Using mobile devices in parks, tips?

[AmandaChan]

First time we are going with our cell phones. DH and I both have iphones. As you probably know, the batteries do not last long. We don't plan on taking away from our experience when we are in the parks but beside taking pictures and looking at the MDE app and possibly using it to keep the kids happy in line I'm wondering if anyone has any tips or experience on keeping their phones charged or from going completely dead. Are there ports anywhere now that you can sit at when you are taking a break? Can't you buy like external chargers and has anyone used one? Weird question probably, I know. Thanks

[Melanie]

There are now charging stations at Magic Kingdom, located at the Tangled bathroom and the Storybook Circus areas. They can get a bit crowded in the afternoons, and I found the majority of the USB ports at the Tangled area to not even work a few weeks ago when I was there. Exhausting! Make sure you bring the plug in instead, as we had more luck with the electrical outlets.

Unfortunately, Disney hasn't provided any more official charging stations at the other parks. Wish they'd get on that!

Through the years, I've had a Mophie battery case, and now I have a Mophie external battery. They work well for me.

[AgentC]

Through the years, I've had a Mophie battery case, and now I have a Mophie external battery. They work well for me.

I also have been very happy with my Mophie charger. I use the external battery. I have not tried the case.

I also have an emergency Energizer charger that takes batteries. I don't use it very often but it is a nice back up since you can normally buy AA batteries anywhere.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

This is a challenge, isn't it? I took my iphone for the first time last trip, and was just able to squeak out the day, but we don't use it too often for photos - we have a camera.

The mophie battery packs are awesome! I also agree that if you're going to charge, take your plug with you and find an outlet for a few minutes, don't rely on the MK charging station, or their being anything else available.

With two iphones, I'd use one until it is drained, and then switch to the second ... you'd probably get the full day out of both of them.

[TheHD]

The only way I was able to keep my phone going all day was to recharge it during our midday resort break. Without the break, I would be struggling to find an outlet or charging station somewhere.

[dnickels]

Since you've both got phones, why not turn one off for the first half of the day? That way you'll have at least one phone with a full charge for the afternoon/evening.

[DizneyRox]

External battery chargers are probably the way to go...

When choosing one, look at the capacity. The higher the capacity the more it will charge before needing a recharge itself. The higher the capacity the heavier it will be as well.

The new iPhones have a capacity of about 1500 mAh. So, a 8000 mAh battery backup should be able to recharge one iPhone about 5 times.

The iPad 4th gen has a capacity of 11,560 mAh, which means that same 8000 mAh charger couldn't fully charge that iPad.

There are deals almost every day on different battery packs. I got one recently, 12,000 mAh and it has two USB ports, one for phones (1A), another for tablets (2.1A). So I can charge a couple devices at the same time, and the 2.1A port will support a quicker charge. Came with a USB cable with interchangeable end so I can charge iDevices as well as Android devices if I needed to. It takes a long time to recharge the battery pack however (overnight is usually enough).

Plan on spending between $20 to $40 on a decent charger, make sure you look at reviews, I've seen people having problems with lesser quality packs getting hot and even catching fire.

You can look at turning off features you don't need to help conserve battery life. Turning down the brightness of the display, a quicker time out (sleep mode), Bluetooth, etc. They may help extend battery life for a while. iDevices are a little more limited. MDE has been a battery hog in the past, it uses GPS and it used to stay resident which burned battery. You can more easily kill processes with an Android.

The bottom line though, you'll probably still need a battery pack to get a full day out of a charge, even with mild usage.

[g8rgirl29]

Definitely pick up an external battery charger or two depending on the size you choose!! I got a Jackery for my last trip, could get three charges to my phone from one charge to the Jackery. This was a trip without children so not as many photo's or games being played on my phone while in line but I was using MDE and line apps. I only needed to charge once a day in the park, occasionally twice. Don't forget a power strip for your room, we had a lot of stuff charging at the end of the day!!!

[MargaretMessler]

External battery charger, definitely the way to go. Even if you don't think you're using your phone that much, it can drain some battery life just from constantly going about trying to find the Wi-Fi. They don't take up much room in a back or pocket, definitely worth the investment.

[BrerGnat]

Turn off WiFi and use your mobile data for MDE app. It is faster and uses less battery.

[MargaretMessler]

Turn off WiFi and use your mobile data for MDE app. It is faster and uses less battery.

True enough. I know some people worry about going over on their data allowance and wouldn't want to risk that if they could avoid it.

[BrerGnat]

True enough. I know some people worry about going over on their data allowance and wouldn't want to risk that if they could avoid it.

I have never come close to going over my data allowance since I have my wifi on most of the time. Vacations are the only time I use mobile data, primarily.