Our recent trip to Florida for Mark's sister's wedding included the following:
- Smart phones (2)
- Our phones are our cameras. While we own both a camcorder and digital camera, the iPhone is so much easier to pull out. We can also instantly share any amazing pictures we take. I did an entire series of "See You Soon" photos for my parents since they'll be in Disney at the end of October, and I'll be seeing them. It was really fun to send those pictures right off to them.
- Our phones keep us connected to those who we are missing while we're gone. Disney has always been a place I associate with my family. We have taken so many trips there, and I have been party to life changing events there. When I'm there, I like to message them, let them know what I'm doing. It's fun for me, and I like to think it is kind of interesting for them. I sat on the balcony of my hotel and talked to my mom one afternoon. It was wonderful. Do you know how much that would have cost if I had called from the in room phone? I don't even want to think about it.
- Our phones are a constant source of entertainment. Mark's off in the restroom? No problem. I can browse reddit on my phone. I'm powdering my nose and Mark is stuck waiting at the table? He can also browse reddit. Nowadays, phones have games and mobile browsers. You never have to be bored again. During the drive, all of our music can be accessed via our phones, and we can listen to as many podcasts as we want.
- Our phones are valuable touring tools. If you have ever vacationed at Disney, you know there are multiple types of people. Some people go commando, always riding something or seeing some show. There are those that plan every minute of every day, and there are those that just wing it. Mark and I are more the wander around and have fun but don't miss anything kind. It is amazing to have an app on my phone that lists the wait times. Instead of walking across the park, I can pull out my phone and check the wait for Splash Mountain. I can see what time the Fastpasses are being distributed for at Soarin' in Epcot. It's a time saver.
- Our phones have a note app. I can tell you how long I waited for pretty much everything for those couple of days in September. I know where we ate and what we had. My note app is great. When I know I'm going to review something, I pull out my phone and take notes. I don't always do that, but it's incredibly useful if I need to.
- Laptops (2)
- Our laptops can hold a lot of pictures. If you take tons of pictures, having a laptop is great. You can go back to the room at the end of the day and download all of your pictures. Maybe you don't need to because your memory card holds a lot, but what if you lose the camera? Putting your pictures on the computer frees up camera space and assures that you'll have those pictures.
- Our laptops allow us to keep up with things. Really, having my laptop means I can keep up with my daily reviews. Even if they don't get posted in their entirety, I can work on them and take notes. I'm hoping to put my laptop to better use on my next trip. I was a bit too busy on this last one.
- Our laptops open up a whole new world of entertainment. For some reason, Disney does not provide Cartoon Network in the hotel. This makes me sad. Regular television isn't always good. Luckily, we can pull the laptop out and watch something else as we drift off to sleep. Honestly, we were so tired we didn't need to, but it was nice to know the option was there.
- Nintendo 3DS (1)
- Since the first time we have gone on vacation together, Mark has gotten a new game for whatever handheld system he was using. Before our first trip together, I actually hid his Gameboy.* For this trip, I got him a Nintendo 3DS.** There is a really neat feature called StreetPass that alerts you if anyone else comes near you with a 3DS. When that happens, it will cue a little cut scene where you "meet" this person. You find out their name, where they're from, and a special message from them.*** It was actually really neat. Mark ended up with a whole bunch of them. After you "meet" the person, they're little avatar hangs out in your plaza. It sounds kind of lame, but it was actually really fun. When we would wait for a bus, Mark would pull his DS out and see who all he had "met". I imagine it would be really fun if you're just a kid. I wish they had those when I was little. Standing in line is no fun, and anything that improves that wait shouldn't be frowned upon.
- Digital Camera (1)
- I'll be honest. I didn't use it on this trip. I think my camera in my iPhone is better. Either way, it still comes along, in case I want it.
- Kodak Play Sport Camera
- This thing is awesome. You can record with it underwater! Like my digital camera, it ended up staying in the room. It's not that I don't love it; it's just that I didn't have anything fun to film. When it is just Mark and I, we don't really film anything.
I don't know if we had any other techie stuff with us, but I think we had a pretty good showing. Technology has its place, and as long as you don't over-do it, you shouldn't be afraid to use it to enhance your vacation. Take along a lap top. Pull out your smartphone. Let your kid bring his DS to the park. It's not going to hurt anything, and it might make him a bit less antsy. I know it makes my 34 year old big kid happy.
*Don't judge me; it was a long drive. If he had really pressed for it, I would have told him where it was.
**It's bigger than the other DS and is in 3D. I know 3D is a gimmick, but there were games he wanted that were only available for it. I won't tell you what they were, as they're pretty nerdy.
***You set it up, so if you don't want someone knowing your real name, you can use a nickname. It doesn't give out your whole name either.
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