A complete guide to using FuelRod at Disney World including the cost, where to swap, and more details on using these portable phone chargers at Disney World!
Keeping your phone charged at Disney World is critical to your vacation success. You’ll need your phone to access My Disney Experience many times throughout the day, as well as taking lots of pictures and videos.
One solution is to invest in a FuelRod, a portable charger battery than can be “swapped” for fully charged batteries all around Walt Disney World!
This post will walk you through using FuelRod at Disney World to charge your phone while you are on the go.
I’ll explain how Fuel Rods work plus the pros and cons of Disney FuelRod compared to other portable chargers and external battery packs.
What is FuelRod at Disney World?
FuelRod is a brand of portable battery packs that are unique in that they can be swapped out for fully charged units at kiosks all over the United States.
I bought a FuelRod MANY years ago and have never had to remember to charge it. I just swap it out for a fully charged unit any time the battery runs out.
And what is unique about FuelRod Disney World is that swapping for a new battery is totally free. Kiosks in other places charge you for a new battery, but not at Disney World!
FuelRod is essentially a portable external battery that you pay for one time then are able to swap out for a fresh charger at kiosks (see picture above) for free around Disney World.
After some uproar, Disney has decided to continue to offer free swaps of FuelRods throughout Walt Disney World.
How Much is a Fuel Rod at Disney?
If you know you want a FuelRod for your trip, then definitely buy one (or more) ahead of time to save money!
You can buy one FuelRod kit for $29.99 here on Amazon and you’ll get a huge discount for buying two or three together.
Your initial purchase includes a kit with a fully charged Fuel Rod plus several adapter cables that will work to charge most cell phones.
The cost for buying a FuelRod at Disney World is $38.
With the cables you’ll also be able to recharge your FuelRod if you’d like (but I usually just trade it out for a new battery).
FuelRod Disney World Pros & Cons
At this point I need to mention both the pros and cons of FuelRod compared to other external charger and battery packs.
The main drawback of FuelRod is that it will only give your phone one full charge. Though a FuelRod is small and convenient, you might be disappointed with how little it charges your device.
The new FuelRod has a battery capacity of 3200 mAh. By comparison, you can get 10,000 mAh battery packs for roughly the same price.
However the trade off is that you will have to remember to charge the 10,000 mAh power bank. If you are anything like me you will forget to plug it in at night and get ready to head out the door to the parks only to discover your battery is still dead.
Here are the pros and cons of using FuelRod at Disney World compared to other power bank devices:
PROS
- Very small and lightweight
- Never have to remember to charge it
- Convenient to swap out for free
CONS
- Less charging capacity compared to other packs
- Little cord is fragile and may break
It’s definitely best to use the FuelRod with your own longer cord so you don’t have to worry about breaking the short one.
I lost my high powered portable battery somewhere in Epcot and purchased a FuelRod in a pinch. It helped my phone stay charged while I continued to use My Disney Experience and take pictures.
So while there are definitely cons to FuelRods, they are extremely convenient and require little to no planning to use.
Where are the Disney FuelRod locations?
At this point you might be wondering how easy it is to swap out your FuelRod for one with a full charge at Disney World.
There are now seven FuelRod kiosks at each Disney theme park and at least one at each Disney World resort hotel.
I have never had to look far for a FuelRod kiosk in the theme parks. The only challenge might be at some of the resorts where the kiosks are sometimes in an out of the way location.
Disney has some useful maps with the locations of FuelRods highlighted here.
The kiosks are all inside a gift shop or quick service dining location. The easiest way to find the kiosk is to head to the store/restaurant and ask the first cast member you see for help finding it.
Just search for “Portable Phone Charging” or “FuelRod” in the My Disney Experience map feature to find all of the locations.
Every Disney World resort hotel also has a FuelRod kiosk. At the Value resorts, it is located in the lobby close to the rest rooms.
At the Contempory (where I bought mine) it is on the second floor close to the elevators. I suggest asking a cast member for help finding it if you aren’t have luck with the maps.
How do I charge my FuelRod?
You can charge your FuelRod with any mini USB cable (there is a short one included with your initial FuelRod purchase).
I use my Kindle charging cable to also charge my FuelRod and any other phone chargers I have had. It is nice to not have to bring along another charging cord.
A full charge will take between 3-6 hours. You will know it is fully charged when the light turns from red to green.
FuelRod Disney World Summary
FuelRods seems to be something people either love or hate. I hope this post answered all of your questions about using FuelRods at Disney World and clearly showed you both the pros and the cons.
Do you have a FuelRod? Please leave a comment below or join the discussion in my free private Facebook group for The Budget Mouse!
If you liked this post you’ll also like:
Sienna
Tuesday 27th of August 2019
I'm not a fan of the fuelrod. While it seems convenient that convenience is outweighed by the fact that it doesn't give a full charge (would only charge my iphone to maybe 40%), that it takes so long to recharge if you don't want to or can't switch it out, and the price of it. I have a portable battery charger that cost me $20, recharges my phone between 3-4 times, has two usb ports allowing me to charge my tablet and phone at the same time or a friends phone and takes only 1 1/2-2 hours to charge which is much better. I highly recommend just buying a better portable battery beforehand and if you know you'll probably be forgetting to recharge it just set a reminder on your phone or place a note on the bathroom mirror reminding you to do it before going to bed.
Leah
Wednesday 28th of August 2019
Yep, you are right on Sienna. Good idea about the reminder!