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.

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Written By Katie Penn (Header photo by Alexi Michelle Peres and Deron Shackleford) Post Covid Changes Update: The Disney Parks Blog announced that as early as April 18, they will start reintroducing traditional character greetings at Disney World. They said that “while not all locations will be available immediately, we anticipate reopening in phases throughout the spring and early summer.” So this process of restoring interactive character meet & greets could take a while. In the meantime, this article covers everything you’d need to know about characters at Disney World. Hopefully, everything will be restored fully, soon. This article will…

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Disney World has reopened, and we’ve got some answers to questions about the handling of special needs in the parks. Although things can change swiftly at Disney, here’s what’s happening now. Thank you to Autumn Barnes, Gordon LaGrow, Janey Schell, Grace Flanary, and many others in my Facebook group Walt Disney World Made Easy for Everyone for researching and generously sharing! Are masks required, even if there is a disability that makes it difficult to wear one? Anywhere and for as long as Disney is requiring them, then yes. No exemptions. Even if you’re wearing a face shield, a mask…

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With all the changes due to covid-19, you’ll need to make a decision on whether to go to Disney World or not. The following are Disney’s changes. After those, I’ll add my thoughts on who should consider going and who should consider canceling. Now here are Disney’s changes: Update added 1/11/22 – Masks not required outdoors for some time now. According to Disney guests no longer need face coverings when outdoors, but all indoor locations require face coverings. Here’s what Disney says: “Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) in all indoor locations, regardless of vaccination…

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Cover photo by Amanda J-c Location: Between the Animal Kingdom area and Hollywood Studios. Address: 1000 West Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL., 32830. Phone: (407) 939-1000 Fax: (407) 939-1001. Parking fee: $20 per night. Check-in: 3 PM. Check-out: 11 AM. Resort Type: Moderate. Overview of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort This is Disney’s largest convention center resort, but families enjoy it as well. With 2,385 guest rooms, the resort is themed after Spanish-Colonial Mexico and the American Southwest. This resort is spread out around a beautiful 22-acre lake named Lago Dorado. The resort was named after Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer. He set…

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Disney World can still be fun when it rains. Here’s how you can maximize your rainy day visit. By Katie Penn (Cover photo by Sue Welsh Guindon) This article will look at: Rain in Florida – What to expect Rainy Days in the Parks and Disney Springs – How to have fun anyway Alternative Activities for rainy days Rain in Florida – What to expect when you’re visiting Disney World Probably the most asked question for anyone planning a trip to Walt Disney World is: What will the weather be like? First of all, the caveat for anything to do…

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