Back in February I posted about the My Disney Experience on the Disney website (check it out
here). Now with the rolling out of the Magic Bands as well as Fast Pass+ I wanted to take another look at it. There are lots of websites reviewing the in-park experience but everything starts at home, with your account at www.waltdisneyworld.com.
The first thing I want to address is, do you actually need an account? What about people who don't have smartphones? Or older generations that aren't that comfortable using a computer (or smartphone)? The answer is NO, you do not need to do anything in advance if you choose not to. This is intended to make for a better experience during your vacation, and I highly recommend it, but it's not necessary. In the future when Disney does away with the traditional Fast Passes, you will be at a disadvantage to not booking your Fast Passes in advance but you will be able to do this via kiosks in the park.
Ok so let's start at www.waltidisneyworld.com. We'll assume you've already created a basic account (name, address, email, phone number, birthdate, etc). What's next?
First you can link your resort reservation. Simply hover your mouse over the My Disney Experience for a list of options to appear!
See
My Reservations? Here is where you will link your resort reservation number, as well as dining. For most clients, when you log in, nothing will be linked. Just click on Link a Resort Reservation.
Not only should you resort reservation appear once you are done, but you should also see the next section populate with your ticket info (this is important for Magic Bands).
The next stage is important. At this point you may or may not see your dining reservations linked depending on who made the reservations.
- If you made them online, they should all be listed
- If you made them via the phone, you might have to manually enter them if you did NOT provide an email
- If you travel agent made them, they may or may not appear
Family and Friends
Since we are all learning this new system together, there are lots of possibilities. Going forward I will request all of my clients to send me a friend request so that I may make their dining reservations for them and they can appear online! This is an important tool not only for your travel agent but also if you are traveling with extended family and friends. By sending each other invites, you can all share your dining reservations and itinerary and be able to access it anywhere in the park...even if you aren't together!!
Head back up to the My Disney Experience button but this time click profile!
See Family and Friends? If you want to add someone (like me, your travel agent) click Add a Guest!
Be sure to click Invite to plan and share! Now I will be able to make dining reservations for you and they'll automatically appear on your list!!
My Itinerary
Once you have linked everything, you can also go in and set your itinerary. As far as I can tell this is just something fun, but if you are traveling with a large group it would be nice to have everyone be able to view the days plans from their individual smartphones or tablets (which park, what restaurant, etc). Just click on My Itinerary from the My Disney Experience Menu.
My Magic Bands and Cards
I like this section because if you have linked a Package confirmation number, your cards should already be loaded but if you have some older paper style cards, you can also add them here! As of right now, if you haven't been selected to test out the Magic Bands this option won't allow you to select anything. All you can do is view your tickets.
In the future (or if you have been selected for the test) you'll be able to order your Magic Bands in advance.
You'll see a list of everyone in your party's name (the names have been whited out here). They will all default with grey bands (my client already picked their colors). To pick your color and customize the name, simply click update!
Once you click update you can choose the color and name! This way if all the kids want the same color, their names will be imprinted on the underside so you can tell them apart!
If you have ordered them far enough in advance, they will be shipped right to your home! Once you arrive at Disney your Magic Bands will be used for everything from gaining park access, to paying for meals and merchandise and as your FastPass!!
FastPass+
I know there has been a lot of mixed feelings about this feature but honestly after walking through it with a client, I really love it! This client was so happy that we reserved some of her favorite attractions in advance! She also loved that she was given 4 options as to which time slots were available and she could pick what worked best for her family.
You'll start by selecting the date you want to make your FastPass+ reservations for.
Next you'll select which family members you'd like to make the reservation for. If you are traveling with other groups of friends or family, here is where it becomes important that you are all linked!
Next up simply choose the day you'd like to pick times for. In this case the client has inputted her itinerary so the parks are prepopulated. If they are NOT, you will be given the choice to pick a park.
Next up, ride options...no times yet so just pick the attractions (and possibly show, parade and fireworks) you'd like to see.
Once you have selected your favorite attractions, you'll be given some options for times. The Best Match option comes up first but select Option A, B or C for alternates.
That's it! You'll do this for each day! Also you are not locked into this times. Feel free to log in anytime to make changes....even via your smartphones and tablets from WITHIN the park on the same day!
As with any new technology or procedure at Disney, it's a learning process for everyone. We are all learning this together and learning as we go! I have high hopes for this system and anything that makes my Disney Experience a better one, I'm all for that!
