Going to a Disney park is supposed to transport you somewhere magical, but for many, the experience requires a very rote part of modern life: staring at your phone.
Disney has separate apps for its resorts in California and Florida, as well as those in France, Japan, and China. Booking Lightning Lane appointments (an extra charge that lets guests jump long lines for rides), nabbing meal reservations, and ordering mobile food items all require checking times on the app. It’s something that Disney guests have to do often if they don’t want to wait hours for Space Mountain or a meal at the Blue Bayou restaurant.
Disney brass even acknowledged that its tech-forward approach has lessened the park experience, with Walt Disney Imagineering President Bruce Vaughn saying last year that reliance on the various apps "breaks the spell" of visiting a Disney resort.
Disney’s first experiment to reduce phone use at its parks was revealed this week. The company just launched the Disney Imagineering Labs app (yes, a new app to reduce smartphone use). The first offering of the app is now available to select Magic Key participants (annual passholders) — Secrets of the Spire in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Described by the Disney Tourist blog as an interactive game within the parks' Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge section, the app offers minigames and challenges. It’s not very clear how this reduces phone usage while at the park, though.
The more promising part of the Imagineering Labs app is the Disneyland Enchanted Guide, which does not yet have a release date but is likely to drop early next year, according to Disney Tourist Blog and the Micky Visit blog .
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