No Time To Say Hello Goodbye
Member
Sorry, should have said the week or two was for this most recent test. I don't actually know how far in advance some of the earlier testers were notified that they could participate.
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My Magic + details ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
jessfriends
Active Member
Thanks for the suggestion. I did try that a few days ago and tried it now on both iOS and android and still no luck. The interesting thing is that it says it has already been linked. I'm not seeing it on my end as being linked and until this past weekend I haven't attempted to link my pass to my account. I got the pass at the end of May. When I called I was told that I apparently have a couple logins. One is my email and the other is just a username which is the first part of my email. When you login it asks for either but until I called I didn't realize they were two separate accounts since it says type in either. I tried linking my card using each account and no luck. I wonder if they can see on their end who it is linked to if I give them my number? Or maybe that's what happens on mobile devices instead of the error message with a phone number that I get when using a PC.
Anyways, I do like the convenience of the band (the concept that is as i have yet to try it) so you are not digging for your card to open your room, to pay, to use your fastpass etc but like many others I am concerned with it being limited to 3 a day in 1 park. I'm also concerned with the availability of the fastpass times if you don't reserve them way in advance and also from what I'm reading the wait times for nontraditional fastpass attractions will be longer than normal. Depending on my type of trip I don't know the park I plan to go to until the day before. I like to wing it if my trip doesn't have several ADRs. Also this is minor but I was concerned about the tan line issue too but the convenience might out way it and if you get a card too you can alternate between them. I would like a purple band option too.
It will be interesting to see what they do after these rounds of testing and how long it will take to fix the bugs with it to make it fully operational.
Two thoughts: First, if you believe that the queues are the company's product, I think that you are mistaken. Second, one need not use a company's product to understand the benefits of it.If you've got a senior executive (Tom Staggs) who never has to use the product and purposely avoids having to use the product (lines at theme parks), then why would he be the one to stand on stage in the Anaheim Arena and tout the wonders of this new product that he has absolutely no intention of ever using?
One of my responsibilities is overseeing a unit that has a call center. I never have not will I ever sit down and make calls in the call center. I am also not in the demographic targeted by the call center. Yet I still understand and tout the benefits of the call center.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
There have been problems with the Premier passport since the beginning. Most noticeably the fact that entrance to the two resorts is different. In Disneyland they have photos attached to your pass, but if the pass is purchased in Florida there is no photo attached. It's another layer/nuisance. We've been told in the past that adding the photo takes a week, but thankfully this time around it took 24 hours for both my wife and I. Without the photo attached you're required to show a photo ID.
There are also AP discounts everywhere in Disneyland, but they all require a photo ID, only the entry turn styles bring up a photo of your face which is a little weird. This will be a distinct advantage of My Magic + over what's currently in place... provided merch and dining discounts stick around.
MadMax11
Well-Known Member
This is where I am on it. I go a lot (though I'm certain less than a lot of the posters here)...and I plan JUST ENOUGH to get by. But I don't plan stuff like what time I'm gonna ride which particular ride....I wing it all. I like spontaneously deciding we're heading out to another park, no matter what time it is...and not being limited by the fact that I've already committed 60 days earlier to a fastpass in a park I'm no longer interested in being in. It's a vacation after all. I'm sure to some it's completely normal...but it seems laughable to me to suggest I could possibly plan out 60 days in advance which ride I want to ride and at what specific time on which specific day. That's just beyond me.
KingStefan
Well-Known Member
I am in basic agreement here. I am just the opposite as MadMax11. I live far away, so I get there only once every other year or so, although if I get an AP I may make 2-3 trips, but don't renew the AP every year.
However, my concerns are the same. I want the flexibility to change plans whenever I want, due to longer lines than anticipated, change in requirements (like one of the DDs has a headache because she didn't eat enough breakfast, for example), unexpected bathroom needs, repeat rides because there is virtually zero lines, weather changes, attraction malfunction, or just whim.
On the other hand I usually plan out my park days, usually with hoppers. Some trips are restaurant "themed" and so therefore my itinerary is a bit more planned out. Other trips, not so much.
Either way, on every trip so far, there has been at least a few occasions where the plan for the day totally changes. Heck, on one trip our arrival was delayed due to weather, and the ENTIRE TRIP PLAN had to be redone. In the past, re-planning such as this without severe enjoyment impact has only been made possible for my demographic by FP. Now my main concern is if I'm "winging it", will I be able to get FP+ at all at the last minute.
And being avid park hoppers, I very often use one FP (for the group) in each of two or even three parks. So the current situation blows that planning style right out of the water.
If they fix it so that I can get FP+ reliably on most attractions within the next few hours (half a day, basically) and allow FP+ in more than one park per day, then I'm OK with the whole thing. In fact, as I'm a relatively early technology adopter, I'm very excited about the whole MM thing; just not the implementation with the restrictions the way they've laid them out.
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MadMax11
Well-Known Member
Absolutely agreed. I'm fine with the wristband..I'm fine with some planning ahead of time...I'm more than fine with being able to use my iPhone app to make it all work....the restrictions are my concern...and if they made the changes you suggested to provide some level of flexibility, I'd likely see it all as a huge upgrade instead of a pain in the rear.
KingStefan
Well-Known Member
bingo!
KingStefan
Well-Known Member
Just to be clear, because I see the flame potential here, I wouldn't expect MORE capability in this respect than now. I wouldn't expect, for example, to decide to go to DS unplanned at 4pm and expect to get TSM for the same afternoon. Ditto with Epcot and Soarin'. But the places where I can do it now, I'd like to be able to do it with FP+ - that's all I'm sayin'.
It was a convenience--one that in the past we had not felt we needed. After experiencing it, we unanimously agreed we liked it. None of us is so lazy or disorganized that the old system was a huge hassle. The old way was fine, but we liked the bands better. We didn't mind it until we didn't have to do it. We were surprised at that. I was merely pointing that out. I was emphasizing this because, based on my experience last week, I now feel that the bands will, in general, be well-received.
The "problem" I pointed out was a minor thing. When I said no problems, I meant with the function of the band itself. I would not consider a "one size fits all" wristband to fit perfectly. As a matter of fact, I was surprised at how well it fit everyone in our group. I also hate stuff on my wrist, but I didn't really mind the Band. That was a surprise to me. I provided the negatives to give people information, not as a "complaint." Perfect contact with the scanner a isn't really a problem either because there it happened so little, and since there was an easy work-around (which I mentioned as well).
Never sure from a post, but I am sensing a level of condescension in your tone. I am not a naive tourist with rose colored glasses. I also know that we were part of a beta test, and there are lots of potential problems and changes that will occur between now and the full-roll out. However, there are some people on these forums who are complaining about the current details of the tests. I was merely pointing out that the Disney people made it a point to re-assure us that they were going to change things based on guest feedback, and that the current perimeters are in place because of the test. Many folks on the forums will be happy to know this.
The implication was that they were going to do this, but I still felt a little guilty about not showing up for that particular attraction. I don't like taking a spot for something that someone else could use. This brings up another interesting difference between the FP+ and regular FP: You can't give them away if they are unused. In the past, if I had FP's that I couldn't use, it was easy to just give them to someone who was contemplating waiting in the standby line. (Sort of my personal pixie dust delivery). Can't do that with the FP+'s.
Scolding was hyperbole. And speculation on my part. I would think that it would take a lot of missed FP's to cause a reaction from Disney. My point was, Disney can now tell the patterns of each guest for following through with FP's. I don't know if they will, but it sure is possible.
I have deleted the email that I got, but it was essentially the same as this email that we got when PPF was down when we had FP+'s:
We're sorry, your previously confirmedFastPass+ selection for Peter Pan's Flight® from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 07/26/2013 needs to be changed because the experience is temporarily unavailable.
As a replacement, you may now visit any one of the following FastPass+ experiences on 07/26/2013, starting at 10:00 AM through anytime during normal Theme Park operating hours (Valid Theme Park admission is required and your FastPass+ selection cannot be redeemed during Extra Magic Hours):
Experiences*
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
Mickey's PhilharMagic®
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan's Flight®
Dumbo the Flying Elephant®
The Barnstormer
There is no action needed to select the experience in advance. During the designated day and time, just arrive at the FastPass+entrance to one of the experiences above and touch your MagicBand to enter!
*Note that you may be able to still experience your selection for Peter Pan's Flight® if it becomes available again today, unless you opt to visit one of the other listed experiences.
I wasn't arguing the merits of the privacy fears--We both agree that there really is nothing to worry about. However, during that time, Disney stressed the opt-in nature of the program, and when we ran our test run, they stressed it again. In the same sentence, the people explicitly stressed that the paper FastPasses were NOT going away for this reason. Disney wants to offer FP's to everyone--even those who don't opt in to the MM+ program, from now going forward in the "foreseeable future". My speculation is that that means a couple years at least. I am merely reporting what I was told by the folks with the MM+ logos on their shirts who were very knowledgeable and had access to big fat SOP binders from the company itself. Your skepticism is appreciated, and I share it to some extent, but Disney would have a lot of troublesome back-pedaling to do if it suddenly changed its mind.
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During the day, they were checking room keys at the lift gate too. Not exactly sure why (I am assuming it was that some folks have figured out how to get through the lift gate and park in the contemporary lot). Also, the guards at other resorts asked for room keys when we visited to eat, shop, or look around.
I don't think that they would have any back-pedaling to do, for two reasons. First, they have not made any official statement that suggests that the 'old' FP system is not going away as soon as the new system is up and running. Second, no one has defined 'foreseeable future'. An employee who doesn't think FP+ will be up and running in the near term might certainly say that 'old' FP will stick around for the 'foreseeable future' even if he thought that the old system would go away the very moment that the new system went live.
Once again, I was merely reporting what I was told. I will re-emphasize one point: These were not just random employees giving their best guesses. These were official people on-hand who are in charge of MM+. You would have been surprised at the number of executives in the lobby of Bay Lake Tower who were overseeing the "messages" that we were being given. I took most of what they said as an official statement. It may change, and I won't be too surprised if it does. As you have pointed out, Disney certainly has a motivation to do so. I just thought that people in the forum might be interested in what they are telling those who are going through the tests. With them, at least, they will be back-pedaling if they change their minds.
I think that it's just symantics. I am of the belief that no statement made by any employee that you meet in the parks and engage in conversation rises to the level of an official company statement; not the bus driver, not the IT guy, and not the random resort manager guy. If these individuals pass on bad information, I guess that they would have egg on their face, if they remembered the conversation and you ever spoke to them again. The company, not so much.
Minthorne
Well-Known Member
So far my experience with the magic band test this week has been less than stellar. I figure I have spent over 6 hours at guest relations and the front desk dealing with deactivated bands, fastpass+ experiences that fail to register in the parks, inability to make room charges and inability to open the room doors with the bands. The CM have all been nice but I haven't enjoyed being the free guinis pig for the test. It's not a fun way to spend the week
I just want the magic back
I just want the magic back
InsiderImagine
Active Member
Al Lutz has another of his famous updates today, and he talks a lot about what won't be announced at D23 yet what is in the short pipeline for Anaheim and DHS. http://micechat.com/37890-miceage-tomorrowland-starwars/
But Lutz also mentions MyMagic+ and has a funny riff on how Tom Staggs always gets VIP guides to hustle him and his family in through the exit on everything, thus avoiding any lines or Fastpasses or 180 Day Planning or wearing plastic bands.
It's the usual Al Lutz snark that he's famous for, but I think the point is valid. If you've got a senior executive (Tom Staggs) who never has to use the product and purposely avoids having to use the product (lines at theme parks), then why would he be the one to stand on stage in the Anaheim Arena and tout the wonders of this new product that he has absolutely no intention of ever using?
It's funny because Staggs was in MK today. Didn't see a MagicBand on him.
Poor CM got fired today for saying hi to him.
wogwog
Well-Known Member
So far my experience with the magic band test this week has been less than stellar. I figure I have spent over 6 hours at guest relations and the front desk dealing with deactivated bands, fastpass+ experiences that fail to register in the parks, inability to make room charges and inability to open the room doors with the bands. The CM have all been nice but I haven't enjoyed being the free guinis pig for the test. It's not a fun way to spend the week
I just want the magic back
I am not surprised. A friend working merchandise sent the following to me that was circulated in his location. A notice of how to handle transaction as the system was mostly crashed yesterday on the 6th. Maybe other days as well. I suppose that is why they call it "testing." So much for you only need your Magic Band.
Touch to Pay outages experienced across property
Currently, touch to pay outages are being experienced across property. Impacted locations include a majority of Merchandise, Food & Beverage and Recreation locations.
- For locations experiencing outages that are unable to finalize tender, please advise Cast Members to swipe the Guest's Key to the World card.
- For Guests with MagicBands, please request their Key to the World card and process via swipe.
- If a Guest with a MagicBand did not carry their Key to the World card, Cast may request an alternative form of payment. In appropriate environments, the Front Desk may be contacted to post the charge.
Sorry! My advice: express your frustration to the concierge in charge of the MM+ testing. I have been told by a credible source that they have been instructed to "make sure you have a great trip, even if there are problems with MM+"
At a minimum, you should be compensated for your trouble somehow. 6 hours too long for anyone to have to deal with. Did they give you a reason for the problems you were having?
At a minimum, you should be compensated for your trouble somehow. 6 hours too long for anyone to have to deal with. Did they give you a reason for the problems you were having?
So far my experience with the magic band test this week has been less than stellar. I figure I have spent over 6 hours at guest relations and the front desk dealing with deactivated bands, fastpass+ experiences that fail to register in the parks, inability to make room charges and inability to open the room doors with the bands. The CM have all been nice but I haven't enjoyed being the free guinis pig for the test. It's not a fun way to spend the week
I just want the magic back[/quote
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asianway
Well-Known Member
Post of the year
TRONorail10
Active Member
Interesting. The only way I can envision a CM getting fired for something like that is if he/she abandoned their job responsibilities to go out of their way to speak to him. Executives and celebrities come through the parks all of the time, and as long as you continue with your job and are respectful to them, you won't get fired for saying hello. You just can't go out of your way to interact with them, they have to interact with you first.