Everything you need to know
Disney Magic Bands are an amazing addition to the vacation Disney experience and we’ve got everything you need to know about them.
First things first, what are they?
They are magic you wear on your wrist! They are free whenever you stay at a Disney Resort. It’s one of the many perks of staying On Property. You can choose the color and link them to your account on the My Disney Experience App. There’s also an option now to pay a little extra and get specially decorated Magic Bands.
You can also decorate them in a variety of ways. Zoom on over to our Pinterest Page for some ideas. Or you can purchase a number of different ones online. There really are a great number of ways to make your Magic Bands unique.
You’ll find that the bands also come with an extender that you can pop off to make it smaller or leave it on to keep it bigger.
What can they do?
There are a lot of amazing things that magic bands can do. Once you link them to your My Disney Experience App, magical things start to happen.
If you are flying, be sure you don’t pack your bands in your checked bags. Because they can be used for so much, you will want them in your carry on where you have easy access to it. Especially if the worst thing happens and they somehow lose your luggage. Also, if you’re taking the Magical Express from the airport to your resort, you will need your Magic Band.
If you’re staying at a Disney resort, it opens up even more doors for you. In one way, it literally does open doors, your room door to be exact. Disney has started using the Magic Bands as their room keys. This makes it easy for you to not have to carry around another key/card. And speaking of cards, you can also link a credit card to your band so you can make purchases with your band as well.
You will sometimes need it to get into your resort pool. Especially if you stay at the Beach Club Resort, their pool is amazing! But you will need your Magic Band to get in. Not all pools are like this, but some are, so you might want to bring it just in case. No worries though, because the bands are water proof!
Magic Bands have now taken the place of the typical Disney park ticket. Instead of carrying a paper ticket or plastic card, you now simply tap your band against their Mickey orbs at the entracnces to the parks. The first time you do, you’ll have to scan your finger print. From then on, it links your park tickets to your finger prints, so even if you lose your band, no one else will be able to use it to get into the parks.
You’ll also find that when you make your FastPass+ Reservations, they’ll automatically link to your Magic Band. No more carrying around paper tickets or going to kiosks.
Advanced Dining Reservations are also now linked to your Magic Band. So when you go to check in at the restaurant, they can simply scan your Magic Band if need be. The same goes for if you have the Disney Dining Plan. They’ll just ask you to tap your band and you’re good to go!
Some other fun things your bands can do, they hold any photos the Disney photographers or the rides take while you’re in the parks. No more having to carry a card or paper ticket around. It all links to your band and you can access them on your My Disney Experience App.
The bands may also alter some things on a ride or experience. Some rides can read your band and will put your name or home town onto screens in the lines or on rides. It’s pretty cool so be sure to keep an eye out for that!
Finally, we wanted to talk a little about security. You may feel uncomfortable putting all the info on your band. But Disney works hard to keep your info safe and you can read their policy HERE for what all they do, to keep your info from falling into the wrong hands. You’ll also need a special pin code if you link a credit card to your band. So even if you lose it, no one will be able to charge anything to it without that pin.
Should you lose it, you’ll want to go right away to your My Disney Experience and unlink the Magic Band. That way, no one will be able to snag any of your reservations or anything like that. You can also let any Customer Service area know that you lost it. They’ll give you a claim ticket to fill out and there’s a chance someone might turn your band in.
But no one wants to lose their Magic Band, not after hearing all the amazing things it can do. So be sure you’ve got it securely on your wrist whenever you leave your resort room. And you might even want to pick up some BitBelts to keep them secure.
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So those are the ins and outs of Disney Magic Bands. We hope you’ve learned to love them as much as we do! They truly do help make your trip more magical! Be sure you also check out our other great Disney content. We’ve got lots of videos up on our YouTube channel Dole Whip and Castle. We also have lots of great info on our other pages here on our website. We’ve got Tips and Tricks for visiting the parks. Treats and Eats for all things tasty at Disney, and Magical Homents where we show you how to bring the Disney magic home!