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’s International Food & Wine Festival dates have been announced, and I’m happy to tell you that it’s been extended to a full 75 days long! The dates announced are August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This year Disney extended the festival into November, but now it will start much earlier too. The festival has usually started in the middle of September, and personally we’ve always planned a trip each year around that time. This will be an extra, unexpected treat for those who are coming in the beginning of September. Personally we love the Food & Wine Festival. We…

Read More

By Catherine Lauer Have you found it difficult to come down from the high of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival that is eating and drinking your way around the world? Have you wished your trip dates could include one of Disney’s famous festivals? Fear not! Disney has added a new festival at Epcot, and it will feature plenty of art, music, and happily, good food! Epcot is launching the International Festival of the Arts, set to run Friday through Monday, weekly from January 13 – February 20, 2017. Illustrations at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts During the six weekends,…

Read More

By Rebecca Joy (and thanks to Tawnya Titus for the great castle photo above) Each year around the holidays Disney goes all out to bring wonder and joy to this most magical season. Disney World lights up with special decorations, shows and activities. Even visiting the various Disney World resorts to see their decorations can be a lot of fun, and it’s free! For example you can see the special life-sized gingerbread house built each year in the Grand Floridian. You can even buy fresh baked gingerbread cookies from the store inside of it. To help you plan your holiday visit, we’ve put together…

Read More

Disney’s just released the parties available for New Year’s Eve 2017, and you can book them now. Booking is now available for New Years Eve 2016 events all around Disney World. For the most part these events are very upscale with one sort of moderate event as the only exception. Here’s what’s available right now: Disney World’s California Grill New Year’s Eve Dinner  You’ll have incredible views of the Magic Kingdom Park, as well as some great food in one of Disney’s signature restaurants. This dine-around style event will have cooking stations throughout the restaurant. To make things much more fun, you’ll get see…

Read More

Hey Disney friends, This is Stephen Ashley. We’re really happy to bring to you some awesome podcasts by our friend Nicholas Groome, AKA The Disney Dude. Here’s Nicholas: Welcome back Dudes and Dudettes to this, Episode 9, of The Disney Dude Podcast. I am your host the Disney Dude Himself, Nick Groome. It’s been a couple of weeks. Between being sick and Hurricane Matthew, we have been fighting the forces of the internet but alas we are back and … WE ARE LIVE! That’s right! We are streaming The Disney Dude Podcast live to facebook starting every Monday at 8:00…

Read More

There’s a new show at Disney World for the Holiday Season! There’s something new at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the holiday season. Starting November 14th and running through December 31st, Disney World will be starting a new holiday show that will include some of their very cool projections on the Chinese Theater, special effects and fireworks. It will all be set to seasonal music. The show will be led by characters from the Disney animated special “Prep & Landing”. They’re named Wayne and Lanny. It will feature holiday moments from Disney films like: Mickey’s Christmas Carol Beauty and the Beast Pluto’s…

Read More

For Disney Specific Storm News See Below. First, here is weather information: 10/7/16 – 9:48 am: According to News 6 WKMG / ClickOrlando, the hurricane is currently skirting the coast in Central Florida and some of the inner portion  of the hurricane, which is the strongest part, is on land. Central Florida Coast has gotten gusts up to 107 mph and is still experiencing the hurricane. Orlando is still getting Tropical Storm force gusts at around 45-48 mph. There is a flood watch for the Orange County. There is currently flooding in the coastal areas. These are local TV stations broadcasting…

Read More

Want to know how to use Disney World’s FastPass+ Reservation system? We’ve created two articles for you that should give you everything you need in order to use Disney World’s FastPass+ system like a pro! The first article explains exactly what FastPass+ is, how it works, and the rules you’ll need to know. In the second article, we’ve broken down the process into easy, simple steps for you to follow. Here are the FastPass+ Articles you’ll need to get started:  ⇒ Disney World FastPass+ Reservations Explained & Made Easy  ⇒ Step by Step Instructions on How to Make FastPass+ Reservations at…

Read More

FASTPASS SYSTEM HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND WILL BE REPLACED BY DISNEY GENIE SERVICE. Check on DisneyWorld.com to keep updated. Step-by-Step Directions for making FastPass+ Reservations at Disney World By Catherine Lauer & Stephen Ashley This is our “how to” page with step-by-step instructions. To read about how FastPass+ reservations work and to find answers to commonly asked questions, read our article here: Disney World FastPass+ Reservations Explained and Made Easy Let’s get you some FastPasses! On this page you’ll learn how to: Access Disney’s FastPass+ system Sign up for a Disney Account Link your park tickets to your account Link…

Read More

Hey Disney friends, This is Stephen Ashley. We’re really happy to bring to you some awesome podcasts by our friend Nicholas Groome, AKA The Disney Dude. Here’s Nicholas: Welcome back Dudes and Dudettes. This week I am joined by a super special Magical Guest! Quan Chung! Quan has been amazing the Disney Princesses throughout the parks with his street magic and we got a chance to sit down and figure out what got him into the magic! If you missed us last week, my guest Cody of The Mouse Knows Best podcast and myself got to dive deep into our…

Read More

Who can resist this? Starting October 2, 2016, the Muppets are all set to start their new show in Magic Kingdom called “The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History.” This should be a really fun show, full of humor, music and real history. You’ll find the crew in front of the Hall of Presidents performing historical (and hysterical) tales about the birth of the United States of America such as the midnight ride of Paul Revere and the signing of the Declaration Independence. The show will be interactive, but exactly how remains to be seen. Taken from a thread on DISboards.com, showtimes are tentatively…

Read More

Available starting September 22nd, when you’re staying at certain non-Disney resorts, you’ll be able to buy a money saving Quick-Service Dine Gift Card, but only for a limited time! This is like the Disney Dining Plan which lets you pre-pay for your food, but it’s only been open to guests staying at Disney-owned resorts. It’s available for travel dates from September 26, 2016 thru April 4th, 2017. According to Disney, you can qualify for this if you get a package at one of the following resorts or resort areas: Swan and Dolphin Hotels Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort…

Read More

Hey Disney friends, This is Stephen Ashley. We’re really happy to bring to you some awesome podcasts by our friend Nicholas Groome, AKA The Disney Dude. Here’s Nicholas: We love Disney for the parks, but before there were parks, there were movies. For me I personally love the animated movies – especially the animated ones. There is just something so personal about the hand drawn art style Disney was known for. Join my guest Cody and I as we talk about all of our favorite animated films and where to find them in the parks! If you missed us last…

Read More

Personally I like that every so often Disney will show sections of new movies in the Disney Parks! It’s a great way to decide if it’s something you’d like to see once it’s out. Starting on October 7, 2016 you’ll be able to catch 10 minutes of the new film called Doctor Strange when you’re at Disney. The movie won’t be released until November 4th, 2016. Doctor Strange, is a Marvel fantasy about a neurosurgeon,  played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who’s lost his career. He ends up becoming a super powerful sorcerer taught by the “Ancient One”, played by Tilda Swinton. The movie also stars Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen…

Read More

Hey Disney friends, This is Stephen Ashley. We’re really happy to bring to you some awesome podcasts by our friend Nicholas Groome, AKA The Disney Dude. Here’s Nicholas: Welcome back Dudes and Dudettes to episode 6 of The Disney Dude Podcast. I am your host, the Disney Dude Himself, Nick Groome. I hope you enjoyed the last episode where the awesome people from Behind the Magic and I discussed all of the changes coming to Disney: from Marvel and Star Wars, all the way to Pandora from James Cameron’s Avatar. This week I am joined by: Dominic Pisano of Plantoons…

Read More