Last summer, I posted about a system being tried out at Safeco Field in Seattle where fans at the ballgame could bring their Nintendo DS and connect to a variety of information and service options via a wireless network in the park.

Now the Disney people are getting in on the action. Via Engadget comes this post which tells us that Disney is testing a service at Walt Disney World in Florida where visitors can use a Nintendo DS (supplied by the park) to find their way around, locate special services (ATMs, bathrooms, etc.), and even meet up with the costumed characters. That website’s forum even has a first-hand account from a WDW visitor who got to try it out and posted pictures (including the one above) of the actual unit and screens. Here’s a link to another site that has a picture of the printed documentation the park gives visitors who try the system, to give you a sense of what it offers.

The only downside I can see is that, at least for now, you have to use the DS that the park provides rather than your own, which probably means that you can’t use anything with it except their unique system. The Safeco pilot let visitors use their own handhelds. Disney being Disney, it’s probably not likely that they’ll change that when/if they officially roll this out. Otherwise, I think this is a brilliant idea for any large theme park and could easily be rejiggered for almost any kind of venue that wanted it — museums, zoos, historical sites. It’s also a very smart strategy on the part of the people at Nintendo because it gives them a foot in the door of the sort of services Apple is aiming for with the iPhone/iTouch, at a much lower price point for the end user.

All things being equal, it’s pretty likely that next year we’ll take Charlotte to Disney World, so I hope this particular service is in full-swing by then.