What are smart phones required for at Disney Parks?

[TrainsOfDisney]

I’m writing this on my iPhone, so I’m not living this yet… but I’ve heard from several friends and seen reports on other online forums that more and more people are intentionally limiting their smartphone use.

At the same time, I’ve seen reports that Disney themselves are looking to reduce smartphone use for their guests. That got me thinking about how much of the guest experience currently requires a smartphone in the parks.

For example, mobile ordering is an obvious one. While Disney seems to be moving toward making it more optional, there are still some food locations that are effectively mobile-order-only… or at least extremely inconvenient if you don’t use it.

Another area is discounts and passes. I think it’s required to have a smart phone with your pass linked to get annual pass discounts for merchandise at WDW.

Lightning Lane is another big question: is it even possible to make Lightning Lane reservations without a smartphone? If so, how practical is it in reality?

At Disneyland specifically, it also seems nearly impossible to get a physical Magic Key. I’ve asked both Guest Relations and ticket booths and have been told that I couldn’t get one.

just curious whether Disney is actually prepared to support guests who want (or need) to be less dependent on smartphones, especially as interest in disconnecting seems to be growing.

And of course… many are saying the smart phone will be like the pager in a couple of years with smart glasses taking over.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I don’t think getting out a phone to order food or book a ride is too bad. And in many ways, Disney is one of the most screen free places I’ve seen in modern life. A few times I have misjudged my son’s mental stamina and overstayed, resorting to handing him a screen on our way out of the parks to avoid a meltdown. It’s actually been pretty embarrassing specifically because you so rarely see kids on iPads or even teens sitting around on phones in the parks. (I feel like I’m walking with a giant Bad Mom sign above my head the whole time, ha ha.)

 

[WorldExplorer]

For example, mobile ordering is an obvious one. While Disney seems to be moving toward making it more optional, there are still some food locations that are effectively mobile-order-only… or at least extremely inconvenient if you don’t use it.

I can't think of any that are. If anything there are benefits to not using the mobile order because the customize options tend to suck and sometimes the mobile menu isn't complete.

Another area is discounts and passes. I think it’s required to have a smart phone with your pass linked to get annual pass discounts for merchandise at WDW.

I want to say they can take a card with an ID that proves you're the person on the card to get the discount but don't quote me on that.

Lightning Lane is another big question: is it even possible to make Lightning Lane reservations without a smartphone? If so, how practical is it in reality?

Nope, not possible.

And of course… many are saying the smart phone will be like the pager in a couple of years with smart glasses taking over.

Call me an old person in a young person's body, but I think we've reached the limit of tech that's useful and actually practical and though companies really want to find the next big smart thing that explodes in use there isn't really something that's going to be better than what we've got. Which is why we get stupid crap like smart fridges.

That is to say I don't think smart glasses are going to take off, at least not to the extent they replace phones.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I want to say they can take a card with an ID that proves you're the person on the card to get the discount but don't quote me on that.

My last interaction the CM specifically asked to see my pass on my phone - not an ID - but I didn’t have any issue showing him my phone so I didn’t question the policy.

 

[Jon81uk]

Ride photos on many rides need Bluetooth to like them to you, maybe a Magicband can be used instead though?

In terms of mobile food ordering Epic Universe is far ahead of Disney, at most places in Epic you order on the app, enter the table number and food comes to you. Whereas at Disney mobile order didn’t feel like a huge advantage to just ordering with the cashier.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Why in the world would WDW try to take away/limit the ability to use a connivence that is generally available to the customer base as a whole? I mean it’s not like smart phones are a unique or limited resource that most guests don’t have access to. If people couldn’t get a hold of them, then as a business it would make sense for WDW to make sure most options had a non-smart phone way to utilize them. But just bc some people might not feel like using them (unless it becomes so mainstream as to impact daily use of smart phones) then why would you spend time/money/resources on something that is a non-issue?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Why in the world would WDW try to take away/limit the ability to use a connivence that is generally available to the customer base as a whole?

I don’t think they would - the question was the opposite - as the customer base potentially moves away from smart phones, what currently requires it that may need to be changed?

 

[monothingie]

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I don’t think getting out a phone to order food or book a ride is too bad. And in many ways, Disney is one of the most screen free places I’ve seen in modern life. A few times I have misjudged my son’s mental stamina and overstayed, resorting to handing him a screen on our way out of the parks to avoid a meltdown. It’s actually been pretty embarrassing specifically because you so rarely see kids on iPads or even teens sitting around on phones in the parks. (I feel like I’m walking with a giant Bad Mom sign above my head the whole time, ha ha.)

I am at the American Adventure right now eating my $6 plate of turkey. More than half the people in line or eating have their phones in their face. (Including me)

 

[DisneyHead123]

I am at the American Adventure right now eating my $6 plate of turkey. More than half the people in line or eating have their phones in their face. (Including me)

To my mind, if it’s: 1. Adults only and 2. While standing in line, that counts as relatively low screen usage in today’s world. High usage - again, just my definition obviously - would be all ages on a device in the middle of an activity they’re ostensibly supposed to be enjoying together.

 

[nickys]

Another area is discounts and passes. I think it’s required to have a smart phone with your pass linked to get annual pass discounts for merchandise at WDW.

I want to say they can take a card with an ID that proves you're the person on the card to get the discount but don't quote me on that.

DVC has done away with physical cards for several years now and you need a digital card to get discounts etc.

I’m fairly certain the same is true of AP holders.

 

[thomas998]

Nope, not possible.

Are you sure it isn't possible to make reservations without a smartphone? I haven't tried doing it for lightning reservations on a tablet but I do recall one trip in the past where I had lost my phone and we used my daughter's ipad and the free wifi in the park for doing fastpass reservations. Now I don't know if they've still got free wifi for people in the part but if they do then I'm guessing a tablet could still take the place of a smartphone.

 

[thomas998]

I’m writing this on my iPhone, so I’m not living this yet… but I’ve heard from several friends and seen reports on other online forums that more and more people are intentionally limiting their smartphone use.

At the same time, I’ve seen reports that Disney themselves are looking to reduce smartphone use for their guests. That got me thinking about how much of the guest experience currently requires a smartphone in the parks.

For example, mobile ordering is an obvious one. While Disney seems to be moving toward making it more optional, there are still some food locations that are effectively mobile-order-only… or at least extremely inconvenient if you don’t use it.

Another area is discounts and passes. I think it’s required to have a smart phone with your pass linked to get annual pass discounts for merchandise at WDW.

Lightning Lane is another big question: is it even possible to make Lightning Lane reservations without a smartphone? If so, how practical is it in reality?

At Disneyland specifically, it also seems nearly impossible to get a physical Magic Key. I’ve asked both Guest Relations and ticket booths and have been told that I couldn’t get one.

just curious whether Disney is actually prepared to support guests who want (or need) to be less dependent on smartphones, especially as interest in disconnecting seems to be growing.

And of course… many are saying the smart phone will be like the pager in a couple of years with smart glasses taking over.

I have to wonder if Disney wants guest to stop using their phones because when the guests can use their phones Disney can't manipulate crowds with their fake wait times. The most value we have ever gotten from out phones has been using an app to see actual wait times instead of the fake ones Disney loves to use to try and herd people around the parks.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Are you sure it isn't possible to make reservations without a smartphone? I haven't tried doing it for lightning reservations on a tablet but I do recall one trip in the past where I had lost my phone and we used my daughter's ipad and the free wifi in the park for doing fastpass reservations. Now I don't know if they've still got free wifi for people in the part but if they do then I'm guessing a tablet could still take the place of a smartphone.

You can do that but in that case it's still using a digital device that accesses the app. There's no way to have them set up without that in-between, it can't be done in-person.

OP was talking about limiting smart phone usage and while technically a tablet isn't a smart phone people who want to reduce their time looking at a phone aren't going to want to swap it for looking at a tablet.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I had lost my phone and we used my daughter's ipad and the free wifi in the park for doing fastpass reservations.

An iPad is a giant iPhone - it runs the same iOS. So I guess i should have said “smart device”

 

[monothingie]

I have to wonder if Disney wants guest to stop using their phones because when the guests can use their phones Disney can't manipulate crowds with their fake wait times. The most value we have ever gotten from out phones has been using an app to see actual wait times instead of the fake ones Disney loves to use to try and herd people around the parks.

There is a realization that people with heads in phones are being entertained by other non-Disney means and not spending money.

They created this monster and now they can’t control it

 

[Stripes]

Ride photos on many rides need Bluetooth to like them to you, maybe a Magicband can be used instead though?

In terms of mobile food ordering Epic Universe is far ahead of Disney, at most places in Epic you order on the app, enter the table number and food comes to you. Whereas at Disney mobile order didn’t feel like a huge advantage to just ordering with the cashier.

I don’t actually like the Epic system because you have to have a table before you can order your food. Sometimes I like to mobile order before I get to the restaurant so my food is ready when I get there, but obviously I don’t have a table yet.

There were also times when I was at the park when they wouldn’t even let me order in person, presumably due to low staffing. I had to use the app.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

If anything there are benefits to not using the mobile order because the customize options tend to suck and sometimes the mobile menu isn't complete.

Gotta say though, I really do NOT miss the days of standing in line for an hour at QS locations.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Gotta say though, I really do NOT miss the days of standing in line for an hour at QS locations.

It’s been up and down since COVID - I feel like it’s a good balance in Florida right now - they have enough registers for those wanting to order in person. It appears to me that mobile order has evened out things and helped the long waits.

In California it can still be a cluster at many locations with each place making up different rules for how they want you to stand in line to a silly extend.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I’m fairly certain the same is true of AP holders.

I think you can get an RFID card if you really wanted it; however, it basically works for getting in the park and LLs. It doesn't work for discounts; you have to pull up the app for that. My old RFID card still shows as active in MDE, but I use MBs.

DVC members also no longer have ID. It's buried in MDE. Extremely stupid if you ask me.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I think you can get an RFID card if you really wanted it; however, it basically works for getting in the park and LLs. It doesn't work for discounts

At WDW you can still get a card and it does work for dining discounts and magnet giveaways in my experience - it’s merch that needs the phone for some reason - again not sure if that’s 100% required. I have the app on my phone so I can just show them.