Disney World is full of magically fun, enticing items for sale. Everywhere you look there are stores. Even when you leave a ride or attraction. For almost every one of them, when you get off the ride or leave the attraction, you’ll walk through a store or past a kiosk. It will be filled with items that are themed after the ride/attraction you just experienced. It can be difficult for a child or even an adult, especially those with certain issues such as autism, to be told they can’t have everything they want. So Justin Lopes has created a visual…
Author: Stephen
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.
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Header photo by Cameron Watkins Everything you need to know about Early Theme Park Entry at the Disney World parks While Disney World used to offer Extra Magic Hours, that’s no longer available since the post-Covid re-opening. Now Disney World is offering Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours. These options are completely different from Extra Magic Hours. We’ll cover Early Theme Park Entry here. For Extended Evening Hours visit here. Here’s what you need to know about Early Theme Park Entry. What is Early Theme Park Entry to the Disney World parks? This is designed to help you…
Header castle photo by Heather Raymond Gable Disney has put this new program in place along with Early Theme Park Entry. We’ll go over all you need to know. What is Disney World Extended Evening Hours? Certain guests are allowed to participate in extended evening hours on select evenings, in select theme parks. Currently the parks included in this program are Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Currently this is not available every day. To see the schedule for Extended Evening Hours visit Disney’s site here. To date, when a park has Extended Evening Hours, Disney has been keeping the…
Where are the quiet spots in the Disney World parks to take breaks and to rest? Sometimes you just need a little down time. The Disney World parks can be highly stimulating and this can be challenging for some. Those with certain health and emotional issues really need to break way for a while. Really, anyone might need a restful spot. Some people need relief from sensory overload. You can always go back to your resort for a break. That’s one of the benefits of staying on Disney property. Your resort is going to be nearby. Many Disney resorts have…
When you visit Disney World, you can count on walking for miles and standing for hours in ride and attraction queues. For anyone who finds this idea physically challenging, or even painful, we strongly suggest renting a scooter or wheelchair. It’s usually the very best solution and it can make a huge difference to the quality of your trip. If walking and standing that much sounds difficult, or if you feel an aversion to using a scooter or wheelchair, we suggest you read this article: Should I Walk or Use a Wheelchair/Scooter on my Disney World Trip? Can I sit…
Header image by Stephanie Pini Pratt Location: In the Magic Kingdom theme park area. Address: 1600 Seven Seas Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830. Phone: (407) 824-2000. Fax: (407) 824- 3174. Parking fee: $25 per night Self-Parking/ $33 per night Valet Parking. Check-in: 4 PM for Villa guests, 3 PM for everyone else. Check-out: 11 AM. Resort Type: Deluxe & Deluxe Villas. About Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort & Villas The Polynesian resort is a “monorail” resort, situated in the Magic Kingdom area of Walt Disney World. It’s on the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon. One of two original opening…
Can crowd sizes impact my visit Disney World? There’s no doubt that the lower the crowds, the better the time you can have at Disney World. When crowds increase, so do resort costs. During peak crowd times, ticket prices go up. Lines grow, and wait times can become crazy long. I recently heard comedian Jim Gaffigan joke about his family trip to Disney. He said that visiting Disney was like going to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). Anyone who’s been to the DMV knows that it’s all about lines and waiting. Though anything can change at Disney World at…
Location: In the Epcot area. Address: (for both BoardWalk Inn and BoardWalk Villas) 2101 Epcot Resorts Blvd, Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830 Phone: (for both) (407) 939 5277. Fax: (for both) (407) 939 5150 Parking fee: $25 per night Self-Parking/ $33 per night Valet Parking. Check-in: 3 PM. Check-out: 11 AM. Resort Type: Deluxe & Deluxe Villas. About Disney’s BoardWalk Inn & Villas The BoardWalk Inn blends the best of Coney Island and Atlantic City in the Roaring ’20s. Carousel figures, artwork, candy-striped tents and a roller-coaster–inspired water slide are just a few of the elements that make up this…
DISNEY GENIE, GENIE+. INDIVIDUAL LIGHTING LANES (Updated 4-16-2022) If you’re going to a Disney World park, you’ll want to use Genie. You’ll also want to decide on whether to use Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes or not. This article will cover these options. Though Disneyland will also have the new app, there will be some differences. So keep in mind that we’re dealing with Disney World here, unless Disneyland is specifically mentioned. You can visit Disney World’s Genie page here. We’ll cover everything you need to know about: Disney Genie Genie+ Individual Lightning Lanes Genie+ and DAS (Disability Access System)…
Header photo by professional Orlando photographer Candi Hall Location: Magic Kingdom area. Address: 4510 North Fort Wilderness Trail, Lake Buena Vista, FL., 32830 Phone: (407) 824-2900, Fax: (407) 824-3508, Kennel: (407) 824-2735, Check-in: 3 PM for cabins and 1 PM for campsites. Check-out is 11 AM. Parking fee: $20 per night for the Cabins. Guests staying at the Campsites get complimentary standard parking for one vehicle. Check-in: 3 PM. Check-out: 11 AM. Resort Type: Moderate. Overview of The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness and The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness While the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness are considered a Moderate Resort, the campsites are considered a…
With some planning and strategy, Disney World can be a wonderful experience for those with ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), ADD (Attention-Deficit Disorder) and ODD (Opposition Defiant Disorder), and their families. We interviewed Jim West LMHC, NCC of the Total Life Counseling Center in Orlando, Florida (www.Totallifecounseling.com). Jim specializes in ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ODD (oppositional defiance disorder) and he’s also a frequent visitor to Disney. He had a lot to share. We recognize that ODD is different from ADHD and ADD, but we’ve included it in this section (you’ll see the ODD topic label) since…
Disney World is a wonderful but very strange place to visit for anyone! For those who need a little assistance with adapting to the change in environment, making your own Story Book can be a huge help. Many have used this technique over the years with great success. Creating an appropriate Story Book for your person can completely change the experiences you have while at Disney World. It can prevent melt downs and unwanted behaviors. It can set your family up for a positive experience. One of the members of our Facebook group called Walt Disney World Made Easy for…
Header image by Kat Jones-Shank Visiting Disney World while the changes are in place for COVID is new territory for everyone. During their phased re-opening things are changing. We recently got a great trip report from Diana Shelton, a member of our Facebook group (Walt Disney World Made Easy for Everyone). We’ll take Diana’s observations and tips and expand on them where appropriate. We’ll also add some other details that you’ll want to know to plan a visit during COVID related changes and the phased re-opening. Also if you have special needs and are concerned about how they’re handled currently, check…
Header Photo by Gillian Fisher Location: In the Magic Kingdom Resort area. Address: 901 Timberline Dr. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. Phone: (407) 824-3200 Fax: (407) 824-3232. Parking fee: $25 per night Self-Parking, $33 per night Valet Parking. Check-in: 3 PM. Check-out: 11 AM. Resort Type: Deluxe & Deluxe Villas. Overview of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort As you pull up to the hotel entrance notice that the trees lining the driveway are mostly pines. Disney has taken pains to remove any tropical influence here. The peaceful and beautiful resort is modeled after Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Lodge circa 1904, though more upscale. The…
By Katie Penn What is the Disney World Park Pass Reservation System? In order to manage the much lower capacity across all 4 parks, guests must now have a park reservation to enter a park, in addition to a valid ticket. Guests must choose one park per day. If guests have Park Hopper tickets they can make a reservation at their first park and hop to a second park of their choice after 2 PM (subject to availability). The reservation system is linked to the My Disney Experience app, and it must be used in advance of attending the parks.…
