Using your Magic Band Early...

[mfriedl1]

Hey All!!
So I have a (probably really easy) question...

I'm going on a business trip to the Bonnet Creek Hilton in May and after the work part is done I'm staying in the world for 4 days/3 nights. With the "buy 4 days, get one free" promotion going on, I have 5 days to use, but I can only can use 4 days!

My question is can I use my magic band before I check in to the Disney resort? ie - I'm arriving for business on Sunday and checking in to Pop Century on Wednesday. Could I use the "extra" day on Monday or Tuesday?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Not if you have a package. You'd have to pick up your package tickets while you are there, at a Guest Relations, at any park or Disney Springs.

That's regarding the tickets, not the Magic Band. You can use the Magic Band. If you purchased the ticket separately from the room, it would work. But if you bought the tickets and room as a package, you can't access the tickets until the date you check in for the package. Unless you stop by Guest Relations and have the ticket activated early.

 

[mfriedl1]

I haven't been down since the whole magic band thing started, but can't you have them send the magic band to your home?
Is it a matter of activating it?

 

[hiroMYhero]

You can activate your ticket portion of a package up to 10 days early. Then, use your MB for entrance and FP.

You won't be able to book FPs for those early days until you activate your tickets.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I haven't been down since the whole magic band thing started, but can't you have them send the magic band to your home?
Is it a matter of activating it?

Your MB will be sent to you. Make sure you customize your MB in your MDE account before it gets shipped to you.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

You don't activate the band. The band doesn't store any information, it doesn't do anything but read what is connected to your MDX account (your resort reservation, and your tickets, and your fastpass reservations). You'll have all that stuff in your account for your band to read, but if you bought a package, your tickets aren't going to be ready to use until your resort is, because you bought them connected together. You have to "disconnect" the tickets from the room to use them earlier. Guest Relations at WDW can do that for you.

Because you won't have tickets for any day prior to the Wednesday until you get to WDW, go to Guest Relations and "disconnect" the tickets from the room, you won't be able to make FP reservations for any day before Wednesday ahead of time. You'll be able to make them for the early days once you have the ticket activated to cover them.

What's throwing you off is the use of the magic band. You can use a magic band anytime. And yes, they will send you one. But if you have a resort/tickets package, you won't be able to use your band to enter a park before Wednesday until you have the tickets uncoupled from the resort reservation. If you did not purchase your room and tickets as a package, then you will be able to scan your band and enter a park before Wednesday.

 

[wilkeliza]

I haven't been down since the whole magic band thing started, but can't you have them send the magic band to your home?
Is it a matter of activating it?

Clarification - Did you buy your tickets at the same exact time you booked your room and thus it is a package?
Did you buy your tickets separately through a company discount program?
Did you buy your tickets directly through Disney but not at the same time as your package and did not call Disney and have it added on to make it a package for the sake of a discount?

 

[mfriedl1]

I have a package (tickets and Room) not purchased through a company discount program.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Then, if you want to use your ticket on Monday or Tuesday, you'll first need to visit a Guest Relations window to have your ticket separated from your room package. There are windows outside (and inside) the gates of all four parks, and at Disney Springs.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I have a package (tickets and Room) not purchased through a company discount program.

Have you customized your MB? If you don't, a gray one will be sent to you.

As soon as you activate your tickets, you can use your MB to enter the parks and FP lines.

 

[wilkeliza]

I have a package (tickets and Room) not purchased through a company discount program.

Ok then to use your tickets early you just stop by Guest Relations at any park or Disney Springs. As long as you have your magic band it does not have to be activated. You won't be able to make FP+ for any day before the package stay until you get the tickets delinked by GR. At that point you can use the tickets no problem. If for whatever reason you don't receive your MB you can still enter the park and use almost all functions of the MB except autoload photopass pictures and the special ending at Its A Small World buy using the card they give you for your tickets.

 

[mfriedl1]

Ok, thanks! At least I know I can try and make sure that "extra" day doesn't completely go to waste!