As many of us are already keenly aware, our summer Disney World vacations are going to look and feel very different this year. There’s going to be a lot fewer people in parks, tons of new health and safety measures, and no parades, fireworks or character meet and greets to start.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
But with so many modifications being made to Disney World’s guest experiences, you might be asking yourself what’s going to happen with MagicBands? Will we still be using them? Can we still pre-order them? We’re just like you guys — we can’t picture a trip to Disney World that doesn’t include MagicBands since we’re so used to swiping them to enter the theme parks, our guest rooms, and even pay for stuff! Plus — that’s only a couple of ways we use ’em! The list goes on and on!
Rest assured, while many changes are happening for Disney World’s July 11th and July 15th reopening, Disney World will still be using MagicBands. While we won’t have all the details for you until Disney World reveals its new reservation system, here’s what we know about MagicBands so far.
What if I’ve already ordered my MagicBands?
Shortly after the parks announced they were closing, Disney World suspended MagicBand orders. Guests who had placed orders that were shipped out would still receive their MagicBands while any upgraded MagicBands that were to be delivered to Disney World resort hotels after March 20th were automatically canceled and refunded.
Screenshot from Disney World Website
Since the Disney World theme parks and hotels were closed indefinitely, MagicBand orders were suspended. But now that the parks are reopening July 11th and 15th along with several Disney Vacation Club resorts and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort opening June 22nd, is there a way for guests to order their MagicBands again? We investigated!
Will I still be able to order my MagicBands?
Normally, Disney Resort hotel guests and Walt Disney World Annual Passholders can order MagicBands through the My Disney Experience website. But since Disney World has temporarily suspended its ticket sales, stopped taking new hotel bookings, and aren’t allowing guests to reserve any FastPasses or dining experiences at this time, we were curious to see if we could still place a MagicBand order.
Beach Club Resort
When we tried to place an order as a Disney World Annual Passholder this morning we received a message stating, “While the Walt Disney World theme parks and Resort hotels are temporarily closed, we are not currently accepting new MagicBand orders linked to Walt Disney World Annual Passholders or Disney Resort hotel reservations. Please continue to check this page for additional updates.”
Screenshot from Disney World’s Website
Okay, fair enough. Luckily, we also have a reservation to stay at Disney’s Contemporary Resort as well as Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort on July 1st.
Screenshot from My Disney Experience App
At first, it appeared as if we could order our MagicBands, because we saw this “Choose MagicBands” option…
Screenshot from My Disney Experience App
…but when we clicked on it, we still weren’t directed to the ordering process. Instead, we saw this screen which informed us we could order our MagicBands up to 11 days before our arrival date if we wanted them sent to our homes (which has been Disney World’s shipping policy on MagicBands since before the temporary closures).
Screenshot from My Disney Experience App
We searched high and low and didn’t find any way to place an order for MagicBands at the moment, so as far as we’ve been able to dig up, MagicBand orders are still being temporarily suspended at this time. We’re hopeful once Disney World launches its new reservation system, guests will be able to place their MagicBand orders once again.
Check out Disney World’s newest solid color MagicBand here!
I have 12 days left to order for a July trip and I’m not sure what I should do!
Prior to the closure, Disney World advised guests to order their MagicBands at least 11 days before your arrival date if you would like your MagicBands shipped to your home and at least 6 days before your arrival date to have them shipped to your Resort hotel. Disney World’s website still states this as their policy.
However, while we were attempting to order MagicBands today, we noticed this “Shipping Timeline” which reads a little bit differently.
Screenshot from My Disney Experience App
Disney World says you should choose a MagicBand 10-6 days before your arrival date and MagicBands will ship only to your resort for the time being. If you select your MagicBand 5-1 days before your trip, you won’t get to pick out a color or design. You’ll be issued a gray MagicBand, available for pick-up at the guest relations.
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Once the hotels reopen, Disney World will be strongly encouraging guests to utilize online self-check-in as well as a new chat feature that will instantly connect guests with a Cast Member, saving you a trip to Guest Relations. However, Disney has informed us standard check-in will be available for guests whose MagicBands are shipped to the resort.
It’s still very unknown when Disney World will resume shipping MagicBands out to guests’ houses or how fast they’ll arrive, but we’ll update you with any new information Disney provides on this matter.
What if my Disney World hotel doesn’t have a reopening date yet?
We’re keeping a watchful eye on Disney World’s hotels for any reopening announcements and we’ll let you know as soon they’re accepting new bookings. So far, we know in order to have priority access to the new reservation system, guests will need to have valid admission and Disney World accommodations booked.
MagicBand reader in Walt Disney World
We did, however, see the feature on the My Disney Experience app which allowed us to forego the option of ordering new MagicBands so we could recycle our old MagicBands from previous trips. While not everyone has old MagicBands lying around, any MagicBands you’ve used at Disney World and haven’t deactivated from your account could still work at the parks and hotels.
Screenshot from My Disney Experience App
You can also purchase MagicBands on shopDisney or other third party websites such as Amazon or eBay and link them to your account, but since Disney World provides MagicBands for free (included in the price of your reservation) you may want to hold off.
Keep in mind — having just park tickets or only a hotel reservation will not guarantee you’ll have access to the theme parks upon their reopening. Since Disney World has suspended all ticket sales, new hotel bookings, and a bunch of other services (which we now know includes ordering MagicBands) we know many of you are anxious to get the ball rollin’ on your vacation planning. Just sit tight for now, try not to worry yourselves too much, and we expect Disney World to be releasing many new details about its procedures very soon!
Are you waiting to order MagicBands for your Disney World trip this summer? Let us know in the comments below!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
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