One of the biggest upgrades in Disney World over the past decade has been the My Disney Experience App. Your My Disney Experience account is linked to both the app and your magic band, so everything you need for your Disney Trip is all in one place.
Today we’re going to look at the top eleven features you’ll likely find helpful on your trip.
Link your family or group
One of the first things you’ll want to do before you really dive into the app and start making plans is to link everyone you’re traveling with. This will allow one person in your party to make plans for everyone.
To do this, you want to create a friends and family list with everyone in your party. Once everyone in your group has an account on My Disney Experience, you can create the list either on the app on your phone or on the computer. Navigate to your profile, and you’ll find your friends and family list. You should see the “Add Guest” option at the bottom of the list.
FastPasses
My Disney Experience is also where you’re going to make all of your FastPass reservations! You can book your FastPasses 60 days in advance if you’re staying at a Disney World Resort and 30 days in advance if you’re staying off property.
The best part about using the app for your FastPasses is the ability to make plans on the fly. Before the app, you used to have to physically go to the ride to get your FastPass time. And if you were running late, there was no way to change your time.
With the app, you can change and modify your plans easily from anywhere! This is particularly helpful if you find that you get stuck somewhere and won’t make it to your FastPass on time.
For more on Disney’s FastPass system, check out this post!
Dining
Just like your FastPasses, you can manage your Dining Reservations on the app too! You can change and modify your dining reservations as much as you want until you fall within 24 hours of your dining window. At that point, you’ll be charged a fee if you cancel.
However, in the past, I’ve had success modifying a reservation (i.e. changing the time) with no penalty.
If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, you can also use My Disney Experience to easily keep track of your credits.
For more on the Pros and Cons of the Disney Dining Plan, check out this post.
Resort Reservations and Online Check-in
My Disney Experience also holds all of the details of your resort reservation if you’re staying at a Disney World Resort.
You can use online check-in ahead of your arrival so you can skip the front desk and make any last minute requests. When your room is cleaned and ready for you, you’ll receive a notification with your room’s number, location, and other important details.
In some resorts, you can also use the app to unlock your door.
For more about Disney Resorts, check out these posts on how to choose the right Disney Resort for you and how to change Disney Resorts mid-stay.
Mobile Order
If you’re looking to save time in the parks, you can use Mobile Order in the app at tons of counter service locations.
Mobile Order allows you to order and pay for your food without waiting in line. You can do this if you have a credit card linked to your account, or if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan.
Showtimes
The app is up to date with all the showtimes across Disney World for the day. This lets you know when everything is happening–including nighttime shows and daytime parades–so you don’t miss out!
Your Plans
The My Disney Experience App also holds all of your plans in one place. You can easily view your FastPass times, and dining reservations so you know what’s coming next and you can be sure they don’t overlap.
Additionally, you can add shows and other timed events to your plans, so you don’t miss out on something you want to see.
And you can customize your notifications so you get a notification on your phone when something in your plans is coming up.
Your Photos
Throughout your trip, you’ll likely have your picture taken plenty of times on rides, with characters, or at other locations around the park. If you’re wearing your Magic Band, your picture will automatically be added to your My Disney Experience account.
You can use the app to view any pictures that have been taken. You can also purchase the Memory Maker, which gives you digital copies of every picture taken of you and your group on your trip.
It’s worth noting that Disney has photographers stationed all over the park, and you can ask them to take a picture with your camera. However, they’ll also take a picture with their camera. You aren’t obligated to purchase the photos they take, but you can view them in the app.
Park Maps
You’ll also find a map for all of the parks. You can customize the maps to show wait times, attractions, characters, dining, restrooms and more!
This makes it easy for you to find your favorite character or a nearby place to eat.
You can also use the map to see Disney World as a whole (if you’d need to) by zooming out from an individual park.
Wait Times
This gets a special mention because it is an invaluable tool! You only get three pre-scheduled FastPasses. You can book more once you use up your three, but there’s no guarantee you’ll find something good at that point.
So if you want to keep your wait time to a minimum, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the wait times on the app and jump on popular rides when you notice their wait times are below average.
One tip I like to give out is to start checking in on wait times several times a day a week or so before your trip. You may notice a pattern that some busier rides have lower wait times at different points throughout the day. This will help you get on a ride you don’t have a FastPass for with as little wait as possible.
Park Hours
One the home screen, you’ll find a link to the hours for each park! This includes which parks are open for extra magic hours.
This is great if you’ve got a single park ticket and want to spend it in the park that’s open the longest and/or you want to make use of extra magic hours. Or if you have a Park Hopper and went to maximize your time by spending the morning in a park that opens early and the evening in a park that closes later.
For more Disney World tips and tricks, check out the other Disney World Posts!
Sound off: How has the My Disney Experience app made your Disney vacation easier? Tell us about it in the comments!
Gosh! Didn’t realise it did so much. Must make sure we download it before we travel in April. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I’m so glad I could help! I hope you have a fabulous trip!