MagicBand without MDE...useless?

[horizons82]

I have a friend who is thinking of going to WDW for the first time in a VERY long time. It would just be a day-trip and she would not be an on-site hotel guest or anything like that. She does not have a MDE account, nor does she plan to make one because this will pretty much be a once-in-a-decade trip as she doesn't have the means to go again (even her one-day ticket was basically a gift to her).

However, she keeps asking about getting a MagicBand to use in the park, which got me wondering...how would a MB would be of any advantage to anyone who doesn't have a MDE account? In this situation, I don't see how having a MB would serve any purpose other than just having one as a novelty.

If someone shows up at a park with a one-day ticket and has no MDE acct, are they somehow able to link a MB to that park ticket for that day even without the guest having a MDE acct?

This really wasn't a situation I had thought about before, but now I'm really curious as to whether MBs can be linked to tickets at the parks on-site for guests who do not have a MDE set up, or, would they just have to use their tickets because MBs would be useless?

 

[Tom]

If she does not setup an online My Disney Experience account, she will not be able to tie a Magic Band to anything else, including her ticket.

She also will not be able to use FP+ in advance, since that requires MDE. I'm not sure if you can set them all using the in-park kiosk if you don't have an account. The account is the key to everything. It's free to setup. Maybe you could set one up for her, just so she can utilize some of the features.

 

[Tuvalu]

To pay $12 for a MagicBand to use for one day is ridiculous. And she would need to set up MDE account in order to use it. You must set up MDE account immediately after purchasing a MagicBand. A CM does it for you.

Her ticket will have a number that can be used for FP+ on the day she visits the park. If she creates a MDE account in advance, she can put in her ticket number and make FP+ 30 days in advance (which would benefit her if she is going during the busy summer months.)

She would simply scan her ticket at the FP+ pole when she uses her chosen FP. She does not need a MagicBand; the ticket serves the same purpose.

 

[horizons82]

Thanks Tom, that's pretty much what I was thinking too. She really didn't seem interested in a MDE account at all, but I wanted to be certain of this before I told her that she would really need one to be able to take full advantage of FP/MBs.

 

[Tom]

Thanks Tom, that's pretty much what I was thinking too. She really didn't seem interested in a MDE account at all, but I wanted to be certain of this before I told her that she would really need one to be able to take full advantage of FP/MBs.

Yeah, and like @Tuvalu said, she doesn't need a MB at all. But a MDE account would be beneficial, so that she can at least try to get some same-day FP+.

 

[cw1982]

Honestly, the only reason I would get a MB if I was her is if she wanted it as a souvenir ($12.95 looks a lot better than the price of those shirts lol)... but even then, it would be far more useful if she went ahead and created a MDE account for the passes, like everyone else said. It is quick and easy and oh so worth it! I hope she changes her mind.

 

[Tom Morrow]

IMO, if you aren't staying in a Disney resort, or using a complimentary band from an AP, there is zero reason to purchase a MagicBand.

 

[asialeigh]

If she wants a magic band she can purchase one and have her ticket linked to it at time of purchase. It would just be for the novelty and convenience of it but she is more than welcome to if that's what she wants.