MyMagic+

[Belle1082]

My problem with having anything pre-planned is there are about 1000 ways to get sidetracked at Disney with children.

That definitely can be a problem and even though we had 3 FP/day pre-arranged, we definitely missed quite a few FP because of schedules, nap times, etc.
I guess next time I will be more likely to schedule FP's more during the early morning if possible. That is usually when people are good to go. Unless you are late to the parks, which again can be a problem. haha I guess we will just have to roll with it and be okay knowing that not every FP may get used.

[Cardinals314]

I just read this interesting piece on Miceage about how the NextGen budget is affecting future projects. The article does state projects that haven't been confirmed yet, but Miceage has had a very good track record when it comes to stuff like this. Disney only goes on the record when it feels like it. Disney didn't comment on the NYT piece about the company's gambling business. The article mostly talks about effects to DL but it does affect WDW as well. From people I know, future developments besides Pandora and Disney Springs at WDW are put on hold for the moment

http://micechat.com/49401-my-magic-plus-failure/

[Wizzard419]

Miceage is about as crap as the rest of the sources pointed out previously, as it was so obvious that the stuff at WDW would never reach DLR because it would be such a waste of money that setting a pile of it on fire would be more useful. DLR leans more on APs and day visitors than vacations booked through the hotels.

Just because they licensed a brand for a slot machine program does not equate to a gambling biz, as large companies are well known for not commenting on articles that are either complete fabrications or just wrong. It does them no favors and the story dies much faster than if they try to talk about it.

Doubtful that either of those projects are on hold for the very simple reason that they do not want "zombie towers" or ghost developments showing up. Plus with shareholders, you can't start on a major project and then tell them "oh, we are part way in but are stopping" without them wanting to set fire to you.

[Cardinals314]

After re-reading it, I don't think the 60th anniversary will have an impact because of this. I do know that WDW projects besides Pandora and Springs have been pushed back (aka Star Wars)

[Thumper1]

Hey all, it's been a while since I've been on the forums but I'm going back to WDW in June and was wondering if the magic bands have been a problem for anyone? Let me know!! Thanks!!

[theBIGyowski]

Hey all, it's been a while since I've been on the forums but I'm going back to WDW in June and was wondering if the magic bands have been a problem for anyone? Let me know!! Thanks!!

Take a look at the "Another Magic Band Question" thread...it may have more info for you.

DW and I went in January and other than her finger scan not working every single time...we had no issues. The CMs at all of the restaurants and merchandise locations knew exactly how to help with the MBs and made it very easy for us to use those instead of a room key, cash, or credit card. I 100% prefer the MB over the old system for POS and it worked flawlessly for our FP+ reservations as well.

[Wizzard419]

I think the only consistent technical problems they have had (according to reports) is that the sweet spot can be hit and miss (which can be a problem on any RF item when it isn't a flat card). But that is something that can be fixed.

The rest is just adjusting programs like FP+ for things like park hopping, adding more passes in, etc.

[theBIGyowski]

Yeah...the hardware is pretty much in place all throughout WDW property. The only changes at this point deal with software/firmware.

[Wizzard419]

I'm still hoping to see the app monetize extra fastpasses/shortening the window.

[MmeLeota]

Hey all, it's been a while since I've been on the forums but I'm going back to WDW in June and was wondering if the magic bands have been a problem for anyone? Let me know!! Thanks!!

Take a look at the "Another Magic Band Question" thread...it may have more info for you.

DW and I went in January and other than her finger scan not working every single time...we had no issues. The CMs at all of the restaurants and merchandise locations knew exactly how to help with the MBs and made it very easy for us to use those instead of a room key, cash, or credit card. I 100% prefer the MB over the old system for POS and it worked flawlessly for our FP+ reservations as well.

We were at WDW about a month ago and did fine with the Magic Bands. There were some minor issues that we ran into, but nothing huge. Cbog40's band fell off a couple of times, but he knew it right away and was able to retrieve it quickly. When we first put them on, they felt a little strange because of the Mickey head thingamabobber (yes, that's a technical term ).
It took a little getting used to the sweet spot on my part, but it ended up being fine.
The thing that really helped us was the app...yes, it was a bit slow on my phone and it did keep giving me error messages, but it was a life saver when it came to FP+.
We don't like to have every single moment of our trip planned, so we weren't sure how we were going to like it...and we didn't book any FPs in advance until we knew where we were going to be from day to day. On the downside, some FPs/desired times weren't available, but for the most part we were able to get what we wanted...and make changes. The app is definitely the way to go, since the lines for the FP+ kiosks were absolutely insane. Hopefully some of the changes that are coming will fix some of the issues.

[BenB]

Anybody see this? Thoughts?

I sympathize with the commenter who said: What if my third Fastpass+ selection is an evening show, like Wishes? Because they're requiring all 3 selections to be used before a new one can be chosen, no one who chooses an evening event for one of their fastpasses will be able to use another one.

On the positive side, I like that this allows park hopping fast passes and gives a way for people to have more than three, or more than one high-rated attraction. My opinion: Good change, needs tweaking.

[Wizzard419]

I think they may have always been working towards it, but the hybrid system they were running under made it not worth the effort.

I am surprised the shows (they might not actually be) would be in the same pool as attractions. When they started issuing FPs for shows with WoC, they were able to not have it count against your ride passes.

I'm still hoping to see them monetize the app because it theoretically could be an affordable luxury that people would take advantage of. That and it would justify the app's existence beyond not having to touch the feculent tablets. Sure, your own phone is filthy, but imagine if hundreds of other people (who may or may not wash their hands) were also touching your phone.

[Chuckus95]

Anybody see this? Thoughts?

I sympathize with the commenter who said: What if my third Fastpass+ selection is an evening show, like Wishes? Because they're requiring all 3 selections to be used before a new one can be chosen, no one who chooses an evening event for one of their fastpasses will be able to use another one.

On the positive side, I like that this allows park hopping fast passes and gives a way for people to have more than three, or more than one high-rated attraction. My opinion: Good change, needs tweaking.

This is a step in the right direction, but one of my biggest issues is the fact that, once you make your 3 selections, you are locked into those selections and cannot change to a different park. Oh well, at least this solves our dilemma for our trip at the end of May. We are going to do AK and HS in one day, and, although i know that we will not be able to get Midway Mania Fastpasses in the afternoon. I'm hoping to get ToT or RnRC. We'll see how it works.

[cy1229]

Anybody see this? Thoughts?

I sympathize with the commenter who said: What if my third Fastpass+ selection is an evening show, like Wishes? Because they're requiring all 3 selections to be used before a new one can be chosen, no one who chooses an evening event for one of their fastpasses will be able to use another one.

On the positive side, I like that this allows park hopping fast passes and gives a way for people to have more than three, or more than one high-rated attraction. My opinion: Good change, needs tweaking.

This is a step in the right direction, but one of my biggest issues is the fact that, once you make your 3 selections, you are locked into those selections and cannot change to a different park. Oh well, at least this solves our dilemma for our trip at the end of May. We are going to do AK and HS in one day, and, although i know that we will not be able to get Midway Mania Fastpasses in the afternoon. I'm hoping to get ToT or RnRC. We'll see how it works.

Why don't you get your advance FP reservations for DHS, then get to AK at rope drop to do the things there you want? We got to AK early on and the kids basically walked on Exp Everst three or four times in a row before the line got too long. You could do one or two of those, then pop over to Kilamanjaro Safari on standby, not wait too long, and still have time to do the shows, ITTBAB, Dinosaur, and Primeval Whirl before 2. Lunch at Flame Tree, of course.

[Wizzard419]

And take the bus from AK to DHS since it seems to be more frequent than most hotel buses.