Cell Phones in the Parks

[Cmbar]

I was wondering if any of you who have gone to Disney recently can tell me which Cell phones work best in the parks. I have friends going and between them they have four different options for cell phone use: Cingular, Nextel, At&T and Sprint

I know Verizon works well as we had it on our trip, but I do not know if the others have good coverage. They are staying at the Dolphin and Boarwalk villa areas so if anyone know if thier cell phones will work, please let me know so they can decide which phones to bring!

Thank for any information

 

[MaryKatesMom]

We have Verizon and it works very well.

The problem with cell phones is they are hard to hear. I missed allot of phone calls from my husband who was looking for me because I never heard the ring.

 

[NotUrsula]

Whatever plan you decide to go with, I suggest that you plan to use instant messaging more than actually speaking, and that you always set the phone to vibrate rather than ring. The ambient noise level in the parks is such that people attempting to make themselves heard on the telephone tend to end up shouting.

If you must use voice, please do not attempt to answer calls during rides or shows, unless you are in a position to excuse yourself from the attraction area in order to take the call.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Verizon works great. Unfortunately, Sprint doesn't work so great. I used to have Sprint, and on solo trips, when I'd call home it was very difficult to avoid having "call dropped", etc. Then, DH and I went together, me with Sprint, him with Verizon. He had no trouble making calls while I had lots of trouble. Now that I've switched to Verizon, calling home on my last solo trip was much easier.

 

[CluvsJ]

We've used Voicestream/T-mobile the last two times we were there and it worked fine. My parents also used Verizon w/no problems as well. Having the phones were really handy since there were six adults and we all didn't always want to be together all the time . I really don't think that cell phones are any worse than the short-range radio's (Like Talkabouts) anyway.

HTH!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Another NO for Sprint.... I have had Sprint for the last 5 years or so... and it is terrible everywhere in WDW! It works very well at Universal's Resorts & Parks....

 

[dejr_8]

We have a verizon phone and an ATT phone. Verizon coverage is significantly better than ATT.

 

[GreenEyes0205]

We were there last month & used our Nextels. In the parks they aren't too bad. In a few of the attractions we didn't have a signal at all. Driving around the property & in the hotel (Riverside) was horrible!!! We couldn't make any calls out of the room. While driving around, we would lose the calls. For some reason, the radio-to-radio worked great. (They need signals too, but we can't figure out why it worked better)

 

[memymomonica]

Actually, I have Sprint and didn't have a problem. I wasn't on the phone much either though. Maybe I just got lucky.

 

[sue Z]

has anyone tried Cingular?
my parents and I both have cingular!

 

[bjb]

I have Cingular and had no problem in December.

 

[believe]

We have AT&T and had no problem. We stayed at the Dolphin. My Mom used the phone often to call my Dad.

 

[Manda1219]

My boyfriend and I have Sprint, and while we didn't take our cells into the park with us, we had to stand outside our room at the POR in order to get calls, and even then about 70% were dropped.

 

[Linxzy]

I used Cingular these past week and had no problem.

 

[alyssa810]

My verizon works pretty well all over, except while waiting in line for ToT! I was able to leave myself a recording of our ride though, from the ToT which was hysterical!
I think the coverage has gotten significantly better over the last year or so too.
Good luck!

 

[flyinglizard]

I use Sprint and the only problem I have ever had was at the POR Bayou rooms. Solved the problem by leaving the antenna up and putting the phone on the TV armoire.

Works great at BCV rooms and in all the parks.

I agree with others above, sometimes I do not hear the phone ringer...

 

[TreeOfLife]

Verizon worked very well for us. We stayed at AKL and visited all parks not noticing any problems at all...

 

[Cmbar]

Thank You all so much for your responses. Looks like my friends will be ok with Cingular and Sprint especially since they are staying in the Boardwalk area. I will remind them about putting the phones on Vibe so the can receive a call in all the noise.

Thanks again!

 

[Cinderella37]

My fiance has great reception with AT&T at the BoardWalk. I can't speak for the parks, because cel phones aren't allowed - no business in WDW (or calls from people we need a vacation from...). It stays in the safe most of the time, unless he receives a voicemail and he has to make an important call.

 

[StaceyA]

On all my trips in the last few years, I have used Cingular and have never had a problem, I have always had range.

I use the vibrate mode when we are going into any attractions that might be annoying to others if it rings, and then I don't answer it, but since it is on, I can check it when we leave the attraction to see any missed calls.