Articles | Disneyland | Walt Disney World
Results 1 to 23 of 23

Thread: Free Wifi in the parks?

  1. #1
    Registered User MuckaMowie's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    8 miles from fantasyland

    Free Wifi in the parks?

    Since free wifi is now available at the Magic Kingdom, does anyone have any information as to when it will be available at DLR?


  2. # ADS

    Join Date
    Location
    Posts
     

  3. #2

    This is a feature I would not like to see. Because of it's location, so many people go after school, after work, or even in lieu of work or school. With wifi in the park people will sit there all day on their laptops. Imagine telecommuters camped out at Jolly Holiday while your family is looking for a table to eat lunch. Or people camped out all day on the benches staring at laptops while guests try to find a spot for parades, fireworks, or just to eat their ice cream. Most people can use the internet at home or easily get to their hotel for awhile. I hope if Disney does introduce wifi they at least charge for it.


  4. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    southern New Jersey

    AJ makes some valid points I hadn't thought of....

    John

  5. #4
    Registered User dban3's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Northern California (Sacramento Area)
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by AnotherJenny View Post
    This is a feature I would not like to see. Because of it's location, so many people go after school, after work, or even in lieu of work or school. With wifi in the park people will sit there all day on their laptops. Imagine telecommuters camped out at Jolly Holiday while your family is looking for a table to eat lunch. Or people camped out all day on the benches staring at laptops while guests try to find a spot for parades, fireworks, or just to eat their ice cream. Most people can use the internet at home or easily get to their hotel for awhile. I hope if Disney does introduce wifi they at least charge for it.
    There could be a lot of truth to this. I would hope it wouldn't be true but I wouldn't be surprised either. What I think is happening is Disney is trying to stay with or ahead of evolving technology with the fastest growing area of web browsing / app devices - wi-fi enabled tablets that are backpack and even camera bag friendly. Devices like the iPad2 (wi-fi only), Amazon Kindle Fire, and now the Google Nexus (and others) are in growing demand. And there is a certain payoff for Disney in providing the wi-fi service - people can keep themselves occupied in long lines or waiting for shows to start. Less boredom in long waits adds to a better overall park experience (I would think).
    Writing about all things Disney, a couple of paragraphs at a time.

    http://disneylandtraveler.blogspot.com/

    105000 page views and counting

  6. #5
    Ready for MA World Explorers! Drince88's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    N.O. LA
    Blog Entries
    5

    Those of you interested in this topic might like to check out this week's WDW Update on MousePlanet. Mark has some info about the roll-out to Magic Kingdom there and some of the potential reasons behind it happening.

    Cathy

  7. #6

    Some of the information that Disney has stated about the Next Generation experiences that are coming may require WiFi in the resort. It's coming to WDW first which is the test ground for the Next Generation stuff at this point. At DLR it could be coming in a year or two, but what they figure out at WDW may determine if DLR does or doesn't need WiFi or other parts of the Next Generation experiences.


  8. #7
    Just give me one more day at Disney magicalmoments's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Tustin, CA
    Quote Originally Posted by AnotherJenny View Post
    This is a feature I would not like to see. Because of it's location, so many people go after school, after work, or even in lieu of work or school. With wifi in the park people will sit there all day on their laptops. Imagine telecommuters camped out at Jolly Holiday while your family is looking for a table to eat lunch. Or people camped out all day on the benches staring at laptops while guests try to find a spot for parades, fireworks, or just to eat their ice cream. Most people can use the internet at home or easily get to their hotel for awhile. I hope if Disney does introduce wifi they at least charge for it.
    I don't think the above would actually happen for a few reasons.
    1) Disneyland isn't like a Starbucks where you can "zone out" the noise. It's loud, kids are crying, screaming, laughing. Way to hard to do anything other than people watch there.
    2) Where would they plug in? There are no outlets available or easily accessible. If Disney keeps it this way, there won't be that many people trying to go online there.
    3) The internet would probably be very slow because of the high volume of users.

    I'd like wi-fi in the parks because I like to check mousewait, the DLR park app, and upload photos to FB or instagram without using my month's data allotment in one day

    I hope they don't charge for it because I'm already paying through the nose to be there. I've gone to the GCH to get at WWS and use their wi-fi sometimes.
    Cristabel

  9. #8

    well, if you wear headphones you can tune out the rest of the world. I do wonder if we'll see an increase in charging lockers and with all of this expensive, highly breakable equipment coming in, temporary lockers like the ones they have at Grizzly.

    I just can't imagine bringing a tablet or slim laptop into the park. I see that people bring their iPads, but I would spend the entire day worrying about breaking or damaging it.

    My Year With The Mouse
    Blogging my quest to do everything there is to do at Disneyland

    My Year With The Mouse on Facebook

  10. #9
    Registered User pcrazy99's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Phoenix,Arizona on the Sun

    I would love free wifi in the park. It would be nice to help pass the time while waiting over an hour for a ride.


  11. #10

    this would be a great idea for visitors from out of the country... although 1 to 2 years is a very long wait.

    i would love to be able to tweet about my day at the park on my iphone, but i cant because its around $20 per mb of data on my aus sim.

    Believing is just the Beginning
    1996 2005 2007 2009
    Countdown is on to DISNEYLAND 2012!

  12. #11
    Registered User codewoman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Beautiful Colorado

    Not sure of the cost, but our Costa Rican co-workers purchased pay as you go phones for their time here. A way to stay in touch during their stay. But they were here for two months!

    There are 10 kinds of people in this world... Those who know binary and those who don't.

  13. #12

    There are several areas (not so much in DL sadly) around DTD & DCA where you can get a free WIFI signal.

    Also, around the pool at Disneyland Hotel and near the conference rooms.

    In Feb/Mar this year, and September last year these all worked… great for a quick Tweet or Facebook update, or email a few pics to friends


  14. #13
    Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho

    Wow, I am kinda torn on this one. On the one hand like people have said we will be able to use our phones and not spend any of our allotted data. Which makes me happy, because I finally just got a smartphone and will be able to use the DLand apps for the first time this next trip. (I know, I know Wifi not coming anytime soon)

    On the other hand, I can defintely see the AP's hanging out and working in the park taking up valuable sitting spaces (especially since Carnation Plaza closed). How do I know this? Because if I lived in the area I would be one of them. I already hang out at the Jolly Holiday (and before it was the Jolly Holiday) with my cup of coffee and notepad filling it with notes and journals at the end of each day I get to visit Disneyland on vacation.

    Still, though, I wouldn't like to see a sea of laptops walking past every eating place in the park.


  15. #14
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    southern New Jersey

    If this were to become a real problem at the eating establishments perhaps Disney would have to enforce a purchase policy and/or time limit in order to occupy a table....Unfortunately I can imagine someone ordering a cup of coffee and then occupying a table for 3 hours surfing the net...

    John

  16. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by MuckaMowie View Post
    Since free wifi is now available at the Magic Kingdom, does anyone have any information as to when it will be available at DLR?
    If the NextGen initiative spreads to Disneyland Resort, they'll invest in the infrastructure for public wifi. Until then, I would say chances are slim to none. There is free wifi in the public areas of the DLR hotels though, so if you need to check emails just grab a drink at Hearthstone and surf away.

  17. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by carolinakid View Post
    If this were to become a real problem at the eating establishments perhaps Disney would have to enforce a purchase policy and/or time limit in order to occupy a table....Unfortunately I can imagine someone ordering a cup of coffee and then occupying a table for 3 hours surfing the net...
    It should be possible to create a system where printed on your receipt is a one-time use code to connect to the wifi for a limited amount of time. The problem would be that this would pretty much have to be implemented on a park-wide level because you can't exactly keep the limitless wifi from outside an establishment from getting inside (unless Disney establishes specific zones away from eateries).

  18. #17
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Running Springs,CA

    On August 2 a friend of mine posted on Facebook that there was free Wifi near Pirates.


  19. #18
    Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Quote Originally Posted by Finding Gigi View Post
    On August 2 a friend of mine posted on Facebook that there was free Wifi near Pirates.
    I wonder if WiFi is up in Club 33 and that is what they were picking up.

  20. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by magicalmoments View Post
    I don't think the above would actually happen for a few reasons.
    1) Disneyland isn't like a Starbucks where you can "zone out" the noise. It's loud, kids are crying, screaming, laughing. Way to hard to do anything other than people watch there.
    2) Where would they plug in? There are no outlets available or easily accessible. If Disney keeps it this way, there won't be that many people trying to go online there.
    3) The internet would probably be very slow because of the high volume of users.

    I'd like wi-fi in the parks because I like to check mousewait, the DLR park app, and upload photos to FB or instagram without using my month's data allotment in one day

    I hope they don't charge for it because I'm already paying through the nose to be there. I've gone to the GCH to get at WWS and use their wi-fi sometimes.

    As a social media user myself I completely agree with this.
    DLand/DCA-9/17,5/16,9/15,3/15,11/12,9/10,4/09,4/06,7/00
    1st time cruising ever was "Cruise to Nowhere 1/2011"

  21. #20
    MousePlanet Staff
    MousePlanet Staff
    adriennek's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    In Toxic Levels of Testosterone
    Blog Entries
    8
    Quote Originally Posted by magicalmoments View Post
    I don't think the above would actually happen for a few reasons.
    1) Disneyland isn't like a Starbucks where you can "zone out" the noise. It's loud, kids are crying, screaming, laughing. Way to hard to do anything other than people watch there.
    I could totally zone out at DL. Shelby mentioned headphones but I could zone out the noise without them.

    2) Where would they plug in? There are no outlets available or easily accessible. If Disney keeps it this way, there won't be that many people trying to go online there.
    There are outlets if you look for them. We made a new friend recently at the resort because he needed access to the plug near us. Also, there are back-up batteries.
    Parenting in the Parks[/url]
    Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do with what happens to you.[/b]
    "You should do totally do this thing, but just remember, it's going to suck eggs" #ThingsMyFriendsSayToMe

  22. #21

    I'm with ADK, I could totally zone out at Disneyland. It's such a happy place for me, I could totally see going there on a lazy day just to people watch and hang out (and play on Wi-Fi on my tiny two-pound computer). If there had been Wi-Fi when I was in college, I would have been there for entire days just to make studying and homework happier.


  23. #22

    Wow you people must post a lot of pictures. I have a standard AT&T data plan which is 3 gigs per month. I rarely go over 500 megs in a month and have never gone over 1 gig. I couldn't imagine using the entire allotment in a single day at DL.


  24. #23

    At DL my data connection is very poor and everything takes so much longer (this was the case when I had AT&T and still happening as a T-Mobile customer). I do like posting pictures of my day on Instagram or Facebook, and apparently so do thousands of other people at the same time

    When I was there for the Leap Day event, I could not even so much as send a text message!

    I would love Wi-Fi at the park, but I wonder if there are any TWC hot spots. If you are a TWC customer you can access free wi-fi hot spots around LA and OC.


Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •