One of the biggest problems Pokémon Go players run into is the amount of battery the game takes. Even on battery saver, you’re only going to get a few solid hours of playing before you’re completely out of juice. Portable power banks are one of the easiest ways to solve this, but even those eventually run out of charge.
Even if you’re not constantly looking for digital wildlife on your phone, a full day at a theme park is more than the average smart phone can handle, especially with Disney’s reliance on its My Disney Experience app for Fastpasses, dining reservations, and even Photopass. Although not originally intended to help Pokémon Go players, Disney’s solution for the average park guest is quite ingenious. Available in all four parks and Disney Springs are Fuel Rod Stations. For $30 you get a fuel rod portable charging bank with one full charge, complete with a USB charging cable and iPhone Lightning adapter.
Now you may be thinking $30 for one full charge is insane, but I haven’t told you the best part. When your fuel rod is empty you can take it back to any fuel rod station and swap it for a full one for FREE! That’s right, for free. For $30 you get unlimited swaps and charges. The swaps do not come with the charging cable, but you can also use your own cable. It does not have to be the provided one. You can also recharge the device yourself at home. Obviously a family that’s only here for a week may or may not get their money’s worth out of a fuel rod purchase, but I own two of them and I have never regretted it. I swap them constantly. The only reason I bought the second one was because I was at Disney Springs after work one day and my phone was dying, guess who forgot her fuel rod. The second one still comes in handy though.
You can find fuel rod stations in a variety of places. Magic Kingdom has five locations: Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, the gift shop outside Mickey’s meet and greet in Town Square Theater, Big Top Souvenirs, and the gift shop at the exit of Space Mountain. Epcot only has three: the Camera Center at the front of the park, Disney Traders (AKA the old Duffy store), and the International Gateway, which is the entrance to Epcot located at the Boardwalk. Hollywood Studios also has three: one in the main gift shop, one at PizzeRizzo, and one in the Rock’n Roller Coaster gift shop. Animal Kingdom only has one! It is in Island Mercantile which is the gift shop on your left if you face the Tree of Life as you enter the park. Disney Springs has two: one in Sundries next to the World of Coca-Cola, and one in the Photopass Studio next to the Marketplace Co-op. They’ve even started popping up in the resorts lately!
So next time you’re in the parks, there is no need to worry about conserving battery instead of catching ’em all: a one time investment will have you leveling up in no time.
