Buying Magic Bands

[Jeri]

We are staying on site, but I'm buying my daughter a Sofia the First magic band online from Disney store. I googled Grumpy ones & see they make one but it's sold at Disney World, and there are some sites selling it for $39 plus shipping!!!😳
Does anyone know how much it really is at Disney World, and how I could get one before we go without spending a fortune?
Also, what solid colors do they sell down there, other then the free ones offered, and how much they are?

One last question, if we waited to buy the Grumoy one until we got down there, how hard is it to get it activated in place of our free one? Has anyone done this, and did you have issues with it not working right?
Thanks

[Fangorn]

You can purchase the grumpy band through the shopping app. It's $22.95. Other than the standard colors, the only plain color is purple and that is available at only a few places (or it was in Dec). Adding a band to your account is simple - you just link it to your account. If you purchase at WDW, they'll link it for you at time of purchase. Otherwise you link it yourself through MDE.

Steve

[magicofdisney]

They sale the purple band at the MCO Disney store. There were others there but I couldn't tell you what they were.

[Jeri]

Thanks!! I knew I could link them on the app, just wasn't sure how hard it was in the park. It's good to know they will link it right there, so we could wait to get them too.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

I made a long post about MagicBands and their chronic failure to work here, but I will summarize what I think about your situation.

I would try to have any bands you want to use on your trip already purchased and on your MDE account before your arrival to WDW.

It is true that they will link your newly purchased band right at the cash register, but in practical terms that new band may NOT get linked to much of what it should do. It will probably access your FP+ fine, probably access your tickets fine, but based on my experience and the posted experiences of others, I think it's a very probable that the new bands may not access your "room key" or your "room charges" and/or your DDP entitlements unless you go to front desk of your resort.

It's entirely possible that it will all work fine without a trip to the front desk, but IF the system is supposed to automatically link all that together for a "currently-in-use" reservation, it doesn't do it very consistently at all. If you would prefer to avoid having to do tech support while on vacation, I would consider getting the bands before you arrive.