Is Magic Bands necessary?

[OHIOVACATIONER]

Is using 1 person's phone a lot of hassle with scanning in on rides or is it necessary for everyone to have their own MagicBand? Having a hard time with the price of $40pp. I know I could spend that somewhere else. Thank you

 

[team bradfield]

Phones choke lines to a standstill. Get key cards (free) for all at check-in if staying onsite

 

[Mle8308]

This ! Get the free room key cards, it's very annoying waiting behind people who can't get their phone to work! And then keep on trying and refuse to step away until they are ready.

 

[Lesverts]

Absolutely not. That said, I love them and they make me feel special.

I remember my first Disney experience was visiting Downtown Disney back in 2014 from Universal. Seeing all the people with MagicBands 1.0 and being jealous of the cool accessory. That plus the absolute feeling of joy the first time I was on Disney property meant I came back for my first ever real trip 8 months later.

 

[beccasmom]

Here’s another vote for the key cards. We’ve never had a problem using them and they’re simple to obtain.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Here’s another vote for the key cards. We’ve never had a problem using them and they’re simple to obtain.

I'll add my vote to that. I know you can use Magic Bands that you still have from previous trips. So I used to. But on my last trip, I noticed that for some reason, when tapping into the parks, It would take me multiple attempts to get it to work. A CM told me that the chip inside the MB always moves around a little, and that may affect things. So I got a key card at the front desk-no problems after that. And since it seems that I often need ID in the parks, carry credit cards, etc., there's no problem with adding my key card to my purse. MBs were fun for a while, but I find the key cards to be more reliable.

 

[DavidNYC]

Magic bands are not necessary but please do not try to manage everyone on a single phone. If anyone doesn't have their own phone, apple watch, or other device to scan in - please get cards for those people. Using a single phone for multiple people is a huge time waster not only for you but for the people standing behind you. It you want to hold the cards for kids and scan them yourself - that's fine - even that is far quicker than what you need to do on a phone.

 

[scrappinginontario]

MagicBands are not necessary but as others have suggested, once you tap in the first day, please request a Key to the World card for each person. It will make everything far easier!!

 

[CaroM8]

We just each got a free key card from our hotel. I had bought some cheap Disney themed lanyards with card inserts for everyone and used that instead of magic bands. Our 6yr old got a kick out of scanning herself into the parks, rides and even buying snacks. Thought about getting magic bands but decided to use that money for other things instead. There is no way I would ever use a phone to tap in everywhere - to me that sounds so stressful and anxiety inducing haha.

 

[_19disnA]

Since you joined here back in 2006 and your prior posts seem to indicate you have been to Disney previously, your old MB will still work for functions that don't require a battery. Touching the MB to the device that allows for park/ride entry does NOT require a battery, so you can simply use one of your older bands from a prior trip.

 

[elvispursley]

Please get the key cards and don’t be “those” people. It’s beyond annoying to get stuck behind a group that has to scan EVERY.SINGLE. PERSON. IN.THE.PARTY. By using the key cards, you save money by not getting MBs for everyone and you save the sanity of those behind you

 

[miked1978]

Since you joined here back in 2006 and your prior posts seem to indicate you have been to Disney previously, your old MB will still work for functions that don't require a battery. Touching the MB to the device that allows for park/ride entry does NOT require a battery, so you can simply use one of your older bands from a prior trip.

We have some older magic bands. What functions requires a battery?

 

[CarolynFH]

We have some older magic bands. What functions requires a battery?

The only functions requiring a battery are linking ride photos that don't have a tap point at the end, for instance Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and playing games/interacting with the statues in the parks. We don't care about the games and other interactions. To link ride photos, we make sure our MDE app is open on our phone and is set to allow Bluetooth (the phone does not need to be unlocked) - we do sometimes have missing photos, but that happens with MBs too.

 

[VGCgroupie]

So are key cards different than room keys?

 

[Simba's Mom]

So are key cards different than room keys?

Not really. They just allow you to do more with them-get into the parks, for example, anything you can do with MB, except the aforementioned photos and interactions.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Not really. They just allow you to do more with them-get into the parks, for example, anything you can do with MB, except the aforementioned photos and interactions.

Thanks!

 

[brockash]

Is using 1 person's phone a lot of hassle with scanning in on rides or is it necessary for everyone to have their own MagicBand? Having a hard time with the price of $40pp. I know I could spend that somewhere else. Thank you

Get key to the world card...magicbands r convenient but agree too expensive. I would not only do a phone though...it's a pain.

 

[CarolynFH]

So are key cards different than room keys?

If you’re staying at a Disney resort (including D.V.C. of course), you can get a Key to the World card at the front desk or at first park entry (it’s linked to the guest’s M.D.E. profile) that does all the same tap functions as a MB, including room key, charging, and park ticket functions.

 

[VGCgroupie]

If you’re staying at a Disney resort (including D.V.C. of course), you can get a Key to the World card at the front desk or at first park entry (it’s linked to the guest’s M.D.E. profile) that does all the same tap functions as a MB, including room key, charging, and park ticket functions.

Love this! I need a reason to use my DVC lanyards I got a couple months ago.

 

[gatorlisa]

Everyone keeps mentioning the plastic card in the context of of staying at a Disney resort, checking in to your resort, etc. Just want to clarify that anyone can ask for a plastic card/ticket upon arrival at the park. You do not need to be staying at a Disney resort to get a card to use as your ticket. If you are staying at Disney resort, ask for a card for each person when you check in. If you are not staying at a Disney resort (or if you are but didn't ask for a card at your resort), when you arrive at the park the first day, you'll scan in using your phone, and at point you can ask for a ticket to be issued for each person. The cast members at the entry points usually have cards in their pockets and devices that they can use to very quickly attach the cards to the guests on your account.