Have you ever wanted to use MagicBand+ aboard a Disney Cruise Line ship? Soon you can as Disney is rolling out MagicBand+ technology (formally called DisneyBand+) as a test on the Disney Wish this summer.
Guests will be able to unlock their stateroom doors, link photos, and make charges to their folio using the DisneyBand+ technology. MagicBand+ bands purchased at Walt Disney World or Disneyland will work on the ship. Legacy bands will not work. Like at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the band will still be able to open stateroom doors and make payments even if it isn’t fully charged.
It’s unclear when the technology may be added to the other ships in Disney Cruise Line’s fleet.
Why the name change to DisneyBand+ instead of the MagicBand+ that’s seen at Disneyland and Walt Disney World? It may be an international terminology issue.
I’m told international travel agencies have been asked to start using the “DisneyBand” terminology in all cases. It appears Disney is limited to where they can use MagicBand+ terminology – which is likely why Disney Cruise Line is using DisneyBand+.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 6, 2023
Assuming the test goes well, we’d expect DisneyBand+ will become the new normal on Disney Cruise Line ships. In many ways the bands could serve as a replacement for Keys to the World cards, though we imagine Disney will keep those around in some capacity just as they’ve kept traditional room cards at their hotels for guests without bands.
This raises the question about Disney Cruise Line potentially phasing out its lanyards for Castaway Club members if the majority of guests opt to use DisneyBand+ over the traditional cards. Time will tell.
