Reviews of MagicBand
Reviewed by creativegenius Review Date: 02/10/2013
Rating: (0) Recommended
We were really hoping to participate in this thinking it would give us an experience similar to the Universal Express passes that worked so well over there.
As of right now, the front desk here at the Boardwalk told us they were running some tests in Dec / Jan but at the moment they are not doing anything with them here at this resort. The unit to accept them is here, but that was it. We think we saw one person in Epcot today with the band on, but that would be the only one.
So at the moment, no Fastpass+ or anything like that available. Kind of a bummer, but we knew that February was pretty early in the year for a new technology.
Pros:
—Cons:
Not available yet.Reviewed by sabu1953 Review Date: 09/09/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Tested these 8/30 thru 9/7 and found them to be great for the most part. A few glitches when entering theme parks, but they have people there ready to help with the problem. Speeds up everything !
Pros:
Don't have to carry anything !Cons:
Sometimes glitches come upReviewed by clayalex02 Review Date: 09/12/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We were selected to do the Magic+ while staying at the Yacht Club from 8/28 - 9/5. Received an email invite, but I had already filled out the request and had the fastpasses before the letter had come. We did have one glitch, my band worked for everything except for getting into my room. My DD24's band worked but mine would not. The manager at the front desk tried to fix it but no luck, so she tried to replace it. It still did not work and neither did my card. Stopped at the front desk the next morning, just to let them know it still did not work, but did not want to stand around while the tried to fix it. They said the they would work on it and leave me a message. No message, so I stopped by that night and they finally got it to work. However, my DD24's band did not work anymore. But a quick stop at the front desk fixed it and all was good from then on. Every restaurant worked fine, on the meal plan they will ask to scan it first, but they usually asked to see your card anyway so no big deal. Can't wait until these are SOP!~
Pros:
easy to useCons:
still some glitchesReviewed by Brandon Review Date: 09/26/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
I was skeptical at first because it was my first trip to Disney and I didn't want to ruin it with a new product. I just didn't want anything to mess up my time at the most magical place on earth. Let me tell you that it performed outstandingly. The MagicBand is the only way to go for me. You can use it any where for anything as long as you have your access code. There really isn't a need for a wallet or purse when you are out and about. This made the trip for me so much easier and stress free. My wife wishes she could use this thing in our everyday lives, for my sake thank God she can't!
Pros:
Easily used, no need for wallet in the parksCons:
N/AReviewed by cs1236 Review Date: 10/06/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
Used magic bands from 9/22-9/29 used for hotel rooms, fast pass plus, photo pass plus, park hoppers, and dining. Never had to use our regular key to the world card in fact left them in the room. Band is comfortable like a watch or bracelet my 5 year old grand daughter never to hers off she swam and showered with it. Never had any issues. Very convenient .
Pros:
EverythingCons:
NoneReviewed by RichardErnst61 Review Date: 10/22/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We were able to use the Magicbands during a 4 day trip to WDW for theFood and Wine Festival the2nd weekend of October. The Magicbands worked flawlessly at almost all of the locations, including Magical Express check-in. They make everything easier and no need to rummage through your pockets to find a key card or credit card to pay for items or get into your room. The only downside is that the keypad used to enter your pin for purchases is very small. I had minimal problems using them but my wife had a much higher chance if mis-keying her pin becaus of her longer nails.
Pros:
Very easy to use, works well, available everywhere on WDW propertyCons:
Small keypad on PIN machinesReviewed by ThermoChamuco Review Date: 10/28/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Currently on first WDW trip with Magic Bands. The other reviews are all fair and accurate so I won't rehash what they said. I want to point out what I find to be a somewhat frustrating side effect. Yes, Magic Bands allow you to use FastPass+ to select 3 entitlements, be it rides, characters, parades, or shows. However, all 3 currently have to be in the same park. (OK, so, maybe that is more of a FP+ complaint, but seems to be counter intuitive to expecting folks to pay more for Park Hopper.) The big shock for me was that the old school FastPass distribution machines do NOT read Magic Bands. I am not trying to sound greedy. My family typically kept a close eye on the Mobile Magic app and would use runners to acquire FastPasses. We could easily do 6-8 FastPasses a day. Apparently no more with Magic Band. You have 3 entitlements in a single location and there will be no more there or any other hopped to location. I hope this is a limitation they find out how to tweak.
Pros:
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FastPass limitationsReviewed by NJDzneMom Review Date: 11/11/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
My family just returned from a trip the first week of November. We loved the bands! We enjoyed being able personalize in advance - everyone's favorite colors. I was less worried with my sons losing their tickets throughout our vacation because I could always visually see them on their wrists. We also enjoyed being able to use them for everything - hotel room, park entrance, purchases, meals, fastpasses, etc. Very convenient!
Pros:
ConvenientCons:
NoneReviewed by DisneyDork Review Date: 11/11/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We were wary of the wristbands, fearing they would be uncomfortable, sweaty, etc., but were pleasantly surprised. I didn't realize beforehand that they could be taken off and put on so easily, we had no trouble at all (I thought they had to be worn the whole time, which is incorrect). Loved the convenience of not having to look for my park ticket while making sure my purse is all zipped up after going through security, etc. We give the bands a thumbs up.
Pros:
very convenientCons:
noneReviewed by retired605 Review Date: 11/11/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We just returned from a Disney trip November 2-9.
We were given the Magic Bands at check-in to our resort and, contrary to what we had been told previously in emails, we 'had' to use them. They are great when they work and frustrating when they don't. The biggest complaint we would have is that all the cast members are not on the same page when it comes to explaining how they work. Person who sold us our annual passes told us to definitely sync them with our bands and then when mine didn't work to get into Epcot the cast member at the gate said you should not sync the passes yet since the bands are still experimental. So ???
The FastPass feature is great and we had no problem with it. Also as a room key it worked fine.
