NextGen / FP+ / Magic Band. The official truth starts to appear

flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
disneydudette said:
What does a Magic Band "accomplish" that an RFID KTTW card can't? Even the FP+ option for non-resort guests is an RFID credit sized card.
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The band has an active radio in it.. which allows the band to 'announce' itself to passive readers without Disney haven't to layer the place with active RFID readers. In effect, you get better range and more flexible detection/tracking options.
 
disneydudette

disneydudette

Well-Known Member
flynnibus said:
The band has an active radio in it.. which allows the band to 'announce' itself to passive readers without Disney haven't to layer the place with active RFID readers. In effect, you get better range and more flexible detection/tracking options.
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Thanks! But... can you elaborate on perhaps why Disney feels the "need" for that? It's not as if EVERY guest in the park will be wearing these bands (I suppose that depends on the price point of the bands for off-site guests) so what exactly is the overall advantage? Will the FastPass+ cards (such as the ones used during testing and I'm assuming for off-site guests) also feature an active radio?

I simply... do not... understand these bracelets.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
disneydudette said:
Thanks! But... can you elaborate on perhaps why Disney feels the "need" for that? It's not as if EVERY guest in the park will be wearing these bands (I suppose that depends on the price point of the bands for off-site guests) so what exactly is the overall advantage? Will the FastPass+ cards (such as the ones used during testing and I'm assuming for off-site guests) also feature an active radio?

I simply... do not... understand these bracelets.
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Even if everyone isn't wearing them.. if your population that is wearing the bands is representative of the larger whole.. you can still take data and extrapolate it. And my guess is they are expecting pretty high attach rates for the bands..

And new features like the interactive rides may be based on the beacon instead of the RFID portion..

We can only speculate at this point...
 
awesomeinabox

awesomeinabox

Active Member
Today we were selected to be a part of a trial thing where we get a front of the line pass for a certain time at BOG for lunch but get to try a new website where you Pre-order all of your food prior and schedule a meal time for quick service lunches. I get to check it out and try to order tomorrow, this will basically make FP+ stretch to meals as well.
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
awesomeinabox said:
Today we were selected to be a part of a trial thing where we get a front of the line pass for a certain time at BOG for lunch but get to try a new website where you Pre-order all of your food prior and schedule a meal time for quick service lunches. I get to check it out and try to order tomorrow, this will basically make FP+ stretch to meals as well.
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This is consistent with the following from the official Disney Park Experience Terms and Conditions:
A FastPass+ selection for dining at a FastPass+ designated table service or quick service location secures your arrival window and allows you to order meal prior to your arrival window. Each guest who has ordered ahead must have a FastPass+ selection for the same arrival time and location confirmed by the Site/App.
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RandomPrincess

RandomPrincess

Keep Moving Forward
Preordering your meal could save a lot of time on a busy day in the parks. How far in advance do you order though? I would be okay with the night before but weeks before seems weird.
 
S

stlphil

Well-Known Member
ChrisFL said:
I just wanted to add a list of concerns that we have for this NextGen/ Magic Band thing. This does not mean these things are not already being worked out/fixed by Disney, but a way to just keep track of what we think are the potential issues we have with it, since some people are claiming that we're too negative.

I don't think we're being negative, we're being realists and Disney hasn't addressed the questions approriately yet.

Here are my thoughts/concerns from browsing here and other websites (in no particular order)

1.) What are the opt-in and opt-out options with the wrist band and RFID system?

2.) What will resort guests have as advantages over non-resort guests overall?

3.) How many FP+ will be available for the person who just decides to go visit on a random day?

4.) How easily are the wristbands detatched, especially when on thrill/water rides?

5.) If someone loses their wristband, how qucikly/easily is it for the RFID chip to be disabled (let's say if you don't have a smartphone)?

6.) How limited will you be if you don't have a smartphone?

7.) Is skimming of the RFID data going to be easily done by criminals?

8.) How can a family choose to go with different FP+ options if they're all planning the trip together?

9.) What happens to the FP+ if rides break down?

10.) Will people who visit on multiple days have to wear the same wristband during their entire stay (and if so, is there a way to wash it?)

11.) Is there a fee for getting a replacement wristband?

12.) If the guest is supposed to keep their wristband, how quickly does the RFID data get "turned off"?

13.) If the RFID info gets turned off, are these wristbands safe to throw in the normal trash?

14.) How will all of this be explained to the average guest who could barely grasp the normal "fastpass" setup before?

15.) Will there be extra CM's staffed to answer questions at various locations throughout the parks?

16.) Are any "partner" locations going to be using the MagicBand also (Downtown Disney shops and restaurants for example)?

17.) Are the wristbands waterproof?



I think that covers most of my concerns for now...apololgies if some of these have been resolved and I just didn't notice yet.
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I don't have answers, but do have comments on a couple of these.

3.) I may have missed it but I haven't seen anywhere that Disney has confirmed that they will ration FP+ for any specific ride so that they will be available on the day of. All they have said is that you can change FP+ reservations day of, but not necessarily to the same ride. With a lot of low-demand rides now getting FP+, I'm sure fast passes will be available for something day of, but not necessarily attractions you really need FP for.

Of course, at least some FP+ will be available for the "good" rides each day when people change their reservations and give up a good ride, but these will probably be rare. And it is possible Disney will indeed reserve some of the FP+ allocation for every ride until the actual day, but I would like to see this confirmed (or someone please provide a link if I missed it).

6.) I think the lack of a smart phone should be mostly a non-issue. With park-wide wifi, if you don't have/want a smartphone you can pick up a used previous-generation iPod touch for probably $50-$75 to run the same apps as an iPhone. That amount is a pittance in the grand scheme of a Disney World vacation, and you'll still have something useful when the vacation is done.

One final thought. Although my opinion is overall really negative about FP+, the chance to reserve parade/fireworks viewing locations is intriguing to me. With rides there are thousands or tens of thousands of slots running throughout the day. Scheduling those really defeats spontaneity. But if I know I want to see a once-or-twice a day parade, then there is no getting around planning for a specific time. FP+ advanced planning doesn't seem so onerous, especially since there aren't thousands but probably only hundreds of prime viewing spots.
 
Kobe!!

Kobe!!

Well-Known Member
ChrisFL said:
It only takes 3 minutes to heat up the hockey puck...err burger in the microwave :p
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Ha. You should tell this to some of the guests that would come in and complain for waiting this long. And for the record the burgers aren't put in a microwave. lol
 
RandomPrincess

RandomPrincess

Keep Moving Forward
My friend is booking a Spring Trip to WDW and she shared this email from her travel agent with me.

We are still taking classes and learning about all this new information, the Magic Bands, the fast passes and the 60 day online checkin will be happening. We heard probably as early as Feb. It will be in stages, but we're not sure yet how that will be done. We're learning the same as you and their are still some technical problems that will occur periodically because they are updating the web-site. You have to have tickets on your Reservation to be able to book your fast passes. You can only book up to 4 at the Magic Kingdom and 3 in the other three Theme Parks. You can not hop from park to park on the Fast passes. They can only be at 1 park each day. If you choose to do the fast passes they will be on the Magic bands. The Magic bands will be able to be personalized and you will be able to do all of this on the Web-site. colors come in green, pink, blue ,grey, yellow and red. They are removable also, you will be able to put up to 10 letters for a name. It can just be a nick name if you want but has to be Disney appropriate. I hope this answers some of your questions. As far as seeing your dining. You will need to remember what phone number you used to book them, Yours can also be brought up by your email address . Once you pull all of your dining you can add it to your itinerary on the My Disney Experience.
 
tracyandalex

tracyandalex

Well-Known Member
RandomPrincess said:
My friend is booking a Spring Trip to WDW and she shared this email from her travel agent with me.

We are still taking classes and learning about all this new information, the Magic Bands, the fast passes and the 60 day online checkin will be happening. We heard probably as early as Feb. It will be in stages, but we're not sure yet how that will be done. We're learning the same as you and their are still some technical problems that will occur periodically because they are updating the web-site. You have to have tickets on your Reservation to be able to book your fast passes. You can only book up to 4 at the Magic Kingdom and 3 in the other three Theme Parks. You can not hop from park to park on the Fast passes. They can only be at 1 park each day. If you choose to do the fast passes they will be on the Magic bands. The Magic bands will be able to be personalized and you will be able to do all of this on the Web-site. colors come in green, pink, blue ,grey, yellow and red. They are removable also, you will be able to put up to 10 letters for a name. It can just be a nick name if you want but has to be Disney appropriate. I hope this answers some of your questions. As far as seeing your dining. You will need to remember what phone number you used to book them, Yours can also be brought up by your email address . Once you pull all of your dining you can add it to your itinerary on the My Disney Experience.
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Interesting! Thank you for posting.
I'm wondering how the having passes associated with your room reservation will work for us APers. Does anyone know if our APs are automatically associated with our room reservations? If not then do I have to link them? Can I link them? Also, what if I am not staying at a WDW hotel, does that mean that I can't pre-book FP+s until the day of?
Also, I have been wondering if the having to have a room reservation will be extended to dining reservations as well. To me I don't really see the difference in the reservations. Even with a hotel reservation there is no guarantee that I will actually use the FP+ or the dining reservation.
From what I have heard very little info pops up on the iPad is: guest name, FP+ time, and birthday/anniversary/etc. (basically any special occasion that may be in the Disney computers). You have to tap the receiver thing and wait for your info to be pulled up on the screen and then you can proceed. Every person must do this.
 
C

cmeller

New Member
This is very interesting. We have a scheduled large family trip coming up in mid-June and being it's been a while since I have been to WDW (and it will be crowded) I'm trying to get as much information on the FP+ system as I can.

Does anyone know if the FP will be available along side FP+...Meaning, if we reserve up to 4 MK FP+'s can we also grab a couple of normal FP while we are at the park?
 
C

cmeller

New Member
Curious, during a moderately busy day...is it possible to get more than 4 FPs? I'm wondering if there is really a limit of 4 FP+ with no option for getting any additional FP does this give you roughly the same number of "Fast Passes" that you would expect now.
 
B

BigThunderMatt

Well-Known Member
cmeller said:
Curious, during a moderately busy day...is it possible to get more than 4 FPs? I'm wondering if there is really a limit of 4 FP+ with no option for getting any additional FP does this give you roughly the same number of "Fast Passes" that you would expect now.
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That all depends on how much time you're willing to put into a park on any given day, how many FP's you plan to get, and what the respective FP windows are like for the attractions you want, because that will have an impact on how many you could conceivably get in a day. If all the windows are 40-60 minutes out from the time you get them, you could likely get 5-6 or more in a long enough day. Further than that though you might be waiting 1-2 hours to get your next FastPass.
 

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