Hi Constance, welcome to planDisney!
You'll be starting the new year off right with a visit to Walt Disney World Resort. The
50th Anniversary Celebration continues through March and I encourage you to spend some time enjoying the many EARidescent touches throughout the
four theme parks. Spaceship Earth is my favorite
Beacon of Magic, with Cinderella Castle coming in a close second.
I love me some Minnie ears, but
MagicBands are my close-second favorite Disney accessory. These magical bracelets make it easy to tap into magic at theme park entry, Lightning Lane entrances, with Disney PhotoPass photographers, and more. Other
methods of entry include admission cards and Disney MagicMobile passes.
It's important to note that MagicBands are linked to My Disney Experience accounts, not individual vacations. Once a MagicBand is linked to an individual in My Disney Experience, it can be used for any and all Walt Disney World Resort vacations connected to that account, as long as the battery is still working. MagicBand batteries are said to last two years, though mine is going on year four. MagicBands are non-transferable, which means they can only be linked once.
It sounds like you're trying to connect with MagicBands that have already been linked, Constance, which explains the error message. Let's confirm whether or not you see your MagicBand listed in your account. Is it visible on the
My MagicBands and Cards page of your My Disney Experience account? Is it listed as "active?" If so, and if valid admission and
theme park reservations are also linked to your account, you're all set for your January visit.
If your MagicBand does not appear in your account, it was probably linked to a My Disney Experience profile created for you under another person's account. In that case, complete the following steps to merge the two:
1. The person managing the My Disney Experience profile to which your MagicBand is linked should click "Update" next to your name in their
Family and Friends list.
2. They should then click "Share Planning With Constance," which appears in the top right of the "Update Constance's Information" box.
3. They should next enter the email address associated with your My Disney Experience account and click "Continue."
Once these steps are complete, you will receive an email from Disney Destinations with an invitation to connect. Click the green "Accept" button in the email and all plans created for you on the managed account, including your MagicBand, will automagically transfer to your account.
If you'd prefer Cast Member assistance, I just called the
My Disney Experience and MagicBands line this evening with my own MagicBand dilemma and was impressed with the service. I called at 9:15 p.m. and was off the phone in exactly 42 minutes, which includes the time I took to give the Cast Member I spoke to five stars on the end of call survey.
As you continue to plan your Walt Disney World Resort vacation, Constance, we hope you'll continue to planDisney.
Choose magic,
Jennifer