Getting ready for your Disney vacation, but don’t know the first thing about Disney MagicBands? Don’t worry, we have everything you need to know about Disney MagicBands in one place!
First thing you need to know is that your MagicBand will serve as everything from your room keys to payment method in the park. There is no longer a need for park tickets or paper Fastpass because your MagicBands will hold all the information you will need for your Disney vacation in one place!
Getting Started with Disney MagicBands
If you are staying at a Disney World resort, each guest in your party will receive one MagicBand. A few weeks before your vacation, you can go to My Disney Experience online and choose the colors of your MagicBand. Once the colors are set, the MagicBands are typically are sent quickly (ours were overnighted via Fed Ex).
Be sure you like the color that you choose, because once the colors are set, the MagicBands are mailed out, you are set with what you get.
If you forget to choose your Disney MagicBand colors prior to your visit, you will get Gray bands and they will be given to you when you check in at your Disney Resort.
Even before receiving your MagicBands, you will be able to start your online planning. While online choosing your MagicBands, you will also be able to start planning out your Disney vacation in terms of dining reservations and choosing your Disney Fastpasses.
Simply go online or download the My Disney Experience App for Walt Disney World and you can book dining reservations and fast passes using the FastPass+ System.
How Disney MagicBands Make Your Vacation Better
When you check in to your Disney Resort, each of you will swipe your MagicBands. The MagicBands will serve as your room key! Simply place your wrist near the door pad and va-voom, you are in your room! No more key cards to keep up with!
Not only will your MagicBands serve as your park entrance ticket, you can also use it to keep track of your photos through PhotoPass. Each time you have a picture taken by a photographer on Disney property, you will swipe your band. This will send that picture to your My Disney Experience account for you to view later.
Through My Disney Experience, you can book your FastPasses ahead of your trip. You will be allowed three per day (after you use all three, you can get additional FastPasses one at a time at a FastPass + kiosk or through the My Disney Experience App). When you arrive at the FastPass location, you just scan your MagicBand and are let in.
Need to pay for something on resort or at the parks? Simply swipe your band! No need to carry cash or credit cards anymore. You will however, need to remember a four digit code. You will decide this code when you check into your resort. Make sure you pick something you will easily remember!
MagicBands are waterproof, which means you can wear them poolside or on Splash Mountain!
Even if you are not staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, you can take advantage of MagicBands. You can purchase Disney MagicBands and Accessories online and in stores on Disney property. You can even purchase specialty Disney MagicBands featuring your favorite Disney characters.
Once you’ve purchased your bands, simply link your tickets online and you can begin using them just like you would if you were staying on Disney property.
Other useful information for Disney MagicBands:
You can find MagicBand 2.0 accessories at places like Pin Traders & World of Disney Store in Disney Springs and at Disney World parks & resort gift stores.
If you travel to Disney multiple times, you will be able to reuse your Disney MagicBands. The battery inside the band has a life cycle of around 3 years.
If you lose your MagicBand, make sure that you let a Cast Member know. While you might have to purchase another, you can retrieve all the information off the former band and transfer it to a new one.
Smaller children may have trouble keeping their Disney MagicBands on their wrists unless you size them. If you flip the MagicBand over, you will find a guide to trim the band to fit properly.
Have you used Disney MagicBands? What did you think?
If you purchase park tickets at somewhere other than Disney such as Undercover Tourist how do you load the tickets to your MagicBand?
I have the same question…I am hoping to purchase through Undercover Tourist and already have our room at a Disney Resort so i am not sure how to coordinate with the magic band? Thanks for your help …so insightful!
Once you have your Disney Resort reservation, you should be able to go to My Disney Experience and link your reservation & tickets. You also should be able to add Magic Bands as long as your vacation is after January 30th (when they are set to roll out in all DW resorts).
To adjust the bands for smaller arms, the bands are made to separate from the outer gray part. Just peel out the part that is the color you picked and discard the outer gray part and it should fit perfectly.
Do they cost extra?
They are free when you stay at a Walt Disney World Resort.
Thanks for this post! We are going to Disney in March and have been working to personalize our Magic Bands. This is helpful!
Thanks! Hope you have a magical trip!
Sorry, again- if we choose our 3 fasts passes per day via My Disney Experience, can we get more fast passes that day at the kiosks with our bands?
No with Fast Pass+ you are only allowed three fast passes a day. Sometimes they may throw in an extra fast pass for the Magic Kingdom park. While we were visiting we went to Magic Kingdom twice and they threw in a fourth fast pass for Haunted Mansion one day and one for the Little Mermaid ride the next day.
Actually you are allowed only 3 Fast Pass+ passessment per day but once those are used you can use as many regular Fast Passes as are available.
We took off the outer gray part of our 3-year-old daughter’s Magic Band and it fit perfectly. All you have to do is peel off the outer part and it will fit a younger child
Do you think the magic bands will be available to those staying offsite soon, We are coming in December and staying offsite.
Yes! They just released info today, that it is available for people staying offsite!
It’s wonderful news! We are so excited that now everyone can enjoy it!
Are the magic bands available to those staying at Shades of Green?