Hiya Roseanne - welcome to
planDisney!
Thanks so much for stopping by with your question about staying at the
Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. I just stayed there last week and am happy to answer your question!
Currently, MagicBands can only be used by guests of Disney Resorts Collection hotels to make purchases, as these purchases are charged to their Disney room account,
not to a saved form of payment. Guests of the Dolphin and other select partner hotels do enjoy many of the
exciting benefits of staying "on property" but this is one important difference - as a Guest staying at the Dolphin, you won't be able to use your MagicBand to make purchases. Don't fret though! I actually didn't mind it much. I have several debit/credit cards loaded into my iPhone's Apple Wallet, so I was able to quickly pay for merchandise and snacks with just a tap of my phone!
You
are able to save a Disney Gift Card or other credit/debit card to your
My Disney Experience Mobile app! This will allow you to seamlessly use either form of payment (saved or not) for
Mobile Food & Beverage Ordering - super easy!
I'll sign off with one VERY important tip - don't forget your Dolphin room key card! I usually stay at a Disney Resort where my door unlocks with a wave of my iPhone or MagicBand, and it was too easy to forget that I also needed to have a hotel key card with me on this trip. How easy? Let's just say that I became best friends with the security team and Front Desk staff at the Dolphin!
I hope this helps your planning -
please let me know if I can answer any additional questions as you prepare for your upcoming vacation!
Ryan J.