Offsite AP and Magicbands

[Tigger1221]

We are staying offsite in January and just purchased annual passes. I know we have to go to guest services to pick up our passes. After that can I buy a magic band and have the passes linked right away. The bands will be so much easier with a little one plus we are getting memory maker.

Thanks

 

[aribelle]

As an Annual Passholder you will be given a band....at least I was.

 

[Robo]

We are staying offsite in January and just purchased annual passes. I know we have to go to guest services to pick up our passes.

After that can I buy a magic band and have the passes linked right away. The bands will be so much easier with a little one plus we are getting memory maker.

Thanks

You CAN buy a MagicBand immediately, if you like, or just use the RFID AP card this trip, as aribelle mentioned above, you WILL be sent a free AP MagicBand at some point after you return home after this trip... for use on future trips with this AP.

So, whether you want to buy a new MB for use on THIS trip ($12.99 + tax, each) is up to you.

If you do decide to buy a new MB for use on THIS trip, after you are sent the AP MB, both MB's can then be used interchangeably
on future trips.

 

[Tigger1221]

Thanks! We do want magic bands this trip. It's a long trip and they just seem easier. Plus with the ride photos going straight to the bands will be nice. I don't want to have to dig for a card for every fast pass and Picture.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

I am going to be buying APs this week and have seen two different Disney web pages about getting the bands. One lists 4 steps, with number 3 being activating the AP at WDW. The other lists 3 steps and does not say anything about activating the passes first. I guess I will find this out soon, but has anybody been able to get Magic Bands without a visit to the parks first? It seems crazy to me that we would not get Magic Bands for the whole term of our AP, and it is strange that two Disney pages give opposite info.

 

[Robo]

I am going to be buying APs this week and have seen two different Disney web pages about getting the bands. One lists 4 steps, with number 3 being activating the AP at WDW.

The other lists 3 steps and does not say anything about activating the passes first.

I guess I will find this out soon, but has anybody been able to get Magic Bands without a visit to the parks first? It seems crazy to me that we would not get Magic Bands for the whole term of our AP, and it is strange that two Disney pages give opposite info.

You can purchase and/or already have a MB (from a resort stay) before buying and activating an AP for use via that MB.
You'd then add the AP to your MDE account and the MB would have the AP available for use. (You will still need the AP CARD to get discounts and a few other AP perks.)

But (so far,) the MB that you are GIVEN by Disney FOR buying and activating a particular AP is SENT to you AFTER you have been to a WDW Guest Relations or ticket booth to ACTIVATE that AP.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

You can purchase and/or already have a MB (from a resort stay) before buying and activating an AP for use via that MB. You'd then add the AP to your MDE account and the MB would have the AP available for use. (You will still need the AP CARD to get discounts and a few other AP perks.) But (so far,) the MB that you are GIVEN by Disney FOR buying and activating a particular AP is SENT to you AFTER you have been to a WDW Guest Relations or ticket booth to ACTIVATE that AP.

That is such a bummer. It seems like if they can do your Fastpasses before you activate, they should be able to send Magic Bands as well. I find that frustrating! I guess it is a penalty for having our first trip of the year be off site.

 

[sbsteel]

Just last month I renewed our AP's online, picked and ordered our new bands, and received them (along with our discount/parking pass) before activating them at Guest Services. When we activated them, we were then given our RFID AP card.

I would double check your MDE account and see if the option to select them is there. They don't always send an email to let you know it's available.

 

[Robo]

Just last month I renewed our AP's online...

Sounds right.
You already had an active AP in the past.

The difference in the OP's (Tigger1221) situation seems to be...

We are staying offsite in January and just purchased annual passes.

But, I agree that Disney SHOULD be able to send guests a new AP MagicBand before activating that new AP...
I don't know WHY it is that this has not been the case so far.

 

[Bree]

The Disney Store sells magic bands online if you want to buy them and link them to your MDE account before you leave.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

.. But, I agree that Disney SHOULD be able to send guests a new AP MagicBand before activating that new AP... I don't know WHY it is that this has not been the case so far.

I called to find out why we can't just pick them up at the ticket booth, and was told that it is because the ticket booth can't put our names on them. I said, that's ok, I would rather have it with no names than not have it at all. Why can't we get one without names, rather than not have them (unless we want to spend MORE money and buy them in a store) at all for our entire first trip? That's just the policy, ma'am. Why is it the policy? I can't answer that, ma'am. Who can? There really isn't anybody I can let you speak to who can, ma'am. <bangs phone against head>

So the official policy, if you are staying off site and want Magic Bands for your first (and probably for some who make long trips, only) visit, is load your family in the car, drive to Florida, activate your AP, drive back home, order Magic Bands, wait for them to come, then drive BACK to Florida for your vacation.

In the grand scheme of life, of course this is no big deal. But for heavens' sakes, it's just stupid.

 

[Robo]

So the official policy, if you are staying off site and want Magic Bands for your first (and probably for some who make long trips, only) visit, is load your family in the car, drive to Florida, activate your AP, drive back home, order Magic Bands, wait for them to come, then drive BACK to Florida for your vacation.

Sorry, but your "solution" is more bizarre than the Disney policy.

Why buy an AP if you don't intend to make multiple trips to WDW within that year?

Why, if you really WANT a MagicBand for that first trip, not just pay the $12.99 per guest to purchase one?
I figure that the $12.99 per guest is much less than the money you are saving by staying off-site.
(Saving money would be the reason FOR staying off-site, right?)

 

[GBBTomorrow]

Sorry, but your "solution" is more bizarre than the Disney policy. Why buy an AP if you don't intend to make multiple trips to WDW within that year? Why, if you really WANT a MagicBand for that first trip, not just pay the $12.99 per guest to purchase one? I figure that the $12.99 per guest is much less than the money you are saving by staying off-site. (Saving money would be the reason FOR staying off-site, right?)

I think maybe you aren't getting my sarcasm. Of course I am not going to drive to WDW just to activate passes. My point is that for your first trip, you can't get the Magic Bands you are entitled to with your pass. I also don't think it is particularly strange to have just one trip on an annual pass. If you are going for two weeks, for example, a DVC annual pass costs far less than regular tickets. If you are going on that one two-week trip, despite the website saying Passholders get MagicBands, you actually don't. (Well, you DO, but not until you are home and they are useless.)

My entire point is that when Disney takes your money for an AP, there is no reason they can't send you a Magic Band. Barring that, there is no reason they can't let you get a non-personalized one at the ticket booth.

Finally, it is always funny when people say, you're saving x amount of money by doing y, so you can spend that money on z. The point of saving money isn't just to turn around and spend it on something else. It isn't like there is a bottomless pit of money somewhere that I can just keep drawing from. I try to save money for a reason, and that reason is not to spend $52 extra for something that is supposed to be included.

 

[OKWJan]

If you NEED your magic band right away, be sure to buy it in the park and get your 10% discount at the merchandise shop.

It will do nothing your pass won't do, and you still need to carry your pass in order to get your discounts and get your free parking (if you get a pass that includes it).

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I called to find out why we can't just pick them up at the ticket booth, and was told that it is because the ticket booth can't put our names on them. I said, that's ok, I would rather have it with no names than not have it at all. Why can't we get one without names, rather than not have them (unless we want to spend MORE money and buy them in a store) at all for our entire first trip? That's just the policy, ma'am. Why is it the policy? I can't answer that, ma'am. Who can? There really isn't anybody I can let you speak to who can, ma'am. <bangs phone against head>

So the official policy, if you are staying off site and want Magic Bands for your first (and probably for some who make long trips, only) visit, is load your family in the car, drive to Florida, activate your AP, drive back home, order Magic Bands, wait for them to come, then drive BACK to Florida for your vacation.

In the grand scheme of life, of course this is no big deal. But for heavens' sakes, it's just stupid.

Having checked into resorts with folks getting their MB's at checkin--those MB boxes on racks take up a lot of space that a ticket booth does not have in the off chance someone wants to pick up one at any random ticket booth.

So regardless of not knowing the official reason "why"--it seems that space could be a factor. Not knowing when you will show up is another. Not knowing where you will show up is another. Not knowing how many will want one on the spot is another.

So one might say the expectation for MBs to be sitting and waiting for you might be...unwise.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

Having checked into resorts with folks getting their MB's at checkin--those MB boxes on racks take up a lot of space that a ticket booth does not have in the off chance someone wants to pick up one at any random ticket booth. So regardless of not knowing the official reason "why"--it seems that space could be a factor. Not knowing when you will show up is another. Not knowing where you will show up is another. Not knowing how many will want one on the spot is another. So one might say the expectation for MBs to be sitting and waiting for you might be...unwise.

That's an interesting point, but can't you get them at the ticket booths already? When I was there at Halloween, every ticket booth had the rainbow display of all the colors you could get. Maybe those were just for display? I wonder. That would make sense. (Of course if they didn't package them in giant boxes, that could solve that problem.)

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

That's an interesting point, but can't you get them at the ticket booths already? When I was there at Halloween, every ticket booth had the rainbow display of all the colors you could get. Maybe those were just for display? I wonder. That would make sense. (Of course if they didn't package them in giant boxes, that could solve that problem.)

I don't know. I am just remembering certain resorts with many carts/shelves with large boxes--even if that box held only 1 band. (We stayed at 3 resorts back in Jan/Feb. And I had visited Pop and AofA in May.)

Didn't think to ask about those bands. I forgot about the ones on display.