Hey howdy hey Kelly and welcome back to planDisney!
One of the biggest game changers when it came to navigating the parks last year, was the roll out of
Disney MagicMobile service. With the ability to access everything from your smart phone just like you would from your
MagicBand, it became so much more convenient and cost effective for so many Guests to use MagicMobile. I would agree with you that with the rollout of new technology, the most recent being Genie+ and booking individual Lightning Lane attractions, there are some bugs that do make things work a little inconsistent at times. For peace of mind for your upcoming trip you do have a couple of options when it comes to Lightning Lane check-in.
If you wanted to, you could set up your Disney MagicMobile pass as well as have MagicBands linked to your account. You are free to use either one on your trip interchangeably. So, you could use the MagicMobile pass to enter the parks and then the MagicBands for Lightning Lane check-in if you would like. You also do not have to purchase MagicBands for the entire family, you can just use them on a select few if you choose. So those with MagicBands can use them and the others will use the MagicMobile pass. There really is a lot of flexibility to it! On our last family trip in October of 2021, my wife did just that. She had a MagicBand that she ordered for the trip but also wanted to try out MagicMobile, so she did use both which worked out well. We just did not have the experience of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes as these options were not available with our trip. I personally love MagicBands. Selecting the right one for your vacation is so much fun and it is my personal way of letting everyone know I am on "vacation mode" with my MagicBand!
The team with Disney Parks is always trying to find ways to make your trips to the parks so much more enjoyable and easier to navigate. With the options of Disney MagicMobile pass and MagicBands, it is entirely up to you on how you wanted to use one or both of these options for your next trip. Good luck with your continued planning and if you have any further questions let us know, we love talking all things Walt Disney World Resort here at planDisney!
Happy planning,
Nick