# My Disney Experience



## chunkygal (Apr 8, 2015)

This is the first visit where I have really tried to utilize the my Disney Experience site before coming. 

It was a total pain. There are many pages of circular logic... like signing up for a fast pass, says you can if you are staying at a resort and 60 days out, does not say in the beginning you have ot have tickets, but you do. So no more waiting to buy tickets til you get here, unless you don't want fast passes. I stuck with it though, many phone calls and long sessions getting all the plans linked, but I pity those who come here any longer thinking you can just walk in get a ticket, ride rides, and go to any restaurants you want. 

I almost would pay to have someone do all this planning, linking for me!

Even 3 weeks out no fast passes for toy story. Almost 6 months out and we had a hard time get reservations for be my guest. We routinely heard people trying to get in restaurants and being told to come back at 8:30 or 9 that night with little kids. Pretty usual wait lines of 60 to 120 minutes. 

I am glad I spent the time, made our trip nicers, but now I feel from here on out I am going to have to come up with a previsit checklist. No more spontaneous buy the ticket when we get there stuff. 

I am interested to hear others experience with my disney experience. I wish the website had a shorter name!


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## Myxdvz (Apr 8, 2015)

You can still get tickets the day of, and get FPs.  They have kiosks in the park.

You just can't do it via the App if you do it that way.

the short name is MDE.  I've had success with it and actually love this.  The reason why I like this is because it benefits the types of travelers we are, i.e., not rope drop people.  I have 4 small kids and we normally get to the parks around noon.  Prior to FP+, by the time we get to DHS, we can't do Toy Story anymore so have never ridden that ride.  Same with Soarin.

With MDE, we can plan all our FP+ in the afternoon, and even have them the day of our arrival.

As for BMG, availability of that has always been an issue, not related to FP+.  Disney visitors just gets bigger and bigger every year so there are many many more people competing for the same space.  Those who plan early have less problems and those who do things "spontaneously" do get issues.  I don't know that there's any way around that except build more parks to spread the crowd.


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## chunkygal (Apr 8, 2015)

yes you can show up and get fast passes the day of, but the choice may not be there as far as times or attractions. 

IT is a changing world.


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## Denise L (Apr 12, 2015)

We have used MDE and FP+ for two visits (10 days in 2013 and 6 days in 2014) and are not fans.  The pre-planning does not work well for us, though I did book FP+ at the first available time (60 days out), but never was able to use very many of them, if any, for our type of touring.  It was hard to speculate as to which park we would feel like visiting two months in advance, let alone what time we might show up (time difference affects us going West to East) for a particular attraction.  If we tried to change them while there, availability was very limited and usually only the late night times were available, if at all. 

My advice is to book as soon as possible for the attractions that would be hard to get a slot in otherwise.  Then hopefully try to make those days and times while you are there.  I don't like the lack of spontaneity so I haven't planned a trip to go back anytime soon.

We don't book dining at 180 days out, so I wouldn't know if that has gotten harder to do.


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## andreabrown (Apr 13, 2015)

I do like the MDE! We are going in June and have been successful at getting our dining and fast passes. I did try something called disneydiningbuddy.com. They got us our reservations at be our guest. They charge $8 and they search for you the day and meal you want at the restaurant you want. When it comes available they send you a text message with a link and you then sign in to your MDE and are able to reserve it. It worked great! I was able to get Be Our Guest for both my party and my brothers for the ideal time. Of course they charge, but I did not think $8 was too bad (considering all you pay for Disney).


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## rickandcindy23 (Apr 13, 2015)

Try getting a FP on the day of for the Seven Dwarf's mine train.  Not possible.  We couldn't get anything 30 days ahead our last two visits staying off-site.  Ridiculous system, and it really does hurt those of us who worked the other system well.  We rode everything we wanted before FP+ without issue.  Now it's wait for 90 minutes for a mine train ride.


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## MichaelColey (Apr 13, 2015)

I'm not a fan of the new system.  I liked the old paper FPs much better.  I can see advantages of it in some situations, but not the way we like(d) to tour.

On our most recent trips to Orlando, we actually went to Universal (and got APs there) instead.  When you stay on-site there, you get an Unlimited Express Pass.  This lets you use the express line on almost every ride in both parks (there are just a few that don't have an express line), as many rides as you want (not just 3) and as many times as you want (not just 1), without having to do any advance planning.  And considering APs were about a third the price of WDW, it was VERY appealing.

I'm sure we'll go back to WDW, but it's lost a lot of its magic to us.


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## got4boys (Apr 13, 2015)

There is fast pass availability on this site here.

It is pretty accurate.

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=835236

I am a planner so I try to book out using the mydisneyexperience.com system.

It has its pluses and minuses.

You may get lucky on the Mine train and Toy Story. There are some dates three weeks out...


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## rickandcindy23 (Apr 13, 2015)

I'm with Michael.  We have had annual passes constantly since 1999.  Every year we renew, and we go 5-8 weeks per year on those passes.  We decided to let ours expire in early November, and we will not go back for at least 18 months.  Disneyworld has lost its appeal for me. 

Disneyland is different for us.  There are very few Fast Pass rides, and they don't have the FP+ yet (hopefully will never get them), so we are going to stay near Disneyland a few times per year for a while.  It's a lot of fun going to Disneyland, and airfare is so cheap from Colorado.  Easy choice.


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## MichaelColey (Apr 13, 2015)

I might have to try for some Grand Californian exchanges.  The kids would really like to go back there, and that would certainly make it worthwhile.


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## silentg (Apr 13, 2015)

I have the magic bands, last trip to Disney, we sinced up with my sister and her friends to get fast pass and lunch reservations, I talked to a disney cast member on the phone too, to sure up the trip. We thought all was well but when we got to the park, DH was not on the fast passes and only DS and I were on the Mine train. The lunch reservation was fine though. We went to the Kona Cafe, a nice break from hustle and bustle of the MK. Going again end of month just DH and me.  Have dinner reservation at Brown Derby, need to do fast passes soon!


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## frank808 (Apr 13, 2015)

MichaelColey said:


> I might have to try for some Grand Californian exchanges.  The kids would really like to go back there, and that would certainly make it worthwhile.



Might want to put in a search now.  I have had a search for 2br and 1br at VGC for the past 2 years with RCI and no hits yet.


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## am1 (Apr 13, 2015)

All another way for Disney to make money.  

The way it is I would prefer that everyone get a 1 time per day express line to each attraction after that you are on your own.  Guests staying on site get a little better deal.  

Raising the price of the ticket does not seem to limit the amount of people.

We are planning to go November with our twin two year olds and it seems like staying at Bonnet Creek and enjoying that is much better then trying to beat the crowds at Magic Kingdom. 

No talks of a Disney Texas or even a place like Cancun?


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## Southerngirl528 (Apr 13, 2015)

Interesting to see that it's pretty split on who likes MDE & FP and who doesn't. I like it fine but for me the big kicker that I have not entirely unsnarled yet with it is that I've been a DVC Member for over 20 years and so over the last 2 decades I have used several email addresses for Disney rez's plus the one(s) used for DVC. Disney pretty much forced DVC Members to merge their membership info w/MDE to sync our reservations. I put it off as long as I could.

A couple of phone calls to MDE experts and about 3 visits to Guest Relations for help, to discover that there were "ghost accounts" from the years that were causing my newly merged DVC/MDE account all sorts of curious issues. Pain in the neck, but all this IS a new technology and I know for a fact they tested it extensively before launch. It is still a work in progress.

I just snagged FP's only 30 days out for our upcoming 2 day getaway at the Villas at the Polynesian. I was able to get the new 7 Dwarfs Mine Train at the MK along with other faves there. I was also able to grab Le Cellier at EPCOT for dinner at a good time 30 days out. And that can be a tough restaurant to snag, though not nearly so much as BOG of course. 

As for having tickets first for FP's…. of COURSE one has to have their ticket media before one can choose FP's. I mean, think about it. The FP's are used solely in the theme parks, and one must have a park ticket to get in, so that only makes good sense. Can you even imagine what it would be like to secure FP's if everyone & their dog could book FP's willy nilly without having to have a park ticket to attach it to?? 

I've had a couple of minor issues with the Magic Bands along these same lines, but for the most part I really like them. As chunky gal says, it IS a new world. And just like with TS, one must learn the ropes before they can use a program to their best advantage.


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## MichaelColey (Apr 14, 2015)

am1 said:


> The way it is I would prefer that everyone get a 1 time per day express line to each attraction after that you are on your own.  Guests staying on site get a little better deal.


The problem with that is that many of the rides don't have CAPACITY for everyone to ride once.  The FPs (both the old paper ones and the new ones) handle that by only giving out a certain number of passes per hour.  If everyone had one, the FP line would be as long as the regular one.



Southerngirl528 said:


> I was also able to grab Le Cellier at EPCOT for dinner at a good time 30 days out. And that can be a tough restaurant to snag, though not nearly so much as BOG of course.


I think it USED to be a little harder to get, but once they changed it to a Signature restaurant (requiring two TS points instead of one, for those on the dining plan) several years ago, it became far less popular.  Instead of being one of the best non-Signature values, it became one of the worst Signature values.


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## chunkygal (Apr 18, 2015)

I think the real issue that is probably an advantage for Disney is that people are having to plan and commit ahead rather than wing it, especially if you want what you want . We used to go and then decide what park we felt like and then what restaurant we felt like..more off the cuff. Now I have to plan park and restaurant ahead of time or just get what we get and don't get upset.
In my real job and real life I am an uber planner, so I liked not having to do that on vacation...feel like sitting by the pool, let's blow off the parks...but wait now we have reservations we might not be able to replace. If it's Tuesday this must be animal kingdom.

We had a great time. I will be interested to see how it evolves.


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## hntngfamly (Apr 20, 2015)

Gonna be in the minority here...
Legacy FP for us were a pain...get to the park early so that you could get FP. Someone always having to be the runner. When the kids were younger (4, 8, 10) & I'd take them on my own, I couldn't leave them alone to ride, thus having to drag them everywhere. We have found that MDE makes acquiring the FP+ much easier for the way we tour...EMH park in a.m./FP+ for afternoon. (Although, Dec 2013 was awesome because Legacy FP were still in place allowing for both paper AND FP+...not to mention getting FP's in multiple parks via MDE.  ) Feb 2014, July 2014 & Feb 2015 were ALL planned last minute, within 2 weeks of departure. Was no big deal getting passes we wanted for the day we wanted...including Mine Train, Toy Story, ToT, etc. Maybe we were just lucky...
That's not saying I don't think there could be improvements made...


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## brigechols (Apr 20, 2015)

I liked using MDE to obtain a FastPass prior to visiting the park; however, I did not like using the kiosk at the park to obtain subsequent FastPasses. Once you reserve and use three FP, is it possible  to use the MDE app to obtain another FP?


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## hntngfamly (Apr 20, 2015)

brigechols said:


> I liked using MDE to obtain a FastPass prior to visiting the park; however, I did not like using the kiosk at the park to obtain subsequent FastPasses. Once you reserve and use three FP, is it possible  to use the MDE app to obtain another FP?



IF there is, I sure hope someone shares it...we disliked the kiosk too. Also dislike that we have to be in the park we are trying to get additional FP's for. MDE doesn't work for the additional,  That would be 1 of the changes I hope they implement.


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## Rob562 (Apr 20, 2015)

brigechols said:


> I liked using MDE to obtain a FastPass prior to visiting the park; however, I did not like using the kiosk at the park to obtain subsequent FastPasses. Once you reserve and use three FP, is it possible  to use the MDE app to obtain another FP?



It is not currently possible to reserve your 4th (and 5th, 6th, etc) in the app, though it's always possible that it could be rolled out in the future. On the other hand, they may keep the additional FP+ as kiosk-only to try and keep people in the park as equal as possible.

The one thing you *can* do with the 4th FP+ in the app is that once you make a FP+ you can edit it, both time and attraction choice (assuming there is availability, of course). And once you make the 4th FP+ in a park, you can only edit it to another attraction in the park. 

I've heard that some people actually prefer to make their 4th FP+ for anything they find available on the first screen of the kiosk and then walk away and tinker with it on their phone.

-Rob


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## MichaelColey (Apr 21, 2015)

I have a feeling that making the 4th FP+ reservation only available in the park is by design.  They want to keep people in the parks.


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## SueDonJ (Apr 21, 2015)

I love Disney World but haven't been for several years, and the last thing I want to do is plan every day in advance down to which rides and when.  Can you experts give your opinion on when is the best time to go if you're looking for the least crowded weeks with weather in the high 70's/low 80's?  I'm afraid that if it's not possible to "wing it" anymore, I'll never get Don to go back.


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## jancpa (Apr 21, 2015)

September has a lot of DVC availability, so maybe it will be less crowded in the Parks.


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## fluke (Apr 21, 2015)

September is the lowest crowds ,  but it is more likely to be in the 90s (Humidity and Temperature).


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## hypnotiq (Apr 21, 2015)

After Labor Day in Sept (everyone back in school) and the week after New Years (but before the Marathon weekend) the parks are so empty. 

Both at Disneyland and Disneyworld.


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## MichaelColey (Apr 21, 2015)

SueDonJ said:


> I love Disney World but haven't been for several years, and the last thing I want to do is plan every day in advance down to which rides and when.  Can you experts give your opinion on when is the best time to go if you're looking for the least crowded weeks with weather in the high 70's/low 80's?  I'm afraid that if it's not possible to "wing it" anymore, I'll never get Don to go back.


"Least crowded" is still crowded.  From the busiest days of the year to the slowest, you might be looking at the difference between 100,000 people and 50,000 people.  It still takes some planning.  If you go to Toy Story Midway Mania, Soarin' or Test Track at Noon on the slowest day of the year, it still might have a 60 minute wait.

As for perfect weather days, that's tough.  Orlando gets hot early (we've seen sweltering heat for Spring Break and as late as October).  And the cooler months can be hit or miss.  We've had pool days in December and February, and we've also (more rarely) had days where a heavy jacket didn't cut it.

Probably the two best times to go with those criteria (low crowds, nice weather), would be in February (avoiding the week before or after President's Day) or in early December (avoid the week after Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas).  Those are slower times, and the weather is usually pretty nice.  Probably a bit lower than the upper 70s that you're looking for, but with all the walking I actually find the upper 60s to be MUCH more comfortable.


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## chunkygal (Apr 21, 2015)

We like October and the first full week in December. Used to even pull our kids out of school to go before truancy jail from no kid left behind. I think family trips are educational. Now not tied to school schedule.


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## AnnaS (Apr 23, 2015)

One family/one reservation not bad on MDE.  Start having multiple families/reservations, and it gets tricky :roll eyes:  We are experiencing that now.  It can be a bit overwhelming at first but it's really not that bad.

I have no patience so my son (his own reservation) called to help finish linking us.  We were doing fine but then kept encountering error/problems.  I know we will be calling again since another party still has to sign up for MDE.

Planning so far in advance, not much of a fan.  We do not plan too many ADRs/FPs.  I like to have some free time.  We like lot's of down time/less parks - what if it rains the morning we were planing/thinking of spending time by the pool?  What if someone is sick - not big/major problems.  I don't want to have a strict schedule when on vacation.  

If you want to get certain rides in/are a must - it is great though since there are really no more slow times in Disney.  Having a Fps - no more need to wait 90 minutes for a ride.  It has it's pros and cons like everything else.


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## JulieAB (Apr 25, 2015)

I know I need tickets to do FP+, do I also need something to do ADRs at 180 days?  I'm still waiting on an RCI search.


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## allenwyn (Apr 25, 2015)

You can make ADRs without tickets or hotel reservations.


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## SkyBlueWaters (Apr 27, 2015)

chunkygal said:


> This is the first visit where I have really tried to utilize the my Disney Experience site before coming.
> 
> It was a total pain. There are many pages of circular logic... like signing up for a fast pass, says you can if you are staying at a resort and 60 days out, does not say in the beginning you have ot have tickets, but you do. So no more waiting to buy tickets til you get here, unless you don't want fast passes. I stuck with it though, many phone calls and long sessions getting all the plans linked, but I pity those who come here any longer thinking you can just walk in get a ticket, ride rides, and go to any restaurants you want.
> 
> ...



Wow! That stinks! No more room for spontaneity? I remember the days when we just bought the ticket at the gate, roamed around freely until tired,  and even lined up for lunch at Be My Guest when it was newly opened and got in (they cut the line right after us). I hope Disney realizes this is not the park experience we want when paying a hundred bucks to get in.


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