Walt Disney World Resort’s new MagicBands and Fastpass+ systems are causing quite the buzz down in the Land of Mouse. Many guests with upcoming vacations may not be sure how the system works, or that it even exists. I had the chance to try it out last month during my stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. In order to help eliminate some of the mystery and confusion surrounding the new program, I’ve come up with ten things every guest needs to know about MagicBands and Fastpass+.

10 Things You Need to Know About MagicBands and FastPass+ (Yes, MagicBands are waterproof!)

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The MagicBands and Fastpass+ system are still in the testing phase. The rumored official roll-out is set for December 2013, but this can change at any time. You can check if your stay is eligible for MagicBands by logging into the MyDisneyExperience website and looking for this popup:

Start familiarizing yourself with the MyDisneyExperience website and app now. These portals will be used to customize your bands and add/change Fastpass+ reservations before you leave and once you arrive. Can’t use your smartphone? Fastpass+ kiosks are available in several locations in the theme parks and resort concierge Cast Members can help you add or change your Fastpass+ plans.

MagicBands come in one size. For children and adults with smaller wrists, simply peel the backing away from the color portion of the band. You can also purchase covers and accessories for your band at almost every Walt Disney World shop. Eventually, guests will reuse their bands for subsequent trips and the accessories will make it fun to wear the same band again and again.

MagicBands are waterproof. I wore mine continuously for four days and even ran a 10 mile race with it. It can get a little sweaty and sticky underneath during hot days, but it’s nothing that bothered me to the point of wanting to remove the band. I still don’t know that I’d wear it down Summit Plummet, though. We’ll be locking our bands up in lockers at the Water Parks, just to be safe.

You’re not required to wear the band on your wrist in order to use it. If you have a small child or, like me, have a child with sensory issues who refuses to wear anything on their wrist, simply attach the band to a lanyard or carry it in a pocket. And, while my band never fell off, I still do not feel confident allowing my three year old son to wear it around the parks without taking it off and losing it.

MagicBands are shipped directly to your home in a plain, brown package. If you’re trying to surprise your children with a Walt Disney World Resort vacation, do not throw away the outer box! The Incredibles packaging inside is a dead giveaway, so you’ll want to keep it hidden.

MagicBands are a mom’s best friend. Being able to simply touch my band to my resort room door or to the register touchpad to pay for snacks makes life a lot easier when you’re trying to juggle sleeping children, balloons, toys, and stuffed Mickeys. Entering a park is much easier when you’re not digging out and distributing tickets, too. The kids get a kick out of making the Mickey head on the MagicBand posts light up.

As of now, guests can only select three Fastpass+ attractions per day and only in one theme park. I suggest making them for the afternoon hours and using the morning to visit attractions with lesser wait times. If you’re planning on a Park Hopper day, make the reservations for the second park, when wait times are at their longest. Remember, you can always move your Fastpasses around via the kiosks or app! The most popular attractions and experiences may be unavailable, but you may discover a great alternative.

Pay attention when you touch your MagicBand to the posts at certain Fastpass+ entry points. You may just hear a spooky sound at the Haunted Mansion entrance or other special effects at different attractions.

Be patient! MagicBands and Fastpass+ are new and there are many changes being made, almost daily it seems. Cast Members may not have all of the answers. Fastpass+ reservations may get jumbled up and the app may not work perfectly 100% of the time. You’re still at Walt Disney World. Forget the mix-ups and enjoy the magic. I promise your vacation will still be just as magical without that Fastpass+ for Space Mountain.

Ashley is a thirty-something military wife and mother who writes about travel, her obsession with Disney, and trying to find time to train for her first marathon at FiddleDeeMe.com. Find Ashley in smaller doses on twitter and instagram.

All content is listed for your convenience. Please check with the resorts and destinations listed for the most accurate information available, as things are subject to change. In addition, stay up to date with events and weather at your destination to help ensure you have a safe and comfortable vacation.

Hi Erica, You are able to purchase the magic bands for $12.95/ea even if you aren’t staying in WDW. Once you get there, you’re able to even put your tickets on them as well as all your dinner reservations and entertainment. I spoke with a WDW rep yesterday (5/3/14) and they stated that you need to set up the My Disney Experience App on your phone or on the WDW website and once purchased, WDW will transfer it all over for you. YAY!!! Have fun!!

I went on a family vacation to Disney a month ago and used the new Magic Bands – they worked out great for us! The app is easy to use and though we were a little skeptical of using them for snack purchases, the pin system was secure and it definitely made things easier.

Another Fast Pass tip: if you really want to make it to Toy Story Mania, add this as your #1 Fast Pass on the app, or get to Hollywood Studios first thing in the morning and run (literally, run!!!) to get your fast passes. We noticed that seemed to be the most popular ride; the crowd levels were low but there was always a steady 90 minute wait for TSM. My Dad ran to get ours first thing in the morning and our Fast Pass time was already for the early afternoon. It is a lot of fun though! We love Disney and will continue to go – I hope they keep the Magic Bands and keep improving the technology!

Hello! I also have a husband that is in the military and wondering how you go about planning your disney world vacation? We have never been as a family before and want to get the best deal possible! Thanks!

Nicole, We are a military family too. If you stay on property at Disney, that is the only way you can reserve fast passes in advance. If you are staying off property or at shadess of green, you have to wait until you get there and activate your tickets. This means you can only get whatever is leftover after on property guests have made their reservations. It puts off property guests at a distinct t disadvantage. Disney is not planning on working on this for shades of green guests anytime in the near future and it will not be offered at all for off property guests. I have spoken to a few military families that have gone since the old fast pass system was disabled and they said they were forced into the standby line A LOT because there were very limited fast pass plus reservations available once they arrived and were able to activate their tickets. Or the ones that were left were bad times that conflicted with young children’s nap times. I just see this as bad and very unfair for off property guests. The fast pass system should be fair to anyone that is paying to get into the parks. I have emailed Disney twice about it to no avail.

We used the Magic Bands when we were there in January. I always seem to have my kids and bags hanging off my arms and never noticed when I lost my Magic Band. You need to enter a PIN whenever you charge to your resort room account or debit from your Meal Plan, but I still made sure I deactivated it. It happened at the end of our last day, so I never had to get a replacement Magic Band.

Nicole, we’re also a military family and just booked our first WDW family vacation. Or boys will be 3 and 1 at the time of travel. I looked into Shades of Green and it is actually cheaper to stay at Pop Century! I don’t know your category (we are category 2 at SoG), so it might be cheaper for you, though the dining plan isn’t available at SoG. We added the dining plan and are getting our tickets on base before we go. We also used an Authorized Disney Travel Agent (MouseFan Travel) and she was able to access military discounts with the resort. Our final cost was $300 more than we had initially expected, but we had been planning based on NOW and not our actual travel time. I’ve been thrilled with the level of service we’ve received from our agent, and since it’s a free service, I don’t think I’d ever not use an agent for future trips!

Great information! I wish they would have the option of a “magic pendant” that could be worn like a necklace-I would be more inclined to use it, only because I am not fond of wearing things on my wrist in the heat and humidity.

On a trip to Disney in May 2014 we used the Magic Bands. We linked it with Memory Maker (which is totally worth the money, book it before your trip to save $50). After you use your three FastPasses of the day you can book three more. It is awesome!

I will be going to Disney soon. I am excited about the magic bands and fastpass system! I’m not sure but from the comments I’m guessing only people on the Disney properties can really get a true advantage. This will be my sixth time staying at Disney and I have stayed at Universal even more times where only people staying at the Universal properties (now just the original properties) can automatically have access to fastpasses. Therefore, I think that it is not all that unfair because the lines are already long and it would be nice to have an extra perk especially since a lot of money had to spent to stay on a Disney property.

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About Jodi Grundig

Jodi Grundig has loved traveling since she was a little girl. She started blogging in 2007 on her popular review site Mom's Favorite Stuff and after doing quite a bit of family traveling, decided to launch her own travel blog. Jodi resides in Massachusetts with her husband, eleven-year old son, thirteen-year old daughter, and Havanese dog. Read More…