Musings and observations from a weekend at Walt Disney World

[Jared]

Good morning, friends. I just returned from a long weekend at Walt Disney World and wanted to start a thread outlining my thoughts and observations. i hope it sparks a worthwhile discussion.

Let's start with the most controversial topic sweeping the Disney fan community: MagicBands. We stayed at the Polynesian and had the opportunity to test them and experiment with Fastpass+.

Like many others, I was skeptical about the program, but I really tried to keep an open mind until trying it for myself. I am to report that my entire party came away with nothing but praise for the MagicBands. They truly did make our vacation easier and more accessible in many ways. It was a pleasant surprise.

Fastpass+ was a delight. It is remarkable how much time you waste walking to an attraction, obtaining a regular Fastpass and then walking all the way back. This was especially evident at a place like Epcot, where the major attractions are far apart. Meanwhile, Fastpass+ made it so we didn't have to sprint to Toy Story Mania or Soarin' at rope drop. We were able to sleep in a bit, mosey over to the Studios on our own time and hop right on Toy Story Mania. Fabulous.

We also loved that the MagicBands were waterproof. Because the bands act as a room key and a credit card, we didn't have to bring our wallets to the pool and leave them sitting around while we swam. It is a minor thing, but we viewed it as a perk nonetheless.

Now, they weren't perfect. We had a technological snafu at one point, because the MagicBands are still unable to recognize Halloween party tickets. We had to spend some time at Epcot's guest relations, where a Cast Member had to manually disconnect those passes from the bands and print out plastic cards. I also want to withhold judgment until Fastpass+ goes live for everybody. We had no problem securing ideal reservation times for major attractions on relatively short notice. I fear that will no longer be the case in a few months.

But our initial experience with MagicBands was a huge success. I am still a bit stunned.

Other quick hits:

Fastpass+ at Be Our Guest is the way to go if you want to eat lunch there. That line is absurd. We walked right into the restaurant, ordered and had our food within 15 minutes. That said, I still say Columbia Harbour House is better, and I'll be spending most of my Magic Kingdom counter-service dollars there.

The monorail system is in dire shape and needs serious help. It is slow, creaky, inefficient and an embarrassment to Walt Disney's legacy. At this point, buses are a more reliable transportation option, which is a sad statement.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party was as crowded as I've ever seen it. I'm not sure if they are selling more tickets this year or what, but it was a bit nuts. It's still a fun experience, though.

Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom is in the best shape I've seen it in a while. There are several effects working I haven't seen in operation since shortly after the ride opened.

Splash Mountain is still looking pretty decent all these months after its refurbishment. The projection on the wall and hopping Brer Rabbit are working. Most -- not all -- of the water effects in the Laughing Place are working, too.

There are serious issues with the new boats at Pirates of the Caribbean. They drift and sag and take on a remarkable amount of water. Meanwhile, the Blackbeard mist effect was turned off for our entire trip. The mermaids still add nothing and barely count as an effect.

The hubbub about the dining reservations system continues to be much ado about nothing. We were there over a busy holiday weekend and managed to eat at several of the most popular restaurants with virtually no notice. We booked a dinner at Boma about 30 minutes before we wanted to dine and even at dinner at 'Ohana without a reservation. We just walked up to the podium when the place opened and were seated within 15 minutes. That was on a Friday night.

Meanwhile, we walked into Yak and Yeti around lunchtime and were told we would have a table within "five to 15 minutes." We passed, but still.

Some new signage around the Polynesian now refers to the hotel as Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, further proof that a name change is coming.

I'll stop here for now. More to come.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I'm hoping that we will like the fastpass + system too. My concerns with the system is adding rides that previously were not fast pass attractions like Pirates and Haunted Mansion. You didn't need fastpass before for those and I've heard its creating long wait times now. If they would just leave it to attractions that have always been FP it would be better.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

Great report. You've covered a lot of ground! I agree with you on so many points. Thanks for posting.


It is remarkable how much time you waste walking to an attraction, obtaining a regular Fastpass and then walking all the way back.

You're absolutely right! This is the main reason we are slightly annoyed with the way the FP system evolved. It used to be that you got a FP when you arrived at an attraction, you had an hour to two hour before you could use it, so you rode something else and had a meal. You stayed in the same area/land (generally speaking) and then you used your FP. But everyone rushing at the start of the day was just too much for us. That's why we haven't really used FPs in the past few years.


We also loved that the MagicBands were waterproof. Because the bands act as a room key and a credit card, we didn't have to bring our wallets to the pool and leave them sitting around while we swam. It is a minor thing, but we viewed it as a perk nonetheless.

This is a major thing! When I got mine in the mail I said "Wow. This is going to make the Waterparks so much easier." We don't do them often, but when we do, the band is going to be very useful. You're totally right about the pool too.


Fastpass+ at Be Our Guest is the way to go if you want to eat lunch there. That line is absurd. We walked right into the restaurant, ordered and had our food within 15 minutes. That said, I still say Columbia Harbour House is better, and I'll be spending most of my Magic Kingdom counter-service dollars there.

GREAT idea. The only reason we probably won't do this is for the exact reason you mentioned, we love Columbia Harbour House. Its quick, reasonable, yummy, and filling.


The monorail system is in dire shape and needs serious help. It is slow, creaky, inefficient and an embarrassment to Walt Disney's legacy. At this point, buses are a more reliable transportation option, which is a sad statement.

We went before the summer break and we didn't notice any glaring issues, but maybe its been a slow devolution and we simply didn't notice. If so, this makes me sad. Maybe it was slow because it was kind of busy?


Meanwhile, we walked into Yak and Yeti around lunchtime and were told we would have a table within "five to 15 minutes."

Shhh. You're giving away all of my travel secrets. ;) Yak and Yeti is our go-to table service in AK. It never books up and if it does we can sit at the bar. They have great food. Great bar. We enjoy it every time.

[KylesMom]

Hey Jared, thanks for posting the positives about FP+ and Magic Bands. I must admit that I have been in the not-so-positive camp about these. It's great to read from a veteran how well they actually worked. :mickey:

[cer]

Jared,

Are you an annual passholder?

We are currently and I am not sure I have seen any definitive information that states whether we will be able to use the Magic Bands /Fastpass + for our trip in Jan....

Just wondering.

I am glad you had a great experience.

[Jared]

I'm hoping that we will like the fastpass + system too. My concerns with the system is adding rides that previously were not fast pass attractions like Pirates and Haunted Mansion. You didn't need fastpass before for those and I've heard its creating long wait times now. If they would just leave it to attractions that have always been FP it would be better.
This is a reasonable concern. Rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion consistently had longer lines than I'm used to seeing, but it wasn't as dramatic as I had feared. The nice thing about Fastpass+ is that you no longer have to rush to the major attractions first thing in the morning, since you already have a reservation for later. Fastpass+ will likely change your touring strategy, but I'm not convinced it will worsen it.


Jared, Are you an annual passholder?

I am. I think the plan is to have MagicBands rolled out to everybody by January, but the way the MyMagic+ roll out has gone so far, it easily could be delayed again.

[Mickey'sGirl]

Thanks for reporting Jared! I appreciate your comments!

[VWL Mom]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Seems as if the FP+ roll out is proceeding smoother than expected.

I agree with the new POC boats, although I found them less bumpy I did think they were wetter.

[AgentC]

This is a reasonable concern. Rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion consistently had longer lines than I'm used to seeing, but it wasn't as dramatic as I had feared. The nice thing about Fastpass+ is that you no longer have to rush to the major attractions first thing in the morning, since you already have a reservation for later. Fastpass+ will likely change your touring strategy, but I'm not convinced it will worsen it.


We were there this past weekend too and did not have Magic Bands. We were also there mid Sept and again were at a resort that didn't have Magic Bands.

I really did not feel that other guests using MagicBands affected either trip. I did see a lot more guests with the bands on my October trip than the September.

I did see some 20-30 minute waits at PotC and The Haunted Mansion but I think it was more a factor of the Columbus Day crowds than guests using FastPass+. We were at Animal Kingdom Saturday morning and wait times there seemed average for October. Since it was a higher crowd level I'm sure it did affect wait times a little but really nothing that felt out of line. In September the crowd level was low and I don't think there was any effect at all.


I agree with Jared on Be Our Guest. We do not normally do BOG because of the line. This weekend it was only me and my husband so we decided to wait. I was very envious of guests going up to the FP+ check in. :)

[Hammer]

Thanks for posting your experience, Jared. While I posted some issues we had with Fastpass + in Trip Reports, such as you can't cancel just one of your fast passes unless you swap it out for something else, I think these are more along the lines of improvements for future updates to the program. Overall, I think this system is going to be good.

The one real problem we had was the fact we were using a different credit card for each magic band and the billing system did not handle that correctly. Did your group use just one credit card? We have always done this as our group lives in 3 different locations and getting payments would be a hassle. When it was just the KTTW cards, we were able to just have separate bills printed out based on the card. Did not work that way for us with the Magic Bands. Fortunately, I went down the night before we checked out and they were able to fix it, but had to go in and manually separate out the charges. That needs to be fixed.

[Jared]

The one real problem we had was the fact we were using a different credit card for each magic band and the billing system did not handle that correctly. Did your group use just one credit card? We have always done this as our group lives in 3 different locations and getting payments would be a hassle. When it was just the KTTW cards, we were able to just have separate bills printed out based on the card. Did not work that way for us with the Magic Bands. Fortunately, I went down the night before we checked out and they were able to fix it, but had to go in and manually separate out the charges. That needs to be fixed.
Yeah, there are lots of little technological quirks that still need to be ironed out. We ran into a few of them along the way as well. But I agree with you, Christine, these seem like relatively minor fixes rather than fundamental flaws with the system.

I had issues with attempting to change Fastpass+ selections for individual members of my party. The app kept making me either change for everybody or change for nobody. Also, it was annoying that you couldn't cancel individual reservations -- only all three for the day at once.

I hope these things get fixed over time. But considering how much of a disaster this could have been, things are off to a decent start in my mind.

[SBETigg]

Thanks for updating us, Jared. I'm very encouraged by your report on the FP + and Magic Bands, though of course it is early and things change. Still, I am loving the idea of not having to trek around for FPs and not having to rush to a line just to get them for major attractions. Also encouraged by your ability to spontaneously dine without ADRs. All good changes maybe, fingers crossed.

[Aurora]

Thanks for the report, Jared! I enjoyed reading all your experiences.




But our initial experience with MagicBands was a huge success. I am still a bit stunned.

This cracked me up.



The monorail system is in dire shape and needs serious help. It is slow, creaky, inefficient and an embarrassment to Walt Disney's legacy. At this point, buses are a more reliable transportation option, which is a sad statement.

Could you elaborate? That's very sad to hear. The monorail is one of my fondest features of WDW. If it's declining, my fear is that it would be removed instead of renovated. I hope that never comes to be.



The hubbub about the dining reservations system continues to be much ado about nothing. We were there over a busy holiday weekend and managed to eat at several of the most popular restaurants with virtually no notice. We booked a dinner at Boma about 30 minutes before we wanted to dine and even at dinner at 'Ohana without a reservation. We just walked up to the podium when the place opened and were seated within 15 minutes. That was on a Friday night.

We've also never had problems dining without ADRs, even on our trip in June 2011, which was more crowded than I've seen in a long time. The only restaurant for which we make sure to have ADRs is Chefs de France in Epcot, 'cause it's my parents' favorite.



Some new signage around the Polynesian now refers to the hotel as Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, further proof that a name change is coming.

Everything old is new again. :lei: :mickey:

[Jared]

Could you elaborate? That's very sad to hear. The monorail is one of my fondest features of WDW. If it's declining, my fear is that it would be removed instead of renovated. I hope that never comes to be.
Disney needs new monorails. The current fleet is outdated, which has led to the problems today.

Whole lines seem to have some unscheduled downtime for a few hours on practically a daily basis. The trains are constantly running with delays. The monorail as it stands now just isn't the efficient, sleek mode of transportation it once was. It needs help.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

This is a reasonable concern. Rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion consistently had longer lines than I'm used to seeing, but it wasn't as dramatic as I had feared. The nice thing about Fastpass+ is that you no longer have to rush to the major attractions first thing in the morning, since you already have a reservation for later. Fastpass+ will likely change your touring strategy, but I'm not convinced it will worsen it.


I am. I think the plan is to have MagicBands rolled out to everybody by January, but the way the MyMagic+ roll out has gone so far, it easily could be delayed again.

I hope so because I will probably use mine for those rides that have always had long lines like Soarin, Toy Story Mania, Peter Pan etc...and that would be awesome if its not a hassle to ride the old favorites.

[Yo Mickey!]

Jared,

Are you an annual passholder?

We are currently and I am not sure I have seen any definitive information that states whether we will be able to use the Magic Bands /Fastpass + for our trip in Jan....

Just wondering.

I am glad you had a great experience.

we have AP's and we will be using the magic bands and fp+ on our trip this upcoming weekend.

[MrPeetrie]

Hey Jared, thanks for posting the positives about FP+ and Magic Bands. I must admit that I have been in the not-so-positive camp about these. It's great to read from a veteran how well they actually worked. :mickey:

Jared, I second this opinion. I have had so many reservations about this new program and your report has me becoming excited about the updates.

I do agree about not having to run across the park to get FastPasses. I remember one lunch at Pecos Bill's. My wife said, "Why don't you get us FastPasses for Buzz while we wait here and eat?" I am the FastPass runner. That will be nice to turn in my running shoes.

Also, we've been to WDW four times (with stays of nine days or longer) since Toy Story Mania has opened, but have managed to ride it only one time. Hollywood Studios is usually a park where we have breakfast at our resort instead of at the park, so we rarely are there early. By the time we arrive, FastPasses are either gone, or are for times when we will have already left. And since we have small children, waiting in line for 70 minutes or more usually isn't an option. I like knowing we'll have a chance to ride this.

Jared, your report was very detailed. You seem to have much experience so it carries weight. And I probably owe the InterCOTees a little apology for being one adding to the anxiety. It appears the sky is not falling after all.

Thanks.

[Dulcee]

This is what I've been trying to tell people since we tried the system all the way back in last December. We really loved the ease of not having to run around the park to get "hot" fast passes. We loved knowing if we wandered into Hollywood Studios at noon we could actually ride toy story mania.

Its great to hear other reports that feel the same.

[cer]

we have AP's and we will be using the magic bands and fp+ on our trip this upcoming weekend.


Let us know how it goes. Right now fast pass + is by invitation, right? I am just wondering when we would need to get it all set up. I have heard 60 days out, but I am not sure.

[BrerGnat]

I agree about the monorails. They just need new ones. The trains are dirty, smelly, and slow. We spent a HUGE amount of time waiting for monorails just to go around the MK resort area on our last trip. We stood at the Poly station for well over 10 minutes one evening. Our trip from the GF to the MK took over 15 minutes. That is insane.

[Jared]

And I probably owe the InterCOTees a little apology for being one adding to the anxiety. It appears the sky is not falling after all.
Let's wait and see a bit longer. I still have two potentially significant concerns that won't be resolved until after the MyMagic+ system goes live for all park guests.

First, I still worry about technical issues. We experienced a few, and I haven't read a single report regarding MagicBands that haven't included some mention of a problem related to the technology. One Cast Member I spoke with at City Hall in the Magic Kingdom told me he meets guests every day complaining that their bands spontaneously stopped working. This is still far from perfect.

The second concern revolves specifically around Fastpass+. We had no problem securing reservations for the most popular attractions at desirable times. I imagine this is at least in part because we weren't competing with many others. I still fear that we will reach a point where if you don't reserve, say, Toy Story Mania exactly 180 days in advance, you are out of luck. That would be a huge flaw that would essentially negate all of my positive sentiments.

[Gator]

This was mentioned in the original post and bears repeating. Fastpass+ is great... right now, when 5% of park goers get to use it. Once everyone has access to it, it'll be chaos like the dining system. For a west coaster like me, that mean waking up at 4am 180 days out for getting premium dining, and then waking up at 4am 90 days out for getting the premium fastpasses. Pain in the backside, for sure.

[MrPeetrie]

Let's wait and see a bit longer. I still have two potentially significant concerns that won't be resolved until after the MyMagic+ system goes live for all park guests.
...

...The second concern revolves specifically around Fastpass+. We had no problem securing reservations for the most popular attractions at desirable times. I imagine this is at least in part because we weren't competing with many others. I still fear that we will reach a point where if you don't reserve, say, Toy Story Mania exactly 180 days in advance, you are out of luck. That would be a huge flaw that would essentially negate all of my positive sentiments.

Jared, this was my original concern and I had feared if you missed your chance at the 90-day mark (or whatever), you'd miss your chance at that ride.

But after reading your in-depth report, I have a different take: Yes, FastPasses for popular rides may become unavailable the day they are able to be reserved (90 days out, 180 days out, whatever it is determined). But on the day people actually are at the park, I think slots are going to open up as people change their minds and release their reserves. So if you're at one side of the park and your time slot is for a ride on the other side of the park, you may release your FastPass and attempt to reserve something.

I think there will be much juxtaposing on the actual day people will be in the park. The down side is: seeing people glued to their smartphone to see if a window has opened for their favorite attraction rather than enjoying the beauty of the park, or worse still, their company. But I don't think people will be "locked out" of major attractions if they're not up when the web site opens to reserve their ride as I once did. I think there will be opportunities all throughout the day guests are actually in the park.

Again, this is purely conjecture. Only time and experience will tell.

[jetsdc]

Plus - you'd have to think that the hourly capacity at popular attractions vastly exceeds the capacity of sit down restaurants. So there ought to be many more opportunities for more people to reserve attractions than ADRs, all things being equal.

[Crow]

good thread. Ill be interested to see how this goes. I just ordered tickets and hope I can add them to My Disney Experience then maybe get the bands for my Nov 30 arrival.

[amorillo]

We had a technological snafu at one point, because the MagicBands are still unable to recognize Halloween party tickets. We had to spend some time at Epcot's guest relations, where a Cast Member had to manually disconnect those passes from the bands and print out plastic cards.

Still have lots of questions... but quite a few regarding the extra party tickets. Do you still get a hard ticket in the mail... or were they automatically linked to your magicband? Can you choose FP+ options during the party? I'm sure things will all be worked out eventually... but for now... my head is still spinning! :blush:

[twinboyz]

Great post.. We too spent the past weekend at WDW and I too have a few comments.

One long weekend in Disney is better than one long weekend in Wisconsin:blush:

We stayed at POR and were also asked to test the Magic Bands and were looking forward to using FastPass+. No luck since we have non expiring tix and the resort couldn't get them to link properly. We were told to go to Guest Relations in a park, but the lines were terribly long so we just decided to go the 'old school' route. No worries, I know it's in test mode. We were still able to use it for room charges and accessing our room. When this system works out the kinks I look forward to utilizing all the benefits.

I agree with Jared--the parks were crazy busy.. we were at MNSSHP on Friday 10/11 and it was wall to wall folks. No longer than a 10 minute wait to get on a ride, but we skipped the Trick or Treat--those lies were the longest. Sincerely enjoyed the parade and fireworks:D

[Yo Mickey!]

Let us know how it goes. Right now fast pass + is by invitation, right? I am just wondering when we would need to get it all set up. I have heard 60 days out, but I am not sure.

so far, perfectly. opens my room door, gets me into the park (we have the PAP's), using it for currency...and even making fp+ plans on the app on the go. working amazingly well. only 1 day in and i am very impressed. i took my AP, room key and a debit card just in case when we went to MK this AM. i wont be bringing any of those with me to F & W tonight -- just the magic band.

[Jared]

Still have lots of questions... but quite a few regarding the extra party tickets. Do you still get a hard ticket in the mail... or were they automatically linked to your magicband? Can you choose FP+ options during the party? I'm sure things will all be worked out eventually... but for now... my head is still spinning! :blush:
Your Halloween party tickets will not be linked to the MagicBands automatically. If you have an ID number, you can connect them on the My Disney Experience website, but I was told by a Cast Member not to do that at this point. For now, the system cannot recognize Halloween party tickets. That will change once MyMagic+ goes live for everybody.

Fastpass+ isn't available during the party, just like regular Fastpass wasn't.

[RedSoxFan]

I ran a 5K this morning with Nikki and she was telling me to read your report on the Magic Bands. Sounds like it worked well which makes me feel a little bit better. We leave in 3 weeks and I'm skeptical on how this will work and I still don't like the idea of planning my days. But having said that, I do like the fact that I'm all set with Soarin and TSM.

[Jared]

But having said that, I do like the fact that I'm all set with Soarin and TSM.
At this point, the biggest use for Fastpass+ is to avoid the insane rush to Soarin', Test Track and Toy Story Mania. Hope it works well for you!

[The Horned King]

I'm hoping that we will like the fastpass + system too. My concerns with the system is adding rides that previously were not fast pass attractions like Pirates and Haunted Mansion. You didn't need fastpass before for those and I've heard its creating long wait times now. If they would just leave it to attractions that have always been FP it would be better.

Literally just got back from 2 weeks in the world, and to be honest they don't make a great deal of difference. Most people know to fastpass attractions like soarin and not to waste one on something like the seas with nemo. So the occasional person doesn't make a difference. Attractions such as the great movie ride and the haunted mansion take so many people in at a time that again, it doesn't have much impact.

[kerry827]

I agree with your thoughts on the Bands. I worry that the convenience of them now will not be the same when they are unveiled to everyone. I feel like there is a chance that it could force lines where they usually aren't.

I also agree on your thoughts of the monorail. This was the first trip in a long time where I noticed the monorails were hurting. I didn't stay on the monorail line this time but if I had paid the $$ to stay for the convenience I would have been royally peeved to find the monorails not working.

[Mariano O'Kon]

Hi Jared, nice post.

I was there 3 weeks ago with my son and had MBs.

They are GREAT. FastPass+ was a great way of "optimizing" your WDW experience but, I have to agree, it would be interesting to see what happens when more people have access to it.

At that time, the MBs were still on the testing phase, you know this, but it showed. I am not complaining, but it was very easy to tell:
1. Several time it just didn't work (this happened in ToT)
2. My son's MB didn't have the 6-Day park ticket associated to it, although it should have. I spent 15 minutes in City Hall fixing this. The good news is that they also added the Halloween tickets there and it worked like a charm.

My recommendations today are:
1. Take your plastic card with you at all times, just in case.
2. Use, and abuse, the mobile app to change, and add, FP+s, it is great!

I am going back in 77 days... let's see how is the experience then.

Thanks, Mariano :mickey:

[Mariano O'Kon]

I forgot to mention one thing that scares me: the Mobile App performance and WiFi in the park.

When I was there some 3 weeks ago the mobile app kept saying "Sorry there was a blip in the network and we couldn't process your request, please try again later" (or something like that)

Also, there were several parts where WiFi coverage was poor, to say the least.

I know this is in the "Testing Phase" and the reason you test is to find these problems and then fix them, so take these comments as feedback and not criticism... :cool:

But, as everyone else is saying, I am just wondering what will happen when EVERYONE has FP+ and EVERYONE uses their SmartPhone, Tablet or On-Premise Kiosk to Add, Delete, Modify their FP+ selection...

I am going back in January (I already have my MBs! Yay!) so that will be nice 2nd test for me. Crowds in January are usually not that crazy, although because of people like me that live in the other side of the Ecuator, and we have our Summer holidays in the Dec-Feb timeframe... these months are getting crowder every year...

In any case, I honestly think that MBs and FP+ is really a HUGE step forward and, eventually, they system will get the performance it needs.

Cheers, Mariano :mickey:

[Yo Mickey!]

just got back today and must say, HUGE fan of the magic band. worked perfectly for our group. i do have one complaint tho...i am a watch wearer but didnt put one on since i was wearing the magic band. i was constantly looking at my magic band as if it was going to tell me the time.

yeah, i know, i could have worn both, or used both wrists...but i wear it on my left and went sans watch. kept thinking that disney needs to put a time display on there;)

seriously, the magic band was excellent. and the speed of which the transactions were happening -- just amazing.

[DisneyDawgette]

I'm hoping that we will like the fastpass + system too. My concerns with the system is adding rides that previously were not fast pass attractions like Pirates and Haunted Mansion. You didn't need fastpass before for those and I've heard its creating long wait times now. If they would just leave it to attractions that have always been FP it would be better.

We were there about two weeks ago and saw plenty of people with the bands- HM wait was about 15-20 minutes and PotC stayed at a walk-on wait the entire time. No big visible change so far. :)

[thejens]

Glad to hear the magic bands are working out with minimal glitches so far. I imagine WD will work out the kinks.

The thing I marvelled at is how Disney has found another brilliant way to get us to part with our money. Personalizing your MB! You can buy covers, little decorations (like the ones for crocs.) Not only do you buy a ticket you turn your ticket into an expensive little fashion statement!

Yo Mickey, I have no doubt that soon you will be able to buy a watch to attach to your MB.:mickey:

[TheVBs]

Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone! I've really enjoyed reading through this thread. We have never ridden TSM because we were never there in time to get a FP and certainly never willing to wait 90 min. So, hoping we get a chance to ride this on the next trip! :mickey:

[Jared]

I have some time this morning, so I wanted to come back and make a few more observations unrelated to MyMagic+ and the MagicBands.

Animal Kingdom is in the best shape of its young life. In fact, I'd argue that from a purely objective standpoint, it is the second-best Walt Disney World park right now. Unlike Epcot and Hollywood Studios, there are no glaring holes. Though Animal Kingdom is still somewhat short on attractions, just about everything it does offer is extremely high quality, and the landscaping and overall aesthetics remain nearly perfect. I understand everybody has strong opinions about Pandora -- I don't particularly care for "Avatar" as a film or a franchise myself -- but if it is done correctly, Animal Kingdom is about to emerge as a powerhouse.

I rode the Backlot Tour at the Studios for the first time in years. What a joke. Disney should be embarrassed to operate that attraction in one of its parks. It is time to ditch the "working studio" conceit and try something different in the back half of the park. The Backlot Tour and the car stunt show should give way to something worthwhile, be it themed to "Star Wars" or Pixar characters.

Food and Wine Festival is still a delight. Sure, it's crowded. Sure, it's overpriced. Sure, the portions are small. But there are few things as enjoyable as casually strolling around World Showcase and stopping for a snack at the best booths.

The new Test Track is growing on me. The first few times I rode it, I didn't really understand what was going on. Now I do, and I appreciate the overhaul. It isn't perfect, but at least it has aspirations that belong in Future World. The original version was more coherent, but it lacked vision. As fans, we could do much worse than a crop of attractions with this kind of forward-leaning vision.