Hey everyone, MrsGoldenEars here! Want to know the buzz around the new Magicband+? I have the inside scoop for you, grab your ears and let's go!
So for those of you who do not know, Disney has put out a new magic band. This band was announced back in 2020, and we finally have them in the park. These bands start at $34.99 and are not included with vacation packages. There are some bands on Shop Disney, and many across the parks and resorts. There are many different designs, I chose a cute burgundy snack one, and AGeekGod chose a Han Solo band, of course. These bands come with a charger, and you are advised to charge them EVERYDAY! I added this on to the dresser with my apple watch, pins for the day, and other park essentials so I wouldn’t forget it.
The bands have a larger face than the original Magicbands, light up and vibrate. The band is supposed to interact with the 50th anniversary statues around the park, have games to play in the new app, and a full interactive experience in Galaxy’s Edge. The band also lights up and vibrates during fireworks. While it is a great idea, we were less than thrilled with this new band.
Let's talk about connectivity. First, you need an entire different app, besides My Disney Experience for this band. Play Disney. In this app there is trivia, scavenger hunts, a section for your Data Pad if you are on the StarCruiser, and the Fab 50 Quest. When you get your band, you need to connect it to both apps. We found this to be a little unstable. After 5 days my husband's band disconnected in Epcot, when he was about to finish the Fab 50 Quest. To say he was annoyed was an understatement of the year. After disconnecting, reconnecting, turning on Bluetooth, turning off Bluetooth, and finally giving up, it would not reconnect until later that night before bed.
The Fab 50 Quest is fun, when you wave slowly at the statues, they do different actions. Some speak, some play music, and on your app it will show that you have gained the statue. It is broken down by park, showing you how many there are as well as who! While I will say this worked about 85% of the time, the times when it doesn’t are super frustrating. You have a LL to get to, a tired group waiting on you, or a dining reservation. It's a bit time consuming to stand there waving until it decides to work.
The vibrations and lights on the MagicBand+ are really cute during the fireworks, however, do I want to look at my wrist during the show? So during different parts of the show the band does match up perfectly with the music and color schemes of what is in front of you at the time. It’s a great addition, however I do not want to look down while watching them! I tried to awkwardly hold my wrist up and watch both at once, but in the end it’s just that, awkward. During Enchantment my band did not go off for the first half of the show. It was an odd night in the crowd, watching those with the new bands also awkwardly checking their wrists while trying to watch over their heads at the fireworks.
So last thoughts, do you need this, is it worth it? Honestly, no, if there is a design you like, go for it. The normal MagicBand functions like , Lightning Lane, Park Entrance, Room Key, and Photo Pass will all work without charging the band. While it was a great idea, the extra money is a no for me right now. Currently, Disney seems to know they missed the mark and are offering refunds for connectivity and charging issues. For me, I would rather spend the $19-$29 and have many MagicBands of different designs than the extra money and work of a new app, and needing the app open to interact with the band. When you're trying to check wait times, LL’s, and overall enjoy the park, it’s not ideal to switch between apps. It is also not really for the littles, as most won’t have a phone to play the games on. For now, my suggestion, wait until some tweaks are worked out, and continue with the regular MagicBand, unless there is a design you cannot live without!
See you next time!
-MrsGoldenEars
Posts
Comments
Post a Comment