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What to Know About the My Disney Experience App

When visiting Walt Disney World, it is essential to use and understand My Disney Experience (MDE), Walt Disney World’s official app. My Disney Experience also refers to the online account that you will create when making your plans, but here we’re referring to the app.

My Disney Experience provides some basic information such as Park Hours, the ability to use Disney MagicMobile, and information about your Resort Hotel. Beyond these basic functions are some additional features that can really help enhance a Walt Disney World vacation.

Here are some great features of the My Disney Experience app that you will want to be aware of and be ready to use throughout your vacation while in a Walt Disney World Theme Park and at a Disney Resort hotel.

Link Your MagicBands

If you choose to order a MagicBand or purchase one while in Walt Disney World, make sure you take time to link them in the My Disney Experience app.

Each MagicBand has a special code on the back of it, which is what you will use to link within My Disney Experience.

Linking is important so you can use your MagicBand throughout your vacation for getting into your Walt Disney World Resort hotel, the Theme Parks, purchase items, and so much more.

Mobile Ordering

In order to eat at most of the quick-service locations throughout the Walt Disney World Resort property, you will need to use Mobile Ordering, found within MDE.

Mobile Ordering is exactly what it sounds like- a way to order food through your phone, pay for the food, and then go pick it up when it is ready.

Mobile Ordering is found in multiple locations, which you can see within the app. The plus sign as well as the three lines on the right of the app both give you access to the Mobile Order option.

The great thing about Mobile Ordering is that you can practice before arriving at Walt Disney World, allowing you to get the hang of it before you have a food emergency.

Maps

This might seem silly, but a great feature within MDE is the maps. You can see maps for not only all four Theme Parks and Disney Springs, but also your Walt Disney World Resort hotel.

This is fantastic when you are trying to get from place to place throughout the Theme Parks to find your Disney Resort hotel room or other amenities.

Maps are found by choosing the location button on the main bar of the app.

The maps can get you excited as you can not only see the different rides and attractions throughout the Parks (including Wait Times), but you can find a variety of information within maps as well.

Once you have opened the map feature, you can choose from a variety of options from the drop down menu located at the top. Wait Times are the default setting; however, there are other helpful options to choose from as well.

Characters, dining, entertainment, and restrooms are all categories that you can pull up on the map.

We find these categories helpful when looking for different experiences or need a bathroom within the Parks.

Again, like with Mobile Ordering, we highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the map feature within MDE prior to heading to Walt Disney World. Not only will this get you more comfortable with the app, but you might also become more confident with where things are located in the Theme Parks and your Resort.

Disney Genie Logo

Credit: Disney

Disney Genie

The newest feature to be added to MDE is Disney Genie. This is a free planning tool that helps Guests with personalized itineraries.

We highly recommend spending some time on Disney Genie prior to your vacation to set up your interests and priorities. You can choose specific attractions, dining, and entertainment for your trip, and this way Disney Genie will provide you with a plan of attack during your vacation.

Within Disney Genie, you can provide information such as if you prefer thrill rides, any height restrictions your family might have, and more. You can also find DAS information.

By providing all the details ahead of your trip, Genie will create a personalized itinerary, which will appear in the My Day tab.

Disney Genie is a great new feature within MDE and one that we highly recommend looking at before your Walt Disney World vacation.

Tips

Next to the My Day feature on Disney Genie, is the Tip Board. This offers exactly that- tips that Genie thinks you might like.

These could be shows, food, rides, or even character experiences. Once you have created your day, you can see what tips Genie suggests. You can choose to remove suggestions, which will help Genie know more of your preferences.

Disney Genie+

Also available through Disney Genie is the Disney Genie+ option. This costs $15/person/day and gives Guests access to over 40 Lightning Lanes throughout the four Theme Parks, thus saving Guests time in line throughout their vacations.

You can purchase Disney Genie+ in two ways. The first is ahead of time. If you decide to do this option, you will purchase it for every day of your trip.

The second option is that you can purchase Disney Genie+ for only some days of the trip.

If you choose to buy Genie+ on a day by day basis, you can do so starting at midnight of the day you plan to use it. This is done through MDE as well. You do not need to buy it at midnight, you can add it at any point during your day.

Once you have purchased Disney Genie+, you will make ride selections through MDE and Genie+ for where you want to use Genie+ in the Theme Park. Unlike the old FastPass+ system, you can not choose times but instead are given the next time available, so keep that in mind.

Disney Genie+ is a big part of MDE now and a feature that you will want to look into to determine if it will work for your family.

The My Disney Experience app provides Guests with a variety of great features to help enhance their Walt Disney World vacations. We hope that by touching on a few of these features, you will be more prepared for your trip to Walt Disney World.

About Jennifer Retzlaff

My name is Jennifer Retzlaff and I became a lifelong Disney fan during my first trip to Walt Disney World in 6th grade. From that moment, Disney became a big part of my life. I live in Iowa with my husband and two kids who are growing up too quickly for my liking. I started introducing my love for Disney early to my family with a Disney honeymoon and then trips when our youngest of 18 months. Since then, our family has been to Walt Disney World over five times and we continue to plan and dream for the next trip. I love the magic that Disney brings to people through the theme parks, cruises, adventures and movies they create. As a teacher, I try to bring that magic into my classroom to help kids believe that “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It.” I recently reached a dream of mine as I joined Magic Vacation Planner as a personal travel advisor. With this team, I can now help others plan magical vacations. As a passionate writer, I also have my own blog at magicalvacationsbyjen which is also where you can follow me on instagram for trip reviews along with tips and tricks for your next magical vacation.