I’ve no downside admitting after I’m flawed. Simply ask Sarah. Really, don’t. She’ll let you know simply how widespread of an incidence it’s, doubtlessly undermining my ‘correctness credibility.’ (For no matter it’s price, I’m incorrect principally about issues pertaining to the kitchen and different supposed widespread sense topics—not Walt Disney World.)
However, “I used to be flawed about…” is especially its personal style of posts on this weblog, together with however not restricted to Animal Kingdom’s excellence and full-day standing and crowds through the starting of spring break. And guess what? There are two extra such topics within the drafts folder, awaiting publication. I’ve discovered to personal my errors and take them in stride.
I want this have been extra widespread. These days it looks like individuals kind snap judgments and don’t deviate from entrenched positions. One thing is both unquestionably superior or irredeemably terrible, and never worthy of reevaluation. Clearly, this extends far past Disney. Simply because it isn’t wholesome in different points of life…it isn’t right here, both.
On this case, I’m not a lot admitting I used to be flawed as I’m being open to evaluate new data and adjusted circumstances, and ‘evolving’ my opinion consequently. One other factor I want have been extra widespread, however that is about me coming round on one thing I’ve beforehand, fairly vehemently, disliked.
In opposition to that backdrop, it’s time to take a recent take a look at FuelRods, one of many few issues that this weblog has been virtually obstinate about since their introduction a number of years in the past. For many who are unfamiliar with FuelRods, they’re transportable chargers that may be bought at kiosks all through Walt Disney World or Disneyland (together with airports, conference facilities, and many others.) parks and used to recharge your iPhone or different machine on the go.
The ‘twist’ with FuelRods is that whenever you’re achieved utilizing them, you’ll be able to commerce out your depleted FuelRod for a fully-charged one on the many kiosks all through Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The enchantment is thus the ‘limitless’ cost the FuelRods provide by advantage of swapping them out. When put that approach, it’s straightforward to see the enchantment of FuelRods.
A part of my dislike for FuelRods, I’ll admit, was a response to the over-hype because it was the product itself.
I had heard so many rave critiques that, after I lastly tried FuelRods myself, I used to be left befuddled as to why so many Walt Disney World and Disneyland followers beloved this, a product that was inferior to principally each different battery in the marketplace. As coated within the easy We Don’t Suggest FuelRods, the machine was higher in idea than actuality.
Earlier than you get frightened–no, this isn’t a sponsored put up nor did “Large Gas” lastly get to me. As a substitute, it’s the circumstances which have modified since I final used FuelRods. It definitely took lengthy sufficient, particularly as time had way back handed by the primary technology of the machine, however a few months in the past, FuelRod rolled out its first-ever product overhaul.
This launched the next:
- Extra Energy: The brand new FuelRod boasts an elevated capability of three,200 mAh (over 23% extra energy than the unique FuelRod), offering longer-lasting energy to maintain your units charged all through the day.
- Extra Management: With USB-C compatibility, the brand new FuelRod presents versatile charging choices for a variety of contemporary units. It additionally incorporates a energy button and 4 LED battery gentle indicators, giving customers higher management over their charging expertise.
- Similar Swap: Sustaining the simplicity and comfort that FuelRod is understood for, the swap course of stays easy. Simply go to any FuelRod kiosk, insert your previous FuelRod, and obtain a completely charged new one immediately.
Right here’s a take a look at the previous (left) vs. new (proper) FuelRods:
Swapping stays free at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. There was a category motion lawsuit just a few years again that resulted in FuelRod giving “Founder’s Standing” to anybody who purchased their units earlier than late 2019. For some time, this was verified at kiosks at Disney places, which then offered free swapping.
The verification now not happens for no matter purpose, which means there’s no cost for swaps at Disney no matter when/how/the place you purchased. FuelRod has began to introduce free swaps at different places, so I’m now not frightened that is going to vary at any second. The machine would have so much much less enchantment to me (principally none!) if I needed to pay something for swaps.
The improve course of can be free at Walt Disney World. All you do is stroll as much as any kiosk, click on the swap button, place your unique FuelRod into the kiosk, and observe the on-screen directions. The machine will mechanically acknowledge you’ve submitted the previous technology of FuelRod, and provoke the improve course of freed from cost. You’ll obtain the brand new FuelRod Equipment, which incorporates the upgraded totally charged USB-C FuelRod together with new cables and adapters. For free.
The opposite circumstance that modified was the price of FuelRods. I found that Amazon sells FuelRod 2-packs for under $30. Once I noticed this as an early Black Friday deal, I simply needed to pull the set off. Paying $15 for an okay charger with a small dimension and free swaps was a no brainer. It’d be like if PizzeRizzo have been providing countless pizza. Certain, it’s not my favourite meals…however I’ll nonetheless eat an embarrassing quantity if it’s limitless!
To place the Amazon worth into perspective, the price for FuelRods at Disney Parks has really gone up elevated lately. The price of a single FuelRod is up from $30 to $38, two rods are actually $76, and three rods are $114. In different phrases, Amazon is promoting two for lower than the value of 1 at Walt Disney World…which is about par for the course.
I additionally like the thought of getting two of them. Sarah and I can every carry one, making the swapping much less inconvenient (ditto charging–our batteries normally run low across the similar time after we’re on the parks collectively). Regardless that I’m coming round on FuelRods, there’s nonetheless no approach I’d advocate a household of 4 carry solely one in all them. That’s simply unworkable. Everybody in your social gathering who has a cellphone ought to in all probability have their very own (except they’re like my dad who solely carries his cellphone for emergencies and goes days with out even turning it on).
The ultimate circumstance that modified was I discovered myself in a situation the place a FuelRod may really come in useful! My present backup batteries is perhaps inadequate for a current journey, in order that plus the early Black Friday deal plus the machine upgrades felt like an indication that it was time to provide the machine one other likelihood. Because it turned out, there ended up being just a few the explanation why the FuelRod labored out to be advantageous over this go to.
To begin with, I used to be flying into Orlando Worldwide Airport just a few hours previous to the Christmas social gathering. I normally like to provide myself a giant buffer, however that simply wasn’t attainable right here. And as luck would have it, my flight was delayed, which means that I needed to take an Uber (as an alternative of my regular Mears Join) to Pop Century earlier than dropping off my baggage and instantly heading to the park.
Usually, I’d spend about an hour on the lodge, giving myself—and my units—time to recharge. That wasn’t attainable, so I went into the evening with an virtually completely drained battery. Just a few FuelRods later, and I left the occasion with a full cost—and a full FuelRod—regardless of utilizing my units extensively.
The opposite upside of this was that I didn’t should cost my regular Anker Nano Transportable Charger in a single day. The Anker 3-Port Charging Block has change into my go-to energy adapter, nevertheless it solely has 3 ports: one for my cellphone, laptop, and watch.
Something past that requires switching units after I invariably get up through the midnight (about 50/50 that I keep in mind to do that since I’m half awake, at greatest), or doing so instantly within the morning (additionally about 50/50 for comparable causes).
The large particular ‘use case’ purpose I purchased the FuelRod bundle was as a result of I used to be planning on doing a day of Early Entry, TRON testing, and Lightning Lane Multi-Cross at Magic Kingdom on a day when the park was open from 8 am till 11 pm. On high of that, it was ABC vacation particular filming day and the Detroit Lions have been taking part in on Sunday Evening Soccer. Suffice to say, the stage was set for a historic day for my machine utilization at Walt Disney World.
Not that it’s actually related, however I’m not one in all “these guys” who goes to Walt Disney World begrudgingly, face buried in cellphone watching soccer. Outdoors of final 12 months’s playoffs, I’ve by no means achieved this. It was a particular circumstance, as I used to be watching the Disney ABC Vacation Specials being filmed that evening and had so much of downtime in between takes of the musical performances.
The above picture might not appear like a lot, however this was my “workstation” for the night–Sunday Evening Soccer, Peppermint Brownie Sundae from Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (maybe multiple), and an ideal view of Cinderella Fortress with fireworks exploding overhead about each 10 minutes or so. It was a fantastic evening.
For his or her half, the FuelRods carried out admirably. I did burn by way of just a few of them that day, however I additionally arrived on the park at round 7 am, stayed till after midnight, and used my cellphone so much. Had I taken my regular go-to charger, it could’ve run out of juice by halftime. That means I’d’ve had a useless machine earlier than Jake Bates nailed a game-winning subject purpose within the sport’s closing seconds to safe an unbelievable comeback for the Lions. I’d’ve left Magic Kingdom feeling a bit defeated, assuming that they had misplaced, as an alternative of on cloud 9. The FuelRods paid for themselves with that night’s vibes alone.
Altering out FuelRods that night was exceedingly straightforward, as there’s a kiosk lower than 100 yards from the place I used to be sitting in Casey’s Nook. But it surely was additionally straightforward all through the journey.
I knew FuelRod kiosks had change into pretty ubiquitous round Walt Disney World, however I used to be stunned at simply how typically I randomly noticed them. So even when my battery was nonetheless half full, I’d make a fast swap when passing a station on the way in which to the bus or leaving a counter service restaurant, and many others. By no means as soon as did I’ve to exit of my strategy to change a depleted FuelRod.
I used to be additionally pleasantly stunned by the pace with which the FuelRod charged my cellphone. Don’t get me flawed, it’s nonetheless sluggish in comparison with any trendy Anker battery, however this stuff was glacial. I’d nonetheless like to see the machine cost somewhat faster and have barely larger capability, nevertheless it’s ok now–particularly with kiosks in every single place.
Finally, the second technology of FuelRods have exceeded my expectations and are actually our go-to batteries for Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The capability is enough, swapping is easy, and it’s extra handy for us than utilizing conventional chargers as we now have been for years. Particularly now that we now have a child and are sometimes “distracted” when getting again to our lodge for the evening–typically plugging in all the pieces slips by way of the cracks.
I do wish to provide the caveat right here that we’ve decided FuelRods are proper for us, however that doesn’t essentially imply the identical is true for you. We’re Annual Passholders on each coasts and spend a ton of time within the parks. We’ll simply swap FuelRods over 50 occasions in 2025. Possibly over 100 occasions. (I ought to’ve saved depend of what number of occasions I exchanged them on this one journey, as I really feel prefer it was properly over a dozen.)
If you happen to’re a Walt Disney World or Disneyland first-timer or rare customer, the calculus is totally different for you. If you happen to’re judging the machine itself, FuelRods are nonetheless not an objectively product. These chargers are nonetheless properly behind the competitors and I’d by no means advocate them for each day at-home use or for non-Disney journey. The place FuelRods excel is as a service. It’s the free limitless swapping that holds the entire enchantment, so for those who can benefit from that considerably frequently, we extremely advocate FuelRods.
If you happen to can not, we nonetheless don’t. By which case, we nonetheless advocate buying one of many Anker units on our record of the Finest Backup Batteries for Disney. There’s a variety of fast and high-capacity transportable chargers on that record, most of that are sooner and cheaper than FuelRods. For what it’s price, you in all probability will want a transportable charger within the parks. All the things from Cell Order to checking wait occasions to discovering showtimes to Lightning Lane Multi-Cross at Walt Disney World and Disneyland are critical battery drains.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study motels on our Walt Disney World Lodges Opinions web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Opinions. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the pieces you might want to know!
Your Ideas
What do you consider FuelRods? Excited in regards to the second-generation improve that provides larger capability units and sooner charging? Suppose the machine/service is a no brainer given the present price of solely $30 for a 2-pack at Amazon? Will you give FuelRods an opportunity at Walt Disney World or Disneyland? Or have you ever already been utilizing them for years?! Do you agree or disagree with our new FuelRod evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
