot of repeat business and expect Disney to reward them for it. Personally, I think by the time they yank traditional FP machines, APs will have to have at least same-day FP+, but perhaps no more.

As an out of state AP, I am totally okay with that. I think if you are a Florida resident AP with no reason to stay at a resort, well, maybe that's why Disney offers Florida resident pricing? I dunno.

 

[donsullivan]

And really? This is as it SHOULD be.

Sandy and I are APs. An AP is a park ticket... it may be a really GOOD park ticket, but it's a park ticket . Whatever WDW does for people with a PARK TICKET, in regards to FP+, MBs, stuffed animals - they should do with an AP.

Now, we also happen to be DVC members - so, we stay ON SITE. It's HERE that I expect the real value of FP+ to kick in... and I have to be honest, it's about TIME WDW figured out that no perks for ON SITE guests is pretty much equal to empty hotels, 48% discounts, free dining for entire countries.... just to get someone to actually stay ON SITE. Others may call for my death.... but I believe WDW may actually have come up with a logical business plan to promote ON SITE stays.

I might agree with you in this philosophy if they were adding something new for resort guests only such as EMH and not making that new thing available to non-resort guests. In this case, they have taken something away from Passholders that they used to have and reduce the experience after taking our money for those annual passes with an expectation (set by Disney) of what would be available.

 

[deanaandrich]

When my in laws renewed their passes in December they were given magic bands and they were not staying on site. I renewed last week and was given a paper pass.

 

[seafoodbuffet]

I might agree with you in this philosophy if they were adding something new for resort guests only such as EMH and not making that new thing available to non-resort guests. In this case, they have taken something away from Passholders that they used to have and reduce the experience after taking our money for those annual passes with an expectation (set by Disney) of what would be available.

If by taking away, you mean legacy FP, they aren't gone yet. If by taken away, you mean FP+, then that wasn't ever an AP benefit right? It started "testing" with resort guests and will eventually roll out somehow.

If you look at the DAK model, it seems that at a minimum, once legacy FP is gone, APs will have access to same-day FP+ reservations. The only way that APs would be totally hosed (but anyone not staying onsite would be in the same boat) would be if there were no FP+ AND no legacy FP.