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Frequently Asked Questions About Walt Disney WorldOn this page you'll find answers to dozens of frequently asked questions about Walt Disney World, including information about vacation planning, tickets, hotels and more! Jump to:
General PlanningJump to:
Help! Where do I start?If you have never been on a Walt Disney World vacation (or it has been a long time), it's understandable why you might feel overwhelmed by all of the information on this site. The best place to start is with the step-by-step planning guide. When are the best (and worst) times of year to go to Walt Disney World?Nothing affects the value of your vacation as much as WHEN you choose to go! Trust me, this is the most important decision you'll make in planning your vacation. During certain peak times, the parks will be terribly crowded and the hotel rates will be sky-high. Restaurants will be booked up months in advance AND (little known fact) Disney raises meal prices at many of its restaurants during busy times of year! You'll be able to do about half as much as you expect, and it will cost you -- both in money and in precious time. By contrast, if you go at an off-peak time, the parks will be uncrowded and the room rates will be lower. You'll be amazed at how much more you can do in a day, when you are not fighting huge crowds.
How's the weather when I'm planning to go?Click on this link and enter MCO (the Orlando airport code) and the dates of your planned trip, to see historical weather patterns. How can I make our Disney World vacation extra special?While every Disney World vacation should be a blast, if you're celebrating a special occasion, want to inject a little romance, or just plain want to do something extra, I do have some ideas for you.
I am organizing a family reunion at Disney World. Any suggestions?Yes! Click here for my report on organizing a family reunion at Walt Disney World. I saw a website or an "e-book" that says it can save me a ton of money on my vacation -- if I pay for it.There are several websites out there that claim they'll share the secret of saving big money on Disney vacations. The thing is, they want you to pay a monthly or annual fee for the information. I have investigated many of these sites, and at the risk of tooting my own horn, I can honestly say you'll get more and better information right here on MouseSavers.com -- for FREE. Likewise, there are many "e-books" being sold on eBay, claiming to share exclusive secrets about how to save money on your Disney vacation. Many of these "e-books" are selling copyrighted material from MouseSavers.com and other useful (and FREE) websites like Deb Wills' allearsnet.com. Some of the "e-books" on eBay are literally nothing more than a list of links to various websites. Quite a few of the "e-books" I've checked out contained wildly outdated, erroneous or just plain wrong information. I've even seen some that advocated fraud, such as acquiring a Florida ID (which is a felony if you aren't a resident) in order to buy discounted tickets! In short, don't waste your money. I have a disability or health issue and may need special accommodations. How can I get more information?Here are some great resources for anyone with a disability or special need who plans to visit one of the Disney theme parks:
I need to minimize walking. Any suggestions on where to stay and how to get around?If you have difficulty walking long distances, or you'll be traveling with someone who does, please consider renting an "Electric Convenience Vehicle" (ECV), also known as an electric wheelchair or "scooter," even if you don't normally use one. A day in any of Disney's theme parks will entail walking at least 5 miles and up to 15 miles. To get around with the least walking outside of the parks, I highly recommend renting a car. Pick a hotel with valet parking for extra convenience. You can retrieve the car and pick up anyone who has difficulty walking right in front of the hotel each day. Parking at three of the four theme parks is easy (see below for exception) and the walk to the parking lot tram from your car is engineered to be fairly short -- usually shorter than the walk from the Disney bus stops or Monorail. The parking lot tram will deliver you to the front of the park at Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. So driving to the parks is ideal... EXCEPT for Magic Kingdom, where after parking, you take a tram from the parking lot to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then transfer to the Ferry or Monorail to reach the park. For that park specifically, taking a Disney bus from a Disney resort is much better, as it will put you right near the entrance. Note that the Monorail resorts (Grand Floridian, Contemporary and Polynesian) as well as Ft. Wilderness resort do not have bus service to Magic Kingdom. If you will have a car, the most step-saving of Disney's resorts is Wilderness Lodge. All rooms are in the main building and the building's layout is relatively compact by Disney standards. There is valet parking. You can take a bus to Magic Kingdom to avoid the parking issues. (There is also boat service to Magic Kingdom from Wilderness Lodge, but it requires some walking through the grounds to get out to the dock, and it may be difficult for some people to step into the boat.) If you will have a car and need a cheaper hotel than Wilderness Lodge, pick any non-Disney hotel in the area, such as one of the MouseSavers Preferred Hotels, and drive to the parks each day. You'll have a little extra walking when you visit the Magic Kingdom, since you won't have access to a Disney resort bus, but it's workable. That might be the day to rent an ECV, even if you're not doing so during the rest of the trip. If you are dead-set on not renting a car, the most convenient hotels are Disney's Grand Floridian and Contemporary. You'll want to be in the "main tower building" rooms, which are of course the most expensive: the Monorail stop will be in the same building. From those two hotels you can take the Resort Monorail directly to Magic Kingdom. To get to Epcot you take the Resort Monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center, where you transfer to the Epcot Monorail. You will have to take a Disney bus to Animal Kingdom or Disney's Hollywood Studios from those two resorts, however. No rental car and need a cheap hotel? Choose Royal Plaza or Best Western Lake Buena Vista near Downtown Disney. They are both compact high-rises (for less walking at the hotel) and both have their own buses to the individual theme park parking lots. The bus stops at the theme parks are further away from the front gates than the Disney bus stops, but getting to the hotel's bus stop from your room is likely to be much closer than at the Disney Value or Moderate resorts, which are spread out. If you really want to stay at a Disney hotel, your best option is Pop Century Resort. Shell out the extra money for a "Preferred" room. Preferred rooms will be closer to the resort's bus stops, but even so, you'll be doing a lot of walking at the resort itself. Does Disney World ever offer special discounts for Canadians?Not recently. In the past, when the exchange rate was much less favorable for Canadians, Disney World occasionally offered "at par" specials on vacation packages, hotel rooms and tickets, particularly in the off-season. You can visit Disney.ca and click on the Special Offers tab to see any current deals specific to Canadians, but 99% of the time the offers are the same as those distributed in the US. Sometimes the Canadian offer will have a different discount code, but otherwise it will be identical to the US offer. Canadians can book the US offers. The Disney specialist travel agency I recommend, Small World Vacations, gladly works with clients around the globe. They have many clients from Canada. Does Disney World ever offer special discounts for visitors from the UK and Ireland?Yes. Disney sometimes offers special deals for visitors from the UK and Ireland on holiday packages, hotel rooms and tickets for Walt Disney World. To see more information on Walt Disney World offers for visitors from the UK and Ireland, click here. In addition, UK residents can book the US offers. The Disney specialist travel agency I recommend, Small World Vacations, gladly works with clients around the globe. They have many clients from the UK and Ireland. Unfortunately they cannot book UK-specific offers, but sometimes the American offers are a better deal. It's also worth noting that the US vacation package offers have much more advantageous cancellation and change policies than the UK holiday package offers. General Questions about AccommodationsJump to:
Where should I stay?That's a complicated question that depends on your preferences as far as cost, location, convenience and more. I really can't make that decision for you, but here is some information that may help:
What's the difference between the Disney resorts, the Swan & Dolphin, the Downtown Disney hotels, and other hotels?In addition to the obvious differences in terms of theming, proximity to the theme parks, etc., each of these hotel types has a different level of special privileges. Privileges available when staying at one of the Disney resorts, which include Value resorts, Moderate resorts, Deluxe resorts, Deluxe Villas (aka Disney Vacation Club) and Ft. Wilderness cabins & campsites:
Privileges available when staying at the Swan and Dolphin hotels:
Privileges available when staying at the Downtown Disney hotels:
Privileges available when staying off the Disney property (all other Walt Disney World-area hotels):
What is a "Good Neighbor" hotel?It's a hotel that has paid Disney a marketing fee in order to display that designation. A "Good Neighbor" hotel usually has a ticket shop in the lobby that sells full price Disney tickets. Other than that, the "Good Neighbor" designation means nothing for the consumer. It does not guarantee quality. Some "Good Neighbor" hotels really aren't very nice, while others are excellent. Some are close to Disney World, while others are quite far away. Basically, I would advise you to ignore the "Good Neighbor" designation, as it doesn't guarantee you anything at all. When and how can I get the best deal at one of the MouseSavers Preferred Hotels?The MouseSavers Preferred Hotels are hotels I've hand-selected in the Walt Disney World area because they offer outstanding value and excellent quality. All of the MouseSavers Preferred Hotels offer year-round, specially-negotiated room rates and/or extras for MouseSavers.com readers. These ongoing deals can typically be booked up to a year in advance. In addition, some of the hotels will occasionally offer even deeper discounts or other promotions if they have empty rooms to fill. The timing of those offers is highly variable. At some hotels there will be specials when there are no conventions going on, while for others it's just a seasonal thing. Overall, specials tend to show up 3-6 months in advance. Some of the promotional offers appear on MouseSavers.com, but some discounts are listed only in the MouseSavers Newsletter or the MouseSavers Hot Deals emails. If you haven't already signed up for those, I recommend doing so. Both publications are FREE. Click here to sign up. Sometimes the MouseSavers Preferred Hotels promote last-minute discounts and deals through the MouseSavers Facebook page. You can "like" that page and you'll see any specials that pop up. I have more than four people in my party. How can I find reasonably-priced accommodations?For those who want or need more space than you'll find in the typical hotel room that accommodates a family of four, there are options in three categories: Disney's resorts, non-Disney hotels located on Disney property, and off-site hotels. By the way, if you will have a large group (8 or more), you may want to read my reunion tips and the information about Grand Gatherings. A family of 5 or larger can be surprisingly expensive to accommodate at a Walt Disney World resort, because Disney's hotels aren't geared toward large families! Ironic for a "family" destination, but true. These are the occupancies of Disney's standard hotel rooms:
One thing to bear in mind: Disney doesn't count a child under 3 who sleeps in a crib in its room occupancy limits. You can add one baby to the room without additional charge. So if your family includes a baby, you can subtract one person from your count. I'm occasionally asked if Disney is "strict" about room limits. The answer is yes. Disney didn't invent the limits; they are dictated by the Fire Marshal, based on the square footage of the room and the number of beds. The limits are for your own safety and comfort. (Also, if you sneak in extra people, they will not receive room keys, so they won't be able to access Extra Magic Hours or charge anything to your room account. People not listed on your room roster also don't get to use the FREE Magical Express transportation to/from the airport.) If you want to stay on Disney property with a family of 6 or more, you can choose from the following options:
Non-Disney Hotels on Disney Property There are a couple of nice options that are on Disney property (in the Downtown Disney area), but not operated by Disney:
Outside of Disney property, there are some excellent options:
Are vacation homes or "villas" a good bet when visiting Walt Disney World?There are dozens of companies and hundreds of individual homeowners out there on the Internet offering rental vacation homes (also called "villas") in the Orlando area. I get many questions about this option, which on the surface sounds like an appealing way for families (particularly larger families) to save some money on accommodation. This is a controversial subject and I have received a ton of email from people who have rented vacation homes. Overall, I don't see much of a pattern: emails regarding vacation homes tend to run 50-50 pro and con. Some people are extremely enthusiastic about their experiences with vacation home rentals and have reported to me that they were very happy with this option. (Sadly, when I've followed up on some of the glowing letters I've received on the subject, I learned a few were sent by "shills" who own or manage such homes.) I've received about an equal number of letters from renters who have been extremely disappointed with the experience. I have decided not to feature rental vacation homes on MouseSavers.com. That's partly because of the mixed reports I've had from readers, but it's mainly because I have done considerable in-person research on vacation homes. Without identifying myself or revealing my connection with MouseSavers.com, I have viewed a lot of homes and had extensive conversations with property managers and individual owners. Some of the homes were much nicer than others. However, I came away from my research feeling uncomfortable with recommending any particular company or individual. A little background: There are hundreds (perhaps thousands) of vacation homes in the Orlando area. In fact, I think it's safe to say the market is flooded with such properties, which is why the rentals are often relatively cheap. A lot of the owners are residents of the UK, though some Americans also own rental homes. The homeowners typically vacation in Florida for one month per year and let a property management firm rent out the home for the rest of the year. A lot of the property management companies that service vacation home rentals are also real estate agencies that are in the business of selling vacation homes. The majority of vacation homes are located in Kissimmee, a town neighboring Orlando, where you will find rows and rows of tract homes that are mostly used as rentals. While there are significant exceptions, on the whole the Kissimmee homes tend to be cheaply furnished and a little tattered around the edges. Most of them are pretty ordinary and don't offer much in the way of luxury, other than (usually) a pool. There are some luxury homes in other areas of Orlando, which charge much higher rents. You may end up paying as much per night as you would for a luxury hotel. If you really want extra space, these may be worth looking into. Personally at that price level I'd prefer the services of a fine hotel, but others feel differently. Don't count on the "10 minute" drives to Walt Disney World that all of the vacation home rental companies seem to advertise. The drives are usually more like 20-30 minutes in normal traffic. (You might be able to get to Disney World in 10 minutes from some of the homes in the middle of the night, if you hit all the lights.) While I'm sure there are many honorable people who rent out their own homes, renting directly from the homeowners is something you must carefully research. Homeowners are usually not professional property managers and in some cases they are also not local residents. Unfortunately, if anything goes wrong, it can be difficult to get any problems fixed and/or money refunded, particularly if the owner lives out of the area. If you'd like to rent a vacation home, my advice is to proceed with extreme caution and get plenty of references. Be sure to check on whether the home is in foreclosure, which is currently a big problem in Florida. (Homes in Osceola County can be checked through public records on the Osceola tax collector's website and/or County Clerk's website.) You may also want to contact the homeowner's association where the home is located, to make sure the owner is up-to-date on association dues. (If the association maintains a pool, you may not get access to it if the homeowner is behind on dues.) I get many emails from vacation home owners and management companies who want me to promote their properties on MouseSavers.com. Sorry, but at this time I don't have the time or inclination to check out any more vacation homes. I wish you good luck with your rental business. Are there any pet-friendly hotels in Orlando?All three of the official hotels at Universal Orlando (Portofino Bay Resort, Hard Rock Hotel and Royal Pacific Resort) are pet-friendly. While they don't have a size limit on the pets, there is a pet fee and they my limit the number of pets per room and in the hotel overall. It's best to call in advance and make sure they know you are bringing your pet(s). Pets are welcome at Holiday Inn Resort Lake Buena Vista, and most rooms will accommodate small or large pets, for a flat fee. Pets are allowed on property, but are not allowed anywhere in the pool area. Pets must stay in rooms when not accompanied by their owners. Make sure to check with the hotel on any other restrictions. None of the Disney resorts allow pets, except for some designated campsites at Disney's Ft. Wilderness Campground, for which there is an extra charge per day. There is a centralized kennel (Best Friends Pet Care) on Disney property near Port Orleans Resort where you can keep your pet when you are in the theme parks. Reservations are strongly recommended, as it frequently sells out. Substantial daily fees apply and you'll need a car to reach the Pet Care Center. Other Orlando-area hotels that do allow some pets include Sheraton Safari TripAdvisor says one of your recommended hotels is terrible!This is actually not a frequent question, but occasionally I do hear from someone who is really worried about staying at one of the MouseSavers Preferred Hotels because of something they read about the hotel on TripAdvisor. I know it's difficult to make a decision about a hotel, particularly when you are traveling from a distance and not familiar with the area. That's exactly why I developed the MouseSavers Preferred Hotels program. I only recommend about a dozen hotels in the Orlando area, out of hundreds. Click here for more information about how they are selected. I visit all of the MouseSavers Preferred Hotels regularly, on both announced and unannounced visits. On average I visit them twice a year, and I stay at them on a rotating basis. I also pay attention to the extensive feedback I receive from my readers about the hotels, which is overwhelmingly positive. I sincerely believe you can rely on my recommendations. The problem with TripAdvisor is that absolutely anyone can write a review, including the hotel's competitors and the hotel's own staff. (Don't believe me? Watch the second half of this video from the Today Show.) On TripAdvisor I've seen multiple reviews that were obviously written by the same person about the same hotel stay (even though this isn't officially allowed). Naturally that totally messes up the hotel's rankings. I've seen more than one review that was a complete fraud: information in the review was so factually inaccurate that I doubted the reviewer had been within miles of the hotel. Of course there are also some reviews by real guests, but some of them may be completely unreasonable or have an axe to grind. Guests who were unhappy are much more likely to post reviews than those who had a good stay. So while I do look at TripAdvisor sometimes, I take the reviews with several grains of salt. At minimum, I recommend ignoring the very low and very high reviews and looking at those in the middle, as well as the overall ranking. Questions About Disney Resort Accommodations, Vacation Packages & DiscountsJump to:
When will new Disney resort discounts become available?I wish I knew! The resort and vacation package discounts are somewhat unpredictable. Only Disney knows when (or if) the next ones will come out. I have no crystal ball -- I can't predict what Disney may decide to do. However, you can get a general idea of the historical trends. To assist you in planning future trips for which discounts have not yet been released, check out my chart of release dates for the deepest discounts (including discount codes, Annual Passholder rates and Florida resident rates). In addition, here are some general observations about future discount availability: When offered, "room only" discounts for the general public, Annual Passholders and Florida residents are usually relatively last-minute. Don't expect to get a big discount way in advance -- typically the discounts are released 2-4 months in advance. Sometimes the discounts are restricted to certain resorts or room types. Vacation package discounts are sometimes released a little earlier, but seldom more than 6 months in advance. Naturally, Disney only offers discounts on its resorts when it has a significant number of rooms to fill. Therefore the most popular dates and resorts are typically not discounted. Some additional observations:
Discount codes must be thought of as a "clearance sale" -- if you want the discount, you have to be willing to take what's left over! It's important to be flexible with both dates and hotels, and to be persistent in calling back periodically to see if anything has opened up. When will next year's Disney resort room rates or vacation package prices be released?Hard to say. Only Disney knows for sure. However, you can get a general idea of the historical trends. To assist you in planning future trips for which rates have not yet been released, check out the list of past release dates for "rack" (full price) room rates and vacation packages. If you book a "room only" reservation for next year before the official rates are released, your deposit will be based on this year's Peak Season rates. When the correct rates are released, your reservation will be adjusted to reflect them. Is it possible to use more than one discount for the same Disney resort reservation?No. You may choose only one discount. If you are making a "room-only" reservation, you can use ONE discount, be that a discount code for the general public, AAA rate, Annual Passholder rate or Florida resident rate. You may not use the discounts in conjunction with one another. Most "room-only" discounts (i.e., AAA, Florida resident, general public discount codes) cannot be used with vacation packages. Sometimes there are special discounts on vacation packages, however. Also, Annual Passholders can now buy special vacation packages that include just the hotel room and dining plan, and the room portion is sometimes discounted. Thanks to Alex B for suggesting this topic. Should I reserve now, or wait until the Disney resort discounts come out?If you will be traveling during a busy period and/or you want a specific resort and/or a particular room type, you should book a "room only" reservation as soon
as you know when you'll be traveling, so that you are sure you
have a room at the time you want to travel. If you aren't super-picky about your resort or room type and you plan to travel in a non-peak season (January, first half of February, May, September, non-holiday periods in November and December), you can probably wait until 3-6 months in advance to make your plans. Disney allows "room only" resort bookings up to 499 days in advance, though exact pricing doesn't become available until about August of the year prior. In the meantime, you'll be charged a deposit based on the highest room rate for the current year. If you belong to the Auto Club, you might as well see if you can get the AAA discount on your "room only" reservation now, in case nothing better comes along. AAA rates come out about August for the following year. "Room only" reservations can usually be changed later to reflect any discount codes or Annual Passholder discounts, if they become available. However, only a certain number of discounted rooms are released for each code or discount. If those are all taken when you call, you will not be able to switch to the discounted rate, even though you already have a reservation. If a discounted package is released later and you are interested in changing from "room only" to a package, you may have to book the package and then cancel the "room only" reservation. Don't book a full-price package now if you are planning to look for discounts later. All packages have restrictive rules about cancellations and changes. Also, some of the package elements (especially airfare and insurance) are usually nonrefundable.
If I already have a Disney resort reservation, can I add a new discount?Maybe. If you have made a full-price "room only" reservation and it is more than 5 days before you're supposed to check in, you should be able to change the reservation to reflect any available discount. However, only a certain number of discounted rooms are released for each code or discount. If those are all taken when you call, you will not be able to switch to the discounted rate, even though you already have a reservation. If you have made a full-price vacation package reservation, it still may be possible to take advantage of a new discount, but it's much trickier:
If you booked through a travel agent, the agent must make any changes to your existing reservations. The same general rules given above will usually apply. I need to arrive a day or two before a package discount offer begins. Can I still use the offer?Yes, but it's a little complicated. Let's say there's a vacation package deal that is valid for check-ins staring March 3, but you need to arrive March 2. You'll have to make two reservations: a room-only reservation for March 2 and then a reservation for the package starting March 3. If you want to stay in the same room, you can request to have the two reservations linked in the system. Also, when you check in, let them know you have two reservations and would prefer to stay in the same room (this isn't guaranteed, but it's rare that you will have to move). On the day your package stay begins, you'll have to officially "check out" for the first reservation by check-out time (11:00 am) and "check in" for the second reservation. You'll have to go to the front desk and get new room keys, which will have any package benefits, such as your meal plan, coded on them. Your package benefits will be available to you as soon as you get those new room keys, so I would advise checking in first thing on the morning your package stay begins. On your "room only" night(s), you would have no package benefits. However, if your theme park tickets are part of the package, you can pick the tickets up and use them, up to 3 days before your package begins. Go to any theme park Guest Relations window (or Downtown Disney Guest Relations) and request Early Ticket Pick-Up. (Major theme parks only: this cannot be done at a water park.) Note that although you can pick up your tickets early, you cannot get access to the Dining Plan or any other benefits of your package until you have actually checked in for the package stay at your resort. Can I get the Dining Plan with a "room-only" Disney resort reservation?No, with two exceptions:
If you don't qualify for either of those exceptions, you have already purchased tickets and you want the Dining Plan, here's a trick to consider: you can buy a Magic Your Way vacation package of any length and include only a 1-Day Base Ticket per person in your package. (In other words, you do not have to purchase a ticket that matches your length of stay.) As long as you don't use the 1-Day Base Tickets, they will not expire and can be applied later toward the purchase of a more expensive ticket. What's the deal with "Free Dining"?Since 2005, during select times of year, Disney has offered a free dining plan when you purchase a full-price vacation package that includes hotel room and tickets. Disney has mainly offered this plan in late summer as an incentive to get people to visit Disney World at a time when Southern schools are back in session, which causes the theme parks and hotels to empty out. Additionally, that period is peak hurricane season and extremely hot and humid. Starting in 2008, the dates were extended into the fall and winter (except for holiday periods) because of the faltering US economy, in order to fill empty rooms.
To see exactly when "Free Dining" has been available in past years, and when the offer was released each year, check out my chart of release dates. There is never any guarantee that Disney will continue to offer any particular discount, but this one has been extremely popular, so it will probably continue in the future, as long as Disney has a lot of rooms to fill. Are there discounts at the Ft. Wilderness Campsites?Sometimes. If there is a general public, Annual Passholder or Florida resident resort code available for the time when you want to travel, it may be applicable to campsites. The only way to find out is to call Disney and ask if the code applies to campsites. The Disney resort discount code you list isn't working for me!All of the resort discount codes on MouseSavers.com have been checked out carefully and come from legitimate published sources such as Disney newspaper advertisements, faxes sent to travel agents by Disney, Disney websites, etc. While I’m not infallible, I can tell you that when someone writes to tell me a code didn't work, it almost always turns out to be one of three things:
If you talk with three different Disney agents and they all agree that the information about a particular code or discount on MouseSavers.com is wrong, please email me so I can make a correction. Ticket QuestionsJump to:
What's the best strategy for getting the cheapest tickets for Disney World?First, go here to see an "in a nutshell" summary of the best sources for various types of tickets. If, like most people, you are planning to buy multi-day (3-Day to 10-Day) tickets, the best prices are almost always through Undercover Tourist. Its prices are all-inclusive (tax included, free shipping). You'll get a good deal just by purchasing through the regular Undercover Tourist website. However, if you have some time before your trip, you can save a few more dollars. Sign up for the FREE MouseSavers Newsletter and the Hot Deals emails in order to access even better ticket deals from Undercover Tourist. The newsletter contains a private link that offers access to deeper discounts on Undercover Tourist tickets than those available to the general public. If you have lots of time, be aware that Undercover Tourist almost always puts two or three specific Disney World tickets on sale each month and announces this in a Hot Deals email around the end of the month. If the tickets that are on sale aren't the ones you want, wait and check the next month. I would recommend that you wait and watch for a deal on the tickets you want until they go on sale, or until the end of July. If the specific tickets you want don't go on sale, go ahead and buy at the end of July through the private newsletter link, because ticket prices usually go up at the beginning of August. How can I find out if old tickets are still valid or still have days left on them?For years the answer was that you would have to go to Walt Disney World and take the tickets to Guest Services to get this information. However, since April 2008 there have been some reports that the ticket department at Disney is sometimes willing to look up the information over the phone. You can try calling (407) 566-4985 (Monday through Saturday only) and selecting Option 2. They may choose to look up the information for you. This is not guaranteed. If they agree to look up your ticket, you'll need to read off the numbers and letters from the back of the ticket. If you aren't successful in getting the information by phone, there is no way to find out in advance how many (if any) days are left on your old tickets. You will have to go to Walt Disney World and take the tickets to Guest Services. It's best to do this at the theme parks -- the concierge desks at the resorts apparently operate on a different system and may not show any remaining "plus" features on the tickets. Magic Your Way tickets (issued January 2, 2005 and later) are only good for 14 days after their first use unless you purchased the "No Expiration" option for the tickets. Unused theme park admissions and "plus" features on the old Park Hopper tickets issued prior to January 2, 2005 never expire. Can I share a ticket with another person?No. Disney World tickets are nontransferable. Only one person can use each ticket. Disney uses a biometric finger scan system (which takes a partial fingerprint) that prevents you from selling or sharing a ticket. One exception: the old (pre-2005) Hopper tickets did not use the finger scans originally. As of June 20, 2005 Disney started requiring the scans, even on old tickets. If an old Hopper ticket was last used before that date, it may not have a scan recorded on its magnetic strip, so anyone would be able to use it. But once it is used now, a specific person's scan is recorded on the mag strip, so no one else will be able to use it in the future. Can I use my ticket for two theme park admissions in one day?Only if you purchase the Park Hopper option. Because of the price structure of Magic Your Way tickets, which cost only a little more for extra days, in many cases it would seem to be cheaper if you could just add extra days to a ticket and use up two admissions on one day, instead of paying for the Park Hopper option. (For instance, buy a 6-day ticket and use two admissions per day for 3 days.) But Disney won't let you do it. The entrance gates are programmed to prevent you from using a Magic Your Way ticket without the Park Hopper option at more than one park on the same day. The gate attendant will stop you and instruct you to go to the ticket booths and buy the Park Hopper option if you want to get into the second park. You can enter the same park multiple times on the same day with any ticket, however. When will ticket prices go up?Only Disney can say for sure, but typically the prices of Magic Your Way tickets and Annual Passes tend to go up at least once a year. From 2006-2010, this happened the first week of August each year. In 2011, Disney changed the pattern and raised prices in June. Past dates when prices went up: August 6, 2006; August 5, 2007; August 3, 2008; August 2, 2009; August 5, 2010; June 12, 2011. For the past several years I've been able to find out the dates of the ticket price increases at least a day or two in advance, and I've announced those increases through a MouseSavers.com Hot Deals email so that my readers could buy their tickets before the prices went up. If you would like to receive those notifications and you are not currently a subscriber to the FREE MouseSavers Newsletter, sign up here and be sure to select the option "I would also like to receive occasional MouseSavers last-minute 'hot deals' by email." If you are already a newsletter subscriber and want to receive the Hot Deals announcements, click here for help. The "secret" newsletter prices for Undercover Tourist seem to be the same as their regular prices.No, there really are lower prices from Undercover Tourist if you go through the private MouseSavers Newsletter link that appears in every issue. The reason you're seeing the same prices is that a "cookie" is set on your computer when you visit through the newsletter link. If you go directly to the Undercover Tourist site afterward, the cookie causes your screen to display the MouseSavers Newsletter rates. However, if you delete cookies and/or close down your browser, reboot your computer and return to the Undercover Tourist site without clicking through on the special link, you will see the regular prices for the general public, which are higher. When you're on Undercover Tourist's private page for MouseSavers Newsletter subscribers, you will see a "welcome MouseSavers" message. When the general public comes to the Undercover Tourist site, the message and the special prices are not visible. You say Undercover Tourist offers lower prices than Disney, but Disney's prices seem lower.It can seem that way at first glance. The reason is, the prices displayed on the Disney website do not include tax of 6.5%, which must be paid regardless of where you live. The tax is added later in the ordering process. Undercover Tourist prices already include tax and shipping. Once you add the tax, you will always find that multi-day Disney World tickets are cheaper through Undercover Tourist. I think I found a cheaper price for tickets than Undercover Tourist.I'll bet you didn't, at least on a legitimate site. People frequently ask me about Disney World ticket prices offered through Travelocity, Entertainment Book (MemberDeals) and various ticket broker sites. "They're offering buy 4 days, get 3 free!" they say. Well, do the math before you get too excited. Most sites publish prices that do NOT include tax (which is 6.5% regardless of where you buy Disney World tickets) or any site fees or shipping. You typically have to go all the way through the purchase process to see the bottom line price. By contrast, Undercover Tourist prices already include tax and shipping. So check out any legitimate site you want and get the bottom line price. I can practically guarantee you'll find Undercover Tourist is cheaper, especially through the private MouseSavers Newsletter link that appears in every issue. In addition, there are some very sketchy places to buy tickets, which I don't recommend no matter how low the prices may seem. Can I use FASTPASS if I buy my tickets from Undercover Tourist or another non-Disney source?Yes. FASTPASS works with any valid Disney theme park admission ticket, purchased anywhere. It's not tied to how you paid for your tickets or where you bought them. To work in the FASTPASS machines, a ticket must have been used to enter one or more of the Disney theme parks that same day. FASTPASS is also not tied to where you're staying. You do not have to be a Disney resort guest to use it. Do I have to buy my tickets from Disney to enter the parks during Extra Magic Hours?No. Extra Magic Hours are for guests of any Disney resort, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels or Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort. The Extra Magic Hours benefit has nothing to do with where you purchased your tickets. As long as you have a valid theme park admission ticket and you're a qualifying resort guest, you're all set. Are there special tickets for visitors from the UK and Ireland?Yes. Click here to see more information. Back to top MouseSavers.com® is not an official site of The Walt Disney Company or of Universal Studios. Content of MouseSavers.com is © MouseSavers, Inc. 2001-2012. 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