Here’s a run-down of how Disney PhotoPass works.

When a Disney Photographer snaps your picture for the first time, he or she will digitally store the information about your picture by swiping a Disney PhotoPass card using a handheld scanner.  You can use the same PhotoPass card throughout your vacation (if you forget your PhotoPass in your room, the Disney Photographer will simply give you another). 

When you arrive home, simply visit the Disney PhotoPass website, enter the 16-digit number on the card and voila – your pictures will appear on your screen!  You can crop your pictures, add borders, and more.  When you decide which pictures you want to order, simply choose your sizes, payment method and shipping method, and they’ll be delivered to your door. 

Disney PhotoPass Website Options

• Order your favorite photos
• Get your photos on a CD
• Share your photos online
• Crop your photos
• Add borders and character signatures
• Print your photos on mugs or T-shirts
• Create custom PhotoCards, PhotoBooks and PhotoMovies
• Upload your own photos and create PhotoMovie, PhotoBook and PhotoCards

Disney Camera Center Locations

If you can’t wait to see your pictures until you get home from your vacation, you can see them and download them to a CD at one of the camera centers on Walt Disney World property:

• Magic Kingdom – Exposition Hall on Main Street or County Bounty at Mickey’s Toontown Fair
• Epcot – Camera Center under Spaceship Earth in Future World
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Cover Story on Hollywood Boulevard
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Garden Gate Gifts
• Downtown Disney – Between Team Mickey and Arribas Bros.
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – M. Mouse Mercantile on the second floor

One-on-One Disney PhotoPass Sessions

You can schedule a special 30-minute session with a Disney PhotoPass Photographer (special sitting fees apply) at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa or the Polynesian Resort.  Call 407-824-1700 to book a session up to 30 days prior to your arrival.

Disney PhotoPass Warnings

• Your photos will only be available on the Disney PhotoPass website for 30 days after you claim them (i.e., log on and view them for the first time).
• Walt Disney World does not offer photo printing services on-site from your Disney PhotoPass card. 
• Don’t lose your PhotoPass card!  While Disney will try to find photos from a lost PhotoPass card, it’s not guaranted that those pictures will be found.

Photo: Flickr

Post from: The Disney Traveler

Hil mentioned that she was visiting an online board related to Disney where someone mentioned they called Disney and asked if there were any specials going on that they could take advantage of when booking their upcoming vacation to Disney. The customer service agent ran the caller’s name through the Disney system and found they had a code for 40% off their room if they booked their trip during a certain time.

Upon hearing this tip, Hil called Disney and asked if there were any specials going on that she could take advantage of. While there was not a code available for her that she could use for her hotel, there was a free upgrade offer for park hopper plus tickets (which include water parks and free options to visit other Disney locations outside the theme parks and water parks). Hil was able to save $500 with this special discount that she would not have known about had she not asked when she called to book her vacation.

What’s the lesson learned here and the hot Disney tip to remember?

When you book your Disney vacation directly through Disney’s vacation planning group, always ask if there are any specials available. You just might be able to take advantage of a special discount or promotion that you didn’t even know about!

Thanks for sharing the tip, Hil!

Tags: Disney vacation planning, Disney vacation tips, Disney theme park tips, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney discounts, Disney specials, Disney promotions, Disney vacation money saving tips

Post from: The Disney Traveler

From my own experience, I can say these calendars are fairly accurate.

Post from: The Disney Traveler

The trains, themselves, are great, but the gorgeous scene created by Disney’s horticulturalists is not to be missed. Clearly, the Disney Cast Members who care for this train display take great pains in tending to every detail (as you would expect in Disney World). The extensive miniature houses, buildings, bushes, trees and plants are beautifully maintained and decorated for every holiday. The Christmas decorations are fantastic!

Hidden Mickey Alert:

While you take a breather and watch the trains go by, take a moment to find the hidden Mickey located in the building on the back hill of the display. A keen eye will see a small Mickey Mouse statue standing in a window.

Post from: The Disney Traveler

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  Disney’s Polynesian Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
  Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort
• Walt Disney World Swan Resort
• The Villas at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Additionally, The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa offers three more fun activities for children ages 4-10:

• Grand Adventures in Cooking: Children paint aprons, decorate their own chef hats and cook up yummy treats.
• Wonderland Tea Party: Children join Alice and her friends for lunch, cupcakes and tea.
• Disney’s Pirate Adventure: Children put on pirate costumes and set sail on a pirate ship to find buried treasure.

Parents can call Kid’s Nite Out at (407) 828-0290 seven days a week between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. to get all the details about Children’s Activity Centers or in-room childcare.

Have you used in-room childcare services or let your children spend time at a Children’s Activity Center?  If so, leave a comment and share your experience with The Disney Traveler’s readers!

Post from: The Disney Traveler

I checked online and found the number for Walt Disney World Theme Park Lost and Found.  I called on Friday night after we got home, but Lost and Found closes at 7:00 p.m. (before I called), so I had to call back on Saturday.  Also, Lost and Found doesn’t have items cataloged until the day after they are found, so I had to call back on Saturday for that reason as well. 

On Saturday afternoon, I called and left a voice mail at both the theme park lost and found and the Grand Floridian lost and found.  I assumed my message would be lost in the voice mail abyss and never returned, but first thing Sunday morning, a Disney cast member returned my call to report that my son’s “much loved” Leopard had been found.  That was wonderful news, but the icing on the cake came when the cast member told me she would mail Leopard to me the same day, free-of-charge.  Leopard should be home by Tuesday, and I don’t even have to drive over to Disney to pick it up!

Needless to say, I was thrilled with the service from Lost and Found.  So if you ever lose anything while you are on Walt Disney World property, don’t assume it’s gone for good.  Call Walt Disney World Lost and Found.  There is a good chance you’ll get it back even if you’ve already returned home from a vacation. 

Here are some tips for calling Disney Lost and Found.

1. Call Walt Disney World Lost and Found at 407-824-4321 between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern time. 
2. Press zero to speak with a Walt Disney World operator. 
3. Tell them you need to speak with someone in Lost and Found.  They’ll ask you where you lost your item to direct you to the correct Lost and Found department.
4. Once connected to the appropriate Lost and Found department, don’t hesitate to leave a voice mail if a live person doesn’t answer.  Make sure you tell them when the item was lost and where you think it was lost as well as a good description.
5. If you’re not sure where your item was lost and it could be in more than one location, just call back and ask the operator to be connected to the next Lost and Found department on your list.  For example, if you lost your item in a hotel, you’ll be directed to the individual hotel’s lost and found department vs. the lost and found department for the four theme parks, etc. 

It’s nice to know there are still honest people out there who return found items, and it’s wonderful that Disney has a great system in place to reconnect owners with their lost items.

Post from: The Disney Traveler

1. Food ‘n Fun Center at Disney’s Contemporary Resort: I loved this arcade as a child, and I still love it now.  There is an extremely wide variety of games for preschoolers straight up through adulthood (my husband and I love the street luge video game).  There are many games for young children where they can win tickets to exchange for small prizes.  From a parent’s perspective, the best part about this arcade is that it’s connected to a counter service snack bar that serves everything from hamburgers and chicken fingers to fruit and frozen Cokes.  There is a large seating area with tables and chairs and a television, which usually shows Disney programs.  It’s a great place for the whole family to take a break from a day at the Magic Kingdom.  Just hop on the monorail and get off at the first stop.  When you feel re-energized, get back on the monorail and return to the Magic Kingdom just four stops away.  If you’d prefer, there is a nice walking path between the Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary, but let’s face it, kids love to ride the monorail, and it’s air conditioned!

2. Space Mountain Arcade at the Magic Kingdom: I like the arcade in the Space Mountain attraction in Tomorrowland, because it’s big and has a wide variety of games.  There is also an area for guests to pose and purchase pictures of themselves riding a Space Mountain rocket.  It’s a great place to cool off for a bit during the hot Florida days (or hide from rain showers).  If you have older children who want to ride Space Mountain as well as children who are too small to ride the rollercoaster, the arcade is a great place for the smaller kids to play while they wait for their older siblings to finish riding Space Mountain.

3. Toy Story Pizza Planet at Disney-MGM Studios: Not only do small kids think they’re really at the Pizza Planet from the Toy Story movie, but they also love the games (including the large rocket where they can try to capture an alien with “the claw”).  Older kids love the variety of games, and parents love the seating area on the second floor that overlooks the arcade.  It’s a perfect place to grab some pizza and refuel before you head back out to the fun at Disney-MGM Studios.  Just don’t go on Star Tours immediately after eating your pizza!

Post from: The Disney Traveler

Each Baby Center also has a diaper changing area with several clean changing stations and a play area with a television, books and toys.  Not only that, but the Baby Centers also offer a surprisingly wide selection of baby and child essentials for purchase in case parents forget to pack a critical item.  For example, the Baby Centers stock diapers, creams, sunscreen, medications, clothes and more.  I’ve made more than one emergency purchase at the Baby Centers!

For parents with small children, the Disney Baby Centers provide a comfortable, clean place to feed, diaper and relax for a few minutes between rides and shows.

Post from: The Disney Traveler

Bring your own stroller to the parks

Pros:
1. It’s free.
2. Your child can ride to/from the bus, boat or monorail and to/from the park entrance or hotel room.
3. No learning curve – you know how your stroller works and your child is familiar with it.

Cons:
1. When traveling on the Walt Disney World buses and some boats, the stroller must be collapsed, which means the baby, diaper bag, packages from purchases, drinks, snacks, balloon, and anything else you had in the stroller all day must be removed and carried on/off the bus or boat.
2. If you ride the monorail, it can be difficult at peak times to fit in the monorail with a stroller, so you may have to wait for the next monorail to arrive before you can leave.

Renting a stroller at the park entrance

Pros:
1. You won’t have to collapse and carry your own stroller on/off the bus or boat.
2. It’s easier to fit on the monorail without a stroller.
3. The rented stroller is new for the baby and can be hyped as an exciting, special ride.

Cons:
1. It costs money (hint – discounts are available for length-of-stay rentals – ask for it).
2. At the end of the day, you’ll have to carry all of your packages, etc. that have been stored in the rented stroller to the bus stop and hotel room (hint – packages can be sent directly to your room so you don’t have to carry them all day as long as you are not checking out the next day – ask for it and read my package delivery post for details).
3. When you park a rented stroller in the park (e.g., outside a ride entrance), it can be difficult to find it again within the sea of parked rented strollers that all look identical (hint – tie something eye-catching to your rented stroller to make it stand out from the rest, and this won’t be a problem).

Deciding the best way for your family to travel will depend on your personal preferences for your vacation.  Use these pros and cons to help make your decision, and steer your family toward a successful trip.

Post from: The Disney Traveler

To ease the package carrying inconvenience and to liberate guests to buy more, Disney created a service where resort guests can have their packages for purchases made at most stores on Walt Disney World property delivered directly to their hotels.  This includes stores in the four theme parks, water parks, hotels and Downtown Disney.  The best part is that it’s free!  Packages are delivered to the guest’s hotel the next day, although if the purchase was made late in the day or evening, the delivery may take an extra day to make it to the hotel. 

An alternative to hotel delivery is package pickup.  When you make a purchase at one of Walt Disney World’s parks, you can have your packages sent directly to the main gate for pick up at the end of your day.  This option is most useful for people who are staying off Disney property or just visiting for the day.

If the cast member helping you when you pay for your purchase does not suggest package delivery, ask for it.  It just takes a minute to fill out a delivery slip, and your hands will be free to hang on during the next thrill ride you’re brave enough to board.

Post from: The Disney Traveler