Hey there, Lindsey, and welcome to planDisney! Although
MagicBands are really cool and a staple of all of my Walt Disney World Resort Vacations - I have a small collection of them - they are no longer a necessity! Which is a great thing for your upcoming vacation! But I have to keep reminding myself that change is good. Change is good!
Lindsey, the short answer to your question is… No, and kind of. In my experience, the most convenient way to access the Theme Parks is with Disney’s new
Magic Mobile Service in the
My Disney Experience Mobile App. Disney’s Magic Mobile Service is a convenient and contactless option to access many MagicBand features right from your phone or AppleWatch with the MagicMobile Pass. You can easily create a MagicMobile pass in your My Disney Experience Mobile App. Open your mobile app and select the three horizontal lines in the bottom right corner. Choose the “Disney MagicMobile” option and complete the remaining prompts to create your MagicMobile Pass. Once created, your pass can be saved in your Apple Wallet for easy access to the Theme Parks by touching your phone - or Apple Watch - to the Theme Park Entrance touchpoint. So it is a lot like showing your tickets from the phone, but with a twist!
If you prefer to have a low-tech option, you can visit a Theme Park Ticket Window to obtain physical ticket cards. These ticket cards will give you all of the powers of a MagicBand or MagicMobile Pass.
I hope this helps, Lindsey! Enjoy your Disney Vacation!
Until Next Time,
PG