Magic Bands ? Annual pass vouchers? connecting to MDE... so confused

[eeyoresnr]

ok first let me say I'm sorry for asking a question that has been answered hundreds of times, but I had surgery a few years back and ever since I can not concentrate on here to search for this (long story )
anyways, here is my question (s). I know ( or think I do ) that if you order your AP online they will send us vouchers which we will trade for the real thing when we get there. we will be staying off site . but is there A way to get magic bands that are already linked to AP before we go? I thought I read if you get magic bands at park when you exchange your vouchers the bands are all grey? is that correct? we always stay our first night at a (small hotel as we drive and day is almost over by the time we arrive) so my question is if we stayed our first night at a WDW value would that make us able to link our cards and bands ahead of time?
last time we went in March of last year we had our passes because of a December trip, but when I ordered our bands online for the March trip I messed up and thinking I had ordered all of them at once only one came before our trip, so we never got to use them... can old ones be used for future passes? ( not that it really matters because I can find where I put the boxes... memory thing also related to surgery ... sorry this is so long but I hope it's not too confusing? thanks

 

[Robo]

ok first let me say I'm sorry for asking a question that has been answered hundreds of times, but I had surgery a few years back and ever since I can not concentrate on here to search for this (long story )
anyways, here is my question (s).


1. I know ( or think I do ) that if you order your AP online they will send us vouchers which we will trade for the real thing when we get there. we will be staying off site .

2. but is there A way to get magic bands that are already linked to AP before we go?

3. I thought I read if you get magic bands at park when you exchange your vouchers the bands are all grey? is that correct?

we always stay our first night at a (small hotel as we drive and day is almost over by the time we arrive) so my question is

4. if we stayed our first night at a WDW value would that make us able to link our cards and bands ahead of time?

last time we went in March of last year we had our passes because of a December trip, but when I ordered our bands online for the March trip I messed up and thinking I had ordered all of them at once only one came before our trip, so we never got to use them...

5. can old ones be used for future passes?

6. ( not that it really matters because I can find where I put the boxes... memory thing also related to surgery ... sorry this is so long but I hope it's not too confusing? thanks

1. Order as "Will Call" and you won't get a voucher, and you don't NEED one.

2. Yes. You can order MagicBands from www.disneystore.com for $12.95 each.
(But, see #5 below.)

3. No. You can purchase any color at WDW.

4. Yes. (But, see #5 below.)

5. Yes.

6. I assume that you mean that you can NOT find your older MagicBands.
So, you can either buy new MBs - -
or stay at a WDW resort for one night and get new MBs for free.
(Either of which you can choose to do.)

ALSO: After you return home from your first trip using the new AP, you will be able to customize an additional "AP" MagicBand on your MDE account, and you will be mailed that along with a new AP ID card to use for the rest of the year that you own your new AP.

 

[rthib]

Missed the voucher part. So Ignore this,

 

[eeyoresnr]

Robo, you keep saying purchase... does disney not give them to you anymore? last time when I went online to get ours ( with our previous annual passes) they were free but we were able to choose colors?

 

[eeyoresnr]

ok maybe what I need to ask was... what do I have to do to be able to make FP+ reservations for an upcoming trip?

 

[HopperFan]

ok maybe what I need to ask was... what do I have to do to be able to make FP+ reservations for an upcoming trip?

You need purchased tickets linked to your MDE account. It can be vouchers or actual tickets. MagicBands are not needed for FP+.

What he is saying that you will get free MB with your AP but not until you return from your trip having activated the new APs. If you want them in advance of your trip you will have to purchase or have an onsite reservation to get them free - or find your old ones. Or you can purchase upon arrival.

 

[Robo]

You need purchased tickets linked to your MDE account.

1. It can be vouchers or actual tickets.

2. MagicBands are not needed for FP+.

1. It can be vouchers, or actual tickets,
OR just a CONFIRMATION NUMBER for tickets or APs ordered as "Will Call" (pick-up at WDW.)

2. Ditto.

 

[mesaboy2]

Some of your questions are addressed in the green link in my signature.

 

[HopperFan]

1. It can be vouchers, or actual tickets,
OR just a CONFIRMATION NUMBER for tickets or APs ordered as "Will Call" (pick-up at WDW.)

Thank you for clarifying my response for them, I didn't mean to confuse. We have had confirmation numbers for tickets but in my head that is the same as a voucher. I guess I look at it as either we have actual tickets or we don't - and that could be voucher, receipt, confirmation etc.

 

[eeyoresnr]

ok, I think I understand... so if I pre-purchase our annual passes online... and decide to have vouchers sent I can link them to FP+ and make them before our trip... same goes if I just get a confirmation # instead of vouchers...

do we have to purchase magic bands now? ours were free before even though we didn't stay on sight

 

[eeyoresnr]

Some of your questions are addressed in the green link in my signature.

thank you... that helps a lot

 

[Robo]

ok, I think I understand…

1. so if I pre-purchase our annual passes online... and decide to have vouchers sent I can link them to FP+ and make them before our trip…

2. same goes if I just get a confirmation # instead of vouchers...

3. do we have to purchase magic bands now? ours were free before even though we didn't stay on sight

1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. MagicBands are not directly related to FP+.
MagicBands are not required to either make FP+ in advance or at the parks, nor are they required for use of FP+ in the parks.

If you already HAVE some MBs from a previous trip, they will continue work just fine when you return to WDW for another trip.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We purchased our Annual passes and got a confirmation number. I added it to our MDE account as soon as I was done and then was able to make our fastpasses. I didn't get a voucher - we just went to will-call when we got to Disney and got them all linked to our magic bands.

 

[Robo]

We purchased our Annual passes and got a confirmation number. I added it to our MDE account as soon as I was done and then was able to make our fastpasses. I didn't get a voucher - we just went to will-call when we got to Disney and got them all linked to our magic bands.

Yes. That's a very good way to perform this endeavor.

Guests 18 years and older do need to show a legal photo ID to pick-up/activate their AP at the ticket booth or Guest Relations.

 

[eeyoresnr]

1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. MagicBands are not directly related to FP+.
MagicBands are not required to either make FP+ in advance or at the parks, nor are they required for use of FP+ in the parks.

If you already HAVE some MBs from a previous trip, they will continue work just fine when you return to WDW for another trip.

awesome... thanks so much... as you can see I grew up going to Disneyland, and have been to WDW many times in the past 11 years but, my mind doesn't grasp things as quickly as it used to... thanks for all your help

 

[eeyoresnr]

I'm baaaack... so if I buy a specialty magic band how do I link it to my confirmation # ?

 

[eeyoresnr]

or, would I be better off... booking room through Disney, with park tickets and the having tickets upgraded to annual passes when we arrive?

 

[Robo]

I'm baaaack... so if I buy a specialty magic band how do I link it to my confirmation # ?

They can link the MB to your MyDisneyExperience account when you buy it,
or you can link it by entering the number on the MB to your MDE, yourself.

 

[Robo]

or, would I be better off... booking room through Disney, with park tickets and the having tickets upgraded to annual passes when we arrive?

That'll work just fine, too. (Either way, pre-buying AP or regular tickets will work.)

Be sure to purchase tickets with enough "days" on the regular ticket to cover your complete trip, so that you can make
FP+ reservations for all days in advance.