Hi Melissa, welcome back to planDisney!
Once you purchase and
link your MagicBand and
Theme Park Tickets to your
My Disney Experience account you can immediately begin to use your MagicBand. MagicBands are not specific to one Resort Hotel vacation. So, if you will be at a Theme Park prior to arrival at your resort, you should have no problem entering the Theme Park with your MagicBand. In case you didn't know, you can use your MagicBand for more than one vacation. In fact, I've been using my favorite MagicBand for 5 years (and counting)!
I would also like to address purchasing your MagicBand at a discount. It sounds like you will be purchasing the MagicBand through your resort reservation at the pre-arrival price, which is great! However, if you were thinking about purchasing your MagicBand through a 3rd party, I would like to advise you that if the MagicBand was previously used by another guest, it cannot be transferred to another person.
In lieu of MagicBands, some guests prefer to use the new
Disney MagicMobile Service located in the
My Disney Experience app. Disney MagicMobile Service is a convenient way to access MagicBand features, like theme park entry, using an eligible smart device such as an iPhone, Apple Watch, or Google Pay-enabled Android phone.
Melissa, I hope you find this information helpful. Please let us know if there is anything further we can assist you with.
Diane