All Walt Disney World resorts and parks offer bus transportation. I am going to go over a few things to keep in mind while waiting to ride and while riding a Walt Disney World bus.
Bus Stops There are different type of bus stops depending on where you are staying. Value resorts, the four theme parks, and Disney Springs have lines pre-made twisting lines to get in to while waiting. Value resorts bus lines are not covered. Moderate and Deluxe resorts have covered stations, but are more of a free for all, depending on the resort. An example would be the Grand Floridian and Polynesian have a single bus stop for all buses. You will look at the words across the front of the bus or right next to the front door to see where that bus is headed. Animal Kingdom Lodge on the other hand has one large bus stop, but there are loading areas for all the theme parks individually. Most bus stops now have a TV that gives you estimated bus arrival times. You will see a large yellow line on the ground next to the curb where the buses load. Everyone needs to be behind the yellow line otherwise the bus can not come to that spot. If you have a person in a wheelchair or mobility scooter or other wheeled medical device you will want them to be placed in the blue painted box on the ground with the handicap symbol on it.
Loading and Unloading a Bus Once a bus arrives to your location wait for the bus driver to open all doors to let off any passengers. If they shut the front door and not the back that means they have a device on board that requires the use of the ramp to get off or on the bus. The bus driver is supposed to load wheeled devices first. If you are not part of the handicap party the back door is not your loading door.
Everyone will enter the front door of the bus. Filling in the bus back to front is preferred, but if there isn’t really a line don’t worry about it too much. During busy times they will pack these buses as full as possible meaning people everywhere sitting and standing complete with bags and strollers. Speaking of strollers; they are required to be folded up before entering the bus! The back row of most of the buses does get quite warm, yet this is where Belle likes to sit, so when given the chance it is where we sit. We usually try to keep Andrew by the back door with the stroller for multiple reasons. 1. He isn’t hitting people with the stroller on accident. 2. He can get out and get the stroller set up so we can hop off and go.
When unloading the bus if you have a stroller to put back into go form you need to go beyond that yellow line mentioned before. As I said before both front and back doors will open for unloading, so find your closest exit and use it.
Strollers All strollers (outside of the special medical strollers) are required to be folded and you are to keep them with you at all times. I know that sounds weird. Why wouldn’t we keep our stroller with us? I have no idea, I’m just telling you as I’ve seen someone try to leave their stroller on the floor and then go sit somewhere else on the bus. Are you allowed to leave a random object around an airport? Nope. Same concept. Your stroller could easily hurt someone or if the bus driver takes a turn too hard your stroller could go flying out the door.
Seats There are a few grey colored seats. You are welcome to sit in those, however they are the handicap seats, so if your bus has multiple stops it is possible that you will be asked to move. Stairs are not seats. Bus drivers will tell you (or your child) to not sit on the stairs if they see it. Common courtesy is a fading art, but would be great if it could be enforced on Disney buses. If you are an able bodied person, give up your seat to the elderly and children. If possible have your children sit on your lap. I understand this one is very hit or miss. We’ve run into a few issues where I’ve had to tell someone that either our child has their own seat or you get to listen to them scream as loud as possible all the way back because that’s where we are at this point in the day. Usually though if we get to a point as mentioned I make sure I am standing so the kids can share a seat. We actually ran into an issue on one bus ride where the entire bus was full of parents (with kids), but a large amount of high school students. Not a single one of them got up while watching Belle, a 5 year old, have to hold on while the bus is driving. Once we were about 5 minutes away from our destination a fellow child, not much older than Belle, offered her his seat. Never mind the fact that he had 4 “adults” with him. I suppose the take away from this section is be aware of your surroundings on the bus and see if there’s a way to give anyone else a little magic by letting them sit.
Run Time Disney says their buses run every 20 minutes. Depending on traffic and dispatch you can see a bus to the same place twice in ten minutes or you can wait 40 minutes for a bus. Disney suggests giving yourself one and a half to two hours if traveling by Disney transportation. Am I saying you need to be on a bus by 7am for a 9am park opening? Probably not. I would suggest getting to the bus stop no later than 8am though. Your resort can also greatly influence your bus schedule. One year we stayed at All Star Movies. If you don’t know Walt Disney World has three All Star resorts; Music, Sports, and Movies. Movies is the furthest one back and they share buses depending. We ended up waiting an hour and a half at our bus stop as people number 4-6 and barely made the bus we did due to lack of space. The other two resorts filled up three buses and most of a fourth. Eventually they did send a bus directly to Movies, but it was so awful and we were all hangry since it was dinner time. You have other resorts as well that are one resort with multiple stops such as Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach. Polynesian and Grand Floridian also share buses.
Food and Drink Food and Drink is not allowed on the bus, however in my experience if you aren’t taking a drink or eating as you’re boarding they won’t say much. The bus drivers have to keep their own buses clean and who really wants to have to clean up if people make a mess when they’ve been told not to eat or drink. Common sense is also a fading art. We were on a bus recently and there were grandparents and parents with an infant. They had the resort refillable mugs with them. The grandmother was more interested in getting a hair clip onto the grand daugher’s shoes than paying attention to the cups that were spilling drinks all over her things and the bus seat and floor. I said that her things were falling (wasn’t in a spot to fix it) and evidently I was ruining her day. Oops! Just trying to make sure everything is clean for everyone.
I know I went on some rants today, but that was why I figured letting you know how buses should work will help you be prepared for things you may see!
Walt Disney World has many different tickets options. You can get a one day one park ticket or a park hopper add on or even a water parks and more add on! We will go through all the ticket options I know about to help you best decide what your best course of action is in the ticket department for your next Walt Disney World Trip.
Single Park Tickets
Standard Walt Disney World tickets are priced on a sliding scale based on how busy that day is projected to be. Ok, but what does that mean? I’m going to take the months of June, July, and August to give you an idea. 1 day 1 park adult ticket costs $125 (children age 3-9 $120) any day between June 11-June 29, 2019. June 30, 2019 is $117 (children age 3-9 $112). July has the same same price points depending on the day with the exception of July 4, 2019 which has a ticket price of $139 (children age 3-9 $134). August has the same $125 and $117 price point varying through the month with the exception of August 26-29, 2019 where the price point is $109 (children age 3-9 $105). Can you tell when kids go back to school? If you would like to look at other months you can find the price calendar here https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/admission/tickets/theme-parks/
The Walt Disney World website boasts that you can save $20 per ticket if you purchase 3 or more days online instead of at a Walt Disney World ticket window outside of a park. Ticket prices do decrease in their price per day as you add more days. An example for that is the lowest price for 1 day 1 park is $109 and the lowest price for 10 days 1 park is $47 per day!
Park Hopper Tickets
Park Hopper Walt Disney World tickets are priced on a sliding scale based on how busy that day is projected to be, just as the standard tickets are. Park hoppers allow you to visit multiple parks on the same day. I’m going to take the months of June, July, and August to give you an idea of pricing. 1 day park hopper adult ticket costs $185 (children age 3-9 $180) any day between June 11-June 29, 2019. June 30, 2019 is $177 (children age 3-9 $172). July has the same same price points depending on the day with the exception of July 4, 2019 which has a ticket price of $199 (children age 3-9 $194). August has the same $185 and $177 price point varying through the month with the exception of August 26-29, 2019 where the price point is $169 (children age 3-9 $164). As with the standard ticket, the more days you add the cheaper it becomes per day. If you would like to look at other months you can find the price calendar here https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/admission/tickets/theme-parks-with-park-hopper/
Deciding to purchase a park hopper or not can be a little overwhelming, especially if it is your first trip. I would personally not suggest purchasing a park hopper for a first trip. Navigating Disney Transportation can be a little crazy, and there’s no reason to add stress to your first trip!
Park Hopper Plus Tickets
The park hopper plus tickets are in a category all their own since it gives you twice as many days as you purchase. Wait, what? Yep! Say you purchase a 6 day park hopper plus ticket, you have 6 days worth of park hopping plus 6 days to use one of the two water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course, Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course, or Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course meaning twelve total days of Disney amazingness!!
Now let’s talk pricing. They are also priced like the standard ticket and park hopper tickets. I’m going to take the months of June, July, and August to give you an idea of pricing. 1 day park hopper plus adult ticket costs $205 (children age 3-9 $200) any day between June 11-June 29, 2019. June 30, 2019 is $197 (children age 3-9 $192). July has the same same price points depending on the day with the exception of July 4, 2019 which has a ticket price of $219 (children age 3-9 $214). August has the same $205 and $197 price point varying through the month with the exception of August 26-29, 2019 where the price point is $189 (children age 3-9 $184). As with the standard ticket, the more days you add the cheaper it becomes per day. If you would like to look at other months you can find the price calendar here https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/admission/tickets/theme-parks-with-park-hopper-plus/
Summer One World Ticket
Summer 2019 from June 4-August 28, 2019 Walt Disney World is offering a special ticket promotion for all guests to be able to go for six days (does not need to be consecutively) to visit each theme park and each water park once. There are also no blockout dates! The cost for this special ticket is $444 per adult ($414 children age 3-9). Tickets will no longer be valid once you have visited each park once or August 28, 2019.
All above prices will also have tax added to them. Also, the prices at the ticket windows may be higher.
Get Your Ears On Florida residents have the option to purchase these special tickets for 3 or 4 days of use. 4 day tickets are $55 per day and 3 day tickets are $67 per day. This ticket option has no blockout dates and must be used by August 28, 2019. The last day to purchase is August 25, 2019. You may add on the park hopper or park hopper plus option for an additional charge.
Standard Tickets Florida residents do get a slight discount on single day tickets as well. They range from $109-129 depending on the day for adults and $104-124 for children age 3-9.
DVC Ticket Options
From what I can find there are not currently discounts on theme park tickets for DVC members. There is however discounted annual pass options as stated in the above link. If that information is incorrect please leave a comment down below so I can correct my error.
Military Tickets
Military members or their ID’d spouse may purchase up to six military park hopper passes (Armed Forces Salute Tickets) a year. The best option to go about obtaining those passes is at your base’s ticket office. You can also get them from Shades of Green. The current year promotional dates will end on December 19, 2019. For this year there are 4 or 5 day park hopper options or 4 or 5 day park hopper plus options. 4 day park hopper $241 5 day park hopper $ 257 4 day park hopper plus $291 5 day park hopper plus $307
Age is not a factor for these tickets. It is the same price for adult and children (under 3 will be free). You will need to activate your tickets at a Guest Relations window prior to entering a park. Even without them being activated you will be able to make Fastpass selections once you have linked the voucher to your My Disney Experience app. If you have any questions about the military tickets leave a comment below.
Discount tickets
I hear the need for this so much! I get it, Disney is EXPENSIVE! That being said the only discount place I truly trust is Undercover Tourist. Please do not stop off at those road side places advertising cheap tickets, they are more often than not a scam. Also, see what you job has to offer. When I worked for JCPenney they partnered with a company called Tickets for Work and that’s where we got slightly discounted tickets for our honeymoon.
*Ashley’s super tip! If you have a Target Red Card (Debit or Credit) you can purchase Disney giftcards at 5% off! You can use those cards to purchase tickets, pay for on site Disney resort rooms, shopping in Disney, eating in Disney. Target gets a lot of our money as it is, they get some more when it’s time to plan a big trip!
I hope this has helped you plan your ticket purchase strategy. Ask any questions you may have about tickets! I’d be happy to clarify anything I can for you!
Today I wanted to let you in on what I feel is a well kept secret of Walt Disney World. Maybe it’s not a huge secret, but I really don’t hear many people talk about it. I’m talking about the Tables in Wonderland card! We actually just purchased our card Memorial Day weekend and it will expire June 30, 2020. Tables in Wonderland is slightly exclusive in the fact that it is only available to Annual Passholders, DVC members, and Florida residents.
Current Prices: Annual Passholders and DVC members $150 Florida residents $175 Additional spouse card or card replacement $50
Our Tables in Wonderland card.
So, what is so special about this Tables in Wonderland card? There are quite a few benefits, some of which we are still learning! I’ll let you know everything I love about the card so far and I will give you some downsides I’ve found as well so you can be as informed as possible!
Our first meal with our Tables in Wonderland card at Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood Studios at the Disney Jr. Play & Dine breakfast. This is the first time Callen “hugged” a character!!! He’s been afraid of them all for months!
Discount Tables in Wonderland gives you a 20% discount at participating locations. Those locations can be found here https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/restaurants/tables-in-wonderland-restaurants/ This 20% comes off of food and alcohol and is applicable for up to ten guests including the card holder as long as everyone is on the same check and the cardholder is the one paying. If you were to be dining at Walt Disney World often with large groups then adding a spouse card may be good for you. Adding the extra card would allow you up to 20 guests. I would not want to be the one with that bill!
The first face character Callen was extra excited about. He jumped out of his seat to give her a hug by himself! Belle enjoys almost all characters. We enjoy 1900 Park Fare breakfast, especially since I love Mary Poppins!
Free Valet Parking Yep, you can get free valet parking at Walt Disney World resorts for dining purposes, just cross reference that your dining experience is listed as one of the participating restaurants (learned this one the hard way). Remember to save your receipt from the restaurant to give to the valet desk. This is how they reference for their day. This was what we learned the hard way on top of our restaurant not participating in Tables in Wonderland. Live and learn I suppose, but in true Disney fashion they took care of it, let it slide and now we are informed for the next time.
You can also get free theme park parking for dining purposes when using Tables in Wonderland. The theme park one isn’t as important for us since we already have parking included with our annual pass, and if you were eating in the theme parks you would need valid theme park admission.
Storybook Dining at Artist Point. The place we learned about needing to use a participating restaurant and to keep our receipt for parking. I highly recommend dining here! Opt for as early of a reservation as you can get.
Alcohol I know this one really isn’t a plus for some, but the discount you get with Tables in Wonderland comes off of alcohol purchases during your meal as well. The discount from an annual pass does not include alcohol. We are by no means avid drinkers, but we do enjoy a cocktail or wine when we have extra special dinners.
The Admiral’s Tower from Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht Club resort.
Included Gratuity This one is a double edged sword in our experience thus far. We are 20% gratuity people for full plated service and typically buffet service as well. Tables in Wonderland automatically includes 18% gratuity to your bill no matter the party size. Some days this saves us 2% off our bill, other days it costs us 3-8%. We have had a few meals with the card that we would not have tipped 18-20%, it would’ve been closer to 10-15% due to the lack of attention our table received. I know it’s not right to be a critic, especially for an industry I’ve never worked in, but I know Disney can and does typically do better than an entire table sitting with empty drinks for over 20 minutes.
Callen wanted to hug Donald, so when Donald came back a second time he got to give him a hug. Belle was excited to tell him all about her desserts. Tusker House was one of the meals we didn’t feel the automatically added gratuity was earned. We’ve eaten here in the past and had zero issues, so I’m sure, as with anywhere, it can be hit or miss.
Price Breakdown I shared the prices above, so let me give you a little breakdown to help you decide if Tables in Wonderland might be beneficial to you. *Side note annual passholders get 10% at participating locations* Tables in Wonderland AP price $150 Break even point would be at $750 since 20% of $750 is $150. Let me tell you, it is incredibly easy to hit $750 if you enjoy sit down eating, which is something we enjoy and did before Tables in Wonderland even became a consideration. My main regret is not knowing about it sooner. We’ve had the card for two weeks and have almost broken even. No, we don’t always eat this way, but the first weekend we had it we did four sit down meals for different celebrations.
Tables in Wonderland Overview We feel it is a great program. So far the only downside to us has been the automatically added gratuity, and had we been the kind of people who have no problem getting management involved it may have been resolved, but we just took it as it was handed and moved on. We’ve only used the valet parking once, and as I said it was a learning experience. Tables in Wonderland also does exclusive dining events. I do not yet know much about these since we’ve only had the card for a short time. I know there is one coming up this week, but we won’t be attending since I found out about it tonight and it is for guests twelve and older (neither of our two kids fit this restriction), Maybe we will make it to a different one if I am given more advance notice.
‘Ohana is always a favorite, it is a little difficult to get a reservation for though.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit about Tables in Wonderland and that I’ve made the decision for if it is a fit for your family a little easier. If you have any questions about Tables in Wonderland or have any more benefits you know of that I missed feel free to leave a comment!
The first time you get a Walt Disney World annual pass can be an exciting thing! Ok, let’s face it, every renewal will probably be as well! If you are a Florida resident there are many options for levels of annual passes. If you do not reside in Florida your annual pass options are a bit more limited. Even if you live outside of Florida an annual pass may be something you consider if you plan on going to Walt Disney World for an extended period of time of more than once a year. If you are a military family or DVC (Disney Vacation Club) member you may have discounts available to you.
Our first annual passholder cards!
Non-Florida, Non-Military, Non-DVC member options:
Platinum Plus Pass $1219+ tax per pass at time of writing. Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks, the two Disney water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course without any blackout dates! ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex admittance is only for days with events. There may be an additional fee to get in depending on the event. Admittance to Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course includes your greens fee only. Tee time reservations are required. You are allowed to park hop with the Platinum Plus Pass. Your Platinum Plus Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Platinum Plus Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. When we went for Belle’s first birthday the parking prices changed literally over night! You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
Platinum Pass $1119+ tax per pass at time of writing. Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks. You are allowed to park hop with the Platinum Pass. Your Platinum Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Platinum Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
Water Parks Annual Pass $139+ tax at time of writing. You are able to go to both Disney water parks. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are both refurbished annually, but are done so in a staggered pattern so they won’t be closed at the same time unless there is inclement weather. A water parks only annual pass does not give the option of getting a personalized magic band nor does it give you discounts.
Florida Resident options:
Florida ResidentPlatinum Plus Pass $999+ tax per pass at time of writing. Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks, the two Disney water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course without any blackout dates! ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex admittance is only for days with events. There may be an additional fee to get in depending on the event. Admittance to Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course includes your greens fee only. Tee time reservations are required. You are allowed to park hop with the Platinum Plus Pass. Your Platinum Plus Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Platinum Plus Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. When we went for Belle’s first birthday the parking prices changed literally over night! You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
Florida ResidentPlatinum Pass $899+ tax per pass at time of writing. Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks. You are allowed to park hop with the Platinum Pass. Your Platinum Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Platinum Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
Florida Resident Gold Pass $699+ tax at time of writing Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks. You are allowed to park hop with the Gold Pass. Your Gold Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Gold Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back! Gold Passes do come with blockout dates attached. For the current year those dates are January 1-2, 2019, April 13-26, 2019, and December 19-31, 2019.
Florida Resident Silver Pass $519+ tax at time of writing Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks. You are allowed to park hop with the Silver Pass. Your Silver Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Silver Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back! Silver Passes do come with blockout dates attached. For the current year those dates are January 1-2, 2019, April 13-26, 2019, and June 3-August 8 2019.
Florida Resident Theme Park Select Pass $439+ tax at time of writing This one I found interesting. You will find a calendar here https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passes/blockout-dates/theme-park-select-pass/ that tells you exactly when you are allowed at any of the four theme parks on any day. Notable dates are no Saturdays are you allowed in Magic Kingdom. EPCOT is pretty much always open except October 31-November 3, 2019 for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. Hollywood Studios is completely unavailable once Galaxy’s Edge opens until the second week of January. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
Florida Resident Weekday Select Pass $349+ tax at time of writing Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks Monday-Friday only. You are allowed to park hop with the Weekday Pass. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Weekday Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back! Weekday Passes do come with blockout dates attached. For the current year those dates are Every Saturday and Sunday, January 1-2, 2019, April 13-28, 2019, June 1-August 8 2019 and December 19-31, 2019.
EPCOT After 4pm $309+ tax at time of writing This one is pretty much speaks for itself. You may enter EPCOT anytime after 4pm and before close. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Weekday Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
Water Parks Annual Pass $139+ tax at time of writing. You are able to go to both Disney water parks. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are both refurbished annually, but are done so in a staggered pattern so they won’t be closed at the same time unless there is inclement weather. A water parks only annual pass does not give the option of getting a personalized magic band nor does it give you discounts.
Water Parks after 2pm $89+ tax at time of writing Much like the EPCOT after 4pm pass, this one allows you to go to either Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon any day after 2pm. As mentioned above they do seasonal refurbishments, so keep an eye on those closings. Same as mentioned in the water park pass you are not entitled to a magic band or discounts.
DVC Annual Pass Options:
DVCPlatinum Plus Pass $999+ tax per pass at time of writing. Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks, the two Disney water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course without any blackout dates! ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex admittance is only for days with events. There may be an additional fee to get in depending on the event. Admittance to Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course includes your greens fee only. Tee time reservations are required. You are allowed to park hop with the Platinum Plus Pass. Your Platinum Plus Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Platinum Plus Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. When we went for Belle’s first birthday the parking prices changed literally over night! You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
DVCPlatinum Pass $899+ tax per pass at time of writing. Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks. You are allowed to park hop with the Platinum Pass. Your Platinum Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Platinum Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
DVC Gold Pass $699+ tax at time of writing Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks. You are allowed to park hop with the Gold Pass. Your Gold Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Gold Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back! Gold Passes do come with blockout dates attached. For the current year those dates are January 1-2, 2019, April 13-26, 2019, and December 19-31, 2019.
Military Pass Options:
You will need to get passes at the military rate either at the Shades of Green Resort or by obtaining the form from Shades of Green by emailing them to have the tickets mailed to you.
MilitaryPlatinum Plus Pass $1,013.95 per pass at time of writing. Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks, the two Disney water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course without any blackout dates! ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex admittance is only for days with events. There may be an additional fee to get in depending on the event. Admittance to Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course includes your greens fee only. Tee time reservations are required. You are allowed to park hop with the Platinum Plus Pass. Your Platinum Plus Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Platinum Plus Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. When we went for Belle’s first birthday the parking prices changed literally over night! You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
Military Platinum Pass $911.95 per pass at time of writing. Benefits include admission to all four Walt Disney World parks. You are allowed to park hop with the Platinum Pass. Your Platinum Pass includes the ability to download all PhotoPass® pictures taken at no extra cost. If you wanted a special item ordered from the PhotoPass® website it would be an additional charge. You will receive up to 20% off at select Disney restaurants. You should be given a book when you get your pass showing you what places participate in this discount. At this point I just ask everywhere we go; the worst they will do is tell me no your discount is not valid here. You will also get up to 20% off select merchandise at select locations. Again, I ask everywhere because honestly the extra possible 20% usually isn’t going to sway me unless I know the product I am attempting to purchase is at another location I know takes passholder discounts. You will also get the merchandise discount when you use the Shop Merchandise button in your My Disney Experience app. Standard theme park parking is also included with your Platinum Pass. If you wanted to upgrade to Preferred Parking you would only need to pay the difference between the standard fee and the preferred price. Currently those are $25 and $50, but subject to change. You are also able to get a personalized magic band. Recently Disney rolled out additional options other than the standard colors. At the time of this writing the additional options are currently sold out, but maybe by the time you get your annual pass they will be back!
Choosing an annual pass for your family can be a little overwhelming when it comes to available choices. We opted to do Platinum Plus because Belle is a fish! We knew Callen couldn’t handle water well when we picked that option, but we knew we could deal with it to have more options. I would not trade Platinum Plus for any other option specifically for our family.
Outside of the benefits mentioned in each pass category there have been some extras that we have also enjoyed over the last ten or so months! Every few months we have been able to get a special magnet at EPCOT that says Passholder and has a character on it. They are usually based around certain festivals happening at EPCOT, so we’ve had Goofy, Pluto, Daisy, Figment, and Mickey split between Food and Wine festival, Flower & Garden Festival, and Christmas. Also they have offered special passholder only events that you have to reserve really quick once you get the email about them because do they ever fill up fast! I’ve been lucky enough to attend two so far. The first time I had the option of picking Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. I chose Magic Kingdom. The second time was a choice between Typhoon Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. Again I chose Magic Kingdom. We haven’t done these events as a full family, but I did bring Belle with me the second time!
Ashley riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train during a VIPassholder event.Ashley and Belle on Space Mountain at a VIPassholder event.
I hope I’ve helped you pick an annual pass or at least guided you to know what’s available to you. Leave a comment down below with any questions you have about annual passes or if you have any suggests for posts you love to see!
Hey all! Welcome to Cook’s Magical Adventures! We are a Navy family currently stationed in southern Georgia. We became annual passholders within three weeks of moving here. Around ten months into being passholders I (Ashley) decided to try my hand at doing some social media type work based on our adventures (I’ll be starting with blogging, Instagram, Facebook, and vlogging).
I came up with the idea for our name after multiple times of not wanting to tell our kids we were heading to Disney, but instead saying we were having “Adventure Day!” I’m the person most of my friends come to for all things Disney. While I am full of Walt Disney World knowledge, all other Disney things I keep track of a bit, but may not have all the answers. I’m not a travel agent, however I have gone through the same training as many agents do called Disney College of Knowledge because I was an agent for a small time period.
Let’s meet the people you will see or hear from most often!
Ashley *Mom* MOPS Coordinator *The reason we are stuck being a Disney obsessed family.
Ashley babywearing Callen while meeting Paige O’Hara at EPCOT.
My first trip to Walt Disney World I was five years old. My grandparents took myself, parents, two cousins, and their parents on this trip flying out of Chicago. We stayed at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort (which is present day Port Orleans French Quarter). I can say there isn’t a whole lot I remember of that trip, but it was the first of many! We went to Walt Disney World almost every year after that. My more “recent” trips that are still quite fresh in memory (pre-kids) were my 21st birthday in 2010. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter (seeing a theme here?). In 2011 my husband and I went on our honeymoon. This particular trip we did not stay on Disney property, but instead were gifted a timeshare from family, so we stayed at Orange Lake (more accurately Holiday Inn Club Vacations Orange Lake Resort Hotel). It wasn’t my husband’s first trip, however it was the first within memory time frame. That was our first and last trip without kids! We went around Easter, had Easter dinner at Via Napoli! It was great!
A bit not so Disney getting to know Ashley time! I’m a stay at home mom of two kids. One is heading to first grade in the fall and the other still has a few more years until he will start school (thanks November birthday!). I am the coordinator of a MOPS (Mother’s of PreschoolerS) group that meets at the amazing church our family attends. I enjoy NASCAR. I’ve been out of the work force for seven years now, but prior to leaving (due to my husband’s first military duty station move) I had worked at JCPenney for six and a half years and The Lego Store for only six months, but it was the best job ever! I miss working there!!! I can’t say I have a whole lot of personal interests. Most of my time is taken up by children, my MOPS group, and our magical adventures (considering it’s a 6+ hour round trip to Disney).
Favorite Park: Hollywood Studios Favorite Ride: Rockin Rollercoaster Favorite Restaurant: Narcoossee’s Favorite Snack: Rice Krispy Treat
Andrew *Dad* Navy Petty Officer *Goes along with Ashley’s Disney based shenanigans.
Andrew, Callen, and Belle not at Disney, but the kids have Disney clothes on 😉
Andrew went to Disney once as a small child with basically no memory of the trip. His first real trip was on our honeymoon in 2011, but as stated above, he didn’t stay on Disney property, so it wasn’t as immersive as other trips would be. His first trip staying on property was in 2015 for Belle’s second birthday. We stayed nine days split between All Star Movies and Port Orleans French Quarter (see, Ashley really likes French Quarter). We can’t say he is as obsessed as Ashley and the kids are, but he doesn’t complain. He understands how happy and excited all things Disney makes us, so he goes along with it.
Andrew grew up in Indiana. Ashley and Andrew met at their college in Illinois. Prior to joining the Navy Andrew worked at the college and a gas station. He joined the Navy in 2012. Since joining the navy his service has moved the family to three states, one of those states we’ve been to twice now. He’s currently planning on staying in until retirement. He is fully aware that part of the push for him to stay in revolves around the amazing military discounts Disney offers.
Belle *Daughter* ADHD Princess *Loves that her name is the same as a princess.
Belle as Tinkerbell at Bippity Boppity Boutique in Disney Springs.
Belle is obviously named after Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Her name is not short for anything, it says Belle on her birth certificate. Her first trip was for her first birthday. Unfortunately the navy said Andrew could not go on that trip, so we went with her grandparents (Ashley’s parents). We ended up staying off property (except for the one night Ashley and Belle stayed at Pop Century because they arrived before the grandparents), but it worked out since she was still young we needed lots of mid day breaks and it was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of Disney property. She has been almost every year, multiple times a year, ever since. The second birthday trip as mentioned above happened and then we went again for a little weekend getaway a few months later for what would end up being the last ever Star Wars weekend! We didn’t enter a park in 2016, but we did make a couple trips to Disney Springs (ultimately how we ended up announcing Belle was going to be a big sister). 2017 we had one trip (that will be explained with Callen). 2018 we became passholders and haven’t looked back!
Belle will be headed to first grade in fall 2019. She was diagnosed with ADHD before her 5th birthday, but as she’s getting a little older we may need to reevaluate that diagnosis and see if there could be a little more to it. This is part of why *most* pictures you see of her or video she’s in she won’t be looking directly at the camera. She loves school. She would love to be friends with EVERYONE! She’s an animal lover. She loves her little brother. Dancing is her favorite. Her first year she did a combination class of ballet, tap, and tumble. We’re not sure what she will decide to do in the fall. If we could go to Disney everyday she would be happy, even if Disney does cause sensory overload for her and kind of sends her into an emotional spiral. Disney is her special place and she’s already scoping out jobs she’d love to have there!
Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom Favorite Ride: Tower of Terror Favorite Restaurant: Crystal Palace Favorite Snack: Dole Whip
Callen *Son* Known as “Mommy’s Wishes Baby” *Disney helps him talk more!
Callen being very unsure about Minnie Mouse.
Callen’s first trip was in 2017 at five months old. Andrew said go ahead of book The Grand Floridian (did I mention the military discounts, they’re fantastic and I’ve been spoiled), so I did. We drove 12 hours through the night from Virginia. We arrived around 5am, obviously our room was not ready, but I really just needed to have our dining plan activated for our breakfast at Hollywood Studios. I was told by the front desk Cast Member that she would attempt to find an empty room so we could get a little sleep before heading out for the day. She involved her manager and they magically upgraded us to a theme park view room!!! Now, other than the obvious (THEME PARK VIEW ROOM) why is this so significant and why in the world did you bring a five month old? You see, this trip was 100% because they were getting rid of the nighttime fireworks show Wishes at Magic Kingdom. This trip was my last chance to see them. Ok, but why are they so important? We tried for 18 months to get pregnant with Callen (I know that is so little time to compared to many, and believe me, my heart breaks for you!). Andrew had already moved to Virginia for the Navy while Belle and I had to stay in Georgia just due to our house situation, so she and I spent a lot of random days in Disney. I wished to get pregnant every single time I watched Wishes. Now, am I saying wishing during Wishes made it happen? Absolutely not. But was it nice to have a tangible feeling of Hey I wished for this and now it’s true? YES! Needless to say I watched Wishes every night except for one from our room balcony (yes I know in the park is better, but again five month old, wasn’t feeling it). That is why Callen is known as Mommy’s Wishes Baby.
Callen is two and a half. He hangs out with mommy and our two dogs all day everyday. He has been terrified of water since birth (yep bath time has been a nightmare for over two years) and is occupational therapy in an attempt to get over this issue. It seems to be working. Within the last two weeks we got him to play on the water playground at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, swim in both pools at Poly, enjoy H2O Glow Nites at Typhoon Lagoon, take a bath with laughter, and enjoy our backyard water slide! These are HUGE leaps compared to where we were with him even compared to a month ago. He is also quite speech delayed, so he goes to speech therapy as well (this is why Ashley says her time is taken up by the kids, so many appointments!). It’s funny, once we increased our trips to Disney he started talking more and better! Callen loves animals and his big sister.
Favorite Park: EPCOT Favorite Ride: The Seas with Nemo & Friends Favorite Restaurant: ‘Ohana Favorite Snack: Popcorn
Now you’ve learned a little about us! I can’t wait to start sharing our magical adventures with you all through this blog, vlogging (Youtube channel will be connected once we are set with that), Instagram, and Facebook!
Leave a comment below with your Favorite Park: Favorite Ride: Favorite Restaurant: Favorite Snack:
Cook's Magical Adventures 