It is hard to believe, but MagicBands have been a staple of a Disney World vacation for over a decade!?
MagicBand+
These handy helpers are available to help make your vacation even easier! Sadly, Disney World no longer sends you free MagicBands ahead of your Disney World vacation, and now the latest version of MagicBands, MagicBand+, can run upwards of $60 depending on which style you choose. Here are four things you should know before splurging on one!
As we mentioned before, the newest MagicBand model is called MagicBand+. MagicBand+ works the same as old MagicBands, as it can act as your hotel room key, your park ticket, your credit card, and so much more! So why the price jump? Well, MagicBand+ lights up, vibrates, and interacts with different elements around Disney World.
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MagicBand+
MagicBand+ is priced at $34.99, $44.99, $49.99, and up to $60. Certain bands are more expensive depending on their design and limited edition.
Here are four things you should keep in mind before splurging on one!
MagicBand+
You Can Get a Discount on MagicBand+
If you have a Disney World hotel reservation, you can order your MagicBand+ ahead of time online. Hotel guests get MagicBands at a discounted price, but they must be ordered ahead of your trip to use the discount!
MagicBand+
Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members can apply their merchandise discount to MagicBands in person at Disney World gift shops.
Black Cauldron MagicBand+
You can often find cheaper MagicBands online as well.
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You Don’t Need a New Band for Every Trip
Reduce, reuse, recycle is the theme of this portion of the post! Your old MagicBands may still work at Disney World. As long as they are still linked to your My Disney Experience account, it is worth a shot to see if the battery still works in them. Plus, if you recently purchased a MagicBand+, you should be in really good shape to reuse your band!
MagicBand 2.0
Your Phone Can Act as a MagicBand
You will want to make sure you have the My Disney Experience app downloaded before your trip. This app can also act as your park ticket, room key, map, and so much more! You can also use your phone to add your ticket and credit card to your wallet to be able to tap to pay.
©Disney
New Additions to the My Disney Experience App
Only guests of a Disney World hotel can use their MagicBand to pay, so keep that in mind when deciding if a MagicBand is worth it for you, as your phone can do pretty much everything that a MagicBand can.
They Need to be Charged
The new MagicBand+ comes with a charger to power the lighting and vibrating function. If your MagicBand+ “dies,” it will still be able to scan you into the park and do other basic functions; it just won’t interact.
MagicBand+
Sadly, MagicBands sometimes have to go to MagicBand+ Heaven as they can eventually stop performing their unique functions. We purchased a MagicBand+, and a year and a half later, it no longer lights up or vibrates, but we can still use it to access the parks. It is just something to keep in mind as you are investing in something that could potentially stop working.
Ahsoka MagicBand+
This is the MagicBand charger we prefer to use. It can also charge your phone.
MultiCharger for MagicBand+
As MagicBands continue to be updated and new designs are released, we will make sure to keep you in the loop. For all the latest Disney news, stay tuned with us here at the Disney Food Blog!
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Only magic band+ works in Disneyland California. No discounts available. Very rude. Many people use their smart phones to get in, use lightning, and get into their rooms.
Magic Band+ is just another way of Disney draining your pocket. Making it glitzy and flash is just a gimmick for your kids to want one. We still have, and use, our original Magic Bands. Hoping the battery lasts for many years to come.
Maybe I’m just an old grump, but the last thing I want is to have that thing on my wrist, vibrating and flashing all the time. It’s a one trick pony that I don’t need or want, the plain magic band is just fine and it doesn’t die or need recharging. I’m glad I have two of the old ones because you can’t find them anymore.
We are so used to wearing our magic bands at Disney that we wouldn’t feel complete without them. However, we are still using our old magic bands….they are still ticking even though they are from the time when magic bands were still FREE when you stayed on site. However, when the day comes they die, I think we will just use our phones and save that money.
Have they fixed the bands? My family has had their bands fall off. We bought the plastic rubber squares to help hold them on, but still failed. Wish they had a redesign. We stick to cards, I collect them and we ditched the bands the last two years.
Another USELESS EXPENSE that used to be FREE. After the Pandemic, Disney has come up with so many ways of making the Disney Experience more expensive and more frustrating. Obviously there are many people who can afford to buy the new bands at $60 and $499 on top of the cost to enter the park. I don’t know who these wealthy people are but I would ask Disney to survey Disney guests who started coming to Disney World in 1980 or 1990. We remember the Disney that was once THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH AND AFFORDABLE AT THE SAME TIME. We are no longer coming and I AM SO UNHAPPY BECAUSE I STILL HAVE WONDERFUL MEMORIES WATCHING MY CHILDREN AND GRAND CHILDREN GROW UP IN DISNEY. At the same time I am SO ANGRY at Disney for PRICING ME OUT. My family no longer has that happy feeling watching a Disney commercial because we know we will not be going again, but Disney doesn’t care because there is a NEW GENERATION OF GUESTS WHO DO NOT KNOW WHAT DISNEY WAS BUT CAN AFFORD WHAT DISNEY IS TODAY. The Disney GREED MAKES ME SAD BUT I AM HAPPY FOR THE NEW GENERATION OF DISNEY GUESTS WHO CAN AFFORD THEIR WONDERFUL DISNEY EXPERIENCE.
If they would just put a simple watch function on them then they would be useful outside of the parks, not sure why they don’t do this
Make the batteries replaceable, for crying out load!
Or make Disney watch straps for your personal Smartwatch. Easy money.