MagicBands Anonymous

[WDWRLD]

Did someone say magic bands.....and that is just some of the origionl version ones we have far more magic band 2 that those. It was interesting testing them before they rolled out to the public. In fact the first one I had to test back in 2013 was just before the D23 Expo. I had to fly to WDW for the day then flew home, spent the night then flew to Anahiem for the Expo. You should have seen the confused look on the faces of the magic band team at their booth when I scanned my own band on their display machines.

Anyhow, I too enjoy the planning but somtimes overplanning isnt good. I plan peoples vacations, thats my job making it so they can get what they want to get out of their vacation to Disney and I enjoy that. Try having groups of 30 and every family has diffrent "must do's" but they want to do everything together....and that includes dining....try getting a ADR for 30 at Ohana sometime....lol

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[Pretzel Kaiser]

Just booked my April trip and picked this. I’m genuinely hoping that they won’t have boarding passes for RotR ay that point because it would suck to be forced to do two days.

 

[Zachary]

That special preorder price is a steal. Thanks Disney! ?

 

[Pretzel Kaiser]

That’s not what I paid for it. That’s just an image I found.

 

[BGWnut]

Yeah I have the same one. It's actually $20.

 

[halfabee]

You guys must have gotten the Extra Special Pre-Pre-Order price then.

 

[BGWnut]

I currently have a custom magic and order to place. This is the current listing of the magicband. It's currently $20

 

[Pretzel Kaiser]

Yes, that is how much I paid for it.

 

[Crunchewy]

For a disney noob, what does the magic band do for you? Does that guarantee you a ride?

 

[Pretzel Kaiser]

It has lots of functions. It’s main priority is a ticket into the park and scanning into rides you have a reservation for. There are some games you can play with it. If you’re staying at a resort, you can use it to pay for things at the park and use it as a room key.

 

[Crunchewy]

It has lots of functions. It’s main priority is a ticket into the park and scanning into rides you have a reservation for. There are some games you can play with it. If you’re staying at a resort, you can use it to pay for things at the park and use it as a room key.

Can you go to a Disney park without it, or is it required to do anything?

 

[warfelg]

It has lots of functions. It’s main priority is a ticket into the park and scanning into rides you have a reservation for. There are some games you can play with it. If you’re staying at a resort, you can use it to pay for things at the park and use it as a room key.

1 question off topic and 1 on topic:

Off-Topic - My fear with that would be fraud with that band and theft of the band. Does anyone know if it's an issue.

On topic - With the whole boarding passes for RotR, is this required for something like this? If you can use it to make a reservation for the rides, does it have to be used for all of that or is there an alternate?

 

[WDWRLD]

Magic Bands are linked to your My Disney Experience account allowing you to use it as your park ticket media, you can scan it at photopass locations to add photopas photos taken, on ride photos are automatically linked through long range readers. It also can be used for purchases anywhere on property much like apple pay. Special event media can be loaded on them like Halloween and Christmas party tickets as well. They also are linked to your resort stay so you can use them to open your resort room door as well as show that you are a resort guest when scanned for extra magic hours as well as you scan them at the tap points to redeem your fastpasses. There area few other features but those get realy deep into the system.

 

[warfelg]

So here's my comment on all of that:

I hate stuff like that. I pay cash for as much as I can. It's an old personal finance thing that I learned, as spending cash makes you more aware of the value of what you are spending. So the idea of being able to just swipe a band over something and pay without really having to see a spot where it's adding up really bothers me. Last time I did a resort like this, I prepaid for as much as possible so that the little I did spend was for some souvenirs or extra snacks/drinks that weren't part of what I paid for. I typically am glad I do this, because I can get to the resort, lock up my wallet, and carry an ID, a little cash, and the pre-paid credit card I take.

 

[WDWRLD]

Can you go to a Disney park without it, or is it required to do anything?

No you can use the regular card ticket media for access as long as it has a rfid chip. They have been using this media for a number of years so unledd you are using really old tickets you are good. If you have really old ticket media you will need to stop at guest relations to have it swapped out for a newer ticket that has rfid functions.

1 question off topic and 1 on topic:

Off-Topic - My fear with that would be fraud with that band and theft of the band. Does anyone know if it's an issue.

On topic - With the whole boarding passes for RotR, is this required for something like this? If you can use it to make a reservation for the rides, does it have to be used for all of that or is there an alternate?

They are safe, for most purchases you also have to enter your supplied pin number that you choose. At park entry most times they also require a finger scan. In the past there was a issue of someone who broke into someones house and robbed them when they were not homw. They stole numerous items including magic bands. Later on they used that magic band to enter the Magic Kingdom and rode Buzz Lightyear. The ride took the thiefs photo and they were caught because of that photo. If you loose your band it can be disabled right in your My Disney Experience account.

You do not have to have a magic band, you can use the card ticket media to scan for the boarding groups as well as fastpasses. However you must have a My Disney Experience account on your phone to claim a boarding group. If you do not you have to see a member of the guest experience team under the blue marked umbrellas to help you. The line for them can be long, and you may miss getting a boarding pass using this option.

 

[WDWRLD]

So here's my comment on all of that:

I hate stuff like that. I pay cash for as much as I can. It's an old personal finance thing that I learned, as spending cash makes you more aware of the value of what you are spending. So the idea of being able to just swipe a band over something and pay without really having to see a spot where it's adding up really bothers me. Last time I did a resort like this, I prepaid for as much as possible so that the little I did spend was for some souvenirs or extra snacks/drinks that weren't part of what I paid for. I typically am glad I do this, because I can get to the resort, lock up my wallet, and carry an ID, a little cash, and the pre-paid credit card I take.

And you can still do that at most places....however some resorts and locations are cashless now on Disney Property. You must use some type of credit card, Disney gift card, apple pay or magic band to make purchases. I dont remember which resorts are that way, at one point I believe AKL was, and last week the Jewlery store on Main Street was.

 

[Crunchewy]

So here's my comment on all of that:

I hate stuff like that. I pay cash for as much as I can. It's an old personal finance thing that I learned, as spending cash makes you more aware of the value of what you are spending. So the idea of being able to just swipe a band over something and pay without really having to see a spot where it's adding up really bothers me. Last time I did a resort like this, I prepaid for as much as possible so that the little I did spend was for some souvenirs or extra snacks/drinks that weren't part of what I paid for. I typically am glad I do this, because I can get to the resort, lock up my wallet, and carry an ID, a little cash, and the pre-paid credit card I take.

I'm not a cash person, mostly because I carry a small wallet and I get a percent back with any credit card purchases so I buy everything on credit, and while the percent is small, it does add up over a month. I really like that Apple Card very quickly, usually instantly, shows you a notification for each purchase whether via Apple Pay or via the physical card, and also the card in your "Wallet" on phone updates right away with any purchase, so it's easy and quick to see how much you are spending. Kind of the best of both worlds. As for this Disney thing, I'd not put any money on the smart band because I wouldn't get any percent back and, like you say, it would obscure how much you are spending. I'd much rather buy things with Apple Pay, get my 2% cash back, and easily keep track of the spending.

 

[Pretzel Kaiser]

Maybe a MB thread?

 

[Zachary]

All the MagicBand does is charge things to your room like you could at any resort-type destination. Plus it’s all optional. Everywhere takes a card just like the outside world.

Anyway, I’m an enormous fan of the MagicBand system and have purchased a disgusting number of bands over the years. It’s one of those small convenience perks that really make Disney Parks feel like they’re in a whole other level to me.

 

[Nicole]

At the risk of taking this discussion way off topic...

MagicBands have several utilitarian functions. @Pretzel Kaiser and @WDWRLD captured most of them. For what it is worth, prefer not to use my band to pay for things. I do love being able to scan them for entrance into the park, access to my FP+s, and to open doors at my resort. I honestly miss them at other parks, especially Universal.

That said, they serve two other purposes, which probably matter more to me.

First, they are souvenirs that have an actual function. I live getting ride and event MagicBands. This makes more sense for me, because I am both a Florida resident and a pass holder. So, I get to use them several times a year.

Second, they are a fun, park-safe accessories. I have a few park-approved necklaces and Swatches, but generally I am afraid to wear good jewelry in any of the parks.

As you can see from the small sample of my MagicBand collection in this photo (trust me, I have so many more; it is really a problem), they come is all sorts of colors and designs. There are even designer prints by companies like Dooney and Bourke.

They are not a good use of money for everyone. So, I think the free ones are often the best choice. But I love buying them.