Magic Bands at DL - 2022 Release

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Folks, I'm wondering if I am missing some information about Magic Bands at DL. I know late last year there was an announcement that DL will start using Magic Bands. No start date was given and as far as I can tell there has been no updates about the start date. But, my question is this, does anyone know whether Magic Bands 1.0 will be eligible or will only Magic Bands 2.0 be eligible? I cannot find this information and maybe Disney didn't say? My gut tells me that DL will require Magic Bands 2.0 just because, ya know, increased sales of Magic Bands 2.0.

Thanks for any help that DIS Boards can provide me. You all rock.

And remember for over a 1000 generations the Jedi were guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire.

 

[brightlined]

The only part I'll address is this:

When it comes to touchpoints, 1.0 and 2.0 Magicbands use slightly different versions of the same technology, so both should work if either is accepted. The main difference with the 2.0s is that they have a radio antenna that allows it to work from a distance, mostly for automatically assigning Photopasses to your account. If DLR uses that part of the technology (and I think it's likely they will, given how WDW has moved away from Photopass touchpoints), those features do not work with a 1.0 band.

But if you're only worried about using the band to enter the park, a 1.0 band should be sufficient. (Barring something completely unexpected, like DLR coming up with their own specific band.)

 

[mouschievous]

Don't forget that Magic Band Plus is also supposed to be released this year. I wouldn't be surprised if they release MB+ at both parks and say the old ones are obsolete. Planned obsolescence and all that.

 

[brightlined]

Don't forget that Magic Band Plus is also supposed to be released this year. I wouldn't be surprised if they release MB+ at both parks and say the old ones are obsolete. Planned obsolescence and all that.

The announcement for MagicBand+ (at WDW) said that old ones would still be valid:

MagicBand+ will be available for purchase beginning next year, including a discounted, pre-arrival price for Disney Resort hotel guests as well as new and renewing Walt Disney World Annual Passholders. Current MagicBands will continue to be available, too, along with the complimentary Disney MagicMobile service that extends MagicBand features, such as park entry, to smart devices.

I'm assuming the MB+ is just an enhancement of the existing band - a similar transmitter/receiver, but with fancy effects (and design) around it. (I didn't realize until just now that MB+ will come with a charging cable.)

 

[mouschievous]

The announcement for MagicBand+ (at WDW) said that old ones would still be valid:

MagicBand+ will be available for purchase beginning next year, including a discounted, pre-arrival price for Disney Resort hotel guests as well as new and renewing Walt Disney World Annual Passholders. Current MagicBands will continue to be available, too, along with the complimentary Disney MagicMobile service that extends MagicBand features, such as park entry, to smart devices.

I'm assuming the MB+ is just an enhancement of the existing band - a similar transmitter/receiver, but with fancy effects (and design) around it. (I didn't realize until just now that MB+ will come with a charging cable.)

Thanks! It's been a while since I read the MagicBand+ info and I just assumed (and you know what that does). Here's hoping DL has MB by the summer - we found it to be super convenient at WDW and would love to use them again on our DL trip.

 

[StormyCA]

There really hasn't been much info released other than MBs are coming. I agree with PP that they'll most likely introduce MBs at DLR to coincide with the release of MB+ at WDW. Which versions will work at DL is anybody's guess. Or if any of the WDW MBs will even work at all. I'd assume so, but you just never know.

 

[dina444444]

Folks, I'm wondering if I am missing some information about Magic Bands at DL. I know late last year there was an announcement that DL will start using Magic Bands. No start date was given and as far as I can tell there has been no updates about the start date. But, my question is this, does anyone know whether Magic Bands 1.0 will be eligible or will only Magic Bands 2.0 be eligible? I cannot find this information and maybe Disney didn't say? My gut tells me that DL will require Magic Bands 2.0 just because, ya know, increased sales of Magic Bands 2.0.

Thanks for any help that DIS Boards can provide me. You all rock.

And remember for over a 1000 generations the Jedi were guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire.

1.0 and 2.0 should both work at any touch points, it uses a tap RFID that doesn't run on a battery. 1.0 bands are old enough that the long range RFID battery is likely dead so if they convert attraction photos to using those that won't work and 2.0 will depend on how old the band is. The batteries are suppose to last about 2-3 years. They are going to be launching the + (3.0) option later this year and WDW now also uses mobile bluetooth to link photos so DLR could do that as well.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Thank you for the helpful information. This is great stuff.

 

[StormyCA]

FWIW, we were told that the batteries last about 2-3 years. DH used his 2019 band and it worked fine for entry on our 2021 trip.

No FP+ to tap and all the ride pics were set up for my MDE and I had a 'new' MB so don't know if his would have worked for those.

 

[brightlined]

1.0 bands are old enough that the long range RFID battery is likely dead so if they convert attraction photos to using those that won't work and 2.0 will depend on how old the band is.

Not that it matters - the 1.0s never had the long-range RFID. That was the major feature of the 2.0s (which is why they were larger in size).

Weirdly, WDW sent me a band last year for my last AP, and the battery's already dead, which made me wonder if they were sending out old stock from 2020.