Magic Bands or Magic Band +’s for August 6th visit?

Should I get the Version 2 Magic Band or Magic Band +’s for my visit starting August 6th?


  • Total voters
    10

mp2bill

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I’ll preface this by saying that I know they haven’t been officially released yet, but…

I’m visiting on the 6th of August. Knowing that Magic Band +’s were going to be released, I waited to order Magic Bands, and of course, the day I was going to order them thinking that the +’s wouldn’t be released in time for my visit, they announced that they would be released tomorrow.

In any case, my new plan was to order the +’s tomorrow and have them sent to my resort, but I’m not seeing great things about the interactions with fireworks and whatnot. This was kind of expected because, you know, technology bugs.

However, because they’re rechargeable, does this mean that they’ll last a lot longer than the expected 2-3 years of versions 1 & 2? I’m thinking that since they’re only used for 7 days, or whatever, at a time, that it’d still be a better deal to order a Magic Band +’s now, even if all the functionality hasn’t been smoothed out yet because they’ll be reusable for a long time.

So what say you?
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
Just to be clear, MagicBand and MagicBand 2 work forever for most functions. Anything that you have to touch or tap does not require a "live" battery and will work with MB1, MB2, or a dead-battery MB+ pretty much in perpetuity.

The battery is needed for long-range features, which are pretty narrow. The most obvious one would be on-ride photo linking, but your phone should work for that purpose now if all of the features are enabled. Others would be things like the "Goodbye" boards on It's a Small World that might greet you by name.

Honestly I'd buy whichever model has a style that you like. If you love Orange Bird and there's an Orange Bird MB2 but no Orange Bird MB+, get the MB2. If you don't see a style that you love, use an old one or skip it entirely. I might try to get at least one MB+ for the traveling party so you can try out the features they offer in Galaxy's Edge and with the 50th Anniversary statues.
 

mp2bill

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just to be clear, MagicBand and MagicBand 2 work forever for most functions. Anything that you have to touch or tap does not require a "live" battery and will work with MB1, MB2, or a dead-battery MB+ pretty much in perpetuity.

The battery is needed for long-range features, which are pretty narrow. The most obvious one would be on-ride photo linking, but your phone should work for that purpose now if all of the features are enabled. Others would be things like the "Goodbye" boards on It's a Small World that might greet you by name.

Honestly I'd buy whichever model has a style that you like. If you love Orange Bird and there's an Orange Bird MB2 but no Orange Bird MB+, get the MB2. If you don't see a style that you love, use an old one or skip it entirely. I might try to get at least one MB+ for the traveling party so you can try out the features they offer in Galaxy's Edge and with the 50th Anniversary statues.
Gotcha. Thanks for your input!
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
The idea of chagring every night for the limited interactions that MB+ offers doesn't seem worth it to me. Seems to me that MB2 is the way to go if a MagicBand is wanted. I'd personally go with an Apple Watch. :)
Have we seen testing "in the wild" that actually indicates it needs to be charged every day? My cheapo knock-off fitbit that I only use when I want a digital watch at the pool lasts for like three weeks when I have the pedometer turned off.
 

mp2bill

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
That’s what I was kind of thinking, but I was also thinking I’d just future-proof the band. Or is your thinking that they’ll not only increase what interaction they have in the future, but version 4 (or MB+ v2 or whatever it ends up being called) will also have increased capabilities?

Also, I just thought of this question: Can you put your kids tickets on your band, or does each person have to have their own (or plastic admission card/Magic Mobile pass)?
The idea of chagring every night for the limited interactions that MB+ offers doesn't seem worth it to me. Seems to me that MB2 is the way to go if a MagicBand is wanted. I'd personally go with an Apple Watch. :)
,
 

mp2bill

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Have we seen testing "in the wild" that actually indicates it needs to be charged every day? My cheapo knock-off fitbit that I only use when I want a digital watch at the pool lasts for like three weeks when I have the pedometer turned off.
I haven’t seen any real world testing, but what I saw was 1-3 days. I assume it has to do with how you use it (e.g. - just for admission, Photopass, etc, or are you doing the interactive games, visiting the 50th anniversary statues, and watching the fireworks in addition to those other things?).

I don’t have that big of a problem charging the things every night, but I just don’t want to buy these things thinking they’re going to have some cool features and be useable on future visits, and then find out that I would’ve been fine with v2, and then Disney came out with some new feature where you need a Magic Band+ v2 or 3 or whatever.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
Also, I just thought of this question: Can you put your kids tickets on your band, or does each person have to have their own (or plastic admission card/Magic Mobile pass)?
Nothing is "on" the band. The band points the system to your My Disney Experience profile, and your My Disney Experience profile contains all of your admission entitlements. That's why you could use ten different bands interchangeably if you wanted to. Nothing is on one band in particular, any band that points to your profile will work.

To answer your question, everyone needs their own. But kids love them in my experience, so that's not a downside IMO.

I don’t have that big of a problem charging the things every night, but I just don’t want to buy these things thinking they’re going to have some cool features and be useable on future visits, and then find out that I would’ve been fine with v2, and then Disney came out with some new feature where you need a Magic Band+ v2 or 3 or whatever.
The very first MagicBand that launched on Day 1 is still usable. They don't stop working just because a new version has come out.

Trying to project this out years into the future is a bit of overthinking for a $35 purchase IMO. Pick the one you like.
 

Raxel7851

Well-Known Member
The battery is needed for long-range features, which are pretty narrow. The most obvious one would be on-ride photo linking, but your phone should work for that purpose now if all of the features are enabled. Others would be things like the "Goodbye" boards on It's a Small World that might greet you by name.
Capt, can your phone be used to capture the on-ride photos instead of my Magic Band? Mine are a little older and have a difficult time capturing those photos. What features would I need to enable?
 

mp2bill

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The very first MagicBand that launched on Day 1 is still usable. They don't stop working just because a new version has come out.

Trying to project this out years into the future is a bit of overthinking for a $35 purchase IMO. Pick the one you like.
You seem to be missing my point. It’s not about the cost of the item, but about throwing money away. If the new version comes with a higher price point for different functions, and those functions aren’t working (or of value), what’s the point of buying the new version?

We don’t go to WDW every year, so if we visit 10 days from now and there’s very little functionality of MB+, and then the next time we there’s a new version with even more functions, I’m all set with having wasted $40 (or whatever the additional cost of 4 MB+ is). The way Disney is nickel and dimeing everything now has got me reassessing how I spend my money on them.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
You seem to be missing my point. It’s not about the cost of the item, but about throwing money away. If the new version comes with a higher price point for different functions, and those functions aren’t working (or of value), what’s the point of buying the new version?
If you're buying a MagicBand for the "functionality," save your money. It's not a functional product, it's a frivolous product intended to be a whimsical vacation accessory. If you don't see any value in that, just skip it. That's fine.

We don’t go to WDW every year, so if we visit 10 days from now and there’s very little functionality of MB+, and then the next time we there’s a new version with even more functions, I’m all set with having wasted $40 (or whatever the additional cost of 4 MB+ is). The way Disney is nickel and dimeing everything now has got me reassessing how I spend my money on them.
You might not spend $40 on a plastic bracelet because you're afraid it won't be cutting edge technology on a trip you may or may not take years from now? Seriously, just skip it.

If you want one for THIS trip, buy one. If you don't, skip it. You can't optimize this purchase for all potential future trips.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
Capt, can your phone be used to capture the on-ride photos instead of my Magic Band? Mine are a little older and have a difficult time capturing those photos. What features would I need to enable?
I've always bought a new trip-specfic band because I like them, so I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure MagicMobile needs long-range Bluetooth enabled for photo linking.
 

mp2bill

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
If you're buying a MagicBand for the "functionality," save your money. It's not a functional product, it's a frivolous product intended to be a whimsical vacation accessory. If you don't see any value in that, just skip it. That's fine.


You might not spend $40 on a plastic bracelet because you're afraid it won't be cutting edge technology on a trip you may or may not take years from now? Seriously, just skip it.

If you want one for THIS trip, buy one. If you don't, skip it. You can't optimize this purchase for all potential future trips.
Thanks for your help.
 

Raxel7851

Well-Known Member
I've always bought a new trip-specfic band because I like them, so I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure MagicMobile needs long-range Bluetooth enabled for photo linking.
Thanks Capt. I like the idea of buying a trip-specific MB. I’m thinking with the requirement to charge the new MB+, it should always capture the ride photos. I usually charge my Apple Watch and iPhone at night, so it will be 1 more thing to plug in.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
Thanks Capt. I like the idea of buying a trip-specific MB. I’m thinking with the requirement to charge the new MB+, it should always capture the ride photos. I usually charge my Apple Watch and iPhone at night, so it will be 1 more thing to plug in.
Between the phone and the watch, everything should work for you without any band. I only wear analog watches so for me the appeal of MB is to wear my room key and park tickets, especially when doing water stuff. We'll see if I feel differently when the Pixel watch comes out.
 

MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
This thread is now past the date of OP, but if anyone rads this- I had the new bands and they DI NOT work. Complete waste of $. I lost a lot of vacation time trying to get them to work. they simply would not pair. We tried everything and lost 2+ hours at GS. On top of that, charging them every night was a hassle. They simply do not work with Android. though we were told they *might*pair if they were FULLY charged. We were sorta able to get some of them to work some of the time, but never all of them. Sometimes they would light up. We tried to get some of the statues, but some would not work. then the next day, credit for ones we did get would disappear. Maybe they work with Apple?
 

Thepuma

Well-Known Member
Simple answer....NEITHER! - use your phone.

I've had magicbands for years, I buy a new one every year. This year mine broke and initially I was gutted as I enjoy the simplicity of tapping my band for everything. I was going to get a new one the following day but had to use my pone in the meantime.

I concluded that I could do everything with my phone and didn't need a magicband. Even more so being the planner of the group as I have my damn phone in my hand alm day anyway to check to G+ and ILL etc.
 

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