New resort reservation with old magic bands?

[westie55]

I have magic bands from our trip last year to Riviera. They are still listed as "active" in My Disney Experience. Do I have to do anything to link them to my current resort reservation for CCV? Or will they just work automatically? Thanks!

 

[Cheburashka]

I have magic bands from our trip last year to Riviera. They are still listed as "active" in My Disney Experience. Do I have to do anything to link them to my current resort reservation for CCV? Or will they just work automatically? Thanks!

You only have to go in and activate them if they're not activated. I actually had the experience during a recent trip of my existing band not getting me into my resort room upon arrival (late at night, lugging luggage, exhausted, far from the lobby) because my band wasn't activated. I have several & the system didn't display the band pattern online, so I had linked the wrong band. Make sure you link yours correctly so you can avoid such unpleasantness.

 

[westie55]

You have to go in and link them. I actually had the experience during a recent trip of my existing band not getting me into my resort room upon arrival (late at night, lugging luggage, exhausted, far from the lobby) because my band wasn't yet linked. I have several & the system didn't display the band pattern online, so I had linked the wrong band. Make sure you link yours correctly so you can avoid such unpleasantness.

Glad I asked. Do you happen to know how I go about doing this? The only option I could find under "magic bands" was to purchase new ones.

 

[decheez]

Actually, as long as the bands and the resort reservations are both linked in MDE, you're good to go. Since your current bands are already linked to MDE from your previous trip, as long as your current reservation is as well you're fine. The bands don't link directly to a reservation, everything points back to MDE as a central repository.

ETA: You can check on your magic band status in the app. If you're using the mobile app go to 'My Profile' and there is an option for MagicBands and Cards. It will show you everything active/inactive etc. So as long as they're there, you're good.

 

[Marionnette]

Glad I asked. Do you happen to know how I go about doing this? The only option I could find under "magic bands" was to purchase new ones.

If your reservation is linked in MDE then your old bands are already linked to it and you shouldn't have to do anything. However, like @Cheburashka I have also experienced having my MB not work to unlock my resort room door. It has nothing to do with whether the MB is linked in MDE and everything to do with the hotel system. My brother once had such a bad experience at GF where his MB repeatedly failed to open his room and he had to have the MB reset at the desk in the lobby on a daily basis.

 

[Cheburashka]

Glad I asked. Do you happen to know how I go about doing this? The only option I could find under "magic bands" was to purchase new ones.

In the Magic Bands section, go to "Manage Magic Bands or Cards". Find the existing Magic Band you want to use. Make sure the number from under the band matches the one on the screen, even if the design doesn't match. Then click "Activate". If it's already activated (in that case the only choices will be "Deactivate" or "Report Lost"), then you're all set.

It's true that you don't have to specially activate them for each trip, but if you have dozens of bands from countless trips over the years some might have gotten deactivated (happened to me), so you want to check and make sure the bands you all plan to use are activated.

 

[westie55]

In the Magic Bands section, go to "Manage Magic Bands or Cards". Find the existing Magic Band you want to use (make sure the number from under the band matches the one on the screen, even if the design doesn't match- my mistake was not doing that). Then click "Activate". If it's already activated (in that case the only choices will be "Deactivate" or "Report Lost"), then you're all set.

It's true that you don't have to specially activate them for each trip, but if you have dozens of bands some might have gotten deactivated (happened to me), so you want to check and make sure the bands you all plan to use are activated.

Thanks, everyone! They are already activated so I guess I'm good to go! You all saved me an hour of my life waiting on hold for a Disney CM!

 

[SwanVT2]

In the Magic Bands section, go to "Manage Magic Bands or Cards". Find the existing Magic Band you want to use. Make sure the number from under the band matches the one on the screen, even if the design doesn't match. Then click "Activate". If it's already activated (in that case the only choices will be "Deactivate" or "Report Lost"), then you're all set.

It's true that you don't have to specially activate them for each trip, but if you have dozens of bands from countless trips over the years some might have gotten deactivated (happened to me), so you want to check and make sure the bands you all plan to use are activated.

So I have 6 Magicbands activated still from previous trips. Am I to assume that if I just arrive to SSR on my next trip, that the magicband I used last year will open our hotel room? Thanks!

 

[Marionnette]

So I have 6 Magicbands activated still from previous trips. Am I to assume that if I just arrive to SSR on my next trip, that the magicband I used last year will open our hotel room? Thanks!

Let's say that it should open your door. Two years ago, none of my MBs would open my door at VGF and I had to go to the desk to have one of them fixed so that I could get in.

 

[jen7233]

So we are here now, and before I left I looked on my my Disney account and our old bands were still active and assigned properly. But when we got here they wouldn’t work with the room door (got in room with app on phone), but wanted to also use the bands as a quick convenience option other than phone-tried our bands and none worked. So, DH went up to the front desk and they got it fixed, now the bands do work.

 

[Cheburashka]

So I have 6 Magicbands activated still from previous trips. Am I to assume that if I just arrive to SSR on my next trip, that the magicband I used last year will open our hotel room? Thanks!

I did not have luck with my existing MB opening the door upon my arrival during my last trip (after the trip I described above when the issue had been me using the wrong band). It took them a very long time to fix the problem, and they blamed it on me having several MBs in the system.

So much for appreciation for being a regular customer.

 

[SwanVT2]

I did not have luck with my existing MB opening the door upon my arrival during my last trip. It took them a very long time to fix the problem, and they blamed it on me having several MBs in the system.

So much for appreciation for being a regular customer.

Boo!

 

[Her Dotness]

As stunningly reliable and efficient as Disney tech is (sarcasm alert!), it's a good idea, I suspect, to deactivate old MBs and check to be sure only the few you'll take are active.

I don't know if that actually helps but recall seeing another poster advised that deactivating all you're not going to use is wise.

Maybe, maybe not, as many times as we've had brand new MBs we knew were active refuse to unlock our room upon arriving.