Two CM told me yesterday that they will eventually charge for magic bands.

[doconeill]

Yea, we have several as well. Seems like there should be an option to not receive new bands.

I _think_ the way to do it is to not customize at all, then refuse the "Iconic Gray" ones they give you at the resort and have them re-activate your existing ones for the room.

 

[Jerseymomof2]

You can use your ticket for entry and FP+. So having the MB is just a convenience. So offsite can decide if they want to pay for it or not. I don't see a problem with that.

I usually stay off site (with relatives) besides Fast Pass what other advantage would a Magic Band have for people staying off-site?

I am missing something?

 

[doconeill]

I usually stay off site (with relatives) besides Fast Pass what other advantage would a Magic Band have for people staying off-site?

I am missing something?

One feature of the MagicBand that isn't available in the regular tickets is the active transmitter, which can be read at a further distance than the passive ones that they all have (where you need to practically touch the reader).

Uses for this feature are still in development, but one I know is in use it being able to automatically associate some ride photos to your account by being able to detect your band when the photo is taken. Planned uses include personalized messages in attractions, characters knowing names before you approach, etc.

Forgot to add...I still believe they intend to add the ability to make purchases via the band similar the way on-site guests can charge to their room. But rather than do direct charges to the credit card (which means more transaction fees and might be a PCI issue for the card issuers) they will probably set up an account similar to the room charge, allow you to charge up to a certain limit, then push the total charge to the card in one transaction.

 

[tjkraz]

It's bee generally rumored for a while that Disney will sell bands to non-resort/non-AP guests...number I've been hearing consistently is $15/pop.

It's not even rumored...right from the get-go, they said that off-site guests would get the RFID-enabled ticket cards and be able to purchase MagicBands if they wish. Believe Staggs himself said that on the Disney Parks Blog 12-18 months ago when they first published details about the entire program.

 

[amomma23]

Starting next week, offsite guests will be able to purchase 1 for $12.95. They will also be able to start pre-scheduling FP+ at 30 days out for up to 7 days.

 

[jade1]

I usually stay off site (with relatives) besides Fast Pass what other advantage would a Magic Band have for people staying off-site?

I am missing something?

I suppose it allows you in the park gates, might be a bit easier than keeping track of park passes, but not a big deal I guess.

 

[pugdog]

I _think_ the way to do it is to not customize at all, then refuse the "Iconic Gray" ones they give you at the resort and have them re-activate your existing ones for the room.

No reactivation needed. If you look in MDE all of your magic bands are already active and you could use any or all of them. The MB's are associated with your MDE not your current reservation.

 

[doconeill]

No reactivation needed. If you look in MDE all of your magic bands are already active and you could use any or all of them. The MB's are associated with your MDE not your current reservation.

I said "for the room". I believe they DO need to associate them specifically for room access and charging. I could be mistaken though but I'm pretty sure there were reports that the front desk does need to do something.

You can use them interchangeably at will at the parks for entry and FP+.

 

[acreasy]

any news on when they might be available to offsite guests?

 

[doconeill]

any news on when they might be available to offsite guests?

I don't believe it is fully confirmed yet, but WDW Magic reported that March 31st advanced FP+ selections will be opened to everyone, with a 30 day window/7 day max, same as Annual Passholders.

 

[staceyrhood]

I don't believe it is fully confirmed yet, but WDW Magic reported that March 31st advanced FP+ selections will be opened to everyone, with a 30 day window/7 day max, same as Annual Passholders.

Disney Dining announced the same thing yesterday.