Author: Stephen

I'm Stephen Ashley. My wife and I are huge fans of Disney World. I'm the author of Walt Disney World With Disabilities. I also wrote a book called Walt Disney World Made Easy for Everyone, but rather than have it published, at this point we've decided to place all the material from the manuscript on this website so everyone can have access to it! I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it makes your day just a little bit brighter and easier.

In-Depth Info for Everyone! Plus More for Those with Extra Challenges… Location: In the Animal Kingdom area. Address: 1801 W. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL.  Phone: (407) 939-6000 Fax: (407) 939-7222. Resort Type: Value. Location: Animal Kingdom area. Parking fee: $15 per night. Check-in: 3 PM. Check-out: 11 AM. Resort Type: Value. Disney’s All-Star Music Overview For deals on Orlando resorts, and unbiased reviews, check out Tripadvisor.com Orlando Resort Deals. (Click on photos to see larger images) Located between the All-star Movie Resort and the All-Star Sports Resort, All-Star Music offers 1,920 rooms, themed around music (of course). The three All-Star resorts are side by side in the…

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In-Depth Info for Everyone! Plus More for Those with Extra Challenges… Location: In the Animal Kingdom area. Address: 1991 West Buena Vista Drive Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830  Phone: (407) 939-7000 Fax: (407) 939-7111. Parking fee: $15 per night. Check-in: 3 PM. Check-out: 11 AM. Resort Type: Value. (CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR LARGER IMAGES) Resort Overview Located on one end of the three All-star Resorts that are side by side (the All-Star Sports Resort, and the All-Star Music are the other two), this resort is themed around movies. It’s located in the Animal Kingdom area of Disney World, and If you’re able to walk some distances,…

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Rebel Hanger is a special dining event held throughout Star Wars Weekends. Though all reservations for this Star Wars Weekend experience were gone when we arrived on the first afternoon of the festival, we were able to snag a walk-in reservation for that evening. We were told by the Cast members that in addition to the themed environment, there would be characters interacting with guests, so we were excited. Unfortunately there were no characters and the environment was very lightly themed. The Rebel Hangar is found in a portion of the Hollywood Studios Backlot Express restaurant, with an outdoor and…

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This year Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort completed a number of changes. Clearly as with everything Disney, some people will love it, and others will hate it. We just visited the resort for the first time since the changes were made. Here are my opinions, and feel free to share yours on the comments at the bottom of the page (remember to stay Disney polite). Prior to the changes, the defining characteristic that we loved most about the Polynesian was the lushness of the property. Everywhere you looked there was beautiful foliage and water features. Now we find the property to…

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Tables in Wonderland, Disney’s special dining discount program, offers special dining events throughout the year open only to those who purchase the card. The Great Movie Ride event was one we couldn’t pass up! Here’s what you get with this event: – Guests are taken inside The Great Movie Ride attraction, and served food and drinks inside three movie scenes. – Actors mingle with guests inside these three scenes. They play characters that go with the particular scene they’re in. – Guests are walked through each scene in The Great Movie Ride and permitted to look things over and take…

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T-Rex Downtown Disney Marketplace Restaurant Phone Number: 407.828.8739 Website: www.Trexcafe.com This Disney Springs restaurant is more like a park attraction than a restaurant, with food thrown in for good measure. It’s worth a visit, even if only to walk through. From the exterior to the various inside rooms, the theme is carried out in a spectacular way. Although there are some similarities to the Rainforest Café, a restaurant that’s been a part of Disney Springs for some time, T-Rex goes way beyond, bringing themed restaurants to a whole new level. These restaurants are not Disney owned, but Landry’s Restaurants has created a…

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The following is a list of items and services that are available within the parks. Though there’s a variety of special needs that these assists address, most of these are for people with hearing disabilities.  Folks with hearing disabilities seem to really get a lot of benefit from the devices. Some of these are accessed at the Guest Services area and you take them with you through the park. Others are available at the attractions. They are as follows: Handheld Captioning:  This is the newest device created by Disney engineers. It’s about the size of a PDA and combines handheld…

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By Megan VanWaus (Megan was a Disney World cast member) (Please note that the specific parades currently showing may change) Safety Precautions During Disney World Parades Disney parades are often the number one attraction for guests. Hundreds of families will find their spots hours ahead of time and camp out until the show begins! While the floats and characters move slowly down the street though, there are countless safety precautions being taken by cast members throughout the show. There are also some safety rules you, as guests should follow, as well, while enjoying a Disney parade. Don’t get in front…

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 CAUTION!  Keep Your Eye on the Road While Driving an ECV, Wheelchair or Walking Around Disney One thing to remember while traveling in an ECV (Electric Convenience Vehicle) or even walking around Walt Disney World is to keep an eye on the ground and road below you, especially at intersections. A small incident occurred to a guest traveling with her family from a sidewalk onto Main Street when the ECV she was riding tipped over. The guest admittedly assumed that there was a ramp or break in the curb that lines Main Street, for wheelchairs and ECVs to pass through.…

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Waiting in line is a fact of life at Disney World. Every Disney World attraction has at least one entrance for guests.  Some have a second entrance for wheelchair or special needs guests who have a DAS (Disability Access Service) card. Some of these queue lines start forming outside, and some are completely indoors.  These queues can be totally themed and entertaining, or they can be completely boring.  Some provide protection from the elements and some provide none. For many attractions, guests with disabilities and special needs are sent through the lines or queues with everyone else.  Some of the rides…

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How to Deal with Emergencies at Disney World Of course the plan is to have a care free trip. However if you should have an emergency situation while on Disney World property, here’s what you need to know: Reedy Creek is Disney’s on-site 911 emergency medical service, and they work with the Orange County and Osceola County area hospitals. They’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the service is free of charge. If a person is transported from Disney property in an ambulance, it’s also free of charge. For all emergencies on Disney property, you can either…

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On this page we’ll cover: The types of transportation at Disney World Pros and cons of using Disney’s transportation How to get around using Disney’s free transportation Other options you may want to consider such as bringing your own vehicle, renting a car, hiring a taxi or Uber, etc. Walt Disney World Transportation is HUGE! One of our Disney sources told us that Disney has the ninth largest boat fleet in the world. We’re not certain if this is legend or fact, but I do believe it’s possible! The Walt Disney World Resort covers about 40 square miles or 25,000…

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Take a smooth-riding boat ride to learn about the past, present and future of farming. First you’ll pass through various types of simulated climates such as a rain forest and a desert. You’ll then see different kinds of farming methods through time. These are displayed through a variety of means including scenes with animatronics and film. Last, you’ll pass through a series of futuristic indoor greenhouses that house real a working Disney farm using high-tech procedures. Cautions: Includes scenes with lightning and thunder, alligators and large insects (they’re not real in the rain forest scene), movies showing insects, flickering movies,…

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Soarin’ is one of our favorite rides at Disney, and each location that you sit gives a very different experience! Here are some tips and observations: Tip 1. We’ve found that the seats on the far left side of the theater feel as though they’re rising the highest. We’ve been told that they don’t actually rise any higher than the rest of the seats, but we believe that this effect has something to do with the perspective of the images on the screen. If you have a fear of heights, request to be seated in the furthest right section in…

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Take a ride in a tethered, helium-filled balloon that rises high above Disney Springs. Located where the old Guest Relations used to be, it’s impressive just to watch. The balloon itself is about 50 feet in diameter, and stands about 100 ft high when it’s on the ground. It rises up 400 feet, four times the height of the Planet Hollywood restaurant, or two times higher than the Everest ride at Animal Kingdom. Painted bright red and yellow, it’s decorated with Disney characters that fly including Tinkerbell and Aladdin. Cautions:   Motion Sickness, vertigo, heart problems, expectant mothers, “all other…

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