Virgin Holidays / My Disney Experience - Help Please!

[Bilboo]

Hi All,

Sorry, yet another request for help - I think Im nearly there now!

I'm guessing anyone who's been with Virgin Holidays before will be able to help with this.

Booked a trip to Orlando (off-site) for April this year with Virgin Holidays, and been trying to figure out how the theme park tickets work and specifically how I get my Disney tickets (14 Day Ultimate Ticket) loaded into the My Disney Experience app for FP+ and dining reservations.

My Virgin Holidays account is telling me I can download my tickets (I assume all off them) in March (one month before we leave), and there was some confusion when I rang them earlier as they thought I could load my Virgin Holidays Booking Reference into the system, which I couldn't. As such they provided with the number of My Disney Experience team, and now I think I've got it.

My plan (based on my current understanding) before I go...

- Virgin Holidays will provide me with my Disney ticket vouchers one month before I fly, which I'll download from my Virgin Holidays account
- The voucher will contain a twelve digit code made-up of four letters and 8 numbers (i.e. ABCD12345678)
- I assign the code to My Disney Experience account via the app
- I can then start to make FP+ and dining reservations, 30 days prior to the actual day

Once I'm there...
- Arrive on a Wednesday afternoon
- Go to Disney Springs on the Wednesday evening
- Purchase a Magic Band at the Disney Store
- Head over to to the Disney Guest Relations counter (which I'm told is behind Ghiradelli Ice Cream)
- Exchange the vouchers for tickets
- Apply the Magic Band to the My Disney Experience app

After that it's a couple of days wait until we go to the first Disney park, we're going for 16 days and want to go to Disney on our last day, so it'll be Saturday when we first go.

When we arrive at the park we'll use our tickets for the first time and they will activate for the 14 days.

Is that all correct, and if it isn't could you point me in the right direction please?

One question I do have is, do I have to load the ticket details into the My Disney Experience app again once I pick up the actually ticket (as appose the voucher)?

BTW, I know I don't need a Magic Band, but I want one!

Phew, it was a lot easier when you could only book FP in the park!!!

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide, it's much appreciated!

Regards
John

 

[pinklotusflower]

When you get your voucher code link your tickets in MDE app and like you said you can make your fast-pass + & dining reservations. You don’t need to activate your tickets & get the hard ticket until the first day you enter the park. At Guest relations they will link your tickets to your magic band & give you your tickets. You don’t need to do anything else with the app after you have first added your tickets.
It's loads easier using a magic band and the new ones mean the battery part can be updated.

 

[Bilboo]

Hi pinklotusflower,

Thanks for responding.

Do Guest Relations at the parks sell the Magic Bands, or do I need to buy them at the Disney Shop in Disney Springs first to take with us?

Also, is there any problem with getting this all sorted on the first night at Disney Springs, plan was to get it all done so we didn't have to mess about on our first morning? Plus my GF hasn't never been to Orlando so was looking for a reason to drag her to Disney Springs on our first night! ;-)

Thanks again
John

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

There is a new guest relations at Disney Springs near the D-Luxe burger. It is housed in a separate building. As far as I can remember the original guest relations was still there. We walked by it to get to the Arriba glass shop. I am not sure if they sell Magic Bands.

 

[DisneyBelle_x]

You don't need tickets to make dining reservations, you can make those from 180 days out, tickets added to MDE or not

 

[pinklotusflower]

The guest relations I’ve used don’t sell the magic bands, if you want to go to Disney Springs I’d go there get the magic bands you want and use the guest relations there and your all set for your first park visit. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Bilboo]

Brilliant, thanks all for the info.

Think I've got it sorted now!

 

[fizz13]

hi there,
the best place to get magicbands at Disney springs is at the pin traders shop which is close to earl of sandwich and once upon a toy, they carry the full range. Guest relations is right in the middle of Disney springs and they will be happy to change your vouchers to tickets which you can then take to pin traders and they will put them onto your bands, all fastpasses will be transferred onto them too, hope that helps x