Disney Without a Smartphone? IT'S DOABLE!!!

[tony67]

The next stage they introduced is the table mobile order at a few restaurants, my guess if that goes well you'll see that throughout the parks.

I am fine with that as long as they are not expecting a 20% tip

 

[SaintsManiac-vol.2]

Umm good for you but pretty sure the majority of visitors are not looking for ways to travel without their phones. But to each their own I guess

Exactly. I don’t have patience for Luddites, though lol

 

[jcolvin5]

First, I'll say WTG! Sounds like you decided to do this and you did it. Better yet, you were happy with the results. That's HUGE in my book. If it works for you, DO IT!

I'm 51, so I didn't grow up with a smart phone in my hand. However, I can't imagine not having my phone wherever I go. Wouldn't really want to for the most part. I love what it allows me, and my family, to do. Especially in a place so technology reliant like WDW. I remember our first trip when our girls were 5 and 7. I was learning all things Disney and was a bit overwhelmed when I actually walked into the park and started using the MyDisney app. It was a sink or swim moment. Either I get my PhD in Disney real fast or I continue to be frustrated with standing in line all day. Without my smartphone, I would not have had a choice.

 

[Betsyp]

It’s not for me to judge…just know that you’re likely to waste a lot of time standing in line….and that’s a lot harder on you than you’d think, especially if it’s hot and humid out.

 

[Miffy]

BTW, HM often has quite a long standby line. Just thought I'd throw this out there, since OP grouped it with "short wait" rides.

I wouldn't do WDW without a smart phone, but then I like going on rides. But I'm not buried in my phone all day. I use it occasionally and it comes in handy in long standby lines with nothing in the queue to even look at.

 

[Victoria3]

For a first timer or causal visitor I highly recommend bringing your phone with you. The MDE app has a lot of useful information that a regular park map doesn’t have even if you’re not using Genie+.

 

[elvispursley]

I don’t always have my phone out, and we often tour the parks with a more “spontaneous” touring plan. But my phone also has medical devices running in it (insulin pump and cgm). As much as I would love to ditch my phone, not gonna happen. I personally love not dragging around our clunky camera (even if it was mirrorless and “light”). And even though I do bring a power bank, I rarely if ever need it to charge my phone. I guess for us, WDW is not a vacation we take to “relax” like we do on a cruise. So whether we’re using our phones or not, meh, doesn’t make a huge difference.

 

[mom2rtk]

They still have areas where folks can order in person rather than mobile. Even at the newer restaurants.

Sure, and sometimes those lines are longer, sometimes to the point of being unusable.

I'm not advocating for living on your phone all day. At all. We definitely don't do that. Far from it. I have a visceral reaction to the thought of sitting on your phone fishing for a better return time on rides over and over. We never do that. But using your phone occasionally pays off and saves you time so you can maximize your (expensive) time in the parks. I love being able to see what time characters are going to be out so we don't waste time looking for them. I love being able to check a wait time on rides before hoofing it across the park (yes, it's often inflated but we take that into account). It's information at your fingertips. It's up to you to use it positively or negatively.

I view living on your phone all day as negative. I view not using your phone at all as inefficient. It's a sliding scale.

 

[buzlite]

I think I may just leave my phone in the safe my next vacation and share my wife’s phone for the Disney app. Maybe we’ll make a focus that only lets us the Disney app and a camera.

 

[Betsyp]

You don’t get bonus points for doing WDW without a phone, but you do you. Just know that it’s much less efficient without one. Ahd waiting in line is far more exhausting than you think

 

[gottalovepluto]

You don’t get bonus points for doing WDW without a phone, but you do you. Just know that it’s much less efficient without one. Ahd waiting in line is far more exhausting than you think

The key part is they aren’t ride people so they weren’t in line for things like 7DMT, ROTR, VQ rides, FOP... I too could happily do WDW without my phone if I didn’t want to ride the popular stuff lol.

 

[kylenne]

The key part is they aren’t ride people so they weren’t in line for things like 7DMT, ROTR, VQ rides, FOP... I too could happily do WDW without my phone if I didn’t want to ride the popular stuff lol.

I would end up on CNN if I tried to do these parks without a phone at all but that's the problem with being neurodivergent in them LOL

 

[VolvoManiac850]

The key part is they aren’t ride people so they weren’t in line for things like 7DMT, ROTR, VQ rides, FOP... I too could happily do WDW without my phone if I didn’t want to ride the popular stuff lol.

We actually did 7DMT without a reservation...45 minute standby wait and I know it went quicker than that due to Disney's estimate always being a little off (but it can go the other way too in my experience).

Of course, we all know the secret to Magic Kingdom rides...go during the fireworks. We walked on Space Mountain without a wait and then did Buzz Lightyear in the same fashion.

 

[mom2rtk]

We actually did 7DMT without a reservation...45 minute standby wait and I know it went quicker than that due to Disney's estimate always being a little off (but it can go the other way too in my experience).

Of course, we all know the secret to Magic Kingdom rides...go during the fireworks. We walked on Space Mountain without a wait and then did Buzz Lightyear in the same fashion.

Unfortunately that only works if you don't care about the fireworks.

 

[Betsyp]

You don’t get bonus points for doing WDW without a phone, but you do you. Just know that it’s much less efficient without one. Ahd waiting in line is far more exhausting than you think

The rides they mentioned as having short waits are odd...none of them do (Small World, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, )...but maybe they have more tolerance for waiting than I do

I don’t think doing WDW without a phone is better than doing it with one - I’m not judging them, but nor am I celebrating them. I enjoy using my phone, I think it’s worked very well for me.