In a post-FASTPASS world, Disney World fanatics are not only unwilling to wait in line for rides; they also want to spend much of their time at the parks sifting through the most updated ride and attraction information with smart phone mobile apps.Disney's Mobile Magic application debuted this week, offering park guests continuously updated information on wait times, precise GPS directions and park maps, FASTPASS information, character greeting times and locations, and much more.
All of which begs the question: How much is too much technology when you're on vacation? What will come next? Perhaps future apps will feature accurate information on monorail service wait times, shortest quick service restaurant and restroom lines, least crowded lands in the Magic Kingdom, open parade viewing spots, and fastest ticket and gift shop queues.
Curiously, while new mobile apps are a dime a dozen, public wireless access is severely lacking at the Disney parks and resort hotels. Even Disney's newest resort hotel, Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, requires guests to connect to the Internet through an ethernet cable, although nearby Holiday Inns and even McDonald's offer Wi-Fi access. Moreover, Disney blocks access to its internal wireless infrastructure at most of its resort hotels and theme parks. Why Disney would install an outdated Internet connection service at its most contemporary resort hotel boggles the mind, especially since some Disney hotels (including Disney's Beach Club Resort) offer complimentary Wi-Fi service inside lobbies, restaurants, and poolside.
The pace of technological change has already made Disney's Internet infrastructure obsolete. While it is commendable to release new mobile apps for cell phones, it would be a great boon to improve Wi-Fi access throughout the Walt Disney World resort.
Peggy Macdonald is a WDW Twourist who writes about Walt Disney World daily for Examiner.com.
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At least where I live the number one smart phone is the iPhone. How they claim to have a mobile application yet have no iPhone version is mind boggling to me (I have looked in iTunes for my iPod Touch).
ReplyDeleteI also agree about the lack of WiFi. When we travelled to Disney in February staying at Boardwalk Villas, we only brought our iPod touches which could not connect to the ethernet. We use wireless everywhere we go - libraries, Panera, airports, Borders, Starbucks, hotels, etc. Even our local hospital offers it complementary to patients and visitors.
When not at Disney, we will typically pick a hotel that has included WiFi. At least with the ethernet, DVC members get free internet (wired), but IMO for the cost of a deluxe room it should include internet. And WiFi would be nice for those of us who travel with multiple devices or mobile only devices.