Have a question about planning a trip to Disney or something you’ve read here? Hopefully this blog can help! We’ve visited every Disney resort around the world, from Walt Disney World to Tokyo Disneyland, have stayed in nearly every Disney-owned hotel in the world, and have dined at the majority of Disney restaurants.
Presumably, most of you coming to this site are here for Walt Disney World or Disneyland trip planning advice. Common questions you have can probably be answered by posts we already have written that pertain to these topics and contain links to most critical vacation planning info.
If you’re trying to plan a Walt Disney World trip, visit our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide. If planning a Disneyland trip, check out our Disneyland Trip Planning Guide. If you look on the right-hand sidebar, you’ll also find links to other key planning-related posts.
You might be wondering about other elements of your trip. If you have questions about photography or want camera recommendations, read our Photography Guide. If you want to use one of the Tom’s photos from this site on your own blog, website, etc., check out our Photo Usage page. If you have questions about what to take with you on your Disney vacation, take a look at our Unique Disney Packing List posts.
If you have a media request, advertising, or marketing inquiry, please contact Tom@DisneyTouristBlog.com.
Please note that we do not respond to emails pertaining to planning. Unfortunately, time constraints preclude that. If you have questions pertaining to trip planning or other topics, leave your question in a relevant post or contact your travel agent. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we cannot respond to emails soliciting advice regarding Disney.
If you need comprehensive or personalized trip planning advice and help booking your trip, we recommend contacting an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (Disneyspeak for a travel agent). Try our sponsor, Be Our Guest Vacations.
We are just passionate Disney fans writing a blog about our experiences with advice based on those experiences. We are not affiliated with The Walt Disney Company nor is this an official Disney blog, so if you have questions or complaints about a booking with Disney or anything of that sort, you’ll want to contact Disney Guest Services for that.
Thanks,
Tom Bricker
Tom, I met you photographing the MVMCP this year. I noticed on Disneyland Tokyo website that “The use of unipods, tripods, selfie sticks or other such equipment (hand-size grip attachments excluded) when taking photos or videos”. I noticed you have some great night photos from there. What is your experience with tripods?
Hey Tom,
We just came back from our first trip to disneyworld with wife and kids (5 and 3). We had so much fun, and this blog was very very helpful to do some proper planning thanks to all the restaurants, rides and fastpass recommendations, …
Thanks so much !!
Tom,
Thanks for a great resource!. My wife and I just finished a 1-week trip to WDW and we had a great time. Most importantly, we had a plan and knew what to expect. It was effectively our first time, as my last time was my high school trip and Epcot did not yet exist. Your suggestions and reviews helped make the trip. Crowds were moderate and the Christmas decorations were still up.
1) Renting DVC points is the only way to go. Got to stay at Kidani instead of a value resort.
2) We had great dining experiences – some had different elements, but all were top class. V&A, California Grill (fireworks), Saana, Jiko, Edison, and Coral Reef (OK, we are divers, so this was the most “must” for my wife – and the food was done well) . The only downside is cost (I had to laugh at your review of V&A and your wine list/car shopping comparison). We did these this time as is was a major wedding anniversary, but I’d say for both money and waistline, we will have a significantly reduced dining out part of any future trip. We came to the conclusion by the end of our trip to order 1 thing and split it – that was plenty, both for food and money (worked well at Jiko).
3) We had groceries delivered, so we ate breakfast and lunch for $50 all week – which we needed, given the restaurant list above.
4) Customer service was the best I’ve ever had, anywhere. Asking with a smile goes a long way, even more so at WDW.
5) FastPass+ works just great, if you know how to use it. Sometimes we really did not need the FP+, as this was due to my wife being in a wheelchair and there was handicapped access.
6) The Disney app on the phone is a must – and knowing how to use it. There were a couple of times we just wanted some hot fries to go with our bag lunch, and I could use the app for mobile ordering, have my food, and be sitting down while I was watching people stand in line and had not moved. I never waited more than 5 minutes from order to food. The only minor complaint I have is the transportation schedule information – this is an area where improvements would be appreciated. Would be nice to know when the bus TO your resort was going to arrive to take you home – the outbound worked well enough.
7) We NEVER waited in line more than 20 minutes, and this was for two standby rides of SOARIN’. Avoiding waiting is well worth the planning. We got to enjoy the visual landscape, take our time, and never feel like our day was wasted.
8) Lyft is a must when dining at different resorts than where you are staying. We used it and it worked great. Did not even consider a MInnie Van as they were 4X the price.
9) Star Wars looks like it will be spectacular, glad we saw all 4 parks before the crush of visitors
Maybe some day I can repay all the help you were, by taking you to the General Motors access at Test Track – you get a complimentary FP+, plus a calm place to relax and have some refreshments.
Thank again, Doug
Great information and very enjoyable to read.
Thank you
I like your info, but I wish you had a search function.
Love your site and I get your emails, and love all the information I have acquired from reading your blogs. I am trying to find because I know I have read where you have mentioned before, but I can’t find it now, I am looking to find out what resorts have dedicated modes of transportation direct from the resort to park, so you don’t make stops at other resorts. We just returned from a stay this month at POP and loved that the bus was a direct shot to the parks, unlike POR that had several stops within the resort itself. We want to stay at other moderate or deluxe resorts but I can’t find which resorts you have mentioned have their own direct transportation. Can you help me please? Thanks so much.
where can I subscribe to your blog?
Love Your Blogs!!
We (family of 4) will be traveling to Hong Kong and Tokyo in May/June primarily to go to Disney. I have reservations for the Tokyo Disney Hilton but I am having trouble getting reservations at the Explorer hotel in Hong Kong. They currently have several good offers but, if you read the terms, you must be a resident of Hong Kong to get them. That’s fine, but then how do I get a regular reservation. Is there a number to call from the US for reservations?
Thanks,
Robert
Hi
I am coming from SA on the 22nd of December 2018 and will be visiting during these 5 days. I have been desperately trying to get tickets for after dark at Magic Kingdom , does not allow me to buy these ticket, I need tickects for me , my husband and 2 children.
Please help me.
Hi
I am coming from SA on the 22nd of December 2018 and will be visiting during these 5 days. I have been desperately trying to get tickets for after dark at Magic Kingdom , does not allow me to buy these ticket, I need tickects for me , my husband and 2 children.
Please help me.
I searched briefly, but couldn’t find a comprehensive list of current and prior year Disney bounce back offers. Is this something you have somewhere? I easily found the prior free dining offers/dates…
I hope I can take all my Friends out to Tokyo, Japan & even to Tokyo, Disneyland by 2 more years.
I would like a Couple of Brochures to Tokyo Disneyland, in Tokyo, Japan. Please? Thank you.
And Happy Holidays to you as well. Love reading pretty much everything in your posts – not just the information, but your personal writing style and humor (even read some of it out loud to my wife!). In those moments when you’re feeling burned-out, remember that you have a cadre of dedicated readers like myself and I hope that keeps you going. Thanks for everything…
Purchased Disney gift card on RAISE and tried to use on Target.com. Doesn’t work. PLEASE REMOVE THAT RECOMMENDATION.
My granddaughter is austic. I need. To obtain. A case pass, how can I do this? I have purchased the tickets to arrive on Tuesday. Help pls.
I’d love to be added to your email list. Thank you for the great and informative posts!
Miss your Forums section. As a beginner photographer, I really enjoyed posting on the forum and hearing the opinions of the more experienced photographers, as well as posting Disney related questions. It’s a shame I now have to get my fix on other websites where the replies range from gratuitous butt-kissing to acid laced vitriol.
I love your site. The articles, photos, and advice are all great, however, it can be frustrating to read older articles since none of the articles are dates as far as I can see.
Also, a native search function would be great.