Cost of Internet at the resorts? Resorts & Accomodations Discuss Cost of Internet at the resorts? in the Vacation Planning forums; My sister and I are trying to go down to The World in Feb. and had a question. The resorts list internet access for a fee, but I can't find ...

[04CP_ Nolan]

My sister and I are trying to go down to The World in Feb. and had a question. The resorts list internet access for a fee, but I can't find how much the fee is. Also, I have an iPod Touch that is obviously reliant on WiFi access. Are there any free wifi areas at the resorts or the parks? I really doubt it, but I thought I'd ask.

[mercurywaxing]

At Pop! Century it was $9.95 for 24 hours. I found no free WiFi for my iPod. That was just 2 weeks ago, so I'm fairly sure it's still accurate. (To contrast that, at every roadside hotel I stop in on I-95 between there and Connecticut WiFi is always free.)

[WDW4Ever]

You would think that with the way all the technology is going anymore, Disney would get free WiFi going. Not only that, they really should have had it a long time ago. People are already spending enough to go to Disney World and Disneyland, they should get something to use while they're there without paying $10. After 7 days or so, that's $70 just on internet service if you use it every day.

[RuddyWDW]

Wow, thats pretty pricey, especially considering you're only likely to use it early in the morning or late at night!

[disneyfreak1284]

At some disney resorts if you are a DVC (disney vaction club) member you can get wifi or internet access for free. But check your bill at the end of your stay because they might charge you. Just make sure you check the bill.

[zippitydoodah]

All the off property resorts I've ever stayed at have had a fee as well... but ya, driving from canada every hotel along the way has free wireless- go figure!

[HauntedGabe]

I know the McDonald by All Star has free WiFi, it reached my car one trip.
My DS who worked at WDW said the rumor was they wanted people out spending money not sitting in their rooms playing on the net. At least in the College Program they got free Internet in their housing.

I had a friend that took their Wireless router, paid the $9.99 and the family had access, just remember to secure. Also, for everyone, make sure when you check in that the cord is there, if not they will charge you for the missing cord at check out.

[mercurywaxing]

Originally Posted by HauntedGabe

My DS who worked at WDW said the rumor was they wanted people out spending money not sitting in their rooms playing on the net.

At one time that logic made sense. The internet no longer locks you to one place any more. I've seen people with iPhones use them while shopping. In fact when I see people under the age of 30 online using a mobile device they are almost always doing something else at the same time. They don't just sit, they do. I am a school librarian and when we switched from a computer lab to a mobile laptop lab productivity and scores increased as the kids walked around and made themselves comfortable in a corner of the room to work.

Let me take a straw poll of the parents out there. Does anyone with a teenager think that having a wifi cellphone with them would STOP them from shopping? Kids snap a picture of what they are going to buy, or the amazing thing they just saw, upload it, and share it with everyone.

(full disclosure - I do that with my iPhone all the time. Twitpic at the park.)

[HauntedGabe]

I certainly do not disagree with you. It is just the Disney logic. Plus they can charge until the majority of folks have an I Phone type tech. Remember they were well behind the curve in Cell Phone towers also until it really annoyed the guests and Disney gave in.

Straw Poll: I have a DD with a touch and DS with the I phone. I would love to try bribe my 22 year old to leave it in the safe. That phone interrupts more conversations. It disconnects him from the real time in front of his face and often makes him abruptly walk away from conversations and meals, obliviously. Me, this would ruin much of the Magic of the World and family quality time. Being 22 yrs., the I phone is here to stay.

[HauntedGabe]

From Intercot:

Computing @ Disney World
Guests may access the internet and check their Web-based email at the Business Center at Disney's Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Yacht and Beach Club and Coronado Springs Resorts. Their hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The cost is $40 per hour or $10 for each 15 minutes of internet access. There is also a charge of $1 per page to print. The Center's equipment can be used for business purposes only.
You can also log onto the internet in Epcot at Innoventions which means if you have web based access to your email account through a service like INTERCOT's Mousehut.com, you will be able to send and receive mail there. Mousehut provides FREE web based email that ALSO has the capability to pull mail from your regular email account! More information on Intercot's Mousehut webmail can be found here.
It may also be helpful to know that should you be traveling with a laptop computer, the telephones in all Disney resort guest rooms (except Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground) are equipped with data ports, enabling guests to utilize the existing phone line for laptop connections. Dialing "9" is all that is required to obtain an outside line (a charge of $ .75 is billed to your room for each local call). Please keep in mind that you will also need to obtain an access number for the Orlando area (i.e. a local number) for your online service provider, to avoid long-distance charges being billed to your room account.
Disney Quest has an internet cafe (Wonderland Cafe) that has access. You can send emails through one of their programs but are unable to check personal email accounts due to the fact they are shared computers. The charge for using this cafe is admission to Disney Quest.

INTERCOT Feedback:

"If you are traveling to Disney and need Internet access (and the dial-up just doesn’t cut it for you), you have the option of getting High Speed Internet from right inside your room! The rooms at the Boardwalk Villas, and many Disney resorts, have a jack labeled HSIA. You simply plug one end of a cat 5 cable (bring your own or you can borrow one from housekeeping) into the jack, and the other end into your NIC card. If you use a static IP address set it to obtain the address automatically.

Launch your browser. You should then get the Disney welcome page where you agree to pay the fee (just a note – Internet access is included at the Swan and Dolphin resorts). After you agree, you are set to go. Now, keep in mind, unless you are using web-based mail you will be able to receive incoming mail but may not be able to send outgoing mail. This is because your mail server will recognize you as trying to relay mail from another ISP. The way around this is if your ISP uses outbound authentication to send mail…you will have to ask them.

The speed is technically broadband but sometimes slows to ISDN speeds. On the wireless front, WIFI is shaky at best throughout the resorts. The signals, if even available, seem to fade in and out randomly depending on where you are. You are much better off hooking up to a hard wire line if you can.

Once you log-on you are charged $9.95 for the following 24 hours; you can log on again as many times as you want in that 24 hour period at no additional charge. However, after that 24-hour window logging on starts a new window and another $9.95 charge. They also have 24-hour technical support."