If you're just planning and reading general information about Disneyland, it's much easier to do that using a traditional web browser. For that reason, this list does not include the Disneyland travel guide apps.
We last evaluated Disneyland mobile apps in October, 2012.
Signal Strength Issues
Before you think about using smart phones at Disneyland, you should know about signals and reception. In early 2012, we heard from other folks that Sprint cell reception was non-existent. On that trip, our normally-accessible AT&T data wasn't working, either (although we could make a call). Verizon was working fine on a companion's device, though.All of that means your Disneyland app or mobile browser-based product might not be available when you need it most. Because we wanted to be sure our Ridemax plan was available, we created it online and photographed the screen with our phone, which worked just fine.
Disneyland Mobile Websites
They're not apps, but you can access them from any web-enabled mobile device.-
Disneyland Mobile Website
Disneyland's mobile website is at m.disneyland.com.
Pros: Includes show schedule, rides are sorted by name, wait time and height restrictions
Cons: Sometimes hard to use, with lots of navigating to get to the info you want.
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California Travel Mobile Website
If your phone has a browser, you can access our Disneyland ride guide at tinyurl.com/DLRideSheet where you'll find pictures, ratings, height restrictions and links to tips, trivia and detailed information about each ride - all on one page.
Disneyland Wait Time and Locator Apps
After using Disneyland apps since they first came out, we're down to just three and a mobile website that we regularly use:-
Mouse Wait
Besides lots of Disneyland information, Mouse Wait is also a social media app, linked to Twitter and Facebook and with the self-proclaimed "largest real-time Disneyland discussion in the world."
Price: Free
Pros: Lots of users, which yields up-to-date wait time data. Lots of fun information that includes a Hidden Mickey Checklist, places to eat, live webcams and more. Unlike many other apps, they even have a link to support in case you have trouble.
Cons: No maps. Wait times listed alphabetically and waits for restaurants and food carts are mixed with attractions. Some features are linked to websites that can load slowly. This free app is supported by advertisements, which take up a small section of the screen and are sometimes annoying.
Don't ignore the i (Resources) link at the bottom of the screen - it links to a Disneyland Character Finder, list of coin presses, rides listed by height, music and a phone list - along with tips to improve your Toy Story Mania score and a decoder for the hieroglyphics in the Indiana Jones queue.
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Disneyland MouseAddict
Price: Free
Pros: Excellent map, which is also part of the food- and drink-finding function. Using it, you can also find hidden Mickeys, a place to check your purchases so you don't have to carry them around and the nearest ATM. It also has a search function for those moments when you're scratching your head, thinking: "Which way is it to Haunted Mansion?"
Cons: Wait times are are represented by colored bars, which is a nice visual touch, but we want to see numbers. They have so many categories that some icons are hard to understand. It's easy enough to figure out the ice cream cone, hot dog and cup of coffee, but others are more of a challenge. And we're still scratching our head over a couple of them. We also found the icon bar a little too close to the bottom navigation - even with fairly small fingers, we kept ending up touching the wrong button. This free app is supported by advertisements, which take up a small section of the screen.
- Disney Mobile Magic
Price: Free
Pros: It's an official Disney product and has access to all the latest information. Nice photographs and readily-available accessibility information for anyone with special needs.
Cons: Slow to load, not just when it starts, but every time new information is accessed. Does not change orientation when your phone is turned sideways, which makes the map sometimes harder to use. When using filtered results, the blue pins that show where they are on the map can be hard to find.
Its features include show time reminders, GPS-enabled maps, wait times and FASTPASS return times.
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RideMax Mobile
Price: Free with Ridemax subscription
Our favorite Disneyland scheduler is now available for smart phones. It's not an app, but a web-based product that can run on any smart phone. Read our review.
In-Park Entertainment Apps
These apps are intended just for fun.-
Disneyland Secrets Gold
Disneyland Secrets calls itself a "notescast," like a podcast but written instead of audio. It's basically a mini-guide to Disneyland trivia, organized into tours of each part of the park.
Price: Free
Pros: Has some interesting information
Cons: We wanted to love this is the app and on the surface, it looked like one we'd write if we were doing it ourselves, with lots of interesting information and trivia about the rides that to keep you entertained while standing in line. It's a start in that direction, but hampered by putting many rides on the same screen, which makes them hard to find and causes excessive scrolling. Only a small percentage of rides are covered so far, and the writing style is better suited for printed media than for a quick, screen-based read.
Their other product, Disneyland Secrets Gold is similar and for $1.99 adds some nice photos, but we don't think they're really necessary when you're in the park.
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Wishing Stars
Wishing Stars doesn't help you find out how long the lines are or where the bathroom is. Instead, it's a playful app that sends the user on "quest" to find spots where parts of a wishing star are hidden.
Price: 2 quests free, more by in-App purchase
Pros: By far the most beautiful app, created by a former Disney animator.
Cons: If you're as familiar with Disneyland as we are, the two teaser quests are far too easy. It uses the in-phone location service to determine if you've found the clue - and the experience was hampered by our phone's inability to figure out where we were standing. All the searching for clues can also distract from the Disneyland experience.
