Using Canadian Cellphone in the parks?

[DisneyMama811]

Hey guys,

with so many things at Disney going digital with the My Disney Experience App seemingly used for everything, do you just use the in park wifi (are there roaming charges for that?) or do you add a US data plan to your phone for the trip?

 

[TammyLynn33]

We add a data plan for my phone and my oldest sons phone so we can text or call if we go separate ways.. wifi can be really slow at Disney if you are looking for a boarding pass or something .
Check with your phone company first tho and see what costs are and decide from there .. ours I think was $7 a day maybe

 

[DisneyMama811]

We add a data plan for my phone and my oldest sons phone so we can text or call if we go separate ways.. wifi can be really slow at Disney if you are looking for a boarding pass or something .
Check with your phone company first tho and see what costs are and decide from there .. ours I think was $7 a day maybe

I'm with Virgin Mobile and they're $9/day or $60 for a month, seems steep to me but worth it for peace of mind I guess?

 

[bcwife76]

My husbands plan includes unlimited talk/text plus data in Canada and the US so we just use his phone when in the states and if possible, I use the wifi in the parks (though it can be spotty).

 

[Bossy22]

Not sure about DW but Disneyland has terrible wifi. You need to have data in the parks if you plan on using the apps or anything!!!

 

[Minnie84]

We just returned from a trip in November and a trip at the end of January. I used only free Wi-Fi the whole trip, both times .... Disney Wi-Fi at the resorts and parks, and hopped on the Orlando airport's Wi-Fi while waiting for the magical express to see what room we were assigned at the resort. On our first trip I got boarding group 3 for Rise of the Resistance ( using Disney Wi-Fi from our resort- Art of Animation, and on our second trip got boarding group 52 from the Yacht Club. We also ate quick service meals the whole time on both trips, so I made multiple mobile orders using Wi-Fi as well. Yes.....it can be spotty in some places. But it was easy enough to walk a few steps to find a signal to click through the mobile order. We are from Saskatchewan....so Sasktel is our phone provider. I did send a few texts which didn't cost me anything extra over my normal phone bill. I also used Google Duo to FaceTime " grandma and grandpa" so they could see the kids and experience some of the sights and sounds. So personally....I wouldn't spend any extra for a US data plan. We've also done 8 Disneyland trips since Maxpass was introduced at Disneyland, and always used free Wi-Fi there too. Save the money to buy more Dole Whips!

 

[DisneyMama811]

We just returned from a trip in November and a trip at the end of January. I used only free Wi-Fi the whole trip, both times .... Disney Wi-Fi at the resorts and parks, and hopped on the Orlando airport's Wi-Fi while waiting for the magical express to see what room we were assigned at the resort. On our first trip I got boarding group 3 for Rise of the Resistance ( using Disney Wi-Fi from our resort- Art of Animation, and on our second trip got boarding group 52 from the Yacht Club. We also ate quick service meals the whole time on both trips, so I made multiple mobile orders using Wi-Fi as well. Yes.....it can be spotty in some places. But it was easy enough to walk a few steps to find a signal to click through the mobile order. We are from Saskatchewan....so Sasktel is our phone provider. I did send a few texts which didn't cost me anything extra over my normal phone bill. I also used Google Duo to FaceTime " grandma and grandpa" so they could see the kids and experience some of the sights and sounds. So personally....I wouldn't spend any extra for a US data plan. We've also done 8 Disneyland trips since Maxpass was introduced at Disneyland, and always used free Wi-Fi there too. Save the money to buy more Dole Whips!

thanks that's really helpful!!

 

[TommyJK]

Last trip to Orlando I bought a roaming sim off of Amazon. It cost $24 and had unlimited data for the entire trip (plus unlimited calls and text, but you have a new/different phone number as it's a different SIM card). It worked great.

 

[DisneyMama811]

Last trip to Orlando I bought a roaming sim off of Amazon. It cost $24 and had unlimited data for the entire trip (plus unlimited calls and text, but you have a new/different phone number as it's a different SIM card). It worked great.

I have never heard of this, what a good idea! does your phone have to be "unlocked" for it to work?

 

[Sue M]

I have never heard of this, what a good idea! does your phone have to be "unlocked" for it to work?

Yes, you need an unlocked phone. Most are for the past few years. Since 2017 CRTC ruled cell providers had to sell phones unlocked, and had to unlock existing phones at no charge at customers request.

 

[Sue M]

Last trip to Orlando I bought a roaming sim off of Amazon. It cost $24 and had unlimited data for the entire trip (plus unlimited calls and text, but you have a new/different phone number as it's a different SIM card). It worked great.

What network was it on? When in Orlando I was roaming on AT&T, but a local friend had T-Mobile I think. I could get a signal and she had nothing.

 

[TommyJK]

What network was it on? When in Orlando I was roaming on AT&T, but a local friend had T-Mobile I think. I could get a signal and she had nothing.

Mine was an AT&T based SIM.

 

[hdrolfe]

I don't bother when I'm at Disney, I just use the wifi in parks/airport/hotel. I find it works well enough.

 

[Starwind]

I don't use public wi-fi anywhere for security reasons, so we use our cellular data plan. On one phone we have canada/us calling and data included and create a hot spot with it that the other phone connects to for data.

Before we had that cellular plan we used Rogers' daily roaming (roam like home) which automatically kicked in if you used it.

 

[CanucksRock]

My phone supports eSIM so last couple trips I used Airalo and only paid $3 US per GB of Data. (I have Public Mobile and added an $8 Talk Plan - covers 10 days)

 

[deedubb]

You can often get by with wi-fi at WDW (definitely spotty in some areas though), but it's a lot tougher at Disneyland, and if you are using MaxPass at DL, you pretty much need data. I used to use Roam Mobility but they have become a pandemic casualty. Looking for some other options now.

 

[AngelDisney]

You can often get by with wi-fi at WDW (definitely spotty in some areas though), but it's a lot tougher at Disneyland, and if you are using MaxPass at DL, you pretty much need data. I used to use Roam Mobility but they have become a pandemic casualty. Looking for some other options now.

I am in the same boat.

 

[mort1331]

You can often get by with wi-fi at WDW (definitely spotty in some areas though), but it's a lot tougher at Disneyland, and if you are using MaxPass at DL, you pretty much need data. I used to use Roam Mobility but they have become a pandemic casualty. Looking for some other options now.

Add us in the Roam boat too..so sad..yhey even refunded us our lost time...crazy...
Only needed it when driving or at DL..once at WDW we never had a need.
But love to know more about this Amazon sim card please

 

[Carolynleanne]

We've always just used Disney Wifi. We otherwise leave our data off for the whole trip.

 

[bankr63]

Roam Like Home on Rogers. Although the cost has risen over time, it is still worth the price to me for the convenience. Used Roam mobility prior, but T-Mobile had pretty spotty service in the parks. RLH from Rogers roams on several networks, but on ATT most of the time (I did notice it switching if ATT faded). You keep your own number, so everyone can still reach you (including those 'oh so important' calls from the officers at Revenue Canada - don't want them coming to Florida to arrest you!)

To keep costs down we usually only have one (of 4) phones active - the others (and our tablets) have roaming turned off and can use wi-fi. With 6 lines on the plan, it can get expensive if everyone is roaming. The family have the okay to turn on roaming if they get separated; it's only the cost of a Disney hot dog after all.