Do I Really Need a Portable Charger?

[Indecisive]

I have an iPhone 4. I generally find that even if I use it fairly heavily, the battery gets me through most of the day. However, this is our first trip to Disney and, of course, MDE and all the other apps are relatively new, too, so I certainly don't have experience using any of those apps in the parks.

We plan to tour from RD until about 6pm max. We will not take breaks back at the hotel. I have worked out a general touring plan for each park, which I know I may need to tweak somewhat to account for unexpected circumstances. We have all our ADRs and I don't expect to be adding any new ones on the fly. I have made all our FP+ and, aside from tweaks that i may need to make for unforeseeable reasons, I think i am all set with those.

Given how much I have already planned, I expect to use my apps somewhat, mostly as a checklist and also for tweaks, but I can't imagine using my phone so actively that I will need to invest in and bring a portable charger. Is this possible, or am I being naive? What has been your experience? If you think I really need one, what type/brand/model do you recommend?

Thanks!

 

[Mrsjvb]

I have a juice pack from Mophie. love it. doubles the battery life and acts as a case.

I plan on using it to help me get through long lines.

 

[gonnago]

YES! I have an Iphone4s and was there just last week and the mde app and taking pics drained my battery very quickly and at home I can go all day on a full charge.

 

[chicklet2]

I totally understand and your predicament. For the past few years with my Iphone fully charged it will get me through most days. I think what you also have to consider is, are you going to be taking a fair amount of photos and videos with IPhone? That can add to faster battery drain. Also are you renting a car and would ever use your GPS on phone? This is a super battery zapper. Do you ever give your phone to your children to pass the time, for example in lines waiting. This seems to be coming more and more a thing, where lots of kids are on the phones playing games or watching a show to pass the time. If you would be doing all the above at some point during the day, you may run out but considering you aid you would be back by six I think you would be good. I do have a a backup charger from Hypershop, called hyper mac micro. It's larger than I deck of playing cards but not overly bulky.mI personally have had no problems with this brand and have used it for few years now. It has a USB connector so you csn use it on a ipad,etc, as well. I like to be prepared so if I was unsure if I would need one, I would purchase and external backup, bring it on vacation and than see how you do first day. It's very handy to have when not on vacation as well.

Hope I was a little helpful. Have fun

 

[vicki_c]

Absolutely if you plan on using any data like the app, which requires location services as well. Or Facebook or Foursquare, etc. Or you can bring a plug and cord and sit somewhere and charge for a while. My kids do that when necessary. But we use the Mophie charging cases as well.

My phone only lasts from about rope drop to lunch at the longest (early EMH rope drop last week). I'd say 5 hours when actively using the MDE app, camera.

 

[gonnago]

A lot of people are suggesting the jackery from amazon for 19.99 and free shipping.My son had a portable charger and we just used his but I do not know what brand it was although it was bigger than the jackery mini. I am thinking of purchasing one for myself so I can have it for whenever the need may arise.

 

[MonorailCentral]

You might not need it, but it's nice to have, just in case. I usually don't need them, but I always carry a 2nd battery and a charger. They're pretty small, and never run out of juice. I use Anker, one of the top rated brands. Works great, and can charge 2 devices at once.

 

[mousekatool]

Honestly, I have a 4s, and last year I never needed a charger, and that was using the TP lines app occasionally as well as taking a picture or sending a text here and there. When I'm at Disney, I am NOT using my phone constantly! I think I would have to be on the MDE app after every attraction to drain my battery that much. Maybe I'm in the minority though.

 

[TimothyG]

Yes, you do. MDE relies heavily on the internet and location services. It also, quite frankly, is a big drain on the battery. I find that my phone runs through the battery much faster at WDW than anywhere else.

I purchased a $20 Anker Astro mini portable charger for $20 from Amazon and it worked wonders. It really did a good job providing me with enough battery to last all day.

 

[LisaTC]

I like the little USB tube chargers. I got mine as a 2pack on nomorerack for less than $20. They are about the size of lipstick.

 

[karabeunso]

Yes!!! Take one with! Last year I didn't have one and was wishing I did. After losing my charge two days in a row (iPhone 4S) I stuck dd's iPod in my purse so I could use that on wifi once my phone went dead. I used the lines app frequently and did use my phone for pictures but didn't really use it for much more than that; however, Disney's wifi isn't the greatest and my phone signal would fade at times so sometimes it would take awhile to get line times to load. I even went as far as carrying my charger and plugging in my phone at a restaurant when we were eating lunch.

I am prepared this year and have a charging block that is supposed to be able to charge my phone fully 3 times. I'm not messing around this time!

 

[BellsFam]

I used the MDE app a lot, took pictures, small videos, etc. I don't have FB and I'm not on my phone other than those reasons listed above... and I DRAINED my battery daily... I had my phone and my digital camera the second time, which meant watching both in the parks, etc.

My MIL got me a XDream charger, I will use that during our trip...

 

[JeremyGNJ]

Stuff to keep battery usage in check:

1. Bring a real camera
2. Don't use MDE, use the web page, so it doesn't use location services
3. Turn the brightness down

 

[kmb584]

I don't use one. I'm not a phone person to begin with so while we're on vacation I use my iPhone for MDE, photos (with uploads to Instagram and/or Facebook), and occasional check-in texts to see where my aunt or grandmother are if they went off to do their own thing. I charge the phone overnight and it lasts the entire day, from RD to 9-10p.

 

[Julie711]

I bought the Mophie juice pack a few years back and it was a great investment for our Disney Vacations. I use my phone a lot for pictures, video and the MDE App so they will do a number on your battery. When my phone gets low I just connect it to the juice pack and throw it in my book bag for a little while and it's charges pretty fast.

 

[ladeedeb]

I was glad I had it. I only used it once because I forgot to recharge when we were back in the room. If you go for the whole day, you will need it. I really didn't because we only went for a few hours at a time before taking a break.

 

[alikennedy]

Our phone, an iPhone 5, lasted all day. We changed a couple of fastpass+ times and occasionally checked line times. We did not take a lot of pictures with it, or video. We were not checking mail, playing games, or on Facebook. It lasted all day with no problem.

Our son's phone, an iPhone 3, did not last all day. He used it a lot more than us, texting.

To avoid roaming charges we only used the wifi.

 

[Minniekins]

I found Yubi Power in a similar thread here last fall, lol, and you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H9LDRY4/ref=twister_B00CD972XE?tag=vglnkc5948-20


It was about $10 last Oct, but depending on color and finish,(it comes in a few different ones), and runs from about 12.99 - 15-99. I bought the purple one, as well as the blue and red one as gifts. And, they work great! Definitely recommend this battery charger!! Easy to use, simple to carry around. I used it with my iphone 4S last Dec and it was great to have it with me in the parks when I needed it. My phone's battery isn't the greatest but usually can last a day for texting and phone use, but in the parks I used it a lot because I used it for lots of picture taking which really drains the battery!

 

[hsmamato2]

just get one of those tiny tube style charger and toss it in your bag....that should keep you going all day....I have an adroid with a huge battery, but lots of pics will drain it,and my WDW days are pretty long....

 

[Indecisive]

Thanks, everyone. Looks like the "ayes" have it! Thanks for all the recommendations. I just wish they were more consistent so I didn't have to research all of them! LOL. Seriously, though, I do appreciate it. It is good to have a starting point. I will look into each of these options. Thank you!