Disney has recently unveiled the new FastPass+ system and RFID bands (dubbed My Magic+) to all of its loyal Floridians. Although the system is not fully out and operational, many pictures can be found online of the new RFID turnstiles that have been installed in many of the theme park entrances.
What even are RFID and FastPass+? First off, RFID stands for radio frequency identification. Disney will be using this new technology to revolutionize the way theme parks are operated. Instead of a paper ticket and plastic room key, guests will be issued a rubber wristband that contains a computer chip inside. This bracelet will serve as the guest’s room key, theme park ticket, Disney Dining Plan, character meal reservation, credit card, and finally FastPass+. To enter the park, guests will simply tap their wrists against a new RFID scanner present at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom.
Gone are the days of inserting a park ticket into a machine only to receive another ticket to add to the pile of tickets the average theme park guest has accumulated throughout their stay. That was the old FastPass system.
Enter: FastPass+. This new system is an online FastPass reservation that Disney has been slowly rolling out since the start of the New Year. Guests log on to My Disney Experience and create an account based on the days that they will be there and what parks that they will attend. They then can choose up to three FastPasses and their return times for a specific park per day. If the guest then changes their mind while at the park, they then log on again using their smart phone or find a kiosk and simply change out the tickets. Right now, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are the only parks that offer the new system as of now.
The new FastPasses don’t allow for park hopping yet. Hopefully they will. But for the mean time, enjoy the old system while it’s still in the park and be on the lookout for testers while the new system is in Beta mode.