Hi Melissa,
Thank you so much for visiting planDisney with your question! I am happy to help you to think about the benefits of MagicBands for your Walt Disney World vacation.
MagicBands can be used for a variety of purposes on your Walt Disney World vacation, including attaching your theme park admission and opening your Disney resort hotel room. Additionally, the new MagicBand+ unlock features such as interactive experiences throughout the theme parks. Many guests are very much enjoying these interactive experiences! That said, you do not need to have a MagicBand or MagicBand+ in order to visit Walt Disney World. You can access the theme parks and your Disney resort hotel room using
Disney MagicMobile service as well. This service allows you to use the
My Disney Experience App to set up a Disney MagicMobile pass on your phone to access the theme parks and your Disney resort hotel. You of course need valid theme park admission or a Disney resort hotel reservation to do this. Once you have set this up, you will be able to use the Disney MagicMobile pass for many of the functions of a MagicBand. Finally, you could also visit
Guest Relations at the first theme park that you visit to request a card to use for your theme park admission.
I have to tell you that my family chooses to use MagicBands when we visit Walt Disney World resort. It is the only place where I use a MagicBand, so to me, a MagicBand helps me to feel like I am on vacation. I prefer to leave my phone in my pocket as much as I can while on vacation, so I like the convenience of a MagicBand. The same is true for digging in my pocket for a card. I have gotten used to having my MagicBand conveniently located on my wrist - no muss, no fuss, no digging! When staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel, we also link a credit card to our MagicBands. This allows us to pay for items at Walt Disney World without digging out credit cards. My family also chooses not to use MagicBand+ as we do not choose to do many of the interactive experiences offered with MagicBand+. I absolutely understand that these experiences are very fun for many families; it is just not how we spend our time!
I hope that these thoughts are helpful for you, Melissa. Have a wonderful time planning your magical vacation, and please do feel free to come back to planDisney with any further questions!
~ Mona Leigh