Electronic devices on rides :(

[Amidala]

Disney is an amazing environment that you can literally forget the outside world, yet so many kids and adults don't seem to care at all.

I think that's a pretty huge assumption to make, and find it pretty hard to believe that guests (especially those new to the parks) don't care about the environment and attractions. At the very least, I can sympathize with complaints that bright phone screens distract from rides and shows. I've never found them to be that distracting...It's inevitable that guests will whip out their phones to check the time, text messages and missed calls if nothing else. And the glare from a hand-held phone is not enough to detract from components of a dark ride to the right and left of me. But everyone has their personal ticks, and I can understand why several screens with their brightness turned all the way up would be yours.

My thing is...I really don't think that's the main issue here. Even if the brightness on all of these screens was lowered to 10%, and they didn't interfere with other guests' experiences in any way, people would still complain. IMO the idea of technology as a distractor is what's really at stake here. Guests see kids on their phones and take it as a sign that these kids don't appreciate the parks, don't care, don't have the attention span, etc. and this is what they're getting all worked up about.

The fact of the matter is, a phone is not a television. It does not absorb my attention for 5-10+ minutes (unless I'm deliberately looking for a distraction, in a ride queue or something similar). On a ride, I might be texting a friend about my vacation or snapping a picture of the animatronics or checking an urgent email...and this takes me all of twenty seconds. It's just...not enough evidence to claim that ~people today~ care less about the parks, or take them for granted. To the people using these phones, this is a blip on the radar of a 15-hour day spent at MK.

 

[NelsonRD]

I do not get annoyed of one photo of yourself on a ride, but I think the problem most of us have here is even the most advanced phones with how far the camera's have come, they still do not have a shutter, and people still do not know how to take a photo. The annoyance becomes when they try to take picture after picture after picture, resulting in not one photo attempt, but dozens, and they all come out blurry, one right after the other.

 

[Amidala]

But if the flash is off, why does it matter how someone else's picture comes out? I don't understand.

 

[21stamps]

People...... you can survive a while without your phone. Ever notice CM's don't have phones? It's because we are not allowed to use them while on stage. But yet we still manage like during breaks. It can be done!

You probably aren't taking photos, or updating dining reservations, or scheduling your next fast pass while you're working

 

[21stamps]

Alice, I don't bring a phone with me while in the parks. I have instructed family to call in the pm as that is when I will have it on and will check it for the day. If I have a sick family member, I will call them before we leave and when we get back. If they are that sick, then we would not go to WDW. I don't miss the phone while at Disney. I take in all the sights and sounds and little details while in the parks.
I guess the big difference is that I never grew up with cell phones, and therefore, don't feel the need to have one with me at all times.
As for the fast passes. I make them before leaving home. If we are in the park and want to check on a fast pass, we go to a kiosk and check. I don't need updates about fp's, apparently, as it has always worked this way.
I like to visit with people while in line and have met some wonderful people from all over the US and world. I really think people miss a lot when they are stuck to their phones all the time. On an amusing note: While in the line for POC, we witnessed an adult man walk right into a wall while looking at his phone instead of the winding dark queues. He just hit, Wham! and bounced off.
I know it's a generational thing, and I am not a luddite. I have a tablet and PCat home, and leave them there.
So to your original statement, that is what I do while I leave my phone (flipphone, Gasp) in the room and go to the parks, don't miss it at all. Oh, I also use a camera!

That's not an option for everyone unfortunately.

1. Phone is a camera for many people.
2. Work could call.
3. Much easier to grab a FP on an app rather than going to a kiosk.
4. Schedule on MDE.

I don't think it's generational, just that people use their phone for different things.

 

[21stamps]

I think that's a pretty huge assumption to make, and find it pretty hard to believe that guests (especially those new to the parks) don't care about the environment and attractions. At the very least, I can sympathize with complaints that bright phone screens distract from rides and shows. I've never found them to be that distracting...It's inevitable that guests will whip out their phones to check the time, text messages and missed calls if nothing else. And the glare from a hand-held phone is not enough to detract from components of a dark ride to the right and left of me. But everyone has their personal ticks, and I can understand why several screens with their brightness turned all the way up would be yours.

My thing is...I really don't think that's the main issue here. Even if the brightness on all of these screens was lowered to 10%, and they didn't interfere with other guests' experiences in any way, people would still complain. IMO the idea of technology as a distractor is what's really at stake here. Guests see kids on their phones and take it as a sign that these kids don't appreciate the parks, don't care, don't have the attention span, etc. and this is what they're getting all worked up about.

The fact of the matter is, a phone is not a television. It does not absorb my attention for 5-10+ minutes (unless I'm deliberately looking for a distraction, in a ride queue or something similar). On a ride, I might be texting a friend about my vacation or snapping a picture of the animatronics or checking an urgent email...and this takes me all of twenty seconds. It's just...not enough evidence to claim that ~people today~ care less about the parks, or take them for granted. To the people using these phones, this is a blip on the radar of a 15-hour day spent at MK.

Me and my kid play Heads Up while waiting in long lines at amusement parks. People can judge, but we're having fun and it passes the time quickly. Sometimes the people right in front of us or behind us end up joining in.

I see a lot of people doing this, so I don't think too many are judgemental.

 

[Amidala]

People...... you can survive a while without your phone. Ever notice CM's don't have phones? It's because we are not allowed to use them while on stage. But yet we still manage like during breaks. It can be done!

Yeah, I was a CM too and that wasn't a rule anyone liked. It was to maintain good show and make sure we were engaging w/ guests 24/7. Guests aren't being paid to visit the parks, they're paying. They have every right to relax on their phones, snap pictures or shoot a text if that's something they want to do, you know?

And the whole "you can survive without your phone" thing has always been silly to me. There are a lot of things we can survive without (cameras, for one), but the added convenience doesn't hurt. People talk like a kid checking Twitter on his phone is having the life force sapped out of him...it's just not that big of a deal.

EDIT: WRT the argument about people missing out on the chance to build relationships by being on their phones...I just don't see that happening either? I've made many friends in attraction queues (and often on the single rider line of rides I was afraid to brave alone), and I'm still in contact with a few of them. IMO the idea that using a phone in the parks completely destroys the experience, isolates you from those around you and takes away your ability to really see your surroundings...comes from people who didn't have phones as a teenager or young adult. There are definitely positives and negatives to cellphones becoming part of the tapestry of our everyday lives in such a huge way, but it's not all one or the other.

 

[21stamps]

Yeah, I was a CM too and that wasn't a rule anyone liked. It was to maintain good show and make sure we were engaging w/ guests 24/7. Guests aren't being paid to visit the parks, they're paying. They have every right to relax on their phones, snap pictures or shoot a text if that's something they want to do, you know?

And the whole "you can survive without your phone" thing has always been silly to me. There are a lot of things we can survive without (cameras, for one), but the added convenience doesn't hurt. People talk like a kid checking Twitter on his phone is having the life force sapped out of him...it's just not that big of a deal.

I finally, even with my old age, got onboard the Snapchat wagon in June of this year.. reason- friends of ours were going to Disney for 2 weeks and they do a ton of snaps.. I signed up so I could see them. Now my family uses it as well.. we have a blast with it at parks.. I don't understand electronic complaints when a lot of the uses are still doing things together., why not do something fun while in a line.. it's really not hurting anyone else.

 

[Chef Mickey]

And yet you keep posting your pet peeves and grievances that no one cares about.

On a discussion board, in a thread about electronic device use at Disney World....yes.

I'm on point...don't get all offended now. If you don't care, stop replying.

 

[21stamps]

Honestly, its refreshing to hear that others feel as I do about tech and the ride experience.
Yes, society is changing, but ultimately we are the ones who usually control this change - not the technology.

Unplug your children, unplug yourselves - who knows you might even enjoy it!

You might even enjoy being 'plugged in" with your family though. It's not one or the other imo.

 

[NickMaio]

Do want what want with your phones in lines - at restaurants - in shops. I have zero issues with this.

In a dark ride/show please turn your phone off so other people can enjoy the ride and are not blinded by the screen or volume of your video.
Be aware of others around you.
Thank You

 

[ninjaprincesst]

Personally I could care less if you want to spend your whole family vacation staring at your phone, that is fine, but don't use it once the ride , show or attraction starts when you are bothering others.

 

[Amidala]

Do want what want with your phones in lines - at restaurants - in shops. I have zero issues with this.

In a dark ride/show please turn your phone off so other people can enjoy the ride and are not blinded by the screen or volume of your video.
Be aware of others around you.
Thank You

This I understand and I'm totally fine with it. Just suggesting that there may be more at play here, since many people in this thread were talking about electronics as a detriment to having fun and appreciating WDW in this vague, general way, and that has never made sense to me.

 

[21stamps]

This I understand and I'm totally fine with it. Just suggesting that there may be more at play here, since many people in this thread were talking about electronics as a detriment to having fun and appreciating WDW in this vague, general way, and that has never made sense to me.

Same. The OP stated that people were missing out and not appreciating their surroundings. I took that as more than dark rides. An argument against electronics in general is a weird one.. I don't think people playing Heads Up or taking silly Snaps can have a negative impact on someone else. And the people who are doing those things are probably having fun.

 

[Driver]

Same. The OP stated that people were missing out and not appreciating their surroundings. I took that as more than dark rides. An argument against electronics in general is a weird one.. I don't think people playing Heads Up or taking silly Snaps can have a negative impact on someone else. And the people who are doing those things are probably having fun.

As I said in an earlier post "I don't get it" and it's just my opinion but I can't understand why, with all the stimulus around you that someone would want to play a game. Doesn't make it right or wrong I just don't get it. And I do agree if your in a queue chances are good your not bothering anyone. Go for it. On a ride no!

 

[21stamps]

As I said in an earlier post "I don't get it" and it's just my opinion but I can't understand why, with all the stimulus around you that someone would want to play a game. Doesn't make it right or wrong I just don't get it. And I do agree if your in a queue chances are good your not bothering anyone. Go for it. On a ride no!

Example- Have you ever stood in line for Dinosaur when it wraps around outside? There's not much stimulus to appreciate.lol.
Playing charades or Tic Tac Toe can make a 40 minute wait go by much faster.

Honestly at WDW we don't use that app too much, but we take silly selfies and have fun with them. Rides I agree with..but the original post didn't just refer to rides. We do take photos on dark rides, but not with a flash.

 

[mousehockey37]

But if the flash is off, why does it matter how someone else's picture comes out? I don't understand.

Because once the pic is taken, the screen still lights up with the photo that was taken. So the phone still being illuminated is just as bad.

 

[21stamps]

Because once the pic is taken, the screen still lights up with the photo that was taken. So the phone still being illuminated is just as bad.

How bright is your phone? I always have mine on low power mode whenever I'm out and about.. I can't see how a quick photo can impact the ride experience for other people in a different car.

 

[Driver]

You probably aren't taking photos, or updating dining reservations, or scheduling your next fast pass while you're working

Actually I do set up dinning reservations sometimes,especially if we are expecting out of town guest. But mostly what I meant was checking text mess. from DW or other family chit chat that may have gone on while I was working. I survive...... but good point I see where your coming from as a guest perspective you would be using your phone for other things. DW and I visit the parks often and when we are in that mode we are considered guest as well. There are many thousands of CM's, unless you run into one from your work area we blend right in!

 

[Driver]

Example- Have you ever stood in line for Dinosaur when it wraps around outside? There's not much stimulus to appreciate.lol.
Playing charades or Tic Tac Toe can make a 40 minute wait go by much faster.

Honestly at WDW we don't use that app too much, but we take silly selfies and have fun with them. Rides I agree with..but the original post didn't just refer to rides. We do take photos on dark rides, but not with a flash.

Your right about the OP didn't just refer to rides and I'm not going to be a hypocrite I tended to agree with him but, again my opinion. And I know about opinions , they are like armpits we all gottem and they all stink LOL!