Can someone please explain the new wristbands?

[Wizzard419]

So far it doesn't sound like it. It sounds like you will still be using the paper fastpass system that already exists but you will not be given a printed out pass. Instead it will be on your band, which will be swiped when you go to use it. Your return time will be on the app/kiosk.

[Amy]

[quote="Sharonofwindham"...And can you imagine the stress on parents . "Here you go Sam, Sally & Sue, these are your magical wristbands...DON'T LOOSE THEM, or we will have to take out another mortgage just to finish our magical vacation.[/quote]
That is the one nice thing, they will replace the band once. If you misplace it more often than that, then you will have to pay for the replacement band.

I have a question now. I just read that guests utilizing FASTPASS+ will not be eligible for paper FASTPASSes. When the paper Fastpasses phase out, does that mean that we will only be limited to three fastpasses for the entire day? In my trip in March, I easily used more than three fastpasses per day.

They haven't really answered this question as to what will happen in the future. I wonder if they will be seeing how having three FP a day works for a guest during this first phase of implementation? The three FP/day limit is what gives me the most pause for the new system. I don't use a ton of FP, but I like having the option of having more than three in one day!

[Cardinals314]

So far it doesn't sound like it. It sounds like you will still be using the paper fastpass system that already exists but you will not be given a printed out pass. Instead it will be on your band, which will be swiped when you go to use it. Your return time will be on the app/kiosk.

That's what I thought until I started researching more today. I will keep looking for info about it

[Wizzard419]

They haven't really answered this question as to what will happen in the future. I wonder if they will be seeing how having three FP a day works for a guest during this first phase of implementation? The three FP/day limit is what gives me the most pause for the new system. I don't use a ton of FP, but I like having the option of having more than three in one day!

The 3 a day limit is also only for the advance reservation ones that require (if I recall) at least 10 days notice.

[cy1229]

So far it doesn't sound like it. It sounds like you will still be using the paper fastpass system that already exists but you will not be given a printed out pass. Instead it will be on your band, which will be swiped when you go to use it. Your return time will be on the app/kiosk.

Ok ok ok wait.

If the paper fastpass and ticket card key thingamabobs are going away, that would mean that every single person who wants a fast pass would have to go to the kiosk in person to get a fast pass for a particular attraction. No more "you guys go wait 1092387410987 minutes for Astro-orbiter while I go get fastpasses for BTMRR." Can you imagine the congestion and length of time it's going to take to get a fastpass when every single person must swipe his/her own wristband???

Ugh.

[Wizzard419]

You mean like how every single pass has to go through to get the paper ones? Remember, the bands can be taken off, unlike the ones they use for events. So if you want to send someone to get them for a group they could strap them all on and just run all the bands at once.

[Brian845]

Ok, I'm warming up to the wristband idea, since I do like to plan well in advance. The one downside I see to the system is it doesn't allow for Park Hopping, since I gather that you're limited to one park a day for your 3 choices. I'm guessing you could still do walk up Fastpasses tho.

[Wizzard419]

It might not care what park you get the passes in. How does the paper system handle park hopping at WDW? If you get a FP for ToT then take the boat to epcot and try to get one for test track, will it rebuff the request?

[Cardinals314]

From what I have been reading if you are using the wristbands you are not able to get paper fastpasses. Thus, this limits you to your reserved fastpasses for the entire day. This is what I am hearing from people testing the new system now.

Also, you can get fastpass+ reservations to all 3 mountains at MK. The tier system is no longer accurate

[Wizzard419]

That might be for testing, it would certainly leave a bad play with the customers if people paying less were able to get more passes a day than someone who paid more for an on-property vacation.

[Amy]

It might not care what park you get the passes in. How does the paper system handle park hopping at WDW? If you get a FP for ToT then take the boat to epcot and try to get one for test track, will it rebuff the request?

I think you would not receive a new fastpass at another park if you were still in the hour time frame where you were ineligible for a fastpass at the initial park. Given the transportation time and security checks, you probably wouldn't have to worry as the time frame would generally have passed for getting a new fastpass

From what I have been reading if you are using the wristbands you are not able to get paper fastpasses. Thus, this limits you to your reserved fastpasses for the entire day. This is what I am hearing from people testing the new system now.

Also, you can get fastpass+ reservations to all 3 mountains at MK. The tier system is no longer accurate

That might be for testing, it would certainly leave a bad play with the customers if people paying less were able to get more passes a day than someone who paid more for an on-property vacation.

That is one of the things I am most interested to see how they handle. It definitely says that with the MagicBand you may only have the three planned ahead FP with no further fastpasses given in the park. I thought I also read somewhere that the fastpasses all had to be in the same park.

[Wizzard419]

As they are saying the rollout is not going to be complete until next year, there are probably going to be spaces (after the peak season is over) where a lot of the bugs as well as gaps in services will show up due to old systems being taken offline.

This also came across as funny, due to Florida's poorly written new law, the state banned pretty much all devices that connect to the internet (computers, smartphones, etc).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/0 ... ostpopular

Florida, don't ever change... because I fear you may not have hit the bottom yet.