I’ll be the first to tell you that having a MagicBand for your Disney Parks vacation isn’t a necessity, but it DOES make every trip of mine much easier.
I’ve forgotten my MagicBand on multiple trips and was able to use my phone instead, but every time, I also MAJORLY regretted not having my MagicBand with me. It’s easier to tap into Lightning Lanes, into the parks, and if you’ve got a MagicBand+ (which, in all honesty, I don’t have yet), you can even watch it interact with shows and statues around the park! As much as I prefer to have mine, I do have to warn you that something DISASTROUS can happen in the blink of an eye that you need to watch out for, because it happened to me earlier this year!
If there’s one thing that is always true about MagicBands, it’s that they’re EXPENSIVE. I’ve got two at my house that I switch back and forth between, but I don’t really intend to buy any more, because there are other things I want to spend my money on.
However, when I was in the parks earlier this year helping Quincy with one of her big challenges, I was standing outside of Jungle Cruise waiting for her to get off. One moment, everything was fine, I took a few steps away to sit down on a bench, and the next thing I knew, a woman was rushing up to me, pointing to something on the ground.
Without even knowing it, my MagicBand had popped right off my wrist and landed on the ground, and I hadn’t felt a thing! It was only due to the woman pointing it out that I noticed it was gone, and I got super lucky I hadn’t walked away yet. When I ran back through my head to figure out what had happened, I remembered that I had moved my arm to rest on one of the boxes used for decoration near the ride, and when I had gone to move it off, my MagicBand snagged on the corner.
It happened so fast, and again, I hadn’t felt anything different. I would have been SO upset to realize I lost it completely, just because it would have felt like money down the drain. However, this is especially important to watch out for with kids, because I know just how special and important certain MagicBands are to everyone, but especially younger kiddos!
There are items you can buy online to keep your MagicBands more secure on your wrist, and it’s been something I’ve looked into. I talk with my hands so much, it’s totally possible the force could knock my band off, and it’d be totally gone before I can say AHHH!
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Etsy magic keepers! We hooked hours to retractable keychains which we clipped on our bags. A total life saver.
Buy a pack of Magic Band Protectors and you’ll never have this issue again.
I bought some fasteners online, and they have been a life saver. It has held it on when the band itself had popped open. Best money I spent.
Love the band,same problem with falling off, we use small hair bands for extra security
I feared losing ours, so I took a small piece of 1/2inch elastic and sewed the ends together (made a small loop) we slip it over the band’s flap to keep it from catching on anything. Has worked so far.
I’ve been told that the magic band will not be accepted for purchases if you are staying at a non Disney resort. Also it can’t be used for park admission tickets, etc. Is this true
If you are a passholder you can get those orange bands that secure your magic band so it doesn’t fall off. Not sure where you get those but they work for us. Not sure how you can say you won’t purchase anymore either. Ahh! They come out with so many new ones that you just can’t help but buy more. I guess it just depends on what you are into. I don’t get the Disney ears. They give me a headache. LOL!
I use ponytail holders on my Magic Bands. I had never had a problem with any of my bands coming loose. One time my husband and I were staying at POFQ and I looked down and noticed it had come loose. The ponytail holder saved the day. Also you can color coordinate them.
I bought a little band that I think was 3D printed, and it kept my magic band secure for my whole day through 4 parks.
I know this applies only to guests staying on site but there are two things that make MagicBands a “must” for us when we visit. First, being able to return to your room and tap-in on the room lock while carrying armfuls of souvenirs or kids is awesome. Second, kiosk food, especially EPCOT festivals. The ability to tap-and-pay and then just walk away with your hands full of food (since your partner is saving a table) is great. No fumbling with and possibly dropping your phone or wallet.
We used our 2018 MagicBands(v2) on our last trip in 2024 and they worked great for “tapping” contact points. We still had to have the app loaded on our phones to auto-detect ride photos.
Go to Frontier Trading post in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. They sell a Magic Keeper package (quantity of 3) for $9.99. It fits on your Magic Band and even if your band pops open it keeps it from coming apart. It’s similar to the Orange Passholder or the blue 50th Anniversary “keepers” they offered in the past. And they work.
I know we paid $25 for one that fell off my wife’s wrist unbeknownst to her. Even though her name was engraved on it it never was found or returned. For that kind of money Disney should have replaced it or make sure the quality of the clasp is a bit more robust. It I guess that’s how you sell more aarrrggghh!