Modern technology has dramatically changed the theme park experience for guests. No longer reliant on paper maps, tickets, and fast passes, park management has undeniably gone digital. It’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of new devices and pack your bag near bursting with sleek gear. However, your theme park visit isn’t really the best time for carting around a lot of breakable items. Here are some tips for efficient and useful tech management while you’re visiting theme parks.
Keep it simple
A simple smartphone is the best tech tool in theme parks.
Image: Gonzalo Baeza, Flickr (license)
Unless you’re a professional blogger, journalist, or photographer, you really don’t need to weigh yourself down with all the latest gear for your trip. Really consider the usefulness of an item before including it in your bag. Taking any technology with you puts it at risk of getting wet, damaged, lost, or stolen. Most attractions provide only a flimsy storage pocket by your feet for your belongings, which isn’t the safest spot for anything delicate.
At Universal Studios, you’re provided with a locker for complimentary use while you’re on an attraction. While this keeps it moderately safer (if much hotter), it also adds the hassle of stashing and retrieving your items for every major attraction that you’re interested in. For most guests, a smartphone is all you really need. As you’ll see, this is more than enough to supply you with a wealth of handy functions and features for your trip.
Connect to Wi-Fi
Don’t miss the free Wi-Fi in parks!
Image: FutUndBeidl, Flickr (license)
Universal and Disney both offer complimentary Wi-Fi for theme park guests. Just open your phone’s Wi-Fi settings and connect to either Walt Disney World or Universal. Disney’s network is far better and more reliable. Universal’s Wi-Fi is often sketchy at best, but it’s worth the attempt because using free park Wi-Fi can save you major data use during your stay.
For security purposes, it’s best to use a VPN service on these networks. There are dozens of VPN apps available for both Android and Apple phones. Most have modest subscription fees. However, using a VPN will encrypt all the data that’s sent from your phone, which is a smart move when you’re on a major public Wi-Fi network like those in the theme parks.
Download park apps
Disney’s My Disney Experience app is an outstanding tool for planning and organizing your stay. You can arrange your FastPass+ and dining reservations, check attraction wait times, and pull up a map to help you find your way around the parks.
Universal offers a similar app that has maps, wait times, schedules, and attraction descriptions. Using GPS, the app will guide you step-by-step to your next destination so it’s nearly impossible to get lost with this tool in hand. Universal also lets you set alerts throughout the day that will remind you of upcoming show times or poke you when a particular ride has a shorter wait time. For example, you might set it to let you know if the wait for Transformers drops to 30 minutes or less.
It’s best to download these apps before your arrival, so you have them ready when you’re in the park. The Disney app is particularly useful for planning your stay ahead of time.
Charge it up
Portable chargers are handy in theme parks.
Image: Marco Verch, Flickr (license)
Extreme heat can cause your phone’s battery to die faster, and Florida is known for its sweltering summers. Even under the best circumstances, a theme park day can easily keep you out for 12 hours or more, leaving your phone limping along by the end of the run. Make sure you’re prepared for the trials of your theme park time by bringing the right accessories to charge up your devices.
The most convenient option for charging your phone is to carry your own portable charger, so you can plug it in inside your pocket or bag and keep moving. However, if you need to charge more often, you might find that a single charger isn’t enough. Disney’s convenient answer to this is the Fuel Rod. You can purchase this portable charger in any of the parks, as well as Disney Springs and the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Once you’ve depleted the battery, you can swap it out for a new one free of charge. The rechargeable device is also yours to keep when you leave.
If you prefer to plug in the old-fashioned way, there are outlets available throughout the parks. The most comfortable is the charging area across from Rapunzel’s Tower in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. The tree stumps here have hidden hatches with USB ports behind them. Ample bench seating makes this a great spot to wait for your charge. Other outlets are located throughout the parks if you have a keen eye, though none are quite so mindfully placed.
You can also drop your phone at Guest Services to charge if you provide the cord. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to leave it behind for a decent chunk of time to get the job done.
Tracking Technology
The hereO GPS Smartwatch helps you keep track of kids.
Image: tomemrich, Flickr (license)
If you have children in your party who are still too young for their own phones, you might want to purchase a small piece of technology for them before your theme park vacation. Child trackers are smaller, smarter, and more affordable than ever. Devices like the hereO GPS Watch and AmbyGear Smartwatch are wearable like wristbands. The Weenect Kids GPS fits in a bag or pocket. GPS trackers ensure that you’ll always be able to find your kids, whether they’ve wandered off unintentionally, or you want to keep track of them while they ride an attraction with an older sibling. In busy theme parks, children get lost every day. This simple piece of technology will instantly put your mind at ease.
Technology is a great tool for organizing your vacation, just remember not to go overboard. Keep your tools to a few basic things so you have easy information in your hand without too many items to keep track of.
