PrincessNelly_NJ
Well-Known Member
I do wonder how big they will be.. will they accommodate phablets?
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Magic Kingdom to test mobile phone charging lockers for guest use
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
WDWDad13
Well-Known Member
I thought the exact same thing... I would actually think Disney would have charged for this but they are not (at least not yet)... funny how these things get overlooked yet if they charged for it people would be threatening to boycott cancel their vacations
peachykeen
Well-Known Member
I was in Disneyland two weeks ago, where they already have these, and I can't count the times I thought to myself "Why on earth doesn't WDW have these?!"
Of course, the same could be said about benches, trees....but I digress....
Of course, the same could be said about benches, trees....but I digress....
NormC
Well-Known Member
I have an iPhone5c and the battery lasts all day. If it died I would just charge it in my room at night. I do have the Anker portable battery as well but did not need it on our trip in Feb. My wife used hers to charge her Galaxy S3 but she is on her phone much more than I am. I can live without it for the most part. I used the MDE app several times a day and it didn't seem to drain my battery any more than normal.
http://www.amazon.com/Astro-Mini-Ul..._1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1398096558&sr=1-1
I am not that concerned with my phone that I would need one of the lockers.
http://www.amazon.com/Astro-Mini-Ul..._1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1398096558&sr=1-1
I am not that concerned with my phone that I would need one of the lockers.
In this particular case, Disney does have a financial incentive to keep these things free. People using their phones to make and modify fastpasses, ADRs, etc don't need a CM at a kiosk to do it for them. It would not surprise me if the kiosks are seeing an uptick in usage at the end of the day when peoples phones start to drop off.
Communicore
Well-Known Member
Where are they located at?
Precisely. Disney need to make sure smart phones are available as everything is so dependent on them. I would expect to see them remain free.
MissNDisney
New Member
I think this is a great idea! I have a charging case that I use but with high usage it can run down as well. But my son has an iPhone that I KNOW will need to be charged during the day!
Phil Porter
New Member
Excellent that they are coming and think restaurant charging would be a good idea.
peachykeen
Well-Known Member
About halfway down Main Street on the right, in the same section as their general lockers.
I might add they were constantly being used. I literally had to wait in line for people to come back and another charging locker to open up. There weren't many charging lockers...maybe 20? If I recall, it was $2/hour but I can't quite remember.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
I know myself and many others have made that exact observation and comments in the back to Disney.
Disney Needs guests to have the ability to recharge their phone to access all of their my Disney experience plans.
It's very simple and I think it will remain free… As it's in everyone's best interest.
prberk
Well-Known Member
McDonalds in Times Square had charging stations, with various cords attached, on their second floor when I was there in January, and i thought it was a great idea. Seems like a good, "free," option. Just have them themed and in most restaurant and utilitarian locations.
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
Sounds good to me. My smartphone has been my primary camera on my last two trips, and for the last one I didn't even bother bringing my backup.
I had to keep a close eye on the charge, though, especially on the first day since we had been traveling.
I did carry around a charger in my cargo shorts, and was able to plug in for a couple meals, and once or twice for a couple seconds while in line for an attraction if I spotted an outlet in the floor or wall.
This probably wasn't very effective for charging the phone, but was pleasingly effective for annoying my sister.
I had to keep a close eye on the charge, though, especially on the first day since we had been traveling.
I did carry around a charger in my cargo shorts, and was able to plug in for a couple meals, and once or twice for a couple seconds while in line for an attraction if I spotted an outlet in the floor or wall.
This probably wasn't very effective for charging the phone, but was pleasingly effective for annoying my sister.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
What I expect is for these lockers to remain free, but a kiosk set up at the end of the aisle with external charging options, already charged, at Disney premium prices. Those small power packs you can hook up via the normal power connection and just dangles on the phone like those fake you-know-whats people buy for their trucks. Because some times all the lockers will be in use & you won't want to wait, and sometimes people just won't want to be without their phone, even for a minute, and will gladly pay 45 bucks for a 15 dollar external charger with Mickey ears on it.
I have a galaxy s4, and I bought an external battery back for it. It's the most inconvenient thing because where the power button is located, you can easily turn it on without knowing it and start charging your battery even if it's fully charged. And it takes forever to charge; I wouldn't even dare charge it while the phone is attached to it, I do both separately otherwise it takes TWO forevers. I usually just keep it in my backpack and use it in case of emergencies. But I'll leave it on my phone during the next trip, more than likely. So I won't have to worry about situations like this.
RAXIP
Well-Known Member
That's where one will be. The other will be in Cosmic Ray's.
flynnibus
Premium Member
They've been in use at Disneyland for a few years now. Seems lame that Orlando would have to 'test' these.
Having a magicband scanner would be nice.. but I can see how it would be difficult to get it integrated. These are standard offerings from 3rd parties... not custom Disney solutions.
flynnibus
Premium Member
The solution in Disneyland is practical.. but does have some limitations.
1 - number of lockers. As mentioned, there isn't a huge # of them
2 - visibility - it was hard to identify the charging lockers vs the standard lockers if you had never been in there before
3 - User interface could have been better. I even managed to lock my phone in the locker trying to extend my rental.. requiring intervention from the onsite tech (which was a b@$% to find)
4 - I can understand the desire to charge multiple phones at once.. but the model in place at DLR was you were paying to charge your phone, not renting an outlet, so it makes sense to not work harder to make it have multiple chargers per locker. I was traveling solo so it didn't matter, but I can certainly see this being a point of contention
At the end of the day the tech is neat, but kind of overkill. It really doesn't operate full 'self-service', often requiring intervention from staff. If you weren't charging for the service, I think a simple 'coat check' system would probably be better for both guests and Disney. A counter staffed by CMs where you get a ticket to return with.
1 - number of lockers. As mentioned, there isn't a huge # of them
2 - visibility - it was hard to identify the charging lockers vs the standard lockers if you had never been in there before
3 - User interface could have been better. I even managed to lock my phone in the locker trying to extend my rental.. requiring intervention from the onsite tech (which was a b@$% to find)
4 - I can understand the desire to charge multiple phones at once.. but the model in place at DLR was you were paying to charge your phone, not renting an outlet, so it makes sense to not work harder to make it have multiple chargers per locker. I was traveling solo so it didn't matter, but I can certainly see this being a point of contention
At the end of the day the tech is neat, but kind of overkill. It really doesn't operate full 'self-service', often requiring intervention from staff. If you weren't charging for the service, I think a simple 'coat check' system would probably be better for both guests and Disney. A counter staffed by CMs where you get a ticket to return with.
