Magic Bands (MagicBands) have been a hot topic ever since they debuted. But many Disney newbies are left wondering how does the Disney Magic Band work? And do I need one? We are here to cut through the confusion and help you decide if a magic band is right for your Disney trip.
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What Is a Disney Magic Band and Why Do I Want One?
To put it simply, a Disney Magic Band (MagicBand) is your key to the kingdom. To answer how does the Disney Magic Band work requires explaining a few of the park and restaurant systems.
To gain access into any Disney park, you will need theme park tickets. These tickets come in a variety of formats, including plastic cards. However, the most popular format is digital.
A digital ticket can be linked to your My Disney Experience account, and this is where the Magic Band comes in. Once the ticket is linked to My Disney Experience, it becomes active on any Magic Band you have purchased and linked to your acount.
If you have a magic band loaded with your park passes, all you need to do is tap your magic band to be admitted into the park. This system is much easier than digging through your bag for a plastic ticket or to find your phone to access your tickets. Instead, simply scan and go.
Magic Bands also make entering the parks with a large group much easier, especially for children. Each child is able to scan their own band, rather than waiting for mom or dad to hand them a ticket or find it on their phone for each child.
However, Disney Magic Bands hold much more information than just park tickets. Magic Bands are linked to everything you need to visit Disney World. This includes resort room reservations, dining reservations, Disney Genie+, lightning lane passes, and even your credit card information for easier purchasing power.
Using a Disney Magic Band at Your Hotel, Restaurants and Around the Parks
One of the biggest convenience perks of the Magic Band (MagicBand) is how easy it becomes to access your hotel room. With a Disney Magic Band, simply tap it on the receiver on your room door to be granted quick access to your room.
Disney Magic Bands also make it easier to take advantage of advanced dining reservations. All you have to do is have a cast member scan your Magic Band at dining establishments to check you in. You can even use your Magic Band to pay for your meal, as long as you have a credit card set up on your My Disney Experience account or with your Disney World Resort for charging privileges.
If you are a Disney souvenir fanatic, your credit card can also be linked directly to your Magic band for quick and easy purchasing inside Disney stores. This system does require you to enter a pin to ensure you are the owner of that Magic Band.
Lastly, your Disney Magic Band can hold all of your Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations. When you get to a ride, tap your band, and be granted access if it is in your return window.
How to Get a Disney Magic Band
Now that we have gone over how does the Disney Magic Band (MagicBand) work, lets discuss how to get one. Prior to 2021, Magic Bands were included with every Disney World vacation package or room reservation, for free, in a basic array of colors. You could also purchase additional limited edition Magic Bands inside various locations in the park, or buy charms to decorate yours.
In January 2021, Magic Bands were no longer offered for free with your resort stay, but remain available for purchase. Once you book your resort stay, simply purchase Magic Bands on the My Disney Experience App.
If you find your vacation has arrived and you have forgotten to purchase a Magic Band, do not fret. Magic Bands can be purchased at shopping venues throughout the resort, with the biggest selection being found in Disney Springs.
Magic Bands can also be purchased online before your stay at Shop Disney.
Can I Still Use a Magic Band at Disney Parks?
Yes! Magic Bands can still be used for all of their intended purposes inside the Disney World parks, resorts, and restaurants. We recently took a trip to the house of mouse, and while the Magic Bands were no longer included in the cost of our resort stay, we were able to purchase and use them.
We find magic bands a much easier system than keeping all the information on your phone. It may not seem to be a hassle to pull out your phone and access an app, or find your pass card, but during peak and rushed times, the Magic Bands are much more efficient.
Can I Use My Magic Bands from Previous Trips? How to Link or Activate a Magic Band
Any Magic Bands (MagicBands) you have used in the past can still be used for future visits. To use an old or even a newly purchased Magic Band, you will need to activate it. To activate your magic Bands, first, open up the My Disney Experience App or access it from the Disney World website. You will follow these same steps to link a new Magic Band to hotel reservations or theme park tickets.
Note: Be sure your tickets, and resort are already linked to your My Disney Experience Account. To learn more about this, click here.
In the app, click the three lines in the bottom right hand corner. Then scroll down, and click “My Profile,” and then click “Magic Bands and Cards.” Next, click “Link a Magic Band or card.” And then type in the ID number of the Magic Band. This number can be found on the back of the Magic Band, where your name is written.
If you forget this step, or have trouble with it, be sure to bring your Magic Band on your trip anyway. Cast Members at the front desk of your resort will be able to help you add your Magic Band to your account and link it to your room as well.
If you are looking to activate a Magic Band from a previous trip, simply open the Disney World website, hover over My Disney Experience, and select “My Magic Bands and Cards.” You will then be shown a list of all Magic bands ever issued to you and members of your party that were linked to your existing My Disney Experience account. You can choose to leave them activated, deactivate them or reactivate them according to your choice.
What is the Cost of a Magic Band?
What does a Disney World Magic Band’s cost? The answer to that is not simple. Magic Bands vary greatly in price based on the one you choose. Magic bands come in simple plain colors at the lowest end of the price point, to special options that come with the designer price point.
The solid colored Magic Bands that used to be given to all guests, now cost around $20. Magic Bands with character designs start at $30 and go up from there, based on the exclusivity of the band, and the popularity of the character. For example, this Frozon Magic Band costs $29.99, while this limited release Tinkerbell Magic Band costs $34.99.
Additionally, there are designer Magic Bands from Dooney and Bourke. The “Santa Paws” Dooney and Bourke Magic Band comes in at $58 and features various Disney dogs in Christmas motif.
If you want to utilize the ease of a Magic Band, but do not like to wear things on your wrist, Disney offers Magic Band keychain “waist clips” for about $30 on average.
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Now that Disney Magic Mobile Is Here, Are Magic Bands Obsolete?
How does the Disney Magic Band work compared to Magic Mobile (MagicMobile)? Disney describes their Magic Mobile as “a convenient and another contactless way to access MagicBand features, like theme park entry, through the power of eligible iPhones, Apple Watch or Google Pay enabled Android phones. Guests will be able to create a Disney MagicMobile pass through the My Disney Experience app and add it to their smart device’s digital wallet.”
Essentially, Disney Magic Mobile turns your phone into your Magic Band. To use this service, you will have to set it up in the My Disney Experience App. Once it is activated, you will simply hold your phone up to any location where a Magic Band is used.
This system does have its downsides. The Magic Bands reportedly scan faster and work more often on the first scan.
The benefits of Magic Bands do outweigh the cost. First off, Magic Bands allow you to display your Disney fashion sense with an array of fun and exclusive designs.
Magic Bands are also the choice of families, as many younger members of a family do not have smartphones. Magic Bands do not require you to dig through your bag to find your phone, and scan faster than the Magic Mobile system.
It is worth noting that those with an apple watch can utilize the Magic Mobile service on their watch, which combines the benefits of Magic Mobile and the Magic Band system.
Magic Band+
Magic Band+ is a new feature that will be released in 2022. These all new Magic Bands will do all of the things the current Magic Bands do, plus much more.
The biggest benefit of the new Magic Bands is the interactivity. The new bands will vibrate, flash, light up, change colors, and be able to recognize gestures. These features will be activated by proximity to certain features in the parks, such as the Fab 50 Character Collection and the nighttime spectaculars in Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
It has been announced they can also be used to play as a virtual bounty hunter in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
While the Magic Band+ system has been slated to debut in 2022, the Disney website currently says “more details coming soon!” We will update this blog as more information is released, but you can also check out the Magic Band+ page on the Disney Website for more information.
