By Peter Covino
Lifestyles Editor

Ahoy mateys.

Grab onto that iPad,  Nexus 7 or other portable device — you can now surf the internet while waiting in line at Pirates of the Caribbean and other Magic Kingdom attractions.

The Magic Kingdom is finally wired for the techie with free Wi-Fi.

I haven’t been to the theme park since Wi-Fi was announced recently, but this really is a welcome addition to my inner geek.

There have been so many times when I have gone out to the theme park with friends or relatives and really would have been quite content “to just sit this one out” while Aunt Irma and Uncle Gustav went on “It’s a Small World” one more time. And I have sat fairly contentedly killing time on my smart phone (and watching my battery die) waiting for smiling faces to exit a myriad of Disney rides.

Since I haven’t been yet, I can’t tell you how well the free Wi-Fi works, but the various theme park blogs and websites seem to be giving it a thumbs up. The website Insidethemagic.net indicates it is a fairly easy process. Guests visiting the Magic Kingdom connect to “Disney Guest” via their portable device, agree to the usual terms of usage, and you are ready to go.

It will be interesting to put their Wi-Fi to the test, but as is the case with most Wi-Fi spots, especially free public ones, the results can widely vary. The more guests using the Wi-Fi, the slower the connection is going to be. Plus I am sure some places in the Magic Kingdom will get a stronger signal than other places.

Disney recently added free WiFi to its resort  hotels, so this is a logical step.

And Disney officials say all four Disney parks as well as Downtown Disney will have free WiFi in the coming months.

It’s a great move and all of the local theme parks should offer WiFi, who usually, in most cases, have guests who spend the better part of a day at their attraction.

It also makes sense for Disney to offer free Wi-Fi since Disney recently launched the My Disney Experience app (free via iTunes). The mobile app gives guests another way to find out about ride and show waits, make dining reservations and even includes park maps. And coming soon: a link to Disney’s new NextGen fastpass system.

The app also works when you are away from Walt Disney World. No word yet when an application will be available for android devices.

While free Wi-Fi makes me happy, one area where Disney needs to improve is electrical outlets availability.  If you are a frequent visitor to the Disney parks, particularly the Magic Kingdom, a park built long before portable gadgets (phones, tablets, cameras etc.) became mainstays, electric outlets just were not a necessity.

And the Magic Kingdom (and the other Disney theme parks as well) certainly could use more of them. Finding an electrical outlet at Disney is much harder, in fact, than finding a well-hidden “Mickey”.

I have a secret source who has sniffed out just about every electrical outlet at the Magic Kingdom, and he tells me there are a few options, if you didn’t bring or own spare batteries for that portable device.

Over on Main Street, by the watch shop, there are two electrical outlets. And there are a few more in Tomorrowland by the Merchant of Venus. And if you look closely, in Adventureland, there is an outlet by the photo opportunity at Princess Jasmine. There is also one, supposedly somewhere around the Haunted Mansion.

If you are desperate for a battery charge, I am told you can leave your phone at the information center on Main Street and return in a few hours to a happily recharged battery.