Prologue
I just spent a week in Walt Disney World with six apps. This is the second in a serious survey of the apps, what they can do for you and deciding on the best ones to load onto your iPhone or iPod touch to make the most out your visit to see the mouse.
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Our Laughing Place has another app which is better than the Dining App, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. OLP WDW Transportation Wizard For Walt Disney World (TWIZ for short) US$1.99 is designed to get you from one place to another which is a really tall order considering that there are four parks, Downtown Disney and 21 resorts. I may be looking at this the wrong way, but it seems to me that the best result would be the quickest one, using the Disney Transportation System, that provides busses, boats, and monorails allowing you to get anywhere from anywhere.
This version is for the iPhone or iPod touch 3G or later. There is an iPad (HD) version for $2.99.
OLP WDW Transportation Wizard for Walt Disney World
Giving it a trial run, I asked it to get me from Port Orleans – Riverside (where we were staying), to Epcot. This is one of the simplest routes. The first recommendation box is to take the bus from PO Riverside to Epcot which should take 17 minutes. In the box is a thumbs up and down hand with zeros next to it and an option to “share your own time or tip.” This option leads to four fairly useless buttons. The thumbs up or down both take you to a tips screen, the same one that you’ll find if you tap on tips on the top of the screen. So already there’s a bit of clutter on the screen. But wait, there’s more.
The second box tells you to take a boat from PO Riverside to French Quarter (which happens the be the resort next door) and then transfer to a bus to Epcot, which will take 54 minutes. Not only is that pointless information, it’s clutter and if followed will take another half hour for nothing. But it gets better.
The third box states that you should take a car or taxi (note neither of these are on the Disney Transportation System) to Boardwalk (no directions given) and then transfer to a boat to Epcot taking 36 minutes.
What is wrong with this picture? It’s too much useless information. Give me the first box, which makes sense and is efficient and don’t give me a world tour. I’ve been to the parks often enough to know how ludicrous everything but the first box is, but what about first timers? This has the potential of causing some serious problems and needless costs if you happen to call a taxi. This is not a useful app.
Pros: It does provide useful transportation information if you can ascertain which of a number of choices is the best one; doesn’t require an WiFi or a cellular connection.
Cons: Much too much information that can be confusing for first timers; an interface that can be confusing as just about anything gets you to the “tips” screen.
Other Reviews in this Series
Disney Vacation App Roundup: Walt Disney World Pro
Disney Vacation App Roundup: Disney World Maps & More Set
Disney Vacation App Roundup: Disney World at Work – Magic Kingdom
Disney Vacation App Roundup: Dining With Disney Guide