Walt Disney World is pretty magical, and it gets even more magical with Magicbands. These brilliant pieces of technology are the random thing you never knew you needed during a Disney vacation. Magicbands are an RFID enabled bracelet that is given to you for free if you are staying on property at a Disney Hotel or as an Annual Passholder. If you aren’t one of these, or you want a specially designed Magicband you can purchase them all over the resort.

Magicbands are your key to the Kingdom, literally. When you make a resort reservation they are preloaded with your room information and act as a room key for your entire stay. Because these are wearable and waterproof you can easily take these in the pool with you and not have to remember a key card to get back into your room. They can also be loaded with your park tickets or annual passes and are an easy way to get in and out of all 4 parks. To prevent someone taking your tickets and using them, you also need to scan your fingerprint when entering the parks along with your band to confirm its really you.

Entering the park with your Magicband is much faster than the traditional pass or ticket method and makes it so you have no awkward rustling in your bag for your ticket. Magicbands can also be linked to your credit card to make purchasing anything during your vacation super easy! (Again, no rustling through your bag!) Don’t worry, your credit card information is secure! When you link a credit card you add a 4 digit pin number that you need to type in anytime you buy something with your band. You also have the option to add “purchasing power” to your entire party or just keep it to one person in your group.

Your Disney Dining Plan credits are also added to your band. Simply scan your band while getting your snacks, quick service meals or table service meals and your credits will be deducted from your total. If you are in a group you can add all of them together at the same time, no need to scan multiple bands. On your receipt you will receive an easy to read print out on how many dining credits you have left so you can keep track of how much food you have left.

Personalizing your magic bands is a great way to make yours unique and stand out! Limited Edition prints can be purchased all over the resort in addition to open edition Magicbands that include your favorite characters or attractions. In Disney Springs you can also have a custom Magicband printed for you! You can even customize your Magicband yourself, just make sure to keep the Mickey head in the center clear of anything, this is where you will touch your Magicband to the RFID reader. I decided to completely bedazzle my Magicband with Swarovski crystals to make it more of an accessory and less of a clunky plastic band. If you are gluing anything onto your band like I did be sure to use a flexible, waterproof glue like E6000. This will allow your band to flex as you take it on and off.

Probably my favorite feature of the Magicbands is the addition of Fastpass+. Unlike the classic, paper fastpasses used at Disney Parks around the world, Walt Disney World has upgraded to a completely paperless system. Simply make your Fastpass+ reservations on line or on the WDW app before your stay or the day of and your choices will automatically link to your band. When it is your time to ride simply touch your band to the reader at the Fastpass+ entrance and enjoy a shorter wait time!

Magicbands are a great way to make your Walt Disney World vacation easy and less stressful, so take advantage of all this free service has to offer!