Tips for one day DL trip without a phone/app?

[emtink]

My phone is older than dirt and I can't download the most recent very on of the DL app. Is it even possible to do the parks without the app? Like, yes, I know I can go, but would it be enjoyable at all? I'm used to maxpass and mobile order. But a throwback day to the 80's could be fun too? Thoughts?

 

[Matrixleos]

Honestly, today's Disney Parks (both DLR and WDW) aren't built for 80's style touring and very much favor those who use and take advantage of mobile ordering. Other wise, it will be a very long day of waiting on lines for both rides\attractions and for food options.

Might be worth it to check with any family and friends to see if anyone has a spare "older\newer" smartphone that you might be able to borrow for your one day DL trip, just so you can download the Disneyland app to use in the parks.

 

[DLgal]

Yikes. I couldn't do it. You need the app for everything. Even just checking wait times.

 

[mdmost]

I think it's possible but it will be extremely difficult as it would limit you on things like mobile ordering. You could print your ticket and reservation bar codes. You'd have to scout ahead and see which restaurants allow both walk up and mobile ordering. For instance, I know the Tiki Bar does not allow walk up ordering any longer but you can go to Tropical Hideaway and do a walk up order. Learned that the hard way last trip. If you're okay with waiting, it can be done.

 

[disneyseniors]

My husband and I don't have an up to date phone, just a flip phone. Our last visit was the week covid started up. We didn't miss not having a smart phone. We had reservations set up, or did quick service. But we are "older" and are used to not using a phone at all times.
It can be done, but might be somewhat of a hassle with the way disney is now.

 

[evilmommie]

I absolutely think you can do it. It will depend on your goals for the day. If you're looking to hit every ride during a busy summer weekend, you'll be at a disadvantage. If you're looking for a leisurely park day, a few rides...soak up all the amazing theming and park entertainment (Street music, characters, etc) it's absolutely doable. I'm a local that visits on almost a weekly basis and many of my trips into Dland are scanning my pass and then I'm off my phone. I think many visitors are missing opportunities in the parks because they are so heavily relying on the tech and not lifting their heads up to see what's open, reality with lines vs what's posted, open walk up eating, etc.

 

[CeCe0906]

Once when mom had left her phone somewhere, she bought a very inexpensive phone at Target for about $25, to have something to use until she got it back. You wouldn't need a data plan if you were just using WiFi in the parks. If a friend had an old phone they upgraded, you could use it with WIFI in the parks. That way you could use the LL with Genie, buy an ILL if you want, check wait time and/or showtime, and mobile order food.
It's unfortunate, but Disney parks without a phone, sounds very frustrating unless you are a local pass holder who isn't concerned about how many rides, or missing a favorite meal, since they know they will be back soon and can do it then.

 

[DLgal]

My husband and I don't have an up to date phone, just a flip phone. Our last visit was the week covid started up. We didn't miss not having a smart phone. We had reservations set up, or did quick service. But we are "older" and are used to not using a phone at all times.
It can be done, but might be somewhat of a hassle with the way disney is now.

It has become exponentially harder to do without a smart phone since the reopening. A LOT of stuff has transitioned to the app. Not having a phone means being subjected to extended waits in lines that you could completely skip by using features in the phone.

I would have agreed that prior to March 2020 you didn't really "need" to use the app.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

If you rope drop and don't mind having longer waits later in the day and/or only plan on doing shows and soaking up atmosphere in the afternoon and evening, it can be worth it. Have a plan for food in advance - check online for which places are mobile order and try to avoid them in general in favor of places that aren't, like Rancho de Zocalo, and Plaza Inn.

I love DLR so I'd go anyway, hit Fantasyland first thing in the morning, maybe brave the lines in Tomorrowland, and then just absorb atmosphere the rest of the day. Maybe do a few lines to meet characters.

 

[emtink]

Thanks for all the feedback. It sounds like its doable for my style of solo trip, where I want to admire every Main St window display lol. I can definitely appreciate a go-with-the-flow style of day. But I'm relatively local, so day trips are easy enough for me and my family. I don't feel the same type of pressure to get everything done like I do when we go to WDW.

 

[dieumeye]

With the app and mobile order there are always complaints that you need to “be on your phone all day“. I’m a big mobile user for wait times and mobile order and in park planning, but I never feel like I am constantly on my phone.

We tend to only remember the good things about the past, and forget the negatives. In the old days you actually had to walk across the park to the attraction you wanted to ride to see the wait time. While it can be fun to be totally spontaneous, it’s no fun to show up to a ride to find that it has an unusually long line or even worse that it is temporarily closed. That scenario is easily avoided by looking at the app before trekking across the park.

You can have a great time without ever using the app at all, but you need to pair that with an openness to flexibility, which may mean not necessarily accomplishing everything on your list.

So, if you want to go to Harbor Galley to eat and don’t want to mobile order, you might get there and find that the standby line is unbearably long. You can either accept the long wait or be flexible and go somewhere else like Hungry Bear instead if the standby wait is shorter.

I feel like the problem comes when people don’t want to do planning or don’t want to use the app but then also want to be able to do whatever they want whenever they want without ever having to wait. Those attitudes don’t necessarily mix well and can lead to a lot of frustration.

 

[Lisa24jks]

Thanks for all the feedback. It sounds like its doable for my style of solo trip, where I want to admire every Main St window display lol. I can definitely appreciate a go-with-the-flow style of day. But I'm relatively local, so day trips are easy enough for me and my family. I don't feel the same type of pressure to get everything done like I do when we go to WDW.

Being flexible and laidback will definitely serve you well. If you do want to get in some of the bigger rides, definitely go early. (Not necessarily rope drop, but the first few hours of the morning have easier lines for the busy rides.) Then once crowds start rolling in for real, you can "go with the flow", browse main street, figure out what food places look less busy than the others and just soak up the atmosphere.

I think you'll still have a great time without the app, especially since you said you don't feel pressured to do ALLLLLLLL the things.

 

[twodogs]

I think the challenge with your plan is it requires potentially a lot of walking. If you walk to one place and it’s not taking walk ups or the line is very long, you may have a long walk somewhere else. As well, rides are often down these days, sometimes for hours at a time. Without a phone, the only way to know that is to walk to the actual ride. Again, a lot of possibly “wasted” walking. Now if your attitude is that if we walk there and the ride is down/wait is too long/no walk up ordering and you are ok with just the enjoyment of walking there, then you will be fine. It would not be ok with how my family does DLR, but it might very well be ok with yours. For what a day ticket costs, I would not be ok with that plan, but again, you might be.

Even if your phone doesn’t support the latest version of the app, can you see wait times and do a mobile order from the version that your phone does support?

 

[gelatoni fan]

You can't even do Virtual Queue for World of Color without the app now. With how often the rides go down, not being able to check wait times before walking over will be a major drag as well.

In the past, Disney would have a paper show time schedule but that's now entirely in the app. Checking in advance won't save you either because some shows only show up in the app on the day of the show and occasionally, Disney will change the showtime during the day as well.

In the past, they would have CMs working every single register but I've been to restaurants now where there is only register being used and the wait for food was 40 minutes vs mobile order which was less than 30 minutes away.

Post-reopening, Disney made it a lot harder to not use the app.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

My mom goes without a phone, but she doesn’t go on any rides. She mainly shops, walks around and orders food in the regular line.

 

[Her Dotness]

Because we found out we couldn't mobile order most places at WDW due to having uncommon food allergies, we'd not really have needed our smartphones.

We actually mostly used ours for playing PokemonGO or reading books/watching movies in standby lines. We didn't ever get Genie+ or do ILLs, didn't mind strolling over to see how long standby lines were at fave rides.

I bet you could manage a "free 'n' easy" day at DL, pretending you were there in the late 1950s.

However you go about it, have a wonderful day.