Magic Band+ Disney fantasy

[ItsHades]

We typically cruise once a year now and have thought about getting a magic band +. Is it really worth it? What major perks do we even get with it?

 

[OKW Lover]

No, IMHO it is not "worth it". You get no perks at all with it. It just functions to open your stateroom door and to charge purchases on board. All of those are functions that the standard card provides without having to buy anything.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We typically cruise once a year now and have thought about getting a magic band +. Is it really worth it? What major perks do we even get with it?

Not worth it at all. It’s awkward and clunky and doesn’t do anything besides open your door. And it has to be charged on a very specific charger which my kids have already lost . They are also ridiculously expensive. Princess gives away their medallion for FREE and Princess’ medallion actually does all sorts of things on the cruise. Don’t support Disney’s latest lazy financial ripoff.

 

[Husker Mike]

Haven't used it on DCL, but at the parks, the MagicBand is so much more convenient than the cards. On a trip last year, we realized we forgot the bands at home and used the cards for a few hours and then dropped the money to buy bands at the parks. Of course, we bought the older bands and not the MagicBand+, so we are considering buying the MagicBand+ so that we don't have to drag around lanyards on the ship. The bands are waterproof and innocuous that you can leave them on all day.


(And yes, on DCL, they call it the "DisneyBand" because the term "MagicBand" is trademarked in Great Britain and possibly Europe. Same product; I suspect at some point, the parks will start using the term "DisneyBand" as well to avoid confusion.)

One question: How do the bands work for getting teens access to Edge and Vibe? Would hate to buy the bands and then still have to have them tracking the lanyards for the teen clubs.

 

[CarolynFH]

I was considering a MB+ for our cruise on the Magic next month but decided to save the money since I don’t mind wearing a lanyard around the ship, and the MB+ don’t seem to do much there. I’ll definitely get a new MB for our next trip to WDW in 2025, though, because they’re very useful in the parks & resorts.

 

[onesam319]

Totally not worth it! On our Wish cruise we heard it was supposed to interact with the light shows in the atrium and the deck parties. It did nothing! Mine wouldn't even work at the shops onboard. I went to guest services several times and they gave me a new one and said they would have mine repaired and sent to me (I bought it before the cruise and it had my name engraved on the back). We got off the ship December 8 and I have received no communication whatsoever about my Magicband+ since then. Also, they come unfastened very easily. I lost mine just getting out of the Aquamouse. Thankfully the cast member saw it and picked it up for me.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Haven't used it on DCL, but at the parks, the MagicBand is so much more convenient than the cards. On a trip last year, we realized we forgot the bands at home and used the cards for a few hours and then dropped the money to buy bands at the parks. Of course, we bought the older bands and not the MagicBand+, so we are considering buying the MagicBand+ so that we don't have to drag around lanyards on the ship. The bands are waterproof and innocuous that you can leave them on all day.


(And yes, on DCL, they call it the "DisneyBand" because the term "MagicBand" is trademarked in Great Britain and possibly Europe. Same product; I suspect at some point, the parks will start using the term "DisneyBand" as well to avoid confusion.)

One question: How do the bands work for getting teens access to Edge and Vibe? Would hate to buy the bands and then still have to have them tracking the lanyards for the teen clubs.

Yes, the magicband plus will get kids into edge and vibe just like a keycard. We bought them for our teens for the cruise. We didn’t buy them for ourselves. We didn’t see very many adults using them. At bars etc all adults we saw were using cards. We thought our kids would be excited about the bands put they were pretty nonplussed (pun intended). One of our teens never wore his. The other teen did wear his but was “whatever” about it.

 

[brentm77]

Do the Magic Bands+ need to be charged to work on the doors or for purchases? I would prefer that over my keycard while roaming the ship, but not if I need to keep it charged.

 

[erionm]

Do the Magic Bands+ need to be charged to work on the doors or for purchases?

No.

 

[jrez]

Totally not worth it! On our Wish cruise we heard it was supposed to interact with the light shows in the atrium and the deck parties. It did nothing! Mine wouldn't even work at the shops onboard. I went to guest services several times and they gave me a new one and said they would have mine repaired and sent to me (I bought it before the cruise and it had my name engraved on the back). We got off the ship December 8 and I have received no communication whatsoever about my Magicband+ since then. Also, they come unfastened very easily. I lost mine just getting out of the Aquamouse. Thankfully the cast member saw it and picked it up for me.

I spent a decent amount of time on our last Fantasy cruise in the Skyline Lounge. When the city views would change the Magic Band with vibrate and light up.

I would definitely say they are not necessary and they are expensive. I did like not having to take my KTTW card when riding the Aqua Duck.

 

[auntlynne]

As an adult, it wasn’t worth it - money or having to wear it.

 

[Makdex71]

I bought them before our Fantasy cruise and it was nice to walk out the door with the magic band and leave my key card in the room. I would slap it on my wrist before leaving and was good to go. I was able to use it all over the ship for purchases with no problems - all bars and shops. If I got in the pool or on the Aquaduck I didn't care because it was water proof and did not have to worry about the key card going missing. When i am on a cruise i usually take everything out of my pockets and want to be free as possible so the wrist band was preferable to the key in my pocket or in my lanyard. The light up it did at dinner and fireworks was neat but not the greatest reason for getting it. I go to Disneyland at least once a year and occasionally Disney World so I knew I would get extended use out of them as well. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I go to Disneyland at least once a year and occasionally Disney World so I knew I would get extended use out of them as well. Your mileage may vary.

In your case, (someone who regularly goes to Disney Parks and knows they will use the MagicBand+ again) getting a MagicBand+ makes sense. I am not sure if it makes sense as a one time purchase that may not be used again.