Long gone are the days of plastic room keys, paper maps and having a dozen different information guides to help you plan a holiday - Walt Disney World has created the ultimate seamless experience on their My Disney Experience App, which allows you to have virtually everything in one place. From booking restaurants in advance so you don’t miss out, to navigating the various parks, capturing forever memories and even skipping the queues, it’s all available on your phone with Disney’s app.
If you’re someone who loves planning, then you’ll enjoy the many features that allow you to create itineraries and find out more about schedules, show times and transportation, that make sure your magical holiday goes off without a hitch. The My Disney Experience App is also super easy to use and has an integrated digital pass, meaning once you’re set up, you can use your phone for getting into your hotel room, entering the parks and to pay for food and merchandise, so that you just have to tap and go!
Getting Started
It’s simple to get started using the My Disney Experience App, but before you can get stuck in you’ll need to create an account on the
My Disney Experience App website. You just need to enter all of your details, such as your name, email and address, plus your payment information - this will be used when you pay for things in the park, and if you want to upgrade to features like Genie+.
After you’ve entered your information, you can simply download the My Disney Experience App to your phone, laptop or tablet and log in. Once you’re in, you’ll need to enter your reservation details. Until 2020, you’d be able to then choose Magic Bands for you and your party provided you’re staying in an
official Disney hotel, however, this changed after the pandemic. Now, you can purchase Magic Bands separately (don’t worry, they’re very affordable!) via the
shopDisney website. These will be sent straight to your home address and when they arrive, you can link them to the app.
In the meantime, you can dive into all the different features on the app to start planning your trip. If you don't want to purchase a Magic Band, you can still use the app for everything mentioned above using Disney's Magic Mobile service, which is essentially a digital pass on your mobile that can be used to enter the parks. If you haven’t booked certain aspects of your trip yet, there’s no need to worry. As you begin booking restaurants, shows and more, they’ll appear in your app and you‘ll get relevant tips, suggestions and reminders about what you’ve got planned. you have planned.
What can the My Disney Experience App be used for?
The My Disney Experience App can be used for just about everything, but this means there's a lot of information and features on there to get to grips with. Below, we break down all of the most useful things you can do on the app to help create the most amazing Walt Disney World holiday.
In-Park Guide
One of the most useful things about the Disney app is that you have all the information about the parks at your fingertips. Check out the map, where you can see the location of all the rides, dining options and attractions. There's also handy information about daily park hours, showtimes, bathrooms, transportation and best of all, wait times for rides, right down to the minute!
If you're lost or can't find a ride, you can get detailed directions to wherever you need to go. In the main menu, there's also the option to check out virtual queues for rides, and join whichever one you want - meaning you can enjoy a cold drink or even another coaster while you're in the virtual queue for the next one. It's a one-stop-shop for knowing everything there is to know about the Disney parks. Combine this with your handy itinerary and reminders, and you'll quickly figure out the fastest route to your next ride, or when you need to start walking to your dinner reservation.
Dining & Food Delivery
The My Disney Experience App can be extremely handy for dining in the parks, meaning you never have to stand in line or figure out what to eat. If you haven't done it already when you download the app, make sure you've booked any advanced dinner reservations you have planned.
If there's a restaurant you're particularly keen to eat at, it's worth booking ahead, especially if it's one with a show or a combined experience, such as watching the fireworks after a meal. These advanced bookings will all appear in your app, but the features don't stop there.
At table service restaurants, you'll be able to check in via the app and browse the menu anywhere you dine. You can also book additional reservations in the app if you see something you like the look of, and even better, you can use the Mobile Food Ordering service. This allows you to order ahead of time at a variety of quick-service restaurants and pick up your food soon after. Finally, our favourite dining feature is also the newest. Check Availability allows you to not only check if restaurants have space to book, but you can also see which restaurants are currently accepting walk-ins, if you're in need of somewhere for dinner at the last minute.
Disney Resort Hotels
If you're staying in a
Disney hotel, then having the My Disney Experience App to hand will save you lots of time and confusion. Your room reservation will already be in your app, meaning you can take advantage of contactless check-in and check-out (no queues at reception!), organising transportation and seeing a helpful map of where you're staying. The high-tech Magic Mobile Pass or your Magic Band can be used as soon as you've checked in as a key to your room, and once you've unpacked and recovered, you can check out where the nearest pool or restaurant is with handy directions.
Genie & Genie+
The My Disney Experience App has the useful benefit of integrating with Genie. If you're not sure what Genie is, let us explain. Much like the MDE App, it can be used for planning out your whole Disney experience with recommendations for attractions, shows and dining options depending on your personal preferences. While this is not dissimilar to the app, Genie+, which is the new improved version that replaced Disney's Fast Track passes, is even more helpful. Genie+ lets you bypass regular lines at many of the popular attractions by using the Lightning Lane entrance, which you can book in the morning at the start of each day.
Genie+ usually costs around $30. but allows fast-tracked access to more than 40 attractions so it can save hours of time - check out what rides are included to see if you want to use it. If you do, you can make all your Genie+ bookings from 7am each day right in the My Disney Experience app, ensuring you maximise time and walk onto all of your favourite rides.
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