Hi Erica,
Welcome to planDisney!
Well, this is a tough question because I ADORE MagicBands. Although you can certainly use a
MagicBand for park entry and to link your
Disney PhotoPass photos to your
My Disney Experience account, only Guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort hotels can use MagicBands to make charges to their resort hotel accounts. With the MagicBand, you would have less searching for an Admission Card or Disney PhotoPass Card, so I think it would still save you some hassle.
MagicBand options are just fun. We recently ordered some new ones for our upcoming trip in July. Be sure to check out the options in
shopDisney to see what is available before making a final decision. Fortunately, there are several additional planning tools that will keep you busy as you prepare for your next
Incredible Disney Day. Be sure to create a
My Disney Experience account and
link your theme park tickets to that account if you have not done so already.
Once your theme park tickets are linked, check the
theme park availability calendar for the dates of your visit and make
Disney Park Pass system reservations. Given the anticipated dates of your visit, I would definitely suggest making those theme park reservations as soon as possible. We traveled at that same time last year and it was busy. I also highly recommend making
advanced dining reservations as soon as your reservation window opens. Finally, check the
operational updates as it gets closer to the dates of your visit as policies and procedures could change.
Erica, given the dates of your trip, I would consider a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Keep your eye on the
Special Offers. Even though we are always on a budget, I have come to realize that the money we might save on another hotel may not outweigh the benefits of being in closer proximity with the use of
Walt Disney World Resort Transportation. One year we stayed at Disney's BoardWalk Villas and walked to EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Being able to walk was such a time saver. Disney's Pop Century and Disney's Art of Animation Resorts are typically more affordable than deluxe resorts and have access to the
Disney Skyliner. So, keep your options open if possible!
Magic and memories,
Donyell