If you’ve been following along with Disney news, then you know that Walt Disney World is launching a new way to access your park tickets!
There’s a new way to scan in to the parks!
The MagicMobile service is a way for guests to access all the features of MagicBand within the My Disney Experience app and on their phones. This new system is available to use, and guests are starting to wonder which is better: MagicMobile or MagicBands? We polled our Instagram followers to find out which one they plan to use, and their responses were pretty shocking!
But first, let’s back up a bit. If you haven’t heard of the service yet, you’ll need a little crash course! MagicMobile has rolled out in phases throughout 2021 on select Apple and Android devices. (We’ve got a step-by-step guide to set it up — click here to find out more!)
Magic Kingdom Tapstiles
Through MagicMobile, you can add your park tickets to your digital wallet and tap into the park without even unlocking your phone. Pretty cool, right?!
©Disney
Of course, you’ll also be able to add your family and friends’ passes to your digital wallet. You’ll just have to unlock your phone to access those!
©Disney
If you want to streamline your Disney experience down to your phone (or your Apple Watch!), MagicMobile sounds pretty exciting. Okay, so back to the BIG question! Which is better: MagicMobile or MagicBands?!
©Disney
The results of our online poll were STRONGLY in favor of MagicBands, with 88% of our followers sharing that they planned to keep using the fan-favorite accessory. Only 12% of those polled said they were eager to use MagicMobile.
Note: this poll was conducted earlier in 2021, when the program had only just started to roll out.
Wow, our followers have some STRONG opinions!
We weren’t entirely sure what to expect when we asked this question, but these results really blew us away! We thought for sure that more people would be interested in the possibility of using their phones as an all-in-one tool. So, WHY did our followers answer the way they did?
Our Apple Wallet screenshot when our MagicMobile pass was scanned. Voila!
We received several messages in response to our poll, especially from fans who were concerned about their phones dying in the parks. One person said “Phone batteries die!! Magic bands are forever! (Well they last the whole vacation.)” Another responded, “There’s more than enough that’s already sucking the life out of my battery. MagicBands help with that problem!”
MagicBands are the saviors of our phone’s battery life!
Some of our readers’ responses were related to the fact that they were pretty attached to their MagicBands. One said that they recently spent the money on a Dooney & Bourke band and really wanted to get the use out of it, while another shared that they were torn between the two options because they really like to collect MagicBands. We can’t say we blame them, we’ve amassed quite the collection from our many Disney trips! 😉
There are SO many MagicBands to choose from!
However, we also received some comments from the 12%. One person shared their thoughts with us, saying “I am so shocked that this is so polarizing! I LOVED using my phone when I was in Disneyland! Everything was convenient and streamlined. No worrying about having to remember my MagicBand, and Lordy Lordy none of the tan lines. 😂”
MagicBand Scanner at Magic Kingdom
We have to agree with that last one — we were surprised to find the results so skewed! And as far as MagicBand tan lines go, some wear them as a badge of honor, while others despise them. No matter how you feel, they’re pretty much a dead giveaway as to how much time we spend in Disney World! 😆
Baby Yoda MagicBand!!!
Curious to learn more about MagicMobile? Click here to see more! And click here to see some newer pass designs that have become available through MagicMobile.
Be sure to check back with us for more updates about MagicMobile and other Disney news.
Here’s Your Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up MagicMobile!
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Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Will you be using MagicMobile or MagicBands going forward? Tell us in the comments!
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You’ll also need to keep a magicband on you for ride photos!
Kate, MagicBands will still be available, yes!
Hey AJ. I don’t want to fumble and drop my phone as I quickly try to get past check-in! Also, the phone NEVER works on my Disney resort to get into my room. NEVER! (OK maybe once.) But really, at least the Magic Band technology works! It works! It works! And does the Disney My Experience App work? Nope. Nope. Nope.
The Magic Bands (MB) are too convenient to use. Who wants to take out their phone when all you have to do is raise your wrist? Maybe the younger crowd who walk around with their phones in their hands will find this option viable however, for my wife and I we will buy the cheapest MB we can buy. It’s a shame WDW is going this route because we would normally upgrade our MB to a custom MB. WDW is slowly thanking the Magic out of WDW.
On our first visits to Disney World we were given cards to access the parks. Our cards could be scratched pulling them in and out of our pockets making them useless(required replacement). Then the magic band’s appeared, things are looking up. Now I need to carry my phone extra batteries and hope I don’t drop it. Everything was so convenient when it was fastened to your wrist. Wrist bands $20.00+ , damaged apple $$$$$ a lot more. Buy a wrist band?
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Magic Bands forever! All the objections to exclusive phone use are valid.
Magic Bands all the way To many things can go wrong using the cell phone
It is just another income generator for the Mouse. The old saying of “it’s on the Mouse” just ain’t so any more…
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Magic Bands are a fun tradition. We collect them and coordinate colors. Disney . We don’t plan on giving them up even though they are no longer a perk, along with Magical Express. So now we’ll pay yet more fees and our vacation will be even more expensive. Disney is slowly stripping away the very things that have made a Trip to DW so magical to all of us “believers” in the magic.
Magic Bands are way more convenient. I don’t want to stop and enter my code to unlock my phone and then make sure the app is open before I use it.
I was not part of the original 88% that responded favorably for Magic Bands, but I’ll put my vote in here that I also prefer and will continue using the Magic Band and not this new service.
I used MagicMobile when I was just in WDW during the last week of April- first week of May. I have a few things to share about that experience. You do send your tickets to the “wallet” application on your phone so you don’t go into My Disney Experience to use it every time. That part IS convenient. However, the cast members seemed frustrated with this new technology and every time we entered, I was being given different instructions by them as to how to hold my phone juuuust right (a different way every time), whether my children should walk past me (or stay behind me) as I was scanning their tickets., and getting frustrated with me when the scanner didn’t work as well as we both were hoping it would. That aspect was so frustrating. Also after being there for a number of days and feeling like I had it down pat how to scan, being given a different set of instructions by a different cast member was embarrassing and overwhelming to me as by the time one week went by I felt like I was good and knew what I was doing, but it was obviously not something that was comfortable for the cast members. So that made the whole MagicMobile experience not at all magical. It felt like a fail and I can say that after I tried it out.
Well, sometimes I even have trouble accessing My Disney Experience on my phone in the parks! Besides I love adding the decorative things to my Magic Bands, like MagicBand bows and Magic Bandits! It’s fun. Also, your phone batteries can die easy whereas your MagicBand is alive and well for a long time. I have some that I’ve had since the MagicBands first started and they still work to this day and I am a passholder and visit the parks a lot. I would really miss my bands and I have quite a collection of them. I’m not a big fan of cell phones anyhow. Though they are convenient people don’t pay attention to the world around them. They are too wrapped up in their phones. I barely use mine, but apparently I am one of only a few!! Keep the Magic Bands!!
Ditch using your cell phone, when on vacation why would I want to be attached to my phone? It is a reminder of work and people calling I like to leave it at home if I could. The Magic Bands are cool and convenient. Cell phone batteries drain.
My wife and I recently returned from a trip to WDW. I LOVED having the park ticket on my Watch. Like other readers/commenters, I would not have used the MagicMobile feature for park entrance if it was only available on my iPhone….but on the watch – WooHoo!!, it was flawless at all the parks and not really any different than using a magic band….which I did have just in case. The only reason I needed a magic band was for access to. our resort room. Using the app to unlock the door, which works for us, is too cumbersome especially when returning totally exhausted from the parks, so we pretty much exclusively use the magic band for that.
We plan to continue use of magic bands whether we buy new ones or reuse some older ones. We don’t like having our phone out all the time. Additionally, we don’t plan to purchase Genie+ either. Too much personal info on our phones to have them out all the time and possibly lost, broken, or stolen. The phone stays secure except when absolutely needed. Plus who wants to be looking down at their phone all day?
Someone forget their Magicband or ticket and you didn’t realize it till you parked at the TTC?? Well you can load up that ticket right on your phone and walk right into the park without having to go back to your hotel room! Based on a true story….
While my husband is all for the use of his phone, I am not. We just became passholders as a family of 4. He uses his phone and these first few times I have just pulled out the cards they gave us for the kids and I. It is likely that I will go back to Magic Bands for the 3 of us as it is easier. I’ve also noticed that not having Magic Bands is leading to issues on some rides with our photos not coming through. Our youngest had his first experience on Dinosaur the other day. The photo we got? An empty car. We really wanted that photo of his reaction. I’m still waiting on support to try to track it down.
I don’t have a smart phone, so the magic band is my required. I would use magic bands even if I had a smart phone.
I don’t understand why some people are suggesting this is a money grab from Disney. I see it as the opposite, removing a profitable established collector’s market for what they feel is convenience. But I think magic bands will probably be the consensus until smart watches become cheap and the norm. Even though there seems to be some confusion about having to open the app (you don’t), having to reach for anything while carrying bags or pushing a stroller is undeniably less convenient.
I work in IT. I want a break from a screen! and hate having to fumble for a phone in the hope it’s charged up, then drop it. Bands are so much easier, quicker and generally don’t fall off either
I love the magic bands! Where can I buy them in advance please?
The Disney online story does not have all the fancy glittery ones 🙂
Thank you!
For sure will use my magic bands as long as they support them! So easy, hands free and love collecting the different kinds. I hate having to dig in a bag for a phone any more than I have to. They are one of my favorite Disney fashion accessories!
Lois, when you’re logged into My Disney Experience with a trip booked and attached to your account, you can click MagicBands and Cards to see the options available for pre-arrival purchase.
I’m with the 88% – magic bands all the way! I am on VACATION! I do not need to have my phone in my hand at all times. I would like to put it away. Disney vacations use to be where you could get away from the outside world. You can’t do that if you have your phone in your hand all the time!
Team Magic Band all the way. I do not want to try to pull out my phone while trying to empty out or refill my backpack and hold on to a child’s hand. I don’t want to worry about dropping it or forgetting it somewhere. I don’t want to worry about my battery dieting mid day. I hate seeing everyone on phones all the time. We try to discourage the use of phones while on vacation by both the adults and children in our party of 9, and this creates a real conflict. We visited Disney in 2020 right before the shut down and the park could not even handle Mobile Order on the phones efficiently then. It was a real headache! We will continue to use Magic Bands as long as they are available because as far as we are concerned, Magic Bands are where the magic lives!
We actually WANTED our phones to replace our MBs, but it seems there are several limitations, at least at this time. If I remember correctly, you can’t make charges thru your phone like a MB. I seem to remember a couple of other reasons we just went back to the MBs, as the phones seemed less convenient. If they could get the functionality to 100% on the phones, and not have to look up a QR code or whatever, we would be all over it!
It is truly sad that Disney is trying to keep up with universal and all the extra charges they have. Why change things when it works maybe a little tweaking once in awhile to keep up with technology,but seriously.sliced bread is still sliced bread it now just cost the vacationers a whole lot more for nothing extra
I’m with the 88%! We will continue to use Magic Bands! I really don’t like the idea of taking my phone in and out of my purse or trying to walk around while using it. I also hate the idea of people just stopping where they are to access their phone! I can’t tell you how many people I have run into over the years. This just gives them another excuse to hold up the flow of traffic! As for my phone running out of battery, I always carry my charging cord, + an a.c adapter. I can plug in anywhere! So accessing MDE or keeping in touch with wandering members of my party is no problem.
Tarantula, Disney’s page for MagicMobile shows “Charge to your Disney Resort hotel folio during your stay” and describes it as available “right now.” We are still seeing a number of QR code situations around the Parks and Resorts, though.