We’re Finally Endorsing Something for Disney World That We Used to Hate: FuelRods.

I have no problem admitting when I’m wrong. Just ask Sarah. Actually, don’t. She’ll tell you just how common of an occurrence it is, potentially undermining my ‘correctness credibility.’ (For whatever it’s worth, I’m incorrect mostly about matters pertaining to the kitchen and other supposed common sense subjects—not Walt Disney World.)

Nevertheless, “I was wrong about…” is particularly its own genre of posts on this blog, including but not limited to Animal Kingdom’s excellence and full-day status and crowds during the beginning of spring break. And guess what? There are two more such subjects in the drafts folder, awaiting publication. I’ve learned to own my mistakes and take them in stride.

I wish this were more common. Nowadays it seems like people form snap judgments and don’t deviate from entrenched positions. Something is either unquestionably awesome or irredeemably awful, and not worthy of reevaluation. Obviously, this extends far beyond Disney. Just as it isn’t healthy in other aspects of life…it isn’t here, either.

In this case, I’m not so much admitting I was wrong as I am being open to assess new information and changed circumstances, and ‘evolving’ my opinion as a result. Another thing I wish were more common, but this is about me coming around on something I’ve previously, pretty vehemently, disliked.

Against that backdrop, it’s time to take a fresh look at FuelRods, one of the few things that this blog has been almost obstinate about since their introduction several years ago. For those who are unfamiliar with FuelRods, they are portable chargers that can be purchased at kiosks throughout Walt Disney World or Disneyland (along with airports, convention centers, etc.) parks and used to recharge your iPhone or other device on the go.

The ‘twist’ with FuelRods is that when you’re done using them, you can trade out your depleted FuelRod for a fully-charged one at the many kiosks throughout Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The appeal is thus the ‘unlimited’ charge the FuelRods offer by virtue of swapping them out. When put that way, it’s easy to see the appeal of FuelRods.

Part of my dislike for FuelRods, I will admit, was a reaction to the over-hype as it was the product itself.

I had heard so many rave reviews that, when I finally tried FuelRods myself, I was left befuddled as to why so many Walt Disney World and Disneyland fans loved this, a product that was inferior to basically every other battery on the market. As covered in the straightforward We Don’t Recommend FuelRods, the device was better in theory than actuality.

Before you get worried–no, this isn’t a sponsored post nor did “Big Fuel” finally get to me. Instead, it’s the circumstances that have changed since I last used FuelRods. It certainly took long enough, especially as time had long ago passed by the first generation of the device, but a couple of months ago, FuelRod rolled out its first-ever product overhaul.

This introduced the following:

• More Power: The new FuelRod boasts an increased capacity of 3,200 mAh (over 23% more power than the original FuelRod), providing longer-lasting power to keep your devices charged throughout the day.
• More Control: With USB-C compatibility, the new FuelRod offers versatile charging options for a wide range of modern devices. It also features a power button and four LED battery light indicators, giving users greater control over their charging experience.
• Same Swap: Maintaining the simplicity and convenience that FuelRod is known for, the swap process remains effortless. Just visit any FuelRod kiosk, insert your old FuelRod, and receive a fully charged new one instantly.

Here’s a look at the old (left) vs. new (right) FuelRods:

Swapping remains free at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. There was a class action lawsuit a few years back that resulted in FuelRod giving “Founder’s Status” to anyone who bought their devices before late 2019. For a while, this was verified at kiosks at Disney locations, which then provided free swapping.

The verification no longer occurs for whatever reason, meaning there’s no charge for swaps at Disney regardless of when/how/where you bought. FuelRod has started to introduce free swaps at other locations, so I’m no longer worried this is going to change at any moment. The device would have a lot less appeal to me (basically none!) if I had to pay anything for swaps.

The upgrade process is also free at Walt Disney World. All you do is walk up to any kiosk, click the swap button, place your original FuelRod into the kiosk, and follow the on-screen instructions. The machine will automatically recognize you’ve submitted the old generation of FuelRod, and initiate the upgrade process free of charge. You’ll receive the new FuelRod Kit, which includes the upgraded fully charged USB-C FuelRod along with new cables and adapters. For free. 

The other circumstance that changed was the cost of FuelRods. I discovered that Amazon sells FuelRod 2-packs for only $30. When I saw this as an early Black Friday deal, I just had to pull the trigger. Paying $15 for an okay charger with a small size and free swaps was a no brainer. It’d be like if PizzeRizzo were offering endless pizza. Sure, it’s not my favorite food…but I’ll still eat an embarrassing amount if it’s unlimited!

To put the Amazon price into perspective, the fee for FuelRods at Disney Parks has actually gone up increased recently. The cost of a single FuelRod is up from $30 to $38, two rods are now $76, and three rods are $114. In other words, Amazon is selling two for less than the price of one at Walt Disney World…which is about par for the course.

I also like the idea of having two of them. Sarah and I can each carry one, making the swapping less inconvenient (ditto charging–our batteries usually run low around the same time when we’re at the parks together). Even though I’m coming around on FuelRods, there’s still no way I’d recommend a family of 4 carry only one of them. That’s just unworkable. Everyone in your party who has a phone should probably have their own (unless they’re like my dad who only carries his phone for emergencies and goes days without even turning it on).

The final circumstance that changed was I found myself in a scenario where a FuelRod might actually come in handy! My existing backup batteries might be insufficient for a recent trip, so that plus the early Black Friday deal plus the device upgrades felt like a sign that it was time to give the device another chance. As it turned out, there ended up being a few reasons why the FuelRod worked out to be advantageous over this visit.

To start with, I was flying into Orlando International Airport only a few hours prior to the Christmas party. I usually like to give myself a big buffer, but that just wasn’t possible here. And as luck would have it, my flight was delayed, meaning that I had to take an Uber (instead of my normal Mears Connect) to Pop Century before dropping off my luggage and immediately heading to the park.

Normally, I’d spend about an hour at the hotel, giving myself—and my devices—time to recharge. That wasn’t possible, so I went into the night with an almost totally drained battery. A few FuelRods later, and I left the event with a full charge—and a full FuelRod—despite using my devices extensively.

The other upside of this was that I didn’t have to charge my normal Anker Nano Portable Charger overnight. The Anker 3-Port Charging Block has become my go-to power adapter, but it only has 3 ports: one for my phone, computer, and watch.

Anything beyond that requires switching devices when I invariably wake up during the middle of the night (about 50/50 that I remember to do this since I’m half awake, at best), or doing so immediately in the morning (also about 50/50 for similar reasons).

The big specific ‘use case’ reason I bought the FuelRod package was because I was planning on doing a day of Early Entry, TRON testing, and Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Magic Kingdom on a day when the park was open from 8 am until 11 pm. On top of that, it was ABC holiday special filming day and the Detroit Lions were playing on Sunday Night Football. Suffice to say, the stage was set for a historic day for my device usage at Walt Disney World.

Not that it’s really relevant, but I’m not one of “those guys” who goes to Walt Disney World begrudgingly, face buried in phone watching football. Outside of last year’s playoffs, I’ve never done this. It was a special circumstance, as I was watching the Disney ABC Holiday Specials being filmed that night and had a lot of downtime in between takes of the musical performances.

The above photo may not look like much, but this was my “workstation” for the evening–Sunday Night Football, Peppermint Brownie Sundae from Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (perhaps more than one), and a perfect view of Cinderella Castle with fireworks exploding overhead about every 10 minutes or so. It was a great night.

For their part, the FuelRods performed admirably. I did burn through a few of them that day, but I also arrived at the park at around 7 am, stayed until after midnight, and used my phone a lot. Had I taken my normal go-to charger, it would’ve run out of juice by halftime. Meaning I would’ve had a dead device before Jake Bates nailed a game-winning field goal in the game’s closing seconds to secure an improbable comeback for the Lions. I would’ve left Magic Kingdom feeling a bit defeated, assuming they had lost, instead of on cloud nine. The FuelRods paid for themselves with that evening’s vibes alone.

Changing out FuelRods that evening was exceedingly easy, as there’s a kiosk less than 100 yards from where I was sitting in Casey’s Corner. But it was also easy throughout the trip.

I knew FuelRod kiosks had become fairly ubiquitous around Walt Disney World, but I was surprised at just how often I randomly saw them. So even when my battery was still half full, I’d make a quick swap when passing a station on the way to the bus or leaving a counter service restaurant, etc. Never once did I have to go out of my way to exchange a depleted FuelRod.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the speed with which the FuelRod charged my phone. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still slow compared to any modern Anker battery, but these things used to be glacial. I’d still love to see the device charge a little quicker and have slightly higher capacity, but it’s good enough now–especially with kiosks all over the place.

Ultimately, the second generation of FuelRods have exceeded my expectations and are now our go-to batteries for Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The capacity is sufficient, swapping is simple, and it’s more convenient for us than using traditional chargers as we have been for years. Especially now that we have a baby and are often “distracted” when getting back to our hotel for the night–sometimes plugging in everything slips through the cracks.

I do want to offer the caveat here that we’ve determined FuelRods are right for us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the same is true for you. We are Annual Passholders on both coasts and spend a ton of time in the parks. We’ll easily swap FuelRods over 50 times in 2025. Maybe over 100 times. (I should’ve kept count of how many times I exchanged them on this one trip, as I feel like it was well over a dozen.)

If you’re a Walt Disney World or Disneyland first-timer or infrequent visitor, the calculus is different for you. If you’re judging the device itself, FuelRods are still not an objectively product. These chargers are still well behind the competition and I’d never recommend them for daily at-home use or for non-Disney travel. Where FuelRods excel is as a service. It’s the free unlimited swapping that holds all of the appeal, so if you can take advantage of that somewhat regularly, we highly recommend FuelRods.

If you cannot, we still don’t. In which case, we still recommend purchasing one of the Anker devices on our list of the Best Backup Batteries for Disney. There’s a wide range of quick and high-capacity portable chargers on that list, most of which are faster and cheaper than FuelRods. For what it’s worth, you probably will need a portable charger in the parks. Everything from Mobile Order to checking wait times to finding showtimes to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Walt Disney World and Disneyland are serious battery drains.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts

What do you think of FuelRods? Excited about the second-generation upgrade that offers higher capacity devices and faster charging? Think the device/service is a no-brainer given the current cost of only $30 for a 2-pack at Amazon? Will you give FuelRods a chance at Walt Disney World or Disneyland? Or have you already been using them for years?! Do you agree or disagree with our new FuelRod review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!