Magic band notice - is this new?

[Chuck S]

Hopefully Magic Bands will still be able to be used in the future, unless Disney pumps big bucks into their WiFi infrastructure in the parks and hotels.

 

[CarolMN]

IMO, having to open an app and click around to open your hotel door is /will be a pain. I will be asking for a key card at the front desk if my MBs no longer work. I have more than enough MBs to last as long as I want to travel to WDW.

 

[Farro]

I like magic bands! I'll probably order some for this upcoming trip.

I don't trust that I won't run out of battery on my phone with all the mobile ordering/what not and then can't get into my room!

 

[SaintsManiac]

IMO, having to open an app and click around to open your hotel door is /will be a pain. I will be asking for a key card at the front desk if my MBs no longer work. I have more than enough MBs to last as long as I want to travel to WDW.

I don't see any reason to think you can't use them in the future. They make big bucks selling them. They also probably have about a million gray ones that they can give out when you check in.

I'd say it would take several years if they really want to phase them out.

 

[rteetz]

I don't see any reason to think you can't use them in the future. They make big bucks selling them. They also probably have about a million gray ones that they can give out when you check in.

I'd say it would take several years if they really want to phase them out.

Yeah they certainly won’t go away instantly.

 

[71 Truck]

My wife and I were in the very first group on the week magic bands started. My wife and I have been DVC members for over twenty years and visit Disney for one or two night stays four or five times a year. We have so many we decorate our little Christmas Tree with them. If they go away from magic bands and the ones we have stop working I will also ask for a room card key. I did not know you could still ask for one I thought they did away with the cards years ago.

 

[Farro]

I don't see any reason to think you can't use them in the future. They make big bucks selling them. They also probably have about a million gray ones that they can give out when you check in.

I'd say it would take several years if they really want to phase them out.

I have very fun skins I bought for the trip that never was...maybe I'll just ask for some grey ones at front desk then add our skins in the room with the bathroom hair dryer!

 

[YesterDark]

It'll take a decade for MB to go away (if ever). They make money on them.

But they'll keep adding more functionality over time to MDE which will make MB limited. I'm sure you'll be able to tie some functionality of the MB to a smart watch or something at some point in the coming years.

 

[tobikaye]

This is welcome news to me as I hate the MB. They are so uncomfortable for me to wear. I was glad when I could start declining them because it felt wasteful getting one for each trip. I had to DIY retractable broaches for the pucks so I did not lose the bands in my bag after the first week of attempting to wear the MB.

DLR is setup for use with smart phones/watches to enter the park and scan in for MaxPass. Since I already carry a portable battery charger into the parks, I never had to worry about my battery dying. It was quite easy to use when I was there last year. I was hoping that WDW would have the option available soon, but figured it would be in addition to the MB.

 

[TheTrailblazers]

Get some good Apple Watch/ Smart watch compatibility and you'll have essentially the convenience of a Magic Band on your wrist but all the management on the phone screen! I like how different transit systems (Singapore/London) have embraced the current technology to optimize AND in this current (and hopefully very soon past) age of COVID-19 are striving to make everything as touchfree as possible!

 

[Fangorn]

Disney spent $2 BILLION on The technology behind Magic Bands. It's not going away anytime in the foreseeable future.

If the intent was to do away with Magic Bands, we would not be seeing dozens of new designs showing up almost weekly. Disney's little experiment with allowing resort guests to purchase a very limited selection of special designs resulted in a massive wave of purchases and showed them that they no longer have to give MBs away for people to use them. Hence this change.

The announcement was that you no longer get one for "free". Not that they were going away. IMO, adding some functionality to the app is an enhancement aimed mostly at guests that stay off-property and those that don't like wearing MBs. It's an alternative/backup, but not a replacement. Way, way, way more convenient to scan my band rather than pull out my phone and open the app.

Steve

 

[rteetz]

Disney spent $2 BILLION on The technology behind Magic Bands. It's not going away anytime in the foreseeable future.

If the intent was to do away with Magic Bands, we would not be seeing dozens of new designs showing up almost weekly. Disney's little experiment with allowing resort guests to purchase a very limited selection of special designs resulted in a massive wave of purchases and showed them that they no longer have to give MBs away for people to use them. Hence this change.

The announcement was that you no longer get one for "free". Not that they were going away. IMO, adding some functionality to the app is an enhancement aimed mostly at guests that stay off-property and those that don't like wearing MBs. It's an alternative/backup, but not a replacement. Way, way, way more convenient to scan my band rather than pull out my phone and open the app.

Steve

Disney didn’t spend $2 billion on magicbands specifically but infrastructure around it. That infrastructure isn’t leaving. The functions of the magicband will be furthered to the smart phone though. Disney has announced that.

 

[stellaneal]

i checked my account and it does have that "warning" about them not being complimentary in 2021. I looked at my order that i put in after booking our trip and it still has ours free due to a "pre-order rate" or some verbage like that. it definetly says pre-order in the wording. And its the plain color ones. The ones with designs are discounted due to pre-order but they are not free.

 

[SaintsManiac]

i checked my account and it does have that "warning" about them not being complimentary in 2021. I looked at my order that i put in after booking our trip and it still has ours free due to a "pre-order rate" or some verbage like that. it definetly says pre-order in the wording. And its the plain color ones. The ones with designs are discounted due to pre-order but they are not free.

I looked in mine for the heck of it and I can get the plain colors for the preorder rate of $5. We were going to order the designed ones anyway, but I was curious!

 

[Farro]

I just did ours and they were still free. Green and purple.

 

[stellaneal]

I looked in mine for the heck of it and I can get the plain colors for the preorder rate of $5. We were going to order the designed ones anyway, but I was curious!

just out of curiosity, when are you going? We are going in February. I wonder if that pre-order rate changes the closer to your trip you customize.

 

[SaintsManiac]

just out of curiosity, when are you going? We are going in February. I wonder if that pre-order rate changes the closer to your trip you customize.

June 5th

 

[stellaneal]

June 5th

well that’s definitely not it then. Lol.

 

[gottalovepluto]

just out of curiosity, when are you going? We are going in February. I wonder if that pre-order rate changes the closer to your trip you customize.

Maybe it’s based on when you booked?

 

[wilbret]

Yeah, I hate this. Phone batteries die, etc., plus you'll need to be with your kids or they'll have to have your phone, to scan anything.
I don't know about you, but my kids don't have phones, and especially not if we are in a park.

I also like to not have my phone with me sometimes. Go to the pool? Great, don't need anything with me. Enter with the band, pay with the band, get back in room with the band. Party with the band.

We have tons of active bands, will use them until they die. I'm okay buying new ones now and then.