Disney on facebook...

[Aurora0427]

It is just not Disney but our society as well. In our connected world where employers give smartphones to employees, there is an expectation even on vacation that employees will check emails and respond should there be an emergency. Studies have even shown that 40-50% of people check work email even on vacation. So i think an article on keeping your phone charged in the park is helpful. And when you look at the trend of more and more interactive technology wearable technology, people are relying more and more on their smartphones beyond just checking on MDE and FP+ availability. It is not like people werent already walking through the park with their heads down interacting with smartphones before MM+ was rolled out. Now Disney has to improve on the reliability of MDE but I would imagine a large portion of guests actually like to be able to access their FP+ selections on a smartphone rather than have to walk to an attraction in the past or find a Kiosk now. But hey, if this is one more thing that people want to feign outrage at Disney over then have at it

Exactly. My husband has to check his blackberry while on vacation. Otherwise, he may not have a job when he gets back. I think it's stupid people have to be accessible while on vacation, but it's the way it is in his line of work.

 

[summerskye]

I agree with you. Disney is the one and only place where my work email is shut off and I rarely look at my phone. The only thing we use it for at Disney is to occasionally check wait times, and I do that using easywdw.com's wait times page (which I have set up as a shortcut on my phone, so it looks like an app) instead of MDE because MDE is so unstable, clunky, and a battery hog. I guess on upcoming trips we may use MDE to change FP+ times (if necessary) but the kiosks are so much faster that if they're close, I'll chose them over the app every day. I am definitely not Disney's target audience with MDE.

Can you explain this? I am not familiar with it. Thanks.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Can you explain this? I am not familiar with it. Thanks.

Easywdw.com uses some IT hocus-pocus (don't ask me to explain it because I don't know what he does) to pull data directly from Disney and post it to a bare-bones text page on his site. So it's the exact same data that's displayed in MDE (i.e., Disney's official wait times) but in a different, less fancy format. It's very bare bones so doesn't result in the type of battery drain that MDE causes when you're on it a lot or have it running in the background.

Here is the link:
http://www.easywdw.com/waits/

I set it up as a shortcut on my homescreen so I just tap it and the waits pop up, just like an app would work.

 

[sethschroeder]

LMAO

You mean opening the app to get the error message for an hour? I love the DIS, but I've given up all hope of accessing it while at the WDW

Its called safari... Always have a tab with disboards on it on my phone. It always works and doesn't have any issues like the phone app. Think I have commented that this is the best way to surf disboards on a couple of the app issue threads that have popped up.

 

[LilyWDW]

Oh no! Disney provides a service that people want and expect. It's the end of civilization as we know it.



But seriously, I don't see a huge issue. People like their phones before Disney ever started to make use of the technology. I'm sure CMs get asked all the time about where people can charge their phones (and did BEFORE MM+ btw). So Disney is letting people know. I really don't see the big deal but I don't let little junk like this bug me.

 

[summerskye]

Easywdw.com uses some IT hocus-pocus (don't ask me to explain it because I don't know what he does) to pull data directly from Disney and post it to a bare-bones text page on his site. So it's the exact same data that's displayed in MDE (i.e., Disney's official wait times) but in a different, less fancy format. It's very bare bones so doesn't result in the type of battery drain that MDE causes when you're on it a lot or have it running in the background.

Here is the link:
http://www.easywdw.com/waits/

I set it up as a shortcut on my homescreen so I just tap it and the waits pop up, just like an app would work.

Thanks for the info. I have never seen the wait page. I tried your link but I get an error message.

Warning: mysqli_query() [function.mysqli-query]: (HY000/2008): MySQL client ran out of memory in /home/auctioq7/public_html/easywdw/waits/index.php on line 339

Warning: mysqli_fetch_array() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli_result, boolean given in /home/auctioq7/public_html/easywdw/waits/index.php on line 340

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Its called safari... Always have a tab with disboards on it on my phone. It always works and doesn't have any issues like the phone app. Think I have commented that this is the best way to surf disboards on a couple of the app issue threads that have popped up.

When I open Disboards on Safari on either my iPhone 4S or iPad2 it creates a crazy lag from the time I hit a key to the time it appears on the screen. Same happens when I use FB via Safari instead of the dedicated app.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Thanks for the info. I have never seen the wait page. I tried your link but I get an error message.

Warning: mysqli_query() [function.mysqli-query]: (HY000/2008): MySQL client ran out of memory in /home/auctioq7/public_html/easywdw/waits/index.php on line 339

Warning: mysqli_fetch_array() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli_result, boolean given in /home/auctioq7/public_html/easywdw/waits/index.php on line 340

Strange. What browswer are you using? I'm using an ancient version of IE (work computer) and it loads just fine.

 

[gtpoohbear]

Kids these days always got their heads in cell phones.

I was just lamenting the other day (on FB!) that when I see a mom in public trying to read a magazine or book, and her kids are vying for her attention, the attitude of bystanders is that the kids need to learn to give her some space and time to herself. But replace that paper book with a phone or iPad, and suddenly she is a neglectful mom for not focusing 100% on her kids 24/7.

We all need a little brain-break now and then. Especially at WDW where our kids are in our face all day long, and we are surrounded with crowds and over-stimulation every second. For many, like myself, that brain-break-escape often comes in the form of staring at my phone for a few minutes. Whether it's checking FB, email, our plans for the day, or just the news. I don't think I'm "missing out" on anything, instead I'm keeping my sanity so that I can enjoy the rest of the day, lol!

I'll have to look more into the charging stations, I used to never need a mid-day charge, but now that I have been using my phone as a camera (since it takes just-as-good pictures as my P&S) it does drain down a lot faster.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

Strange. What browswer are you using? I'm using an ancient version of IE (work computer) and it loads just fine.

I used it and it worked fine for me

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

I actually sprained BOTH ankles on my trip in May trying to navigate the stroller around people who would suddenly stop midstride to pull out their phones and diddle around. Next trip will be stroller free and we should be able to sail through the parks around all the phone zombies! Honestly, if everyone else needs to spend all their time checking wait times and posting photos on line and whatever else they do all day on their phones, YAY! Anything that slows other people down and gets them out of my way is fine with me.

 

[sethschroeder]

When I open Disboards on Safari on either my iPhone 4S or iPad2 it creates a crazy lag from the time I hit a key to the time it appears on the screen. Same happens when I use FB via Safari instead of the dedicated app.

I noticed what your talking about lately in the Facebook app. It's likely an issue with your specific iphone? Works fine on my device so unsure, since you have an older phone have you reset and cleared the data and restored it in the last year? Could be a lot of background apps running taking up a little space each but altogether take up a good portion of processing power.

This goes to show you though why Disney has such issues with there app. My iphone 5 has no issues except with the Facebook app from time to time and your the opposite. Also the person up above has a bookmark that someone else got a SQL retrieval error.... So many cell phone choices and apps are a nightmare to Disney IT.

 

[sethschroeder]

I actually sprained BOTH ankles on my trip in May trying to navigate the stroller around people who would suddenly stop midstride to pull out their phones and diddle around. Next trip will be stroller free and we should be able to sail through the parks around all the phone zombies! Honestly, if everyone else needs to spend all their time checking wait times and posting photos on line and whatever else they do all day on their phones, YAY! Anything that slows other people down and gets them out of my way is fine with me.

Surprised you didn't run them over nice driving. The strollers are what kill me. People talk about people on cell phones I will take the dad walking and looking at a cell phone over 2 parents 1 double wide stroller and 1 kid walking coming at me any day especially when Mickey just popped his head out to their left and just keep coming towards me.

There was at least once where I literally jump out of the way like a bull fighter to avoid just being nailed by a stroller.

 

[LilyWDW]

I was just lamenting the other day (on FB!) that when I see a mom in public trying to read a magazine or book, and her kids are vying for her attention, the attitude of bystanders is that the kids need to learn to give her some space and time to herself. But replace that paper book with a phone or iPad, and suddenly she is a neglectful mom for not focusing 100% on her kids 24/7.

We all need a little brain-break now and then. Especially at WDW where our kids are in our face all day long, and we are surrounded with crowds and over-stimulation every second. For many, like myself, that brain-break-escape often comes in the form of staring at my phone for a few minutes. Whether it's checking FB, email, our plans for the day, or just the news. I don't think I'm "missing out" on anything, instead I'm keeping my sanity so that I can enjoy the rest of the day, lol!

I will say, this can be me. I am pretty open on these boards that I have a few problems. OCD, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Sometimes the crowds can get to be too much. If I can not just get away, then my phone works well as something I can focus on besides the feeling of "OMG too many people get me out!". It helps me get the anxiety back to a point where I can focus. So please, do not judge that I am sitting on my phone instead of enjoying myself. I am sitting on my phone so I do not have a full blown panic attack.