Today, I’m thrilled to have my client, Jennifer Robbins, guest blog about her family’s recent vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando; and what they thought of the new RIFD Magic Bands, and “My Disney Experience.”
Thank you kindly, Jennifer, for sharing your family’s experience with me (and the readers)! I really appreciate it.
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We are avid Disney people. My husband and I have been 7 times with our two kids (14, 13). And each time that we have gone it has been a different experience. And our trip in October 2013 was no exception!!!
As soon as my husband knew we would be getting magic bands, he was on “My Disney Experience (MDX)” registering and checking things out. Even as seasoned veterans, we still plan out key parts of the trip. MDX made this so much easier!!!! After the initial learning curve on the site, we had dining reservations and fast passes booked with ease!!! We were sold of this new way forward, but would it live up to the hype when we got there??? The answer is YES!!!
The band covered us for everything: hotel key, charging, admittance to parks, fast passes and dining reservations. Gone are the days of trying to keep track of a card. We loved the convenience of the having the band on our wrists. No more running to the rides to get fast passes, as they were already booked ahead of time!!!! This alone made the bands worth it!!! And yes they are completely waterproof!!! Even after a day at the waterpark, they worked perfectly!!! The three of us didn’t mind wearing them, but my husband would have probably bought a cover if we had stayed longer.
As with any new technology there were a few glitches. My band didn’t initially work when we checked in, but was quickly fixed. Internet speed/access and still be spotty at time in the parks. Therefore we would aim to do any changes at the resort if possible. But none of this took away from the overall experience.
I have seen a number of comments, that this makes the trip too pre-planned. We would disagree, as its completely flexible in the degree of how you want to utilize it. For first time user we would recommend that you at least check out MDX before the trip, see how you want to use it. By pre-booking fast passes and dining reservations you save so much time later on. Plus we found that it also created hype for the trip. MDX breaks the trip down into each day, showing what you do have booked, park hours, extra magic hours…etc.
We feel Disney has hit the mark with this concept and would highly recommend the site itself—DMX and how it integrates with the Magic Bands!!!