Hi Heather, welcome to planDisney!
MagicBands are wrist accessories that use RFID technology to easily access the vacation entitlements housed in
My Disney Experience. They can be used to enter the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, access
Lighting Lanes, and link Disney PhotoPass images. Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel can also use their MagicBand to make charges to their room folio, access swimming pools, and serve as their room key.
MagicBands were introduced in 2013 and Disney Resort hotel Guests were provided complimentary MagicBands until 2021. Guests with a Disney Resort hotel reservation linked to their My Disney Experience can now place a MagicBand order
online and receive discounted pre-arrival prices on select MagicBand, MagicBand2, and MagicBand+ designs. Pre-arrival MagicBands can also be customized with a name that includes up to 9 characters. Each member of your party must select or decline a MagicBand before the order can be placed. A MagicBand order placed at least 11 days before arrival will be mailed to your home address. An order placed 6-10 days before arrival will be sent directly to your Disney Resort hotel. Newer
MagicBand+ designs must be paired with a mobile device and fully charged before use. They can be used on future Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort vacations, as well.
I know this is not the news you wanted to hear, Heather. I have no insights about the thought process that led to the discontinuation of complimentary MagicBands for Disney Resort hotel Guests, but I do know that there are complimentary alternatives to MagicBands. My kids do not like wearing things on their wrists and prefer to use Key to the World cards to access Disney magic. These cards can be obtained at the front desk of your hotel. I pack retractable badge holders, which gives the kids the independence they crave in the parks. My husband prefers to download a
Disney MagicMobile pass in his
My Disney Experience mobile app and use his Apple Watch as a MagicBand in the parks. His preferred payment method is Apple Pay and he uses his My Disney Experience mobile app to unlock the hotel room.
I hope this information clears up some of the confusion surrounding MagicBands, Heather. If any questions remain, please don't hesitate to reach out to me
directly.
Choose magic,
Jennifer