Diz-Connect?

With the introduction of free WiFi in Disneys Magic Kingdom this month, I’m wondering if this will change how we tour?

© Saloca in Wonderland

Touring Plans app

One of the things I love most about my Walt Disney World trips is the distance from home, the escape of the everyday dramas and worries, no newspapers, no commute, no work, my only worries revolving around making my ADRs and choosing between a dole whip and a funnel cake! I get to switch off for two whole weeks!

Having free WiFi in the hotel comes in handy, it makes it easier and cheaper to connect with family back home, thanks to apps like Skype, I can call home, meaning no more forking out for payphone cards or coming home to a massive mobile phone bill.

So how will the WiFi in Magic Kingdom tinker with our touring? Being from the UK, I have zero access to WiFi and 3G when I am in the parks (the phone bill would cost more than the holiday!). This means that all those wonderful planning apps I’ve been downloading are rendered useless once I leave the WiFi comfort zone of the hotel. I do love those apps that give you the estimated wait time for rides in the park, after all you’re not always near the main times board and it would be good to know before heading to a ride all the way on the opposite side of the park. Finding Magic Kingdom busy that day? You can quickly connect online and see what park is predicted to have the lowest crowd that day and head on over. Struggling to make the most of your day? You can click onto the likes of Touring Plans and load up a guide to maximize your park time and magic exposure. Even just being able to get a weather update would come in handy from time to time!

© Saloca in Wonderland

Touring Plans app

Having access to the planning apps is a win for WiFi.

My predicted downside? Teens!

For teens, it is important to stay connected, through the likes of iMessage and BBM, they are constantly in touch with each other back home. Having the Atlantic Ocean between them doesn’t even stop them! One of the bonuses for UK families especially was that during the day out at the parks, those smart phones could not connect to anything! Teens had no choice but to switch off and connect with their families instead. These holidays are all about family time, making the most of it and enjoying each other’s company in a way that is too difficult back at home. With the free WiFi services on offer in Magic Kingdom and presumably rolling out across the other parks, there will be a lot of Blackberrys and iPhones showing up clutched in the hands of teens on family photo pass pictures. Maybe I’m tarring them all with the same stereotypical brush, but next time you’re in the parks, have a look how many are staring down at their screens instead of up and around where they are!

Free WiFi in the parks – good or bad?

Until next time,

Sarah