Magic Band at Aulani

[cruisehopeful]

My Magic Band shows up in my Aulani app. I'm used to it showing more information in the WDW and Disneyland Apps. The other apps show me if it's charging and if it needs an update. The Aulani app just shows that I have a Magic Band. Am I good to go with it? Will I need to do something beforehand?

 

[RivGirl]

Pretty sure you are good to go. But if you get there and it's not working, just head to the front desk. There is a DVC members' queue and they would be able to address it pretty quickly.

But I have old Magic Bands that don't require charging, so maybe I don't have all the details as far as the extra features are concerned. I just used mine as a room key and wallet.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Front desk will help if there’s issues. But they work for everything even if they are dead. I never charge mine.

If renting a car don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t work when entering the parking garage.

The Aulani app sucks and I rely on it for basically nothing.

 

[J-Dog]

Front desk will help if there’s issues. But they work for everything even if they are dead. I never charge mine.

If renting a car don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t work when entering the parking garage.

The Aulani app sucks and I rely on it for basically nothing.

Agree with all of this.

Ours have always worked at the garage - unless you mean prior to check-in?

 

[Kwami]

Agree with all of this.

Ours have always worked at the garage - unless you mean prior to check-in?

Yeah, prior to check in, I usually have to just take a ticket. After check in, the band works until the end of checkout day.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Agree with all of this.

Ours have always worked at the garage - unless you mean prior to check-in?

Yes on your way in.

 

[808blessing]

Yes it only works on way out. Both exits.

 

[Kwami]

Yes it only works on way out. Both exits.

It works on the way in, too, once your reservation starts and you've been granted parking privileges. It just doesn't always work the first time you go in.

 

[808blessing]

Oh that’s right.

 

[adamak]

FYI. I had multiple reservations and was able to ask Front Desk to print out a dashboard pass for the whole stay. The bands worked till end of last checkout date. Pretty seamless.

 

[WinterSolider]

Agree with all of this.

Ours have always worked at the garage - unless you mean prior to check-in?

Yes on your way in.

Yes it only works on way out. Both exits.

It works on the way in, too, once your reservation starts and you've been granted parking privileges. It just doesn't always work the first time you go in.

Here's what I've concluded.

The front desk has to manually assign up to two drivers per room access to the parking garage. If you have 1 or 2 adults on your reservation and you complete online check-in, there's a chance the front desk will do this for you ahead of time, and your bands will work to access the gate right from the beginning without stopping at the desk first.

However, if you have more than two adults on your reservation, the front desk will not assign anyone parking access ahead of time because they need to you tell them which two adults you want to have access to the garage as drivers.

So if you have 1 or 2 adults, your bands MIGHT work the first time. If you have 3+ adults, they definitely will not.

Note that this doesn't really have anything to do with MagicBands. You could bring an old Walt Disney World room key or park ticket, anything assigned to your My Disney Experience profile, and it will work exactly the same way.

Finally, I don't think any of this matters for a newbie because I would never recommend going to the self-parking lot for your first time anyways. You want to make the grand entrance through the lobby doors, not scurry through the back entrance in the parking garage.

 

[cruisehopeful]

That's interesting. They only gave us one key that would work for parking and told us (2 adults) that we would need to switch keys when we switched drivers. She wrote our names on our keys so we would know which one worked for parking.

 

[WinterSolider]

That's interesting. They only gave us one key that would work for parking and told us (2 adults) that we would need to switch keys when we switched drivers. She wrote our names on our keys so we would know which one worked for parking.

That's weird. What room type did you have and were you staying on cash or points?

DVC members staying on points should definitely get 2 passes. You're entitled not just to 2 drivers, but 2 whole vehicles.

 

[cruisehopeful]

That's weird. What room type did you have and were you staying on cash or points?

DVC members staying on points should definitely get 2 passes. You're entitled not just to 2 drivers, but 2 whole vehicles.

We were in a one bedroom on DVC points.

 

[WinterSolider]

We were in a one bedroom on DVC points.

I wonder if what they're doing for the people who get two bands to work is that they're entering it into their system as if they have two vehicles as a courtesy, even if the actual use case is two drivers with a single vehicle.

 

[DVC Gma]

Here's what I've concluded.

The front desk has to manually assign up to two drivers per room access to the parking garage. If you have 1 or 2 adults on your reservation and you complete online check-in, there's a chance the front desk will do this for you ahead of time, and your bands will work to access the gate right from the beginning without stopping at the desk first.

However, if you have more than two adults on your reservation, the front desk will not assign anyone parking access ahead of time because they need to you tell them which two adults you want to have access to the garage as drivers.

So if you have 1 or 2 adults, your bands MIGHT work the first time. If you have 3+ adults, they definitely will not.

Note that this doesn't really have anything to do with MagicBands. You could bring an old Walt Disney World room key or park ticket, anything assigned to your My Disney Experience profile, and it will work exactly the same way.

Finally, I don't think any of this matters for a newbie because I would never recommend going to the self-parking lot for your first time anyways. You want to make the grand entrance through the lobby doors, not scurry through the back entrance in the parking garage.

Good to know! I was getting stressed not knowing how to get the car in! Grand Entrance sounds perfect for DH, DD, & Son in Law. They have not been to Deluxe/Villas in WDW. This will Prove I was right to book this! Hopefully....

 

[Kwami]

That's interesting. They only gave us one key that would work for parking and told us (2 adults) that we would need to switch keys when we switched drivers. She wrote our names on our keys so we would know which one worked for parking.

Same for us. We did the online check in process, but still went to the front desk to get room keys. The cast member working there wrote a big P on one of the keys so that we would know which one had parking privileges. But, we just used the MagicBands for the rest of the trip, anyway. That was easier than digging the room key out every time. Both of our Bands worked, so we clearly both had parking privileges. Just one of the room keys wouldn't work.

 

[Kwami]

Finally, I don't think any of this matters for a newbie because I would never recommend going to the self-parking lot for your first time anyways. You want to make the grand entrance through the lobby doors, not scurry through the back entrance in the parking garage.

Meh, valet parking is slow. Even on our first visit, we parked in the garage and just wheeled our stuff over to the front lobby doors. No big deal.

 

[J-Dog]

Meh, valet parking is slow. Even on our first visit, we parked in the garage and just wheeled our stuff over to the front lobby doors. No big deal.

I think that he was meaning that, as a newbie, you should park right in front of the grand entrance when you first arrive. That way, you get the whole ambiance of the resort.

After you've been there mutliple times, you can just park and then shuffle to your room through the side entrance.

I have actually never once used valet at Aulani, but I also don't stop at the front doors anymore either.

 

[WinterSolider]

Meh, valet parking is slow. Even on our first visit, we parked in the garage and just wheeled our stuff over to the front lobby doors. No big deal.

You don't have to valet park when you're checking in. You can pull right up and leave your car in the porte cochere, they'll hold the car there for you while you get your room keys etc.