As picture-perfect as it seems (and in a lot of ways, REALLY is!), not everything is as it seems in Disney World!
From misquoted wait times to preconceived — and perhaps even misleading? — notions about new attractions, there are MANY things that can be surprising, and downright unexpected, in the Most Magical Place on Earth!
Is Disney World a place of pure joy, pure nostalgia, and pure sugar? Yes, yes, and YES. Is everything always reliably perfect? Umm, not so much.
We’ve come to expect the unexpected here, and if there’s ONE thing you shouldn’t totally trust in Disney World, it’s a little thing called technology. And the biggest technology reliance is My Disney Experience. This is where you will access Genie, Genie+, reservations, the map, and more!
We Need to Talk About the My Disney Experience App
Now more than EVER, especially with the heavily increased reliable on technology for just about EVERYTHING in Disney World, it’s important not to put ALL of your trust in an app.
Yes, the My Disney Experience app is a miracle-worker, and frankly a NECESSITY these days. We’ve long praised the many MANY things it can do for you, and it sure makes Disney a LOT easier in just about every way.
But it’s certainly not without its flaws, and when things DO get flawed, it gets messy real quick. Like when the app just fully malfunctions and stops working, resulting in a swarm at Guest Relations.
Have You Noticed This New Detail in the My Disney Experience App? — Click Here
The Pros
Listen, we don’t want to totally knock the My Disney Experience app, because it’s legit AMAZING. Like, where would we be without it?! So let’s look at a few of the things we love about it.
We can make restaurant reservations, check wait times, make plans with Disney Genie, download photos, and place Mobile Orders! All from the palm of our hand! And that’s just scratching the surface!
Of course, all of those things aren’t always reliable and attainable, but we can try nonetheless, and My Disney Experience makes it a LOT easier to do so!
Click Here for Everything You Can Do On My Disney Experience BEFORE Your Disney World Vacation
The Cons
When we speak about not being reliable, we mean it. For the numerous convenient things the My Disney Experience app can do for you, it doesn’t take much to throw it into complete disarray.
For starters, the app doesn’t work great in bad — or slow — service areas. Unfortunately, this being Disney World, you’re almost always in a super crowded setting, which can slow service for everyone, so there’s that.
At random, restaurant reservation availability will literally show up as nothing on your phone, as if there are zero reservations available in all of Disney World. Like, OK! And in terms of Mobile Orders, these can be a whole mess in and of themselves! We’ve all seen how frequently THAT falls apart and shuts down at any given moment!
Then there’s the mere fact that technology requires frequent updates and battery life. For instance, if you don’t carry a charger around with you in your pocket, you’ll be down to zero pretty quick (you’ll be using it a LOT, we assure you). And if you don’t have an updated version of the app, you might be missing some crucial things you didn’t even know existed!
So yeah, for as incredibly helpful as the My Disney Experience app can be, it’s also important to be mindful that technology is prone to malfunction, random errors, and a dwindling battery life. But as long as you have backup plans, and are able to keep your cool if things go awry, your own personal Disney experience will still be a magical one!
3 New Technology Updates That Could Change Disney World — Click Here!
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WE KNOW DISNEY.
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Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What do you wish the My Disney Experience app could do BETTER? Let us know in the comments!
Richard+Mercer says
The worst thing about using MDE in the parks is that it is ON YOUR PHONE.
I suppose if you have perfect eyesight that’s not an issue, but some of us are not happy about doing a lot of reading on a screen 1/20 the size of our desktop computer! My eyesight is good but somewhat short of 20/20. Trying to use MDE in the parks is at best a nuisance unless I bring reading glasses with me, itself a nuisance!
And in restaurants they now want you to scan a QR-code to bring up a TEENY TINY menu on your phone. Why would I want to do that even if I CAN read it?! I always ask for a full-size menu.
And even with perfect vision the whole Genie+ is a PITA. I have said many time that I would rather PAY for FP+ than use Genie+ for free.
Ken says
all this technology is far to complicated for me. My days of vacationing at Disney are coming to an end. I was much easier and a lot more fun in the old days when all we had was fast pass and wait in line for food. Now we cant do either.
David Kinsman says
I have got along just fine for many many years without Disney’s technology, Besides I only have a flip phone.
Gino says
My question about this use of technology, and this is basically the only way to navigate around WDW, is what do individuals do that do not have smart phones, i.e. senior citizens. You are basically at the mercy of help from cast members which seems to be less and less every month.