No Dancing on the Monorail: Net Gen is coming.... whether we like it or not.

It seems like it's been ages now that the rumors of Disney's next gen program have been swirling about. Over the last several months, we've seen things starting to actually happen at the parks. The Fastpass+ testing started taking place, the new turnstiles went up, and now they've started switching out AP passes. I had noticed on our trip in early March that those in our party who had purchased their tickets that day had the new plastic cards. Shortly after that, they opened up the Odyssey in Epcot as a sort of base camp for AP holders to convert their passes.

Before and After

Gone are the days of the flimsy paper cards we've been forced to deal with for years. (And really, Thank God.) They're pretty nifty and you're even given the chase to choose which of four out of the five "fab five" that you want on your pass. If you opt for the AP or Premiere, there's a little red strip on the back that indicates that you're in for the free parking that comes along with those passes. The only thing i've used it for thus far is entrance into the park, but the little spinning light and the sound it makes when you go in is cute. Another little touch of Disney magic.

As I mentioned, they've got a pretty nifty set up in Epcot for you to switch out your pass. As our passes were up for renewal, and I had done mine online, we acquired our new passes at the ticket windows before heading into the park. We did, however, make a stop by the old restaurant to check it out since we'd heard rumor that they had a lot of nifty old Disney artifacts on display.

Upon entering, one of the first things you find on display are the soon to come MyMagic bands. I'll admit, i've been dreading these things. As with any Disney rumor, you hear several different versions of the same story. But in this case, regardless of the telling, these things seemed to spell bad news for passholders. The one thing i'd heard over and over again, was that Passholders would be very limited in their number of fast passes per day as compared to those staying in a Disney resort. We're talking limitation to two or three passes per day. You'd have the option to keep your regular card
pass (which would allow you access to as many fp's a day as the tickets always have) but if you switch to the band, your card is inactive and you're no longer able to use it.

I spoke with the guy showing off the magic bands. He assured me that by using the band, you'd have the same access to fast passes that you would have had before. He mentioned you'd also have the ability to reserve spots for viewing fireworks and parades. I would imagine this would only work on a pretty limited first come first serve basis, i'm intrigued to see how that one would play out. He also pointed out that you'd be able to easily switch the fast passes you have. Say you get a FP for the Space Ranger Spin. When you get your FP, the line is 45 minutes long. When you return to ride, you notice that the line is now 10 minutes long. You would have the option to access your smart phone and switch it to another ride and opt in to just wait the shorter line.

They're not the most attractive thing in the world, but they're pretty light weight. Apparently they're made to ventilate so it's not ungodly uncomfortable on your wrist in the hot florida sun. You also get to choose your own color, so that's a plus. If you check out the picture, the colored part is capable of being peeled off, making it able to fit a child or someone with a smaller wrist. I'd seen someone compare them to crocs you wear on your wrist, but they're really not all that awful. I think the biggest problem would be remembering the darn thing every time you go. And it's not like it's locked onto your wrist. Personally, I can imagine that i'd put it around my bag strap or something similar. And it's key to remember that it's not something that's being forced on you. It's completely optional and you can keep your card if you'd prefer.

Now, onto the Disney treasures....