If you have an android or iPhone it can really make a difference in how you experience Disney World. From checking wait times to uploading up to date photos to make all your Facebook friends jealous, apps have become a really important part of your Disney World survival kit! Here is a list of the iPhone apps that I use to make sure I get the most out of my experience:
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| Undercover Tourist |
- Disney World Wait Times, Dining and Maps, by Undercovertourist.com, $3.99: There is also a free version of this app which I own, and I know that $3.99 is steep by iTunes standards but let me tell you right now it's completely worth the money. According to wide review, they have the most accurate wait times of all the apps available which makes a world of difference when you take the bus all the way to Magic Kingdom from the Animal kingdom just to ride Space Mountain and realize that it's 120 minutes and not 20 minutes. It's dining information is also in-depth and informative. It lists the restaurants by park, gives the cuisine type, the restaurant type (table service, quick service, etc.) the restaurants star rating, whether it accepts the Dining Plan, and most importantly what the price range is. It also includes a list of items that are on each menu, which is great if you have picky little snowflakes with you. It includes parade times, which parades are taking place that day, the hours for each individual park (Extra Magic Hours included), and a list of rides near you. What I really like about this one is the crowd forecast, which will tell you via green, yellow, and red dots how busy the park is going to be that day or how busy it currently is. I didn't really think you could put a price on this kind of information but apparently you can, and that price is $3.99.
- Disney World Wait Times, VersaEdge Software, $0.99, Free: There is a free version of this app as well as a paid version but as usual I am always a bigger fan of the free version you guys. Never pay for something they are otherwise giving away. Zuckerberg didn't make his money by spending $0.99 willy nilly all over the place. This one is solid wait times only which I love because sometimes that's all you need. If you're like me and you know the parks like the back of your hand there is no need for complicated maps and needing to know what restaurants are around you because you've neurotically had your day planned for weeks and you've had dinner reservations for a full 180 days. Sometimes you just need to mean business, and business at Disney parks are wait times! Time lost is rides lost, and rides lost is magic lost!
- Hidden Mickey's of Walt Disney World Orland, Llama Software, $0.99: This one isn't as jazzy as the hidden Mickey's app based on the popular Hidden Mickey's Guide but you know what? It gets the job done. There are no fun pictures, or colors, it's just a straight forward list of where you can find hidden Mickey's in each park and gives enough detail to get you looking where you need to. Some people may not like this one because it's not catchy and does require some thinking, it won't just point you straight at the hidden Mickey's, you still have to look for them yourself, but you will be in the right area. And really what's the fun of looking for hidden Mickey's if it's not like an actual Easter egg hunt? I suggest if you want something with colors and pictures you spend the $5.99-$7.99 on the Hidden Mickey's Guide, but if you don't have a problem looking for them on your own then this is the app for you. For example, this app will go something on the order of "Magic Kingdom > Fantasyland > Flying Carpets of Alladin > Behind Ride > Charm in cement". Not too hard to figure out and actually may be fun if you're all Sherlock Holmes-y.
- TalkDisney.com CommunityApp, End of Time Studios, Free: This one is great because it 's basically the mobile version of the online forum. I think it's great to hear the official Disney review on most things, but what you really need to hear is how the every day Disney guest experienced a restaurant, or ride, or show. If you're reading this it probably means you're interested in getting the opinion of frequent guests and want to be prepared as possible, which means that you may just love this app. A lot of people ask questions that you may even know the answer to, so this app is good for before you leave, but may be a little to complicated for when you're at the park. So make sure you read it before you go and don't open it up while waiting in like for Philharmagic (has there ever really been a line for Philharmagic anyway?)
- The Walt Disney World Maps Box Set, UPinPoint, $3.99: This one doesn't require internet access which is always nice when you have that nice slow Disney park bandwidth (makes it really irritating when you're trying to make your Facebook friends jealous with the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular!). The official site for this app describes it as "brief and useful information about attractions and dining". Once again I can't emphasize enough how much "brief" and "useful" work great together in sentences about WDW. When you're in a crowded park with kids whining about where you're going next, concise and quick is key! You can search attractions by alphabetic order on this one, and the screen shots are great. There are several others I would try before this one, but it's worth a shot just the same.
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| Hidden Mickey logo |
Remember you guys, when you're in the park sometimes nothing can replace the paper maps on hand as they are the most recent and up to date information on what's going down in the park that day (and if it's not either of those things, you march yourself over to Guest Services and you get yourself a couple free FastPasses Mister!!) but these applications really aid in the planning aspect which if you can't already tell, I'm huge on. And plus if the Disney bandwidth issue is giving you a headache (this is just my experience on AT&T and my iPhone) then the paper map is a quick and easy way to get what you need. I also think they're a really cool thing to give to the kids (and my husband) and let them feel like they're helping (They aren't). :)
