Hi Susan, and thanks for visiting us at planDisney. I love that feeling when you put your MagicBand on and know that your vacation is about to begin! And they’re so convenient for scanning into theme park and
Lightning Lane entrances, linking
PhotoPass pictures, and opening your Disney resort hotel room door. So let’s chat about your original style MagicBand!
To view your active MagicBands, go into the
My Disney Experience app and press ☰ in the lower right corner. On the next screen, press MagicBands & Cards (under Account). Then touch the three dots to the right of your name and press Manage next to MagicBand (not the one next to MagicBand+, which is the newer style band). Here you should see your MagicBand if it’s still linked. There will also be buttons to deactivate, activate, or report your band as lost. If you don’t see your band, press the Link button. On the next screen, you’ll press Type ID towards the top right and input the ID number on the back of your MagicBand.
Now, even if your MagicBand is active in your MyDisney account, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work. You won’t know until you try to use it at Disney World. While I have used old MagicBands for many years, there’s a decent chance yours may not work since it’s over 10 years old. Typically, the long-range features (like automatically linking
attraction photos) stop working before the short-range features (like scanning into the parks or opening your resort hotel room door).
However, I’d still bring your MagicBand just in case. There are two backup options that you can use if it doesn’t work. One is setting up
Disney MagicMobile Service, which gives you most MagicBand functionality right from your mobile phone. The other is picking up a Key to the World Card from the ticket windows outside of the theme parks or from your Disney resort hotel front desk.
If it's in your budget, you might want to upgrade to the newer
MagicBand+, because there are some fun interactive features throughout the theme parks! These bands light up and buzz during the nighttime spectaculars and when you get close to the
Disney Fab 50 Character statues (be sure to wave in front of them for an extra surprise!). My family also loves to play
Batuu Bounty Hunters in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, where you can channel your inner Boba Fett to complete missions. You’ll need to also download the
Play Disney Parks app to use with your MagicBand+. It’s a great way to explore Black Spire Outpost!
I’m wishing you a magical time at Disney World in November! And if you have any other questions, you’re always welcome back at planDisney.
JoAnna