If there’s one thing Disney Parks does well is the amount of Disney Merch they have on offer to tempt you and separate you from your well-earned dollars. With all the Disney merch available, it is really easy to spend a lot of money at Disneyland California. And as much as we massive Disney fans are happy to part ways with our cash for all things Disney, there’s no argument that Disneyland is EXPENSIVE. Even tech advances such as Genie+ and Magic Bands which are designed to enhance your Disneyland experience don’t come free. More and more, Disneyland guests are prioritizing where in the Parks they spend their money and what they choose to purchase with it.
This article explains what Magic bands are and if they are worth the cost during your visit to Disneyland California. While we can’t argue if you need ANOTHER Spirit Jersey or not (and won’t), we review the Magic Band+ at Disneyland California to help you work out if they are worth purchasing for your next trip to the Parks and how useful they will be whilst there.
If you are wondering if Genie+ is worth purchasing during your next visit to the Disneyland California Parks, you can read our full article HERE
What are Magic Bands?
Disney Magic Bands are not exactly a new technology, with the first band being released in 2013. Since then, Disney has released 2 new updates, the 2.0 in 2017 and the Magic Band+ in 2022. All versions are a plastic band that uses RFID technology to interact with Disney tech and data while in the Parks/Resorts. They look very similar to a smartwatch but only work on Disneyland California properties including the hotels and Downtown Disney.
When you link your My Disneyland Account to the Magic Band+ you get the following features:
- Access to your Park Tickets
- Access to your Lightning Lane Reservations
- Access to your Dining Reservations
- Use your Magic Band+ to make purchases
- Link your Disney Photo Pass with just a tap of the band
- Enhanced Park Experiences
- Special Interactions throughout the parks
It is important to mention that since its launch in 2022, Magic Band+ is the only Magic Band option supported at Disneyland California. The older Magic Band versions are no longer compatible.
How much does a Magic Band+ cost?
There are 3 price points for Magic Band+:
- SAGE – $34.99 (plus tax) These Magic Band+ are the lowest-priced band available which have plain straps but in a variety of colors. These Magic Band+ have the same functions available as the ones priced higher, they are just less decorative than the higher-priced ones.
- SLATE – $44.99 (plus tax) This is the standard price for a Magic Band+ with multiple options to purchase with different Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters printed on the plastic wristbands. There is pretty much every Disney fan’s favorite character/ franchise to choose from which makes them more personal than the plain-coloured bands.
- LILAC – $64.99 (plus tax) The highest priced Magic Band+ is usually a limited/special edition released to celebrate a special event or celebration. This high price is really only aimed at die-hard fans who want to purchase something special for the event or film it is celebrating.
There is sometimes an offer where you can buy 2 Slate ($44.99 usually) bands for $34.99 each
Where can you purchase a Magic Band+?
You can buy a Magic Band+ at multiple outlets within Disneyland. We advise though, the best place to purchase is at World of Disney in Downton Disney BEFORE your day at the Parks. Why? If you can visit Downtown Disney on a day you don’t have park reservations then you can avoid wasting valuable park time and have the Magic Band+ set up before you first enter the parks. We often head to Downtown Disney the night before our first Park day to get our first Disney fix and complete all our merchandise shopping without having to lug it around the theme parks. World of Disney also has the biggest selection of Magic Band+ available, some of the smaller shops only have a limited selection to purchase.
So, however, if this is not an option for you, here is a list of other locations which sell Magic Band+:
- Acorns Gifts and Goods at Grand Californian Hotel
- Disney’s Fantasia Shop in Disneyland Hotel
- Disney’s Pin Traders Downtown Disney
- Emporium in Disneyland Park
- Hotel Gift Shop Paradise Pier Hotel
- Oswald’s in Disney California Adventure Park
- Seaside Souvenirs in Disney California Adventure
- Trolley Treats in Disney California Adventure
- Westward Ho Trading Company in Disneyland Park
Alternatively, residents in the USA can purchase Magic Band+ from Shop Disney prior to their visit to the parks. Unfortunately, this is only available on Shop Disney USA, not other international sites. Be aware though, that not all magic Band+ designs are available online and you may see a design in the Disneyland Shops that you prefer after you have bought it. Because of this, we still advise you to try and purchase a Magic Band+ from Downtown Disney before you enter the parks.
Benefits of Magic Band+ at Disneyland California
Right, so what exactly are the benefits of having a Magic Band+ during your visit to Disneyland California? Here, we list all the reasons why you should buy a Magic Band+.
Waterproof
Yes, your Magic Band+ is waterproof, which means it won’t get ruined when you get soaked on the Grizzly River Run. Good enough a reason for us!
Lots of Choices in Designs
There are over 50 different Magic Band+ designs to choose from at any given time. These choices also change and new designs become available including special limited editions. With this many Disney franchises and Characters featured, there is a perfect option for every Disney fan, in fact, there are so many it might be hard to pick your favorite!
Disney also releases Magic Band+ limited editions for special or seasonal events such as Pride, Star Wars Day, and other major holidays. These are perfect to celebrate a special occasion.
Customize light-up themes and Vibrations
That’s right, once you finally picked your favorite design for your Magic Band+, you can then personalize it further by changing the light-up themes and vibration settings. There are multiple colors you can choose from for your light-up theme including special Themes of castle Fireworks and D100 Wishes. You can turn on the Vibration and connect to park experiences to enhance your visit too.
For full instructions on how to set up and customize your Magic Band+, click the link here
Become a Bounty Hunter
Your Magic Band+ is now the key to becoming a Batuu Bounty Hunter at Galaxy’s Edge! Using the Play Disney Parks App on your phone, your Magic Band+ guides you around Galaxy’s Edge in search of bounties, vibrating and lighting up to highlight your path. Once you find the bounty, it connects to the Play Disney Parks App to reveal who is hiding in the shadows! This is a must-play game for any big Star Wars fan and is a really nice piece of technology interacting with the park. This is the only game available to play with Magic Band+ at the moment, but its popularity could mean more interactive games to come within the parks in the future.
Hands-Free Access
Having your Magic Band+ gives you hands-free access at many points of your Disneyland California Parks visit. And who wouldn’t want more hands-free to be able to grab another churro or Mickey Pretzel (or simply when your hands are full of Disney Shopping bags!)
- Room Access: If you are staying at any of the 3 Disneyland Resort Hotels (Grand Californian Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, or Paradise Pier Hotel) your Magic Band+ acts as your Room Key Card! Instead of getting your room key from the depths of your backpack, simply tap the entry panel on the door and you are in!
- Park Entry Access– Again, instead of trying to open up your phone app or hold onto those invaluable but not very secure paper tickets, a cast member can scan your Magic Band+ at the entry gates and let you right in! As long as you link your Magic Band+ to the Disneyland App and your Admission/ Reservation Tickets there is no need to use actual tickets, saving a lot of time and getting you into the parks as quickly as possible (especially at Rope Drop!) Remember to purchase and set up your Magic Band+ prior to your first entry for this to be a maximum benefit.
- Lightning Lane Reservation access: If you have paid for the Genie+ service then you can tap onto the rides using your Magic Band+ as all your Lightning Lane Reservations are saved to the band. This is a major time saver when approaching the Lightning Lane scanners.
- Dining Reservation Access: If you have made any dining reservations then a cast member will be able to scan your Magic Band+ to check you in for your reservation. Again, quick and hands-free access to get you sat down quicker.
- Photo Pass Access: You can link your Disney Photo Pass to your Magic Band+ with just one tap. Once the photographer has taken your picture, they scan your Magic Band+ which links to your Disney Photo Pass on the App.
- Pay for your Disney purchases: To make spending money within the parks EVEN easier, you can now pay for your Disney purchases with a tap of your band. To use, the band will link to the card saved on your app and will require a PIN set up so that your bank details are safe if you lose your watch. For some of us Disney Shopaholics, perhaps a function like this should actually be on the negative list, right?
Enhanced Experiences
Your Magic Band+ will activate during World of Color, Fantasmic!, and select night-time shows. The band will light up and vibrate along to the show and music playing adding another interactive touch to your viewing experience. It is pretty cool watching World of Color with this added form of magic although I was disappointed that it was not interactive during the Wondrous Journeys Fireworks display.
The Magic Band+ also adds a touch of magic at select Avengers Campus locations. Whilst in the queue for WEB SLINGERS, my watch lit up in red and blue and vibrated just before I boarded the ride. Again, this was just a nice little extra touch of magic to enhance my day at the parks.
Park Interactions
Walt Disney Studios is currently celebrating 100 Years of Wonder and of course, Disneyland has added a special interaction available through your Magic Band+ to celebrate. Throughout Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and Downtown Disney there are several interactive sliver statues and medallions to interact with. I was really looking forward to finding all the locations below which also includes a statue at Disneyland Hotel:
- Buena Vista Street Disney Califronia Adventure
- Mickey and Minnie Topery Disneyland Hotel
- Disney100 Medallion across from Earl of Sandwich
- Disney100 Medallion near Naples Ristorante Bar
- Disney100 Medallion at Downtown Disney District LIVE! Stage
- Disney100 Medallion near WonderGround Gallery
- Platinum Mickey Statue near the Downtown Disney District LIVE! Stage
I was, however, slightly disappointed in the lack of variance in the interactions or that there was not a special interaction available in the actual Disneyland Park. However, it was a fun way to celebrate the 100 Years of Disney and another cool piece of magical tech from the Magic Band+.
To find out how to interact with the medallions and statues visit the Disneyland Website
Re-Usable
Magic Bands have always lasted for up to 2 years and now with the Magic Band+ being rechargeable, it will continue to be useful for all other your other Disneyland visits for some time to come. If you are a regular visitor to Disneyland California then you will get your worth out of your Magic Band+ in no time.
As long as you are not tempted to buy another Magic Band+ in a different design, there is no reason why you can not re-use your Magic Band+ for many visits to come (or at least until that version becomes incompatible of course).
Negatives of the Magic Band+
Now we have highlighted all the positive benefits of using a Magic Band+, it’s time to point out the negatives. No product exists without some drawbacks and the Magic Band+ is no exception.
Price
The original basic Magic Bands are available for just $14.99 whilst the new Magic Band+ starting price is more than double the price of that. Disney justifies this as the Magic Band+ has new tech that the original Magic Bands do not, along with more functions and being rechargeable. As previously mentioned, only the Magic Band+ is now supported at Disneyland California which means if you want a magic band then you have to pay a higher price for the new Magic Band+ versions, and any old Magic Bands you may have already bought will not work in the parks anymore.
And to be honest, only the plain colored bands are priced at £34.99, any of the character/ franchise designs are a standard £44.99 which is, of course, the designs that are more popular and special to a person. I of course chose a $44.99 one as I wanted the Disneyland Castle Fireworks design with Walt’s quote on it which is close to my heart. With this in mind, you could argue that really, the standard price for a Magic Band+ is $44.99 and you can get basic ones for less if you choose.
Individual Usage Only
One Magic Band+ can only be linked to 1 person at a time. If you have multiple guests on your My Disneyland experience, you will need to purchase a Magic Band+ for each person if they wish to use all of the functions available. If there are quite a few of you, this cost can mount up! Although, I have seen offers in World of Disney for ‘Buy One full Price, Get Second Half Off’. At a minimum of $34.99, this can get costly very quickly for everyone in your group to have on each.
And if you do not have a band for every person in the group a lot of the hand-free functions are pretty useless, such as at the turnstiles. I breezed through with no problem but Steve still had to get his phone out to scan in, (yes he was too tight to buy one) and it really would have been no issue to just swipe across and scan me in too…
Lots of Choice of Designs
Yes, this is also an argument on our positives list!
But hear us out: there are so many designs to choose from that it can be really hard to pick your favorite. Any true Disney fan has a soft spot for more than one character, one movie, one franchise and therefore it would be really easy to find yourself purchasing another Magic Band+ with a new design each time you visit. Will power will be needed to seriously talk yourself out of purchasing a new design, especially if you fall in love with a special celebratory limited edition (although the $64.99 price tag should help with that!)
There is the danger that collecting Magic Band+ designs could become your next expensive Disney hobby!
Not a Smart Watch
Well obviously, after reading this review it is pretty clear that your Magic Band+ does not act like a smartwatch or have any other smartwatch functions such as time, steps, cell phone info etc. Nor do they pretend to be a smartwatch or try to replace a smartwatch. But the problem arises as so many of us now wear a Smart Watch on our preferred wrist.
I personally found it very odd having my smartwatch on one wrist and my Magic Band+ on the other. They both look very similar and at times I found myself tapping my Samsung Watch against the Lightning Lane scanners wondering why it wasn’t working! It’s only a small negative thing about the Magic Band+ and in the end, I did get used to having a ‘watch’ on each wrist.
Apparently, some Apple I watches now have Magic Band compatibility but it is only for certain releases and is not yet available for Android watches. As great as it would be to combine our smartwatches with Magic Band+ functions, we find it hard to believe Disney will roll out such wider technology while they can currently charge up to $64.99 per guest.
Limited Technology
As already pointed out, the Magic Band+ functions are not those of a smartwatch and as such are only compatible with Disney technology. Which means they do not work outside of Disneyland California Resort. As soon as you go back to your everyday, Non-Disney magic lives, your Magic Band+ will be useless (as if leaving Disneyland was hard enough!) You can not use it to purchase goods at your local supermarket or scan onto the subway for example. Its magic is limited to that only available at Disneyland, meaning for most of the time, it is sat in a box, waiting to be used again.
Obvious Magic Key Holders will not find this a problem…
Overall Opinion
So, is buying a Magic Band+ to use at Disneyland California worth it?
Overall, we say a YES (with a couple of caveats)!
We can’t deny that using the Magic Band+ made our trip experience better. Well, for one of us anyway. It’s important at this point to mention that only I (Kate) bought a Magic Band+ whilst Steve chose to use the app on his phone as he always has done. We simply linked my ticket only to the Magic Band+. As a result, I found it so much easier just to tap onto rides when we reached Lightning Lane. Same when arriving at the Park or park hopping, it was so quick to get through the turnstiles without having to pull up the app like Steve did. For those 2 reasons alone, I would say buying a Magic Band+ to use at Disneyland California was worth it. But it’s much better if your whole group has one.
The added interactive extras for the 100 Years of Wonder were a nice way to celebrate Disney 100 and added a new, unique element to our trip to the parks. The enhanced experiences were also another nice touch of Disney magic but neither of them alone made purchasing a Magic Band+ worth it. But combined together, I do consider that having a Magic Band+ at Disneyland California IS worth it.
The only caveats we would say are that the price and the lack of usage outside Disneyland California take away some of its worth and if you are not planning on visiting Disneyland again in the future then the cost of the Magic Band+ is pretty high, not necessarily worth it and you could spend you precious Disney dollars on other things. Or you could just book another Trip to Disneyland- there, problem solved!
Have Your Say
Let us know your opinions on Magic Band+. Do you think having a Magic Band+ at Disneyland California is worth it? If not, why? If you have any thoughts about this Magic Band+ article please write them below in the comments section. Got any Questions about Magic Band+ and how it works then put them in the comments section below and we will do our best to answer them!
