The first thought that comes to most parents minds when they think of Disney isn't cell phones. But that may be changing soon with Disney's release of their Family Mobile Plan that offers parents a way to control their children's cell phone usage while offering a variety of features that thrill parents and kids alike.



The concept is simple. All family members get a phone that works with the Family Mobile plan. One family member, usually a parent, is the Family Manager who can set controls from his or her phone or from the web. While many cell phones that have been designed for children have parental controls and limiting calling, Disney seems to have reinvented the family plan and it is worth looking into.

What's included in the Disney Family Mobile plan that parents will like?

- Family Monitor - This feature allows parents to set up monthly spending allowanced for voice, text and pix messages as well as controlling what content kids can download into their phones. In addition, the parent phone and the child's phone will receive a message when the allowance has been used up. The parent can choose to add to the allowance or not.

- Call Control - Parents can restrict when their children can use their phones and who they can call and receive calls from. There is also the ability to program in "Always On" numbers such as parents or emergency numbers that can still be called even during restricted hours.

- Family Locator - This feature uses GPS technology to find the location of a child's cell phone from the parent's cell phone or from Disney Mobile's website. This feature probably won't help anyone find a cell phone that has gone missing under a pile of clothes in a child's room, but rather help a parent find a child who has forgotten to check in or even perhaps a child who has truly gone missing.

- Family Alert - Parents can send prioritized messages to all family members at once that take over the phone's main screen.

- Unlimited Mobile to Mobile calls - All calls to family members on the plan are unlimited.

What's included in the Disney Family Mobile plan that kids will like?

- Disney Zone - Kids can download exclusive ring tones and wall paper from Vault Disney, the Disney archives. They can also check out music and artists from Radio Disney and play Disney Trivial Pursuit.

- Family Monitor - While kids may not like being limited in the amount of calls they can make, they will appreciate being informed when they reaching their limit so they can plan accordingly.

Other features that come with the Disney Family Mobile plan include:

- Unlimited Nationwide Long Distance

- Unlimited Nights and Weekends

- Caller ID

- Call Waiting

What's the cost for all this? Considering its Disney, you might think it's very expensive. However, the prices for both the phones and the plans seem quite competitive.

There are two phones available to purchase for the plan. The first is the basic model which currently costs $59.99 (after a rebate). The second more stylish model currently costs $109.99 (after rebate). Both phones come with a camera and the more expensive model also does video. The plans start at $59.99 (450 monthly minutes) for two users and more users can be added at $9.99 per month.