No More Magic Bands: Disney World Launches New Park Entry Technology

In 2013, Disney World debuted wearable Magic Bands, offering guests a vibrant and convenient way to enjoy a vacation without the hassle of managing room keys, park tickets, or searching for cash.

With the Magic Band on your wrist, you could easily access your Disney resort hotel room, make purchases, enter the park, and more with a simple tap.

However, times have evolved. While Magic Bands are still available at Disney World, they are no longer complimentary with resort stays. Increasingly, they’re becoming unnecessary as your phone or Apple Watch can perform many of those same functions—and even more—without the need for a special Disney wrist accessory.

Today, Disney World made a significant technological advancement by introducing MagicMobile for Apple devices.

This means you can use your Disney tickets to enter the theme parks and more, all thanks to the technology integrated into your phone or watch, making your vacation with Mickey a little easier.

How to Set Up Your Disney MagicMobile Pass

First and foremost: If you haven't packed a backup phone charger for your Disney World trip, now's the time to add it to your essentials.

The My Disney Experience app is now essential—not only does it help you set up your MagicMobile tickets, but it also allows you to order food, make dining reservations, unlock your hotel room, access the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, check wait times, manage your plans, and Park Pass reservations, and more.

To truly make the most of your day at Disney World, having your smartphone is essential, so packing a portable power bank (or two) is now a must.

To set up your Disney MagicMobile pass, simply open the My Disney Experience app on your Apple device and select the Disney MagicMobile Pass option.

From there, you can choose which Disney friends and family members you want to add to your MagicMobile account and personalize each MagicMobile pass with various designs.

Parents managing passes for multiple family members without smart devices can easily do so from a single account.

When it’s time to enter the parks, simply hold your phone or watch near an access point, similar to how you would with a MagicBand. You won't even need to unlock your device or open the Disney app to use the MagicMobile pass in express mode, which adds to its convenience.

However, if you’re managing multiple passes for friends and family, you’ll need to double-click or press and hold the home button to access Apple Wallet, then swipe through the passes to use them.

In summary

Disney World is constantly evolving, and this year is no different. You now need a park pass reservation to enter the parks, Magic Bands are no longer complimentary, the Disney Magical Express Bus will conclude after this year, Extra Magic Hours and FastPass+ are unavailable, and now... your iPhone or Apple Watch can serve as your ticket, thanks to the new MagicMobile Pass.