Hi, Lauren!
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! Thank you so much for sending in your excellent question. I had the opportunity to plan a spontaneous trip myself last summer for me and my daughters. I booked on 7/28 for an arrival date of 8/5, it was so much fun. We also used Magical Express, but of course did not have our new set of MagicBands to present at the check-in kiosk; so I know just what you need to do.
If you have MagicBands from a prior vacation that occurred within the last two years, and these Bands are still showing as "Active" on your
My Disney Experience Account, all your upcoming reservation information is auto-magically available on those active MagicBands. So bring those puppies along in your carry-on, you'll be able to present them for scanning when you arrive at Magical Express. In fact, you can decline your new set of MagicBands if you'd like and use ones you already have. This way, you're not keeping up with so many Bands. I was not so lucky though, my oldest daughter HAD to have a purple band, so we still customized the new set for pick-up at the front desk.
I do want to offer one additional piece of advice, deactivate all other MagicBands listed in your account but the ones you're going to bring with you. I've often run into MagicBand trouble when I have had way too many MagicBands listed as active. Luckily, I learned how to alleviate the problem by deactivate bands I was not using for that vacation. However, it will be ok to have the set you're bringing for Magical Express and the new set active.
I hope this is helpful! Please let me know if you have any additional last-minute questions, Lauren. You can reach out to me directly.
Faith