Hello, Shalanda!
Welcome to planDisney! Thank you for bringing your question to us here regarding MagicBands. I am so excited to hear that you are planning a visit this summer to join in the World’s Most Magical Celebration. One of the new experiences created for Disney’s 50th Anniversary Celebration is
Disney’s Fab 50 Character Collection. You will be able to enjoy 50 golden sculptures of the most popular Disney Characters in all 4 theme parks.
MagicBands are an amazing piece of wearable technology. If you will be a Guest of a Disney
Resorts Collection Hotel, they will allow you to unlock the door to your room and charge food and merchandise to your room account. You can access your theme park tickets and verify your park pass reservations using your MagicBand at the Main Entrance Gate to all theme parks. If you choose to use the Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane services, you can redeem your selected experiences. Disney’s PhotoPass Photographers will capture your photos and add them to a
Memory Maker account. They are linked to your My Disney Experience account where all your plans and reservations are linked to your account.
Guests at select Disney Resorts Collection Hotels can order MagicBands at a pre-arrival discounted price. These MagicBands can be customized for each member of your party with a name along with the style of their choosing from the pre-arrival selection available. If you are not a resort guest, you can still use a MagicBand for everything except making purchases. You can also purchase MagicBands at any Disney Theme Park and select retail shops in Disney Springs. These MagicBands cannot be customized and will need to be linked to each person in your My Family & Friends list who wants to use a MagicBand.
MagicBands are not necessary, you can use
Disney’s MagicMobile service to store all your information in your smartphone's mobile wallet. Android devices enabled with Google Pay and iPhones and Apple Watches can also be used. Use the
My Disney Experience mobile app to set up your MagicMobile passes. Tap the MagicMobile button from the more menu [3 horizontal lines] and follow the prompts for all the members of your party who will need a pass. This service is free to use. You can also receive an admission card by taking your confirmation of your ticket purchase, government-issued state ID card, and the form of payment used to purchase your tickets to the Guest Services Ticket Window at any theme park Main Entrance or Disney Springs, to receive a card for each person in your party.
Andrea’s planning pro tip: All Guests need to also have a
Disney Park Pass reservation for each day they plan to visit a theme park. Since you are planning your visit this summer, when the parks are very busy, I suggest that you make your reservations as soon as you purchase your tickets.
I hope this helps with your planning. If you have any more questions before you arrive, please come back and visit us again.
See ya real soon,
Andrea