Are People now having to walk around on their phones all day?

[MakiraMarlena]

if you were going during a busy week, you would have had to do a lot of planning anyway in order to get anything done. not sure you could ever just be spontaneous between Xmas and New Years for example. It likely didn't involve phones before, but some of the stuff we are using phones for now is left over from COVID when they were trying to keep contact between people at a minimum, and now hangs on due to staffing shortages. That doesn't apply to Genie+ obviously, and it is probably a blow to lose the fastpasses made 2 months ahead.

 

[Kmilos1024]

what happens to an adr if the phone number on the reservation goes dead after check in?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

you mean if the phone loses power? if you have an ADR then you can go to the podium, tell them you were supposed to get a text but your phone is dead, and stay there until they call for you.

 

[Lsyves]

you mean if the phone loses power? if you have an ADR then you can go to the podium, tell them you were supposed to get a text but your phone is dead, and stay there until they call for you.

I have an international number and they couldn't get it to work for them, so they just had me wait where they could see me so they could grab me when my table is ready. You know, like the olden days

 

[Donald13]

No one is saying it’s mandatory. And once again, not everyone IS on their phones all day. If people can only go during busy weeks, this takes away from the spontaneity of a vacation because the you DO have to plan if you want to do anything other than stand in lines. It obviously doesn’t bother you. That’s awesome…really! But some of us prefer to not have to preplan every detail and that is valid too.

Thanks? Again this isn’t new… and Disney is not now nor ever was a spontaneous type of trip… but ok do you

 

[HeatherC]

Thanks? Again this isn’t new… and Disney is not now nor ever was a spontaneous type of trip… but ok do you

I will.

 

[ajollyholidaywithjo]

Thanks? Again this isn’t new… and Disney is not now nor ever was a spontaneous type of trip… but ok do you

I love this whole dismissive attitude you’ve got going on. But I think this is a common attitude on the Dis lately. People can have different opinions from you and feel upset about changes. You don’t need to defend WDW so hard, I can tell you they’re not reading this.

To the people saying, “it’s always been this way”, I can tell you, for me, it has not. Yes, you had to plan things in advance. But once I booked my ADRs or made my FPs, that was it. I was not on my phone, hardly ever. I showed up at my times, and maybe took my phone out to snap a photo. But why go on vacation, if all you wanna do is be inside your phone? Which is valid, and why a lot of people don’t like the continued, and increased, reliance on phones in the parks.

 

[HopperFan]

I‘ll see if this changes on our trip in two weeks ..

For getting a FP, it’s a lot more convenient than having to go to the attraction to see what the return time is and pull the paper FP. (I did prefer FP+ and being able to arrange our favorite attractions in advance, but a lot of people complained about that too.)

For mobile ordering, I much prefer finding a place to sit down and place the order, over going to the location and having to stand in line behind groups that wait until they get to the cash register to ask everyone what they want.

I don’t think any of this makes me use my phone that often, and when I do use it it’s better than the alternative.

If you’re someone who constantly tries to refresh to change plans or get better return times you’ll be on your phone a lot. But in my opinion that isn’t necessary.

This is not the same as FP+. First we get none in advance so that is 3 more I'm doing on my phone at the park. You get no choice in return times, there is one and the one hour return is non-negotiable. So if the time you see doesn't work with your location or dining plans, you have to change your attraction you want and/or refresh later and look for another time. FP+ was easy, fast and flexible. This is not flexible at all.

Finding a place to sit down is not allowed. You must show the CM at the door that you placed an order. One has let me enter to once they saw our order was being prepared (and it was off time dining) - all others made us stay outside until the app said our order was ready with a line number. It was the same this summer while we were there. And if the parks are busy you might not be able to order with a current pick up time - they might tell you your food will be ready an hour out.

I love this whole dismissive attitude you’ve got going on. But I think this is a common attitude on the Dis lately. People can have different opinions from you and feel upset about changes. You don’t need to defend WDW so hard, I can tell you they’re not reading this.

To the people saying, “it’s always been this way”, I can tell you, for me, it has not. Yes, you had to plan things in advance. But once I booked my ADRs or made my FPs, that was it. I was not on my phone, hardly ever. I showed up at my times, and maybe took my phone out to snap a photo. But why go on vacation, if all you wanna do is be inside your phone? Which is valid, and why a lot of people don’t like the continued, and increased, reliance on phones in the parks.

It has not always been this way - so much has changed since re-opening. You are required to reserve just about everything, and much of that has zero flexibility which means coming back to your phone to try to make your plans less choppy.

Yes you can not buy Genie+ and use Standby - but if you are using up that time, you better be on your phone determining short lines and do as many as you can. Just walking from place to place isn't for those trying to do lots of things.

Today I went in to the Creature Store in Epcot, they had CMs standing all over with signs telling you to scan your own order, pay with your phone and then bag with CM .... I checked out with a person since there were 6 of them standing there without customers.

 

[wisblue]

This is not the same as FP+. First we get none in advance so that is 3 more I'm doing on my phone at the park. You get no choice in return times, there is one and the one hour return is non-negotiable. So if the time you see doesn't work with your location or dining plans, you have to change your attraction you want and/or refresh later and look for another time. FP+ was easy, fast and flexible. This is not flexible at all.

Finding a place to sit down is not allowed. You must show the CM at the door that you placed an order. One has let me enter to once they saw our order was being prepared (and it was off time dining) - all others made us stay outside until the app said our order was ready with a line number. It was the same this summer while we were there. And if the parks are busy you might not be able to order with a current pick up time - they might tell you your food will be ready an hour out.

Let me clarify some of my comments.

I know that this is not like FP+. I was comparing the Genie+ system to the old paper FP system and saying that I would rather spend a few minutes in one place checking standby times and LL return times than having to physically cross the park looking for wait time boards and going to attractions to see what the FP return time is.

I specifically said that I preferred the FP+ system to the paper system. I took a lot of flak for that opinion when FP+ first came out. I’m withholding my opinion on Genie + until I get a chance to try it.

About mobile ordering, when I talked about sitting down to place an order, I didn‘t mean sitting down at the restaurant. When we know where and when we want to eat we will often sit down wherever we are and place the order before heading over.

There are also a lot of QSR that have tables outside that you could sit at before going into the pick up area, or other places to sit nearby.

My overriding point here is that I think that a lot of the things that you can (or in some cases have to) do on your phone are things that you only have to do a few times a day, and are more efficient than the old fashioned way of doing things.

Maybe it’s just the way we do things, but I don’t feel like I have to have my face in my phone all day. In fact, I think taking a minute or two here and there to make a LL reservation or place a mobile order gives us more time to enjoy the surroundings instead of standing in lines or walking to an attraction only to find that the standby time or (in the paper FP days) FP return time was not acceptable to us.

 

[shh]

I love this whole dismissive attitude you’ve got going on. But I think this is a common attitude on the Dis lately. People can have different opinions from you and feel upset about changes. You don’t need to defend WDW so hard, I can tell you they’re not reading this.

To the people saying, “it’s always been this way”, I can tell you, for me, it has not. Yes, you had to plan things in advance. But once I booked my ADRs or made my FPs, that was it. I was not on my phone, hardly ever. I showed up at my times, and maybe took my phone out to snap a photo. But why go on vacation, if all you wanna do is be inside your phone? Which is valid, and why a lot of people don’t like the continued, and increased, reliance on phones in the parks.

I think a lot of newer DIS members on posts like these or similar ones are younger and may not be able to imagine NOT wanting to be on a screen: that's where they feel happiest and most at home. They were virtually born with cell phones...most of them may have never vacationed (nor really want to) without constantly sharing their adventures and impressions with Instagram followers, refreshing for the latest, greatest genie score at WDW or constantly filling any "down" time while waiting for food, ride lines, etc by playing online games or texting friends. It's really their lifeline and joy...which is totally cool.

But some tend to sound condescending when those of us who feel differently express our frustration. (They probably don't mean to sound that way - just how the post comes across.)

 

[Donald13]

I think a lot of newer DIS members on posts like these or similar ones are younger and may not be able to imagine NOT wanting to be on a screen: that's where they feel happiest and most at home. They were virtually born with cell phones...most of them may have never vacationed (nor really want to) without constantly sharing their adventures and impressions with Instagram followers, refreshing for the latest, greatest genie score at WDW or constantly filling any "down" time while waiting for food, ride lines, etc by playing online games or texting friends. It's really their lifeline and joy...which is totally cool.

But some tend to sound condescending when those of us who feel differently express our frustration. (They probably don't mean to sound that way - just how the post comes across.)

Idk if this is directed at me. But I’m 45. I know what it’s like to vacation without a cell phone. We went to a place on the east coast that didn’t have tv. And my post wasn’t condescending, you all just took it that way.

 

[Mousemom234]

No. We had it last week. It’s no different from trying to get a fast pass or a last minute adr. Why the hate on the phones? It’s not like your all not on your phones all day as it is… this is such a weird hill to die on

Yes, I'm on the phone all day at work -- and THAT'S why I go on vacation, and never even take my phone out of my luggage.
I don't care to spend my time staring at a tiny screen, and for the most part, my personal phone is too stupid to use for anything but calls and texts.
Even if it could scan a QR code, there's no way I could read it, since my eyesight has progressed from 'squinting buzzard' to 'nearly blind old bat'.

I'm seriously missing the Mouse, due to events over the past 18 months, but if I have to be glued to a smartphone all day to have a good time, I'll have to think twice, or thrice, before I book a trip to Tech He||.
YMMV

 

[ComeToSocialize]

But why go on vacation, if all you wanna do is be inside your phone? Which is valid, and why a lot of people don’t like the continued, and increased, reliance on phones in the parks.

I would argue this sentiment, that people who don't mind spending 2 minutes on their phone every hour or so don't know how to vacation, are young and addicted to screens, etc etc, is equally condescending.

I do agree people will have different definitions for what "being on their phone a lot" means. I haven't used G+ yet, but with FP+ and Maxpass I usually just checked availability while in line for something. You don't have to do it that often or during shows, experiences, etc. If a little extra phone time means several more rides or shorter lines, then fair trade off. I found hunting for rides on the phone kind of fun.

I also agree the mobile ordering system is a pain, but it beats standing in a super long line to order food, so again, not sure what the alternative is.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Back in the day, you went to a tip board in the park to find out where the shortest lines were.

I remember in at least a couple of parks there were still tip boards.

If you want to, you can lock your phone in a locker and spend all day in the park without it. There is no one in that park who is literally being forced to even use a smartphone, much less look at one all day long. However, if it bothers you to see other persons using phones all around you, that will be inescapable.

 

[GrumpySue]

Being able to plan everything in advance was way better, this way when I arrived I was able to relax and enjoy the vacation. I purposely do not look at my phone on vacation. I am not happy with this new system and will probably spend less time at WDW in the future, and we are huge fans. So disappointing.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

The answer to the basic question of do people “have to” spend considerable time on their phones is no.

However, when you start throwing around the ifs that come up, like if you want to maximize the number of rides you get in a day, or optimize the money you spend on add-ons, or make things like they used to be, then the answer could switch to yes depending on (1) just how optimal people want to make their time and (2) how someone defines considerable.

There’s an old saying that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it and I think the same thing is true with a vacation. 10% of your enjoyment is what a destination offers and 90% how you choose to approach it.

 

[old lady]

I wouldn’t do that unless I wanted to crash into someone especially with coffee or something.

 

[starlite_]

Maybe it's because I'm a Disneyland California girl we have been doing the maxpass for a while now here (before it got retired) and I love not having to walk all the way from Space Mountain to India Jones and back to get a fastpass. From what I see Genie+ is gonna be the exact same thing. As someone who is actually glued to her phone all day to talk to friends & family, read and stuff, I use my phone a lot less while at Disney than on any other day.

To me, having to plan which attractions to go on 6 months in advance and dinner and everything like over there in Orlando sounds painful. It leaves no flexibility to change plans in case something comes up or to be spontaneous without missing out.

 

[MissionMouse]

… and Disney is not now nor ever was a spontaneous type of trip…

I think the history timeline of Disneyland and Disneyworld were based on simple plans to arrive and enjoy. So overall, the persona of the park guest was to arrive with little to no planning other than reserving a room. There was a time at Epcot where you got your TS dining reservation by going to the backside of Spaceship Earth and talking to a CM on a big screen to discover what was available that day. The maturity of the destination, leadership/management, pricing, timelines, hours, reservations and size has changed things, but many people do just show up and wing it even today. The people on this site from what I have discovered are a just a small segment of Disney's annual customers who like to have "all of their ducks in order" for their Disney Vacation

edit: added leadership/management to what has impacted the parks

 

[disney-inspired]

With all the changes to their system, are people having to constantly be on their phones all day between Genie, LL, Mobile Ordering, etc..? Is there anyway at all to just go and decide what you want to do when you get there or is that now a recipe for disaster? Trying to decide if it is worth it. Not sure we want to on our phones all day on vacation. What are your experiences with it?
Thanks!

I don't see how this new information. I feel this has been the thing for the past 5+ years with the app but also with social media. I don't think people will have to continuously have their phone out as I never feel that need. You look at the phone to get your info or make your order and then put it away.