In recent years, especially since the parks reopened in the summer of 2020, technology has become a crucial part of the Disney World experience. From planning your vacation to checking into your hotel room to ordering food and beyond, there’s a variety of times when you’ll be relying on technology to make sure your trip is a success.

While some of us are more tech-savvy than others, there are a few specific examples of times when technology can get the best of all of us! Luckily, most of these incidents just require a little bit of planning before your vacation so you can be prepared!

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Boarding Groups

This one is frustrating even for the most technologically advanced guests!! Since it first opened at Disney World in May 2022, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT has used a virtual queue system for guests looking to experience the attraction. That means that if you want to ride, you’ll need to either get a boarding group or pay to use the Lightning Lane. So, it’s really important that you know the ins and outs of getting a Boarding Group if you want any shot at experiencing this very cool ride without an added cost!

The basic fundamentals in acquiring a boarding group involve having My Disney Experience downloaded and ready to go when the groups are distributed, which as of this writing happens at 7AM and 1PM each day. You’ll want to make sure everyone in your party has their tickets linked to one another, and make sure your phone is running properly (restart your phone right before the groups drop, close out of every other app, and turn off Disney’s wi-fi). Get your finger ready to do some fast clicking/tapping as soon as the clock strikes!

Unfortunately, getting a boarding group often comes down to luck and timing. The groups vanish in seconds for the morning drop and those precious milliseconds you spend tapping through the screens could mean the difference between getting to ride or not. Be ready right as the groups open up and hope for the best!

Click Here for the Trick to Riding Guardians Twice in One Day!

Mobile Order

Mobile Order was once a super convenient and lesser-known method of “skipping the line” to get your food at counter service locations around Disney World. It was one of our favorite tips to share! Instead of waiting in loooong lines to order food, you could order, customize, and pay for your order from the comfort of your phone then stroll up and pick up your order. Easy peasy!

Since the parks reopened post the COVID-19-related closures, however, it has become the primary method of ordering and picking up your food — so a LOT of guests know about Mobile Order these days!

Even if you’re a Mobile Order expert from before the closures, your challenge now may come down to simply finding a return window so you can pick up your food and eat! Those return windows fill up FAST now that so many people use Mobile Order. If you wait until noon to order lunch, you may not have available return windows until 2PM or later!

In order to avoid any difficulties with Mobile Order, know where you want to eat well ahead of time and place those orders early! We’re talking ordering lunch as you eat your breakfast in the park. Remember that you can select any open return window, so you can totally order your lunch early in the morning and pick a 12:30PM return window.

Click here to read about the HARSH reality behind mobile ordering in Disney World

My Disney Experience in General

Disney World’s mobile app, My Disney Experience, can experience technical glitches from time to time, whether you’re trying to use Mobile Order or simply access a park map. Like any other app, it can crash, freeze, or be prone to the occasional bug.

The difference here, however, is that this isn’t like any other app — when you’re in Disney World, it’s kinda important that My Disney Experience works smoothly so you can access your reservations, secure boarding groups for rides, use Genie+, and more. 

To avoid any potential issues, make sure the app is updated and you restart your phone if you experience any difficulties. Also, make sure you’re running as few apps as possible in the background when you try to use My Disney Experience. If the app continues to act up, make sure that everyone in your party has access to the app and all of your reservations. That way, someone else can manage the app if it’s working on their phone.

We’re big fans of screenshotting important info — dining reservations, boarding group info, and more. If something acts up in the app, you’ll have all this info handy. Screenshotting also helps when the app goofs up and could potentially ruin your plans! We’ve secured boarding groups only to have them disappear in the app, dining reservations that we confirmed but are nowhere to be seen, and more. Showing a Cast Member screenshots can help them locate your reservations on their end or otherwise see what happened.

Everything You Can Do on My Disney Experience BEFORE Your Vacation!

Disney Genie+

Ahh, the infamous Genie+, Disney World’s (and Disneyland’s) new paid skip-the-line system. In just the few months since it has been operating, it has left many guests frustrated and confused due to its complicated rules and frequent tech glitches. Not to mention the fact that it costs $15 per ticket, per day, when the former FastPass+ system was free.

In order to use Genie+ effectively, you’ll need to know the ins and outs. You’ll have to know what times you can book your selections for the day (starting at 7AM), all the random terminology (things like Lightning Lanes and Individual Attraction Selections), how to make the most of the 120-minute rule (probably one of the most confusing things!), and more. It’s not for the faint of heart or those who aren’t tech-savvy.

However, if you manage to master the system and use it properly, you can get a lot of rides accomplished in one day in the parks. It could save you some significant time waiting in line, you’ll just have to invest that time into learning the system before your trip!

We’re Breaking Down the Most Confusing Parts of Genie+ — Click Here to Learn More!

Disney World’s Notorious Wi-fi

One of the great perks to being on Disney World property is that they offer free wi-fi throughout the parks and resorts to ALL guests. However, while this is a nice free perk, it’s not the most reliable. Granted, it’s 2022 and pretty much every place you’d ever go seems to offer free wi-fi nowadays — but the wi-fi at your local grocery store or dentist probably works better than Disney’s! We actually recommend you NOT be on their wi-fi when trying to get a boarding group for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind — your standard cell service will likely be more reliable!

If you’re on a limited data plan, you may find it to be a bit challenging when working with Disney World’s wi-fi without having to rely on cell service. Just know ahead of time that you’re bound to run into a few hiccups along the way, or turn your wi-fi off briefly in those crucial moments, like getting a Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Boarding Group. You can also consider setting up a personal hotspot if you prefer!

These days, it’s super important to know how Disney World’s technology works so you can have a smooth, effortless vacation. Tech glitches can make or break your day in the parks, and unfortunately, they can happen from time to time! Be sure to read up on all of the features on My Disney Experience so you can navigate the app like a pro, and definitely remember to pack those portable phone chargers! Since you’ll likely be glued to your phone in the parks, you’ll want to keep that battery life up.

Do you have a Disney World vacation planned for 2022? Let us know in the comments!