"Magic Bands" aka "Tacky Bands"

[Jennasis]

My sister ordered her custom band in Gray as that would "go" with a wider variety of her outfits.

 

[aVASTGrl]

OP, I completely understand what you were trying to say. I haven't experienced the bands yet (and I agree, unadorned they are UGLY, but I love the one poster's idea of blinging them up!), but I hate wearing things on my wrists. I don't wear bracelets or watches because the weight and texture annoys me and irritates my skin. I'm already planning on tucking the Magic Band in my purse and whipping it out as needed!

 

[redrosesix]

We just checked in tonight and were told the cards were no longer available. I would prefer the card especially since we have to use special entry cards at wwos.

I had read band or card too so I asked for the card. No go. Too bad we dont have a choice.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't think that they look so bad but I worry that they will be hot when it's 95 degrees outside.

 

[surferdave]

I hated wearing the band, and was somewhat relieved that you could ask for an RFID card in its place if you preferred. If this is no longer the case then it's one more disappointment from this system for me.

 

[Schmeck]

The 'tacky'-ness is in the eye of the beholder, for certain. I find the Alex and Ani craze to be rather tacky myself - scrap metal that can turn green for how much $$$? And the point of wearing 10-20 of those things at once, is some sort of status symbol? Look, I'm wearing the recycle bin on my arm...

I'd rather wear a band that lets me get into a park for some fun!

 

[wuzzy6]

I'm the worst person ever to comment on this topic. I wear hot pink and turquoise Asics, and they go with exactly NOTHING.

 

[Mjkre]

Wow. People here really need to learn to respect other people's opinions. Once again, a post about someone's valid opinion about what something looks like to her, followed by multiple posts bashing the op for daring to have a negative opinion about something at disney.

I too, would much prefer to have the card only option. Especially since I do not want to carry magic bands for the family if no one likes wearing them. 5 bands in a bag I don't normally carry or in a pocket?? Cards would have been a nice alternative and it sounds like that doesn't exist.

 

[smitch425]

Wow. People here really need to learn to respect other people's opinions. Once again, a post about someone's valid opinion about what something looks like to her, followed by multiple posts bashing the op for daring to have a negative opinion about something at disney.

I too, would much prefer to have the card only option. Especially since I do not want to carry magic bands for the family if no one likes wearing them. 5 bands in a bag I don't normally carry or in a pocket?? Cards would have been a nice alternative and it sounds like that doesn't exist.

I think OP's complaint is valid for her. It's comments like "You can't possibly make them work with all your outfits." that make it a complaint about everyone else. I managed to make our bands match our outfits for 9 days without even trying. It just worked out that way. It's fine to not like something, but don't tell others what they can and cannot do in the process. I think that (with the use of the word tacky) is what got some people riled up.

 

[kmb584]

I don't understand why it is absurd. The rest of the year I would choose jewelry to coordinate my outfits. You can have an awesome Disney vacay and still care about your clothing and accessories.

I get lots of people consider it part of the Disney experience but I just have never liked wearing things like that. I didn't realize that made me an absurdity to be laughed at.

I thought we were going to have a choice of a card. Now, it seems that choice is gone.

I agree with that. I love jewelry and do coordinate the pieces that I wear with the outfit that I wear. I like looking "put together". On a daily basis the ONE piece that I wear is my MICHELE watch, it's stainless steel and a bit understated so pairing it with a nice bracelet is something I do often. I also don't wear bracelets on both wrists, I just don't like the look. The MB with my watch looks tacky, wearing one on each wrist makes me feel like I look ridiculous. On our last trip I just hooked my MB on the strap of my handbag.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I don't really have an issue with how they look. I think it's great that you can customize them to a color that you like. I do wish they had purple. Pink is my favorite color but I'm not crazy about the shade of pink they use and how it mixes with the grey. Oh well, I digress. I don't think that they are hideous or anything, but I found them to be uncomfortable. I guess my wrist is an awkward size because if I had it on one size, it was a bit too tight. If I loosened, it, it was slightly too big and rubbed on the side of my wrist. I'm hoping that they improve technology a bit and make the top part smaller so that it bends a bit better. I think that would help me.

 

[3happydancers]

I'm sorry but the longer the "magic bands" are floating around the tackier and cheaper they are looking to me. They are just ugly. How can one want to wear one of those every day? You can't possibly make them work with all your outfits.

I know I can tuck them away and undoubtedly will if the day comes where we think it is safe to test the waters again but... really? People are saying you can't have the option to perform the necessary functions using a card? I thought originally they said we would have the option of using an RFID card instead of the bands.

Maybe I misunderstood and we will be able to stay at the resort but use cards for room entry and FP+. I am not fond of the FP+ idea but I can't understand why Disney would think we'd all want carnival bracelets on our wrists all day, every day.

I just don't get the appeal of wearing cheap rubber/plastic/whatever.


Okay, I am apologizing for giving people the impression that I think people who like them are tacky. That was not my intent. I was just frustrated that I thought I would have the choice to avoid them. Some people just don't like certain things and I never liked the livestrong etc. bands at all even when they were at their most popular. I'm sorry for coming across that I think I am better than people who like the bands. That isn't what I intended. Most people at Disney look better than I do without even trying. I was pretty frustrated to hear the card option was off the table from a different thread.

OP, I did not find your comment at all offensive. You referred to the bands as being tacky, not the people who wear them. My family does not like the bands either. For us they make no sense. We won't wear them, especially in August. They are chunky and cumbersome. Our KTTW room key was much easier to store away in a pocket as they were flat. Now we will have a large bulge in our pockets that take up more room.

As for it's function, they don't serve my family any better. Our KTTW served as our room key, park ticket, held our dining credits (when we had the DP), and we could charge with it if we chose to put charging privileges on it; same as the bands. The only real difference is that the bands hold your fast pass reservations BUT you cannot retrieve the times of your fast passes, so for us useless because now you either have to write this info down or whip out a phone. The paper fast passes told you what time to return to your ride and also told you when you could get another pass, no pen, paper, or phone needed. Again, a small flat object like our room key which we kept together. And FWIW, I still have to carry my AP pass along with my license so it was easier to have my flat cards in a zip case stored in on place; in my pocket or fanny pouch. I did not need another item to carry especially one that is bulky. Oh, and the KTTW card was also water proof so no problem with water parks or swimming.

I understand how some would like the band, but not for my family. We actually view them more of a fad.

Meh, it's WDW, home of the crocs. Fashion a priority?

How did you get a picture of my feet?

Wow. People here really need to learn to respect other people's opinions. Once again, a post about someone's valid opinion about what something looks like to her, followed by multiple posts bashing the op for daring to have a negative opinion about something at disney.

I too, would much prefer to have the card only option. Especially since I do not want to carry magic bands for the family if no one likes wearing them. 5 bands in a bag I don't normally carry or in a pocket?? Cards would have been a nice alternative and it sounds like that doesn't exist.

Agreed!!!

 

[goofy4tink]

Wore a red one in early Dec, and a yucky grey one a few weeks ago. When we go in June, ours will have coverings on them. I'm making specific fabric coverings for ours because I'm a bit leery of the humidity and how the band will feel on my wrist then. My band will have an evil queen theme, dd's will be Ariel themed. Dh said he doesn't need a fabric covering..he'll tough it out.

 

[Minnesota!]

I don't think that they look so bad but I worry that they will be hot when it's 95 degrees outside.

We wore them in August and I was shocked at how un-bothersome they were in the heat.

I'm the worst person ever to comment on this topic. I wear hot pink and turquoise Asics, and they go with exactly NOTHING.

Me too! (But mine are Fila!)

I love color - the more colorful, the better. My next MB is orange - which will go with...nothing that I own. And I couldn't care less I like to stand out.

 

[ilovemk76]

I'm sorry but the longer the "magic bands" are floating around the tackier and cheaper they are looking to me. They are just ugly. They are not meant to be high fashion! How can one want to wear one of those every day? We have. No big deal. You can't possibly make them work with all your outfits. This is just too funny. You really need to make them work with park attire? You are not going to a wedding.

I know I can tuck them away and undoubtedly will if the day comes where we think it is safe to test the waters again but... really? People are saying you can't have the option to perform the necessary functions using a card? I thought originally they said we would have the option of using an RFID card instead of the bands. For us, it was no different than wearing a watch.

Maybe I misunderstood and we will be able to stay at the resort but use cards for room entry and FP+. I am not fond of the FP+ idea but I can't understand why Disney would think we'd all want carnival bracelets on our wrists all day, every day. It makes it so you can just use your band to do so many things.

I just don't get the appeal of wearing cheap rubber/plastic/whatever. Nobody is wearing them every day of their normal lives. They are using them at a theme park for their vacation.




Okay, I am apologizing for giving people the impression that I think people who like them are tacky. That was not my intent. I was just frustrated that I thought I would have the choice to avoid them. Some people just don't like certain things and I never liked the livestrong etc. bands at all even when they were at their most popular. I'm sorry for coming across that I think I am better than people who like the bands. That isn't what I intended. Most people at Disney look better than I do without even trying. I was pretty frustrated to hear the card option was off the table from a different thread.

I never owned a livestrong bracelet. I never gave it a second thought that others wanted to wear them.

 

[ilovemk76]

I don't understand why it is absurd. The rest of the year I would choose jewelry to coordinate my outfits. You can have an awesome Disney vacay and still care about your clothing and accessories.

I get lots of people consider it part of the Disney experience but I just have never liked wearing things like that. I didn't realize that made me an absurdity to be laughed at.

I thought we were going to have a choice of a card. Now, it seems that choice is gone.

MBs are not jewelry. My shirt and shorts match. I wear the same baseball type Mickey cap, same sneakers and backpack the rest of the time. I see the MBs the same as the later. They do not need to be coordinated to my outfit to work. Should I bring 7 hats, 7 backpacks and 7 pairs of sneakers so that I match each day?

 

[3happydancers]

Wore a red one in early Dec, and a yucky grey one a few weeks ago. When we go in June, ours will have coverings on them. I'm making specific fabric coverings for ours because I'm a bit leery of the humidity and how the band will feel on my wrist then. My band will have an evil queen theme, dd's will be Ariel themed. Dh said he doesn't need a fabric covering..he'll tough it out.

Sounds pretty cool! I am sure I'll enjoy seeing what other's have done to make their bracelets unique. No doubt I'll strike up a conversation with others on their designs!

Unfortunately, I don't even wear a watch let alone a bracelet or necklace. It irritates my skin. I can't wear my wedding band because it causes a rash on my skin under the band. My daughter has sensory issues. She can't even wear socks with a seam. So these bands truly do not work for us. I am hoping Disney takes things like this into consideration and brings back the KTTW card as an alternative for people who suffer from such problems. I am guessing they never thought of these possible issues. I also don't see latching them to a belt loop an alternative as we don't always wear clothing with loops and I see this as a potential opportunity to loose them.

 

[Shadeaux]

We just checked in tonight and were told the cards were no longer available. I would prefer the card especially since we have to use special entry cards at wwos.

I had read band or card too so I asked for the card. No go. Too bad we dont have a choice.

Which hotel? This isn't true according to the information posted on Disney's website.
"The MagicBand uses radio frequency (RF) technology and can be read by short and long-range readers located at the Walt Disney World Resort. If you prefer to use an RF card, which cannot be detected by long-range readers, you can request an RF card at your Disney Resort hotel"

 

[flatlandcycle]

aka "Tragic Bands"

 

[amingione]

I don't think that they are hideous or anything, but I found them to be uncomfortable. I guess my wrist is an awkward size because if I had it on one size, it was a bit too tight. If I loosened, it, it was slightly too big and rubbed on the side of my wrist. I'm hoping that they improve technology a bit and make the top part smaller so that it bends a bit better. I think that would help me.

I found them really uncomfortable too! It feels like the band hits my wrist bone. I hope they're able to make the bands thinner (fitbit-sized?) in the future