Magic Bands/FP+ and Legacy FP (Rumor)

[Wizzard419]

If you are an Annual Passholder, did you get your band while staying at a Resort? Because like I said before, we pop up from Miami every 2-3 months and mostly do not stay on property. We eat, drink, buy souvenirs, and generally spend money at the parks. We do not stay on property very often because we can get better deals elsewhere. So I think it is guests like our family that fall in the cracks. Maybe by December when we go back we will get out bands! I'm always hopeful!

That is also why they aren't working as hard to cater to the AP holders, a large stream of revenue comes from the vacation bookings so they are possibly going to start holding back with the love.

[Cardinals314]

Right now it is for only resort guests. AP holders that don't stay on site are expected to get a MagicBand at some undisclosed time.

[Amy]

I can see where an AP holder might be more inclined to want to stick with the RFID card instead of a magic band because the card could simply stay in your wallet where you would have to remember to bring your Magic Band along with you on a vacation. But I can also see where the AP holders might want to have the latest and greatest in the Magic Band technology too. Seems unfair for WDW not to reward their AP holders with the new bands simply because they don't stay on property.

[Wizzard419]

The RFID card would have the same functionality as the bands, since both are RFID based, but I don't know if they would let you bind a credit card to the pass. Not that you probably would want to.

I would like to see how they handle people modifying the container for the RFID device (mainly taking it out of the card/band and placing it in something else). Some places are against it and will confiscate/deactivate any devices that do that.

[Amy]

The RFID card would have the same functionality as the bands, since both are RFID based, but I don't know if they would let you bind a credit card to the pass. Not that you probably would want to.

I would like to see how they handle people modifying the container for the RFID device (mainly taking it out of the card/band and placing it in something else). Some places are against it and will confiscate/deactivate any devices that do that.

I wonder if anyone really thinks to try this. Since there is a cute little Mickey Mouse head on the band, and people are really digging the bands so far, I would guess no one has really butchered their bands yet. That is an interesting question though!

[Wizzard419]

Considering people like to stick rfid guts in magic wands, watches, and belt buckles, people will want to change them from the fugly bands.

[theBIGyowski]

After consulting with Len Testa from Touringplans.com, I've decided not to link our park tickets to our Magic Bands. Looking at the crowd estimates, it doesn't really look like we would gain any advantages by using the FP+ system. By keeping our paper tickets, we'll be able to use the Legacy FP system still in place at MK, EP, and DHS...and that gives us a lot more flexibility. It also allows us to get FP for both Soarin' and Test Track...something you can't do with FP+. The only thing we will miss out on is using our Magic Bands for park entry...which we would use only once a day...so no big loss there.

[yodiwan1]

my CM friend got us seasonal passes and already linked them. poop we could have done it that way. oh well.

[Amy]

After consulting with Len Testa from Touringplans.com, I've decided not to link our park tickets to our Magic Bands. Looking at the crowd estimates, it doesn't really look like we would gain any advantages by using the FP+ system. By keeping our paper tickets, we'll be able to use the Legacy FP system still in place at MK, EP, and DHS...and that gives us a lot more flexibility. It also allows us to get FP for both Soarin' and Test Track...something you can't do with FP+. The only thing we will miss out on is using our Magic Bands for park entry...which we would use only once a day...so no big loss there.

Sounds like a good plan!

my CM friend got us seasonal passes and already linked them. poop we could have done it that way. oh well.

Is there any way to unlink them?

[Wizzard419]

Probably, but you would need to talk to a manager and be really assertive.

Do you still get to use the EMH stuff if you don't have magic band linked tickets?

[theBIGyowski]

well...your Magic Band would be linked to your resort...so I would think that would be enough to get through the EMH check

If we were going during a busy time I would have linked the tickets in order to get FP+, but since we'd only have to wait about 30-35 minutes standby to ride Soarin' I figured that wasn't worth losing the option to use Legacy FP.

[theBIGyowski]

Dangit...

Looks like MK is turning off Legacy FP next Tuesday (1/14). Haven't heard about DHS and EPCOT...but I think the plan is to have all Legacy FP gone by the end of this month.

So I think I'll be linking my park hoppers to my Magic Bands soon and trying to get a few FP+ this weekend before we leave on Wednesday (1/15). Really it will only impact us in EPCOT because we were planning on using FP for Soarin' and Test Track...but since we can only choose one of those it looks like long lines for the other.

[Wizzard419]

Man, that is going to suck for anyone who visits the parks and doesn't have a magic band. Or have they started issuing all tickets using the RFID cards/bands?

[jrcohen]

Dangit...

Looks like MK is turning off Legacy FP next Tuesday (1/14). Haven't heard about DHS and EPCOT...but I think the plan is to have all Legacy FP gone by the end of this month.

So I think I'll be linking my park hoppers to my Magic Bands soon and trying to get a few FP+ this weekend before we leave on Wednesday (1/15). Really it will only impact us in EPCOT because we were planning on using FP for Soarin' and Test Track...but since we can only choose one of those it looks like long lines for the other.

If you get you FP+ for say Soarin, can't you get there at park open and go straight to Test Track and get on w/o a long line? You may also want to either use the MDE app or the Touring Plans app to look at crowd levels / wait times, and determine when to ride the other using that. It may help minimize some of your dead time waiting in line.

[Wizzard419]

I think the point was that they would do that too, but if they wanted to ride later in the day (if it were a busier day), it would allow them to get on again with minimal wait.