Hi there, Julie! Welcome to planDisney!
I'm Team
MagicBand, too, Julie! We have lots of them from previous visits, and I usually bring along several so I can switch them up to match my Disney outfit (hashtag "obsessed")!
Guests who are staying in a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel have the option to purchase MagicBands at a reduced cost at the time they make their reservation. Since your visit is just a few days away it's too late to order MagicBands, but Hakuna Matata, Julie! No worries! You can buy MagicBands in just about every style and color in most retail shops all around the Walt Disney World Resort, including the ones in the Resort hotels. If you'll be staying in a Disney Resorts Collection hotel, I'd pop into the shop there before heading out to the theme parks and pick up MagicBands for your teens. But just remember that while MagicBands are lots of fun, they're also totally optional. All you really need are Admission Cards that you can pick up at the
Guest Relations windows near the park entrances for no extra charge.
If you do buy MagicBands, you'll need to link them to your
My Disney Experience account so they can be used to enter the parks. Just find the number on the back of the band and follow the directions on the
Link Your Reservations and Purchases page on the Walt Disney World website. It's a piece of cake (or Mickey waffle)!
Julie, there's another really cool option for park entry that most tech-savvy teens will love to use. It's called
Disney MagicMobile, and it turns your phone into your theme park ticket! You'll just link the tickets to the electronic wallet on your device, and you won't need Admission Cards or MagicBands! Just note that the kids will need to have the My Disney Experience app installed on their individual phones to use this service. You can learn more about Disney MagicMobile in
this post on the Disney Parks Blog, including a short video demo. It might be just the ticket for your teens!
I hope this helps you find the right choice for your family's Walt Disney World Resort vacation, Julie. Please come see us again if you have any more questions!
Keep Disney Dreaming,
Kathy K.