Magic Bands - Used?

[Frozen2014]

Last time we were at WDW in 2014 we had magic bands. They were amazing as they opened our resort room, had our fast passes, knew our dining reservations. So convenient.

I'm confused though...are they still used with Genie+? Or are we back to needing cards? Or do we use our phones?
I also see they are low in availability.

If still used, should we pre-order them now? Or do we purchase when we get there (if they have in stock)?

We are coming from Canada if that makes a difference for when/how to order.

I know they no longer free but seems so much better than a phone or card....esp for our kids as we won't all lug phones around.

 

[Anna131517]

Yes, you can still use them but now you have to buy them yourself. If you don’t buy them you can use your phone (put the ticket(s) in your wallet) or I think you can get a plastic card type ticket and room key. I like magic bands and we bought them for our last trip. They’re very convenient. However, if you’re trying to save money, they’re not strictly necessary. Two of my kids lost their magic bands at various points in our last trip and we used their tickets on my phone. It took longer to scan them in using my phone, especially when going on rides using lightning lanes, but it’s doable. If you do decide to use them, preorder them and link them to your MDE account before you arrive to make things seemless.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Last time we were at WDW in 2014 we had magic bands. They were amazing as they opened our resort room, had our fast passes, knew our dining reservations. So convenient.

I'm confused though...are they still used with Genie+? Or are we back to needing cards? Or do we use our phones?
I also see they are low in availability.

If still used, should we pre-order them now? Or do we purchase when we get there (if they have in stock)?

We are coming from Canada if that makes a difference for when/how to order.

I know they no longer free but seems so much better than a phone or card....esp for our kids as we won't all lug phones around.

You can use the 2014 ones if you'd like.

Nothing was ever loaded or stored on the bands themselves. All of your reservations, FastPasses (then), Lightning Lanes (now), etc. are stored on your My Disney Experience profile, not the band. All the band does is tell the kiosk "@Frozen2014 is here" and then the kiosk checks your MDX to see what entitlements you have.

You could use your phone, ten different MagicBands, and a plastic card interchangeably throughout a single day or five years apart. As long as they are linked to your profile, they'll function the same.

The one exception to this is long-range features such as automatic ride photo linking (without needing to tap your band to a touch point). This would require a "fresh" band no more than 2-3 years old because it needs a live battery. Touchpoints will work with a dead battery or, in the case of a plastic card, no battery at all.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks. I don't mind paying for the bands , as it's worth it for the convenience...esp as our kids won't lug their phones.

If I am in Canada, does that make a difference? Can they ship here? Or to our resort? Good to know our old bands would work (as I think I kept then) but I'd be worried battery would die. Not getting photopass so ride pictures don't matter.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Thanks. I don't mind paying for the bands , as it's worth it for the convenience...esp as our kids won't lug their phones.

If I am in Canada, does that make a difference? Can they ship here? Or to our resort? Good to know our old bands would work (as I think I kept then) but I'd be worried battery would die. Not getting photopass so ride pictures don't matter.

If you're not getting PhotoPass, you don't need the battery and it won't matter if they're dead.

 

[Frozen2014]

If you're not getting PhotoPass, you don't need the battery and it won't matter if they're dead.

How does it work without a battery? I remember you scan the band in the machines.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

How does it work without a battery? I remember you scan the band in the machines.

The same way it would scan a plastic card that never had a battery to begin with. The band has an RFID code that is scanned by the touchpoints. The power for the "transaction" is provided by the scanner, not the thing being scanned.

The battery is only needed for long-range scanning. In those cases, the band needs to project a bubble around you so it can be scanned from a distance, but this is pretty much only used for PhotoPass.

 

[Frozen2014]

The same way it would scan a plastic card that never had a battery to begin with. The band has an RFID code that is scanned by the touchpoints. The power for the "transaction" is provided by the scanner, not the thing being scanned.

The battery is only needed for long-range scanning. In those cases, the band needs to project a bubble around you so it can be scanned from a distance, but this is pretty much only used for PhotoPass.

That's pretty cool. Thanks for explaining.
Am 99% sure I kept those magic bands as a souvenir. Didn't realize they would be re-usable.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That's pretty cool. Thanks for explaining.
Am 99% sure I kept those magic bands as a souvenir. Didn't realize they would be re-usable.

If they're original MagicBand versus MagicBand 2, it might be worth upgrading anyways. The newer style is much more comfortable IMO.

Newer one on the right.

 

[PolyRob]

If they're original MagicBand versus MagicBand 2, it might be worth upgrading anyways. The newer style is much more comfortable IMO.

Newer one on the right.

View attachment 664485

I was going to say the same thing. The original 1.0 MB is super thick and rigid. It updated to a thinner material in 2016 when purple was introduced that was more flexible and comfortable, but the "watch" style with the puck is definitely superior. I think it's worth upgrading after 8 years.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I was going to say the same thing. The original 1.0 MB is super thick and rigid. It updated to a thinner material in 2016 when purple was introduced that was more flexible and comfortable, but the "watch" style with the puck is definitely superior. I think it's worth upgrading after 8 years.

It also scans better. The old band had to be held juuuuuuuust right on the touch point to be read, but the new one is much more forgiving.

 

[PolyRob]

It also scans better. The old band had to be held juuuuuuuust right on the touch point to be read, but the new one is much more forgiving.

Yes! How many times did you hear "Mickey to Mickey" when MyMagic+ first rolled out? Now the readers are credit card terminals and all the tapstyles are flat instead of curved!

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

The same way it would scan a plastic card that never had a battery to begin with. The band has an RFID code that is scanned by the touchpoints. The power for the "transaction" is provided by the scanner, not the thing being scanned.

The battery is only needed for long-range scanning. In those cases, the band needs to project a bubble around you so it can be scanned from a distance, but this is pretty much only used for PhotoPass.

What a GOOD & clear explanation!! Thank you!

 

[Disturbia]

The magic sliders are not a good fit on the newer MBs. I use neon colored rubber bands to keep them from falling down.

On one of our trips, our son lost his MB walking into Epcot, but we were able to locate it as he did have it on when we got off the bus (pre Skyliner era). I make sure to do a check every time we get on/off of transportation (bus/Skyliner) etc. The kids also take them off for the pool/slides (hard to find).

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks so much for the visual and comments. I found my daughter's band (bottom of sock drawer...lol) and it looks like the one on the left. It's thin and just a rectangle shape, but it looks a bit worn so maybe we get new ones anyways. Good to know they don't stay on as well. Will watch.

So if buying....is it better to pre-order (can we even do if we are in Canada?)? Or do we just pick them up there somewhere when we arrive? Our first park day is the day after we arrive so would have time if onsite.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Thanks so much for the visual and comments. I found my daughter's band (bottom of sock drawer...lol) and it looks like the one on the left. It's thin and just a rectangle shape, but it looks a bit worn so maybe we get new ones anyways. Good to know they don't stay on as well. Will watch.

So if buying....is it better to pre-order (can we even do if we are in Canada?)? Or do we just pick them up there somewhere when we arrive? Our first park day is the day after we arrive so would have time if onsite.

Availability has been all over the place due to the supply chain issues. If you see a style you like online, order it when you see it because it might not be available the next day (or the next hour). I don't believe they'll ship them internationally, but you'd be able to pick them up when you check in. If you don't see a style that speaks to you, waiting is fine too. Just know that you can only place one order per reservation. So if there are 4 of you traveling and you only see styles that 2 of you like so you order them, you won't be able to complete a second order for the other 2, they would have to wait until you got to the resort.

Not to further complicate things, but there's a third style that has been announced but isn't out yet... MagicBand+. It's not supposed to replace MagicBand 2, it's supposed to be a "premium" version, with some LED lights, vibration, and a rechargeable battery. Nobody has any idea when it's supposed to come out or how much it will cost.

 

[Frozen2014]

Availability has been all over the place due to the supply chain issues. If you see a style you like online, order it when you see it because it might not be available the next day (or the next hour). I don't believe they'll ship them internationally, but you'd be able to pick them up when you check in. If you don't see a style that speaks to you, waiting is fine too. Just know that you can only place one order per reservation. So if there are 4 of you traveling and you only see styles that 2 of you like so you order them, you won't be able to complete a second order for the other 2, they would have to wait until you got to the resort.

Not to further complicate things, but there's a third style that has been announced but isn't out yet... MagicBand+. It's not supposed to replace MagicBand 2, it's supposed to be a "premium" version, with some LED lights, vibration, and a rechargeable battery. Nobody has any idea when it's supposed to come out or how much it will cost.

Thank you. You've been very helpful!

Our trip is late August so we have time to wait to see about the MagicBand+. Not picky on the style (except our 17 year old son won't want to wear a princess...lol). Our current ones are plain grey. Our trip was so long ago but I'm pretty sure we got them when we checked in at the resort (but they were no cost so just part of our tickets).

OK....so maybe we should wait, and just bring the ones that we have? I assume it's pretty easy if we see ones we like once we are there and have them attached to our MDE? Then again, we don't want to pay a lot and it seems like pre-ordering, we can get one for $20 vs regular $35 for a picture, or $10 vs $20 for the basic (all USD), which is a savings for a family of four.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Then again, we don't want to pay a lot and it seems like pre-ordering, we can get one for $20 vs regular $35 for a picture, or $10 vs $20 for the basic (all USD), which is a savings for a family of four.

Etsy shops also sell decals you can put over plain ones. I think they're pretty cheap if that's something that interests you. You could buy the discounted solid color ones, then get the Etsy decals to customize.

 

[Disturbia]

The latest magic bands (MB+) also interact with the golden statues throughout the parks

The second release MBs (not plus) are able to interact a bit as well; the only effect we knew about was the name displayed at the end of IASW, but apparently there are others (see Paging Mr Morrow’s video below)

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks for the videos!