Remember when you used to enter the Magic Kingdom by passing under the train tracks and into the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy? What’s the one thing you always remembered to do? Pick up a Guide Map and a Times Guide, of course. Well, you’ll have to be a bit more on your toes going forward. As you can tell from this photo taken this morning, the park has removed the boxes that held the guide maps and times guides.
The guide maps and times guides are still available, but in much smaller number and only in one little kiosk in each tunnel. We’re not sure if this is an effort to be environmentally friendly, push the My Disney Experience app, or a bit of both, but the change was a bit startling. We passed by the new kiosk so fast, we didn’t even notice it (one family standing in front of it making a map selection can hide it) until we were on the way out of the park.
Does every family need a guide map and times guide for every one? No. Are times guides made so you can sit on them during a parade. No. It’s definitely good for Disney to try and eliminate the waste of all those guide maps and times guides. Maps are also still available at Town Hall and in stores throughout the park.
Disney veterans, do you still pick up a guide map and times guide or have you switched to the My Disney Experience app?
I mostly use the My Disney Experience app. The rest of the time when I need a guide, I just “give a little whistle.” ;-)
I always pick up a times guide but it’s been a longggggggggg time since I needed a map. But for new guests maps are a must IMHO.
No matter how much technology changes, I will always love the paper maps. Unlike an app, you can see the whole park at once, mark on them, and they still work if they get wet. Plus they make great free souvenirs.
Just got back from visiting Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. This park was Walts inspiration. They give a guide when you pay to enter and that’s all I saw. Saw so many similarities between Tivoli and Disneyland!
I always considered them a free souvenir. Always fun to see the changes in the cover and attractions over the years
I don’t really use the maps at the park. I like to keep them as a souvenir. It’s great going back and looking at old maps to see all the changes over the years.
Personally, I use the app or my memory while in the parks but I do love the paper maps as a souvenir. I have a 6 and 8 year old and we use the paper maps to help them learn how to read a map. They are pretty highly motivated to use their map skills and it’s safer for them to practice in the parks than it would be in one of the larger cities near us. They’ll graduate up to that when they are a little older.
I pretty much always picked one up simply for souvenir purposes. I was actually going through my keepsake box yesterday and found some from the early 2000s. Can’t say I will miss them though since they are easily available if needed. Seems like a good move.
Sorry, but this is not a good idea. The point of maps and time guides is to note things you were not thinking about. I do use the apps, but frankly the map function on them is pretty poor. Way too much info on a tiny screen. Think about it. A paper map must be at least 20 times bigger. This is just Disney going for max profits.
I’m with Mark. I use both the app and the map while in the park. Usually, near the end of the day, my phone battery is low and I don’t want to use it on the app anymore. The map is a great souvenir and extremely useful in the parks. I know exactly where all of my favorite spots are, but the map is helpful when I just want explore. The app is horrible for exploring. Great for planning, but horrible for exploring.
I hope they never…ever do away with maps and listing of shows and times. No, I no longer need the map in most cases although with new things being made that might still be necessary. Paper listing of shows and times? Absolutely a must. Yes, I also use them for souvenirs. As a seniors, we can’t afford the monthly bill of smartphones (we have an older flip phones with pre-paid minutes for emergencies)so only have the My Disney Experience on our desktop…at home. I would rather put my money into a yearly trip top Disney World. So without a smartphone (yes, I know I am in a small minority) using an app is not available to us. So, we need the paper….or don’t our needs matter????? Do you hear me Disney “suits?”
I never use the app unless I have to. It drains my battery to have to get on my smartphone all day for maps, Fastpass+ management, restaurant reservations, schedules AND wait times. I have to do all this on my phone now, and yet there are precious few places to charge my phone back up after 10 hours of this. Enough, Disney!
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