Last week, Disney officially retired its complimentary MagicBand program for resort guests, with those who are staying at a Disney resort and want to use a MagicBand now needing to pay $5 per band under the new policy. And though many view this as a cost-cutting measure for Disney, the resort has updated their official website to confirm that there will soon be another option for guests looking to gain entry, charge purchases and redeem FastPass+ reservations (when that service returns):
According to Disney, sometime this year the resort will unveil an innovative new offering as part of the My Disney Experience app that will bring features of a MagicBand to smart devices, which will essentially make MagicBands obsolete. No release date for this new addition to My Disney Experience has been announced, but we'd guess this feature will be added much later this year, even though the MagicBand program is already being phased out.
In the meantime, guests who are staying on property and do not want to purchase a MagicBand can use a complimentary Key To The World card (provided at the Front Desk) or link a MagicBand from a past visit to avoid this additional cost. Guests can also use My Disney Experience's existing digital key feature to open their hotel room doors.
Though MagicBands quickly became an iconic part of the Walt Disney World vacation experience when they were first introduced almost a decade ago, it looks like these wearables will soon become part of Walt Disney World's past as their functionality is replaced by modern smartphone technology. How do you feel about this change?
Comments
I completely disagree with this policy and I think it's yet another way Disney is trying to keep out the "riff-raff".
There's a huge section of the population that either doesn't have a smartphone or who can't/ won't update to the latest and greatest phone. I'm sure their app probably won't work on phones that are more than a year or two old.
So then these people have to pay an extra $5 per person on top of the price for the vacation package. If someone's paying $2,000 or $3,000 or $5,000 for a vacation, then Disney can throw in a MagicBand for free.
I prefer to wear the magic band and keep my hands free. I don't want to have to hold a phone, or try to find it in my bag while I'm trying to enter a FastPass line or standing outside my hotel room. Also, it's fun to have different characters on the bands, so you can swap out magic bands as you like.
They should add it to their app and smart watches. Then you get the best of both worlds.
While it seems like a good idea because most people have smart phones now, I personally prefer the magic bands. I don’t have to worry about its battery dying on my trips. It is rare a phone makes it through the whole day at the park for me. Yes, I realize there are charging blocks, but if my option is to use a magic band or have to carry a charging block around then I would rather wear the magic band.
I will continue to use magic bands. I like the app but there is something about not only picking one out but having one for your favorite ride or rides. I have 5 now and switch on and off depending on the park I’m at.