Gabe

For those staying offsite but not wanting to pay for a MB, you can still use your park ticket at the FP+ kiosks once inside to select your first 3 attractions. The tickets have a special RFID chip in them that is compatible with the kiosks.

For a price. They are free with your resort reservation (but you must go on their website to pick out colors and personalization options). They also sell the grommets that go in the MagicBand holes for various characters. None of those are included with your MagicBand pkg.

I got my Magicbands in the mail yesterday and was impressed with how lightweight and comfy they are. I usually hate wearing any kind of wristband, but these seem to breathe quite well and I'm sure will hold up well even as the temps heat up big time down there come June.

Also considering some of the CC info I got in an email last night conflicts what with Don has posted on here just a few days ago regarding Media Day.

Ah, I see. I understand that too. But recognize that all you can do is choose three rides. Then, the FastPass+ system will give you three schedules to choose from using your rides. You select one of the schedules that's pre-made for you. It would be very, very unlikely that you would have all three of your FastPass reservations before noon. The computer will automatically spread them throughout the day. That's not nec. true. When I prebooked my FP+ experiences, I was given a schedule at more than one park that would exhaust my supply by 1 PM. If you're not a fan of the 3 schedules you're given, simply refresh the page and different ones will be cycled into the mix.

In years past, there has been a temporary gate stationed just inside the turnstiles to the right (the side which leads you towards Planet Snoopy) with a security guard stationed in front of it. Once ERT begins, people quickly filed past the guard flashing their pass. There was no set line, per se, as everyone just glommed together. The gate was then removed just before park opening.

To those of us that raised the min and haven't yet gotten an email from the park, will one be forthcoming before the event and if so, from whom? For those that have gotten an email, were specific instructions given for the event?

Looks like the fundraising was a big success! Of the 240 registered, the vast majority were able to raise at least $100. I know everyone's financial situation is different, so thanks to everyone who gave what they could! Look forward to a fun Media Day, followed by a nap, then back at 8:30 to ride Banshee and meet some of you fellow KICers as well as some great kids!

I've hit the $100 mark and am just $25 shy of the goal I set, which is 125 given the short time left. Any $5-10 donators left out there?

I'm late to the game and have also posted this in the Your Attention Please thread, but when I interned at WDW, I had the chance to participate in Give Kids the World, which was a tremendous event. If I can help these kids experience the same kind of happiness I saw on the kids' faces at WDW, it woukd make me very happy. If any of you can spare a few nickels to donate, I'd greatly appreciate it! (Dick Kinzel included! hah) https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/GabePaul/screamforakidagain

I'm late to the game, but I have just created a page and have kickstarted things with a donation of my own. At WDW, I helped out with Give Kids the World, which was an amazing event. If in some small way I can help bring the same kind of happiness to these kids, I'd love to do my own small part. Anyone who wishes to help, please see the link below. Thanks! https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/GabePaul/screamforakidagain

As more evidence of Disney tweaking the FP+ system, I got an email last night inviiting me to be part of a test group for how BOG lunch dining is handled. The test group is being asked to go onto a special BOG page within their system and basically reserve not only a lunch time, but also pre-order their meals as well. Upon arrival, you are to go to the FP + line, where you will be directed right to the counter, where you will confirm your order and pay. Then, you go straight to your seat (it's still open seating at lunch). On busy days, the wait for lunch there can easily be an hour or more (it's Quick-Service at lunch, not Table Service), so I think Disney is about to begin taking a certain amount of reservations for lunch there in the future. I went ahead and prebooked my reservation (It does not count against any of your other 3 FP+ selections, so in essence it's a bonus one) and orderded and again found the process seamless and easy.

As mentioned above, even with Banshee running at max capacity, it will likely take sev hours to exhaust the supply once the ride opens at 11:30AM, given the fact that one must ride before the shirt is given to you. If you're in the que at 11:30 or even at 12, you'll get a shirt.

I will keep an eye out for it to be included in the FP+ selections if it officially opens before my trip. On a side note, I noticed that the Frozen meet n greet at the MK is now a FP+ option, but not surprisngly, was all out of advance reservations for each day I'm there.

I just booked my trip last night for next month and was able to seamlessly and easily link up my resort hotel reservation and select my advance FP+ reservations for each day I'm there with the magicband I selected (which is forthcoming in the mail prob in the next 7-10 days). So far, so good. Once I'm there, I may change things on the fly depending on how crowded the parks are, but I think this is a wonderful innovation by Disney which will only get better over time.

When DB opened, there was no FL option. With that option now available, It'll be interesting to see how many people take advantage of it on the 18th (raises hand).

Just hope the Que line is kept up over the years. How are the same TV's shown in Banshee's que faring over in DB's que 4 years in?

Actually, the opposite is true. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is closest to the sun in Jan, but the tilt of the Earth's axis causes the sun's rays to mostly reflect off the surface here in the Northern Hemisphere and back out into space. In summer, the Earth's axis is tilted backwards in the Northern Hemisphere, thus allowing for most of the sun's rays to directly hit the surface, causing warmer temps. Gabe, who is no Neil DeGrasse Tyson, but who is enjoying the reboot of Cosmos.

Get there for ERT and there shouldnt be nearly as many bulls running for it as there will be at park open.

I've see videos of that thing - makes SOB look good! (well, not really, but you know what I'm getting at) Having ridden it prob 10x in my various visits to Vegas, I'll chip in with Terp not to ride that awful coaster. Very uncomfortable ride experience, boring layout, short and expensive.

Change is constant at the parks. I'm sure the average guest doesn't care how the train operates, so long as it continues to provide an enjoyable loop around the park, which it has always done.

I am going to the World in early May for several days, so I will post a Trip Report upon my return detailing my experience. I plan to stay on property at one of my fav moderate resorts in terms of size and accesibility to the parks in a short period of time (using WDW Transport)--Port Orleans: French Quarter.

And, much like the ME at NY:NY, its going to cost a pretty penny to ride--$23.95 for roughly a 30 min ride.

The nice thing about these signs is that they are dymamic and can be programmed from an offsite location quite easily. If they wanted to offer up different specials throughout the day, this sign would be able to advertise that quite easily. As for the brightness, the lumonosity is dialed down at night so as to prevent nighttime drivers from being momentarily blinded. Most casinos in Vegas use a similar type of marquee if you're looking for comparsions.

With the recent passing of Fred Phelps, perhaps said church will fade into the dustbin of history along with other hate groups. Anyone who would protest at an event such as this (or at a military funeral), has bigger issues.