Guess what came today?

As I mentioned in a post yesterday, we're going to be part of some of Disney's "beta" testing of their new elements.  When we initially booked our trip, I didn't think we'd be involved in the testing because there was no information about it or any sort of formal invitation.So imagine my surprise when I logged in to make a payment in August, there is was: a notification asking me to customize my MagicBands.  I was surprised (I had assumed we'd be formally invited) but we were game for an adventure, so I plunged ahead.

Well, we followed the prompts, customized our MagicBands, and then just forgot about it. I was assuming Disney would explain it to me when we got there; but guess what came yesterday?

Disney did send along an official invitation to MyMagic+ explaining how everything worked and asking us to provide feedback at the end of our stay.  It was pretty concise (one page front and back) outlining the steps we needed to complete to have our MagicBands customized in one of many colors and mailed to us (thanks to the blogging world, I already knew all this stuff and had done all of these steps-thanks Disney Bloggers!)

So I figured I'd sit back and wait for our customized MagicBands to come to me, should be a while, right?  Nope.  I got home from work today to find:

And here they are, our MagicBands:

Mine's the cute orange one!

The top part of the bracelet is a little rigid (where the RFID tag is) and I don't think it's something I would put on and wear straight through the trip (a quick Google search confirmed for me what I suspected- bands ARE waterproof and hypoallergenic, so you could wear them all day, every day if you wanted to). It is, however, pretty darn cute, and it's reasonably comfortable to wear because it's not unlike a watch.  There's an easy way to size them (you can pull off part of the band to make it slightly smaller for little wrists), but you may need a help to put it on if you're less-than-coordinated when it comes to doing things one-handed.

The MagicBands did come with a leaflet warning those with Implantable Pacemakers or Cardioverter-Defibrillators that the RFID chip might cause interference with their device.  It also lists the typical recommendations manufacturers of these devices provide, although they strongly recommend speaking to your doctor and your device manufacture to rule out possible interference. There is also a warning for those using other medical devices, including insulin pumps, neurosimulators, hearing aids, etc., advising them to speak to their doctor as well.  If you or someone in your party has any of these devices, be sure you read the leaflet carefully so you know what questions to ask to make sure everyone stays happy and healthy during your trip.

I'm excited to see how these work in the parks. I think I'll feel a little like a super hero just touching my wrist to the hotel door and having it magically open!   Has anyone used them yet?  How does it work for the Disney Dining Plan?  Do you have to take off the band for them to scan, or do they bring something to you?  What about for Quick Service places or for snack credits? Does anyone know?

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