Are Magic Bands worth it if I'm staying off-site?

[extrafestive]

Hi all,

My mom and I are currently planning a trip to celebrate my graduation . Being that this is our first trip to Disney World in about 15 years, we are entirely new to Magic Bands and Fast Pass+. We are going to stay at the DoubleTree at Disney Springs. I was wanting to know if Magic Bands are worth the $12.99 even if we are staying off site. Thanks in advance!

 

[minnie mum]

Worth is pretty subjective. For me, I would say no, since they are completely unnecessary if you are staying off site. You could only use them for park entry and to enter the FP lines. But your park ticket does the same thing. The only thing a MB would do that a ticket wouldn't is to capture ride photos or videos if you have purchased Memory Maker. Otherwise it's just a $13+ piece of plastic decorating your wrist.

 

[kj2mom]

We stayed offsite, purchased them and were glad we did. We did have Memory Maker and, as mentioned, we would not have gotten the videos or our 7DMT photos without the bands since there are no monitors at the exit to view/scan. We also used them as a bit of a souvenir. We each got character ones and had that character autograph our bands.

 

[FirstDown]

I got them this time for our trip off site again next year. Honestly, I thought it was a pain to take the cards out each time for FP rides for CMs to scan.

I also bought MM, so it was a no brainier for our family. YMMV.

 

[extrafestive]

Thanks for all the input

 

[MouseMamaToMany]

My 12yo son and I are going to get MBs even though we are staying at the Swan on our trip in April. Last time I went, I didn't love having to dig my ticket out of my wallet every time I went through a FP+ checkpoint. Silly perhaps, but there you go. In addition, this trip is a surprise for my son, and I think he's going to dig the whole MB concept. Totally worth the $, in my opinion.

 

[SureAsLiz]

I definitely think MBs are worth it depending on how long your stay is. A quick trip and you may not want them, but 4+ days - absolutely/

Not having to keep track of a card can be a big plus. After using the MB system and then going to DLR where paper tickets are still used, I appreciated the bands so much more. I only had 2 days of having to keep a hold of tickets, but it was more trouble than it needed to be. They were especially nice when I went with my younger siblings because there was no worry about forgetting to collect their tickets/having them lost.

 

[quagmire0]

I was wondering about this topic also. For those parents who have had smaller kids, did you run into a lot of times where they'd take the bracelet off or lose them? Our kids will be 9, 7, 4, and 11mo. (obviously, the 11mo won't be wearing one ) I was thinking that it would make it easier for scanning in the parks and not having to dig for the cards. And since it links to Memory Maker, I might actually consider doing that this time around.

 

[SureAsLiz]

My sisters (6 and 4) had no issues with taking their bands off. They loved being able to use the bands to make the stands light up, and it was always a race to see who could scan their band for pictures first. If they ever wanted to take them off, one of the adults just kept a hold of it until they wanted it back

 

[capegirl]

We were on the fence about getting them for our last trip since we were staying at Shades Of Green resort. We LOVED our magic bands!! They were worth every penny to avoid digging out those darn tickets, and worrying about misplacing them. Turns out they also made cute keepsakes for the kiddos who enjoyed wearing them long after our vacation was over.

 

[Disneydreamer1993]

We love our magic bands, I definitely say they are worth it! Way more convenient than digging out your tickets every time you need them and some of them are super cute

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

We find them much more convenient than cards

 

[lkcmac]

My parents live in Orlando, so we always stay with them and not on property. We have used the Magic Bands and love them! Much easier than digging out a ticket. Also, when we got home after our Spring visit last year, the kids could use their Bands to get bonus content on the Disney Infinity game...

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Hi all,

My mom and I are currently planning a trip to celebrate my graduation . Being that this is our first trip to Disney World in about 15 years, we are entirely new to Magic Bands and Fast Pass+. We are going to stay at the DoubleTree at Disney Springs. I was wanting to know if Magic Bands are worth the $12.99 even if we are staying off site. Thanks in advance!

I just wanted to say congrats on your graduation! Yay for you!! And a celebratory trip for you & your Mom sounds priceless!

 

[muchado]

Does everyone in your party need to have one? I want to get them for our kids (6 and 4) but keep the tickets for the 2 adults.

 

[quagmire0]

Does everyone in your party need to have one? I want to get them for our kids (6 and 4) but keep the tickets for the 2 adults.

Don't know for sure, but I would assume that since they are linked to a ticket, that you can have people in your party with and without.