How to Manage Your Service Dog in the Disney World Parks By Aimee Kent, travel agent (photos are all from Aimee Kent) Are you planning on bringing your service dog to the Walt Disney World parks? The following is everything you need to know. It’s written by Aimee Kent, a travel agent who has first-hand experience bringing her own service dogs to the parks. She’s graciously offered to share all of her tips with our readers. If you wish to contact Aimee Kent, visit her Travel Agent page here. Here we go: Basic Service Dog Rules for the Disney World Parks…
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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By Jennifer Buzzard (photos are also from Jennifer unless otherwise noted) Are you visiting Disney World with sensory sensitivities? You can enjoy it with a little planning. Jennifer Buzzard is a travel agent with direct experience visiting Disney World with sensory sensitivities. She’s shared her tips below for managing, thriving and enjoying the parks with this issue, comfortably. If you wish to contact her for assistance with travel, visit Jennifer’s travel agent page here. Here’s Jennifer’s story and tips, and we’ll add in some editor’s tips from Stephen Ashley also. Tackling Disney World with sensory sensitivity Five years ago, a…
How Anyone Can Save Big Money On A Disney World Resort: Using Disney Vacation Club Rentals “How do you get discounts on Disney trips?” This is a question I get a lot, and it’s a frequent topic of discussion on my Facebook group. There’s only one way to get a really huge discount on a Disney World trip. With this technique, I’ve seen room prices at almost half the regular prices Disney charges. In fact, I’ve seen Disney Deluxe resorts pricing at around what you’d pay for a Disney Value level resort. Here’s how you get those huge Disney World room…
For those who are going to Disney World with back, neck or body pain such as with fibromyalgia: You’re mission. Should you decide to accept it, your mission is to have a fantastic time at Disney without making your pain or condition worse! We’ll share ideas that may help you accomplish this mission. We’ll cover a variety of commonly asked questions, and we’ll share some strategies. Some things we’ll cover include: Can I skip lines? Renting a scooter or wheelchair Are rollators allowed? Are there enough gentle rides to keep me busy? How to know if a ride is okay for my…
By Katie Penn & Stephen Ashley How Annual Passes Can Save You a Lot of Money When Used Fully We’ll go into depth about how to use an annual pass as a tool for almost anyone looking to save money at Disney World. First, the following are recent related announcements by Disney: Disney World Annual Passholer – Updates Disney is now selling the Disney Incredi-Pass, Disney Sorcerer Pass and the Disney Pirate Pass, in addition to the Pixie Dust Pass. The quantity of passes are limited and passes, or a pass type, may become unavailable for purchase at any time.…
All You Need to Know About Babysitting, Child Care, Mother’s Helpers & Senior Care at Disney World There are various options when it comes to hiring assistance while you’re at Disney World. Here is what’s available: Babysitting in-room Babysitting in a club format Parent-free Child adventure (Captain Hook’s Pirate Crew) Pet sitting Elder Care & Companionship Mother’s/Father’s Helpers Using Babysitting services during your visit to Disney World is an option. You may want to plan in advance to get some adult time in during your visit. For example, you can go out to dinner or enjoy the adult options in…
Here’s all you need to know. Disney World Resort Parking Fees Resort parking for guests: Self-parking is FREE at all of the Disney World resorts. Parking for Disney Vacation Club members: Parking is free for DVC members staying at a Disney Vacation Club Deluxe Villa or a Disney Resort hotel. It’s free whether you’re using Vacation Points or another form of payment. Resort day guests: If you’re visiting a resort to experience dining, shopping and entertainment, Standard Self parking is free. Parking at The Campsites in the Fort Wilderness resort: Each campsite has one parking space which is free. Resort…
By Katie Penn The Disney World Park Pass Reservation System First, let’s go over some recent Disney World change announcements, then we’ll go into detail about the Disney World Park Pass Reservation System, what it is, and how to use it. We’ll also answer commonly asked questions. In essence, this system seems to be on a path to being diminished. This could be good because it makes for a greater ability to have more spontaneity when at Disney World. What exactly is the Disney World Park Pass Reservation System? In order to manage the much lower capacity across all 4…
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…
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…
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…
Are you visiting Disney World with someone who has ADHD, ADD or ODD? 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 and friends. 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…
