I just got back from a two week vacation to Walt Disney World and it was amazing! We live in California and have annual passes to Disneyland, but my family and I have been visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando every other year since I was four years old. This trip was the first time we used the new Disney Magic Bands: for those of you who aren’t familiar, these guys are fantastic and today I’m going to give you the inside scoop on everything you need to know about them!
WHAT ARE DISNEY MAGIC BANDS?
Before you leave for Walt Disney World, when you book your trip, you’ll choose what color magic band you want. Color options are red, green, blue, yellow, orange, pink, and grey, and they are adjustable to fit both children and adults. Your magic bands will arrive in a box at your door before your trip, and each has your name written inside of it. These guys are pretty indestructible and they are even water proof so you don’t have to take them off when you shower, swim, or hit the water parks!
WHAT DO DISNEY MAGIC BANDS DO?
Your Magic Band is basically your key to unlocking everything Walt Disney World has to offer. It is your room key to your hotel if you’re staying on property at any of the Disney World resorts and your park ticket to all parks, water parks, Disney Quest, etc. When you check in to your resort, you’ll want to hook up a credit card to your magic bands so you can use them to pay for all food, treats, and souvenirs. You will set a four digit pin that you’ll enter every time you make a purchase. You do not need to enter that code when entering parks- instead you’ll tap your mickey and then give a digital fingerprint. You can also set which magic bands in your party have access to make purchases, which is great to stop your from running up a huge bill.
CAN I BUY THINGS WITH IT?
You can also use your magic band to buy things at Downtown Disney or any of the resorts, not just in the parks. If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, your food and snack credits will be on your band- even your fast passes are now loaded on them! They are as their name says it: magic!
HOW DO I USE THE MAGIC BAND?
At entrances to the parks, instead of a key hole on your hotel door, and at every pay station everywhere, you’ll see a mickey sign. You’ll simply tap the mickey on your magic band to that mickey sign. Once it turns green you’re good to go!
If at any time you want to check the balance on your magic bands, just go to your front desk and they’ll be able to give you an itemized list of everything that has been charged on them.
I was a little skeptical about using these before we arrived. I thought we would have a lot of technical issues but I was pleasantly surprised- not even have a single one! Everything worked like a charm and even my three year old became a pro at using his magic band. They made our trip extremely easy. We all know how frustrating it can be to dig in our purse for our cash/cards, or our keys, especially with tired or hungry kids, but this meant that all we had to do was wear a comfortable band that unlocked pretty much everything.
Way to go Disney, I give these two thumbs up!
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Deidre
Tuesday 7th of April 2015
We started our special savings account for a Disney trip. I can't wait to use this band and experience Disney with my son!