Hey there, Donna!
Welcome to planDisney. It sounds like you are the planner in the family. Welcome to the club. I’ve been in a similar position with my mom, so I’ll share what we did, and maybe it’s something you can try.
My mom is not a fan of technology or using her phone in the parks, aside from taking photos. When she visits with me, she’s usually just listed as a Guest that I manage. Things changed when she was planning a trip to Disneyland without me! (Different coast, but very similar to your son’s upcoming
Walt Disney World visit). Like your son, she didn’t have her own account login, so that was step one. I walked her through each step to create her own account. Initially, I was going to do what you planned on doing, create it myself, but we both agreed it was time she learned, and I didn’t want to mix her account with mine. So, using her own email was the best solution.
She continued to practice navigating the
mobile app with me over the phone. I taught her how to purchase
Lightning Lane,
mobile order, and use the digital map. She felt good and ready for this visit. Here’s the plot twist: I totally crashed her trip!
Even though I was there, we still made her be the lead Guest so that she could familiarize herself with the app. At one point, her phone died, but we used her login information and continued to navigate under her account on my phone. With some practice, she became a professional. Or a Jedi Apprentice, at the very least.
If your son is traveling without you, I recommend taking the months leading up to the trip to work through the planning phases together. That way, he is prepared to navigate himself once he arrives. Of course, if you are going with him, you can just manage all his plans for him. However, if his name is on everything without you, it would be best for him to manage himself.
Hakuna Matata, there are Cast Members everywhere to help him out if he gets stuck while there. Just remind him to head over to a blue umbrella, where the
Guest Experience Team can help him out. He can also visit us here at planDisney anytime! Or, you can visit and relay the message; that’s how things work in my family.
Donna, I hope this has helped answer your question. If there’s anything else we can help with please don’t hesitate to ask.
Happy Planning,
Shantel