Phone charging in the parks

[beccasmom]

We bring a portable charger and that works pretty well. I also turn off any notifications I don’t absolutely need and that saves some battery life. If all else fails, DH never leaves the house without his Apple Watch, so that pretty much covers it.

 

[angierae]

Now that they have the fuel rods, I will just bring one of those and swap out as needed.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Fuel rods are a godsend. Expensive up front but worth it. I also plug in when I can, like while eating (some places have outlets near tables) or taking a break (like while everyone uses the Tangled bathrooms). Keep the phone brightness down, close apps running in the background, and turn off notifications and the location feature that’s on several apps, they all drain battery. Disney is pretty much impossible without a phone nowadays.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

Also with the Fuel Rod, you can change it out as many times as you want. DD got one and we all share it.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Another vote for fuel rod. I originally balked at the price, but it is so convenient! I just swap it out whenever we are near a fuel rod location so I don't run out.

 

[cinderaimee]

Another +1 for the fuel rods. I had a power bank I brought in my purse every day until one day I brought the battery but not the cable so I ended up buying a fuel rod. After that, I was happy to leave my much heavier power bank back at the hotel and swap out the fuel rods as needed, and it's great to know I can bring it back on my next trip and keep using them.

I also like to keep my phone in "low power mode" in the parks and it lasts a lot longer that way.

 

[MousetersInc]

I was starting to think about fuel rods, but this page and this one turned me off to them. We already have 3 or 4 battery packs, if I can just find the charging cables for them...

 

[Searc]

I was starting to think about fuel rods, but this page and this one turned me off to them. We already have 3 or 4 battery packs, if I can just find the charging cables for them...

LOL What the first claptrap article fails to mention (didn't bother reading the second) is fuelrods can be recharged. Plug 'em in at night along with all your other electronics and they are good to go for the next day. I have a mophie and much prefer the simplicity, weight and convenience of my fuelrod (everything I need is in one tiny container). I can get two full charges off my fuelrod before I need to recharge it, so I don't know what he's talking about in regards to it being basically useless. It works for me and that is all I care about.

 

[Robo]

I was starting to think about fuel rods, but this page and this one turned me off to them. We already have 3 or 4 battery packs, if I can just find the charging cables for them...

They are standard USB ("A" to "mini") cables, available for a few bucks just about anyplace.
I've seen them at Dollar Tree ($1 Store) for, well, YOU know...

 

[Michelle Carter]

Not totally sure, but I don’t ‘think’ there are any phone charging locations in the park.

It cost $30, but there are abundant Fuel Rod locations around which is what we use in a pinch: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/portable-phone-chargers/

I heard if you order the FuelRod through their website before going, it's only $25!!!

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I have pocket-sized charging banks. I can leave it in my bag with the cord slung over my shoulder so I can still use my phone. Worked great on my last trip!

 

[FFMickey]

We do like using the Fuel Rods. Yes, you can get better battery charging packs out there on Amazon, but the convenience of swapping out for a fully charged one at the parks was great. We learned where all the kiosks were and just swapped the battery when we were nearby. We do use it when we travel to places other than Disney.

 

[billlaurie]

I just ordered a couple to share between my large group of 12 for this summer and they are $20 with $5 shipping and you only have to pay the $5 once, regardless of the quantity.

 

[kiford]

I use an external battery pack that has a built-in cable. I have two different ones: one that will charge up an iPhone twice and one that will charge it up four times before needing to be recharged itself although I usually make sure it's fully charged every night. I only carry a small cross-over bag and it fits just fine with my sunglasses, iPhone, small wallet. My phone is fully charged in the morning and normally I don't need to charge it all again that day or I might need to charge it a little. Rarely do I find that it's fully discharged. I do make sure to turn off a lot of background refresh or location services for apps, but I do that as much to ensure that it's not using cell service when I leave the parks because I have to pay roaming charges.

 

[bryanb]

I was starting to think about fuel rods, but this page and this one turned me off to them. We already have 3 or 4 battery packs, if I can just find the charging cables for them...

It's good to know that FuelRods are at Disney parks. Since the product comes with unlimited swaps that you can use on future trips (or at least until you lose the FuelRod), I don't consider it a bad deal even with the markup for buying it in the parks when you're in a pinch.

Even so, just I prefer to bring my own ponchos, I would prefer to bring my own higher capacity portable charger. But in a pinch I would not feel bad about buying the charger or the poncho inside the park, as a very good backup plan to continue enjoying the day if I forget to carry one.

 

[fla4fun]

I have seen three separate articles regarding fuel rods today saying that swapping at Universal is $3 per swap. And it’s fuel rods charging the fee. If I were thinking about investing in a fuel rod, I would keep that in the back of my mind as an additional cost. Their reason, supposedly, is that there are far more swaps than they anticipated and the extra cost to send techs around to fill the machines and the electricity to charge the batteries will be offset by the fee. Sounds like this is one fee Disney won’t have a lot of control over, if fuel rods decides to charge at all theme parks, not just Universal.

I have a Mophie phone case and I head out each day with both my case and phone fully charged. So far, I haven’t run out of power.

 

[maryj11]

I stick a fuel rod on mine and put it in my bag while it charges. Love them! I bought mine online.

 

[tjmw2727]

We use a combination of our own porta chargers and fuel rods and one of us usually brings a plug and a charging cord.

If you purchase the fuel rod outside Disney you can often find them for $20 - my kids bought one at the airport before our last trip. I usually carry a small portable "lipstick" type charger and that's enough for me if I turn of location and go to battery saver mode.

My kids use the MDE app, touring plans and of course they check their social media now and then so they go through battery life fast. They usually charge the fuel rod at night to start with a full charge but they will swap out if necessary. We have not had to seek out a charging station yet but if we notice a plug nearby while we are taking a break or eating a QS meal one of us will probably plug in.

 

[dizzneebabe]

Fuel rods work well for us! If we know one of the kids is going to be playing games (like Pokemon GO above), then we'll bring a bigger battery with us.

 

[billlaurie]

Well that stinks if you have to pay to swap the fuel rods because I ordered several of these just yesterday! Hopefully they stay free in Disney. I looked for the articles and did read that you can swap for free if you download the app, which I did and it gives 5 free swaps, not unlimited. The only reason I decided on this expensive version of a cheap lipstick charger was the free swaps!