Walt Disney World to introduce new phone recharging program

[Iowamomof4]

Thanks to this thread I bought both the Fuel Rod and the Anker Power Core from Amazon 1 each for my wife and I. Have all the bases covered this way. I like the idea of a "hot swap" at the parks. $37 total for both shipped to my door.

Where did you find it at Amazon? I did a search but it didn't pop up.

 

[Lurch]

Where did you find it at Amazon? I did a search but it didn't pop up.

Sorry, should have been more clear. I purchased the Anker from Amazon and Fuel Rod direct from the manufacturer.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We bought one of these during our last park visit and it was the best $30 we spent. 6 of us charged our phones almost daily for 10 days. It took about 10 seconds to swap out the Fuel Rod each time. They held enough charge to various phones each over 80%, though we often charged one half way then put another on. It included all adapters we needed and we convenient carrying only one charger all the time. It was bigger than I would have liked--still fit well in my pocket with the phone attached, but too bulky for DD 11's pocket. The locations to swap were not the main shops as I expected but seemed well located for us. I would have appreciated a central location in MK and a couple more in the other parks, but we just planned ahead and swapped whenever we passed a site with a kiosk. Overall no real complaints and highly recommended for AP, long visits, and/or large parties.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Just adding another first hand account...

Last month: I was camping at fort wilderness. The heat killed my main charger and then my back up charger. I do HAVE a few of the gadgets listed here- on this trip, I had my battery case, which was more than enough for the first few days. The trouble is- no charger, no way to charge my backups. I really don't like leaving my phone at guest services. Partly paranoia and partly my ADRs and my fast pass times are all on my phone.

So I knew about this through the the boards, and headed to Epcot to get one. I was impressed by the set up and in Epcot especially, it's easy to drain one, and then grab a new one on your way out.

It's not any less charge than one of the cheaper mophie cases, and the size was great for my park purse. I actually wish this is a concept that would catch on other places- well worth the fee, even for someone who does have those other backups- because as I learned this trip, backups do fail!

The only downside: this is such a new program that this is certainly a case of us knowing more than a cast member. The few I asked had heard of it but couldn't tell me a location, and Disney doesn't seem to have them listed- had to go to the original link!

 

[KornBred]

This seems like a cool idea to me. However I am sticking with my old buddy when I go. It cost $10 or $15, is about a year old (actually got it at the Target in Kissimmee last September right after the new Star Wars merch was released) & is only 2200 but has always been more than I needed. But if I run into an issue such as my old pal Darth crapping out, I would invest in the one at Disney. Especially if you can swap out anytime you go back to the parks.

 

[LeeAndRobin]

Just to play devil's advocate here, I'd make sure that the cable I was using to charge my phone from one of these fuelrods was a charge-only capable cable. This means that only the power and ground connections (all that's needed for charging) are all that are physically in the cable. Otherwise, the paranoid part of me can imagine that the fuelrod company is offsetting costs by gathering data from each phone charged... which is certainly possible. Not necessarily sensitive data like credit card numbers and such, but general data on user's browsing trends, past locations, etc. It would be interesting to tear one of these fuelrods apart to see what exactly is inside...

 

[KornBred]

I just visited the Fuel Rod site and found out a possibly money saving idea. They are selling these things for $20 at what they call their "Swapboxes". So if any Fuel Rod can be swapped at any Fuel Rod location then it stands to reason that you could buy one for $20, which I think is a good price and better than $30, and then take it to WDW and swap it when needed. The problem is the only locations I have found anywhere close to me is Atlanta and then there is one in Daytona Beach. But they do have a kit for sale on the website for $20 that I believe includes the rod, the cable, and the adapters.

EDIT: The kit on the website is actually $25 with shipping so the Swapbox (outside of WDW) is still the cheapest option if you can find one.

 

[Madonna3]

Just to play devil's advocate here, I'd make sure that the cable I was using to charge my phone from one of these fuelrods was a charge-only capable cable. This means that only the power and ground connections (all that's needed for charging) are all that are physically in the cable. Otherwise, the paranoid part of me can imagine that the fuelrod company is offsetting costs by gathering data from each phone charged... which is certainly possible. Not necessarily sensitive data like credit card numbers and such, but general data on user's browsing trends, past locations, etc. It would be interesting to tear one of these fuelrods apart to see what exactly is inside...

uh.... that's a little far fetched, but ok.

There are 2 slots on the unit itself. There is an output and an input so it seems as if the fuel rod could be recharged. As far as the cable, it appears to be a standard USB to mini cable, like the type you'd get with your iphone. It does not appear as if this is some type of 2 way cable.

As far as being able to track locations, that's possible. When I purchased my fuel rod with my credit card I was given a fuel rod with a serial number. So, therefore, my credit card may have been attached to the original serial number which would indicate its location and then when I swapped it, the new serial number was updated from the old one. So, I guess it's theoretically possible that they can track my initial purchase and then my swaps letting them know where I've been. However, beyond that possibility, I think the rest of your theory regarding browsing history might be a little too advanced for this device.

 

[LeeAndRobin]

uh.... that's a little far fetched, but ok.

Not farfetched at all. It would be trivial to do.

There are 2 slots on the unit itself. There is an output and an input so it seems as if the fuel rod could be recharged. As far as the cable, it appears to be a standard USB to mini cable, like the type you'd get with your iphone. It does not appear as if this is some type of 2 way cable.

You *cannot* tell if it is a 2-way cable by looking at it. They all look the same. Two of the conductors are for power and two are for data. Ever use one of these cables to get pictures off your phone? Well, that makes it a two-way cable. The only way it is not a 2-way cable is if the two data wires are either not physically connected or not physically there.

However, beyond that possibility, I think the rest of your theory regarding browsing history might be a little too advanced for this device.

Why? It would only take a tiny, and I mean tiny, piece of electronics to do this. You would never even know it was happening. For the record, I doubt they are doing this, but there is no technical reason it could not be done. None. Period.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Just to play devil's advocate here, I'd make sure that the cable I was using to charge my phone from one of these fuelrods was a charge-only capable cable. This means that only the power and ground connections (all that's needed for charging) are all that are physically in the cable. Otherwise, the paranoid part of me can imagine that the fuelrod company is offsetting costs by gathering data from each phone charged... which is certainly possible. Not necessarily sensitive data like credit card numbers and such, but general data on user's browsing trends, past locations, etc. It would be interesting to tear one of these fuelrods apart to see what exactly is inside...

I'm just wondering here would you have to put a disclaimer of some sort that you were collecting data? I get the concern but wouldn't they have to notify you they are doing that..maybe not idk here.

 

[VolvoManiac850]

Great idea, and something I've already seen at malls and airports, but...

You're on vacation. You're already taking a break from the physical world back home. Shouldn't you also be taking a break from the online world? Nobody ever thinks to take vacations from that, and while it may seem strange that I'm writing this in an online forum, I feel the world online is the more stressful of the two sometimes.

When I take my next trip, I'll be leaving my cell phone at home. No texting, no calling me wherever, no social media, no email, not even Disboards. I know I won't have the convenience of the My Disney Experience app, but it will be so liberating to be rid of that thing for a week. I'll be taking a good Nikon camera to document the trip, but I'll be free of both worlds instead of just one.

For data collection, I'd imagine that would be something you'd navigate to a terms and conditions page online about. Until there's some law about it, I doubt you'll see any public mention of that anywhere...at Disney, at your local McDonald's, at the public library, etc.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Great idea, and something I've already seen at malls and airports, but...

You're on vacation. You're already taking a break from the physical world back home. Shouldn't you also be taking a break from the online world? Nobody ever thinks to take vacations from that, and while it may seem strange that I'm writing this in an online forum, I feel the world online is the more stressful of the two sometimes.

When I take my next trip, I'll be leaving my cell phone at home. No texting, no calling me wherever, no social media, no email, not even Disboards. I know I won't have the convenience of the My Disney Experience app, but it will be so liberating to be rid of that thing for a week. I'll be taking a good Nikon camera to document the trip, but I'll be free of both worlds instead of just one.

Well that depends on your vacation style and individual needs.

Are you a person who doesn't make ADRs, FPs? Well then you may not care about having a phone with you
Are you a person who doesn't make ADRs, FPs but wants to be able to be reachable to others? Well then you may care about having a phone with you but for different reasons
Are you a person who makes ADRs, FPs, wants to be able to change those easily, be reachable by others, take photos without carrying a camera, etc? Well then you may care about having a phone with you

My father-in-law has a flip phone that is rarely used except for his clients getting a hold of him when he is outside of the office (he is an independent insurance agent). Will he be taking it inside the park with him? Nope, it's useless for the purposes mentioned above and he doesn't want to do business while on vacation unless it was an emergency; his wife (my mother-in-law) will be with him basically at all times and she has a smart phone which she will carry with her so if we need to get a hold of him but are separated from him we can always call her.

At least with the FuelRods people can get access to a charger quickly if they need it. Also some apps just happen to be battery suckers. I've got a weather app that eats up battery as an example.

I can def. respect your opinion on why you want to disconnect from the world while on vacation but that doesn't make it a bad thing for those that don't.

 

[VolvoManiac850]

Right, I know there are some who need/want to have a phone. I'm going to be setting mine up with away messages for anyone who is contacting me, and will be leaving it with a friend in case there is an emergency which needs to be forwarded to me at the hotel room.

For keeping in touch with people...I am going to use the hotel phone and will be bringing an address book with me, but not just for the phone numbers. I'm going totally old-school here and will be sending postcards (if Disney still has them). I plan on making my dinner reservations at the 180 day mark so that shouldn't be an issue, and in terms of fast passes, I'll just wing it without them if I don't make some in advance.

In terms of battery suckers, you are right, the Weather Channel app does seem to do that. Facebook is another culprit, as are some fitness apps (although turning off the background app refresh helps radically when using Map My Run).

 

[MinnieMSue]

Planning on buying at my airport for $20 on my way to DW. The convenience is with it. Just need to figure out where the kiosks are in each park.

 

[mab2012]

Not farfetched at all. It would be trivial to do.

Why? It would only take a tiny, and I mean tiny, piece of electronics to do this. You would never even know it was happening. For the record, I doubt they are doing this, but there is no technical reason it could not be done. None. Period.

It's not the electronics that make this difficult. It's the software. Anyone who's really concerned about this can just set the USB options on their phone to "charge only". In this mode the *phone* will prevent transfer of data over the USB channel. That said, most cell phones locked down for consumer use limit USB data transfer to media anyway, and I can't imagine why a company that sells phone chargers would want your vacation photos.

Of course, the other option is to buy a cell phone that has decent battery life and avoid the problem entirely. My BlackBerry Priv (runs Android) can easily get through a day of moderately heavy use on a single charge. No dead battery concerns, nothing extra to carry around.

 

[kamik86]

I have a portable charger that will charge my phone at least 3 full times from only 5% battery without dying. So I don't see why I would ever need to swap it. DH has one two but even times we have only carried one we have never had a problem keeping both phones charged with it.

 

[rteetz]

I have a portable charger that will charge my phone at least 3 full times from only 5% battery without dying. So I don't see why I would ever need to swap it. DH has one two but even times we have only carried one we have never had a problem keeping both phones charged with it.

Not everybody has a portable charger though and this gives people another option. The fuelrod will charge a phone about 1.5 times before needing to be recharged. Instead of taking the time to recharge it on vacation you just turn it in for a fully charged one. It's all about convenience.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Of course, the other option is to buy a cell phone that has decent battery life and avoid the problem entirely. My BlackBerry Priv (runs Android) can easily get through a day of moderately heavy use on a single charge. No dead battery concerns, nothing extra to carry around.

Sooooo I'm supposed to go buy a new phone before going to WDW just to avoid a potential battery life issue...over a $30 charger I have the ability but not obligation to buy at the parks should I find myself with a low battery?

I think it's great that you have found a phone that works for you in regards to battery life but really this thread is about the new charging program regardless of what type of phone you own. As far as battery sucking apps that can happen on all phone types where you download apps though for certain phones certain apps drain the battery faster.

 

[kamik86]

Not everybody has a portable charger though and this gives people another option. The fuelrod will charge a phone about 1.5 times before needing to be recharged. Instead of taking the time to recharge it on vacation you just turn it in for a fully charged one. It's all about convenience.

But if the portable charger that will fast charge it more between recharges is cheaper isn't that more convienent? I don't have to and trade mine in at all. Yes I have to chage it every 2-3 days if we are both using our phone heavily but to me that seems like less effort.

 

[rteetz]

But if the portable charger that will fast charge it more between recharges is cheaper isn't that more convienent? I don't have to and trade mine in at all. Yes I have to chage it every 2-3 days if we are both using our phone heavily but to me that seems like less effort.

I understand and I have a portable charger that charges my phone 6 times before I need to recharge it but for someone who is on vacation and doesn't have one this makes sense. Especially for someone like an AP holder who frequents the parks.