*raises hand*
It does need to be linked to a phone that can access the internet to work. It has to authenticate with the cloud to properly use anything in the Wallet. If you can stay on Disney wifi, hypothetically it can work, but the wifi isn't alway consistent and drops as you move through the parks (at least in my experience). It works best linked to an active phone or if the Apple Watch itself has cellular service. Apple Watches were not designed to be a standalone device without being paired with an iPhone.
The Watch does have cellular. The "phone" does not.
Hmm, I'm not sure how the watch can have an active cellular plan without it being attached to the iPhone contract. That is how I've always seen it. Worth a call to Apple or a cell phone provider to see if you can make it an independent device. I have AT&T and it's a $10 a month add-on. The problem is that the Watch is a secondary device - it was not designed to be used without pairing to an iPhone for overall management.
I guess saying it has a "cellular plan" may not be technically accurate. It has a data plan, which allows it to connect via a cellular network when WiFi is not available. I "manage" it through my phone (i.e., set up Schooltime, etc), but otherwise it does not really connect to a phone.
Ah yeah - I think this situation won't allow it to be used as the MB substitute. I sometime wear a puck on my watch band with one of the puck holders you can get off Etsy!
These were working in May of 2022 with just the Apple Watch, no MB. It was about 75% effective at that point.
If you’re referring to pictures taken by a PhotoPass photographer where they scan a band after taking them, it will work fine with just the Apple Watch. I do this all the time. I just tap my wallet app and they scan from there.
