by Pixie Dusted Diva
Do you have questions? We have answers! Each week, a Diva or Devo will share some of our best tips with you as we answer five of your questions. This week, Pixie Dusted Diva shares with you her tips on five of your questions regarding Magic Bands.
1. I have never been before so these things confuse me. Will they be sent to me or do I have to pick them up at the park? (I live in New Zealand but we are booking through Small World Vacations)
Can you pick what ever colour you want? I’ve seen some fancy ones with characters and stuff on them. Are there themed ones, we’re going for our honeymoon so if there were bride and groom themed ones we would be all over that.
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Disney is the perfect place for your magical Honeymoon. Magic Bands are available to all Disney resort guests, however Disney only ships Magic Bands to guests who live in the United States. Since you live in New Zealand, your magic bands will be waiting for you at the Front Desk. You will have the option to customize your magic bands on My Disney Experience in six standard solid colors that include yellow, blue, green, pink, red, orange. The default Magic Band color is gray which is always an option too! Now once you are at Disney you will see a variety of other Magic Bands for purchase which have Disney characters or special limited edition Magic Bands for special events. I’ve seen many people be very creative and d
ecorate their Magic Bands as well! Disney also sells Magic Bandits, which are character shapes to customize your Magic Band with.
Even though Magic Bands are reusable for their useful battery life, Disney is sending Magic Bands for each and every resort reservation guests have with Disney. Use this as your opportunity to collect one of each color!
2. What are Magic Bands? Do I have to use them?
Disney replaced their Key to the World cards with Magic Bands, and personally I love them! Your Magic Band is your key to everything at Walt Disney World. Information is not stored on the magic band. There is an RFID chip inside the band which accesses your account (everything stored in your My Disney Experience account). Again, nothing is actually stored on the band, which is also great if it gets lost!
- First, your Magic Band serves as your room key and you will use it to get in to your room during your stay. Some resorts also have secure resort guest only access areas which you need to use your band to enter such as the buildings at Art of Animation or certain pools. Security will also scan your band to enter the resort via car or taxi.
- Your Magic Band will get your and your family onto the Magical Express at the Orlando International Airport (reservations for the Magical Express should be made prior to arrival)
- Your magic band is your park ticket, as you will have linked your park ticket to your My Disney Experience account prior to arrival to make your FastPass+ selections.
- Your Magic Band accesses your FastPass+ selections that you booked prior to your vacation or made at the kiosk in the park.
- Your Magic Band allows you to charge, should you allow charging privileges. You will set up a secure pin number at online check in or the front desk which will allow you to only use the magic band and the pin number to access your account.
- Your Magic Band accesses your dining plan. With a simple Mickey to Mickey tap, you have access to all your quick service, table service and snack credits after you enter that four digit plan number.
- Your Magic Band is now your Disney Photopass card. Disney Photopass photographers can now tap their camera device to your magic band to transfer your photos, which will show up in your Photopass account. If you purchased Memory Maker, you will be able to download all the pictures the photographers take.
Should you choose not to use or wear your Magic Band, your theme park ticket is also RFID enabled, however who wants to keep taking that in and out every 5 min when you have the ease and convenience of a Magic Band on your wrist? Magic Bands effortlessly connect you and your My Disney Experience with a tap of Mickey to Mickey, it’s just that simple!
Also as I mentioned above, nothing is stored on the band, so should you lose the band it’s an easy fix. You should go to Park Guest Services or your resort hotel and the Magic Band will be marked lost in your My Disney Experience account. You will be issued a new gray magic band if the Cast Member does not find the band in Lost & Found. No one will be able to access you information if the band is found because it has been marked lost and your four digit pin protect your information the band can access.
3. I customized my Magic Bands, how come they haven’t shipped yet?
Even though you may have confirmed your shipping address and picked your favorite color bands for your family your Magic Bands will not ship until the after the last date to customize. The final date to customize should be 30 days before check in. Once that date passed, Disney magic goes to work and your bands are being made. You should expect your Magic Bands to arrive shortly thereafter, typically 7-10 business days. Keep an eye for a tracking number notification and then your bands on your door step! You’ll want to pack your Magic Bands in your carry on as you will use your bands when you arrive at the airport if you arranged for the Magical Express to take you to your Disney resort.
4. Do Annual Passholders get Magic Bands?
Yes! After you activate your Annual Pass by picking it up at Guest Services and linking it to your My Disney Experience account you will receive a notification you have a new band to customize with an affiliation. The affiliation refers to your annual pass. You can log into your My Disney Experience account, go to Magic Bands and Cards and customize your Annual Passholder band. So this means you do not get a band at Guest Services when you pick up your Annual Pass. The Magic Band will be shipped your home address in the United States and be available for you use on your next trip to Walt Disney World.
At this point in time you still need to bring your photo id and your annual pass or your passholder card included in your Magic Band box to receive any of the passholder perks or discounts. The Magic Band does not substitute for these. Disney is scanning magic bands for parking, but I would always carry the actual annual pass at this point for any discounts.
5. I am staying off property, do I need a Magic Band?
Off property guests have the option of purchasing a Magic Band from Disneystore.com prior to arrival for $12.95, however it is not required. You can also purchase Magic Bands on Disney property as well. If you have previously traveled to Walt Disney World and stayed on property you can reuse your Magic Band that is linked to your My Disney Experience account. That Magic Band will work properly even though you are not staying in a Disney resort again. Off property guests who do not have Magic Bands will use their park ticket to enter the park and access their FastPass+ reservations. Off property guests do not have charging privileges or the dining plan so they do not have to worry about those features. Although Magic Bands are not required they do make life easier!
