Extra MagicBands

[donaldsgal]

I got an email today from Disney requesting that I customize my MagicBands so they can be sent to me. I already HAVE customized MagicBands from our last trip in June of last year. Our APs are already linked to those customized bands as well.

Do I need to do as this email advises and get this next set mailed to me, or can I just use my current set? I have FP+ reservations, so I'm wondering if I need to get these new Bands in order to have our FP+ reservations linked to our MagicBands (i.e., maybe they won't link to our current ones)? Also, will it make a difference if our APs are already linked to the Bands we already have - will they allow us to change the Bands our APs are linked to if we get a new set?

(As an aside, this is a feature of this new system that I'm not in love with. It's not the only feature I'm not in love with, but I digress. I actually have THREE sets of MagicBands because Disney has sent me a set ahead of time for each of our past few trips and/or I have had a set waiting for me when we arrive. It seems like a waste of product and money on Disney's part to keep churning these out, especially to repeat or frequent guests, and it's a hassle for me to keep track of which ones are in use and which ones are not, both with the Bands themselves and on my MDE account. I haven't found a way to avoid getting duplicates, but I'd sure love to cut down on the number of MagicBands I have.)

 

[eyehartdisney]

You can ignore the disney summons. There is no information stored on your magic band, it just a key that says "Hey! This is Such and Such. They have an account..." Any number of magicbands will do the same. You can have many, many bands. I currently have 6, all functional. (I decorate them, and wear them like jewelry during our trips)

If you don't want them, just don't customize them. They won't send them out, then.

 

[donaldsgal]

If you don't want them, just don't customize them. They won't send them out, then.

Good to know, eyehartdisney. Also, I hadn't thought about having multiple with different colors/designs. I might just do it now! I guess it's a guest's prerogative to be fickle, right?

However, just want to confirm that it won't be a problem if we have our APs linked to our current MBs, right? They'll just let us link them to the new MBs upon arrival?

 

[vicki_c]

Good to know, eyehartdisney. Also, I hadn't thought about having multiple with different colors/designs. I might just do it now! I guess it's a guest's prerogative to be fickle, right?

However, just want to confirm that it won't be a problem if we have our APs linked to our current MBs, right? They'll just let us link them to the new MBs upon arrival?

Your APs will automatically linked to any MBs that are assigned to you because tIckets are not tied to MBs per se, they are tied to your MDE account. Then your bands (any of them) read what's in your MDE account.

By the way, if you don't customize the new bands, they will just hand you grey ones when you check in.

 

[cigar95]

It seems like a waste of product and money on Disney's part to keep churning these out, especially to repeat or frequent guests, . . . . .

This, at least, is one less thing to be concerned with. Disney has a fixed-price agreement with their supplier, as well as for delivery, so they aren't spending any more to provide extra bands.

At present, they're doing it this way because early in the new system, it's one less thing to go wrong. Better to have a guest with too many bands than to have a guest with none. Eventually when the system is better under control, it will be enhanced to include a check-box for "no bands needed".


Even thought it's been almost two years, the system is still very much "in development" and it will continue to evolve.

 

[Raenstoirm]

I would order them. We have every color but orange at this point plus 3 special ones (2 were part of the F&W VIP package and I purchased the HM one). You can use a different one every day if you so choose to color coordinate with your clothes or what-have-you. They are interchangeable.

 

[funkyspunky871]

Hi there. I actually called Disney's customer service to ask about this same thing. The cast member told me that Disney sends out new magic bands with every package/hotel booked. She said that you can have SEVERAL magic bands linked to one ticket/AP. So, I customized another one, and now I have both a pink and orange one. Both are linked to my AP! If you don't customize the new magic bands, Disney will just send you ugly grey ones. I say customize them, get your second favorite color or something, and keep them to switch out with different outfits or just as a back-up.

 

[trstno1]

If you don't customize, they won't send you anything in the mail. They will offer you un-customized grey bands when you check in, but you can decline them.

The battery in the bands will eventually die, but I remember reading that it should be good for at least two years, possibly longer. I'm not sure if anyone knows that information for sure.

 

[Robo]

1. The battery in the bands will eventually die, but

2. I remember reading that it should be good for at least two years, possibly longer.

3. I'm not sure if anyone knows that information for sure.

1. Yes.

2. The current theory is 2.5 years.

3. The bands were designed for a 3 year battery life, but nobody knows
if that will hold true for most bands in the field.
We still have a couple of years to wait to find out.

The situation remains that if the batteries DO last 3 years, nobody knows how long their
particular MB will have sat on the shelf before they received it (which would mean that part of the
life of the battery will have been spent before the guest started using it.)

 

[donaldsgal]

Thanks for all of your responses. It's helpful to know that Disney will give us the gray ones if we don't customize these; with this knowledge, I went ahead and customized our new MBs. It's also good to know the APs will link automatically. Thanks, vicki_c.

Finally, it also makes sense that Disney doesn't want to leave any guests without MBs, so yes, better to send too many than none. I'm glad to learn that these are not an additional cost Disney is expending and then recouping via raised prices. Thanks for those pieces of information, cigar95.

 

[fla4fun]

I probably have about 20 bands now. I can use any of them for my AP, however, they don't work for the room key and parking lot access at the resort unless they are the ones sent for that specific trip. I would imagine I could take an older band to the front desk and have it linked to the reservation so it would unlock the room/parking lot, but I haven't tried. I have tried using old bands a couple times (once by accident, once on purpose) and had the same experience both times.

So now I always travel with the new bands for a resort stay, and just keep an older band in my handbag in case I want to stop in the parks for a day trip.

 

[jnfr2424]

I probably have about 20 bands now. I can use any of them for my AP, however, they don't work for the room key and parking lot access at the resort unless they are the ones sent for that specific trip. I would imagine I could take an older band to the front desk and have it linked to the reservation so it would unlock the room/parking lot, but I haven't tried. I have tried using old bands a couple times (once by accident, once on purpose) and had the same experience both times.

So now I always travel with the new bands for a resort stay, and just keep an older band in my handbag in case I want to stop in the parks for a day trip.

Once you are checked in, the old bands will work at the resorts. I have no idea which one is the AP vs the Resort one all I know is they all worked

 

[donaldsgal]

I am reading some things on the more popular Disney fan sites that some people have had some issues with FP+ reservations working when an account has multiple MBs active. Can anyone speak to their experience with this? I don't want to waste a bunch of time at the queue entries trying to prove to the CMs I've got FP+ reservations.I know I can pull up MDE and show them, but that still delays things a bit.

Would anyone advise deactivating old MBs for this trip (then activating them again later if we wanted to use them for future trips)? I could also check with the CM when we check-in at the hotel upon arrival.