Magic Bands 101

[Abra Cat]

Oh great, thank you!

You can use old ones and new ones interchangeably. If you don't want new, do not customize them. At check-in, politely refuse the gray ones they try to give you.

 

[diskids2]

Help! I have two reservations because I need two rooms. One is in my name. One in my daughter's name. Three people in my room. Two people in her room. The resort reservations are linked and are tickets are linked, meaning that I see five tickets when I look at tickets under my own MDE.

However, I only see three magic bands. Do I need to link these magic bands? And if I do, how do I do it? I don't have them yet so I don't know the 12D number. I am mainly concerned because when I make my FP+ at 60 days out, I want to do it for all party members.

I thought I was ok because the reservations were linked in MDE and the tickets are linked in MDE. But now, I am being told the bands need to be linked.

 

[SchneiderFam]

Such a dumb question, but I am sure somewhere here has a great answer. Do you have to check into your resort in order for your MagicBands to be "active"? And by active I mean to be used as park admission and for charging and for accessing FP+ ressies.

We are driving from Miami after debarking the Wonder and would probably like to head straight to a park rather than having to stop at the hotel first. DS has regular tickets linked already, DH and I have Premier vouchers that we'll need to get set up when we get to the Park if that makes a difference at all.

 

[Itinkso]

Such a dumb question, but I am sure somewhere here has a great answer. Do you have to check into your resort in order for your MagicBands to be "active"? And by active I mean to be used as park admission and for charging and for accessing FP+ ressies. We are driving from Miami after debarking the Wonder and would probably like to head straight to a park rather than having to stop at the hotel first. DS has regular tickets linked already, DH and I have Premier vouchers that we'll need to get set up when we get to the Park if that makes a difference at all.

You won't be able to charge any purchase using your MagicBands but DS' ticket and all of your FPs can be accessed without having to stop by the resort.

 

[Sublime24]

Hi everyone. I understand that I can book my fast passes 30 days out as I am not going to be on resort. I heard that you are not able to link a credit card to your magic band if you are not staying on poperty. Can anyone clarify this? Thank you so much.

 

[Itinkso]

Hi everyone. I understand that I can book my fast passes 30 days out as I am not going to be on resort. I heard that you are not able to link a credit card to your magic band if you are not staying on poperty. Can anyone clarify this? Thank you so much.

When your tickets are linked to your MDE account, you'll be able to book your FPs. Your MagicBand will provide the link to your MDE account at Entrance tapstiles and FP tapstiles.

Credit cards do not link to MDE. They are linked to onsite room reservations and the charges get billed to the room and finally to the credit card. Because you are an off-site guest, you won't have charging capability.

 

[rosiebean]

Did you book through a third party (Expedia, Travelocity, etc)? If so, I think I have the answer. So I'd had had the "act fast" message for weeks now and every time I called, the CMs just said everything looked good. I finally got transferred to a tech person yesterday who knew the issue immediately. Turns out that if the last names of the people in your party don't match, the system won't complete the customization and sends an email to the default email address (not your DME email address, but the third party's email address) asking if it's okay that the last names don't match. And since the third party's email address is obviously just a default box that isn't monitored, you don't get any chance to confirm it. So you have to call and talk to the tech people who can fix it for you.

The person I spoke with yesterday was able to fix it and she said that as of midnight last night, it would start actually making the bands. And she was right. I checked this AM and indeed I finally have the message saying they're being made and to check back for shipping/ tracking info.

Question...if I call the Disney number for help and get a regular cast member who tells me "everything looks good"...do I ask for "tech" help?

I'm about 2 weeks away from my trip, and no bands...my 1st sister (staying in another room) got her bands 2 1/2 weeks ago. HER in laws (who are visiting at the same time) got their bands during the same time as well. Last year, I got my bands about a month out (the same time frame that my sister got hers this year).

So I called the hotline today and was told that bands normally are mailed out at 10 days.

So I go online and research and find that's not the case, that it's usually 30 days or so out.

Now I find this post, which totally explains my situation, because I got my room via a non-disney site, linked up after the fact, AND have two different last names on the res as my 2nd sister's married name (the 2nd sister is on my res) is different than mine (last year, it the last names on the res were all the same).

I realize that I need to call Dis and be firm about talking to someone who can help me straighten all of this out. I'd just like to know exactly who to request when I call. IT? Tech services? Anything that is helpful would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jeni16]

I'm also about 2 weeks from my trip & haven't received my bands yet. It says they are shipping soon. I booked everything directly through Disney. What seems to be the norm? Is there an e-mail address you can use to contact them about it?

 

[Jen1010]

This may have been already covered in another post- if so sorry!

We are staying offsite for the first time (previous visits we stayed on property)- can we use a friends magic bands from their previous stay?

 

[jimandami]

This may have been already covered in another post- if so sorry! We are staying offsite for the first time (previous visits we stayed on property)- can we use a friends magic bands from their previous stay?

No, sorry. Once a MB is linked to an MDE profile, it cannot be changed.

 

[Jen1010]

No, sorry. Once a MB is linked to an MDE profile, it cannot be changed.

Thanks! I figured that was the case but wanted to verify.

 

[gorjus121]

I'm also about 2 weeks from my trip & haven't received my bands yet. It says they are shipping soon. I booked everything directly through Disney. What seems to be the norm? Is there an e-mail address you can use to contact them about it?

FYI- did you receive an email? We got a shipping confirmation email from Disney this morning with 29 days to go. It gives tracking info and looks like it's being shipped parcel post which I believe is a little slower. I would call them! My status now shows that my magic bands have shipped on MDE. Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[jeni16]

FYI- did you receive an email? We got a shipping confirmation email from Disney this morning with 29 days to go. It gives tracking info and looks like it's being shipped parcel post which I believe is a little slower. I would call them! My status now shows that my magic bands have shipped on MDE. Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Nope, no e-mail. We did call this morning. They were held up for some unknown reason. And are now suppose to ship within the next day or so. I'll be tracking them closely

 

[nbenson]

We will be doing a split stay, three resorts. Based on what I have read I think I know what I am doing. Please let me know if I am wrong, and this will not work. Our first night is at CBR a single travel night stay. Then we will be joining my sister and family at AoA for 7 or 8 nights, and then the CR for 7 or 8 nights. So, if I am understanding this. I can go straight from CBR to AK and do not need to check into AoA for our tickets to be ready, like we had to with the cards in the past? This would be perfect. We may also be doing 2 seperate dining plans, so I would not need to stop at the CR to activate that, it is all on the band?
If this is correct, I am already impressed with the bands.

 

[siskaren]

We may also be doing 2 separate dining plans, so I would not need to stop at the CR to activate that, it is all on the band?

No, you would need to check in to activate your dining plan(s). And there's nothing "on" the magic bands - the magic bands are a way to access the information on your MDE account.

 

[timestwo]

Question...if I call the Disney number for help and get a regular cast member who tells me "everything looks good"...do I ask for "tech" help?

I'm about 2 weeks away from my trip, and no bands...my 1st sister (staying in another room) got her bands 2 1/2 weeks ago. HER in laws (who are visiting at the same time) got their bands during the same time as well. Last year, I got my bands about a month out (the same time frame that my sister got hers this year).

So I called the hotline today and was told that bands normally are mailed out at 10 days.

So I go online and research and find that's not the case, that it's usually 30 days or so out.

Now I find this post, which totally explains my situation, because I got my room via a non-disney site, linked up after the fact, AND have two different last names on the res as my 2nd sister's married name (the 2nd sister is on my res) is different than mine (last year, it the last names on the res were all the same).

I realize that I need to call Dis and be firm about talking to someone who can help me straighten all of this out. I'd just like to know exactly who to request when I call. IT? Tech services? Anything that is helpful would be greatly appreciated!

I don't recall the exact events leading to to be transferred to IT, but there is an option to be transferred if you're having problems with the website. That might do it. If not just ask to be transferred. I don't know what 3 or 4 CMs kep telling me the 10 day thing, too, since it's so obviously incorrect. Be sure you make the call early enough for them to mail them if it's important to you to get them before you leave. Good luck!

 

[keaster]

We have friends going in December, staying off site. They will be buying their tickets before hand, and will link them in their MDE account.

Question is about magic bands...as off site guests, do they get them and how? We are DVC members and always stay on site. And since we are from Canada we have to pick up our magic bands at the resort.

So off site Canadians, when and how do they get magic bands? Or do they get them at all?

 

[siskaren]

We have friends going in December, staying off site. They will be buying their tickets before hand, and will link them in their MDE account.

Question is about magic bands...as off site guests, do they get them and how? We are DVC members and always stay on site. And since we are from Canada we have to pick up our magic bands at the resort.

So off site Canadians, when and how do they get magic bands? Or do they get them at all?

Offsite guests (whether Canadian or not) don't get magic bands unless they choose to buy them, and they really don't need to.

 

[ethanwa]

nevermind, delete

 

[Nechville]

For our trip this year, will have to redo the finger print? To "set it" with our new tickets? Or does it remember my fingerprint from last year? I ask because I did my left finger last year but realized I would rather have the magic band on my left arm and it was a pain to use that hand for both the band and finger print. (such problems )