Must Have Smartphone Apps for Your Walt Disney World Vacation

If you are like me, there are certain must have items that I always have to pack for a Walt Disney World vacation ... comfortable shoes, rain ponchos, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and my handy travel guides full of notes and dog-eared pages. In addition to the non-technical "stuff" I have also discovered a few must have apps for my smartphone that make vacation life much easier.

Now there are a ton (and I mean a ton) of awesome travel and Disney-related apps out there but these are my must-haves.

My Disney Experience
This is pretty much the most important app to have for your Walt Disney World vacation. All of your travel information including hotel reservations, dining reservations, and FastPass+ reservations are in My Disney Experience. On our last visit to Disney World I used this app every single day, at least 10 times a day. We changed FastPass+ times practically every day and sometimes even changed the entire attraction for the FastPass+. We checked wait time for attractions that we didn't FastPass. We checked out menus. And we even looked for the closest restroom. Yeah, the app does that too.

You can also use the app to find Disney PhotoPass photographers, check out times for entertainment options in the theme parks, and locate the nearest Guest Services options including Baby Care Centers, FastPass+ kiosks, and more. Disney will even send you notifications via the app. On our last visit we received notification that one of our FastPass+ attractions was down at the time of our FastPass+ and we had the option to visit a different attraction.

Shop Disney Parks
When Disney announced the Shop Disney Parks app I was a bit skeptical about its usefulness. Sure it's fun to sit at home and browse all the fun Disney Parks products but I didn't think it would come in handy at the parks when all the merchandise was at my fingertips.

So the next time you're kicking yourself for not buying that must-have item, just check the Shop Disney Parks app. And yes, it's still a great app to browse from the comfort of your own home when you're feeling "homesick" for Disney.

Disney Memories
This app offers a few great ways to add a Disney touch to your photos, whether it’s through posing (virtually) with a Disney character, or choosing from a selection of more than 100 “decoration items” to add to your photos, including photo stickers, Disney Parks and attraction-themed filters, frames and more.

Find My Friends
The Find My Friends app is a great tool to use when you are with others at a large place like Disney World. Once you add someone as a friend (and they accept the invitation), you can see where they are located and they can see where you are located. So when my son and I are finished riding the roller coaster at Space Mountain, I can quickly see on a map that my friends are across the Magic Kingdom on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I can start walking that way and by the time that they are finished with their ride, I am already half-way there.

Sometimes the accuracy is pinpoint perfect, and other times not quite as accurate, but in a large place like the Magic Kingdom, it always works well enough for your friends and family to have a general sense of where you are located — whether it be the general area of the same park, or even to show you that your cousin is in EPCOT while you are at the Animal Kingdom. If you ever need privacy, flip a switch to disable the app from sharing your location, and when your trip is over you can delete people from your Find My Friends list.

What apps are your must haves for a great Walt Disney World trip??