Magic Bands 101

[crazy4wdw]

I can make my FP+ reservations on 8/19. What time can I log onto MDE to make the reservations on 8/19. I'm assuming at 7:00 am?

 

[ses1230]

I can make my FP+ reservations on 8/19. What time can I log onto MDE to make the reservations on 8/19. I'm assuming at 7:00 am?

Midnight, although some recent reports say 1am.

 

[mesaboy2]

I can make my FP+ reservations on 8/19. What time can I log onto MDE to make the reservations on 8/19. I'm assuming at 7:00 am?

Midnight or 1:00a Eastern Time. See the green link in my signature for answers to this and many other FP FAQs.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I am not sure if this is on here as there are so many replies. We have magic bands from our trip in April. We are returning in November but will be staying off site and will be using military tickets that have to be activated at a customer relations. Can we bring our used magic bands and have them activated for our tickets?

Your bands are already active. When you activate your tickets just have the CM link them to your MDEx profiles. Your bands will then be able to read them in Disney's database.

 

[Toadlover]

I still don't get it.

 

[mesaboy2]

I still don't get it.

You might need to get a little more specific if you want meaningful help.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I still don't get it.

What don 't you get?

 

[Toadlover]

You might need to get a little more specific if you want meaningful help.

I've read reports on here about how glitchy the whole system is, for one thing. For another, is it your room key, your tickets into the parks, and..? What else? It seems to do everything. THen getting fastpasses seems like an exercise in torture. Staying up till 1 a.m. and working to get the ones you want when you want only to have them disappear and maybe come back- some of them. Then how do you link up multiple fast passes for your whole group? So I'm up at 1 a.m. doing all 11 of my group's FPs? I'm not fond of the idea of being run by the FP times. How do I remember when they are? Write them down? It seems that this is the only way to go unless you want to wait in the regular line which the wait time for the new mine train is 90 minutes as of a few days ago. (An ap to explore the parks told me that.)

 

[jsgrand0]

sorry if this has been discussed, I don't have time to read through 51 pages of posts! Can SOME people on the reservation have the magic band and SOME of them opt for the card? I'm pretty sure my DH will grump about wearing a rubber bracelet the whole time....

 

[SRUAlmn]

sorry if this has been discussed, I don't have time to read through 51 pages of posts! Can SOME people on the reservation have the magic band and SOME of them opt for the card? I'm pretty sure my DH will grump about wearing a rubber bracelet the whole time....

When ours came in the mail my husband said he didn't like them. He doesn't wear a watch, so it was foreign for him to have something on his wrist. He actually ended up not minding it at all. He wore it the whole time, in the shower, in the pool, and I even noticed when we got home and were unloading the car that he still had it on and didn't even realize it

 

[ahair005]

Sorry if this has already been asked/answered. I am taking a trip the end of October, and currently have a 2day park hopper pass. I was thinking of adding another day without the park hopper for our departure day and wanted to know if I could buy the tickets and add them to my current magic band?

 

[MouseMomx2]

Sorry if this has already been asked/answered. I am taking a trip the end of October, and currently have a 2day park hopper pass. I was thinking of adding another day without the park hopper for our departure day and wanted to know if I could buy the tickets and add them to my current magic band?

Nothing is on the bands. Nothing. They simply have a chip that can read the information in your My Disney Experience profile in Disney's database. Anything you have linked to your profile can be read by your band.

If you want to add a non-park hopping day it will be a whole new ticket. That ticket can be linked to your MDEx profile and your band will read it. You will have to pay full price for that ticket, you can't add a non-hopping day to your park hopper ticket.

 

[jimandami]

To add to the above, it's probably a bit cheaper to just add a day to your existing ticket than to purchase a one day ticket. You have already paid the one time charge of $60 for park hopping.

 

[Moomduck1]

can you buy magic bands in advance and have them shipped to your house? fun way to surprise kids with a trip to wdw.

 

[Dork42775]

I think what confuses most people is that you say nothing is on the band which is technically true. But when you go to MDE and add tickets, res, room, etc... it is on their bands in their minds. Think of it as a debit card. When there is no money in your checking account there is nothing on the card but when you add $100 to your account you can spend $100 with your card even though the $100 is actually in your account and not really on the card. The card is only a "gateway" to your account. Magic bands are essentially the same thing a "gateway".

 

[mesaboy2]

can you buy magic bands in advance and have them shipped to your house? fun way to surprise kids with a trip to wdw.

Not currently. This happens automatically however with an onsite stay.

 

[Moomduck1]

Not currently. This happens automatically however with an onsite stay.

Thank you. Not what I wanted to hear. We are staying at the Dolphin this time around so they will not be sent to us automatically.

 

[SRUAlmn]

can you buy magic bands in advance and have them shipped to your house? fun way to surprise kids with a trip to wdw.

You could probably order them from Disney Merchandising since they're sold all over property? Although, they have to link them to your tickets, another MB, or your reservation when you buy them so maybe you can't? Or if you could, maybe they'd just be fake ones that couldn't ever be linked (like if you buy them on EBay?)

 

[MouseMomx2]

I think what confuses most people is that you say nothing is on the band which is technically true. But when you go to MDE and add tickets, res, room, etc... it is on their bands in their minds. Think of it as a debit card. When there is no money in your checking account there is nothing on the card but when you add $100 to your account you can spend $100 with your card even though the $100 is actually in your account and not really on the card. The card is only a "gateway" to your account. Magic bands are essentially the same thing a "gateway".

Yes, but understanding that there is nothing actually on the bands is, IMO, the key to understanding how the system works.

 

[mesaboy2]

You could probably order them from Disney Merchandising since they're sold all over property? Although, they have to link them to your tickets, another MB, or your reservation when you buy them so maybe you can't? Or if you could, maybe they'd just be fake ones that couldn't ever be linked (like if you buy them on EBay?)

Nope, not currently.

Yes, but understanding that there is nothing actually on the bands is, IMO, the key to understanding how the system works.

In fact, I equate in my head MBs to multiple keys to the same house.