Honey! We are leaving them at home!

[KapBoy77]

So after much pondering and planning and wondering... my wife and I have decided that our smartphones are not coming on the trip with us.

The more I thought about it the more it became apparent to me that the phones would only pose as a distraction between us and the time being spent with our boys. Why are we going to Disney World in the first place I asked myself? We are going to Disney World to escape from the reality of our everyday life. Do we really need access to the "outside" world while we are on vacation? We don't have jobs, blogs, or any last minute deals that require us to have our phones with us at all times. Why would we even consider bringing the phones with us? Especially considering the ridiculous trouble it becomes when crossing the border into the US.

Everywhere I go I see parents with their kids and the parent is "zoned" out on their phones practically ignoring the child. I myself have been guilty of this. So has my wife. Another scenario I see is both parents on their phones, little Sally is texting and little Johnny is on the DS and they are all the same table having a meal at McDonald's.

We are taking our kids to the Happiest Place On Earth and if you think I'm going to risk a single moment of their... actually OUR experiences together as a family because I need to check peoples tweets or Facebook status then you would be mistaken.

The phones they are staying at home. On this trip I'm packing my undivided attention because that is what my boys deserve.

Have any of you ever considered leaving your smartphones at home? Or do you believe you can't live without them? I'm not saying its going to be easy. I'm already panicking that I won't have the Lines App with me. But then again people back in the day didn't either.

 

[mom2rtk]

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I wish more people felt like you.
2) You are on vacation and very few people need phones in the parks.
3) BRAVO.

 

[Mickey Fanatic]

I totally agree! When I look at the roaming costs for taking my phone to the U.S. it is an easy decision. The phone stays home! These times with the kids go too fast to let a piece of electronics take awaya any of the attention your child deserves.

Have a great, phone free, trip!

 

[worm761]

If you seem to have an issue then you should leave them behind.

We drive so no, our phones are not left behind. My teen DS goes off in the parks alone so we take them with us in the park. We do use the lines app to decide what to do next. None of use are using the phone to text, check Facebook, or anything else. You can have your phone and still control how you use it. Of course, I also practive selective answering at home.

 

[Philagoofy]

I lead such a boring life that I never carry a phone with me anywhere.

Enjoy your unconnected vacation with your family! People enjoyed and survived without cell phones, etc before so it can be done.

 

[PrincessShea]

I enjoyed being able to take pictures and communicate with family and friends via facebook, instagram, etc who weren't on the trip with us. It was a good way to preserve memories and keep in touch.

So no, I will not leave my phone at home next time I go.

 

[MaxsDad]

I don't judge either way, take it or leave it, it is your decision and I see your point, especially coming from Canada and the extra hassle involved. Phones and texting at meals is a big pet peeve of mine as well, but rather than leave the phones out all together I just say no phones during meal times, and lay down other similar rules on vacation.

Personally, I like having mine, for the apps, entertaining the 19mo old, taking pictures, and communicating with the family when we split up. I know people say "back in the day they didn't have them" but there were lots of things that people used to do, doesn't always mean it was better.

For example, you can plan to meet up at the HM queue at 2:45 after you split up to do other things like they used to do. But to me it is a nice convenience to be able to let my teenage daughter do her own thing and know that she can easily reach us if something changes, like getting stuck on a ride or behind the parade line or seeing a character she wants to meet.

That being said if you want to spend time with your family and not with your head buried in your phone, then that is just self discipline, and a choice, albeit a difficult one for some. I have no problem putting my phone down to pay attention to my daughters, but if you feel that you need to leave your phone at home to do that, then more power to you for recognizing that.

 

[Buffalo2Disney]

I like your philosophy, and if you feel like you would be on them often I would leave them at home too.

However, we always bring ours with us, but we also have control and are not constantly on them. We may check them for the time and to double check our ADR times. Also, there could be a reason someone from back home needs to get a hold of you or you need to get a hold of someone back home.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Neither of us have smart phones; we both have "feature" phones. Our son has a smart phone, but he must be smarter than the two of us. When we all go to WDW, we'll have our phones to keep in touch. If our son is at the park, we can text him to let him know where we are going. If I am at the grocery store, I can check with my husband on something that I see that looks really good (will I have to eat it all or will he share it with me??).

But neither of us use the phone to call much at all. Emergencies only or we text our son.

 

[bookgirl]

Nope. Even though I was raised in the time of no cells, and my parents actually did let me wonder off from them to explore theme parks, the fair, the mall and the neighborhood by myself and with my friends and we all survived, it's not going to happen now that I DO have the ability to have that phone on me and to use the resources that it provides.

If my nephews get seperated from me in a large croweded place, I want them to call my phone, so I can find them. Or I want to be able to track them using their devise. Or if I need to get a map I can, or if there's a medical emergency I want to be able for my family or friends to contact me or for me to contact them.

I might consider taking my phone and putting it in the safe or maybe keeping it on me but turning it off until there was an emergency where I would need it. Don't get me wrong I love my smartphone (just upgraded from my basic net capable phone to an iphone) and I use it ALOT. But I also have no problem turning it down, off, or leaving it in my bag when I need to do something else.

But no I would not leave it at home, I like knowing that it's there just in case.

I don't think it's bad that someone does want to leave them at home and I know in some cases it would take that level of isolation, but I wouldn't.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

So after much pondering and planning and wondering... my wife and I have decided that our smartphones are not coming on the trip with us.

The more I thought about it the more it became apparent to me that the phones would only pose as a distraction between us and the time being spent with our boys. Why are we going to Disney World in the first place I asked myself? We are going to Disney World to escape from the reality of our everyday life. Do we really need access to the "outside" world while we are on vacation? We don't have jobs, blogs, or any last minute deals that require us to have our phones with us at all times. Why would we even consider bringing the phones with us? Especially considering the ridiculous trouble it becomes when crossing the border into the US.

Everywhere I go I see parents with their kids and the parent is "zoned" out on their phones practically ignoring the child. I myself have been guilty of this. So has my wife. Another scenario I see is both parents on their phones, little Sally is texting and little Johnny is on the DS and they are all the same table having a meal at McDonald's.

We are taking our kids to the Happiest Place On Earth and if you think I'm going to risk a single moment of their... actually OUR experiences together as a family because I need to check peoples tweets or Facebook status then you would be mistaken.

The phones they are staying at home. On this trip I'm packing my undivided attention because that is what my boys deserve.

Have any of you ever considered leaving your smartphones at home? Or do you believe you can't live without them? I'm not saying its going to be easy. I'm already panicking that I won't have the Lines App with me. But then again people back in the day didn't either.

~LOL. I have two smartphones and so does DH, we bring them with us everywhere including Disney. There has never been a time when our children have not had our "undivided" attention on vacation.

~It's funny, because I never notice what other families do at Disney. And, I certainly don't stare or gawk at other parents long enough to assume they are "ignoring" their kids. I would hate to go on vacation and spend my time judging other families, instead of having fun and paying attention to my own family. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

~With that said, I still think its great to travel without the phones, if you think they're too addictive or consume too much of your time. Thanks for sharing!

 

[justakrazymom]

1) I wish more people felt like you.
2) You are on vacation and very few people need phones in the parks.
3) BRAVO.

WTg! We brought our phones but they rarely made it out of our rooms and usually only my husbands "dumb" phone so we could stay in touch with our oldest.. I wish more people would ditch the phones!

 

[LaurieO]

I do not have nor do I want a "smart" phone. I have a "talk with my mouth listen with my ear" phone that I always take with me on trips & I also have one that my son (he's 9 now) carries in his pocket while at the parks so in case we get split up, he can call me. It was so cute, 2 yrs ago we were goofing around on Tom Sawyer's Island, I went one way, he the other & 10 seconds later, my phone rang.
I don't even know what people are doing with those "smart" phones besides alienating themselves from the real world & other humans beings.

 

[dburg30]

I think the problem is that you will start 'missing' out on some stuff as things progress.. I mean interactive apps in lines, with nexgen stuff coming etc etc i see more and more interactivity between phones and actually touring.. guess we shall see.

 

[kpm76]

That's great if you think it will provide a more relaxing vacation, but I can tell you that I would never leave my phone at home, especially after what happened on our last WDW trip. We had a family emergency back home and without my phone, I would not have been able to keep in touch, but also not upset the kids by having to leave. After that trip, I learned to never judge because you just never know.....

 

[WDWChloe]

Good point about the lines app

DH and I both have iPhones, it's always hard to put them down. I only us mine in the parks for said lines app and I love it for photography.

I do discourage DH bringing his 3DS though.

 

[Senator Tressel]

LOL. I don't think it sounds relaxing at all to not have a phone. How will you know what time it is? How will you know what the lines are like? How will you know what the temperature is going to be in four hours?

 

[alikennedy]

We don't take ours. The roaming charges are outrageous (we are from Canada). . We have done just fine in DisneyWorld and Disneyland without. We check our email every couple of days (didn't have free wifi) and family knows where we are staying in case of emergency. You won't need them.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

I do not have a smart phone and even if I did it would not go to WDW with me. I have a plain ordinary cellular phone that I can makes calls and text, it is all I need. When I'm on vacation, the people who need to know, know where I am.