MagicBands have had their moment — or have they???
Tron Lightcycle / Run MagicBand+
These little wearable pieces of tech can put all of Disney World at your fingertips. A MagicBand (or MagicBand+) can act as your park ticket, room key, credit card, Lightning Lane pass, and more. They’ve gone through a few updates here and there, and while the initial hype has died down, they’re still incredibly popular among fans — but not all of them.
On a recent trip to Disney World, one of our team members here at DFB became a MagicBand convert. Prior to this trip, she wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing one. Not because she didn’t find them fashionable — she just didn’t really see the point. Thanks to MagicMobile on the My Disney Experience app, her phone could act as a MagicBand for pretty much anything she’d need.
DVC MagicBand+
But, on this most recent trip, her mind was changed. You see, you can unlock your Disney World hotel room door using both MagicMobile and MagicBands — but one is far, far easier.
Hotel room door at Animal Kingdom Lodge
With MagicMobile, you have to open the My Disney Experience app on your phone, navigate to the main menu, scroll down to hotel reservations and select it, then scroll down to your reservation and click “Unlock My Door,” and maybe — just maybe it’ll work on the first try. In our experience, it hardly ever does work on the first try.
This can be especially frustrating if you’ve had a long park day and are just trying to make it back to your room. And if you can’t unlock your door via MagicMobile and need to walk all the way to the lobby for help? Forget it.
MagicBands
On the other hand, opening your hotel room door with a MagicBand is as simple as holding the band up to the scanner, and BOOM, you’re in. Of course, glitches can happen here too, but we’ve found it to be far less common. So, even if you’re not a fan of wearing MagicBands in the parks, you might consider purchasing one or packing an old one you’ve got lying around just for easy access to your hotel room! You can always choose to get a physical Key to the World card from the front desk as well.
MagicBands
Also, keep in mind that just because you don’t have a MagicBand+ doesn’t mean you can’t still use your old MagicBands! They should work just fine. The battery typically only lasts for two to three years and they aren’t rechargeable or changeable, so your mileage may vary. But, chances are if you’ve purchased it in the last two years, it should still work. Keep in mind that MagicBand+ is rechargeable so you’ll be able to use those for years to come!
We weren’t familiar with your game, MagicBands
Ultimately, only you can decide if a MagicBand or MagicBand+ is right for you, but we may be converts after this most recent park visit — especially for our hotel stay!
We’ll be on the lookout for the latest updates and more from Disney World — make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for more news.
The Ultimate Guide to MagicBands at Walt Disney World
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Do you wear MagicBands in Disney World? Tell us in the comments.
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All old magicbands still work for everything but on ride photo linking.
Magicbands (all generations) actually use two different wireless technologies. The short range one acts like an RFID card and doesn’t need battery power. This is used to unlock your door, or anything else that requires you to touch it to a reader. The long range tech (and now the lights with magic band +) need the battery. This is cool because it means you can still use the old limited edition ones that have special effects at touch points.
I do use a Magic Band, and I don’t see that changing. It’s just so much quicker than the phone.
I think MagicBands are a good idea for convenience, but I don’t see the need to pay for all the bells and whistles on the plussed-up version.
We love our + bands! Everything is on your wrist. We use them to open our room door, pay for our food at the parks, get into the parks, and enjoy the light shows on the bands and use for interaction with the golden statues. They are the convenience and fun of being at the hotels and parks.