Hi Jill, and welcome to planDisney!
What a fun and thoughtful idea to gift
MagicBand+ this Christmas in preparation for your 2026 Walt Disney World Resort vacation. It’s a great way to build excitement for your trip, and honestly, they make perfect stocking stuffers. I took a peek at
DisneyStore.com, and a few that caught my eye were the Santa Mickey Mouse Holiday Limited Release and the Minnie Mouse Icon Cherries design. Personally, I’m a big Figment fan, and there’s a band featuring him that may find its way home to me as a Christmas gift to myself. No matter which characters your family loves most, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from.
Now, on to your question! MagicBand+ devices are not activated when you purchase them or even when you turn them on. You can safely keep them in their boxes until you’re ready to link them. Once your 2026 vacation approaches, you’ll use the
My Disney Experience app to link and assign each band to the appropriate Guest in your travel party. The process is simple: open the app, tap on the menu icon (three horizontal lines), then scroll down to “MagicBands and Cards” section under “Account,” and follow the prompts to link the band using the ID number found on the inside of the band or the packaging.
After linking, the bands will be ready to use for all the essentials like entering the theme parks, tapping into Lightning Lane entrances, unlocking your
Disney Resort hotel room door, and even making food and merchandise purchases if you choose to enable that feature.
Since you’re planning so far ahead, I’ll also share a small tip: while ordering online now is a great idea, keep in mind that both Pin Traders locations, at
Disney Springs and EPCOT’s Camera Center, tend to have some of the widest and most unique selections of MagicBands. So even after you’ve gifted these, you might find a few more to add to your collection closer to your trip. I’m guilty of bringing a few different bands each visit, matching them to the park I’m in or my mood for the day, it’s part of the fun.
I hope this helps you feel confident about your holiday gifting plan, Jill. You’re going to make those Christmas smiles a little brighter this year.
Please come back to planDisney if you’d like any help planning your 2026 visit.
I’d be happy to help you get every detail just right.
See you real soon,
Brent