Magic Bands at DLR...what am I missing?

[DLgal]

I went from NEVER ON-SITE IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE AND MAGIC BANDS ARE STUPID to

SURPRISE STAY AT DISNEYLAND HOTEL AND MAGIC BANDS FOR EVERYBODY!

In less than two weeks. Am I doing this right?

Sounds right to me!

 

[laugard]

I went from NEVER ON-SITE IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE AND MAGIC BANDS ARE STUPID to

SURPRISE STAY AT DISNEYLAND HOTEL AND MAGIC BANDS FOR EVERYBODY!

In less than two weeks. Am I doing this right?

As long as it doesn't negatively impact someone's financial situation in a way that seriously affects them, I say we all should do what we choose to most enhance our Disney experience. For some, that's staying on site, for others it's buying Genie+ or buying merch, tours, meals, etc. Some choices may be practical, others not so much or could be seen as a novelty. But many would say Disney isn't exactly a practical place either Most go to have fun, or immerse themselves, so I say we should all responsibly do what makes our experience most enjoyable.

So yeah, I'd say you're doing it right lol!

Also, after scanning my Magic Band 10 times yesterday at Lighting Lanes (plus twice at the gates), I can say it was a great "novelty" to have! (For me, that is )

 

[Titanium]

Maybe I'm old and set in my ways...but I'm having a hard time seeing the value of Magic Bands at DLR. I was thinking about getting some for my party for our January trip, but as I understand it they are of fairly limited utility on the West Coast:

1. Serves as a wearable ticket for scanning in to the park and Lightning Lanes (cool...but not hard to do with phone)
2. Allows for photopass to be linked directly to account (cool...but not hard to do with phone)
3. Lights up fun colors when at shows or on attractions etc. (ok...but I don't want to look at my band while I'm watching a show or on an attraction.)
4. Lets you play the Bounty Hunter Game in GE (ok, that's pretty cool, but honestly they could have done that just as easily with your phone since you have to "thermal scan" your target in the app anyway...)
5. Saves you some battery opening up the phone to scan for items 1 and 2.

Am I missing something? This just doesn't seem worth the $150+ I'd spend for the family to have these. I understand on the East Coast they have additional utility (can be used for payment, as room key, has interaction with attractions outside of just lighting up, etc.), but has anyone found them to be more than just a novelty at at DLR?

I'd love to hear from folks who got them and love them more than they expected to

 

[amyg1975]

We loved having a Magic Band, mostly so I did not have to pull out my phone and get to our tickets or photo pass card. It made our life so much easier.

 

[Disney0010]

We have used the MB’s at WDW and really liked them. Currently at DL and purchased them today. Love the ease.

 

[brentm77]

Does DL offer standard magic bands? Having to buy something else to charge would be a deal breaker for me. Particularly since I am not interested in any of the additional features the plus version adds. I love having the standard version at WDW. It's so darn convenient to open doors, buy stuff, get in the parks, Genie+. If DL did the standard version and added the same stuff you can do at WDW, I would be all over it.

 

[starlite_]

Does DL offer standard magic bands? Having to buy something else to charge would be a deal breaker for me. Particularly since I am not interested in any of the additional features the plus version adds. I love having the standard version at WDW. It's so darn convenient to open doors, buy stuff, get in the parks, Genie+. If DL did the standard version and added the same stuff you can do at WDW, I would be all over it.

Nope.

 

[brentm77]

Nope.

That's seriously disappointing. I can't imagine the average guest wants to deal with charging an additional item to see their their writ glow or play some digital games in the park. Particularly with a proprietary charging cord, which means one more thing to pack or lug around.

 

[starlite_]

That's seriously disappointing. I can't imagine the average guest wants to deal with charging an additional item to see their their writ glow or play some digital games in the park. Particularly with a proprietary charging cord, which means one more thing to pack or lug around.

I don't really mind charging, since the functionality you mention you want does not actually need charging to work. DLR does not have the door opening or purchase service active yet btw.
I do hate the proprietary cable thought, top reason I probably won't buy one.

 

[brentm77]

I don't really mind charging, since the functionality you mention you want does not actually need charging to work. DLR does not have the door opening or purchase service active yet btw.
I do hate the proprietary cable thought, top reason I probably won't buy one.

So you can use the plus version uncharged for the regular stuff? If so, then it doesn't bother me as much. It's odd to me that they didn't just make the system so you could use magic bands from WDW at DL too.

 

[Chickinvic]

So you can use the plus version uncharged for the regular stuff? If so, then it doesn't bother me as much. It's odd to me that they didn't just make the system so you could use magic bands from WDW at DL too.

Yes, you can absolutely use it uncharged. WDW and DL both use these new bands, so you can use them both places.

 

[Blue32]

So you can use the plus version uncharged for the regular stuff? If so, then it doesn't bother me as much. It's odd to me that they didn't just make the system so you could use magic bands from WDW at DL too.

Saw someone speculating that the reason DL only enables MB+ to be used to help pay for development and rollout of the new tech and we would likely see them add the ability to use regular at a later date. No inside knowledge though so we shall see. Sounds like something Disney would do though.

 

[ironband74]

Saw someone speculating that the reason DL only enables MB+ to be used to help pay for development and rollout of the new tech and we would likely see them add the ability to use regular at a later date. No inside knowledge though so we shall see. Sounds like something Disney would do though.

Maybe. It appears that MagicBand+ uses different radio technologies than the old magicbands, so it may be that the newer infrastructure will not be compatible with the older models.

Based on FCC filings the MB and MB2 transmits 2.4ghz signal (2.4 GHz ISM radio) and includes passive UHF and HF RFID tags.

MB+ Uses a 2.4 GHz BLE radio and uses NFC for passive comms.

The biggest difference seems to be that while MB/MB2 were transmitters only, MB+ is both a transmitter and a receiver.

But anyway, My guess is that the DLR infrastructure is built for NFC/BLE and does not include ISM/RFID, and adding it later on wouldn't make much sense. I imagine that at WDW the old infrastructure will be phased out over time and turned off in favor of MB+.

In any case, I'm excited to see what they do with the tech down the line - it has a lot of potential, even if some of it is a little creepy.

 

[Peachy0118]

Does anyone have any experience recently using them with photopass photographers? Since we travel as a couple and never have non-selfie pics of us together, the photopass photographers are a fantastic perk that really enhances Genie+ for us. Wondering how the magicbands+ work with them.

 

[ironband74]

Does anyone have any experience recently using them with photopass photographers? Since we travel as a couple and never have non-selfie pics of us together, the photopass photographers are a fantastic perk that really enhances Genie+ for us. Wondering how the magicbands+ work with them.

As I understand it, After they take your pictures, they use their device to scan the magic band the same way that they would scan your photopass code in the app. Basically their device uses the NFC functionality to read your band instead of scanning the phone.

 

[DizMe]

ironband74 is correct. It's so easy! Basically, they just tap their scanner against your magic band. I loved this feature!

 

[Peachy0118]

As I understand it, After they take your pictures, they use their device to scan the magic band the same way that they would scan your photopass code in the app. Basically their device uses the NFC functionality to read your band instead of scanning the phone.

ironband74 is correct. It's so easy! Basically, they just tap their scanner against your magic band. I loved this feature!

Perfect! Thanks so much...
As if we weren't convinced before, this is the extra icing on the gingerbread house to make sure we get them for our upcoming holiday trip.
(Because apparently my ear collection and loungefly collection and pin collection and pop collection and nuimo collection wasn't already enough of a reality...)

If they aren't charged, will they still work for the photos? Like, is this considered a 'basic' feature? (I am assuming yes, but...)

 

[ironband74]

Perfect! Thanks so much...
As if we weren't convinced before, this is the extra icing on the gingerbread house to make sure we get them for our upcoming holiday trip.
(Because apparently my ear collection and loungefly collection and pin collection and pop collection and nuimo collection wasn't already enough of a reality...)

If they aren't charged, will they still work for the photos? Like, is this considered a 'basic' feature? (I am assuming yes, but...)

Yes - basically anything that uses the "tap" functionality will work as the NFC can use the power of the reader to function - so scanning into the park, lightning lanes, and photopass don't require a charge.

A charge is needed for anything that uses the 2.4ghz BLE radio (right now that's basically the Bounty Hunter Game in SWGE, and the light up/vibrations that come with shows and certain attractions.)

 

[Peachy0118]

Yes - basically anything that uses the "tap" functionality will work as the NFC can use the power of the reader to function - so scanning into the park, lightning lanes, and photopass don't require a charge.

A charge is needed for anything that uses the 2.4ghz BLE radio (right now that's basically the Bounty Hunter Game in SWGE, and the light up/vibrations that come with shows and certain attractions.)

Great! Thanks so much!

 

[ironband74]

Looking forward to your trip report, especially what you think about finally staying on site. We stayed at GCH a little over 10 years ago due to a very reduced conference rate but haven’t done so since. Would love to hear from a semi-regular visitor that doesn’t normally stay on site, specifically DLH since we’ve never tried it.

Trip report is up: https://www.disboards.com/threads/january-2023-trip-report-1-2-1-6.3905969/