Hi Becky,
Thanks for bringing your question about MagicBands to planDisney. A MagicBand is a
method of entry, meaning it communicates the
Walt Disney World Resort reservations and vacation entitlements in your
My Disney Experience account to the various touchpoints at park entry,
Lightning Lane entrances, etc. Other modes of entry are admission cards, which can be obtained at
Guest Relations, and MagicMobile passes. Only one working mode of entry is needed to enter the parks and no additional paperwork is required. Just make sure
valid admission and a
park pass reservation are
linked to your My Disney Experience account each park day.
I currently have several
MagicBands and admission cards that are listed as "Active" in my My Disney Experience account. This means my tickets and reservations are linked to all of these items, though it does not show if an individual MagicBand's battery is working. If your MagicBand is a recent purchase, you can proceed to park entry with confidence. MagicBand batteries are designed to last for about two years, though I've been using my preferred Dooney and Bourke MagicBand for over three years with no problem. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell if a MagicBand is working by looking at it. I plan to continue using this MagicBand until a Cast Member lets me know it has officially died. When that happens, the backup plan that I'll already have in place is a MagicMobile pass created with
Disney MagicMobile service via my
My Disney Experience mobile app. This service essentially turns my Apple Watch into a MagicBand, though I'm still keeping my eye out for the release of the new
MagicBand+ as part of
The World's Most Magical Celebration. A girl can never have too many Disney accessories, am I right?!
I'm hopeful the active MagicBand you've successfully linked to your My Disney Experience account is your key to accessing the magic on your upcoming Walt Disney World Resort vacation. You can also use this magical accessory to link photos taken by
Disney PhotoPass photographers to your account. This
confetti Magic Shot is especially festive.
Plan magic; planDisney.
Jennifer