First time Annual Pass and Magic Band question?

[Alexis]

Hello everyone!

I just purchased a Disney World Annual Pass! First time! So, I was reading online and some people have said that you cannot order a magic band until your first visit in order to activate the annual pass and you get a card at the gate and order the magic band after your first trip. However, I am on the Disney website and it is allowing me to order and choose magic bands. I haven't followed through with it yet because I'm not sure if I'm suppose to wait until my first trip. Or do I order it and receive an inactivated band and link it after I arrive?

Any advice? Thoughts?

Thank you!

 

[nickys]

Hello everyone!

I just purchased a Disney World Annual Pass! First time! So, I was reading online and some people have said that you cannot order a magic band until your first visit in order to activate the annual pass and you get a card at the gate and order the magic band after your first trip. However, I am on the Disney website and it is allowing me to order and choose magic bands. I haven't followed through with it yet because I'm not sure if I'm suppose to wait until my first trip. Or do I order it and receive an inactivated band and link it after I arrive?

Any advice? Thoughts?

Thank you!

You can buy and link a magic band. In your case it sounds like you’re staying onsite and get a free one, or an updated one, from the resort.

The other people were talking about the special AP holder’s magic band. You can only get that once you activate your AP. Either by ordering it online or by going to the AP Guest Services in Liberty Square - if that’s open when you go.

Hope that clears things up for you.

Remember when you activate your AP, you will need ID and any proof of residence / DVC membership as appropriate. Check online for details of what you need to bring depending on what type of AP you have bought.

 

[Nottamus]

You will notice, probably when you get back from your trip, you'll have a Magicband to customize fro the AP.

We go twice a year, so.....Magicbands for each stay, and one for AP...

 

[Alexis]

I have not made a reservation. This is for the annual pass magic band and that is what the site is telling me. So, I'm not sure if I order the band unlinked and link it when I get there or wait until after my future trip

 

[Rob562]

I have not made a reservation. This is for the annual pass magic band and that is what the site is telling me. So, I'm not sure if I order the band unlinked and link it when I get there or wait until after my future trip

All MagicBands linked to your MDE account will work interchangeably. You won't have a Band that is specifically your AP.

So bring along any old Bands you have from previous trips, and once you activate your AP at the window, you can use them to enter the park. What the other poster was saying was that activating the AP will start an order for yet another Band in MDE. And once that one arrives, it too can be used interchangeably with all Bands on your account.

-Rob

 

[ELG13]

Your AP won't activate until you enter the park the first time. I reached out to Disney because I had the same question....I ordered ours several months before our first trip was planned and I didn't want those months to count against my AP time.

 

[dreamfinder]

OP, you are correct in that previously, the website wouldn't let you order your AP Magic Band until after you first activated it. Some people had luck stopping it to the Magic Band service center/Guest Relations and having them be issued a band on the spot if they insisted on not waiting. However, now it does appear the website may let you try to order the AP Magic Band anytime after associating a valid AP certificate (or online purchase) with your account. (And by AP Magic Band I mean the free/discounted Magic Band that AP holders are entitled to, not an AP specific Magic Band)