Since we are staying on Disney property when travelling to Disney World, we will be receiving Magic Bands. To my knowledge, since we live in Canada, we will receive our travel documents by mail and our Magic Bands when we check into the Caribbean Beach Resort.
Magic Bands are still fairly knew to Disney World from what I know, and based on my information about the technology, I really hope that someday they can also incorporate this into Disneyland.
Magic Bands are worn on your wrist and can be customized by choosing your color and adding a name. I have also heard that they sell certain accessories for them in the park! I'm looking forward to seeing these as you get to keep your magic band, and should you visit Disney World again, you are able to use the same magic band!
Magic Bands are all-encompassing and are your room key, your park ticket, and also hold reminders for events in the park, your dining reservations, fastpass plus, dining plan, and can be attached to a card and used for purchases around the park! You couldn't ask for better convenience in a Disney park!
So far, we have only made a few dinner reservations based on which parks we know we want to visit first. As of now, we haven't decided if we want to make more reservations or just play our days by ear. I know we are visiting at a very busy time, especially with the discounts and it being summer, and we are concerned about getting the most out of our table service credits. We are mostly hesitant for two reasons; one, you have to put your credit card on file and you are charged a fee if you don't show, and 2, we aren't sure how busy which park will be on which day and exactly where in the park each restaurant is.
We are definitely giving Liberty Tree Tavern and Rainforest cafe a try. The very day we booked our trip I attempted to book a spot at Be Our Guest restaurant, but it was already completely unavailable. I have heard rumors that you can use a fast pass reservation for a lunch time at Be Our Guest restaurant, and I'm still hopeful that we will be able to use a selection for this.
Fastpass Plus is something that will only be available to people with Magic Bands, and I believe also exclusive to people staying at the resort. Fastpass Plus allows you to make three advance Fastpass selections, from 60 days before your trip onwards. Two of the parks have tiered selections, where different rides and experiences are sectioned into groups where you may only choose one from each group. You are also not permitted to make two selections for the same ride. Once you have used your three fastpass plus selections for that day, you are able to go and make one new fastpass reservation at a time, as a normal guest would do. Most, if not all sites have recommended making your fastpass selections for the afternoon, when the park will be busiest and you will encounter the longest lines.
It also suggests that if you happen to have made a fastpass selection for a ride that turned out to not be busy, to not use your fast pass and instead change it to make use of it somewhere else. If this ever occurs on my trip, I will document it and report back.
All in all, I believe Magic Bands will make our trip that much more pleasant. Don't be afraid to ask any other questions in the comments. If I don't have an answer, I can surely find one for you!
