WDW with no Smart Phone

[Amii]

We don't use our phones when we go to Disney and we do just fine. We own a plumbing business and we can't do anything without the phone ringing. We enjoy spending the time together without the phone even if we are waiting in line. We get to the parks early and plan fast passes for when the parks start getting busy. We leave for the afternoon then go back at night. Works for us!

 

[wrighter]

The topic of this thread is such a touchy subject for me. I recognize that having a smartphone CAN make things easier in the parks - especially if you are there at a busy time or really want/need to DO IT ALL. But the past few trips we have taken since the advent of this technology have been . . . different. I am looking at my phone way too much. Wait times. FP availability. Park closings. Bla bla bla. By the end of our last trip I would stop every once in a while and look around. SOOOOO many people were on their phones. It just felt, well, sad.

Yes. I am an old school Disney lover. And yes. I am utilizing the current technology to the best of my ability. But it doesn't mean that I like it. And you can bet that on our upcoming trip I will be making a concerted effort to keep that phone stashed away as much as possible in order to enjoy my family and my surroundings. And I urge others to do the same. Stop staring at your screens. (Or at the very least, please pull over to do so.) Look up! There's so much to see! Lol!

Best of luck to the OP on their first trip with all the new technology at their disposal.

 

[TropicalDIS]

Everyone else will have far more strategic, immediate, and convenient information than you will regarding wait times, sudden closures, available dining. You won't receive alerts if a sudden closure affects one of your Fastpasses. You won't be able to review your Fastpass selections at will at all, unless you're standing in front of one of the limited number of kiosks. You won't be able to plan anything on the fly, or in park two while you're in park one. You can do it, but you'll be experiencing WDW from five years ago while everyone around you is experiencing WDW of 2017. The whole "you can do it if you want to" thing does not mean you'll have an equal, or even a slightly lesser experience. It just means WDW can't make you buy a smart phone. But make no mistake, the New Tech system (MDE, FP+, MBs) is aimed squarely at smart phones. You will be negatively impacted.

If you can afford WDW, you can afford upgrading your phone. You should.

I was just there with a smartphone. Fastpass for Haunted Mansion. Arrived 15 minutes after fast pass time began to find that HM was broken down.
No update on my app to tell me any of this.

The wait times are useful, as is getting further fastpasses after your first 3 are done.

If you are there during a slow period, a smartphone would be less important. More important when its busy i would say.

You arent going to have a bad time if you dont have a smartphone. You are still at Disney and you are still going to have a blast.

And if you've never used one there, i dont see it negatively impacting your experience there either.

Have a great time!

 

[DoryGirl1963]

I deliberately NEVER take my smartphone when I go & not only don't miss it, I wouldn't enjoy my time there nearly as much if I had it on me. In my non-Disney life, I am constantly bombarded with texts & calls & emails from work even on my days off, & not taking it allows me to completely detach from the outside world & stay in my happy place Disney bubble

 

[disneyseniors]

OP: I don't have a smart phone either. My husband and I go to WDW once a year, and we have a great time without one. I don't personally like to be tied down to one, and only have my phone turned on when out and about for emergencies.
I print out my fp's and simply tear off the times, etc, and put it in my pocket. That's it. I can pull it out and look at it. It is not true that you can't get to a kiosk, because we just got back and we used the kiosk's all the time, without any waiting. It was super easy.
I heard several comments about the wait times not being even close to correct? Wouldn't know about that?
So, you can have a great time without one. It was sad to see parents with their noses in their phones while their children just sat there. IMO. It would be nice to see everyone at least try a day or a half day without devices to see what it feels like to experience the parks without one.
So, OP, you really don't need to buy one to enjoy the parks, only if you really want one. We had our adr's made before the trip, as most people do.

 

[bryanb]

Seriously cannot stop laughing at this! Disney can hardly be lauded for their IT savvy. IF it works it's fine...not perfect and not even great. But when it doesn't it's a huge mess.

Louis CK is right: Everything is amazing and nobody is happy.

 

[ShellieMimi]

Please, leave your phones at home!

I use mine to get FP+ after FP+ while on the go & the less competition, the better. I usually get the next one while waiting in line for the current one.

 

[fla4fun]

I agree that an iPod is a good alternative if you want the access to MDE without the interruption of calls and texts. Not to mention that I won't be nearly as heartbroken if I drop and damage the iPod as I would be with my phone. The phone stays locked in the safe unless it's a day where I specifically need it (such as meeting up with family just arriving at WDW). Most days it's just the iPod. I usually take a screenshot of my FP+ for the day each morning, so if I'm in an area of the park where the wifi is iffy (doesn't happen often, but does happen) I can still double check what I have planned.

For what it's worth, I generally don't get the notices about rides going down until near the end of my FP+ window. So that is not always helpful like it should be.

I don't think you HAVE to have a smartphone to enjoy WDW, but you will have some added convenience if you can access MDE on some sort of device.

 

[Elle23]

Please, leave your phones at home!

I use mine to get FP+ after FP+ while on the go & the less competition, the better. I usually get the next one while waiting in line for the current one.

You're not kidding! I could not believe how many fast passes we got! I don't think we waited in line for more than a few minutes at any ride the whole trip! It was amazing!

 

[MaC410]

Please, leave your phones at home!

I use mine to get FP+ after FP+ while on the go & the less competition, the better. I usually get the next one while waiting in line for the current one.

You're not kidding! I could not believe how many fast passes we got! I don't think we waited in line for more than a few minutes at any ride the whole trip! It was amazing!

Shhhh don't let the "secret" out!

 

[ShellieMimi]

You're not kidding! I could not believe how many fast passes we got! I don't think we waited in line for more than a few minutes at any ride the whole trip! It was amazing!

Seriously. While you're patting yourself on the back for "not staring at a phone screen all day!1!," I'll go ride ToT five times. Adios.

Monday, January 9, 2017 - Disney's Hollywood Studios
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
11:05 AM - 12:05 PM
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM
Toy Story Mania!
1:10 PM - 2:10 PM
Toy Story Mania!
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
2:20 PM - 3:20 PM
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
2:50 PM - 3:50 PM
The Great Movie Ride
3:20 PM - 4:20 PM
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
3:55 PM - 4:55 PM
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

 

[morrik5]

We are in the trip planning stages for a return visit and I never had a Smart Phone the last time. When are you provided the link/what is it called to get the parks app or is it possible to get before we leave home and put on my phone?

 

[MaC410]

We are in the trip planning stages for a return visit and I never had a Smart Phone the last time. When are you provided the link/what is it called to get the parks app or is it possible to get before we leave home and put on my phone?

Just search for "Disney World" in the app store and it should be the first result. It's just the my disney experience app. You can download it whenever you want.

 

[mrzrich]

We are in the trip planning stages for a return visit and I never had a Smart Phone the last time. When are you provided the link/what is it called to get the parks app or is it possible to get before we leave home and put on my phone?

It is called "M Disney Experience" it is free, you can download it know and play with it to get used to it. Make search for Fake ADR's just for the fun of it. See what the wait time is for Space Mountain while you are home on the couch.