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Know Before You Go – My Disney Experience, FastPass+, and MagicBands at Walt Disney World

When you participate in a Dance the Magic event at Walt Disney World, you also get to take advantage of the trip planning services that are offered to all guests booking a Walt Disney World vacation. One of the most enjoyed services for Walt Disney World travelers is the ability to plan and customize your trip in advance of your arrival – this includes dining reservations, select attractions, and even character meet & greets in some instances. With so much to do at Walt Disney World when you’re not dancing down Main Street, U.S.A. or on a Disney Parks stage, the ability to plan more of the trip in advance is a huge plus for so many guests. Here’s a look at some of the essential travel tools that Dance the Magic dancers and guests can take advantage of for their upcoming Dance the Magic event at Walt Disney World.

 

My Disney Experience

My Disney Experience is your go-to hub for all the details and travel plans of your Walt Disney World visit. This free iOS and Android mobile app allows you to keep track of all the essential details of your vacation, plan additional experiences and make FastPass+ selections, and even mobile order food at select quick-service restaurants.

The app is equipped with an interactive GPS-enabled map of the Resort that details not only where you can find attractions, dining locations, and character meet & greet locations in the different theme parks, but also shows you real-time attraction wait times, showtimes for parades and fireworks, and even character meet times. You can even step your map experience up a notch by using the “Get Directions” function, which allows you to navigate the parks with turn-by-turn directions to your next destination.

The “My Plans” section of the app helps keep you organized throughout the duration of your visit to Walt Disney World. Here you can view and manage all of your reservations and experiences, make FastPass+ selections, and share your itinerary with others. This is also the easiest place to link your tickets and MagicBands.

In the app you are also able to link your Disney PhotoPass photos taken by Disney PhotoPass photographers throughout your trip. If you have purchased the “Memory Maker” add-on ($169, if purchased at least 3 days in advance), you will have access to unlimited PhotoPass photo downloads during the duration of your trip as well as for 45 days after the date the photo was taken. If you’re traveling in a group, you can even download photos of up to 25 members of your Family & Friends who share media with you.

My Disney Experience is really your one-stop shop for all of the features that will help you plan and play while enjoying your Dance the Magic trip to Walt Disney World.

FastPass+

FastPass+ is used to maximize the magic during your Walt Disney World trip. It is a complimentary service that allows you to reserve a spot “in line” for some of the most loved attractions, shows, and character meet & greets. At your assigned time, you are able to enter the FastPass+ line and skip the standby line – leaving more time for experiencing all that Walt Disney World has to offer.

If you are staying at a Walt Disney World hotel, such as for a Dance the Magic event, you have the opportunity to make your FastPass+ selections up to 60 days prior to arrival via the My Disney Experience app. This is a tool that allows you to customize and keep track of all the fun and magic open to you while visiting Walt Disney World. When making your selections, you are able to select up to three (3) FastPass+ for one individual theme park for each day of your stay (subject to availability).

Prior to selecting your FastPass+ experiences, however, you will need to link the guest and performer tickets you purchased from Dance the Magic to the My Disney Experience app. To link your tickets to the app, you will scan the barcode on the back of the ticket. You’ll want to make sure that you link all of the tickets in your party so that you are able to make the same FastPass+ selections. Once your three (3) FastPass+ experienced have expired, you have the opportunity to add an additional FastPass+ selection from the My Disney Experience app, for any theme park your ticket is valid in that day, pending availability. FastPass+ selections book up quickly, so we recommend that you and your dancers link their tickets as soon as they receive them in order to take advantage of the vacation customization options available while visiting Walt Disney World.

MagicBands

So, you’ve downloaded the My Disney Experience app, you’ve linked your theme park tickets and made your FastPass+ selections. Now what? How do you actually get into the FastPass+ line for the experiences you’ve selected at Walt Disney World? That is where MagicBands come into play!

For everyone staying at a Walt Disney World hotel, you will receive a complimentary MagicBand. This is an RFID enabled bracelet that is your key to unlocking the magic, figuratively and literally. Your MagicBand will be used to enter the theme parks (once your ticket as been linked), check in at your selected FastPass+ attractions and experiences, to unlock your Walt Disney World resort hotel room, and can even have a card linked to be used for payment at most locations in Walt Disney World. Most locations where you can scan your MagicBand are signified with a Mickey-shaped sensor called a touch point and the technology works, like magic! All of your travel plans and selections that you made with My Disney Experience will be linked up to your MagicBand so you can fully enjoy your Dance the Magic trip to Walt Disney World. For Dance the Magic performers and guests you can have your MagicBands mailed to you, or you can pick them up when you check in. When you/your dancers book hotel reservations through the booking link we provide, you will be able to contact a Walt Disney World travel representative to customize your MagicBands by selecting which color band you’d like to receive for your trip. They will then be mailed to you prior to your arrival, approximately 30 days prior to the start of your trip. If you opt to not customize your MagicBands, no problem! You can pick them up at check in and still utilize them to enhance the magic and convenience of your stay. However, if you opt not to customize your MagicBand selection, you will receive a grey, non-customized band.

As you prepare for your upcoming Dance the Magic event at Walt Disney World, we hope this information is helpful in planning the non-dancing portions of your trip! We can’t wait to have you join us at Walt Disney World for a magical experience you are sure to remember forever!

For more information on MagicBands, FastPass+, and the My Disney Experience app please visit the Walt Disney World website.