Hi Sara,
Welcome to planDisney! We are delighted to see you stopping by with a great question!
Although you certainly do not have to order MagicBands for your children, they will need an
Admission Card or
Disney MagicMobile digital pass to enter the theme parks. I set up Disney MagicMobile passes for my family a few weeks ago and was able to use this service with my iPhone on my most recent visit.
Having said that, our girls adore MagicBands and we always get them for the entire family. The good news is that we have been able to use ours for multiple visits. Although our girls are old enough now to have charging privileges, we did not allow them those in the beginning. We simply chatted with a Cast Member at the front desk of our resort hotel to have those charging privileges removed from the girls' MagicBands.
As you keep planning, I hope you have taken a look at your
dining options. We always make quite a few
advanced dining reservations. I always appreciate having a guaranteed time to eat even though we have enjoyed using
Mobile Food & Beverage Ordering. Experience has taught us that we need to slow down and take an air-conditioned break while eating.
Also keep in mind that you can check Mobile Dine Walk-up Availability when you arrive. I was lucky enough to get a reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern on my recent visit using
Mobile Dine Walk-up Availability. Having said that, on most days when I checked, there was almost no walk-up availability. So, plan your dining strategy!
Sara, if you do get MagicBands, consider whether or not you will get the same one for the whole family or if you will let everyone choose their own design. My family has done both. And, for practical reasons, it's a little easier when everyone has a different design because then it is easier to tell whose MagicBand is who's from a distance!
Magic and memories,
Donyell