Disney expands its MagicBand experience

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tourists visiting the big theme parks near Orlando will encounter new ways to get on rides and book their vacations.

Guests at Universal's new Volcano Bay will use a wristband, which alerts people when their ride is ready.

Disney is rolling out a new version of its MagicBand.

"Think about the MagicBand as the connective tissue to the whole experience,” said Senior Vice President of Disney theme parks Jim MacPhee.

Disney has debuted its new MagicBand 2. The bracelets have a removable icon in the center that can be switched and inserted into other pieces, like lanyard clips that go on bags.

The band links to everything, like booking a hotel room and using the band to go into the room without checking in at the front desk.

The band makes purchases, books dining reservations and secures three FastPasses, all in advance, without ever waiting in line.

Channel 9's Jamie Holmes asked Disney what happens if someone loses the band.

"We're confident that we have the security in place to be able, once you lose it, you can deactivate and not have any worry in the world,” said MacPhee.

There are more than 40 attractions, from rides to entertainment experiences, that are linked to MagicBand. And there are special surprise and delight moments on rides like "It's a Small World," that say good-bye at the end of the ride.

The band even combines with the My Disney Experience app, which allows people to book everything from their phone.

Disney has produced more than 29 million bands in less than four years. They said they believe they've been able to shave hours off waiting in line.

"The more experiences the guest has, the more they enjoy the Walt Disney World vacation, and the more they come back,” said MacPhee.

Right now, 99 percent of Disney resort guests use MagicBand.

On average, reservations, whether for rides or restaurants, are made 55 times a minute, which is almost every second of the day.

Cox Media Group