Does anyone use an iPad/iPod (or other brands) using only wifi to access TP while in WDW? Can it be done or do you need a phone with a data plan, at very least as back up?
I’m considering commandeering DS’s old ipod and hooking up to the Disney wifi to have access to my plans and to the wait times. Would that work?
On another note, as we are not from the U.S. - is it possible to buy burner phones at Best Buy (et. al.) that would have data plans on them for a reasonable price? I’m not willing to pay roaming charges from any phone I might have from home. (Canada)
I did buy an add-on US Travel Pack for myself through my provider (Fido - 50 minutes of call time, unlimited texting, and 200MB of data for $40). I honestly didn’t use any data at all, and saved it for if I needed it in an emergency, but never did.The airport has Wifi, and the park and resort Wifi is great. It gets a bit spotty in some places (deep inside rides like Under the Sea and Pirates of the Caribbean) but for the most part it’ll be fine for touring plans and the MDE app. You can also take printed hard copies of the touring plans if you like, I actually preferred it to having it on my phone 24/7. I could see the whole day at a glance and cross things out and move them around as we progressed through the day. But that’s just personal preference
Usually I just do the paper plans, but I’m trying to fit some things in, probably too tightly and so being able to change on the fly without consulting several pages of dated info. I know, I’m being too detail oriented now, but really, it means I’ll enjoy my day better, if I know I have control of my plan.
I didn’t realize you could buy add-ons for U.S. travel. I’ll check that out. Thanks. Also, may just go the ipod route, if the wifi is that good in the park.
It’s potentially a higher cost than you’d pay if you did it per-usage, but at least you know you’re covered for what you need without the risk of insane roaming fees. Be aware that for the texting that you’ll have to turn off iMessage (if you have Apple phones) because it uses data, and just go with regular SMS messages. I did use a few call minutes as well, had to call Disney Dining at one point, and also called our Happy Limo driver when we arrived at the airport. Which provider do you use?
We are from the uk and I used wi fi only (no data) on an iPhone. Most of the time it was fine, there were a few areas in the parks where wi fi signal wasn’t great, near Jungle Cruise in MK for instance, so had to wait to update my plan until later, but I didn’t need data.
Malyficent - No provider yet… they’re all so expensive! But I was looking at Virgin or Bell (Ontario). I don’t even have a smart phone yet, but maybe get one of those instead of a new ipod???
The wifi is spotty, but so is cell service. You’ll just need to update/optimize your TPs while you have a good wifi signal. Then it won’t matter if you don’t have one when you’re simply referencing it. It only matters when you want to change stuff or go to a different part of the app. If you just leave the TP up while you have no wifi signal, you’ll be fine. You just can’t click on anything else, or you may not be able to get back to the TP.
