Got my passholder Magic Bands today!

Great! Let us know how your next visit goes with them.

Very cool!

Very nice. A few weeks ago, I helped a co-worker plan her family's first trip to Disney World using My Magic+ and Fastpass+. I thought the system worked great. And my co-worker, who just got back on Sunday, said she couldn't believe she was able to ride almost all the E-Ticket attractions without having to worry about standing in line or getting to the park first thing in the morning. I know things are not perfect - yet - but when all is said and done MyMagic+ may indeed be worth all the money. We'll see...

I find it interesting how clever packaging can completely change people's opinion of something. Apple really cornered the market with their original iPod packaging over a decade ago, and now it's rare to buy anything over $100 that is not delivered to the consumer in some unique way.

Disney appears to have learned the value in simple, distinct packaging to increase the intrinsic value of its products. The costs for things like this are incredibly miniscule compared to the potential loyalty and follow-on revenue streams which could result from such a simple gesture.

James, I have been using fastpass+ for the last month or two and last weekend was the first time I used the reservation system for passholders online before we went to the park. I have noticed a couple things since the switch to fastpass+. The first change I noticed was that being in the park was more relaxing not always trying to run around all over the park getting fastpasses. Now I can just go pretty much in order from ride to ride around the park like I can do at Universal. The second thing is that the standby lines seem to be moving at a quicker pace. I think this is due to the fact that a person can only have 3 fastpasses per day instead of getting as many as 8 or more per day. So there are less people in the fastpass lines since you can not have so many fastpasses. The one thing that is kind of frustrating right now is that you can not reserve fastpasses in more than one park per day. I have friends coming in April that want to go for just one day to Disney and they want to go to 2 parks that day. We will have to choose which park we want fastpasses in instead of being able to spread out our 3 fastpasses between more popular rides in each park.

Russell, after reading your post I have to say I agree with you about how the packaging made me feel about the bands. I found myself more exited about a simple band than I would have if they would have just came in a cheap plastic bag inside a cardboard box. It made it seem more personal the way Disney did it.

Thanks for the feedback, Brent. Your experience seems to be consistent with the experience of my co-worker as well. Only the Fastpass abusers and power users seem to be adversely impacted.

As for the park hopping limitations, well, you already know I don't park hop, but by all reports the option to reserve at multiple parks in the same day is coming. Who knows, Disney may even give additional reservations as a benefit to people who pay the extra to park hop. There is so much Disney can do with Fastpass+ now that the basics seem to be in place. The sky is the limit!

I customized my Magic Band on March 10, was allowed to get advanced FP+ on March 12 and I got my AP magic band in the mail on Saturday March 22. I was at WDW on Friday the 21st using my AP RFID card and the card did everything the MB is supposed to. I was able to get 3 advanced FP+ for that trip on March 15 and the card worked fine at all touch points.

Since we APers still need the separate card for parking and discounts, I'd rather just use my AP card for everything and leave the MB in the box.

James, I don't understand the term "abuser" for taking advantage of the previous fastpass system. Power user seems right and I used to fall into that category sometimes but I always followed all the rules so I don't in any way feel I "abused" the system. You must be mixing up the disability card abusers with fastpass users. I agree with that.

Correct, Tony, sorry I did not clarify. By abusers I was really remarking on all those folks who get "special" fastpasses (of any sort or by any means) that are not available to average Joes like you and me.

James, OK. Now that I think about it, there were actual abusers encouraged by Disney this past year during the magic band tests. The double and triple and quadruple dippers using the MB, ticket, Key to the World card, and past KTTW cards that were all able to be used to get paper FPs. I remember the braggers who said they brought 10 past KTTW cards with them and every card got FPs. But Disney programmers allowed that to happen.

I went to Epcot this weekend and used my Magic Band for the first time. Everything worked great and I had no problems with it at all. It is a lot more convenient to use the magic band than my old card because I don't have to dig it out of my pocket each time I want to get into a fastpass + line. But I do wish that like Tony said they could make the Magic Band work for more things so that I would not have to have the card with me at all times also. I also hope that they will at some point let you attach a credit card to the band and let you make a pin # for it so that maybe someday you could go into the park with only the Magic Band (and maybe your I.D.).

Brent, I haven't tried to link a credit card to my AP MDE account. Did you try and not be allowed to do it? Just wondering.

Tony, Yes I have a credit card on file with MDE but from the way I am reading it it is only for purchases made online. Keep in mind there is a very high possibility I am wrong (because I usually am lol) but I think you have to be staying onsite to link the a credit card directly to your magic band right now.

Since my last comment, I went on MDE and it says your credit card purchases are actually added to your resort room account and whatever credit card that uses. So, only if you stay on-site does that feature apply.