Many Happy Returns to my most celebrated party guests! Today we are celebrating the (belated)
Birthday of our most wonderful idol. Our
fair Alice first debuted in U.S theaters 61 years ago on July 28th! Since her debut, there have been many
versions and renditions of her trip down the rabbit hole both low budgeted and
blockbuster budgeted. Over the years,
her story has only been enhanced by up and coming technology. Tim Burton did an excellent job at immersing
his audience utilizing 3D technology in a new Alice experience in 2010. Technology has played a huge role in all
sorts of Disney experiences over the years ranging from out of this world
Disney Imagineering on Mission Space to handheld technology of the numerous
apps available for download on smart devices.
What better topic to discuss at our tea party than the ever changing
technology that IS the Disney Experience?!
As we discussed at our last great gathering, finding
resources to help you on your Disney journey can be overwhelming at times. During my last visit to the Happiest Place on
Earth, I noticed that technology was a HUGE part of most guests’ daily
activity. Some people were using their
smart phones/mobile devices to check wait times on attractions, while others
were looking at interactive maps of the parks to find the easiest route to
their next destination. I personally
have an iPad, which isn’t as convenient to bring to the parks as a smart phone,
but is still proving to be an excellent tool in my Disney planning. Although my device won’t be making the trip
into the parks, it certainly will be accompanying me to my hotel room. I’ve downloaded several apps and podcasts on
my device to play around with, and I would like to share my experience with
each of them (so far) with you!
The first App I downloaded was the WDW Dining app. This app is a VERY helpful tool to anyone and everyone looking to dine
at a WDW eatery during their stay. When
you first open the app, you will be asked to “Please select a restaurant to see
a menu”. You then click on the dining
button and walk through the looking glass to view a whole new world of possibilities. The WDW Dining App organizes the restaurants
by location (Resorts, Deluxe Resorts, Parks, and even Down Town Disney), and
has 4 extra features (Food Finder, My Dining Schedule, My Favorites, and near
me).
When you click on a resort/park, a
list of all restaurants comes up. Resort
lists are just organized in a one by one list, but if you are searching for an
eatery in the parks, the list is organized by the individual “lands” in the
park (Adventureland inMK, etc). One nice
feature about the layout of the lists is that they tell you whether or not the
particular restaurant qualifies for any discounts (DDP, TiW, AP, DVC). The interface also lets you know what kind of
eatery it is and its approximate price range (Quick vs. Table, $-$$$). When you decide to click on a restaurant, a
brief description is given of what kind of food they serve and what characters
(if any) you may see while dining there.
You then have an option on some to pick out the menu you want, and view
a CURRENT MENU and PRICES for your meal.
The restaurant menu also provides you with a picture of the restaurant,
where to find it, what meals they serve, and whether or not reservations are recommended. The extra features are also very nice to have
with this particular app. The Food
Finder feature allows you to quickly navigate to a list of eateries that serve
a particular food item (mostly snack based).
Options you can choose from range from churros to turkey legs. The My Dining Schedule allows you to click on
the “clock” button on a particular restaurant’s page to add your personal
reservation time, name/number the reservation is under, and the party
size. The nice thing about this option
is that you can keep track of all your reservations all in one app. You even have the option to email your dining
schedule in case you want to share it with someone. Just like the MDS feature, the My Favorites feature
allows you to click the “star” button to flag your particular favorite
restaurants. Lastly, the Near Me feature
allows you to use your device’s GPS capability to find where you are and can
point you in the direction of nearby eateries. "Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction"
The next two apps I downloaded were WDW hours and WDW
Maps. I downloaded these together
because they sort of go hand in hand.
The WDW hours app allows you to see the park hours for up to 6 months ahead of time. Of course, hours can change, but this gives you very up to date information.. The layout of this app
is quite simple and easy to navigate.
All you have to do is scroll down to find the date(s) that you are
looking for, and you will see each park is represented with the park hours
underneath the name of the park. If a
particular park is closed for refurbishment (Typhoon Lagoon will be closed
during our trip), instead of hours underneath the name, you will see “Refurbishment”. If a park is offering EMH that particular
day, they will be listed UNDER THE REGULAR PARK HOURS in green.
When you click on a park, a window pops up
listing the date, the regular hours, EMH (if applicable) and what time special
events happen and their times, such as fireworks and parades. My only complaint about this app is that
although it is simple and straight forward, I don’t find the layout “Magical.” The color scheme is black and pink with white
lettering (green for EMH) on the black buttons and gray dates on the pink
scroll section. Not really a huge deal,
it’s just that I think it could use some more vibrant colors perhaps.
The WDW Maps App includes maps of all 4 theme parks and
Downtown Disney. When you
select a map, you are presented with a “zoomed out” map of the basic layout of
that area.
When you scroll in, you see a
more detailed map with typical map icons such as restrooms and information
stations. Attractions such as rides and
restaurants have a text icon with their names which you can click on to get a
quick description of that area. A
pointing hand on the map also shows you where character spots are, whether they
are home to particular characters or various.
A GPS arrow allows you to find where you are (if you are in the park of
course) so you can find the easiest route to your particular destination. Overall I think this map is easy to use, and
is colorful like the maps you can get at the parks. My suggestion (I don’t know if it is possible
but it sounds good in my head) would be that somehow developers could include maps
of the individual resorts. I think this
would be nice to have when pre-planning your stay at a particular resort (to
request a room in a building near the main pool or bus stop) or even while you
are at the resort (finding the fastest route to the food court).
Although these apps will provide you with lots of “planning”
fun, how about some real fun? One day, I
was so excited about going back to Disney that I NEEDED a video fix. This is when I discovered the magic that is
Disney related Podcasts. Podcasts are a
great way to take a mini-vacation during your regular day to experience a
little bit of magic. I personally am a
visual person and enjoy watching videos of Disney things, but I am starting to
dabble in the “audio” podcasts at the suggestion of our great guest Jen. While I originally subscribed to the video
podcasts to pass time before my trip, I am now planning to pass time DURING the
long plane ride to the “Happiest Place on Earth.” I currently am enjoying a subscription to the
Disneyland and Walt Disney World video podcast by Dennis Hansen. I first found Dennis’s videos on YouTube,
which then directed me to his iTunes collection. The great thing I LOVE about Dennis’s podcasts
is that he covers all kinds of Disney activities at both WDW and DL. He records his videos in HD, and is ALWAYS
flawless. He has videos ranging from
fireworks displays to parades to rides like Splash Mountain. Another podcast I have downloaded episodes of
is The BigD in HD. I found a few videos on
here not currently on Dennis’s podcasts.
The video quality of these videos is also quite good.
As for the “audio” podcasts, I don’t think I am giving them
the credit they properly deserve.
Currently I am using them as something to listen to at work in the
background instead of my usual Disney tunes.
Again, thanks to my great friend Jen and her fiancé, I am finding out
listening to The WDW Radio Show can be quite fun. This podcast has close to 300 episodes,
covering a variety of topics. The show covers
a different topic each week, and also includes a trivia section each week and
sometimes even includes listener questions and call-ins. *LINK*. An audio blog I found on my own was the Disney
Food Blog Podcast, and they discuss, you guessed it, FOOD! While currently still a relatively “new”
podcast, I like the hosts and the layout of the show. They also feature a trivia section as well as
reviews of restaurants at both WDW and DL.
They also offer suggestions on how to enhance your Disney Dining experience,
as well as answer reader/listener questions.
As I mentioned before, I’ve just begun playing around with
these quick escapes to Disney. Although
they all have their strengths and weaknesses, they all have one thing in common
which makes them even MORE MAGICAL! How
you may ask? I’ll tell you how! THEY ARE ALL FREE! That’s right my friends, not one penny was
spent on any of these apps or podcasts.
Although I must mention that the WDW Dining, Maps, and Times, are
offered in a 4.99 bundle with some other stuff, I find the free ones work just
fine. Since you are saving so much money
by finding FREE Disney technology, you can save your money for more fun
things. Speaking of more fun things,
that’s the topic of our next party!
It is now time my friends to wrap up our lovely party. Lady Layla has got her eye on something in the other room (hopefully not a friend of the Dormouse!) I do hope you've enjoyed our special "Ode to Technology"! As for next time my distinguished guests, we have some more fun planned out. Anyone up for a little "side journey" into a new world while in the Magic Kingdom? I hope you are ready for some more food, fun, and family. Family? Yes, family. We are all part of this wonderful family of Disney Fanatics, and we are all in Awe of Alice. Do make sure to tuck your dreams under your pillow tonight! Have a magical evening and remember, Wonderland is but a day dream away!
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