Related: Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane and Disneyland: 17 Questions Answered 7. How Do MagicBands Work as Your Hotel Room Key? Yes! One of my favorite services at Disney parks is Photopass (also called MemoryMaker at Walt Disney World). Cast members who are professional photographers are located throughout the parks to take shots of your family’s vacation. By now you are probably pretty tempted by the convenience factor of MagicBands. But are they a must-have for a Disney vacation? No. This book is the companion to the one above, but it’s trivia. This is a fun book for long plane rides or car rides! This Disney MagicBand+ is so cute! It has a vintage style map of the Magic Kingdom as the print and would be a great band for those who love vintage Disney! Magic Kingdom fans won’t be able to say no to this one. credit: ShopDisney.com Winnie the Pooh MagicBand+

Follow instructions in the app to link the MagicBand+ to your account, assign it to a guest, and pair it to your phone. You will then use the app to make sure it is charged, and the band software is up-to-date. The technology is impressive (yes, one might even say “magic!”). But new technological innovations have a learning curve. As a result, many Disney visitors can be confused about how MagicBands work, who can get them, and all of their features and conveniences. And so much has changed since they were first released that even guests who have used them before may find that the details are different on a vacation today.We have been able to fit one on my son’s wrist when he was as young as 2 as well as all the adults in our extended traveling family. Of course, getting a toddler to keep a band on is a different matter entirely. 12. Can MagicBands Get Wet? How can one size really fit all when it comes to a little soft plastic wristband? Disney has wisely created all MagicBands to have a tear away layer to make the band much smaller for the smallest of guests. MagicBand+ has this size customization as well.

If the MagicBand+ interactive features are worthwhile comes down to the individual guest. It is a great feature to have for those that place value in playing scavenger hunts and some extra distractions to a typical theme park day. Kids especially would likely enjoy the games. Others who visit the parks mainly for rides and shows or who are short on time will probably not make use of the interactive features. MagicBand+ Pros You can find all of this information for free online, but it’s nice to have everything in one compact book that you can hold in your hands. I used this extensively during the early planning stages of our first trip and enjoyed referencing it when choosing restaurants for our last trip.

Before diving into all the questions you may have about MagicBands today, it’s important to know a little history to get oriented. Both the Disney Magic Bands 2.0 and MagicBand+ have an outer band and inner band. If you push the inner band away and swiftly pull it away, you’ll be left with a smaller band.

Just a note: you may have to charge your band and do a software update before your visit. Give yourself enough time before your park visit to do this! Favorite Magic Band Designs We know that there are so many cute options and colors for Disney Magic Bands, and it’s hard to choose one. You really can’t go wrong with fun designs, whether it’s a MagicBand 2.0 or MagicBand+. We have chosen a few of our current favorites and linked them for you to go shop! Walt Disney World Map MagicBand+ PRECISION FIT* // This MagicBand 2 skin fits snugly like a glove to the curves of your band without adding bulk. Silky Soft-touch Feeling: The matte finish of the MagicBand skin feels great in your hand, better than a naked MagicBand 2, you' ll forget it's even using a skin! Battery life may not be very long if using a lot of interactive features. Disney says the band should last a day, but we have early reports of battery life being exhausted after 2 hours of heavy gameplay. If you’ve created a MagicBand original that you can’t part with, want to be environmentally responsible and generate less plastic, or simply want to save money, you don’t have to use a new MagicBand on your next vacation. MagicBands can be used again and again for your next Disney trips if you choose. As long as a band is listed as active in your My Disney Experience account, it can be re-used.

A MagicBand can most definitely be used again by the original guest. But at Walt Disney World, once a MagicBand has been linked to a guest profile in the My Disney Experience app, it is forever tethered to that guest. That means you cannot give your MagicBand+ to friends or family going later on a Disney World vacation. You also can’t swap styles among your family group. (Learn about other things not to do with MagicBands here.) Are you looking for the best Disney Magic Band secrets and tips? Then look no further! We’ve used MagicBands A LOT, and we know great tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of your bands as well as your trip.

We hope this deep dive into Disney Magic Bands has helped you decide whether these are a must-have for you on your next trip. If you use MagicBands already, did you know these tips and secrets? And will you use any of them the next time you go? We bought this autograph book and take it with us whenever we know we’ll have a character meal or interaction. For someone like me who isn’t theatrical at all and struggles with character interactions but also wants photos, an autograph book is gold. It gives me something to do when I’m meeting a character and is a great souvenir! Not only will you use your Disney Magic Bands to load photos onto your PhotoPass account after having your photo taken by a PhotoPass photographer or tapping to get a ride photo, but Disney also uses the RFID technology to get ride photos onto your account without having to tap. What kind of shoes are comfortable is completely subjective to the individual wearing them! Personally, I wear Asics or Nikes when I’m touring in Disney. I know many people who love wearing Chacos, and others who prefer wearing lightweight shoes like Crocs. My best shoe-related recommendation is to bring at least two comfortable pairs of walking shoes that you can alternate through so as not to rub the same spots on your feet all week.

Comfortable Clothes

Having a Magic Band while in Disney makes it easier for those staying several days, for Annual Passholders, or those looking to travel light while in the parks. Magic Bands are Customizable The MagicBand+ is the newest version, and it is more interactive than any of the versions that came before it. They come with a charger – similar to a smartwatch – and have lots of interactive features for use in the parks (more about this later!). My favorite comfortable shorts are these Nike Tempo shorts. They’re breezy, lightweight, and not too short. I wear them all throughout the summer and wore them almost daily during our Disney trip last May. I highly recommend these. (They hold up well, too! I’ve had some pairs for 6+ years!) There are several ways to customize your Disney Magic Bands, but the easiest way is to buy a color or design that you like.