Disney MagicBand Tips from Been There, Done That Disney Moms

What makes Disney MagicBands so, well, magical? It’s all in knowing how to use them! Read on for some Disney MagicBand tips that will fill your trip with pixie dust.

One of my favorite things about Walt Disney World is the MagicBands.  Now. I have many, many favorite things about Disney. I could talk for days about what I love about Disney, so for now, we’ll just stick with chatting about MagicBands, how’s that? I’ve heard tell that navigating the MagicBands are some of the most confusing things about planning a Disney trip and it doesn’t need to be. Let’s start with Disney MagicBand tips. We will help you figure out all the things.

What exactly is this band of magic you speak of?

The Disney MagicBand is a wristband issued by Walt Disney World to make your life easier on vacation. It serves as your room key when you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Your Disney MagicBand serves as your shuttle bus ticket when you’re taking Disney’s Magical Express from Orlando International Airport to your Disney Resort. The MagicBand serves as your payment system when you’re buying breakfast, snacks in the parks (hello Mickey pretzels!) or buying a bottle of wine to drink on the balcony of your hotel while your tuckered-out kids are snoozing. It helps you execute the FastPass+ reservations you made online or through the My Disney Experience app. Oh, and it serves as your park ticket when you’re visiting Disney’s Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The MagicBand does all the Disney things.

Here are some of my favorite Disney MagicBand tips: You don’t have to worry about carrying cash or credit cards. Making sure your hotel room key card doesn’t come into contact with your cell phone? Nope. You don’t have to keep track of any keys at all. The MagicBand does everything and considerably lightens your load. You’re a vacationer on the move and you’re already carrying enough stuff.

One thing important to note: MagicBands are not a Disneyland thing. These are only good at Walt Disney World.

Related post: The 12 Most Important Things to Know About Disney MagicBands

Sooo…Disney expects me to put this on my three-year-old’s wrist and things will be good?

The MagicBand is designed with the smallest guests in mind, so it will fit your toddler. You can actually make your MagicBand mini sized by pulling the inner band away from the outer band and peeling it away. Once this has been done, you can’t make it into the larger size again but this is a great hack for little wrists.

SheBuysTravel had your wiggly kid in mind when we devised our Disney Magic Band tips. The MagicBand is designed to be worn by smaller kids. Keeping it on is quite another matter and this has little to do with how MagicBands are made and everything to do with kids being…well, kids.

Related Post: The 8 Best Disney World Souvenirs to Bring the Magic Home

What are the best mom hacks for keeping kids and MagicBands together?

I recommend Super Glue. I’m kidding, of course. As far as you know, anyway.

In all seriousness, the secret to keeping your child’s MagicBand where it belongs comes down to vigilance and just knowing your kid. If you know you have a little Houdini, you might want to think twice about whether you allow them to wear it. And yes, mamas…that is one more thing you will have to carry and keep track of.

Our boys are eight and nine and they’ve been Walt Disney World regulars since they were five and six. After a couple of not-so-magical disasters, we don’t let them wear their MagicBands unless we’re in the parks. If we’re hanging out at our Disney Resort Hotel or exploring Disney Springs, no MagicBands. My husband and I put our bands on as soon as we arrive at the Orlando International Airport. Since we need our bands to get on Disney’s Magical Express and open the door to our hotel room, we wear them nonstop during our trip.

I check my kids’ MagicBands about every 10 minutes or so. When we are in the theme parks, I make sure my kids have their bands every time we exit a ride or attraction or get up and leave from anyplace where we’re sitting down, whether that be a table in a restaurant or a parade watching spot on the curb. If the MagicBand isn’t on their wrist, we retrace our steps. It’s something we’re pretty used to doing.

You can also hold onto all of them and not let the kids carry them at all. I’ve seen people clip them to backpacks or stroller handles when they’re in the Disney Parks. I recommend keeping your MagicBand on your person. If you’re worried about losing your MagicBand, check out this slider puck that attaches to your watch band. I’ve not personally used this product but many veteran Disney moms have recommended it to me as something that works.

What do you do if you lose a MagicBand?

Easy peasy: tell a cast member. Whether you’re at one of the parks or at your Resort Hotel, a lost MagicBand is something that Disney cast members are used to handling. They can get you a replacement MagicBand and get your data switched out faster than you can say, “Pixie dust!” and get you on your way.

The bummer is that you’ll get a generic, battleship gray band. If your young one is partial to their pink or purple band, you might want to warn them that if they lose it, they get a gray one.  This is also one of the reasons I won’t drop the cash on one of the fancy bands for my kids until they’re way older. I, of course, have one, but I’m responsible like that.

SheBuysTravel tip: You can get a customized new MagicBand at the Disney Store. They’ve got everything from Star Wars to Mickey Mouse to Toy Story  to Frozen and everything in between. You can also check out Shop Disney for the latest Disney merchandise.

What if your MagicBand fails you?

This is a theoretical answer because in all my visits to Walt Disney World, my MagicBand has never failed me. I mean…it’s possible. It’s a computer chip thingy and that’s fed information from the internet. My kids break everything and they’ve never managed to break a MagicBand. I’m sure they’ve probably tried and I just don’t know about it. Ignorance really is bliss sometimes, right, mamas?

But, if your MagicBand goes wonky, this is where that exceptional Disney customer service comes in. If your MagicBand doesn’t work as it should to unlock the door at your resort hotel, march right on up to the front desk or speak to the concierge and they will make it right. If you have a problem scanning yourself into the park or problems executing a reserved FastPass+ then talk to the nearest cast member and they’ll take it from there.

MagicBand Pro Tips

Any list of Disney MagicBand Tips wouldn’t be complete without our very best SheBuysTravel advice. Here’s a must do:

Ask to have your MagicBands scanned when you check in to your Resort Hotel.  Just tell the cast member at the front desk or the concierge that you want to double check your MagicBands and they’ll happily do it. If there’s any problems with your MagicBands, you’ll know before you start using them. If you have an issue, the best place to iron it out is your hotel versus a dining reservation or in the parks.

Bottom line, don’t sweat the MagicBands. Know how they work and make your decisions on how you’re going to handle them with your kids. Even the most responsible kid (or adult) can have a MagicBand kerfluffle, so if something happens, just deal with it and move on. The bands offer an epic level of convenience but your trip isn’t going to tank if something happens to your child’s band. I promise. We’ve got you covered with Disney MagicBand tips. Keep following and reading for more A+ vacation planning advice.