End of an Era for MagicBands at Disney World.
It’s the end of an era for MagicBands at Walt Disney World. This discusses the decline of Disney’s MagicBands, what led to this, the absence of the OG MagicBands in the pre-arrival discount purchase program, why we don’t recommend first-timers purchase the wearable, and other thoughts.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t start in the same spot as several recent articles, retreading ground previously covered in Walt Disney World is Worried About Its High Prices and that progeny of posts. The company has internal concerns about Disney alienating the middle class, with growing fears about how price increases and unpopular decisions are angering fans and losing guest goodwill.
As we’ve pointed out, it’s not just price increases. It’s those coupled with corresponding cuts, nickel and diming, and other ways the guest experience has been diminished. Price isn’t the only, or perhaps even primary, concern. It’s the value proposition, which has taken hits in both directions.
There have been a few nails in the proverbial coffin of MagicBands at Walt Disney World. The devices were once ubiquitous in the parks because they were given away free to all Walt Disney World resort hotel guests. This on-site perk was eliminated in January 2021, and was one of several ‘soft resets’ to the guest experience that was announced in mid-2020 before the parks even reopened.
Walt Disney World retiring the complimentary MagicBand distribution program, and switching to a pre-arrival discount was announced in the exact same press release as the Disney Park Pass reservation system. This bombshell came only a couple of weeks after the retirement of FastPass+ and Extra Magic Hours, as well as the suspension of the Disney Dining Plan.
Suffice to say, it was a big news month between all of that and the phased reopening, and the end of free MagicBands was probably the least consequential news. There were plenty of fans who were–and still are–upset, but Disney flooded the zone with negative news, and it was difficult to be equally upset about all of it. (Although some fans tried!)
Walt Disney World sunsetting the complimentary MagicBand distribution program garnered the least backlash, by far. That’s in part because MagicBands would still exist, and for as cheap as $5 each when discounted for pre-arrivals.
The next big blow to MagicBands was the introduction of the MagicMobile service at Walt Disney World via the My Disney Experience app. This roughly coincided with the sunsetting of free MagicBands in early 2021.
MagicMobile can be added to your Android, iPhone, or Apple Watch digital wallet once enabled. It’s somewhat similar to a MagicBand, with most features working by simply holding up your smart device near an access point. It can be used to enter theme parks, connect PhotoPass images to your account, enter Lightning Lanes, and more.
MagicMobile didn’t have a seamless rollout, but has worked flawlessly for us in the last few years. As someone who already wears an Apple Watch, I typically don’t wear a MagicBand now because I don’t like two wearables on my wrist, and the MagicBand is mostly redundant to what’s offered by MagicMobile without needing a standalone device.
Possibly in response to this reality and wanting to distinguish MagicBands from MagicMobile, Disney introduced MagicBand+ a couple years ago.
From the time it was announced, our fear with MagicBand+ was that it was going to repeat the mistakes of the Made with Magic/Glow with the Show boondoggle. In a nutshell, that’s to say that Disney would invest a ton of money developing new wearable tech and push it as hard as possible to recoup those costs, only to see it flop with fans.
Judging by the thousands of MagicBand+ that were given away to Disneyland fans and how few of the devices we see in the WDW parks as compared to OG MagicBands only ~5 years ago, it’s safe to say that MagicBand+ has not been the success that Disney envisioned.
The newest generation of the device was probably the knockout punch for both the regular ole MagicBands (officially known as MagicBand 2.0).
When you take time passing by the technology, MagicMobile offering a suitable alternative to many guests for free, and MagicBand+ being met with an icy response from most fans, it’s not surprising to see fewer guests wearing MagicBands in the parks.
Of course, one big factor that cannot be overlooked is the cost. What was once free for everyone staying on-site now comes with a charge. The minimum is $25 and there are upgrade options costing as much as $45. If you want anything other than a plain color, the price is at least $35. You’re arguably better off just waiting for a sale at the Disney Store, which also has better selection.
That brings us to the main point of this post. Here’s the current selection of pre-arrival MagicBand discount upgrade options for on-site guests as of mid-February 2025:
As of mid-February 2025, there are 17 pre-arrival options, which is historically low. Last year, we saw 25-40 choices, on average. That was far fewer than the all-time peak of 82 MagicBands.
This is notable in part because there’s been very little turnover in new MagicBand+ options. About two-thirds of the designs above were also available when we last updated the list 6 months ago! And many of those were there 6 months before that. We’re seeing very little turnover, which is probably because MagicBand+ has flopped. Or because the pre-arrival discount has low uptake. Or a mixture of both.
More notably, for the first time ever, there is not a single regular ole MagicBand 2.0 available via Walt Disney World’s pre-arrival discount program.
While the writing has been on the wall for a while due to a dearth of new designs, this more or less confirms what we’ve long suspected: the OG “dumb” MagicBand is dead.
A quick search of the Disney Store would seem to confirm the same. There are plenty of MagicBand+ designs for $35 to $65, but zero regular ole MagicBands. It’s been even longer since I’ve seen the regular MagicBands being sold in one of the gift shops at Walt Disney World.
This is unfortunate. Not only does the MagicBand 2.0 appear to be dead, but these price points are only going to accelerate the demise of MagicBands, period, at Walt Disney World. While I’m sure there are some collectors who still purchase them, the same could’ve been said for Vinylmations or any number of now-extinct product lines that once had loyal fan followings.
The high cost make the MagicBand+ cost prohibitive for many guests, especially on top of every other expense.
If you have a budget when visiting Walt Disney World, tough choices need to be made when spending on splurges. If you have to choose between MagicBand+ designs for everyone in your party, or using MagicMobile (and regular ole Key to the World Cards for kids or older guests without smartphones/watches) and buying Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the decision should be a no-brainer.
MagicBand+ is a minimal value-add, whereas LLMP is hugely advantageous. The story is the same with just about any upcharge–or even other random souvenirs. I can wear a sweatshirt, t-shirt, or hat in the real world. Ditto coffee mugs and Tervis cups. MagicBand+ is dead weight at home.
Not only that, but MagicBand+ is minimally useful in the parks. The mini-games are somewhat enjoyable (although perhaps more so from a people-watching perspective thanks to all the arm-flailing), but they’re arguably a poor use of limited vacation time. And the decreased utilization rate of MagicBands all but ensures that Disney won’t throw good money after bad by investing more resources into creating new ones (hopefully).
I’m honestly surprised that Disney even bothered to roll out MagicBand+ at Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line. Or that they continue to add effects into shows and elsewhere. Maybe this is a matter of the company knowing more than me, and MagicBand+ being a quiet success story?
I doubt it. More likely is that they want to recoup/spread out some of the development costs, committed to the expansion years ago when they expected it to be a big hit, or are still somehow holding out hope it’ll gain traction. I don’t know why–technology doesn’t exactly get better with time.
Again, this has shades of Glow with the Show. Despite that flopping internationally and finding limited success when it was unveiled stateside, Disney kept trying to make it a “thing” for years. In so doing, they dedicated/wasted valuable retail space to promote a product that was DOA.
The good news is that, in light of all of the above, MagicBand+ will probably continue to be sold for at least the next few years. And as with the OG MagicBand, the devices will likely continue to be supported long after that. Just as you can still use a MagicBand 2.0 from ages ago, you’ll probably still be able to use a MB+ from launch in 2030.
That’s great for fans who already own MagicBands, but we nevertheless recommend that most new guests do not buy MagicBand+ devices.
This is especially aimed at first-timers who don’t have any sentimentality for the wearables, and might otherwise be swayed by fans who have outsized nostalgia for the devices. That is based largely on perceptions of MagicBands from over 5 years ago, not a clear-eyed cost-benefit assessment of the wearables today.
As of 2025, MagicBands simply are not worth the high prices. The free alternatives function nearly as well, and the opportunity cost of allocating a portion of your vacation budget to MagicBand+ as opposed to something else will seldom make sense. It’s for this reason that MagicBands made our list of the Worst Wastes of Money at Walt Disney World. That’s why I’ve bought my last MagicBand, no matter how much I might like that Figment design above.
All of this is bound to be controversial or unpopular with longtime diehard fans, and I get that. It breaks my heart just a little bit to write this. We started used MagicBands since the original pilot program over a decade ago, and have a lot of nostalgia for the wearables and the simpler times they represent.
I was even excited for MagicBand+ and was hoping it would reinvigorate the devices. Instead, it did the opposite. MagicBand+ just isn’t a good device, and it was the death knell for the OG MagicBands.
To be clear, we’re not suggesting that no one should use MagicBands. If you already own one, more power to you! I have an OG MagicBand from a decade ago that’s still going strong. What we’re saying is that very few people should purchase new ones given the $25 to $65 cost and limited functionality over the free MagicMobile. Even if you’re tech-averse, there’s also the free Key to the World card, which is literally just a piece of plastic.
Honestly, I can’t even fault Walt Disney World for this one. We’ve been staunch critics of the end of Disney’s Magical Express, and recently reaffirmed our take that eliminating it was a colossal mistake. That was an unforced error, and an instance of Walt Disney World making a short-sighted decision as opposed to playing the long game.
Sunsetting MagicBands is almost the opposite of that. Time passed them by years ago.
MagicBands were arguably obsolete within a year or two of first being released, and if not by then, once smartphones gained greater market share among Americans and, specifically, Walt Disney World’s core demographics. The biggest thing that kept MagicBands relevant until 2021 was Walt Disney World distributing them to so many guests for “free” (or building them into the cost of rooms).
It’s understandable that many guests, especially technology-averse ones, would disagree with this. It likewise makes sense that fans push back on all cost-cutting, nickel & diming, etc., as a matter of principle–if we give Disney an inch, they’ll take a mile. I certainly don’t like losing perks.
At the same time, we’re now several years removed from the decision to end free MagicBands, so I should be able to “safely” admit that I think it was the right call. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and providing a MagicBand with every on-site hotel stay was incredibly wasteful on balance.
If anything, I think the truly wrong call here was throwing good money after bad and making the MagicBand+, as I’m highly skeptical that’s even managed to recoup its development costs and it was a worse product than its predecessor. If Walt Disney World is only going to offer one style of MagicBands, it should be the cheaper and dumber ones. Basically, they’ve retired the wrong version of the product!
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Your Thoughts
Do you still purchase or use OG MagicBands or MagicBand+ at Walt Disney World? What do you think about decline of wearables at WDW? Do you think the MB+ is worth the money, or are there better ways to allocate limited vacation budgets? Think Disney made a mistake by sunsetting the free MagicBands for on-site stays, or was it the right call? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Pretty sure for disney to stand any chance with the opening of epic universe they need to bring back the magical express.
my wife and i still have our original magic bands from when they first came my wifes som re t imes doesnt work to get in the park but mine is still plugging away been pass holders15 + years
The article is correct but missing a big reason for the new version of the Magicband. Tracking and data! This is all about Disney collecting data about its guests. You have no idea how they are using it and the value of that data. They have more control when they own the device. It is why they don’t like the idea of moving the function to Android or Apple.
While the article was good it was way to long and repetitive. Being paid based on word count is not value added to the reader. Learn to be concise. Just my opinion.
There are no differences in tracking capabilities between MagicBand 2 and MagicBand+. It is solely the interactive features, and that the long range RFID can be recharged.
How will I go Bounty Hunting without one?
For first-timers on a budget, I agree they don’t make sense. But as APs who visit a few times a year, my young kids LOVE their MagicBand+. They love how it interacts with shows like Fantasmic, the light show on Spaceship Earth, etc. And they enjoy being able to tap into rides. If one of their bands got lost, we’d replace it immediately.
For anyone old enough to carry a cell phone, they are a minimal value-add, but for kids they are excellent.
Oh thank god! I was worried that Disney was out of ideas to make me have to be on my ding dang phone during what is supposed to be my vacation! Phew, coming through clutch, guys. Why, one day, I’m sure you’ll make it so that I won’t be able to look away from my phone even once during my ultra-expensive, stressful vacation!
Just picture it! You spend thousands of dollars only to look at an app on your phone. Maybe Disney will just start pumping crack into the air so people will feel like they had a good time.
I own three Magic Bands. My favorite is the free one. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have one when we
visit DisneyWorld. I feel free when wearing it.
Anoteher foolish mistake by Disney.
They’re taking away the fun.
The “dumb” magic bands were pure enjoyment that made you feel a part of the DIsney family. You could even accesorize them with sliders and bandits.
You’re absolutely right that the MB+ was a disaster that helped bring about the demise of Magic bands but Disney should go back to just offering the 2.0’s. Instead of free they could offer plain ones at cost.
I don’t want to repeat what 170 others have said but I’ll hopefully add something new with this.
“MagicBand+ is dead weight at home.”
This my friend is where we part ways.
You think this because you choose NOT to wear it.
You’re looking at it as something that serves no funtion.
Yeah it won’t open your house door, start your car up or even tell you the time. But neither will a necklace, a remembrance band, a ring or any number of jewelry items.
People don’t need to wear watches anymore but they often do as fashion accesories or to make a style statement.
I will on occasion put on a magic band that matches what I’m wearing just for fun.
Most people probably mistake it for a watch but it also serves as a friendly wink to those in the know and a great conversation starter to those who notice it and are curious.
But again, the real reason I put one on at home, is just for FUN!
Hahahaaaaa, you hit on one of the things I’ve seen most bitched about regarding MBs, the fact that they don’t also function as a watch. If it had even a small digital display of the time, I bet many would buy and wear an MB+ for the very reasons you mentioned, as a fashion statement, just for fun, etc. It’s faster and easier to glance at something on your wrist than to pull out and bump your phone…
We love our Magic Bands despite having Apple Watches and cell phones that we could use! For us, putting that band on means “Yay! We’re at Disney!” We even put it on before we get on the plane or in the car on our arrival day. I was disappointed with the lack of features on the MB+ for the price and hassle of charging, but we still bought them and love the designs. We only have one MB+ each that we have used for a couple years, but we have several OG MBs that we use on water park days mostly (yes we know the MB+ is water resistant but want to prolong their life!). We do enjoy playing the bounty game in Star Wars and collected all of the 50th statues, but we are a scavenger hunt kind of family I guess! I wish there were more things like that in all of the parks!
We still use our OG magicbands from 2016. We’d like newer ones with characters but refuse to pay $35-$ 50 for them. I’m sure they’d still make money selling teh OG ones for $10 and we’d gladly pay that! Shame on Disney for gauging their loyal customers.
Our family finds MB+ annoying. The first time we had them in 2021, we stayed at Bay Lake. That place was not equipped for 4 extra USB cords at the time and we spent a good part of every evening switching things out with other items that needed to charge in the few outlets available. That resort is updated now, as are many others, but we still have an awful lot of charging going on each evening. I’m also not a fan of them being bigger than the ones used pre Covid, we liked those best.
My kids love making the statues talk, and watching them light up at different times, but these will definitely be the only ones we will ever buy. When they’re dead we’ll just use our phones.
The MB is a great convience V/S fumbling around with your phone at the scan point or at your room. We were one of the families involved in the MB+ pilot program like several other posters. We had a truly positive experience with it at that time and have loved the convenience ever since. Some have commented that with the MB+2.0 having to be charged every day and using valuable charging space, I suggest that they pre plan to make sure that they have adequate charging capabilities. With my family we usually have to charge phones, watches, power banks, our bands, and sometimes a tablet or two. I always remind everyone to make sure that they have their personal charging gear with them, and I also bring a power strip, and a USB charging tower. If you are staying on property, some of the refurbished rooms have outlets with USB charging ports in them.
There are so many good comments here. Tom, do you know if Disney actually reads these comments with all of their great suggestions (keeping the MB regardless of type and bringing back ME)? I think all of this input is really important.
I agree with everything you have written…including your take on Magical Express…Disney’s decisions since then are not making sense and are inviting all the criticism they are getting these days. They need to focus on SAVING guests money right now…read the room! There are so many products they waste time and money on that do not have the relative impact they hope for…doing more research and beta testing things would help.
Look forward to reading more of your work!
I must admit I’ve always been somewhat dismissive of those whining about the end of DME, since we didn’t like some aspects of it such as the way-too-early pickup times to go back to MCO. No, I do not need to be picked up 3.5hours early! The luggage checking was quite convenient though. But I underestimated how much it meant to families with young kids and the car seat issue, since we never had to deal with that ourselves. For them it’s not the cost to use other means (pun intended) to get there, but the hassle vs convenience that they are complaining about losing, and I get that. The company really needs to rethink a number of decisions!
The one scenario besides young kids where the MB is truly worth the price was with my dad who is legally blind. Our trip in December 2024 was my family of 5, my sister, and my dad. The MB+ (I was going to buy the older one, procrastinated/got distracted, no good colors were left) was much easier for him to use than his phone or even the key card on a lanyard. We know that the MB+ was easier for him because he lost it (but it was found and delivered to his resort!) early in the trip so we also used a key card and lanyard. But that’s a definite outlier situation where it’s actually really nice to have spent the extra money
We get a new band every trip and find this very disappointing. Especially getting a band to take to Disneyland over Christmas and seeing with so many people fudging with their phones at all the lightning lanes and cast members with a big smile every time we used our bands seamlessly. MB+ became an extra memento for us for every trip. I will be disappointed if they go away
I still use the OG magic bands, and they work fine. The Magicband+ causes my daughter and I anxiety when it zaps our wrist. As much as I love the new designs, I can’t handle the nerve-wracking feeling the new magic bands cause me, especially since I’m not willing to give up my HIPPA for a DAS pass and my nerves are already on high alert.
You can turn off the vibration on the MagicBand+
And for DAS, Disney doesn’t ask for a diagnosis and even if they did, thats not an issue with HIPPA. HIPPA regulates what other entities can share about your medicals, not what you can share or what people can ask you.
Yep, I ‘m with everyone else on here, love my magic band!
We were invited to be a “test” family in 2013, I think it was?
I thought I was the bomb! When they came in the mail I put it on and my husband was laughing as I played around the house, saying things like, oh let me buy that-tap, let me in my room-tap, let me in the the fast pass lane-tap!
And it was so new that they didn’t have the tiers yet, it was hilarious!
Fast forward to 2025 and I still use the old fashion ones from the past year or two and plan on doing that on our upcoming trip in March. I really was looking forward to buying my granddaughter one to use and am bummed the old ones aren’t available for purchase.
Magic Band 2 didn’t do enough to justify its price, but I still bought a Grumpy and my wife a Figment. Disney COULD rescue it by figuring out how to enable more perks with it, but they won’t. BTW, our old magic bands still work. Use them all the time.
Don’t some functions end when the battery dies in the Magic Band 2.0?? I know it still has the RFID function. What I like about the Magic Band+ is that it’s rechargeable and retains full function over the 2.0 version. I hate having to use my phone for everything, wearing the Magic Band+ is more convenient IMO!!!
I hear what you’re saying, but I disagree…to a degree. Yes, MB+ and their ilk was a silly waste of time (internally) and money (internally and externally). But OG, basic MB were great and absolutely still would be. To me, the most obvious benefit is for all of the children visiting Disney who may not have a smart phone. It makes much more sense for them to have their own MB than a card. And obviously as you mentioned, it is a great option for adults who do not have a smart phone or do not wish to be burdened by it on their vacation. Sure, that “free” item was built into the price, but it’s not like prices went down when they eliminated the perk, so that isn’t even a valid argument. It’s actually more arguable that Disney has put additional cost onto a trip because people need smart phones with data plans. I get that you can use the card (or an existing MB), which would make this argument moot for some, but you must have it if you want to use LL (which is a whole other argument about passing extra costs onto guests).
Which brings me to one of the biggest turn offs to Disney. You’ve written about it extensively, but it really is ridiculous how much the quality of experience has gone down. We pay so much more and get so, so much less. Myriad perks that not only are gone, but often times have been monetized instead. Not because they cost much, but because they can. That is squeezing people at the cost of what used to be a pretty good vacation (as long as you at least knew to spend some time planning ahead). That is bullying costumers not good costumer service. Which brings me to my bigger issue…the actual customer service at Disney has plummeted. I am astounded at how staff is trained (are they?). They are unfriendly, borderline annoyed to be working, basically the exact opposite of what used to be the highest standard. I can’t even call them CMs anymore. To me, that implies a level of commitment, engagement, and genuine care and interest in being there. That has been hard to come by in our recent experience.
I cannot find our MBs from 2018. I see where you can list that your old band is lost. Has anyone tried to replace a lost band? Will they replace it with a MB+ and charge us extr