Many first-time guests of Walt Disney World don’t know how much battery life on their phones will be used throughout the park day. Having a portable charger is a necessity when visiting resorts and parks on your vacation. This is why knowing how to use FuelRods at Walt Disney World is a great tip for your day.
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Do You Need a Portable Charger for Disney World?
Walt Disney World is no longer the technology-free vacation experience you might be expecting. Many of the decisions you will need and want to make while on your vacation are going to be done with your phone.
Before ever leaving home, My Disney Experience is where you will create all of your plans. Once you arrive at Walt Disney World, you will find that the My Disney Experience App is where you will go to access or modify all of these plans.
To access Genie+ and Lightening Lane reservations, you will need to be logged in to your App. You will constantly need to refresh and look for the updated reservations available.
Dining reservations and mobile ordering is done straight from the My Disney Experience App as well. If you have purchased Photopass, you will utilize the app to look at your pictures. Disney also utilizes PlayDisney for interactive games throughout Walt Disney World.
All of these things use more battery than what your phone is used to running. Add in texts, your own camera, and games you may play while waiting in line, you are going to lose battery quickly.
How do we combat this usage? A portable charger like FuelRods at Walt Disney World.
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Walt Disney World FuelRod Locations and Review
One particular portable charger that rises above the rest of them when visiting Walt Disney World is the FuelRod because of its accessibility.
FuelRods are a charging device you can purchase at Walt Disney World that allows you to swap out throughout the day for a newly charged device as needed.
You can find FuelRod Chargers at Disney World in both theme parks and around the Resorts.
How Much Are Disney World Fuelrods?
Fuel Rod Chargers currently cost $30 at the Portable Phone Charging Systems Kiosks throughout the parks. You can purchase one using a debit or credit card.
You can also purchase a FuelRod before your trip. Amazon Prime members can purchase a two pack of FuelRods for 34.99 with free shipping. You could also purchase a two-pack directly from their website for $39.99+ $7 shipping. FuelRods are also available in single packs, but they are way more expensive that way (around $23.00 on both websites).
The kit includes the following items:
- One fully charged portable battery
- One 3.5” USB to micro-USB cable (for most Android devices)
- One USB C Adapter (needed for some Android Devices)
- One 3.5″ Apple Lightning to USB cable (for iPhone generations 5+)
The FuelRods are able to be charged on their own in your room or you can just swap it out for a fully charged on.
There are other portable chargers for around the same price, but you have to make sure these are charged in your room each night. With the FuelRod, you are able to switch them out as needed in the parks and at the resorts.
Where Do You Get FuelRods at Walt Disney World?
Throughout each Theme Park and Disney Resorts, you can find a Kiosk to swap your FuelRod.
When it’s time to swap your FuelRod you just swap the device itself and hang onto the accessories. Once your FuelRod runs out of juice, a red light will come on, indicating that you need to swap it out for a replacement. When using the kiosk select the option to swap a FuelRod, and insert the used charger.
Here are the following locations:
Magic Kingdom FuelRod Locations
- Main Street, USA
- Curtain Call Collectibles – Main Street, USA
- Tomorrowland
- Merchant of Venus
- Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
- Big Top Souvenirs – Storybook Circus
- Frontierland
- Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe
- Adventureland
- Adventureland Bathroom Breezeway
Animal Kingdom FuelRod Locations
- The Dino Institute Shop (Dinosaur ride exit)
- Island Mercantile (Discovery Island)
- Discovery Trading Company (Discovery Island)
- Serka Zong Bazaar (Expedition Everest ride exit)
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch
EPCOT FuelRod Locations
- Gateway Gifts (Shop under Spaceship Earth)
- Mission: SPACE (Shop at ride exit)
- Test Track
- Seas with Nemo and Friends (Shop at ride exit)
- The Land
- ImageWorks (Journey into Imagination with Figment ride exit)
- World Traveler (Shop as you enter World Showcase)
- Disney Traders (Shop at International Gateway)
Hollywood Studios FuelRod Locations
- Rock Around the Shop (Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster ride exit)
- Tower of Terror (at ride exit)
- Celebrity 5 & 10 (Hollywood Boulevard)
- PizzeRizzo
- Pixar Place Restrooms
- Frozen Fractal Gifts (shop next to Vacation Fun theater)
Disney Springs FuelRod Locations
- Sundries (next to Coca-Cola Store)
- Disney Springs Welcome Center (next to Zara)
- Disney PhotoPass Studio (next to Marketplace Co-Op)
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels FuelRod Locations
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort – 4th Floor
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Convention Center (South Foyer)
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort BouTiki
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (Lobby)
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn (Dundy’s Sundries)
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (near Phone Bank)
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort (near El Paso & near Pepper Market)
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort Game Point Arcade
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort Note’able Games Arcade
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort Reel Fun Arcade
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside (Lobby)
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter (Lobby)
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Pixel Play Arcade
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort Fast Forward Arcade
The quickest way to locate a FuelRod charging station is through the My Disney Experience App. Search FuelRod and click Portable Phone Charging System Kiosks. There you can look on the map and find the location closest to you.
What if My Phone Dies at Walt Disney World?
When you are in the parks using your phone, the battery is going to die quickly. When bringing other portable chargers with you to Disney World, you may forget to charge your portable charger, so having the FuelRod option is excellent. You can see our top recommended portable charger in our Walt Disney World packing list here.
There are a few charging stations spread throughout Walt Disney World, but you don’t want to be stuck sitting at these places while you are trying to fully experience the magic. Luckily, if you need to charge your phone, the FuelRod Kiosks are widely available.
If you have already purchased a FuelRod and you forgot to charge it overnight (it takes around 6 hours for a full charge) the kiosk will let you swap for a fully charged one.
Are FuelRods Free to Swap at Walt Disney World?
Once you have made the initial purchase of a FuelRod, the swapping stations are free to get a newly charged one. The same kiosks that sell the FuelRods allow you to swap a used one for a fully charged one. You can swap chargers as many times as necessary.
However, you may not always want to continuously switch out your FuelRod or look for places to make the switch.
To help keep your mobile device charged longer:
- Turn on low battery mode (probably the most effective)
- Turn down the screen brightness
- Reduce the screen timeout setting
- Turn off automatic cloud uploads for photos and videos
- Disable your personal hotspot
- Turn-off push notifications
- Plug in to a portable battery
Downside to Disney World FuelRods
With all of the positives, are there any downsides to the FuelRod?
One downside is that many users agree the portable charger won’t charge your phone from 0% to 100%. This can be a problem if you are using your to need two full charges. Most users get around this by just swapping rods until the phone is charged as much as they need.
A second complaint is the charging cord is short. With this cord, you won’t be able to put the FuelRod in your pocket and still hold your phone. Users get around this by using their own phone cord or just holding the FuelRod.
The positives far outweigh the two negative complaints we hear from guests. This charger is lightweight and small. It is convenient to get a fully charged one. And when you order a two-pack from Amazon, they are relatively the same price as many other portable chargers on the market without the recharging hassle.
Plan Your Disney Vacation!
If you are ready to recharge, get started by planning your magical Disney vacation and download our FREE Deals newsletter. Here you will receive helpful planning information, exclusive Disney deals, and access to the lowest priced Disney tickets anywhere. Looking for more vacation planning tips? Look no further than these articles:
- FuelRod Chargers at Disneyland: Cost, Where to Find, Worth It?
- Ultimate Walt Disney World Packing List and What to Wear to Walt Disney World
- Tips for Grocery Delivery at Walt Disney World
- Disney Snack Ideas: Bringing Food to Disneyland and Walt Disney World
- Walt Disney World My Experience App: How to Use this App to Maximize Your Time
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