Hello Gerry,
Welcome to planDisney! Thanks for bringing us your great planning question. The freedom to leave my Disney Resort room and head to the parks needing nothing but my MagicBand is one of many things I love about a Disney World vacation. Let's talk about getting your party hooked up with your ultimate, preferred MagicBand+ designs!
You are correct, they do feature a different selection of
MagicBand+ designs on the Disney Store website, than are offered on the Disney World site for guests. The advantage to purchasing them from the
Disney World site as a resort guest is the slightly discounted pre-arrival price, and having them automatically linked to each guest. However, if you find a Disney Store design you love and have plenty of time to have them shipped to you... you should go for it! It's easy to link them to a resort guest once you receive the bands.
Once your MagicBands arrive, first make sure to fully charge them. Next, power them on by pressing the button on back. Then open the
My Disney Experience app and select the tri-bar icon "☰" on the lower right of the home screen. Scroll down to Account, and select "MagicBands & Cards", then "Link Your MagicBand or Card." At this point, you can either hold your charged MagicBand+ close to your phone to connect, or enter the ID number on the back of your band. Follow the on screen prompts to select which guest in your Friends & Family to assign the band to.
In my opinion, MagicBands get even better when you use them to scan in and skip the stand-by line for some of your favorite attractions! If you are considering using Lightning Lane passes, my top park recommendation for purchasing
Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP) is when visiting Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. My family loves using LLMP and I truly feel it adds value, freeing up significant park time to experience more during your Disney Day.
Enjoy those fun MagicBand+ designs, Gerry! Please
visit me again at planDisney if I can help sprinkle any pixie dust on your upcoming vacation plans.
Adventure is out there!
Tami