Hello, Michelle!
Welcome to planDisney, it's nice to meet you!
MagicBand+ is not required to visit the Disneyland Resort. So no, you don't have to purchase one if you don't want to! Without using MagicBand+ you'll just access your tickets through the
Disneyland Mobile App and scan the barcode to enter the parks or Lightning Lane queues if you're using Disney Genie+ Service.
I really enjoy using my MagicBand+ because it keeps me from having to reach for my phone as often. But that's totally my personal preference! My husband prefers to use his phone instead of wearing a band, and he easily keeps up with me at the parks. I will say that my kids love using their bands because they don't have their own mobile devices so the bands give them the ability to scan their own tickets and they like that little bit of independence.
There are a few fun experiences in the parks that rely on MagicBand+ like
activating some special effects at Disney100 Celebration decorations and interactions with some rides, shows, and nighttime spectaculars. The biggest activity that requires MagicBand+ is a game called
Star Wars: Batuu Bounty Hunters, where your bands use lights and vibrations to guide you in capturing villainous characters from across the galaxy. My little Star Wars fans really love this game, and it's a great way to explore Batuu! Sometimes we even bump into other famous bounty hunters...
When the bands were new we weren't sure how we (or our kids) would like them, so we bought one to give it a test run in the parks. My kids took turns using it that trip, and it's easy to use the Disneyland Mobile App to switch which ticket is assigned to the band so that everyone can give it a try. Once we were sure that the bands were a hit, we let each kid pick their own design. It's a souvenir that we can keep using when we visit again, or even when we visit Walt Disney World Resort!
I hope this information about MagicBand+ and how it's used at the resort is helpful, Michelle! If you have other questions feel free to
send me a note and I'll be back before you can say "pixie dust" to help.
Keep moving forward!
Amanda