Hi Kirsten! Welcome to planDisney!
Oh boy! You are only a couple of days away until you arrive for a magical Disney vacation! Before you know it, you'll be walking down Main Street, U.S.A. with a Mickey pretzel in hand enjoying all the wonderful sights and sounds. Let's jump right into your question and get you set up for an unforgettable stay!
When staying anywhere other than a Disney Resorts hotel,
MagicBands or MagicBand+ are not available to be used for payment around the parks. The reason is that purchases made with your MagicBand are linked back to your hotel reservation and all charges will be included together. This is the current way the system is set up to allow Guests staying onsite to use their MagicBands around the parks and other Disney Resorts hotels. While the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando is located in the Disney Springs area, it is not an official Disney Resorts hotel, and purchases using your MagicBand will not be allowed.
While this benefit may not be available, you will still have a great perk to take advantage of.
Early Theme Park Entry is allowed for Guests staying at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando. You can enter the theme parks up to 30 minutes before the official park opening time, which will give you a head start on other Guests visiting that day. You can use this extra time to ride attractions with little to no wait times or just enjoy the parks with lower crowd levels. On one of our Magic Kingdom days, we decided to get some pictures in front of
Cinderella Castle with practically no one behind us in the photos. At EPCOT, walking around the World Showcase in the early morning hours gives you a chance to fully enjoy each of the pavilions and allows for some amazing photo backdrops.
Kirsten, while you may not be able to use your MagicBand, there are other options other than pulling out your wallet for every purchase. Most locations will allow you to use your mobile device for payment, as long as you have a valid credit or debit card linked to your virtual wallet. This form of payment is as simple as tapping your mobile device on the payment screen.
Disney Gift Cards can also be added to your mobile wallet and the Cast Member will scan the barcode to use this form of payment.
I hope you have a magical time during your stay! See ya real soon!
Greg