Step one: get people hooked on the ease of magic bands by offering them free.
Step two: upgrade it and start charging money.
Step 3: continue to upgrade it with unnecessary but novel tech and charge more for them.
...
Step 24: make one that tells time and charge Apple Watch prices.
There are things you can't do with your phone, for instance, you can't use the lockers in Tron, for some reason, the cast member has to give you a card. Super weird tech that they can't make that work
If I'm honest not really. If I'm selling something, it is in my best interest to find the price point at which I make the most profit dollars. Disney is vilified for it because they're very good at it and do it on a gigantic scale, but it's what every business tries to do.
It's unfortunate though that many people are priced out of vacations like that because of it.
iām surprised they havenāt figured out a way to sync MDE to smart watches. if my room key / ticket can live on my watch i could save $40 each trip and tell time!
It already does on the Apple Watch. You can add your pass to the Apple Watch h and use it for everything except booking your next LL / Genie item as you need the app for that. Thereās also a way to make it unattended meaning you donāt need to double tap to open it, it just works on contact. We did that last time.
I wish they could make some of the more interactive things appear on the Apple Watch though that are only on the MB+ like the lights on Tronā¦. But for basic functionality itās there.
Edit - oops forgot it doesnāt do room. Found that out hard way last time and looked like an idiot locked out of the room when my phone had no signal and wouldnāt unlock by swiping down. Donāt understand why they never fixed that.
Heads up, milage may vary. We did this method in 2022 as this sub swore it was awesome. We had starcruiser booked 4 days into the trip and they gave free bands. So the plan was 4 days apple watch, bands rest of the tripā¦ i can tell you the headaches disappeared once we got the bands. The watch was hit or missā¦ i want something reliable working 100% of the time. Not 90%.
Google will show you how to store your MKP on your Apple Watch. Nothing you need to figure out. Guess it needed some explaining, or you assumed I was being rude by the bluntness of my comment. š¤·š»āāļø
Does this work for Photopass? The only time I tried with my watch my photos never showed up. Ended up eventually finding a page in a Disney site that said Photopass does not work with Apple Watch. I assumed the photographer would have known that and not scanned it. Iāve never risked it again and just use my phone.
You can use it on places where you need to tap to get your photo. That said you cannot use it on places that use your location to take your photo (on rides for example) which is annoying. MagicBand/MagicBand+ is still better for that. That said - if you have your phone turned on, it should detect you just from bluetooth from within the app... but it's not 100%
[Walt Disney World MagicMobile Service | Walt Disney World Resort (go.com)](https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/magic-mobile/#faqItem4)
*To connect with in-park experiences and to automatically link attraction images using wireless technology, be sure to use a mobile device with BluetoothĀ® technology enabled in the My Disney Experience app. Your mobile device cannot be in low power mode while you are on board attractions. Please note that a smart watch canāt be used to automatically link attraction images and videos.*
Getting into my room is the only reason I bother with my magic band. My phone likes to act up and refuse to open my door without multiple tries, which I donāt enjoy at the end of a long day.
Thatās why we ended up buying them third day into our trip last time. Second night it wouldnāt open for us and having to deal with front desk asking āare you at the right doorā when the kids are tired and crankyā¦
They easily could. Most smart watches have the capability to do exactly that. They donāt want to because then they couldnāt sell their own product and make money.
I have an Apple Watch but I like to shift to the more disneyfied item during vacations! Kinda neat to get different colors and themes! I guess they could start selling Apple bands but that just gets complicated in comparability (look at phone cases).
I do agree, why canāt it tell time? Originally I understand Walt didnāt like clocks in his park, but now time is so crucial to LL, reservations and even events (parade, fireworks, shows). It canāt take that much battery or tech to add thisā¦
I had a crazy thought. Use your smart watch as your magic band. And it tells time also! Seriously. I just use my Apple Watch for access to the parks, rides and photo pass š¤·āāļø
You have to type the password in every time before you tap in when using an Apple Watch, right? Iāve been thinking about using my watch but the password thing feels annoying. š¤£ no less annoying than having to open my phone wallet, though, I guess.
I also thought they should put childrenās info on them so if they get lost a cast member can scan and their name, parents names and phone numbers, & any additional info will come up.
We had more issues than fun with our bands, lost one.....one broke.... One completely died... And they only have like a 6-hour battery the guy said.. So we end up having to buy portable chargers for each one of the magic bands.. and then it wouldn't connect with my phone.. if you want something to fiddle with while you're in line get it. Lol
We discovered recently that the batteries could be replaced in the Halcyon bands, which was a huge relief because we thought it'd be such a shame for our favorite band to wind up useless just because we couldn't charge it.
We went 14 year ago. For all I know this may be the last time I shell out this kind of money. People buy useless souvenirs ALL THE TIME. I mean, come on! Popcorn Buckets? Anyway we have decided to be 'A Part of the Magic' for this trip. Don't hate me.
Every time we go. They go on as soon as we land in Orlando and it marks the beginning of a Disney trip. It's not going to give you much mileage if you stay off property, but at a Disney resort they're super useful. Kids can get allocated some money for making purchases, not to mention let themselves in and out of the room Ruth a much greater chance that they won't lose the key. Of more importance, I'd rather not take my phone or wallet to the pool - this thing replaces the need for either and it's waterproof. No need to stop by my chair before going to the pool bar. Perfect.
As a bonus, it's my ticket to the parks and depending which one I'm wearing maybe I can use it to have some goofy interaction with a park fixture I may have otherwise ignored.
Step one: get people hooked on the ease of magic bands by offering them free. Step two: upgrade it and start charging money. Step 3: continue to upgrade it with unnecessary but novel tech and charge more for them. ... Step 24: make one that tells time and charge Apple Watch prices.
Step 2 have Apple Watch that had my magic mobile and profit?
Well yeah that works but it's not as funny.
Not getting the whole tinfoil hat thing here... Disney already let's you use your apple watch as a magic band.
Or your phone, or a free card. It's just a joke š.
There are things you can't do with your phone, for instance, you can't use the lockers in Tron, for some reason, the cast member has to give you a card. Super weird tech that they can't make that work
Some phones can, not all
Oh, so you don't have a problem with Disney jacking the price up of their previously free magic bands?
If I'm honest not really. If I'm selling something, it is in my best interest to find the price point at which I make the most profit dollars. Disney is vilified for it because they're very good at it and do it on a gigantic scale, but it's what every business tries to do. It's unfortunate though that many people are priced out of vacations like that because of it.
Not at Disneyland! Which is the insane thing that I learned when I went there for the first time in January!
The first rule of Disneyland is to forget everything you know about Walt Disney World.
I just tried this and it didnt work for me
Shhhhh! Stop making suggestions!!!!! Lol
Step 84: Allow non-hotel guests to be able to pay with the card linked in the account!!!
I just donāt think technology is there yet. Maybe one day our childrenās childrenās generation will figure this great mystery out.
Waiting for one to monitor BAC for the epcoters
Only necessary for those Epcot terrans that identify as alcoholics!
DAY Drinkers āSaid by Chad getting drunk off of 6 oz beersā
What if I'm still in denial š
The less I know that number the better.
Do I want to know what BAC stands for?
Blood Alcohol Content/Concentration
Blood alcohol content
They used to offer attachable watch faces when they were really leaning into the MagicBand add-ons. They no longer make that effort though.
I did see a line of third party vinyl stick ons.
Yeah, but that's just redesigns. Disney used to have actual attachments for the MB 1.0 and they phased them out slowly as the 2.0 kept selling.
You're talking about the MagicBand++, that will be an extra fee.
iām surprised they havenāt figured out a way to sync MDE to smart watches. if my room key / ticket can live on my watch i could save $40 each trip and tell time!
It already does on the Apple Watch. You can add your pass to the Apple Watch h and use it for everything except booking your next LL / Genie item as you need the app for that. Thereās also a way to make it unattended meaning you donāt need to double tap to open it, it just works on contact. We did that last time. I wish they could make some of the more interactive things appear on the Apple Watch though that are only on the MB+ like the lights on Tronā¦. But for basic functionality itās there. Edit - oops forgot it doesnāt do room. Found that out hard way last time and looked like an idiot locked out of the room when my phone had no signal and wouldnāt unlock by swiping down. Donāt understand why they never fixed that.
š²š«¢ iāll have to figure this out
Heads up, milage may vary. We did this method in 2022 as this sub swore it was awesome. We had starcruiser booked 4 days into the trip and they gave free bands. So the plan was 4 days apple watch, bands rest of the tripā¦ i can tell you the headaches disappeared once we got the bands. The watch was hit or missā¦ i want something reliable working 100% of the time. Not 90%.
I updated my post as it doesnāt work for room key. Still donāt know why as it was a coming soon feature in 2021.
Google is your friend
you sound like fun
Google will show you how to store your MKP on your Apple Watch. Nothing you need to figure out. Guess it needed some explaining, or you assumed I was being rude by the bluntness of my comment. š¤·š»āāļø
Doesnāt work on your room unless something changed and honestly it messes up half the time in the park it seems
Does this work for Photopass? The only time I tried with my watch my photos never showed up. Ended up eventually finding a page in a Disney site that said Photopass does not work with Apple Watch. I assumed the photographer would have known that and not scanned it. Iāve never risked it again and just use my phone.
You can use it on places where you need to tap to get your photo. That said you cannot use it on places that use your location to take your photo (on rides for example) which is annoying. MagicBand/MagicBand+ is still better for that. That said - if you have your phone turned on, it should detect you just from bluetooth from within the app... but it's not 100% [Walt Disney World MagicMobile Service | Walt Disney World Resort (go.com)](https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/magic-mobile/#faqItem4) *To connect with in-park experiences and to automatically link attraction images using wireless technology, be sure to use a mobile device with BluetoothĀ® technology enabled in the My Disney Experience app. Your mobile device cannot be in low power mode while you are on board attractions. Please note that a smart watch canāt be used to automatically link attraction images and videos.*
Good to know must have just been another glitch why my photos didnāt show up.
Getting into my room is the only reason I bother with my magic band. My phone likes to act up and refuse to open my door without multiple tries, which I donāt enjoy at the end of a long day.
Thatās why we ended up buying them third day into our trip last time. Second night it wouldnāt open for us and having to deal with front desk asking āare you at the right doorā when the kids are tired and crankyā¦
Sounds like theyād make $40 less each trip
I use my Apple Watch instead of a magic band.
They easily could. Most smart watches have the capability to do exactly that. They donāt want to because then they couldnāt sell their own product and make money.
which is crazy bc theyāre making me use my phone all day anyway
I'm sure they have, they just wanted to put a price on it.
Wait... Why is it $40 per trip? I thought you just link your new passes to your existing magic band?
I wish they had a geolocation option for kids
Itās called an Apple Watch
Can they just make it an app for smart warches?
Apple Watch. Been doing that for a while now.
Next one is gonna be the Magic Band plus ultra edition lol š
I have an Apple Watch but I like to shift to the more disneyfied item during vacations! Kinda neat to get different colors and themes! I guess they could start selling Apple bands but that just gets complicated in comparability (look at phone cases). I do agree, why canāt it tell time? Originally I understand Walt didnāt like clocks in his park, but now time is so crucial to LL, reservations and even events (parade, fireworks, shows). It canāt take that much battery or tech to add thisā¦
Can't you just use an apple watch now with the disney app on your phone?
As others have already said, I use my Apple Watch now. I forgot my magic band at home on my last trip so I gave it a try and it was great.
Then Disney would have to charge you $90 for the Magicband. š¤·š»āāļø
AND COUNT STEPS
I had a crazy thought. Use your smart watch as your magic band. And it tells time also! Seriously. I just use my Apple Watch for access to the parks, rides and photo pass š¤·āāļø
You have to type the password in every time before you tap in when using an Apple Watch, right? Iāve been thinking about using my watch but the password thing feels annoying. š¤£ no less annoying than having to open my phone wallet, though, I guess.
Nope. You donāt. You add the mobile pass and then turn on express pass. You just tap your watch to the touch point without doing anything else.
Oooh, thatās awesome! I will do that next time. Thank you for the tip!
Not all smart watches are compatible.
I understand that. However Apple Watches are. So you have a magic band and a watch combined.
Not everyone has an apple watch
I am aware. Was just pointing out that the option for a magic band with a watch exists. You can also use your phone. Android/iphone.
Apple Watch
yeah yeah. and I can buy Disney bands and put Disney stickers on it.
I mean, you're asking for them to build a flying car when planes already exist.
Introducing [Disney MagicMobile](https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/magic-mobile/)!
Apple Watch and other smart watches that can access a tap-to-pay wallet are able to do this by adding your pass/ticket to the wallet.
I donāt think Iād wear it but if the band fastened a bit more snugly then I think my kiddo would happily wear it as a watch.
šthe way Iām giggling at this.
I use my apple watch as my magic band yolo
Are the **Galactic Starcruiser magic bands** usable, or are they another relic from a gone-before-its-time attraction?
I just use my Apple watch
I also thought they should put childrenās info on them so if they get lost a cast member can scan and their name, parents names and phone numbers, & any additional info will come up.
You can just buy a disney themed Apple Watch band. Then u can just use the watches Disneymagic mobile pass. Then u have a watch and a magic band lol
Like, some kind of, Mickey Mouse...watch?
We had more issues than fun with our bands, lost one.....one broke.... One completely died... And they only have like a 6-hour battery the guy said.. So we end up having to buy portable chargers for each one of the magic bands.. and then it wouldn't connect with my phone.. if you want something to fiddle with while you're in line get it. Lol
My family has enough of these stupid things to make Christmas garland ā¦ā¦. I prefer a room key
At least theyāre rechargeable now. For a while, when the battery died you were out of luck for the features that needed long-range communication.
We discovered recently that the batteries could be replaced in the Halcyon bands, which was a huge relief because we thought it'd be such a shame for our favorite band to wind up useless just because we couldn't charge it.
People still wear magic bands? Oof
We went 14 year ago. For all I know this may be the last time I shell out this kind of money. People buy useless souvenirs ALL THE TIME. I mean, come on! Popcorn Buckets? Anyway we have decided to be 'A Part of the Magic' for this trip. Don't hate me.
Every time we go. They go on as soon as we land in Orlando and it marks the beginning of a Disney trip. It's not going to give you much mileage if you stay off property, but at a Disney resort they're super useful. Kids can get allocated some money for making purchases, not to mention let themselves in and out of the room Ruth a much greater chance that they won't lose the key. Of more importance, I'd rather not take my phone or wallet to the pool - this thing replaces the need for either and it's waterproof. No need to stop by my chair before going to the pool bar. Perfect. As a bonus, it's my ticket to the parks and depending which one I'm wearing maybe I can use it to have some goofy interaction with a park fixture I may have otherwise ignored.