FarmerBill
New Member
Are these bands a "nice to have", or actually needed? We are getting the Genie+ for the family (6 adults), so we plan on using the Genie app throughout the days.
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Are MagicBands Needed?
- Thread starter FarmerBill
- Start date
witandwander
Active Member
Are they still $5 door resort guests or did they raise the price to $10?
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witandwander
Active Member
That’s what I was thinking. Someone above recently mentioned $5, so I was (wishfully) wondering if I was wrong!
Has anyone gone without MagicBands? We will have DAS this trip and I’m wondering how that will work with kids if we don’t have magic bands. (But I also don’t want to spend an extra $40 on an already outrageously priced trip. Our old magic bands are well over the 3-year mark.)
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Tuvalu
Premium Member
You *may* be able to purchase plain bands on-site for $5 (the ones that used to be complimentary for resort guests) but I can’t confirm that.
Your old bands will work for all touch points (admission, DAS, Lightning Lane, room door, pool gate, Photopass). What won’t work is ride photos.
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CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
It used to be $5. (Setting aside the fact that it used-to-used-to be free.)
If you have old MagicBands, they'll work just fine for pretty much everything except on-ride photos.
Or the "Goodbye" board at Small World, if that's especially important to anyone.
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witandwander
Active Member
So if I got one new one for ride photos, would that work? (We’ll all be on the same rides)
Does the Apple Watch app work for ride photos?
Does the Apple Watch app work for ride photos?
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The ride photos would look for you since you have the MB. The others in your party may or may not be in the photo depending on the ride.
Sorry, but no, the Apple Watch does not work for the ride photos.
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yensid1967
Well-Known Member
Knowing what I know and don't know, I have a few questions...
We are staying off site at a Good Neighbor Hotel, we will have Genie, maybe Genie+. Will we need a Magicband? I am thinking for convenience of NOT having to grab our tickets at each ride, we should get them?
If we purchased a MB, can we add a credit card since we are offsite? Adding a card would be great so we wouldn't need cash? I assume we can just add how much cash we want to the credit card and use? Too bad you couldn't add cash to the magicband as a means to makes purchases, instead of a credit card.
Any advice is appreciated!
We are staying off site at a Good Neighbor Hotel, we will have Genie, maybe Genie+. Will we need a Magicband? I am thinking for convenience of NOT having to grab our tickets at each ride, we should get them?
If we purchased a MB, can we add a credit card since we are offsite? Adding a card would be great so we wouldn't need cash? I assume we can just add how much cash we want to the credit card and use? Too bad you couldn't add cash to the magicband as a means to makes purchases, instead of a credit card.
Any advice is appreciated!
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networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Only if you wanted on-ride pictures, I'd suggest buying a single one for the group.
Misconception. You don't add a credit card to a magic band no matter where you stay. Onsite guests can allow charges to their rooms which are settled every night to the form of payment on file for that purpose with their reservation. They are just cross-referenced account linkages.
You can add a credit card to My Disney Experience and use it to pay for some, but not all things. Most amusement parks are headed to cashless transactions.
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networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Anecdotal reference for a group using a single device for admission media and Lightning Lane: Its painful for both the party and anyone who gets stuck behind them. Scan, scroll, fingerprint, repeat.
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networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
No, magic bands are 1:1 correspondence. My suggestion for purchasing one for the party is for the long range RFID radio chip in the band. Typically your party will be on the same ride vehicle.
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witandwander
Active Member
Just got back. I found 2 VERY old Magic Bands (1.0 style - at least 6 years old) that worked for everything including ride photos.
I had 2 people in my party who didn’t have Magic Bands. I used the tickets on my phone in my Apple Wallet, and you’re right - it’s a pain. They keep changing to the first person’s ticket, giving card readers an error message and taking way too long.
Especially if you’re going to get Genie+ and be scanning into lines all day, definitely grab a Magic Band or at least a physical key card from the front desk.
I had 2 people in my party who didn’t have Magic Bands. I used the tickets on my phone in my Apple Wallet, and you’re right - it’s a pain. They keep changing to the first person’s ticket, giving card readers an error message and taking way too long.
Especially if you’re going to get Genie+ and be scanning into lines all day, definitely grab a Magic Band or at least a physical key card from the front desk.
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Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
We second everyone else, they aren’t needed but we love the convenience so we’ll continue to get them. We always customize them with our name and the year so they also make a good souvenir.
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DisneyfanMA
Well-Known Member
I'm headed down with a family of 5 in November. Three children 6, 8 and 10 years old.
Should I shell out even more money for these magic bands for the convenience (I assume they have to tap in to ride every ride)? Is it really painful if I just use the mobile app on my phone for all 5 of us to board? Note, I plan to buy Genie + and we're staying OFF property.... I could care less about all the extra nonsense Disney tries to include with these, photos etc. I just want to get on the rides in the most painless and efficient way possible.
edit: Can I even buy these if I'm off property? Disney has really created a mess with all this crap.
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networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Each lightning lane (aka Geni + ride selection) selection will require each person to scan an entitlement, but that can be a physical card and not a magic band or phone stored token. Anyone can buy a magicband.
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witandwander
Active Member
I hate to say it, but I would - especially with Genie+. Half our party had them and half didn’t and it was MUCH easier for the half that had them.
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Rob562
Well-Known Member
I would go with the free physical card or a purchased MagicBand over the digital tickets in the app.
The only place where tickets must be used by the person they're linked to is at the front gate. Write each person's name on the back of the card.
At rides, if everyone is always tapping into the same ride reservations together as a group it's less necessary to make sure they're properly handed out to specific people. So have one person be keeper of the cards for the kids. At each ride just deal a card out to each person and then collect them all back immediately afterwards.
-Rib
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