Guide to Disney’s MagicBand

Disney’s MagicBand is your connection to all of your tickets, plans, passes, and fun.  You can leave your worries (and your purse!) behind!  Almost 5 years ago, Disney began piloting a new ticket system. They replaced the normal cards for a “MagicBand”.  It serves several purposes, including your entrance ticket to the parks, room key, meal plan pass, fast pass and allows charging to a credit card or your room.  Essentially, you can enter the parks without anything else.  You gain access to everything you need with the magic band on you wrist.  We were actually part of the beta group to try MagicBands before they were officially launched, and it has been cool to see how this feature has changed over the years!

What is a MagicBand?

The MagicBand jumps on the bandwagon with other wearables, like the FitBit or Apple Watch.  It is a rubber band and usually comes in one-size with a removable section to allow it to fit anything from my three-year old to my husband.  A free band comes with every booking for Walt Disney World.  You will have your choice of several colors and can even customize the name/message inside the band. We like to come up with silly names for each trip.  You can also buy customized magic bands from the Disney Store or Ebay.  You will have to register custom bands on the MyDisneyExperience website, where Disney does it automatically for your if you choose one of theirs.

What puts the “magic” into the MagicBand?

RFID Technology

The MagicBand operates off RFID technology.  I remember the first time we ate at Be Our Guest Restaurant. We participated in another beta testing group and ordered our meal ahead of time. We showed up at the restuarant and were told to sit anywhere we would like.  Our food magically showed up at our table with no direction as we were tracked by our MagicBand location.  This tracking mechanism serves so many purposes inside the park. Disney has to be gaining imaginably valuable information about traffic flow patterns, wait times, and crowd sizes.  Another great use for this technology is to locate lost parents. Disney never refers to a “lost child”, but rather a “lost parent.  With your magic band on, they can locate you at any time.

Account Information

The MagicBand also links to all of your account information. It is used for:

• Hotel Room access
• Dining Plan credits
• Charges to your credit card on file (with an additional PIN number)
• FastPass+

You can literally enter the parks now with only the band on your wrist.

Suggestions and Tips for Fun with your MagicBand

Disney has fully transitioned to the MagicBand and is already generation 2 design. These are some tips to add more fun to your MagicBand:

• Use silly names when registering your MagicBand. It’s always fun to look back over the years at the different names you came up with.
• Customize your bands from  DisneyStore.Com:
  • Choose a Favorite Character or Ride
  • Buy MagicBandits to decorate your band
    

    Add Bandits to customize your band

• Buy a Limited Edition Band and get a surprise when you scan your MagicBand
  • We have bought  Star Wars and Toy Story Limited Edition Bands in the past. When you scan them in Hollywood Studios for a fast pass, you actually get a different color light and music than your typical fast pass!