Tips/advice for living in the moment more?

[loves to dive]

That's the advantage of being older and going often. I have so many pictures of Disney through the years that now, unless it truly something spectacular, a picture just isn't needed. Having lived a good portion of my life outside of the digital age, I'm not pulled to rely on it. Yes, I'll check the wait times on my phone if we are on the opposite of the park and want to ride something but otherwise, I rarely pull my phone out of my pocket. We don't make FPs that often, again the advantage of going often is that riding rides just aren't a priority. I will pull my phone out if we decide we want to eat at a TS restaurant to find one that is available and book it, but if we are close to a GS location and it doesn't look busy we will pop in there instead because we just like the interaction with the cast members and their computers are a lot faster than my phone. If I'm solo I will pull my phone out while standing in line because I have my kindle loaded on it and I'll read, but only if the line is going to be longer than 15 min., otherwise I tend to just people watch. If my son is with me, we like to talk to each other while in line, we have fun making up stories about things we see. My son is more apt to pull his phone out more often than me because he has to snapchat with a friend of his every half hour or so or evidently life as we know it will end.

 

[KellyHonos]

That's the advantage of being older and going often. I have so many pictures of Disney through the years that now, unless it truly something spectacular, a picture just isn't needed. Having lived a good portion of my life outside of the digital age, I'm not pulled to rely on it. Yes, I'll check the wait times on my phone if we are on the opposite of the park and want to ride something but otherwise, I rarely pull my phone out of my pocket. We don't make FPs that often, again the advantage of going often is that riding rides just aren't a priority. I will pull my phone out if we decide we want to eat at a TS restaurant to find one that is available and book it, but if we are close to a GS location and it doesn't look busy we will pop in there instead because we just like the interaction with the cast members and their computers are a lot faster than my phone. If I'm solo I will pull my phone out while standing in line because I have my kindle loaded on it and I'll read, but only if the line is going to be longer than 15 min., otherwise I tend to just people watch. If my son is with me, we like to talk to each other while in line, we have fun making up stories about things we see. My son is more apt to pull his phone out more often than me because he has to snapchat with a friend of his every half hour or so or evidently life as we know it will end.

Yes, I agree, the fact that you are able to go often, there is much less pressure on you and those who get to go frequently. This will be my 6th visit, so I'd say I'm an intermediate Diser. It's not my first rodeo, but I am by no means an expert. I try to make it into the parks at least every other year, but in that time, so much can change. In that time, your memory can become a little fuzzy... so I think the advantage of going every couple years is that enough changes to intrigue my interests, but enough stays the same to where I don't feel totally lost. I think the most photos this trip will be taken in Pandora and Toy Story Land. Other than that, I'm not confident that much else is worth photographing since in my previous trips, I've photographed a lot.

 

[Nakkira]

My husband is constantly on his phone. He's truly addicted. It feeds his ADD, I guess.

Mine too. He does have attention issues...
I refer to his phone as "The Other Woman"
I have to remind him frequently to "be in the moment" or "I feel like I am dining alone here"
It's struggle to balance. I want him present, but I also don't want to harass him. Also, escaping into his phone DOES seem to help distract him from his anxiety.

 

[wisteria1019]

For me, it is heartbreaking to see everyone with their heads down, glued to the phone and not interacting with those around them. I lived and did volunteer work in Mexico for two and a half years with access to a pay as you go phone that I used once a week to call my daughters back home. I learned that you get along just fine out in the world without the non-stop connection via social media. I won't suggest that you leave you phone at the hotel for a day, I understand the ease and convenience that the little magic boxes supply, especially with the advent of the Disney app. Photos are lovely, but do not replace memories of interactions that cannot be captured through a lens. Enjoy your trip.

 

[KellyHonos]

Photos are lovely, but do not replace memories of interactions that cannot be captured through a lens

I absolutely love your choice of words here. I completely agree, and like I mentioned before, I'm really glad I'm not alone in this feeling. I also want to try and remind my sister to practice being in the moment too. Another day is truly never promised, we need to be loving our family and friends and significant others while they're here. It's so easy to get caught up in the "everyday" motions, but being on vacation should be a vacation from all stressors, including social media. We have become so dependent on our devices that we are certainly bargaining photos and ease of life that we are forgetting to really live.