Hi Richard!
Thanks for stopping by planDisney with your question.
I'm so excited to hear you've got a Walt Disney World Resort vacation on the horizon! November is such a wonderful time to visit, as all four parks will be celebrating
Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary and gearing up for the holidays!
MagicBands, the colorful, waterproof wristbands you'll see Guests wearing throughout the theme parks, are secure all-in-one devices that can be used to interact with your My Disney Experience account. MagicBands can be used to:
- Unlock the door of your Disney Resorts Collection hotel room
- Enter theme parks and water parks (with valid admission and theme park reservation)
- Connect Disney PhotoPass photos to your My Disney Experience account
- Charge purchases to your Disney Resorts Collection hotel room
- Automatically upload on-ride attraction photos to your Photo Gallery from 13 Walt Disney World attractions
MagicBands are available for purchase on shopDisney, and in numerous merchandise locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort. Currently, Guests with Disney Resorts Collection hotel reservations are offered the option to purchase $5 solid-colored Magic Bands as part of their vacation package. Guests of the Swan and Dolphin hotels are not offered these discounted bands, and would need to purchase them separately. Guests of the Swan and Dolphin are able to use MagicBands as park tickets and to gain access to PhotoPass images, however, will not be able to use MagicBands as a hotel room key, or be allowed charging privileges to their resort hotel room. While technically on Walt Disney World property, the Swan and Dolphin don't utilize MagicBand technology, as they are not owned and operated by Disney.
Recently, Disney has developed a new convenient and contactless way to access vacation entitlements, available in the
My Disney Experience mobile app -
Disney MagicMobile Service. MagicMobile uses the power of eligible iPhones, Apple Watch or GooglePay-enabled Android phones to work just like a MagicBand at access points. Disney MagicMobile can be used to:
- Enter theme parks (with valid admission and theme park reservation)
- Connect Disney PhotoPass photos to your My Disney Experience account
- Gain access to the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Disney's MagicMobile would be a wonderful option for Guests of the
Swan and
Dolphin, and save the extra expense of purchasing a MagicBand.
I hope this helps with your planning! Please come back and visit us here at planDisney with any other questions before your trip.
Diane W.