Using Magic Bands before checking into Hotel

[NWADisney]

We are flying in Sunday night and plan on celebrating my daughter's 16th birthday at Wilderness Lodge restaurant before checking into hotel (not Wilderness Lodge). I have already done online check-in. Has anyone started using their magic bands to enter parks or use dining plan before actually checking into hotel in person? Just want to make sure dining plan will be active.

 

[Tashak]

We were able to get into the park before checking in to our hotel, we did go to guest relations before trying to make sure it would work.

Our dining plan wasn't active until we checked in though.

 

[hiroMYhero]

If you have completed online check-in and chosen an arrival time that's an hour or so before you actually arrive, everything will be activated for you.

Online check-in is now considered direct-to-room check-in. Your room number will be sent by text to you.

 

[Robo]

We are flying in Sunday night and plan on celebrating my daughter's 16th birthday at Wilderness Lodge restaurant before checking into hotel (not Wilderness Lodge). I have already done online check-in. Has anyone started using their magic bands to enter parks or use dining plan before actually checking into hotel in person? Just want to make sure dining plan will be active.

If you have tickets that were purchased as part of a WDW Resort PACKAGE...
you need to go to Guest Relations outside the park and have your tickets activated in advance.
You can do this up to ten days before your package check-in date.

If you bought your tickets separately from your resort stay, and have them in your MDE account, you can use the tickets via your MagicBand any time.

 

[marinejjh]

Not sure if I read this correctly, we are arriving at 930am and plan to go to he resort and then the park and have dinner reservations that afternoon. Do I need to go into the resort and check in or can I just get on a bus and go straight to the park? How would you know if your magic bands are active?

 

[Robo]

Not sure if I read this correctly, we are arriving at 930am and plan to go to he resort and then the park and have dinner reservations that afternoon. Do I need to go into the resort and check in or can I just get on a bus and go straight to the park? How would you know if your magic bands are active?

The MagicBands, themselves, don't need to be "activated"
as long as they are in your MDE file.
It's the TICKETS that need to be activated.
(The tickets will be accessed via MagicBands.)

If you want to go to a theme park on the SAME DAY as check-in,
and you have specified with On-Line Check-in that you will be
at the resort that morning (I'd set that time as 8AM or earlier) your tickets will be active
as early as the time that you specified.

If this is a day or more BEFORE your check-in date, then you need to go to Guest Relations
to get the tickets activated.

 

[kalliyan1]

Does anyone know if you can use the theme park tickets prior to your resort package starting: We have a room only reservation (May 28) on the night before our package starts(same hotel) With our package that starts May 29, we have room, tix, and dining. Will we be able to use the theme park tickets on May 28 to go to a park? I know we can't use the dining.

 

[Robo]

Does anyone know if you can use the theme park tickets prior to your resort package starting: We have a room only reservation (May 28) on the night before our package starts(same hotel) With our package that starts May 29, we have room, tix, and dining. Will we be able to use the theme park tickets on May 28 to go to a park? I know we can't use the dining.

I'm anyone.
Go to any Guest Relations outside any park, or at TTC, or at DS/DTD, and you can activate your resort package tickets up to 10 days before your check-in date.

 

[Virtucomp]

The new online check-in activates everything on the day you are scheduled to arrive. We did online check-in at AK Kidani villa. I got a text with our room number and the parking section. I parked in the lot and put our luggage in the room since we had a rental. The magic band opened the room and then we went to the park. Never stopped at the front desk. As Robo said everything is keyed on your arrival day so if you want to start a day early got to guest relations at the park.

BTW it was very cool to just walk in to our room without having to trek to the desk. We had been at Universal for the days before and the experience at check in was the opposite. A lot of time and effort to check in at Universal.

 

[Nancyg56]

Does anyone know if you can use the theme park tickets prior to your resort package starting: We have a room only reservation (May 28) on the night before our package starts(same hotel) With our package that starts May 29, we have room, tix, and dining. Will we be able to use the theme park tickets on May 28 to go to a park? I know we can't use the dining.

I do online check in. My friend was on my package but she arrived a day earlier than the rest of us and wanted to use her tickets that morning before I arrived to check into my room. She needed to go to guest relations at the park. Please believe this is the answer. As has already been stated, you need to activate the tickets at guest relations.

 

[jodybird511]

So if I understand correctly, dining plan should automatically be activated on day of arrival, right? We are doing a single-night, non-package stay at WL, followed by a 4-day package at CR. We've already checked in online to both resorts. We are planning to dine at Whispering Canyon the morning of our first package day (morning after our one-night stay at WL)--wanting to make sure our dining plan (attached to the CR stay)is going to be active.

 

[Robo]

So if I understand correctly, dining plan should automatically be activated on day of arrival, right? We've already checked in online to both resorts.

Yup.

 

[kalliyan1]

I'm anyone.
Go to any Guest Relations outside any park, or at TTC, or at DS/DTD, and you can activate your resort package tickets up to 10 days before your check-in date.

Thank you "anyone"....