Tell me about "Magic Bands"

[hsmytwins]

We will be staying at Ft Wilderness for 10 nights in April. We will NOT be going to any Disney parks.

Is there any reason I need to buy these bands? Can't I just use a normal credit card to make purchases?

What am I missing?

 

[4077]

Others will chime in with more, but you get bands for "free" with your resort stay ("free" as in you don't have to pay any additional fee...you paid for them by paying to stay at Fort). At the Fort, you will use them for comfort station access, and you COULD use them to purchase IF you decided you wanted to link a credit card to them. IF you were going to the parks, they would be used for Fast Passes and gate admission and once again to pay IF you linked a credit card to them..... obviously that is not applicable to you. There are customizable and decorated magic bands available for purchase (I think $20+, but don't quote me) for those that want more than the basic magic band that all resort guests get for "free". Others can offer more and better detail about other things they are used from for ( I think it also does some stuff with photo pass and is also part of some of the interactions at certain attractions i.e.: test track), but at this late hour I can at least get you started with you will get bands but you DO NOT have to pay any extra for them. Have a great stay!

Oh yeah, yes you can just use regular credit card for purchases.

 

[G719]

You will receive the Magic bands at no additional cost as you are staying onsite. You may need to use a band to get into the comfort stations. I had to use mine to get into the laundry room. You may be able to get a key card though for this.
You are not required to use them to pay. You can even opt to not have charging privileges on the bands.

You can opt out of receiving the bands too if you really don't want them. But they don't cost you any extra. And it's not like Disney is going to charge you less for the campsite if you don't get them.

 

[madjohn]

Do you have to wait until you get to the fort to get the magicbands or can you order them early. Referring to the free ones, not the ones you purchase.

Thanks

 

[G719]

Do you have to wait until you get to the fort to get the magicbands or can you order them early. Referring to the free ones, not the ones you purchase.

Thanks

After you book your trip, you can go on your account online and customize your bands. You get to pick which color everyone wants and add a name to be printed on the inside. I can't remember the deadline for doing this. It may be about a month before your arrival. Then the bands will ship to your house.

 

[dbbargain]

All on-site guests get it for free irrespective of their booking channel ? In other words, If I book thru Orbitz/agency at All Sports, will I get a magic band free shipped to me ?

 

[uccats97]

All on-site guests get it for free irrespective of their booking channel ? In other words, If I book thru Orbitz/agency at All Sports, will I get a magic band free shipped to me ?

Yes. All Disney resort guests get MagicBands included with their stay.

 

[uccats97]

Do you have to wait until you get to the fort to get the magicbands or can you order them early. Referring to the free ones, not the ones you purchase.
Thanks

Your MagicBands must be customized more than 30 days prior to check-in and will be mailed to your home address. If you do not customize your MagicBands prior to the deadline, you will receive standard gray bands upon check-in to your resort.

 

[wareagle57]

Do you need your magic band to get into the comfort stations at all hours, or just late at night?

 

[Napria]

Do you need your magic band to get into the comfort stations at all hours, or just late at night?

All hours. Comfort stations (and laundry facilities) are always locked, so you'll need your magicband (or card key)

 

[hsmytwins]

Thanks. So....I need to set up an online account to customize bands. I guess this is something that I need to get going on very soon!

 

[hsmytwins]

Another question: are they reusable from year to year, or would we need to buy new ones with each trip?

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

Another question: are they reusable from year to year, or would we need to buy new ones with each trip?

They have an internal battery that dies around the 2 year mark. But, as logn as you stay on Disney property you can get new bands with each stay. At this point we have enough magic bands to make garland for our Christmas tree. You do have the option to decline new bands as well (in MDE), but we like having different color options. Each band can be reused -- they all "unlock" the same information, even if the band was from a previous trip.

 

[bama_ed]

hsmytwins,

Again, you don't pay for them if you are staying on property. They are free. You can customize them through MDE for color and adding a name. You have until 30 days before arrival to customize or decline MB for each trip. At t-30 days, they ship to your home.

They are reusable to a degree. They have an active chip that will die after a period of time and a passive chip that will continue to work. The active chip can detect your presence from several feet away (think photo on Space Mountain, having a character princess greet you by name, etc.). The passive chip is the one read when you hold the MB up to the reader for FP+ admission, etc. If you aren't enamored by the active features (I'm not), no need to keep getting new ones.

That's why I bought character MBs from the Disney Store online. I plan to reuse them on subsequent visits. But you don't have to use MBs (completely optional). Disney will still give you the magnetic card to use otherwise.

Bama Ed

PS - you can link a credit card to the MB for charges but you don't have to. I don't.

 

[peg110]

All hours. Comfort stations (and laundry facilities) are always locked, so you'll need your magicband (or card key)

When we were at the fort in 2014, you only needed the MB for the comfort station in the evening. They were open during the daytime without the MB. The laundry, however, was always locked.

So I don't know if this has changed or not as far as the Comfort stations go.

 

[hsmytwins]

Thanks.

What is "MDE"?

 

[PaHunter]

Thanks.

What is "MDE"?

My Disney Experience. It is a Disney app that allows you to manage everything Disney.

 

[bama_ed]

Thanks.

What is "MDE"?

My Disney Experience is a link at the top of the www.disneyworld.com web screen. Create an account for your self and members of your family, link your reservation number, and this becomes your hub for tickets, dining reservations, etc. MDE has a helpful HELP or resource section to describe it.

Your smart phone can download an MDE app to keep up with but I think it's easier to start out doing it on a pc.

Bama Ed

 

[hsmytwins]

"MDE app" ... downloaded to my iphone. of course, it won't work. had to call the "customer service", which is an oxymoron. Still doesn't work.

Customer service person told me I don't need to manage anything ahead of time....I can just do it all at check in. Guess that's what it'll be for me. (I don't really understand y'alls love affair with Disney. My reservation experience was awful and this experience is sub-par too.)

 

[hsmytwins]

Called back & got a NICE person. It took 15 minutes, but she took me through the entire thing. Moral = if you get a rude customer service person, hang up and call back to get someone else. (Should've done that when I was making my reservation....I rode out the call and hung up feeling very frustrated with the person on the other end of the phone. Oddly enough, there was no "survey" after the rude customer service people, but there was one after this nice person. Hmmm....I'm sure that's not a coincidence.)