New interactive Magic Bands

[mommycrawford]

....Looks like you can reinvent the wheel!...Thanks Disneyworld $$!! I guess this turns guests into non union, unpaid performers.

 

[Boopuff]

I was worried that the magicband was going to disappear. Glad to see that they're still around and the upgrade sounds fun. I personally like magic band, and my DH is a huge fan he loves to "swipe and go".

 

[shawthorne44]

I think the reason for the phone part wasn't because they were doing away with Magic Bands, but because they did away with the free MB's. I don't think they particularly care that the phones don't work that great.

 

[mousestruck]

I still have a Pal Mickey!……somewhere

Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking! Sounds a lot like Pal Mickey, though that was short-lived.

 

[soniam]

This feels like a dumb question (sorry) but it's based off of my experience last week. Beyond apple watches/bands, etc - have MBs ever been able to tell time? It was so frustrating to constantly check my wrist (feeling like I was wearing a watch) only to find out nothing and then need to pull my phone out (at least enough to see the time). When I saw the headline for this, I had some hopes but the images seem not to have anything like this. Was there ever a phase or was it just not that annoying to others?

That's the first thing my son asked. No, MBs do not currently tell time. Apple watches can't do FP or open your hotel room. So, you are stuck with both or using a phone instead of the Apple watch.

I'm pretty sure I had seen a slider or jibit for magicbands that had a working clock.

There was a clock face that my son says was a slider and would only go on the band part. I think they came out with MB 1.0 but were discontinued. They were really big, bulky, and ugly.

 

[SMF_mom23]

I really like the idea of the functionality of the new MB+, but do not want to pay for yet another MB-type device as we already have several. Plus, I've got a feeling these are going to be rather expensive. That said, I would be willing to pay for an a phone/smartwatch app that brought the same functionality to my existing devices. I can see how this might be difficult to develop/implement based on different hardware, software, and update schedules, but I wonder if it would be possible and/or how much more difficult/costly it would be to work off the existing tech of MB+.

 

[shawthorne44]

It seems that the MB+ might be worthwhile for those with DVC. Since they'll be going for a long time in the future, the recharging might mean just keeping that one.