Smart phones make our lives easier in so many ways, and a trip to Disney is no exception. You can use your smart phone to save time, money and frustration at Disney. Here are five tips and ideas for making the most of your smart phone at Disney.
Disney Smart Phone Tip #1: Don't Get Lost. The first way to save frustration at Disney by using your smart phone is to take a picture of your parking location. You may think you'll remember, but your brain might turn to mush after 14 hours of heat, sun, and fun.
Disney Smart Phone Tip #2: Restaurant Reservations. The official Disney app, My Disney Experience, allows you to make dining reservations for WDW restraurants, right within the app. Otherwise you can make reservations online at the Disney website, or by calling the Disney Dining number printed on your map. Remember to make your reservations in advance as much as possible.
Disney Smart Phone Tip #3: Attraction Wait Times. One of the most frustrating parts of a Disney vacation is trying to plan your visit around attraction wait times. There are a number of apps that will give you approximate wait times so you don't have to trek across the park to find out for yourself. A favorite disneyland wait time app is MouseWait (free). There's a WDW version of MouseWait, but for WDW, Disney World Wait Times (free) is more reliable. My Disney Experience does include wait times, but this app still needs a lot of work. Some character meet and greet wait times are also included on the apps.
Keep in mind that the wait times in these apps are based off of user submissions. Submit your own wait times to help keep it up to date!
Disney Smart Phone Tip #4: Have Fun. Speaking of waiting in line, you'll probably be doing a lot of it. One fun idea using your smart phone is having a Disney photo scavenger hunt while waiting in line. Here are 50 Disney Photo Ideas to get you started.
There are also several apps with Disney trivia or games. Lots To Do In Line (WDW and Disneyland versions from $4.99) has quizzes and games for each attraction queue area, along with other ideas for keeping kids occupied in line.
Or, use your phone to find Hidden Mickeys! There's a Hidden Mickey app for both WDW ($7.99) and Disneyland ($5.99). Alternatively, you can use your smart phone to search for Hidden Mickeys near you in your browser.
Disney Smart Phone Tip #5: Smart Phone Battery Life. Apps and the camera will quickly drain your smart phone battery and there aren't many places to charge up at Disney. Consider buying a back-up USB charger. They are lightweight and will keep your phone charged all day long.
You can also extend battery life by turning off Wi-Fi, decreasing your screen brightness, and turning off notifications while you are in the park (do you really need push notifications from Candy Crush while you're at Disney?). If you are in a ride such as Pirates of the Caribbean that is certain to not have cell service, you can even turn your phone to Airplane Mode to conserve battery. Airplane Mode and screen brightness can easily be changed in the Control Center (swipe up) on iPhone.
Love Disney? Check out all our Disney tips!
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