gregorynbaker
Member
Hello all,
I am heading out for my demidecennary trip to the World on and after July 4. The crowds will hopefully be less than over Christmas on my "It's the End of the World as We Know It" trip in December of 2012, but I am, as always, a bit anxious. I have been a huge fan of the Unofficial Guide series, its touringplans.com website and Lines app, and try to maximize them to make the most of my planning and touring.
In the parks five years ago, I noted that wi-fi/cell coverage was spotty. I had a 3G phone at the time and was annoyed by the inability to access Lines and other websites while in the park. I figure things MIGHT be better, but I still worry about smart phone batteries. My wife has an old Android phone with a bad battery. I have a middle aged iPhone 6 with a mediocre battery. My 11 year old has a new Android phone and my 9 year old (will be 10 on the trip) has no phone. I have sworn NOT to waste battery life and time in the park surfing the web and playing games on the phone (like in line, etc. instead talking and enjoying the queue ambience). STILL I am worried that 1 PM will roll around and all the phones will be dead, meaning that we can't easily get new FP+, can't check Lines, etc.
Therefore, I have the following questions:
1. Is the Disney fuel rod program still in use? Is it a good use of money to rent the rod, use it, deposit it and grab another?
2. Is it better to buy a battery charger and carry it in my bag to recharge the phone(s) while not in use (recharging the charger back at the hotel). If so, do you have any recommendations for which brand, capacity, etc., I should use. As it will be the height of July, will heat be a problem?
3. If smart phone use is as problematic (i.e. wi-fi sucks, cell service sucks, etc.) as it was last time, are there strategies for using kiosks, etc., of which I should take advantage?
4. Does my daughter need a phone? She has a MagicBand and I can access that from my app, but I was wondering in case of her getting lost, etc., that a phone might be useful to call and or track her. CAN you track someone via phone in the park or is it too small to pinpoint via satellite? If you think a phone is a good idea, is there a cheap "burner phone" that you could recommend?
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and care!
Sincerely,
Gregory N. Baker
I am heading out for my demidecennary trip to the World on and after July 4. The crowds will hopefully be less than over Christmas on my "It's the End of the World as We Know It" trip in December of 2012, but I am, as always, a bit anxious. I have been a huge fan of the Unofficial Guide series, its touringplans.com website and Lines app, and try to maximize them to make the most of my planning and touring.
In the parks five years ago, I noted that wi-fi/cell coverage was spotty. I had a 3G phone at the time and was annoyed by the inability to access Lines and other websites while in the park. I figure things MIGHT be better, but I still worry about smart phone batteries. My wife has an old Android phone with a bad battery. I have a middle aged iPhone 6 with a mediocre battery. My 11 year old has a new Android phone and my 9 year old (will be 10 on the trip) has no phone. I have sworn NOT to waste battery life and time in the park surfing the web and playing games on the phone (like in line, etc. instead talking and enjoying the queue ambience). STILL I am worried that 1 PM will roll around and all the phones will be dead, meaning that we can't easily get new FP+, can't check Lines, etc.
Therefore, I have the following questions:
1. Is the Disney fuel rod program still in use? Is it a good use of money to rent the rod, use it, deposit it and grab another?
2. Is it better to buy a battery charger and carry it in my bag to recharge the phone(s) while not in use (recharging the charger back at the hotel). If so, do you have any recommendations for which brand, capacity, etc., I should use. As it will be the height of July, will heat be a problem?
3. If smart phone use is as problematic (i.e. wi-fi sucks, cell service sucks, etc.) as it was last time, are there strategies for using kiosks, etc., of which I should take advantage?
4. Does my daughter need a phone? She has a MagicBand and I can access that from my app, but I was wondering in case of her getting lost, etc., that a phone might be useful to call and or track her. CAN you track someone via phone in the park or is it too small to pinpoint via satellite? If you think a phone is a good idea, is there a cheap "burner phone" that you could recommend?
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and care!
Sincerely,
Gregory N. Baker
