DisneyBand+

[Miss Lizzie]

Has anyone used these. Hopefully they work I just bought them. 

Any tips 

Miss Lizzie 

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Miss Lizzie I have used the Disney bands in Disney World, and I love them! Especially if you use them more than once, the initial investment up front is super worth it. On a DCL sailing you can use your band to open your stateroom door and make payments onboard. It's the ultimate hands-free situation. They are waterproof and rechargeable, making getting on and off the ship very simple. You activate the band once you get onboard during the check-in process. The only tip I would have you be to make it's all charged up before you go. You can also link them to your app beforehand. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Miss Lizzie I highly recommend the bands and think you will really appreciate having them onboard your upcoming cruise. I would also recommend pre-charging them. You will love all of the hands free options that come along with using these bands. The fact that they are waterproof is even cooler! It's just one less thing to carry around. The bands are convenience at it's finest while cruising.

[LukeJ]

I don't know how they work as such, but they certainly look good and in the spirit of the ship. I wouldn't mind wearing it, it looks fun and something that the kids will enjoy wearing I'm sure. Being waterproof is even better, as you can go swimming while continuing to wear. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ They are such a wonderful invention! Many cruise lines are using the bands now as a way to help guests stay hands free while cruising. It's very practical and I would imagine in due time, most if not all cruise lines will offer something similar. I have had lanyards for cruising in the past, but it's not as convenient as the bands. The smartest feature about the band is the waterproofing technology. Considering most cruises involve water fun, it's certainly important that the band is waterproof so it doesn't need to be taken off!

[Miss Lizzie]

We got ours, I will let you all know how they work once we get back. 

[LukeJ]

They do look really good fun. I'd wear that in day to day activities to be honest. The lanyards are practical, but times have changed and I believe these are a better alternative. Lanyards are a bit of a pain, and can't wear them in water, so let's hope in time all cruise lines switch to this alternative.

[3Sisters]

@Miss Lizzie Those bands look awesome! Please let me know how you enjoy them and if you felt they were worth the investment. They look very durable (better than most). I have seen other bands that seem flimsy and easy to fall off. This Disney band doesn't look like it's going to break or fall off easily. Do you know if those bands will work at the theme parks or are they strictly to be used on a DCL ship?  

@LukeJ I agree. Lanyards are no competition to the bands. They will surely become less and less popular as bands increase in demand! 

[Miss Lizzie]

3 hours ago, 3Sisters said:

@Miss Lizzie Those bands look awesome! Please let me know how you enjoy them and if you felt they were worth the investment. They look very durable (better than most). I have seen other bands that seem flimsy and easy to fall off. This Disney band doesn't look like it's going to break or fall off easily. Do you know if those bands will work at the theme parks or are they strictly to be used on a DCL ship?  

@LukeJ I agree. Lanyards are no competition to the bands. They will surely become less and less popular as bands increase in demand! 

I believe they can be used at any of the parks also. 

[LukeJ]

The lanyards just make you look important and is visible for everyone to see, so I guess that's why cruise lines tend to use it, but the bands look fun and practical, so have no doubt that they will soon catch on with everyone else. And if they are used elsewhere, as @Miss Lizzie states, all the better for it. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Miss Lizzie I believe you are right! The newer bands are universal! Maybe you will end up using them at one of the parks too. I used to have annual memberships to many of the parks, but I live too far away now. I had the passes before the bands got releases and the prices were more reasonable. Princess Cruises has Medallions that work pretty similarly, and many other cruises lines already have followed suit, but the capacity and quality of DCL's is pretty impressive. Just by looking at that photo I can tell  they are made so well! I can't wait to hear about your experience while using them onboard your cruise. 

[LukeJ]

Big thumbs up from me for them. They do look well made, and that's the difference. In today's age, where standards have completely dropped. You pay more for less quality these days, and we are forced to accept that, so it's refreshing that some companies still offer better quality for your dollar.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I agree that the quality of many products has diminished significantly. Even the clothing quality we are accustomed to has worsened. We have lowered our standards as a whole, and adjusted to a norm of cheaper quality goods for a more affordable cost. I'm at the point where I would rather pay more for a single good than half for a lesser quality good. I have pretty much done away with most polyester and nylon clothing in my home. Unless it's for a water/outdoor sport, I'm strictly purchasing cotton goods that wash well and are comfortable to wear in different elements. The natural fibers are much better for our bodies! Many of the plastic/synthetic based materials are leaving behind impacts on our bodies such as disrupting hormones. 

[LukeJ]

Prices don't match the standard of quality anymore. What you believe is a decent cost for a garment is really not. To have a decent material is so expensive, I'm sorry nothing is worth those costs. I once wanted to buy a leather jacket, a really good one and bought one online for $200 which I was led to believe was a decent cost for a good leather jacket, and when it arrived, it was the cheapest synthetic and poorly constructed jacket I ever did see. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I have experienced this too! Lower costs have led to lower quality of good. Honestly the quality is so poor for vegan leather and pleather that I refuse to buy it. It's a waste. It does not hold up. The vegan leather market has such a following too! Meat-free, vegan products are so heavily pushed nowadays. I have a leather cowhide on the floor of my living room and several  Italian leather sofas. I will not buy any other kind of sofa with young children. It's so durable, so resistant; I can wipe it clean! I don't need to worry about spills, but most importantly, I don't need to worry about it peeling off. Others can care about cows and their hide, but I will never get onboard the pleather train. Nothing will compare in durability to real leather. 

[LukeJ]

Quite right. There is nothing that matches it. I do spend decent money on coats, in the UK, it's probably the most worn garment we can buy. And if you look after it, it will last you the rest of time. I've got a lovely coat that I still wear and have had it 20 years, and it looks just as good as the first day I had it. It may cost money, however it will last you the duration.

[3Sisters]

@Miss Lizzie Let us know how the bands work out! 

@LukeJ Coats are so expensive. To safe money you can buy a vegan leather coat. It will apart, but it will save you upfront money! That's the catch with the pleather out there. The "vegan leather" advertisement is such a scam to me. It's plastic coated plastic. One "plastic" material I appreciate is fleece. It's not a healthy or natural material but it's warm and washes well. I appreciate a lightweight, easy to wash warming product. I will run in a fleece without having to wear a heavyweight coat to stay warm. Do you enjoy that fabric for staying warm in the winter months? The only thing fleece doesn't do it provide is waterproof protection. 

 

[LukeJ]

Yes it varies, depending on the month. Sometimes we wear a fleece underneath our rain coat. It's lovely and warm, and it's easily worn with anything if you're into fashion. I always wear a gilet if it's not raining but has a wind swirling around. I find the wind and rain in the UK a lot different than anywhere else in the world. When it rains abroad, I don't mind that because it's still humid and the rain feels quite warm almost. In the UK, it's absolutely horrible. It's icy cold, and the wind is so biting, you will never feel anything so piercing in all your life. It gives you headaches so bad in my opinion. Targets a spot in the middle of your head and just drives that icy wind at you.

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ I love that you can layer fleece. It's thin enough but still makes you exceptionally warm. With the wet weather conditions you experience, I would say a fleece under a rain coat is super appropriate. What is a gilet? The wind chill factor has to be so brisk and uncomfortable to breathe too. I struggle to breathe in those cold/moist conditions. There is not way to walk around with conditions like that, and the ice on the road has to be horrible. I'm sad that you have to live in a place that is so brisk it causes you headaches! I'm so glad the weather is lightening up for everyone in the UK, finally. 

[LukeJ]

@3Sisters you say that but we are coming up to the middle of June and it's still very cold out. We haven't had much rain for almost a fortnight so we take it as a good thing.

I had to look up what a gilet is as you are from the US, and Google states that you call it a puffer vest. Is that correct? In the UK, we can also refer to it as a body warmer too.

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ I'm thinking seasons run pretty parallel for the US and the UK, but June here is typically very hot across the board. Even in the northern, cooler states the temperatures are pretty warm. I'm sure the temperatures were better in decades past because global warming has changed things significantly. Florida has been even hotter than usual with the winter months being shortened significantly. They are having an opposite problem to what your are is facing. That's why it's so important to study the weather you are traveling to before you visit there. Before I cruise, I always look at the forecast and observe what I should expect. This helps me pack properly. Sometimes I assume an area is a certain way but I'm totally wrong. It's best to have a baseline expectation of what the weather will be like for cruising to certain areas during depending on the time of year you book.

[LukeJ]

@Cruising Caribbean@3Sisterseven though I agree with you in regards to checking the weather for vacation. It really is important before you go away to have an idea of what is happening, the issue with us is that the weather forecasting in UK is absolutely poor. They change their minds several times a week. We don't tend to look anymore because the forecaster are wrong majority of the time. If we were that bad at our jobs, I'm sure we would have been fired long ago.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ So when it comes to natural disasters, I understand where you are coming from. I guess previous years' forecasts aren't that accurate due to the many weather pattern changes impacting the entire world this year. I don't understand why the weather is more unpredictable than ever. What's up with the weathermen? I do a better job at guessing myself some days. Is there something wrong with the satellites? Many cruise lines like CCL are already bracing for impact with hurricane season this year. 

[LukeJ]

@Cruising Caribbean yes it's baffling the weather that we are having this year. We are in the middle of June and you'd swear it's winter with us. We have had 3 days of no rain since November. It's frustrating. And these weather forecasters are useless. Honestly it does make us laugh sometimes at how spectacularly wrong they are. Have they not studied meteorology or do they just count on computers to do their jobs. The best one was a few years back when I planned to paint the exterior of my house and according to the forecast there was a 1% chance of rain. Now to a fool like me, that's really saying it's impossible for it to rain, and that % shows that they've looked at their stuff and decided that there isn't any clouds at all anywhere near our country. In reality, there was a storm with torrential rain bouncing off the floor, and it lasted for 3 days. I couldn't believe it. Standing looking out the window with a paintbrush in my hand.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I didn't know what a gilet was either! A puffer vest is great, particularly if it's water repellent. They are lighter to carry around when you go into a store and need to take it off. Holding a heavyweight coat around a store is no fun. It's even worse if you have to hold yours and three other little coat too. I have become more practical now. I make my children run into buildings without a coat to avoid carrying them for long amounts of time while indoors. My mom feels sorry for my children but they honestly don't even feel it. It's just a 60 second dash into the store from the car before they are warmed for 70 degrees Fahrenheit again.

The painting of your home exterior story sounds so horrid! My husband did it with my father in law and that's an awful job! I feel so sad that your work was stunted by the 1% chance of rain. What a bummer way to postpone your paint job! I don't know if there is an optimal season for you to paint your home. In the winter there is snow and the rain seems to never stop in any season for you!