Magic Bands 101

MouseMomx2

DIS Veteran
Joined
Nov 10, 2006
There seems to be a lot of misinformation/misunderstanding floating around about Magic Bands so I thought I would make one central post.

General
  • Magic Bands are soft, rubber wrist bands that contain an RFID chip.
  • You are not required to use the Magic Bands and may opt, instead, to use an RFID-enabled KTTW card.
  • They are waterproof and can be worn in the pool/shower on water rides (Splash Mountain, Kali River, etc.) and at water parks.
  • The band comes in one size, but a portion of it is removable to make it a better size for smaller wrists.
  • Magic Bands are tied to the person, not to a resort reservation.
  • They are meant to be brought back for years and re-used.
  • Your Magic Band is linked to your profile on MDE (also known as MDX). There is no information stored on the bands themselves. You can manage your own profile, as well as that of any family/friends you have. (Any Family & Friends members that manage their own account can be linked to yours.) Any reservations that are on your MDE/MDX profile will be accessible by your Magic Band. If you have more than one upcoming resort stay you will get a MB for each one, but all will work for all of the reservations because they are tied to your MDE/MDX profile.
  • You can link your profile to someone else's and you will then be able to link to any of their friends/family as well. Once this is done you will be able to make FP+ reservations for everyone.
  • To make FP+ reservations you will need a park ticket or annual pass attached to your MDE/MDX profile. If you have a park ticket you will limited to FP+s for the number of days on your ticket.

Customization
  • Once you have an active "Personalize MagicBands" tab in your MDE/MDX account you will be able to customize your bands.
  • You can choose from seven colors (gray, green, yellow, pink, blue, red and orange).
  • You can personalize each band with a name or nickname (9 character maximum).
  • There have been differing accounts of how long you have to customize your bands. Some have reported having until 10 days before check in. Others have reported having until 30 days before check in. Your best bet is to check your own MDE/MDX account to see what your options are.
  • Once you lose the ability to customize your bands or, if you choose not to customize bands, you will be given non-imprinted (no personalized names), gray bands at check in (if you would like them).

Shipping
  • Currently bands are shipped out approximately 29 days before check in.
  • Once your customization window closes your bands will be shipped out.
  • Most bands are shipped via US Mail and will arrive a few days after they are shipped.
  • If you make your reservation at least two weeks in advance they should be able to ship your bands.
  • If you live outside the United States they will not ship bands at this time. Instead, they will send them to your resort for pick-up at check in. This is supposed to change once full roll-out of the program occurs but there are not more details at this time.

Use

  • Magic Bands may be used for the following...
  • As a park ticket.
  • As a room key.
  • As a resort account charge card.
  • For Disney Dining Plan credits.
  • To access Disney's Magical Express.
  • For the Memory Maker photo package.
  • For Fast Pass + selections and entry.
  • For Resort check in.
  • For special magical experiences throughout WDW.
  • Access key-entry guard gates at Disney resorts.
  • Parking lot access for resort guests at Disney parks.

Notes
  • Disney has said that guests should not try to link tickets for hard-ticket events to their MDE/MDX accounts. These include Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Night of Joy, etc. Guests should use the tickets provided to them to enter the park for these events.
  • All information in this post is subject to change as MDE/MDX and My Magic + are fully rolled out.

Please understand that all of these things are the way Magic Bands will ultimately work. During this testing/roll-out phase there are several glitches that need to be worked out. Go on your trip with an open mind and an expectation that at least one problem will occur. Every new system goes through a "breaking in" phase and MM+ is no different.

Safe travels everyone!
 
Thank you for this information. We are arriving at the WL on Oct 30 and was just able to customize them this morning. This info helps!
 


so if we have the PLUS it only gets loaded to ONE band? which really sucks since I am not going on some of those rides-- but my family is

I am not exactly sure how the Photopass will work. I would assume that it would be tied to anyone in your Family and Friends network but don't quote me on that.
 
Thank you! I feel like a Disney newbie (which I'm definately NOT) when it comes to this MB/FP stuff! Every little bit helps.

You might want to add that they are water proof because I've seen a few people ask about wearing them in the pools!
 
Thank you! I feel like a Disney newbie (which I'm definately NOT) when it comes to this MB/FP stuff! Every little bit helps.

You might want to add that they are water proof because I've seen a few people ask about wearing them in the pools!

Excellent suggestion! Off too add...
 


We had a rental car and the magic band can also be used to re-enter your resort at the security shack.

I will add that the contortions you need to do at Yacht Club to get the magic band to be read by the security panel are not comfortable. It was much easier to take off the magic band and hold it or use the KTTW card.
 
We had a rental car and the magic band can also be used to re-enter your resort at the security shack.

I will add that the contortions you need to do at Yacht Club to get the magic band to be read by the security panel are not comfortable. It was much easier to take off the magic band and hold it or use the KTTW card.

Added. Thank you!

And I am only 5'2" and have a horrible time just using my key at those gates. I cannot imagine how far out my window I would have to crawl to use my Magic Band. :lmao: I will plan to use your "take it off and scan it" method.
 
There seems to be a lot of misinformation/misunderstanding floating around about Magic Bands so I thought I would make one central post.

There is also misinformation in this post. Corrections in red below.

General
  • Magic Bands are tied to the person, not to a reservation.
  • They are meant to be brought back for years and have a 2-year battery life.
  • Your Magic Band is linked to your profile on MDX. You can manage your own profile, as well as that of any family/friends you have that does not manage their own MDX account. Any dining & resort reservations that are on your MDX profile will be accessible by your Magic Band. If you have more than one upcoming resort stay you will get a MB for each one during the test, but all will work for all of the resort & dining reservations as well as theme park tickets because they are tied to your MDX profile.
  • You can link your profile to someone else's and you will then be able to link to any of their friends/family as well. Once this is done you will be able to make FP+ reservations for everyone.
  • To make FP+ reservations you will need a park ticket or annual pass attached to your MDX profile. If you have a park ticket you will limited to FP+s for the number of days on your ticket.

Customization
  • Once you have an active "Personalize MagicBands" tab in your MDX account you will be able to customize your bands.
  • You can choose from seven colors (gray, green, yellow, pink, blue, red and orange).
  • You can personalize each band with a name or nickname up to 9 characters.
  • You have until 10 days before your check in date to customize bands.
  • If you make your reservation less than 30 days before check in you will still have 10 days to customize.
  • If you choose not to customize bands you will be given non-imprinted (no personalized names), iconic gray bands at check in if you choose to use the band.

Shipping
  • Bands are shipped out approximately 2 weeks before check in.
  • At 30 days out you will not lose the ability to personalize bands.
  • You will get an email and a MDX notification that your bands have shipped with a tracking # for UPS.
  • Most bands are sent 2 day express via UPS during testing. They will ship UPSP once the rollout is complete.
  • If you make your reservation at least 10 days in advance they should be able to ship your bands. Some test reservations will have bands sent directly to the resort by default. Check your shipping status in Manage Magic Bands for info.
  • If you live outside the United States they will not ship bands at this time. Instead, they will send them to your resort for pick-up at check in. Shipping policy may change to include Puerto Rico and Canada once full roll-out of the program occurs but there are not more details at this time.

Use
  • Magic Bands can be used for the following...
  • As a park ticket.
  • As a room key.
  • As a resort account charge card.
  • For Disney Dining Plan credits.
  • To access Disney's Magical Express.
  • For PhotoPass and PhotoPass+
  • For Fast Pass + selections and entry.
  • For Resort check in. Bands are not required for resort check in and have no impact on check in at all.
  • For special magical experiences throughout WDW.???

Red indicates corrections.
 
Red indicates corrections.

Some of those corrections are not correct. :)

I get the feeling that you are a CM (the MDX and "Iconic" gray band tipped you off :) ) and are providing the information that you have been given. Unfortunately it isn't all accurate.

I recently made a reservation for a stay 28 days away and only had 24 hours to customize my bands. They were shipped the next evening. My other set of bands were shipped at 29 days, not two weeks so I will not be changing that until it changes, if and when it does.

Also, while Castmembers are calling it MDX most posters are calling it MDE. I will change the OP so that both are reflected.

And the Special Magical Experiences won't be very special if I say what they are. :)
 
If it helps, I made a resort reservation at 9 days before arrival at a participating test resort. I was immediately able to customize my bands, and I have until 5 days before arrival to customize. At 5 days before arrival, I lose the ability to customize. My bands will not be shipped, I'll have to pick them up at the resort.

Had I made my reservation less than 30 days, but more than 10 days, before arrival, I would have had between 10 days and 24 hours to customize my bands, and then they would have been shipped to me. The customization timing seems to be based on how long is left until you're 10 days from arrival. If I made them at 10 days out, I'd have had 24 hours to customize, and then they'd ship.
 
If it helps, I made a resort reservation at 9 days before arrival at a participating test resort. I was immediately able to customize my bands, and I have until 5 days before arrival to customize. At 5 days before arrival, I lose the ability to customize. My bands will not be shipped, I'll have to pick them up at the resort.

Had I made my reservation less than 30 days, but more than 10 days, before arrival, I would have had between 10 days and 24 hours to customize my bands, and then they would have been shipped to me. The customization timing seems to be based on how long is left until you're 10 days from arrival. If I made them at 10 days out, I'd have had 24 hours to customize, and then they'd ship.

I made a reservation 30 days in advance and only had 24 hours to customize my band. They shipped the next evening and I already have them for an October 9th check-in.

During the testing phase nothing seems to be set in stone. I will change the OP to reflect the different possibilities.
 
I made a reservation 30 days in advance and only had 24 hours to customize my band. They shipped the next evening and I already have them for an October 9th check-in.

During the testing phase nothing seems to be set in stone. I will change the OP to reflect the different possibilities.

Interesting. So it's a little uncertain what happens during the 30-10 day window I guess. I wonder if it might be partially based on something like group size, geographic location, etc. Who knows!

At less than 10 days though, at this point it seems pretty certain that you get until 5 days before arrival to customize, and you have to pick them up at the resort.
 
Good job MouseMom. Make the corrections you know to be true, and we can all help contribute by experience. I am sure you have a sticky in the making here.

I agree with calling "it" "MDE/MDX" until we settle in on one. I've been using MDE only to see MDX pop up lately.

Here is an odd thing about the bands.. I wear a watch on my left wrist: always have, always will. So the band will go on my right wrist. But I get out my wallet with my right hand, and so any card or fastpass comes out in left hand... and when driving I use my left hand to wave my KTTW card at the reader...

I think a MagicBand on my right wrist is going to reverse my polarity!
 
I've been trying to find the answer to this question and have had no luck. :sad2:

We're doing a split stay next month at BCV. We're first staying in a studio and then moving to 2-bd villa, so it's at the same resort, but two different ROOM ONLY reservations were made thru DVC. According to MDX we will be getting two sets of magic bands, which is fine I guess. But when it comes to our park tickets, we purchased 10-day park tickets thru UT a while back and they are the paper tickets. I've linked them to our MDX account and so we have been able to make FP+ selections for the entire trip. My concern/question is... are our 10-day worth of park admission available on both sets of magic bands or just one set? Do we need to use the first set of Magic Bands for the one studio reservation and then switch to the second set of Magic Bands when we move to the 2-Bedroom villa? Do we still need to exchange our paper tickets to RFID tickets?

Thanks!:goodvibes
 
I've been trying to find the answer to this question and have had no luck. :sad2:

We're doing a split stay next month at BCV. We're first staying in a studio and then moving to 2-bd villa, so it's at the same resort, but two different ROOM ONLY reservations were made thru DVC. According to MDX we will be getting two sets of magic bands, which is fine I guess. But when it comes to our park tickets, we purchased 10-day park tickets thru UT a while back and they are the paper tickets. I've linked them to our MDX account and so we have been able to make FP+ selections for the entire trip. My concern/question is... are our 10-day worth of park admission available on both sets of magic bands or just one set? Do we need to use the first set of Magic Bands for the one studio reservation and then switch to the second set of Magic Bands when we move to the 2-Bedroom villa? Do we still need to exchange our paper tickets to RFID tickets?

Thanks!:goodvibes

In theory, you need to go to guest services to transfer your paper ticket to your first set of bands. In theory, you will be able to check in at the second resort and have them key the first bands for your rooms, continuing to use the tickets on them, and ignore your second set of bands. But do not try to check in to the second resort until you have checked out of the first, and tell them at the second resort what is going on. Theories are all good until reality sets in...
 
MagicMom, a nearby thread talks about a person's call to Disney IT... and makes it clear that "hard ticket events" including MVMCP cannot go on the bands... they were told they must bring and use the RFID card ticket for admission.
 
I've been trying to find the answer to this question and have had no luck. :sad2:

We're doing a split stay next month at BCV. We're first staying in a studio and then moving to 2-bd villa, so it's at the same resort, but two different ROOM ONLY reservations were made thru DVC. According to MDX we will be getting two sets of magic bands, which is fine I guess. But when it comes to our park tickets, we purchased 10-day park tickets thru UT a while back and they are the paper tickets. I've linked them to our MDX account and so we have been able to make FP+ selections for the entire trip. My concern/question is... are our 10-day worth of park admission available on both sets of magic bands or just one set? Do we need to use the first set of Magic Bands for the one studio reservation and then switch to the second set of Magic Bands when we move to the 2-Bedroom villa? Do we still need to exchange our paper tickets to RFID tickets?

Thanks!:goodvibes

Nothing is actually on the band. It is on your account which the band accesses. You should have no trouble accessing the tickets from both bands. Key word...should. This is still just rolling out so there are a lot of glitches. Personally, I would bring both bands until you make certain that everything is okay.
 
Good job MouseMom. Make the corrections you know to be true, and we can all help contribute by experience. I am sure you have a sticky in the making here.

I agree with calling "it" "MDE/MDX" until we settle in on one. I've been using MDE only to see MDX pop up lately.

Here is an odd thing about the bands.. I wear a watch on my left wrist: always have, always will. So the band will go on my right wrist. But I get out my wallet with my right hand, and so any card or fastpass comes out in left hand... and when driving I use my left hand to wave my KTTW card at the reader...

I think a MagicBand on my right wrist is going to reverse my polarity!


Yes, I don't want to change things that my experience says is incorrect or that is simply Disney's party line, but I am more than willing to change things that others' experiences prove to be true. It is a post in flux. :)

As for the right-wrist issue, some have reported that it is difficult to use the Magic Band scanners with your right wrist. I am sure you will be able to find a way to make it work, but it seems they are set up for wear on the left wrist.

MagicMom, a nearby thread talks about a person's call to Disney IT... and makes it clear that "hard ticket events" including MVMCP cannot go on the bands... they were told they must bring and use the RFID card ticket for admission.

I will add that to the OP. Thanks!
 

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