Going with NO LL or smartphone!

[rdaky]

For us, it's all about Disney putting things behind a paywall that were included in the price of admission for years, while still continuing to increase the gate price at essentially the same rate they always have or even greater per year. We go to the parks. We do what we can, and we leave. We spend very little money in the parks anymore, and that's Disney's fault. They made what they believed were strategic choices, as did we.

Oh I agree with you about that part. I have never purchased any form of lightning lane. But I also have the advantage of being local so I can pop in whenever I want.

I just meant that I think a phone is pretty helpful, at least for the purpose of wait times and ride closures. And if a ride shuts down while you're on it and your party has split, you can actually call someone and say "hey, I'm stuck on Spaceship Earth. It's going to be a while"

 

[Disnsyncey]

I would be more up for it if I could still pick up a Times Guide (even when I was a CM I would always pick up a Times Guide while walking into the park), but the wait times and mobile order are very handy to have on your phone.....

 

[Mouse Tracker]

Would love to have Len chime in on OP's post.

 

[tigertides]

My family and I are planning to go with a handwritten pre-planned tour of the parks, no LL's, no smartphones, just some paper notes and a couple of meal reservations. If we catch a long line or two, we will just go to something less crowded. Not sure how it will pan out, but I hate the idea of spending even more cash on LL's and even worse being stuck with my nose in a phone screen all day. We want to enjoy WDW the same way we did 10 years ago and will spend extra time in our resort, take it easy and give it a whirl. Anyone else tried this?

Terrible idea. If a WDW vacation was free, sure. Enjoy the moment.

But please share how many THOUSANDS of dollars you are spending on this vacation with all of us. If you do the math, it will come out to hundreds of dollars per hour. Including WHILE you are sleeping.

So, take the phone. Increase effeciency.
See more. Do more.

 

[Miffy]

OP, I don't know if you're still reading this, but keep in mind that at least some of the posters who are saying they do it this way are people who go to WDW regularly, so if they miss something, it's no big deal--they'll get to it next time.

But you're going for the first time in 10 years and maybe you won't be back for a while. I'm sure you want to make the most of your trip. If you're not going to purchase LLs--and depending on the time of year and days of the week you're going, they're not an absolutely necessity--at least take your smartphone into the parks with you. You don't need to be staring at it all the time, just every once in a while. And you'll be glad to have it.

 

[Travelgrrl]

Terrible idea. If a WDW vacation was free, sure. Enjoy the moment.

But please share how many THOUSANDS of dollars you are spending on this vacation with all of us. If you do the math, it will come out to hundreds of dollars per hour. Including WHILE you are sleeping.

So, take the phone. Increase effeciency.
See more. Do more.

I'll never pay for LL which used to be free (first taste is always free, LOL), but I do use my smartphone for a few things in the parks. I'd have it with me as a camera, in any case.

But for budget travelers like me, the idea that one invariably spends hundreds of dollars per hour, 24 hours a day at Disney is not correct. For our upcoming stay at Pop my friend and I are each paying $1100 which includes our park tickets. Add in my flight and shuttle to and from my home airport and to and from MCO, is another $400. So $1500 divided by 5 days is $300 a day, and dividing only by the 16 hours I'm awake comes to $18.75 an hour, not "hundreds of dollars an hour" 24 hours a day.

I will also have to pay for food, but I would have had to buy food at home anyway. I'm too old to want any more souvenirs!

 

[fla4fun]

I do not buy LL. I do take my phone with me as that is also my camera. It’s in my bag and turned off most of the time, but I do have to show my AP in the app for discounts and I occasionally mobile order food if the park is busy. I never have to worry that it will run out of charge since it’s on so little. If they still accepted the AP card for discounts, I would be tempted to leave it in the room though.

I think if you are go with the flow kind of people and don’t mind if you miss an attraction or two because of the lines, you will be fine.

 

[LKing]

OP, I don't know if you're still reading this,

I think OP must be off the grid.

 

[tigertides]

I'll never pay for LL which used to be free (first taste is always free, LOL), but I do use my smartphone for a few things in the parks. I'd have it with me as a camera, in any case.

But for budget travelers like me, the idea that one invariably spends hundreds of dollars per hour, 24 hours a day at Disney is not correct. For our upcoming stay at Pop my friend and I are each paying $1100 which includes our park tickets. Add in my flight and shuttle to and from my home airport and to and from MCO, is another $400. So $1500 divided by 5 days is $300 a day, and dividing only by the 16 hours I'm awake comes to $18.75 an hour, not "hundreds of dollars an hour" 24 hours a day.

I will also have to pay for food, but I would have had to buy food at home anyway. I'm too old to want any more souvenirs!

Great to hear this. Wonderful to share costs with a friend.

Still, majority of first time travelers or those not-regular WITH families (spouse/kids), those costs are going to be 2x -4x, not even including food. Or Lightning Lane

 

[Pyxie]

My husband did this in January. (Our days were split due to travel, so on our last day, he went into the park alone.)

He doesn't even have the app on his phone or an MDE account so he pretty much just wandered with no plan and just did things as they came up. He LOVED it, but that's how he is. I'm the planner and I'm not sure I could do it.

 

[fla4fun]

Great to hear this. Wonderful to share costs with a friend.

Still, majority of first time travelers or those not-regular WITH families (spouse/kids), those costs are going to be 2x -4x, not even including food. Or Lightning Lane

I go solo most of the time, so I understand what you’re saying. It can be daunting to pay for everything alone. It does affect my trip in that I do specifically plan resort days to enjoy the amenities I am paying for, as opposed to spending every possible moment in the parks. Not everyone has the luxury of splitting costs with friends and family and some of us actually enjoy the solo trips and are willing to make the financial sacrifice.

I think it comes down to individual priorities too. I always have a set budget and there is no wiggle room, so if I add one thing I have to subtract somewhere else. Some people want to ride as many rides as they can, so their priority might be LL. Another person may decide they want to upgrade their room category or resort with those funds, or eat in more expensive restaurants, or book a special experience like After Hours or a dessert party. Disney is expensive, no doubt about it, and everyone fits their idea of the perfect trip into the budget they have available. For me personally, I would rather put the money towards the hotel, and eat QS and go without LL. I don’t enjoy thrill rides, so the most popular rides won’t be on my radar anyway. The next person might be into rollercoasters and want to ride all of them as easily as possible. Neither one is wrong.

I respect the OP for knowing how they want to experience WDW and simply asking if it’s possible. I think they have received some good advice regarding minimizing their phone usage in the parks while still having them available for a few things they might need. If they choose to go without LL, and they know the consequences of doing so, that’s fine too.

 

[CVG]

Yes, we do it. But we have been a few times before and have one or two trips left, so we don't panic about getting everything done. We're also talking about 2 week vacations.

Even more, we don't RD. We enjoy the resort and shopping in the morning (or chores like clothes washing!). Cook a large lunch in the DVC villa and then head out to the parks in the afternoon and evening. There's no need to stop and waste time on TP food. And we enjoy watching the other guests as much as the TP elements.

 

[sponica]

My sister only used her phone for the Guardians VQ and the Rise ILL, but she didn't buy any other lightning lanes. They may have mobile ordered.

 

[LKing]

And then there is me.... shopping for a case so I can bring my phone on the Africa Trek. To each their own.

 

[blana]

We went last summer and got 0 lightning lanes, although Guardians, Tron, and Tiana all had virtual queues, so we were able to get into Tron & Guardians through that system. (Never did get Tiana's). We were pretty easily able to do just about everything we wanted to do by getting there at rope drop & being systematic about what we wanted to do next.

As others have said, we DID use mobile order at quick service locations, which was nice because we could order while in line for something else & have it ready soon after we were done. And we used the wait times in the app a few times to see if a ride had reopened after a weather closure, etc.

So, it can be done. But I would say having a phone makes like easier without adding to the cost.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

And then there is me.... shopping for a case so I can bring my phone on the Africa Trek. To each their own.

Absolutely!! One of the best investments we made, if just for the pictures!

 

[LKing]

Absolutely!! One of the best investments we made, if just for the pictures!

I don't want to take this thread off topic. Do you have a picture of what your case looks like? If so, can you PM me? I'm curious what they need to hook it to the harness.

 

[neverlandsky]

It can be done if you're willing to RD. Rope dropping is by far the biggest advantage.