Phone Apps that are the most useful?

[gulliesmom]

Hi,

Wondering which phone apps you all like the best for WDW trips? I have the My Disney Experience one but there are a bunch more with real-time wait times, etc. I remember getting one three years ago when I went and it was a total battery drain

 

[loman112]

Personally, I have been using Magic Guide and WDW Lines (Touring Plans) for wait time updates along with My Disney Experience, and have yet to encounter battery issue.

 

[hakepb]

If you bookmark:
http://easywdw.com/waits/

It’s the most efficient (ie least data because loading data can take a bunch of power) way to load Disney’s posted wait times.

If you have a newer phone, you may find battery life to be much better.

Also, get a USB battery stick for charging on the go! For <$20 you can walk around without worrying if you will have enough power to last the day.

 

[hllb]

The Touring Plans app is supposed to be good. It has it's own expected wait times as Disney's are very inaccurate. People say the Lines app is more accurate, though I'm not quite sure how it's different. Not sure if you have to be a member of TP though. I did read a blog from them that the app is designed to be ugly on purpose so it it easy to see in bright light and doesn't drain your battery as much.

 

[SarahC97]

The Touring Plans app is supposed to be good. It has it's own expected wait times as Disney's are very inaccurate. People say the Lines app is more accurate, though I'm not quite sure how it's different. Not sure if you have to be a member of TP though. I did read a blog from them that the app is designed to be ugly on purpose so it it easy to see in bright light and doesn't drain your battery as much.

The lines app is updated by users, so that's what makes it different. It's been pretty accurate on my last two trips.

 

[hllb]

The lines app is updated by users, so that's what makes it different. It's been pretty accurate on my last two trips.

Yeah, but I don't see how that's different. Disney measures wait time by handing a person a card (or whatever they're using now) when they enter the queue, and then they take it when they reach the ride. How is that less accurate than a user measuring how long they wait in line and entering it in the app after they reach the ride? It doesn't seem any different to me.

 

[SarahC97]

Yeah, but I don't see how that's different. Disney measures wait time by handing a person a card (or whatever they're using now) when they enter the queue, and then they take it when they reach the ride. How is that less accurate than a user measuring how long they wait in line and entering it in the app after they reach the ride? It doesn't seem any different to me.

Maybe it's updated more frequently? I'm not sure. I know their times are different though and in my experience it's been more accurate.

 

[hllb]

Maybe it's updated more frequently? I'm not sure. I know their times are different though and in my experience it's been more accurate.

Yup, I've heard that too. I should just ask on TP. Len is good about answering.

 

[Tomh]

I believe Disney is moving to just tracking Magic Bands as they go through the queue, which should give the wait times pretty much instantaneous real time updating.

Honestly, the two apps I use most when on vacation are Disney's own MDX, and Google Docs. Google Docs is how we organize our trip, with all of our information, including hotel reservations, FP+, ADR's, general itinerary, finances, car rental information, just everything about the trip is stored in a Google Doc, and all the members of our family have access to it. Hands down, the single most important app we use for our trips.

 

[hakepb]

Disney’s posted time is not their actual reported via cards.
There was a few months where Disney’s web service included actual wait times, and the Easywdw link posted both.

In my experience, Disney’s reported was more accurate, and it was great seeing an unusually low wait, that helped me go to a few popular attractions with minimal waits.

But reported doesn’t take into account large changes in crowds (ie parades or fireworks ending), so you still need to be able to look at a line and gauge if that line will match a posted or actual wait time.

 

[jkh36619]

I purchased the Touring Plan Lines app for both DW and US and its pretty spot on.

 

[alex9179]

Mouseperks is nice for keeping up with who offers discounts and how much.

 

[MickeyPretzels]

Other than the official app, we use...

Lines/Touring Plans (I think it's definitely worth the subscription cost)
Hidden Mickeys & Ellen's Heads Up! (to pass the time while waiting... Heads Up! has a Disney deck that you can download for free in the parks)

The Colortopia exhibit at Epcot has its own app which is fun to play with, but kind of pointless.
There's also an unofficial app called "WDW Food&Wine" that's like a checklist for every booth if you go during F&W.