When heading to Disney one of the most important things people forget is to set up their phone. There are so many useful apps to use at Disneyland Paris and along with needing spaces for taking pictures, it's really important to go through your phone and make sure everything is set up before you leave.

There are so many ways to preserve your batter life, so many apps to download and products you could buy, so how do you know whats best? Follow my step by step guide to getting your phone ready for Disneyland Paris!

 

Getting your phone ready for Disneyland Paris

Storage

I'm a serial photo taker and storage space is always something I'm running out of. On a Disney day out, I can easily take 1000 pictures and thats not including any video clips I want to take too. The first step in getting my phone ready for Disneyland Paris is always clearing up as much storage space as I can. This means deleting old apps, clearing out old photos and just generally only leaving stuff I need on my phone, rather than things I might use.



 

Settings

The next step is to take a look at your settings, you want to let your phone save as much batter life as possible while in that parks. That way, if a magical moment happens, your phone will be ready to snap away!



These simple settings are great for lowing power use while you're away (just make a note to change them back once home if you want too).

1. Update to the latest software


2. Set your brightness low or have auto-brightness on


3. Always use a WI-FI connection where possible, it uses less power


4. Learn how to enable low power mode. This will turn off things like mail, airdrop, iCloud sync and others to save battery. (You'll still be able to call, text and take photos or even use data/wifi when you are in an app.)


5. Turn off background app refresh (Head to settings general background app refresh. You can change this to WI-FI only or off completely depending on your preference) also head to accounts and passwords then fetch new data and check this for mail too.


6. Check your location and background location can use a lot of data if it's constantly pulling. Go to settings --> privacy --> location services


7. Turn off push notifications for unimportant apps. If you don't need every Facebook and Instagram notification while you're away, let you phone know!


8. Poor signal can be a big battery drainer as you phone will constantly be making an effort to find you a signal. Take time to learn how to swipe up the control centre before you go, to quickly get airplane mode.

 

Taking the perfect picture

Camera settings are another really important area to look at before you leave for your trip. The right settings can change a poor picture into your holiday favourite and can save you plenty of space when it comes to saving video.



Head into settings and scroll down to camera. Here are the things to change.

1. Preserve Settings --> Live photo. Make sure this is turned off. A live photo means that if you just miss that magical moment when taking a picture (say you child smiles just before or just after you took the picture), chances are, you phone caught it and you can grab it later! This is a great one for capturing perfect memories.


2. Grid --> Change this to on. It takes a little bit of getting used to but the grid lines are really helpful when it comes to taking a straight picture of that beautiful castle or you and Mickey.


3. Record Video --> there are 4 options when it comes to recording video. This one is a personal choice but as much as I love to shoot at 4k, I just don't have the storage space for it. If you are planning on taking a lot of video, aim for slightly lower like 1080p. Chances are you won't really see a difference in the video and you'll manage to get the space to last a week!


4. Formats --> Set this to most compatible. It will allow your images to be sent to other, worth with other apps and be better quality.


5. HDR (High Dynamic Range) --> Keep Normal Photo set this to on

Apps to Install

So your phones clear, your settings are all ready and you are ready to Install some exciting apps. But what are the best apps to sue at Disneyland Paris?



First of all, if you are planning on getting a Photopass, download the Disneyland Paris Photopass app, this will allow you to see that all your photos have been added to you pass, saving you from getting home and realising you're missing some. (note: always re-download all photos at home on the web version too as these will be far better quality)



Next up, if you're heading to villages nature grab the Villages Nature app. Not only is this app great to see your booking and whats on site, but you can check out menus and activities too!



Of course you need to grab the Disneyland Paris app. This app will let you know all about park hours, your booking, whats going on in the park and let you look at the park map with wait times. It's a must have!



This one you don't necessarily need, but it's lots of fun to plan on the way. The Play Disney Parks app allows you to explore both Walt Disney World and Disneyland California. Although it's not directly related to Disneyland Paris you can listen to music, do a Disney quiz and just generally have fun. It's a great one to keep the kids busy if you're stuck waiting in a queue too.



If you are using a Revolut card for you trip then the Revolut app is a must have. This app will allow you to control your card and your money, transfer more money if you need it and just keep control of your spending.



Lineberty is an app you have to have when visiting Disneyland Paris. This app allows you to book time slots to meet with the characters, making sure you get to have that perfect meet with Buzz and Woody!
Note: Don't forget to favourite Disneyland Paris as a destination before you leave for easy access in the parks.



Countdown for Disney. One that you can delete on the day you go. Keep your spirits up with a countdown of how many days you have left.



I know so many iPhone users who still use iCloud for their photo storage, but Google Photos is amazing and more superior in so many ways. When ever I visit Disneyland Paris I make sure that the Google Photos app is installed and set up on my phone. Not only does this app back up faster and allow me to easily create space on my phone, but it allows you to search though your images by date, place or even a keyword like 'castle' meaning it's far easier to find the picture you are looking for!

 

Tip: Create a Disneyland Paris folder before you go, this way you'll be able to find everything far quicker when in the parks.

Products to buy/take

This part of the post contains affiliate links - they don't cost you any more to click/use

There are so many products I take to Disneyland Paris, but my favourites are the ones for my phone. From products to help with battery life, to those that make images better, you can find my favourites here.

 

My biggest must have for a Disneyland Paris trip is a big 'mah' battery pack charger. A charger that's 20,000 mah will last you your whole trip so you don't have to worry about your phone dying. (If you don't want something so big, try this slim style and charge it every night.)

 

You can't take selfie sticks into the parks sadly, but if you want to get a family picture without handing your phone over to someone these are great! The Joby tripod can stand alone or wrap around bars, tree branches and more. Use the shutter press remote with the tripod to grab plenty of great photos. Alternatively, you can use these mobile phone clip on lenses to get a further away photo from arms length.

 

If you are a selfie queen then chances are you already own a clip on selfie ring light. Although small, these lights pack a powerful punch and can take your selfie with the evil queen from drab to fab!

 

Who else is always worries about dropping their phone all the time... Just me?! Grab a plain or cute Disney themes pop socket or phone ring to help keep your grip in the parks. I find this comes in really handy when i'm either recording footage or taking photos.

 

If you Google photos isn't enough for you, or you just want a different option, these phone back up drives are great. Just plug in and play or grab a wireless one, it will back up your photos and you can just chuck them into the computer when you get home.

 

If you need/want to have your phone to hand, my last recommendation is a bum bag. SoJourner do amazing designs, Ice creams, Donuts, Holographic, Transparent and Plain, there is something for everyone and the space inside is amazing too. Keep your phone safe from losing it or pick-pockets and have your bum bag ready before you go.

 

Thats it, I hope you phone is as ready as mine and you are now ready for your magical adventure!