MagicBands are Disney World’s magical handy helper to help make your vacation even more effortless.
MagicBands have been a staple of Disney World vacations since 2013. While they have had design changes, and Disney no longer sends free MagicBands to hotel guests and Annual Passholders, they have become increasingly more and more helpful during vacations. The latest model of MagicBands, MagicBand+, has even more fun features than its predecessors, but they can be a bit pricey, especially if you need to buy bands for your whole party.
MagicBand+ acts as your park ticket, room key, and even credit card. They are also waterproof, adjustable, and come in a ton of colors and patterns. MagicBand+ stands out from previous MagicBand models as it lights up and vibrates as it interacts with different elements around Disney World.
MagicBand+ starts at $34.99 for most solid colors. Bands with characters, as well as limited edition bands, can range from $44.99 to $54.99. While MagicBand+ has multiple functions, paying almost $55 for a wristband can seem a bit steep. Here are five things you should know before dishing out the cash to purchase your own.
Your Complete Guide to Setting Up MagicBand+ for Disney World
It Needs to Be Charged
Since MagicBand+ lights up and vibrates, it unfortunately needs to be charged. This can be a pain to remember to do after a long park day, and charging space in your hotel room may be limited. The good news is, if you forget to charge it, it will still be able to do essential functions like scanning you into the park, being your room key, and payment method. It just won’t interact with elements around the resort once it dies.
We recommend this charger for your hotel room so you can charge your MagicBands and other devices.
The Battery Won’t Last All Day
Even if you do remember to charge your MagicBand+, it is unlikely that it will last a full park day. The good news is that you can bring a portable charger with you to charge your MagicBand+ on the go! A main pull for people who purchase MagicBand+ is that they interact with nighttime spectaculars like Happily Ever After. Since these shows are at the end of the day, it can be a real bummer when they die before the show.
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The Battery Won’t Last Forever
Like most technology, the battery inside your MagicBand and MagicBand+ won’t last forever. We have splurged on limited edition MagicBand+, and they no longer light up or vibrate about a year after purchase. Now, this is not always the case, but it is something to be aware of.
Your Phone Can Work as a MagicBand
You do not need a MagicBand in order to have a successful Disney World vacation. Your park ticket can be linked to your My Disney Experience app as well as your phone’s wallet. You can use Mobile Order, Merchandise Mobile Check Out, phone payments, credit cards, and cash to pay for your purchases. Your My Disney Experience app can even work as your hotel room key!
You Can Use Your Old MagicBand
While MagicBand batteries do die, we have been able to use our old MagicBands and have even seen people wearing the OG Magic Bands from 2013 around Disney World. It is worth it to try to see if your old bands work to save yourself some cash. Newer is not always better!
While MagicBands can make your trip easier, rest assured you can still have a successful vacation without dishing out $55 for a wristband.
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My family has four. They have never not lasted a full park day. Also our first trip we bought them for was 18 months ago and they are working on the trip we are currently on with no problems at all.
There are some Magic Band+ available for purchase for Disney Resort guests with a pre-arrival price as low as $24.99. I wish I would have known that Disney hotel guests get a discount on Magic Bands before I purchased some for full price before my first ever visit.
They don’t work after a year! I shall worn people buying them. I have two now I feel ripped off.🤬