An increasingly popular holiday gift idea if for parent to take their children to Disney World®! If you haven’t visited the magical theme park recently, then you may not know about their MagicBands and how they work.
MagicBands were first introduced in 2013 to integrate with Disney’s new website and mobile app to improve guests’ experiences. The band is worn on your wrist like a watch or bracelet and functions as your room key, park ticket, credit card, and more.
The core functionality is to make your vacation at Disney World as seamless as possible.
As a first time user of the MagicBands last year, I can say first-hand that it really was a seamless experience, and I wished it continued to work outside of the park when my vacation was over.
Here are three reasons why this technology can make your life easier (at the park and hopefully in the not too distant future elsewhere):
Personalization
You can choose your Disney MagicBand and connect it your smartphone for a unique experience that it is truly your own. The basic colors are free for Disney hotel guests, and you can select a custom color or decals for an additional fee.
They’re also connected to the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone, so you can pre-plan an itinerary for your entire vacation. On the mobile app, you can connect your park tickets and hotel reservation. This will easily allow you to sign up for Fast Passes (you choose a time to show up to a specific ride or show); you can even keep track of Fast Passes for other guests, so if your friends or family want to do something different, you’ll know where they are.
Once you use your band to enter a ride, it also stores your photos to your smartphone using Disney PhotoPass®, and you have over a month to decide if you want to print or download them. I can see this being particularly helpful for other events outside of the park.
It would be great if you could connect this to concerts, athletic games, or other tickets.
Lines would be shorter, and you wouldn’t need to worry about printing your tickets or opening up the barcode on your phone beforehand.
If you look closely, you may get a glimpse of the MagicBands in our sunglasses…
Payment
You can leave your credit card in your hotel room and use your band to buy food and souvenirs at the park. No need to worry about rummaging through your purse or wallet—simply scan your band at the register, and the amount will be charged to your hotel room.
I found this especially useful when purchasing souvenirs. You can even choose to have the merchandise delivered to your hotel so you don’t have to carry it around, or you can have it delivered right to your home so you don’t have to worry about it fitting in your luggage.
I did wonder what would happen if I lost my MagicBand, but you can easily deactivate it from your smartphone or have someone from Guest Services deactivate it for you (and you will receive a replacement).
This was the feature I found most beneficial, and when I went to buy food at the Orlando airport afterwards, it felt like such a hassle to not be able to just walk up and scan my wrist. They already have this available for Apple Pay and Android Pay, but it’s not utilized by all establishments yet, and you still have to get out your mobile phone unless you’ve invested in one of their watches.
Portability
It’s adjustable so it can fit a variety of wrist sizes, and after a couple of days I didn’t even realize I was wearing it.
The magic band serves as your hotel key, so you all you have to do is scan your wrist to enter your room. If you’re like me, then you have a keychain full of keys for your home, office, car, etc.
There are already apps that exist to lock your home and car remotely—wouldn’t it be great if you could do this without having to flip through them all to find the right one? I can see how this would be especially convenient if your arms are full or during the evening when you can’t see as well.
Right now, MagicBands only work at Disney World, but aspects of their technology are already beginning to work their way into everyday life outside of the park. My vacation truly was seamless, and it would be great if menial tasks like paying at grocery stores, entering concerts, or unlocking doors were accomplished by the simple scan of your wrist.
Do you see these ‘magic bands’ being incorporated into everyday life? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @LTronDirect.
About the Author:
Amanda DeRoo is one of our ‘Edu-Techies’ and specializes in digital content creation. Her passions include SEO and her pets (any animals for that matter). She can be reached at:
800-830-9523 x118 or info@L-Tron.com.