Buying a Magic Band or Using your Ticket

100AcreWood

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 19, 2005
For offsiters, do you buy your own magic band or just use the ticket for FP+?

This is our first visit since magic bands were introduced. We have 5 people in our family so that would be $65 before taxes to buy magic bands for everyone. Not sure if it's worth it.
 
We did not buy magic bands, didnt see a reason to add the cost for them. My only regret, we did not know that the videos on ToT and 7DMT were not able to be attached unless you had one MB. I gladly would have bought one since we paid for the Memory maker and looked forward to the videos.
we had to take tickets out 2 times(or keep them out really for the second scan) for the FP rides but other then that, it wasnt a big deal.
 
Okay, I will need to buy one then. We are planning to get memory maker. Thanks for the heads up!
 
OP--
Consider staying on site a night or two. Magic bands are free with on site stay. Plus free parking while on site.
 
Would I get free parking for the one night I'm onsite or for the whole week (that seems too good to be true)?
 
Just for the days you are on site.
1 night=free parking on both checkin & checkout days.
 
We're going next month and staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek for 7 nights, but we'll be spending our first night in the area at Pop Century so that we can get the Magic Bands, along with Memory Maker on them. We'll be getting there too late on that night to take advantage of the free parking for our arrival day, but we'll be using that on our check-out day for Animal Kingdom. Another big bonus for staying onsite for that first night is that I was able to make our FP+ choices at 60 days prior to the visit instead of 30 days, which is what it would be if we weren't staying at Pop that first night. The only thing is that it's on a 60-day rolling kind of thing after the onsite reservation ends. For example, the FP+ for day 3 would be 60 days prior to that date, day 4 would be 60 days prior to that date, and so on--for the number of admissions on the tickets (6 park days for us). So, I stayed up late several nights in a row in order to get the choices and times I wanted for each park day. It was so worth it for us, since I was able to get those elusive Anna & Elsa FP+ choices for the ones in my party that really wanted them.
 
Don't bother use the $65 for lunch. We used our tickets just fine. The MB also only lasts as long as the battery lasts anyway.
 
For offsiters, do you buy your own magic band or just use the ticket for FP+?
No way would I buy a magic band. Even if they gave it to me for free, I wouldn't wear it anyway. Tapping my card does not require any great effort. I can handle that just fine.
 
For offsiters, do you buy your own magic band or just use the ticket for FP+?
We already had bands for our most recent offsite stay. But, whether onsite or off, one of the kids invariably forgets to wear their band, and I have to use ticket media for park entry and FP+. It's no big deal to go without a band.

The one thing you *don't* get without a band is having your photos automatically added to your MDE account. Except for 7DMT, you can always add them by touching at the photo display area.
 
Thanks everyone! I decided to buy one band since we'll have Memory Maker. The rest of us will use our tickets.

I appreciate the advice!
 
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100acrewood- Did you have your trip yet? How did buying one band for memory maker work out? I was thinking of doing the same thing.
 
We're going next month and staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek for 7 nights, but we'll be spending our first night in the area at Pop Century so that we can get the Magic Bands, along with Memory Maker on them. We'll be getting there too late on that night to take advantage of the free parking for our arrival day, but we'll be using that on our check-out day for Animal Kingdom. Another big bonus for staying onsite for that first night is that I was able to make our FP+ choices at 60 days prior to the visit instead of 30 days, which is what it would be if we weren't staying at Pop that first night. The only thing is that it's on a 60-day rolling kind of thing after the onsite reservation ends. For example, the FP+ for day 3 would be 60 days prior to that date, day 4 would be 60 days prior to that date, and so on--for the number of admissions on the tickets (6 park days for us). So, I stayed up late several nights in a row in order to get the choices and times I wanted for each park day. It was so worth it for us, since I was able to get those elusive Anna & Elsa FP+ choices for the ones in my party that really wanted them.

Ok @jennasmommyinMS , could you explain a little bit more how the FP+ reservations at 60 days worked a little more? Or just make sure I understand? We are in a similar situation where I am staying on site a couple of nights solo before my family joins me at an off site hotel. So because I have an on-site reservation, I can book FP+ at 60 days for as long as my ticket purchase is for? In my case it will be an 8 day ticket ...but I have to do them one day at a time? And I think I read earlier that as long as my family's tickets are linked to mine I can make reservations for them as well? This stuff is so confusing for me with a split stay, and soloing it a for a couple of days, plus our 8 day ticket will be spread over the course of 12 days and I think I have determined that for both dining and FP+ any pre booking advantage is only up to 10 days no matter what.
 
Okay, so let's say that you're staying for two nights, arriving on December 1st and checking out on December 3rd, but you have 8 days worth of park tickets. You'll be able to make all FP+ choices for everyone linked to your account on October 2nd (if I counted 60 days back correctly!) for your park visits on December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. For December 4th, you'll have to wait until 60 days prior to that date (October 5th?), and December 5th would be the next day (October 6th?), and so on for the rest of the park days until you get your 8 park days booked--each of those dates that you are offsite, you'll need to do those FP+ choices at 60 days prior to each date. If you have an off day from the parks, you'll be skipping a day of making FP+ choices. Did that make any sense, or is it now as clear as mud?!
 
No that made sense! And, that is only up to 10 days from the check in, correct? I couldn't do vacation day 11 and 12, even though it is park day 7 and 8? ... Did that question make sense?? Lol
 

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