Disney has recently introduced a brand new program called MyMagic+. It takes a bit of work to set it up, but provides some great advantages for your vacation. This blog article will explain each aspect of the program.
When you book your Disney vacation with me I will do as much, or as little, of the planning as you'd like.
Making plans for a Walt Disney World vacation, especially the first time, can be very daunting. There are so many choices and elements! Many people prefer to leave all the planning to me, others like to do some of it, and still others enjoy the planning process and want to do it on their own.
Even if you are placing all the planning into my hands, I do encourage you to login and have a basic understanding of the MyDisneyExperience piece, as it can be very useful while on your vacation.
MyMagic+ has several new features:
- MagicBands: a colorful wristband that will open your resort room door, hold your Dining Plan credits, your theme park admission, you can use it to charge to your room if you link a credit card, and it will hold your FastPass+ reservations.
- FastPass+: you can now book up to 3 FastPasses per day in advance before you even leave home.
- MyDisneyExperience: the free smartphone app and your Disney account that holds all your Walt Disney World vacation plans - your dining, your resort reservation and your FastPass+ reservations (and more!)
Let's take a closer look at each of these elements. If you want to do some of the planning on your own, this will help you walk through each step.
MagicBands
Once your reservation is confirmed you can customize and order your MagicBands.
- Create or login to your Disney account by going to www.StartYourDisneyExperience.com (tip: ALL Disney accounts are one in the same - so if you have a login for any Disney owned site, you already have an account for Walt Disney World. ESPN, ABC, Disney Movie Rewards, etc.).
- Once you have logged in you can link your confirmation number. If you have booked your trip with me, just after you book I send you a copy of your reservation and your details. The number will either be 8-digit alpha-numeric, or 12-digit numeric. Note: If you have more than one room in your traveling party put ALL reservation numbers under ONE MyDisneyExperience account for ease.
- On the website, under MyDisneyExperience, click on MagicBands and Cards to start customizing your MagicBands.
- Confirm or type in your shipping address.
- Customize your MagicBands. For each member in your traveling party you can enter a name (should default to what is on your reservation) and the color of the MagicBand. Current choices are: red, green, blue, orange, yellow, gray and pink.
The MagicBands will not ship right away, so you have time to make changes in case you want a different color, or your shipping address changes. They will be mailed out approximately 25 days before your vacation begins. They arrive in a plain brown box via UPS. You must sign for them.
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| You can choose nicknames or silly names for your MagicBands! The names will be printed on the underside of the MagicBand, so if two people in your party have the same color you will be able to tell them apart. |
FastPass+
At 60 days prior to your vacation you will be able to start making your FastPass+ reservations. FastPass is a system Disney has had in place for many years, allowing you to "reserve" your spot in line and returning during a certain 1-hour window and going through an expedited queue. With FastPass+ you are able to choose your rides and times before you even leave home. This wonderful service allows you to have a relaxed day, knowing you already have reservations on your "must do" attractions!
By the time you are able to make your FastPass+ reservations we have discussed at least a basic plan and will have your Dining Reservations in place. Be sure to have your basic plan handy as you start the FastPass+ process.
- Login to your MyDisneyExperience account by going to www.WaltDisneyWorld.com
- Under the MyDisneyExperience menu, select FastPass.
- A calendar will come up with your vacation dates (or you may need to move the calendar to your dates). Select a date to begin, then select the park you will be visiting.
- Select the guests you would like to make FastPasses for (this is where you can split up the group if you'd like)
- A list of available rides, attractions, and meet & greets will populate, make your selections.
- Select the times that work best for your plans. You will be able to adjust this.
- Confirm your selections and it will appear under both "My Reservations" and "My Itinerary" in MyDisneyExperirence.
Repeat this process for each day you will be visiting the parks. There is also a "FastPicks" choice if you'd like Disney to make the selections for you.
You can easily make changes to any attraction or ride time by going back into that particular day and selecting "Change".
MyDisneyExperience
When you are logged into your MyDisneyExperience account, if you click on your name from the menu it will populate a page with your basic confirmations. This is your "landing page" to quickly show everything you have scheduled. When you click into "My Itinerary" you can see your plans day by day.
If your Dining Reservations aren't appearing, you can pull them in by using the "Link" feature. Generally if you link one, they will all pull in automatically.
By using the "Wish List" feature you can add other elements aside from FastPass+ and Dining Reservations to your daily itinerary. At this time you can add entertainment selections to your daily itinerary, such as the Main Street Electrical Parade. This does not give you a FastPass+ reservation for the parade, but serves as a reminder in your plans that it is something you want to do.
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| Added using the Wish List, on the itinerary it reads: "Reminder, this it not a reservation" |
I expect we will soon see ALL options added to this Wish List feature: character meet & greets, Quick Service Dining, other rides, etc. For now you can use the "Notes" feature to add other items.
How it all works together
When you arrive at Walt Disney World with your MagicBand and your plans all set in MyDisneyExperience you will quickly catch onto how everything works right at check-in.
- At check-in you will scan your MagicBand - Mickey Head on your MagicBand to Mickey Head on the keypad:
This keypad reads your MyDisneyExperience and it registers who you are and what you have reserved.
You will find the same keypad in the stores and at Quick Service Dining locations. You can charge to your MagicBand if you choose to link a credit card to it at check-in. At check-in you will be required to set up a 4-digit PIN code for all purchases. So no worries if you lose your MagicBand!
- At Quick Service, snack and store locations to charge or use Dining Plan credits, scan Mickey to Mickey:
- When you enter your hotel room door, you'll scan to unlock - Mickey to Mickey.
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| You can purchase "Bling" for your MagicBand in most of the gift shops! |
- When you enter the theme parks you'll scan in - Mickey to Mickey.
- When you redeem a FastPass+ reservation, you scan in - Mickey to Mickey:
- When you pay for a meal with your Dining Plan you also scan - Mickey to Mickey.
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| Thank you to my awesome fellow MWT agent, Cass Pettigrew for this picture! |
While touring the parks you can access your plans via smartphone and the MyDisneyExperience app.
In addition to your plans you'll find a host of other information in the app: park hours, wait times for attractions, maps, character meet & greet locations, and more.
If you want to change something up on the fly, you can right on the app. OR, contact me, your travel agent, and I'm happy to do it for you as well!
What happens if you don't have a smartphone?
Don't worry! There are kiosks throughout the theme parks that allow you to bring up your FastPass+ reservations and adjust them on the fly.
The kiosks will not be handy for additional details, like the "Notes" feature, or your Dining Reservations; however, when you book with me and you don't have a smartphone, I will happily provide you with a paper printed copy of your daily plans that you can tuck into your park bag.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by this, remember, I can set all this up for you. Leave the planning to your Disney-geek travel agent!
Labels: Client Planners, how-to, Important Info, Just Booked, Walt Disney World
