Case Study - GPS at Disneyland

So, how well do GPS receivers and GPS radios work at amusement parks?

To find out, we took the family to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure and brought along a handheld GPS receiver (Garmin 76cs) and four GPS radios (Rino 520HCx). We used them with the standard basemap and then with the StoneMaps “Park Hopper” Disneyland and California Adventure GPS map. Overall, all the GPS units worked well and the GPS radios helped us to quickly find our six-year-old who decided to wonder off. We had more fun and maximized our time by knowing where we were and how to get to where we wanted to be.

Standard basemap v. StoneMaps GPS map

The standard basemaps that come with the GPS units contain absolutely no information about the parks. They show the main roads around the parks, but everything else is a blank screen. Once we loaded the StoneMaps “Park Hopper” Disneyland and California Adventure GPS map, we could see the park features in detail. Not only could we see the main roads around the parks, but also the smaller roads, the entrances to the parking areas, and detailed ramp information on and off of the Interstate. Inside the park, we could see all the main paths, the ticket booths, the monorail track, the location of the rides, the restrooms, the Disneyland Railroad track, and places to find Disney characters. The maps look absolutely fantastic on a color screen, but are also compatible with older greyscale screen GPS units. When zoomed out, the maps show an overview and as you zoom in, more and more features appear. This gives a good balance between displaying lots of information without cluttering up the screen.

Rino 520HCx GPS radios

The Rino GPS radios were the star of the trip for our family. The Rino GPS units have all the features of a high end FRS / GMRS radio so you can talk to each other walkie-talkie style. At first we were worried that with hundreds of people in the park, we would have a hard time finding a free channel. However, the Rino GPS units have 22 channels and 38 squelch codes for a whopping 836 different combinations. We picked a one combination and only once heard another person on our radio during the entire five days we were in the parks. The Rino GPS units are also waterproof, which is a feature that I have yet to see on another FRS radio. You will appreciate not worrying about water when you are on a wet ride like Grizzly River Rapids, or when it starts to rain. They also have a backlight for using at night.

Of course the Rinos also have a built in GPS receiver that can accept downloaded maps. With the StoneMaps “Park Hopper” Disneyland and California Adventure GPS map, we could see exactly where we were as we walked around the parks. The screen is in full color, the resolution is very high, and the images are crisp.

The most amazing feature of the Rino GPS units is the ability to not only see where you are, but also the location of others in your party. Garmin calls this “location polling” and here is how it works. You first set all the radios to the same channel and squelch code at the beginning of the day.  Next, you broadcast on Radio 1 by pushing the talk button.  All the other radios see that a Rino is broadcasting and each of the other radios ask if you want to add Radio 1 to your list of contacts.  You do the same on Radio 2 and so on.  Once all the radios are in each list of contacts, then any of the radios can "ping" any other radio and ask it where it is by pushing the page button. You can even give each radio a name and a unique icon. When you look at your map, you can see the name and icon displaying the last known location of that particular radio.

We have a six year old who is very independent, quiet, and likes to wander.  We clipped a Rino to her as a virtual leash.  I am glad we did.  Twice during our five day trip she wandered off - once to follow Tigger and once to pick up "flower petals" after a performance.  In both situations, we would not have been able to easily find her if she didn't have the GPS radio on.  However, we simply hit the page button and saw exactly where she was.  It only took us minutes to get back together instead of a couple of worried hours tracking her down.

My wife and I split up a number of times.  I took the older kids and she took the younger ones back to our hotel for a nap.  Every time we got back together, my wife was able to find us easily without having to ask us where we were.

We tested the Rino GPS units using both the FRS (lower power) radio and the GMRS (higher power) radio. In both cases the range was quite good.  The FRS signal would reach anywhere in the park and even a little way outside the park; however, they started having problems if you got much outside the park. The GMRS (higher power) setting requires an additional license to use, but Garmin claims that this boosts your range from 2 miles to 14 miles! In our tests we could reach from the most southern part of California Adventure clear up to the northern part of Disneyland.

As expected, the GPS satellite signal didn't penetrate many of the indoor rides, so the GPS unit didn't know its exact location within the ride.  However, most of the time, the GPS radio reported the location of the unit that was inside the ride as somewhere close to the ride entrance. The Rino 520HCx has a much more sensitve GPS antenna than previous Rino models (120, 130, 520, and 530), and did a much better job of obtaining a GPS satellite lock in tricky situations.

There are a very few rides that are extremely RF shielded so that the radio signal can't penetrate (as opposed to the GPS satellite signal discussed in the previous paragraph).  In these situations, there was no communication at all between the radios.  When this happened, we just waited 30 minutes or so and then tried again - or the party that was on the ride would contact the other when they got off the ride.

Finding restrooms and rides

Both of the GPS units we tested were able to find attractions and restrooms using the “Find Points of Interest” feature after loading the StoneMaps “Park Hopper” Disneyland and California Adventure GPS map. Searchable Points of Interest include the location of all of the rides, restrooms, designated areas to find Disney characters, and the ticket booths. They are divided into four separate categories and then sorted by distance from your location. Thus, when you are looking at the restrooms, the closest one is at the top of the list with the distance and direction displayed. By clicking “Go To”, the GPS shows the map with your location, the location of the selected Point of Interest, and a line directing you to your desired destination.

While we were sitting and waiting for a Parade in Disney’s California Adventure, I overheard a cast member telling another family the location of the closest restroom. Ten minutes later, my daughter said she needed to use a restroom. I started trying to tell her how to get to the restroom based on the information I heard from the cast member and then decided to just show her on the GPS screen. When we pulled up the closest restroom, we found that it was much closer than the one that the cast member had suggested – just across the road from where we were waiting and up a flight of stairs. This restroom was not on the printed park map, but was on the StoneMaps GPS map.

Summary

Bringing a GPS unit to Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure can add a new dimension of fun and also helps to maximize your time at the park by showing you where you are and how to get to where you want to be. If you have a family or a large party, you may want to bring along GPS radio units so that you can see the location of others in your party – especially if you have children that like to roam.

For more information, see:

• Rino 520HCx GPS Radio
• Rino 530HCx GPS Radio