Disneyland Apps

Disneyland iPhone apps fail into two categories: trip planning and apps to use at the park. We think the iPhone or iPod Touch app for Disneyland is best when you need information inside the park - the iPad is just a bit too big, especially when going on a ride.

If you're just planning and reading general information, it's much easier to do that on a larger computer screen. For that reason, this list does not include Disneyland travel guide apps.

We don't like to make recommendations about things that we haven't experienced and with only an iPhone available, that's all we've looked at.

We last evaluated Disneyland mobile apps in May, 2011.

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 and on that trip 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. Our solution was to create Ridemax plan online and photograph 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 wait time, age, height and type
  Cons: Sometimes hard to use, lots of clicking to get to the info you want and only 5 rides listed per page (which spreads Fantasyland rides over 3 pages).

  Verizon customers can download their Mobile Magic app (for a small fee). Its features include show time reminders, wait times and FASTPASS return times.

• California Travel Mobile Website

  If your phone has a browser, you can access our Disneyland ride guide at gocalifornia.about.com/bl_disridesheet.htm where you'll find pictures, ratings, height restrictions and links to tips, trivia and detailed information about each ride.

Disneyland Wait Time and Locator Apps

• Mouse Wait 4 Stars

  By far the most full-featured and useful Disneyland app, 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. 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.

  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.

• Disneyland Walkee 3 Stars

  Disneyland Walkee includes features other apps don't have, such as text messages to help you enjoy your day and a parking space recorder.

  Price: $4.99
  Pros: Their wait time list loads fast and seems up to date. Includes dining and has a nicely-designed ride section with easy-to-use maps. For Fastpass attractions, it has a return time text message alarm.
  Cons: Starts with an annyoing splash screen urging you to buy your tickets through them. The ride section information isn't integrated with the wait times.

• Wait Times 2 Stars

  Price: Free if you don't mind the ads, $0.99 without them

  This app's interface is easy to read, but they don't show when wait times were posted on the main page, making it hard to evaluate how fresh the information is without more clicking. They also show a wait time even if none have been posted for the day. With no other distinguishing features, this app didn't make it past our initial round of evaluations.

• Disneyland MouseAddict 1 Star

  Mouse Addict isn't for people addicted to the Disney rodent, but instead to other legal substances. It specializes in places to smoke, find specific foods, get coffee and (after that) go to the restroom. You can get the same information from the nearest cast member, so we don't see the need for it.

RideMax

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.

• FastTrac 0 Stars

  Price: $4.99

  On the surface, FastTrac looks like the mobile competitor to Ridemax. According to their website: "Using predictive technology, FastTrac creates a schedule that allows you to ride more rides, all while avoiding the crowds." After reading a MacWorld review that says this "Disneyland scheduler creates inefficient agendas," - we didn't try it, but we will keep it on our watch list and hope it improves in future versions.

In-Park Entertainment Apps

These apps are intended just for fun.

• Disneyland Secrets Gold 2 Stars

  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: $1.99
  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 Park Guide is similar and for $2.99 adds some nice photos, but we don't think they're really necessary when you're in the park.

• Wishing Stars 2 Star

  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 3G-S phone's inability to figure out where we were standing. All the searching for clues can also distract from the Disneyland experience.