Honey! We are leaving them at home!

[KapBoy77]

Well we did it.

We went to Disney World and we left our phones at home! And it was Awesome!!! We are going back next December and we will be leaving the phones at home again.

Just a little situation we encountered which made my wife and I smile at each other. We were waiting for the elevator at the resort when this Grandmother and her Granddaughter showed up. The grandmother was extremely upset telling her granddaughter that she couldn't believe how "Johnny" (grandson) was constantly on his phone ignoring her and the grandfather. She said it was extremely rude that they would take their grandson on vacation and all he was doing was sticking his nose in that thing. She also talking to us at this point. She told her Granddaughter that when they returned to the room his phone was getting locked up in the safe lol. And you know why I agree with her. It's time people start sticking up for family values again.

[SaraJayne]

Originally Posted by KapBoy77

Well we did it.

We went to Disney World and we left our phones at home! And it was Awesome!!! We are going back next December and we will be leaving the phones at home again.

Just a little situation we encountered which made my wife and I smile at each other. We were waiting for the elevator at the resort when this Grandmother and her Granddaughter showed up. The grandmother was extremely upset telling her granddaughter that she couldn't believe how "Johnny" (grandson) was constantly on his phone ignoring her and the grandfather. She said it was extremely rude that they would take their grandson on vacation and all he was doing was sticking his nose in that thing. She also talking to us at this point. She told her Granddaughter that when they returned to the room his phone was getting locked up in the safe lol. And you know why I agree with her. It's time people start sticking up for family values again.

You obviously aren't familiar with the new FastPass + system coming to WDW.

[ErinsMommy]

We'll have ours with us so we can call each other if we get separated.

[KapBoy77]

Originally Posted by SaraJayne

You obviously aren't familiar with the new FastPass + system coming to WDW.

Yes I am and I don't care.

[KapBoy77]

Originally Posted by ErinsMommy

We'll have ours with us so we can call each other if we get separated.

Yes this was one of our concerns but we simply determined a rendezvous point and it worked perfectly.

[nkereina]

I don't see what the big deal is about bringing phones or not. If you have them with you, control yourself by not using it when at dinner, in a show, etc. We always have our iPhones with us and use them as our camera, video recorder, ADR tracker, a way to keep in touch with family at home that we miss and wish were with us, a means of connection in case of emergency with our dog sitter or family, and soon a way to fast pass rides. If you don't feel as though you have the self control to put the phone away, then leave it at home I guess. But bringing them into the parks is not quite the horrible thing a lot of people make it out to be. To each their own.

[picc_2]

I would definitely set rules if I did have individuals joining us on our vacation who are glued to their phones. And yes, if they abused the rules I would lock up the phone. I do know some parents use the phone as a locator of family member so this can be a life saver also.

We always bring our phones due to conveniences. We like to use them to make reservations , check on information about new or never seen attractions or rides , and we love the couple apps for planning out our day . I also have a great Android that takes some great video and pictures so it eliminated having to carry a camera.

We planned on going to MK on a vacation around the holidays one year and found out via the app that MK was at capacity so we decided to go to AK instead which was ironically quiet . I also one time sent my dear hubby to get fast passes while I waited on line for a ride and the line all of a sudden started to cruise and he could not find me. He texted me and found me easily .

[DisneyFan2013]

Originally Posted by ErinsMommy

We'll have ours with us so we can call each other if we get separated.

Yeah, I'd never feel comfortable without my phone but I'm not a person who talks on it constantly. Besides, I need to be able to use the Disney Parks app while I'm there!

[KapBoy77]

Originally Posted by nkereina

I don't see what the big deal is about bringing phones or not. If you have them with you, control yourself by not using it when at dinner, in a show, etc. We always have our iPhones with us and use them as our camera, video recorder, ADR tracker, a way to keep in touch with family at home that we miss and wish were with us, a means of connection in case of emergency with our dog sitter or family, and soon a way to fast pass rides. If you don't feel as though you have the self control to put the phone away, then leave it at home I guess. But bringing them into the parks is not quite the horrible thing a lot of people make it out to be. To each their own.

Exactly! To each their own! But make no mistake about it. Families are spending way more time consumed with the electronics they have in front of them instead of the family around them. We were just there in December. It was quite obvious.

And just to make this clear I am not debating here. I just wanted to share what we did and how it worked for us. That's all.

Bottom line is that there is no turning back. Smart phones are definitely here to stay. What's going is the one on one interaction people have with each other.

[ChimneysweepGeorge]

I'll never leave my phone at home because once, having one, allowed me to quickly recover from a problem that would have derailed us.

It was our first day in the park and we realized that we forgot the sunscreen in the car, faced with the choice of going back to the car later to reapply or paying Disprices and getting on with our day, we chose the later and I went to pay and my card was declined. We used my wife's card to pay and I quickly got on the phone. Apparently my travel notification was never properly entered and the computer system was going to be down for the next hour. So, not only was my card going to be declined, I had no way to fix the issue without calling back in an hour. I set an alarm (on vibrate) on my phone and we went about our day. An hour later, I made my call while walking to the Haunted Mansion and it was all cleared up by the time I got in line.

Things go wrong. Having a good tool to fix things is essential to solid vacation planning. That said, I've seen people who have this terminal FOMO disease and cannot stop checking their phone. If I was one of those people, yes, I would leave it at home...OR consider picking up a cheap "dumb phone" for emergency uses.

[katla33]

I will be bringing my phone and so will DH. We normally need them to call each other in the parks. And how else would I post pictures on Facebook so everyone will know what a wonderful time we are having or check in at various locations so people will know our every move? Just kidding, of course!!
My kids do not have phones so that is not an issue. DD1 has an iTouch but she won't be bringing it.

[grimley1968]

Originally Posted by KapBoy77

Well we did it.

We went to Disney World and we left our phones at home! And it was Awesome!!! We are going back next December and we will be leaving the phones at home again.

Kudos to you! We are some of those people who are glued to our iphones too much. I think I may have to set a rule for myself on our next trip to bring the phone on vacation with us, but leave it in the room safe while going into the parks. I like to carry as little as possible in the parks anyway, so this might work out well for me. A pre-determined rendezvous point is a time-tested tool that could certainly be put to use. I can't hear anything on the phone in the parks anyway.

[Melodious]

Somehow that plan where to meet up never seems to work for us. Either one of us wasn't listening and went someplace else, or one was late and the other moved onto the next gift shop, got the name wrong of where to meet, a parade cut us off, something it seemed all the time.

[princessSunshine]

Originally Posted by 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.

This is what we do - that way you have it in case, but don't have it in the parks Vacation is for vacation and we don't need a phone with us to keep in touch with our kids at the park (we don't allow them to wander alone and besides we only have 1 cell phone - shockers!!!)
Glad to hear you had a great and "unplugged" vacay my fellow Canuck!

[KapBoy77]

Originally Posted by Melodious

Somehow that plan where to meet up never seems to work for us. Either one of us wasn't listening and went someplace else, or one was late and the other moved onto the next gift shop, got the name wrong of where to meet, a parade cut us off, something it seemed all the time.

Hahaha that's why you need a back up rendezvous point. Ours was always the last place we saw each other. Worked like a charm.