Everything you need to know about MagicBands.

[Accident]

Should I just renew my annual pass on December 1st to get one of these bad boys or if I do it now should I get one too?

you can renew anytime, you don't get bands until you customize them. also wait for end of december to customize if you want these.

 

[IWannaBuildASnowman]

It's basically gate entrance, fastpass and photopass you use them for when off site.. Now if your getting memory maker than you'll be pulling out your ticket a lot to get more photos and some of the rides you must have them (7dmt, tot, fea) if you want to get the ride photos and video. to save money I sometimes recommend just getting them for the kids and that usually works out perfect for ride photos and they love scanning their bands for things like the photopass photographer. if that's the case the adults will still need to keep taking their ticket out for fastpass so you decide if the wristband is worth the cost.

(side note: there is also some times that disney spreads the pixie dust with it. some have reported getting a txt message asking if they left a ride after waiting without riding was because the wait time was wrong and then gifted many use anytime fastpasses for their honest feedback). this is not all that common anymore but without a magic band, you have no possible way to get them.

Thanks for this - this is exactly what I needed to know. To confirm - if we are staying offsite I cannot add a credit card to the band to pay for meals, purchases etc? You'd think they'd enable that, given how much they want to make it easy for us to spend all the money.

 

[Marc A.]

Quick question...I just received the email saying our bands have shipped. I know they used to come in the white Incredibles box but is that box inside of
a regular shipping box???
I don't want the kids snooping and seeing something they are not supposed to see!!!!
thanks

 

[Accident]

Thanks for this - this is exactly what I needed to know. To confirm - if we are staying offsite I cannot add a credit card to the band to pay for meals, purchases etc? You'd think they'd enable that, given how much they want to make it easy for us to spend all the money.

Correct, the charging to band is actually charging to your room and you need a room with disney to be able to do that.

 

[Accident]

Quick question...I just received the email saying our bands have shipped. I know they used to come in the white Incredibles box but is that box inside of
a regular shipping box???
I don't want the kids snooping and seeing something they are not supposed to see!!!!

It's a box in a box. I don't remember the box having anything that says disney on it but it's been awhile since I got one and they do change the boxes time to time so maybe someone else can also chime in that did get a box recently.

 

[Marc A.]

It's a box in a box. I don't remember the box having anything that says disney on it but it's been awhile since I got one and they do change the boxes time to time so maybe someone else can also chime in that did get a box recently.

Thanks....as long as its a box in a box we're good!!!

 

[SuperTink]

Our new trip is in January. We have an old set of Magic Bands that lists as active under MDE. Should I go ahead an inactivate them? Any reason I should keep them? I recently read about some guest having issues checking in because too many magic bands were active.

Thanks!

 

[Accident]

Our new trip is in January. We have an old set of Magic Bands that lists as active under MDE. Should I go ahead an inactivate them? Any reason I should keep them? I recently read about some guest having issues checking in because too many magic bands were active.

Too many doesn't start until 20 or 30 of them so 1 is not going to cause any issues. I do deactivate old bands but that's the IT security side of me. if I'm not going to be using it, no reason for it to be active. I do like to bring an old band + new band though. some people have also mentioned they like to color coordinate with what they are wearing so they generally have a collection active so they can just grab what they want to use that moment.

I have ran into an issue where I grabbed a band and completely forgot I had it deactivated so I had to step back out of the ticket line, activate it on my phone and then get back into line so just watch out for that.

 

[SuperTink]

Too many doesn't start until 20 or 30 of them so 1 is not going to cause any issues. I do deactivate old bands but that's the IT security side of me. if I'm not going to be using it, no reason for it to be active. I do like to bring an old band + new band though. some people have also mentioned they like to color coordinate with what they are wearing so they generally have a collection active so they can just grab what they want to use that moment.

I have ran into an issue where I grabbed a band and completely forgot I had it deactivated so I had to step back out of the ticket line, activate it on my phone and then get back into line so just watch out for that.

Thanks!

 

[davidm]

I just bought 7 annual passes, and will be going next year sometime to Disneyworld (not sure when yet). I want to have the magicbands before I arrive of course. But the rep on the phone said I cant get then shipped to me until I activate them. He said I can purchase some ahead of time. Well that sounds fine and dandy, but at $13 each, that means I am paying $91 for something I though was included in the cost of my annual passes. Is there any way for me to get my free magic bands ahead of time, especially with CHristmas coming it would be a nice stocking stuffer surprise to announce the trip. I am not staying on site either, which makes it harder to get the bands I think. Any advice?

 

[Crazyhorse]

I'm sure this info is here somewhere but I can't find it! I have a room only reservation for mid January. I've customized our Magic Bands but yesterday, I decided to buy Annual Passes. Now I'm seeing we're going to get 4 magic bands? I don't want 4.....I'm assuming I want the ones that are coming due to the purchase of Annual Passes. Is there a way, on MDE, that I can stop the room only magic bands from being shipped? Or do I have to call......

 

[Accident]

I just bought 7 annual passes, and will be going next year sometime to Disneyworld (not sure when yet). I want to have the magicbands before I arrive of course. But the rep on the phone said I cant get then shipped to me until I activate them. He said I can purchase some ahead of time. Well that sounds fine and dandy, but at $13 each, that means I am paying $91 for something I though was included in the cost of my annual passes. Is there any way for me to get my free magic bands ahead of time, especially with CHristmas coming it would be a nice stocking stuffer surprise to announce the trip. I am not staying on site either, which makes it harder to get the bands I think. Any advice?

I'm hearing mixed reports on this but some new annual passholders are seeing the bands available to customize in MDE under profile->magicbands and cards. there's a chance it's only on the website and not in the app but Im waiting to hear about that. I suspect that people with disney resort reservsations can get the AP bands early but this is unconfirmed at this point.

If it's not appearing to customize, the information you got to buy them is going to be the only way. now disney might change their policy by your trip so I personally recommend waiting and then deciding about a month before you travel, you never know it might appear to customize by then.

 

[Accident]

I'm sure this info is here somewhere but I can't find it! I have a room only reservation for mid January. I've customized our Magic Bands but yesterday, I decided to buy Annual Passes. Now I'm seeing we're going to get 4 magic bands? I don't want 4.....I'm assuming I want the ones that are coming due to the purchase of Annual Passes. Is there a way, on MDE, that I can stop the room only magic bands from being shipped? Or do I have to call......

Everyone staying on the room reservation gets a free one. In addition you get a free band for your AP. If you don't want the AP one then don't customize it and it will not ship. If you don't want the resort band, then there is an option when you customize it to opt-out of receiving it..

My recommendation, get them all and bring them. you never know if your the lucky family with a band that doesn't work and having an extra lets you fix the problem immediately on your own. if disney needs to change your band, you'll be using a grey one. You can color coordinate with your clothing if you pick different types.

If you really don't want all of them, then get the resort band and save the ap band for later. this way if somethign comes up and you do want the band later, you still have the ap one to customize at anytime and get them.

 

[siskaren]

I'm sure this info is here somewhere but I can't find it! I have a room only reservation for mid January. I've customized our Magic Bands but yesterday, I decided to buy Annual Passes. Now I'm seeing we're going to get 4 magic bands? I don't want 4.....I'm assuming I want the ones that are coming due to the purchase of Annual Passes. Is there a way, on MDE, that I can stop the room only magic bands from being shipped? Or do I have to call......

Why don't you want the Magic Bands that you get for staying on property? Those and the ones you'll get for buying annual passes can be used interchangeably; it's not like only one will work.

 

[Crazyhorse]

Why don't you want the Magic Bands that you get for staying on property? Those and the ones you'll get for buying annual passes can be used interchangeably; it's not like only one will work.

I just don't see the need for 4 magic bands. On MDE, I see all 4, and am able to customize all of them. The AP ones say "available to ship now" so I'll probably click on that next week. If the ones attached to the room give me an option to decline, I will. Otherwise, I guess we'll just throw the spares in the suitcase and they will get frequent flier miles.

 

[Marc A.]

Just an update. We received our MB's yesterday for our trip. They came in a longer, narrow white box. When you open it the incredibles graphics are on the inside of the box....it really is not a box inside a box.
There is no way to tell what the box is unless it is opened (didn't ruin any surprise).

Since we are doing a split stay and have the option to get another set, if we customize another set but do not want to use them, how is that handled???

 

[Accident]

Just an update. We received our MB's yesterday for our trip. They came in a longer, narrow white box. When you open it the incredibles graphics are on the inside of the box....it really is not a box inside a box.
There is no way to tell what the box is unless it is opened (didn't ruin any surprise).

Thanks for the update, they just changed the box then.

Since we are doing a split stay and have the option to get another set, if we customize another set but do not want to use them, how is that handled???

You just don't use them. they are interchangable so you can pick up any of the bands linked to you and use it.

 

[Crazyhorse]

I just don't see the need for 4 magic bands. On MDE, I see all 4, and am able to customize all of them. The AP ones say "available to ship now" so I'll probably click on that next week. If the ones attached to the room give me an option to decline, I will. Otherwise, I guess we'll just throw the spares in the suitcase and they will get frequent flier miles.

Just an FYI. Got our AP magic bands this week, for our January 2017 trip. They are the old style but a slider indicating Annual Passholder was included in the box. I went back on MDE and saw the original resort magic bands that needed to be customized by 12/15, they now have an option to decline them...which I did.

 

[NicoleA]

Newbie here. Is there a way to expedite shipping on magic bands? Ours are scheduled to ship in 3 weeks but it would be wonderful to have them by Christmas so the kiddos can open them!

 

[Accident]

Newbie here. Is there a way to expedite shipping on magic bands? Ours are scheduled to ship in 3 weeks but it would be wonderful to have them by Christmas so the kiddos can open them!

nope, they finalize about a month before your check in and arrive about 2 weeks before your check in date.