Disposable cameras were all the rage, and I would race home to my local photo lab, hopeful that my photos would be as magical as I'd imagined. The roving photographers in the parks also shot on 35mm film, so even those images had to be developed and picked up later in the day.
But there's another part of me that longs for a digital detox—for a time when I wasn't tethered to my phone. I wanted my kids to experience a Disney family vacation the way I remember it from the '90s: screen-free and full of presence.
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Planning a ‘90s-Style Disney Vacation
Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, in a photo taken with a screen-free digital camera.Photo by Linnea Bailey
As luck would have it, one of my all-time favorite Disney resorts opened in the early '90s: Disney's Port Orleans Resort—Riverside. And right now, Disney water park admission is free on arrival day for all resort hotel guests—so we took a Disney bus straight to Typhoon Lagoon, where we spent the day tackling water slides and floating in the lazy river.
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First, I Had to Actually Put the Phone Down
The author with her family on a vintage stream train on the Walt Disney World Railroad at the Magic Kingdom, in a photo taken with a Camp Snap camera.Photo by Linnea Bailey
For our theme park day, I also picked up a Camp Snap screen-free digital camera, which works like an old-school film camera but holds up to 500 images on a single charge. I didn't test it before the trip, so we decided we’d figure it out by taking photos, exactly like the old days.
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Disney World Turned Out to Be the Perfect Place to Go Screen-Free—and Here's Why
Two of the author's children peer into the Cinderella Wishing Well at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, in a photo taken with a screen-free digital camera.Photo by Linnea Bailey
Disney is renowned for its safety and its cast members, who are everywhere and always happy to help. Paper maps are available at every park entrance, making navigation easy without a screen. And Disney's legendary attention to detail means there's something to look at around every corner, including many things you may miss if you're staring at your phone.
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No Phone, No Problem—Here's How We Navigated the Parks the Old-Fashioned Way
The Dapper Dans perform a cappella American standards and Disney classics along Main Street, U.S.A., at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom; photo taken with a Camp Snap camera.Photo by Linnea Bailey
Since I still wanted great vacation photos, I purchased the Disney PhotoPass Memory Maker in advance, which granted us unlimited shots with professional photographers stationed throughout the parks. It felt like the most '90s approach possible: have the photos taken, but don't see them until after the trip. No obsessing, no do-overs, just a fun surprise waiting for us at home.
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My Kids Noticed Something Was Different About This Vacation
The author with her family at Walt Disney World's EPCOT.Photo courtesy of Disney
My kids also adored using the Camp Snap camera to take their own photos; I handed it over and let them take as many photos as they wanted. Unlike the '90s, the generous storage limit meant I didn’t worry about wasting film.
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I Stopped Documenting the Vacation and Started Having One
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is one of the most popular rides at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.Photo by Olga Thompson, courtesy of Disney
When we all got soaked following a front-row ride on Tiana's Bayou Adventure, the eye makeup that I'd so carefully applied that morning was suddenly gone. And instead of feeling the need to fix it, I laughed and kept going. It sounds small, but it wasn't.
At one point on Tiana's Bayou Adventure, we rounded a bend and I spotted a quote from Tiana's father (from Disney's The Princess and the Frog) emblazoned on a water tower: "Never, ever lose sight of what's really important." Those words resonated deeply with me on this trip, and they embody the mindset I want to take with me on future vacations.
If you’re ready to try it yourself, here’s how to make it work.
How to Plan Your Own Phone-Free Disney Vacation
Two of the author's children at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, in a photo taken with a screen-free digital camera.Photo by Linnea Bailey
Try a Disney MagicBand+. It may not have existed in the '90s, but it's the ultimate phone replacement at Disney. It works as your room key, park ticket, PhotoPass identifier and Lightning Lane access—all without ever pulling out your phone.
Agree on a Meeting Spot. Without the option to call each other, we made sure our kids knew exactly what to do and where to go if they couldn't find us—just like families did in the '90s.
Give Yourself Permission to Just Be There. Even when our phones weren't locked up, we made a conscious choice not to use them. We focused on spending time together and making memories as a family—which, after all, is the whole point of a vacation.
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