Stop the magic band madness

[harbin]

Soo I know we are very fortunate, we have been able to go to WDW several times in the last two years. Our last two trips have been spilt stays( which meant two bands each reservation) and we upgraded to an AP. We have upcoming trips in December, February, May. We are now the proud owners of so many bands they have their own drawer in our house! I'm sure we will be getting more for our upcoming trips as well. When will disney stop sending these every time you go? I wish they would just give an option to decline and use an old one. Seems like a huge waste of money and resources. I know this has been discussed before, but just got an email telling me to customize bands for AP.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Soo I know we are very fortunate, we have been able to go to WDW several times in the last two years. Our last two trips have been spilt stays( which meant two bands each reservation) and we upgraded to an AP. We have upcoming trips in December, February, May. We are now the proud owners of so many bands they have their own drawer in our house! I'm sure we will be getting more for our upcoming trips as well. When will disney stop sending these every time you go? I wish they would just give an option to decline and use an old one. Seems like a huge waste of money and resources. I know this has been discussed before, but just got an email telling me to customize bands for AP.

Many people don't realize this, but they don't send them if you don't customize them. When you get to resort they will offer you the generic gray bands, decline and tell them you have a MB...don't forget to bring it with you

FYI I have one, since testing, and have used it many many times also. They're supposed to last 2 maybe 3 years.

 

[worm761]

I did a split stay in August. We only received one set of magic bands. I was surprised because I had read here about people getting multiples for split stays. And my dad has a bunch from his trips over the last year and his AP.

 

[wilkeliza]

Many people don't realize this, but they don't send them if you don't customize them. When you get to resort they will offer you the generic gray bands, decline and tell them you have a MB...don't forget to bring it with you FYI I have one, since testing, and have used it many many times also. They're supposed to last 2 maybe 3 years.

Not all CMs will let you deny them. We had magic bands with us and tried to deny the others but they wouldn't let us do we chunked they gray ones when we got to the room and used our old ones.

 

[harbin]

Many people don't realize this, but they don't send them if you don't customize them. When you get to resort they will offer you the generic gray bands, decline and tell them you have a MB...don't forget to bring it with you

FYI I have one, since testing, and have used it many many times also. They're supposed to last 2 maybe 3 years.

I tried this with our last split stay... When we checked in at hotel, she offered us MB and I told her we already had them. No problem we used the ones we had! Problem solved..... Except a lovely box of all gray MB were in our mailbox when we got home two weeks later!

 

[Luvchefmic]

Not all CMs will let you deny them. We had magic bands with us and tried to deny the others but they wouldn't let us do we chunked they gray ones when we got to the room and used our old ones.

I tried this with our last split stay... When we checked in at hotel, she offered us MB and I told her we already had them. No problem we used the ones we had! Problem solved..... Except a lovely box of all gray MB were in our mailbox when we got home two weeks later!

Apparently some CMs need better training. What a waste.

 

[disneybirds]

I was told the grey ones at check-in were already customized with your name. I felt bad declining them, but we didn't need another set of bands!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Not all CMs will let you deny them. We had magic bands with us and tried to deny the others but they wouldn't let us do we chunked they gray ones when we got to the room and used our old ones.

How did they actually force you to take them?

 

[wilkeliza]

How did they actually force you to take them?

They just told use to take them in case there were any issues with the purchased limited edition ones. Of course we could have stood there and denied them but it is easier for everyone to just take them and trash them once we knew ours worked that to fight with a cm. I never said I was forced I simply said they gave us the gray ones. It is just easier to take the box and chunk it that argue with front desk CMs.

 

[Twigs]

We have MB's from last October. I spoke to a DVC CM and she said if you didn't have any problems with them (we didn't) just keep those and don't customize new ones, so we didn't. They sent us customized gray ones anyway, and on MDE it shows both sets as being active. We are going to bring both sets, but now I am wondering if I should deactivate the gray ones or won't it matter.

 

[Bluegrrl]

You can decline them and you can also turn them in for recycling. You just have to be persistent and firm with clueless cms. I have one that is linked to my ap and that is mine. A cm told me when I checked in at a resort that I needed new grey ones; I told him no. He got a real puzzled look on his face, like a deer in headlights. He even had to ask his manager about it! I was told that I needed the gray ones for the hotel! I had to be really be firm with this guy, but we got it straightened out in the end. He did act a little hurt though.
Told him take it back and recycle them. As a frequent visitor I don't need hundreds of MBs. And don't believe the whole, "lots of people like to take them home a souvenirs". Be firm. You don't need more mbs for 2/3 years.

 

[prk]

If I am correct, MBs are good for a whole year

 

[Spoiledraf]

Perhaps Disney is hoping to avoid the eventual breakdown of a band from power failure. Once they start dying during your stay there will be no end to the complaining about faulty bands. And I am guessing with the volume they produce they are probably being made for pennies apiece. And it's providing jobs for somebody out there. I say take the bands! Most folks don't go 5/6 times a year.

 

[Disneyaddictz]

Soo I know we are very fortunate, we have been able to go to WDW several times in the last two years. Our last two trips have been spilt stays( which meant two bands each reservation) and we upgraded to an AP. We have upcoming trips in December, February, May. We are now the proud owners of so many bands they have their own drawer in our house! I'm sure we will be getting more for our upcoming trips as well. When will disney stop sending these every time you go? I wish they would just give an option to decline and use an old one. Seems like a huge waste of money and resources. I know this has been discussed before, but just got an email telling me to customize bands for AP.

I totally agree with you I have more bands that I know what to do with! When they started charging other people for them I couldn't help but laugh.. Then feel bad! I also noticed that I got a shipment of magic bands and then a couple weeks later I upgraded to season passes and I got another box of season pass magic bands.... Holy magic bands

 

[dawnhaze]

Loop them all together and make a MagicBand garland for your Christmas tree?

 

[thisismyusername]

We could have quite a collection by now if we would have accepted each one that was offered to us. With five stays since they were implemented + multiple split stays (we usually do at least 3 resorts per trip) + all of us having APs (+ one renewal) x 5 people, I think we could have had very well have over 75 (or more!) at our house.

But we simply get one set per trip and decline the gray ones at the desk if they are there. They told us they could recycle them, and I really hope they do.

 

[LaurenT]

Just putting it out there tht if you don't customize your AP MB, no only will you not get the additional MB, but you probably don't get your discount card either .... So maybe customize that one and skip the resort MB...

 

[HelenParr]

It seems Disney didn't think it through very well, or maybe they just don't care if you have bands galore. The marketing for the roll out was way ahead of the glitchy tech implementation, so they likely have a ton of bands (with finite battery life) they need to use up.

While it seems wasteful, if that's how they want to do it, I've decided to follow along...I customize each time, same colors, with slightly varied nicknames so that we can readily tell which is newer. I'd just assume avoid discussing it, let alone arguing over it, with CMs at check in.

We have a bucket full of them, totally enough to make a Christmas decoration.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I was told the grey ones at check-in were already customized with your name. I felt bad declining them, but we didn't need another set of bands!

You can decline them and you can also turn them in for recycling. You just have to be persistent and firm with clueless cms. I have one that is linked to my ap and that is mine. A cm told me when I checked in at a resort that I needed new grey ones; I told him no. He got a real puzzled look on his face, like a deer in headlights. He even had to ask his manager about it! I was told that I needed the gray ones for the hotel! I had to be really be firm with this guy, but we got it straightened out in the end. He did act a little hurt though.
Told him take it back and recycle them. As a frequent visitor I don't need hundreds of MBs. And don't believe the whole, "lots of people like to take them home a souvenirs". Be firm. You don't need more mbs for 2/3 years.

The gray ones upon arrival are not personalized with your name. The box they are in at the desk doesn't even have a name on it. You decline it and they put it back in the pile for the next check-in that needs a MB.

No need to be forced into it or feel bad about hurting someone's feelings. I don't even know how either one of those scenarios happen. If the CM is misinformed you ask for the resort manager.

 

[thisismyusername]

Just putting it out there tht if you don't customize your AP MB, no only will you not get the additional MB, but you probably don't get your discount card either .... So maybe customize that one and skip the resort MB...

Right now, they are continuing to give a regular AP RFID ticket when you purchase a new or renew an AP, so I just show the AP along with my ID. The only reason I see to order an AP MB is if you don't have a resort reservation, or if you want the extra MB, or if you want the AP slider.