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 can subscribe to our FREE email newsletter here.
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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
I am currently planning a Disney trip for December 2016. Generally, Disney offers free dining during the time we will be traveling. I plan to stay in a moderate resort or Pop Century. My husband also qualifies for Military rates and we are Disney Visa cardholders. Can you tell me if I will come out better using the military rate on room or going with the free dining plan. I have talked with a couple of planners at Disney and they have not been very helpful and don’t seem to be very knowledgeable on military discounts. I can’t seem to find out if the military room rate will apply during my entire stay, I know military tickets have blackout dates during part of our trip, so they will not be very helpful. Looks like we will be purchasing regular tickets. Also, my entire party is adults with the exception of a 1 year old. We like to eat and always go with the dining plan. Thanks for your help!
do you know anything about tickets2you or bestoforlando?
Parksavers told me that they send vouchers, and that you have to trade them in at the park.
I have really appreciated all of your wonderful information. We are going to Disney for the first time with our 3 boys under 5 and on a budget. We are staying off site. I am really interested in some of the free entertainment tips such as seeing Illuminations from outside of Epcot. Do we need to pay for parking at the Yacht Club or Boardwalk? I saw that the Swan and Dolphin charge $18 to park (even if we are planning dinner there too?!) Do you know if you have to pay for parking at the resorts where you can see the electrical water pageant?
I recently saw a post that invited me to join your mailing list. If I joined, you said, I would be able to download your Walt Disney World Christmas ebook. After I signed up for your mailing list, I attempted to download the free ebook and was informed that my email was already part of your mailing list. Is this a mistake or is this how you run your website?
My apologies. My very efficient spam filter trashed your “welcome” email that clearly has the download link in it. Feel free to delete this post.
i am trying to figure out how to plan a disney trip for my family and see what it will cost and things such as that. could you maybe email me some information?
Hi Disney Tourist Blog,
Thanks so much for the extremely detailed trip reports on Tokyo DisneySea. My friends and I had an amazing time at DisneySea, thanks to the guidance on snack items, attractions, etc. I noticed that you paid close attention to the atmosphere music at the Disney parks, and I was wondering if you’d have any insight around where I could find the music from the Vulcania restaurant at Mysterious Island. I remember this music vividly and I thought it was very calming. To jog your memory, here is a video I found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SicHn2lfLR4. Any ideas? -Lauren
Hello everyone from Disney Tourist Blog!
My name’s Mike. I lived in Portugal but I’m living in Rio de Janeiro now. I came to study and teach for children in “favelas”.
I don’t know if you can help me, but I would like 🙂
I’m looking about 20 years for two wonderful songs, but I can’t find them.
The songs are from DISNEY MANIA SHOW – 1993 (the opening and the final songs).
Please, I would like to share them with my childrens. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMi8IAg3HmE
Best Regards,
Mike
Thank you so much for the fabulous information and tips, Tom!!
Good morning Tom, I may have missed it but how do I subscribe to your blog? Thanks!
we are 12 person that want to expend a great christmas evening and nght at Disney.. can you help us with this.
Firstly, this is an amazingly helpful website, thank you so much for the informative reviews and info.
I have one question that’s really bugging me though, even contacting Disney hasn’t cleared it up. We are travelling to Disney World next year – end of Sep (Travelling from the UK so it really is an expensive once in a lifetime type holiday) Obviously we are trying to be as organised as possible to cram as much as we can into the holiday…. So we know what ADR we’d like to go for etc…. However, we don’t know the park opening hours yet.
Disney state that the opening hours will be released 6 months before our holiday, great….. but how can we make ADR 180 days (6 months) in advance if the park opening hours haven’t been released and we don’t know which parks are open when and which have magic hours (Something that will greatly affect our decisions on which parks to visit each day). We’re so worried that we are going to miss out on character dining and Be our guest dining etc, just because we won’t know which dates to book things until it’s too late and all reservations have gone (I’ve heard they go quick).
Can you tell us how this works? Does Disney release park opening hours BEFORE the 180 day mark? Or is it impossible to be as organised as we are trying to be?
Thanks 🙂
Hello Guys! Thanks for all the hard work you put into this blog. I would like to come to Disney World to see Star Wars Episode VII on the release date weekend. I do not see anything special being listed for that weekend. Have you heard of any movie release events for the Nov. 18th release?
Thanks,
Greg
Hi Tom
Sorry to bother you but I have a question about night photography at the Tokyo Disney Resort. I’m aware tripods are banned at the resort, but I thought we might be able to get away with a Gorilla Pod on our visit only to discover they are banned also. Your night photos of the resort from your trip report are gorgeous, but I’m sure you have a better camera then we do (ours is a Canon 700D with the 18-35 F1.8 Sigma lens) and so we really need stability and long exposure to get our night shots looking good. Do you have any tips you could pass on RE getting photos of the park at night? Any specific bins and railings that were useful? Any help would be hugely appreciated from the best Disney photographer out there (flattery will get you everywhere as my mother used to say!)
Oh also I forgot to say, how did you manage to sneak your camera onto the rides as I’ve heard they are quiet fierce on that as well!
I’d say go the GorillaPod route coupled with your camera’s self timer and manual settings. If you have issues with that, a bean bag for stability would work well. There are a lot of rails and trash cans around, but failing that, use the ground.
As for cameras on rides, the only time I’ve been told anything was on Hunny Hunt before the ride started. Otherwise, no Cast Member has ever said anything to me regarding photos on rides.
Thanks so much Tom!! I really appreciate that info 🙂
How do I subscribe to your blog? Thanks!
Tom, have you ever done the land and sea Disney package? I’d be interested in seeing the value of the package and different highlights.
love the site and visit often!
Thanks!
I AM PURCHASING E-TICKETS, PRINTING OUT AT HOME BEFORE I GO TO DISNEYWORLD. HOW DOES THAT WORK FOR FASTPASS? DO I EXCHANGE THEM AT THE ENTRANCE FOR A CARD?
Hello,
My husband and I are planning to come to Disney World, booking the Value Package.
Do you have a Seniors discount package also? How about entrance to the park as well?
Look forward to your quick response.
Thank you,
Doothy White
Hi my name is Thomas, I came across your site and would like some information on advertising on your site. Do you have an advertisement rate card or any type of set price(s) you are looking for to allow us to advertise on your site?
We usually look for small banner placement, widget or site reviews as our main focus of online advertisement. We are currently trying to build our web presence and exposure, your site feels very well matched with our brand. If you could also let me know if you have any form of email of social base which may you be also be interested in promoting our brand on?
Many Thanks
Thomas
Hi Tom I have a question, maybe you can help me out.
I am going to Magic Kingdom on Sept 14 (monday). The park opens at 9 AM, but I have a Breakfast reservation at 8 AM on be our guest restaurant.
I am planning on driving there and parking on the MK parking lot (which I read is kind of far away from the main entrance), so do you know at what time is the parking lot open? and also the monorail o ferries?
How long do you think it will take me to get from there to the main entrance? My hotel is about 20 mil away from MK.
Any recommendations? thank you ¡
Well Disneyland​ finally came out with an app for their park!!!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/disneyland/id1022164656?mt=8
Too bad it doesn’t support the native iPad screen resolutions and layouts! You know the old (and dreaded) 2X mode and portrait mode is all it supports.
It’s a new app but it feels like they wrote it 3 or 4 years ago!
Remember a while back when they (Disney) caught so much grief after replacing many IT workers with unskilled and untrained H-1B workers? I think I know what they were working on!!!
I would have expected a much better app from a company like Disney. In fact go look at the one they did for Walt Disney World and see what they could have done!
Of course the Disney sucks ups will rave about it instead of holding Disney to a higher standard!