When did MagicBands go out if style?

[Giraffe_Zen]

Just returned from a quick weekend trip at WL. (First time at WL and loved it!) Unfortunately we felt like we were the only ones wearing bands. I like the convenience of the band and not worrying about keeping my phone charged to unlock room. Are people just carrying phones and room cards now?

We stopped using them personally when we found out that we could have our passes put on our apple watch and use it to tap in like a magic band. So much easier, comfortable and cheaper

 

[reddog21]

My sister tried to use her Apple Watch,

Apple watches can't be used for room access only park/lightning lane access. There were rumors that Disney was collaborating with Apple to integrate hotel keys into Apple Wallet, as the Bluetooth room key access in the app utilizes Apple technology.

 

[erionm]

I have the newer MB+ but I honestly hate having to "worry" about charging it each night. I already have enough to charge with phones and battery banks. I typically just use my non + MBs. I prob will just use my watch and keep a MB for entering the room or pool time.

The MB+ battery only needs to be charged for automatic linking of ride photos and any of the interactive stuff (Bounty Hunter game at DHS for example). It will still work for anything where you need to touch the band to a reader (park entry, room entry, LL entry, etc.).

 

[DeeBee3]

We still use ours. Some of us have the MB+ and some of us have the very original ones from years ago. Still works. Hate to use the phone for the door or anything else other than the mobile order type things.

 

[beccasmom]

Glad you liked WL….it’s a lovely resort!

We mostly use our phones and the card you can get at your resort upon check-in. We did use MBs for quite a while, but I guess the novelty wore off. We purchased a few Magic Bands +, but had a number of issues with them that kept recurring.

 

[kiford]

I still use my MB, as I have a few that I really like, and I find the new ones are blah with minimal selection. In particular, I have an older Haunted Mansion one, and I can't find an MB+ that is similar. I don't particularly like that the new bands also require charging. I have way too many chargers that I have to travel with already, so it's a pain. I know you don't need to keep it charged to use for a lot of things, but it's just one more thing I don't want to travel with, and I don't want to pay for a charger that I don't want to use. DH uses his Apple Watch for pretty much everything he'd use an MB for (he uses me to open the resort room door; actually, he uses me to do most things, too - he mostly uses his watch just to enter the park so doesn't even need a card or band).

 

[japanese maple]

We still use ours. Love them, find them to be the most convenient option.

 

[DaviVascaino]

Just to clarify, you DON"T need to charge the MB plus. The charging part is JUST for the lights. The magic band would still work for opening hotel rooms, lightning lane, tickets, etc etc

 

[CarolynFH]

Just to clarify, you DON"T need to charge the MB plus. The charging part is JUST for the lights. The magic band would still work for opening hotel rooms, lightning lane, tickets, etc etc

The charging is also for linking ride photos that don’t have tap points at the end. You can set M.D.E. on your phone to use Bluetooth for that, though.

 

[CarolynFH]

double post

 

[elvispursley]

We still see people wearing them in the parks. I bought one a couple of years ago knowing that 1) they were more expensive 2) we could use them at DLR, which we go to as well 3) didn’t have to worry the battery for taking on ride pictures would fail. Personally, I like that the new MB+ can be recharged.

I do think they are less popular now since Disney stopped giving them out. They’re also a tad bulky to wear and had I not been wearing a bit belt on my MB, it totally would’ve come off at some point (the MB 2.0 seemed to stay out for me better).

I also wear an Apple Watch along with my MB. I like having both with one serving as “backup” to the other for pictures, tapping, etc.

 

[Djm_in_buffalo]

I agree with multiple of the prior comments. For me personally, the juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze.particularly since it sounds like the the clasp to keep them secure to the wrist is not perfect.

Further, I just reviewed the approximately 20% off retail price Magic Bands available to us in MDE, in advance of a future resort stay. Even if I was 49/51 on the fence, IMHO these are pretty lousy offerings. No Mickey. No Minnie. No princess(es). No classic Disney movie characters (other than Alice in Wonderland). No Marvel characters. Heck, the only plain colored option is metallic, vibrant orange.

 

[OKW Lover]

Magic Bands went out of style about 2 weeks after they were first introduced.

Seriously, I've got a draw full of them somewhere from when they were given away. Stashed them and only use my phone for park entrance or a room key if I'm staying at a resort. Why wear something extra when you don't need it?

 

[DaviVascaino]

The charging is also for linking ride photos that don’t have tap points at the end. You can set M.D.E. on your phone to use Bluetooth for that, though.

Are you sure? I thought the older magic band had that capability as well, I might be wrong

 

[Smugpugmug]

Are you sure? I thought the older magic band had that capability as well, I might be wrong

They do but the battery inside will eventually die which makes them unable to capture ride photos. It will happen to all of the Magicband 1 and 2s at some point (tbh by now I bet all of the batteries in the first edition Magicbands have already died).

 

[brockash]

Just returned from a quick weekend trip at WL. (First time at WL and loved it!) Unfortunately we felt like we were the only ones wearing bands. I like the convenience of the band and not worrying about keeping my phone charged to unlock room. Are people just carrying phones and room cards now?

When they stopped being free lol.

 

[Mirabell Rose]

Forgot to pack my MB this trip. If I could buy a new MB for $20 or less I would. Not going to buy MB+
Biggest thing I liked them for was going to the pool. They were waterproof. No where on MB+ package does it say it is waterproof.

 

[Dave006]

No where on MB+ package does it say it is waterproof.

The MB+ is waterproof for basic usage around water or in a pool. I would not wear one while scuba diving or free diving as they are not rated for depth.

Dave

 

[Wood Nymph]

We still wear our old MBs. I think the newest one is from 2019. They work for park entry, purchases and as a room key. But they no longer work to capture ride photos. I need to make sure I have the MDE app tracking us everywhere we go when we are in WDW in order for the ride photos to come to our account.

 

[Best Aunt]

Currently it's a pretty small selection for pre-purchase at a discount.

They are all MagicBand+

They are mostly $44.99 marked down to $34.99

- Silver Glitter ($49.99 marked down to $39.99)
- Alice in Wonderland
- Lightning McQueen
- Figment
- Jungle Cruise
- Winnie the Pooh
- Hunny Pot (Winnie the Pooh related)
- Stormtroopers (Star Wars)
- Dark Side Lightsaber (Star Wars)
- Women of the Galaxy (Star Wars)
- My First Visit