Frequently Asked Questions
Surely, we don’t need to plan a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida? It’s a holiday!
It might seem odd that we’re suggesting you spend time planning a trip to Disney, but Disney is unlike any other holiday you will go on so just turning up and going with the flow might not work out the way you think it will. First, it is vast, and it is busy – Magic Kingdom is the most visited Theme Park in the world, with even quiet days averaging 60,000 visitors – so if you want to get into a particular restaurant or go on a specific ride, you are effectively competing against all those other visitors. Secondly, you need to learn how to decipher Disney’s unique rules, its language, and the app and we would highly recommend not trying to do this whilst contending with the hot, humid Floridian weather! Third, there is a widely held expectation that a holiday to Disney World simply has to be the most magical holiday ever and, unfortunately, that is unlikely to happen without some preparation! Once you scratch the surface, you’ll probably find yourself faced with question after question and the chances are you’ll end up feeling at least a little daunted if not utterly overwhelmed! Believe me, we’ve been there! But when a holiday costs as much as this, you will want to make the most of it and come away having had the best experience possible and we believe we can help you achieve that by investing a little time and money in our Guides. Let us help you to have a Fabulous Park Day every day!
How far in advance should I buy a Guide?
All our Guides are accessible for either 3 or 12 months from the date of purchase so, if you want to get organised, you can buy one as soon as you book (if you are going within 12 months) or 12 months before the last day of your holiday (if you are super organised and have booked more than 12 months in advance!). Most people purchase within 3-6 months before their holiday, giving them time to work their way through the Countdown chapter. However, even if you have only discovered the Guides with 3 weeks to go they will still be hugely beneficial; you’ll just need to read and action things more quickly!
Do I need to be a super planner to use these Guides?
The Guides will appeal to organisers, but they are accessible and thorough enough for anyone to use. You may choose not to go into so much detail with your planning, and that is fine – all we’d say is do some planning… you’ll thank us for it.
What happens once I’ve bought a Guide or want to upgrade?
As our Guides are digital, you will create a login and receive instant access. For the best experience, we recommend viewing our site on a tablet, laptop or desktop computer. If you need to upgrade a Guide from an Essential to a Complete, then get in touch so we can help you do this.
I have children from two different age groups; how do I choose the right Guide?
We gave this a lot of thought when designing the Guides and decided the best approach was to select a main Guide in conjunction with a simplified version to save parents from having to pay for multiple Complete Guides. As you know, children from different age groups will enjoy different things and have differing needs. Height is always going to be a factor, especially for younger children. We recommend purchasing a Complete Guide for the child who will get the most from the Disney experience and an Essential Guide for the other.
For example:
If you are travelling with a toddler and an 8-year-old, we recommend purchasing a ‘7-11 Complete Guide’ and an ‘Under 7 Essential Guide’. Even with the Essential Guide, you will still get a checklist advising of the key things to do when travelling with a young child, including advice on the size of prams, bags, etc. Also, read our helpful blog post about travelling to WDW with younger children.
If you have a 6-and 8-year-old, we would recommend just purchasing the ‘7-11 Complete Guide’, as there will be enough overlap to accommodate the needs of both children. Just be sure to check the height requirements on each ride. The key is to be flexible and to adapt to your family.
If you are travelling with a 7-11 year old and an older teen, we recommend purchasing the ‘7-11 Complete Guide’ and the ‘ 12+ Essential Guide’ for the teen to see the rides, tours and restaurants they will enjoy. There will still be some negotiating to do, especially around wake-up times, but the advantage of going with a teen is that you can allow them a little more freedom, (especially if there is more than one), as the Parks are very safe.
We’re travelling with grandparents; can your Guides still work for our family?
Absolutely! If you are travelling with young children, having grandparents come along can work well, as they can help you divide and conquer. They can stay with a younger one whilst they have a nap, freeing you up to do some of the rides older ones are tall enough for, or even better, letting you go off and have some fun on the bigger rides!
Your Guides are for families with children of different age groups; do they include any rides that parents might like?
Oh yes, we haven’t forgotten about the grown-ups and have included information on all the headliners in case a parent wants to go off and ride on their own. Plus, we tell you which rides offer rider swap and single-rider queues.
I’m considering staying in a Disney Good Neighbor hotel; how do I know if I will benefit from Early Theme Park Entry?
Walt Disney World Resort Guest Early Entry | Walt Disney World Resort
This is a great question and one to which the answer can change – the easiest way to find out and have the latest information is to visit Disney’s website at:
If you are staying in a Good Neighbor hotel with Early Theme Park benefits then select our ‘Staying In Disney’ Guides, otherwise you’ll need the ‘Staying Outside Guides’.
Why do I need to pay for a Guide if all the information is already online for free?
You can find lots of Disney information and photographs online; however, wading through all the information to work out what is up to date and relevant to you is a huge task! Lots of content is geared towards US guests who holiday very differently from us Brits and some rules are different for international guests. Also, you won’t necessarily know all the questions you need answering, simply because you don’t yet know what you don’t know! Our Guides are regularly updated, advise you how to create the perfect trip for your family, and are tailored specifically at the UK and Irish travellers. They also save you from disappearing down a Mickey-shaped hole as you search the internet to find out which rides will be best for your family and how to use the My Disney Experience app!
You are based in the UK; how do you keep up to date with what is happening in Walt Disney World?
We’d love nothing more than to pop into Magic Kingdom and take a stroll up Main Street once or twice a month but sadly, yes we are based in England. To ensure our content is fresh, factual and relevant we get all the latest news delivered by email as it breaks – and trawl through masses of information to pick out and fact check the important parts before amending the Guides to reflect any changes. We watch vlogs, listen to podcasts, read books and follow key people on social media and often get the same information from several sources. We also visit in person whenever we can and have been multiple times in recent years.
What difference does staying offsite make from staying onsite?
It makes a lot of difference! Disney offers its onsite guests several sweet perks, the biggest being Early Theme Park Entry. Still, it is expensive to stay onsite, and some guests prefer the freedom of staying in a villa with its own pool usually at a fraction of the price. So, what does that mean for your planning? Well, it means you have to approach your planning differently and most importantly, have a plan in the first place. This is why we have two versions of each Guide, one for guests staying onsite and one for those staying offsite, as there are different considerations for each, such as when and how to book restaurants, what transport to use, what time to go to the Parks and how to tour each Park!
Can your Guides help us avoid the long queues?
The good news is they can, if you follow our advice and strategies. Sometimes, especially at busy times of the year, you may have to bite the bullet and pay for Lightning Lane Passes, the line-skipping service, but we tell you which Parks to use this in (hint: it’s not all of them). Ultimately, we support you to plan the trip that suits your family best.
How do I know the Guides will still be up to date when I visit in 6 months?
We do our absolute best to keep the Guides current and completely up to date and you can see when we last updated them at the top of each Guide! Disney Theme Parks are fast-changing environments with lots going on, from rides closing for maintenance – or altogether! To new entertainment arriving, dates and prices for special events getting announced or even rules and procedures changing. There is never a quiet week, and we know how important it is to have the most relevant information for your trip. When you purchase one of our Guides, we ask you to sign up to our regular newsletter so we can let you know the latest developments and any changes that may affect your Guide.
Will I need to print my Park Guides?
It’s entirely up to you; some people like to keep a hard copy with them, and we know our ride descriptions are a lot more detailed than those you’ll find once you are inside the Parks. We have also created our Minnie Guides, which are designed to be printed out and completed by you to help you plan your Park days (we think these would be fun to complete with children). You can either take these with you or take photos of them. You might find it tricky accessing the Guides online once you are in the Parks as the Wi-Fi can be patchy, so another option is to screenshot that day’s Park information so you can still access each attractions description.
Will other Guides be available in the future?
We are planning to expand our range of Guides over the coming months and are already working hard to develop a Guide for adults travelling to Walt Disney World as well as a full set of Guides for Universal! To hear when we release new Guides, sign up for our free newsletter.
Can Travel Agents who specialise in WDW, access your Guides for clients?
The good news is yes! We offer Travel Agents a special discount code to pass on to their clients. Contact us to discuss how we can help you.
Still have questions? Ask away!
If you haven’t been able to find the answers you’re looking for, please get in touch using the form below.
Need technical support? Email us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Unfortunately, we can’t provide tailored advice for individual trips or answer questions that should be directed to Disney or Universal.