The What, When, Where on Disney World MagicBands
Need an overview of Disney World’s MagicBands? Here’s the what, when, where… and a little how and why too.
Photo from Disney Parks Blog
What
Colorful, waterproof bracelets used by guests at Walt Disney World. The current version, MagicBand 2, includes a removable icon that can be worn in a bracelet or transferred (with the help of a small screwdriver) to lanyards, keychains, etc. The outer grey border can also be removed from the bands, without any tools, to accommodate smaller wrists.
The solid color MagicBands shown in the images are complimentary for guests of Walt Disney World resorts. Guests staying outside of Disney World may purchase the bands for $12.95 each. Disney also sells special edition MagicBands with Star Wars characters, Princesses, theme park attractions and more. The special edition bands usually cost $20-35 each and sometimes play music or turn the touch points different colors when used within the park.
When
Disney resort guests may customize their bands shortly after making their trip reservations. Guests can choose the color of the band (from the seven colors above plus grey) and the wording imprinted on the inside of the band (up to nine characters). The MagicBands arrive in the mail one to three weeks prior to departure, depending on trip timing. If you live in certain areas outside of the United States or you book your trip closer to check-in, you will receive your MagicBands at the resort. Click here for more details on timing.
Guests with theme park tickets that are staying in other properties can purchase MagicBands and link them to their tickets through their My Disney Experience account. The bands may be purchased at the Disney Store or throughout Disney World and linked at any time.
Photo by Disney
Where
All park guests can use MagicBands to enter the theme parks, access FastPass+ attractions or link photography (images from roaming Disney photographers or on-ride cameras) to their accounts.
Guests of Disney resorts may also use MagicBands to access their hotel rooms or make purchases at shops or restaurants. Purchases require a four digit pin, similar to a debit card. The bands are also compatible with the Disney Meal Plans (of course!) by keeping track of meals, snacks and refillable mug credits.
Resort guests that travel to Disney World via Orlando’s International Airport, can also use the bands to board bus transportation to their resorts. So, consider this a friendly reminder to put your MagicBands in your carry-on, not your checked luggage!
How
The MagicBands include radio-frequency identification (RFID) transmitters and small antennas that communicate guests’ account information and physical location as needed. The information on the bands is shared by physically tapping the Mickey Mouse icon against a short range touch point, such as the readers at park entrances (shown above). The bands can also communicate information through long-range readers located throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
The Walt Disney Company reportedly spent about $1B developing the technology and the related infrastructure to launch the initial MagicBands in 2013.
Why
To track your every move!
Ha! Just kidding… well, kind of. Disney launched the bands for a variety of reasons. The bands enabled the idea of reserving FastPass+ attractions in advance, which allows park management to better understand where guests are planning to be and adjust the park hours, cast members, etc. accordingly. The company states the bands also enable families to spend more time together (rather than splitting up to secure the old paper Fast Passes) and reduce stress within the parks (because you can reserve rides in advance and easily link your travel party together).
The bands also provide the ability to add “magic” throughout your trip. Scan your MagicBand to board an attraction and a cast member might shout “Happy Birthday!” Ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and a video of your experience magically appears in your photography account. Order lunch at a Be Our Guest kiosk, choose a seat and a server magically knows where to find you.
See what I mean? The company has experimented with adding personalized messages to the screens at the end of “it’s a small world” (“Good-bye Alex!”) or the concert posters in the que for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (“Tonight Only Live In Concert – Sophia!”) but these extras are intermittent. Expect more personalization in the future. Maybe someday Tinkerbell will ask you how you enjoyed your ride on Splash Mountain without you mentioning it first.
What should you do with the bands after your trip? If you plan on returning to Disney World within a year or so, you can choose to use the same MagicBands again. If not, sadly, the bands do not work outside of the World. After one of our trips, I caught myself thinking about using mine at the grocery store. At least it made my grocery bill seem like a steal compared to the cost of a Disney character meal.
If you want to relive the magic, you could always turn the MagicBands into a keepsake of your trip with ideas from this previous post.
Still have questions? Leave me a comment below!
