Greetings, Catherine, and welcome back to planDisney! I'm so excited to hear that your trip to Walt Disney World is very close to becoming a reality. Hip, hip, hooray! Let's talk about MagicBands.
I find MagicBands to be extremely convenient, and I use one almost every time I visit. I like to be able to just scan my wrist anytime I enter a park, purchase merchandise, pay for food or drink or use a
Lightning Lane Pass. Admittedly, I do stay at a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel, and some of these features are only applicable for Disney hotel Guests because they are tied to hotel folio charges. That being said, I'd still use it for park and Lightning Lane entries to avoid having to use my phone all the time. Plus, if you use
MagicBand+, there are other fun interactive features around the parks and during entertainment like parades and fireworks that are an added bonus.
All that being said, MagicBands aren't a necessity. Instead, you can set up
Disney MagicMobile service to use your phone for park and Lightning Lane entry. My planDisney pal Shantel gave you
some great instructions previously that are still valid. It's smart that you're double checking, though, because things can change rather quickly around here.
Speaking of Lightning Lane, I highly recommend purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass for your day at Magic Kingdom, if I had to pick only one. Since you're staying offsite, you can purchase and make your first three selections three days prior to your park arrival. Having only one day at each park means you'll want to maximize your time, and Magic Kingdom is the park with the most number of attractions. If
Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney's Animal Kingdom and/or
TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom are priorities for you, I encourage you to consider purchasing Lightning Lane Single Pass for those as well. Or, for a nice little treat yourself experience, think about Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which gives you access to all Lightning Lane attractions in one day at your convenience, no return times needed.
Catherine, I hope you have a fantastic time on your trip in a couple of weeks. Please visit us again if you think of any other questions we can help with.
Let your dreams guide you!
Melanie