Do I really need a magic band?

[KJMAX1]

We are staying at our vacation home, and this is the first time back since the bands went live. So I'm wondering, do we really need to buy them, or should we just keep our cards and use those?

 

[kmb584]

We are staying at our vacation home, and this is the first time back since the bands went live. So I'm wondering, do we really need to buy them, or should we just keep our cards and use those?

You don't need one. Your admission ticket will work just as well.

 

[kathy884]

We don't get them. I don't want to spend the extra money when the card works just fine.. I will say, though, that DS really thought they looked neat and wished he had one.

I do, if I was staying on Disney property think that they would be nice for getting in and out of rooms.

 

[jon18uk]

If you are getting Memory Maker, then it is worth it as ride photos will automatically be added to MDE/photopass. Only the band can do this becuase of the battery-powered RFID.

For everything else the RFID ticket card works fine and you can save the $12.95 for something else.

 

[SeilerBird]

If you want to receive a lot of spam begging you to buy the ride photos then the Magic Band is just the ticket. I stopped wearing mine and finally the spam went away.

 

[katallo]

If you want to receive a lot of spam begging you to buy the ride photos then the Magic Band is just the ticket. I stopped wearing mine and finally the spam went away.

Is there a way to opt out of the emails?

 

[bdiddy]

We were just down there and my friend and I went for a long weekend and stayed at the Swan so we just had the cards and then she left and my family met me and we were there for a week and we had the magic bands and I can't even tell you how much more convenient the bands were. You definitely don't have to have them but it's so nice not having to dig those cards out constantly and worry about losing them when everything you need is right on your wrist. If it was me, after just having used cards & magic bands back to back on a trip and seeing the difference, I would probably buy them and then you'd always have them and can reuse in the future.

 

[epcotty]

We use our tickets, haven't got around to getting magicbands yet. We got emails about buying photos even with just using the tickets once with Test Track

 

[Kathryn777]

I love the bands. We stay offsite. We had the bands and my parents didn't. It was harder for them to keep track of whose ticket was whose for fp etc. i wouldn't give a kid their ticket but I loved having them in charge of their mb

 

[HulkBuster]

Is there a way to opt out of the emails?

i wouldnt worry they go away after a month after you go to DW and theres not that many. the other poster goes all the time thats why they always got them

 

[Summertinkerbell]

We loved our magic bands. We used them to: open our hotel room; purchase merchandise; redeem dining plan meals; enter parks; photo pass, etc... I don't understand why you would need to buy them. They were sent to our house for free. Anyway, we wish we could use them at home instead of keys, debit cards, and I.D. cards. They were sooooo convenient.

The people in line ahead of us that had cards held up the lines and people behind them got really irritated. It was awesome to use the magic band and move quickly into the parks.

I didn't buy memory maker. We just used photo pass for a few photos. Not once did we receive any spam about buying photos. We got one email when we got home so that I could view my photos and choose any that we might want to purchase.

I don't understand why you wouldn't want this ground-breaking convenience.

 

[LetsTalkWDW]

I don't understand why you would need to buy them. They were sent to our house for free

OP is staying offsite (vacation home), only onsite guests receive free magic bands.

We stayed onsite in May using MB's never received any spam. MBs were really convenient for us. I prefer them to the cards.

 

[BobC]

I'm excited to use mine for the first time in a few weeks. Seems much more convenient than fumbling for my wallet and card everytime I go to the room with armfuls of stuff.

 

[katytrott]

you need to buy the bands as when staying offsite you don't get them sent for free. Didn't seem worth $80 for us when the cards worked perfectly well.

To OP - cards worked perfectly. My DH kept the pile of them and when we entered parks, FP+ he got them out and dished out to correct person. You just tap the machine and wait for it turn green just like the bands as far as I can see. After each use cards were handed back to DH for safe keeping. Argument that you can get the bands wet eg at water parks wasn't a problem for us, as no FP+ there anyway.

Have to admit, I was tempted when we 1st arrived as the bands look cute/fun, but realised money saved can pay for another trip to our fave earl of sandwich/ghiradelli!

 

[Geoff_M]

My DH kept the pile of them and when we entered parks, FP+ he got them out and dished out to correct person. You just tap the machine and wait for it turn green just like the bands as far as I can see. After each use cards were handed back to DH for safe keeping.

Being a DH that has performed these very same tasks with my family each trip in the past, I'm looking forward to using MBs and NOT having to mess with the cards this time around. The only thing that I think I might not like with the bands is having a plastic strap around my wrist in hot weather.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

While staying onsite last year I lost my Magic band at Animal Kingdom. Customer service issued me a card to use for FP+ for the rest of the day and told me I could get a new band at my resort. I ended up using the card for the remainder of the trip and didn't even bother getting a replacement band. You definitely don't need one.

 

[MrPTato]

Being a DH that has performed these very same tasks with my family each trip in the past, I'm looking forward to using MBs and NOT having to mess with the cards this time around. The only thing that I think I might not like with the bands is having a plastic strap around my wrist in hot weather.

This is the only drawback...plastic around the wrist when sweating can be bothersome. They have their perks just like the regular cards had their perks too.

 

[elphie101]

Definitely don't need them. I hate wearing mine, I keep it clipped around my park bag strap.

If you see one you really like in the parks, by all means buy it (DH and I have the 2014 MNSSHP and Haunted Mansion bands respectively) but otherwise save your money and just use your ticket.

 

[SureAsLiz]

Not needed, but I find them a lot easier than cards. No having to worry about them falling out of pockets/getting lost in bags/making sure everyone has the correct cards for entry/etc.
I live in the area and have one with me at all times (usually hooked to my purse) when I'm not at the parks, but I often forget I'm wearing it and will wear it to the store or for a while after I get home. If you are used to wearing a watch or bracelets, then it's pretty easy to forget about.

Is there a way to opt out of the emails?

I'm not sure about beforehand, but once you receive the first email (it's just a reminder to download your photos before they expire. I wouldn't call it spam) there is an opt out link at the bottom. This will happen if you link any photopass photos to your account, whether or not you have a ride photo in there through the magic band.

 

[sharona]

You don't NEED them but they are very convenient. We went for a one day off site visit and decided to buy them when we arrived as souvenirs because DD was so envious of everyone's MBs. It was easy to link them to our tickets and we used them the rest of the day. Our next trip we're at the Dolphin so we'll get another use out of them. Well worth the small cost and a much better souvenir than another stuffed animal sitting on a shelf.