Hello there, Catherine!
Welcome to planDisney, and excellent question. I absolutely love my
MagicBand+, but I have also visited without a MagicBand, so I am happy to share my experiences with you.
I personally feel that a MagicBand is a necessity because of the convenience. And they double as a fun accessory! When we visit, we use
Disability Access Service and
Lightning Lane reservations. So for my family, it is much easier for everyone to “tap in” at each attraction. My husband and I also use our MagicBand to complete our food and souvenir purchases, since they are charged to our room this way. This eliminates the need to pull out our wallets. Again, just a little more convenient for us.
Another convenient option is
Disney MagicMobile. Instead of linking your theme park ticket to your MagicBand, you can store your theme park ticket in your mobile wallet. My husband left his MagicBand in the room one day, so he ended up using this fantastic alternative. He tapped his phone to enter the theme parks and to enter attractions. The best part is he just placed his phone near the reader and it worked! Once he downloaded his ticket to his mobile wallet, he didn't have to open it up or unlock his phone for it to connect and work. It just did! He loved this option, but he is way more responsible with his phone than I am. I tend to misplace mine, often, so it is safer in my bag, which is probably why I prefer a MagicBand.
Catherine, I hope this helps answer your question. You can always try a day without a MagicBand and
purchase it in the theme parks, if you feel like you would prefer it. That’s what both of my parents did during our visits. By day two, they ended up purchasing their own MagicBand+. My mom has even managed to use hers at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World! So she is happy with her purchase and ready to use it again this upcoming spring.
May the Force guide you in the right direction, and if you need any other training tips, you know where
to find us!
Shantel