How to Prepare for a Vacation at a Disney Park pt 3

New Series: How to Prepare for a Vacation at a Disney Park

Using Guest Services!

Young guests.  Old guests.  Guests with mobility challenges.  Guests with vision or hearing disabilities. Guests whose “native tongue” isn’t English.  Guests with special diets.  The “Guest-centric” culture of Disney strives to create a welcoming environment for everyone…

♦ Special guide maps pointing out kid-stuff – where you can find the characters plus attractions, entertainment and interactive activities of special interest to young children – are available at Guest Relations in all the theme parks.

♦ Baby Care Centers in all four theme parks feature private rooms with rocking chairs for nursing mothers, diaper-changing rooms, and feeding rooms with highchairs, bibs and plastic spoons.  There are even diapers, formula and teethers for sale.

♦ Stroller rentals are available.  Rather than lugging a stroller (including on and off of parking-lot trams), parents with young children can rent a stroller at the theme parks.  Tips for renters:

• A length-of-stay rental saves some money.
• Even for a one-day rental, keep your receipt; if you park-hop, drop off the stroller when you leave a park and use your receipt to obtain a stroller when you enter another park.  (The receipt also permits you to claim another stroller if yours “disappears.”)

♦ Theme park guidemaps are available in six languages – English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese.  They are available at Guest Relations locations in each park, along with times guides for shows, character greetings, parades and fireworks.

♦ The Guidemap for Guests with Disabilities provides a detailed overview of services and facilities available for guests with disabilities and is available at Guest Relations locations within all four parks as well as Lobby Concierge locations at Walt Disney World resort hotels.  Types of disabilities covered include mobility disability, hearing disability, visual disability and non-apparent disability.

♦ Wheelchairs and Electric Convenience Vehicles (ECVs) are available for rent at Disney theme parks for the convenience of guests with disabilities.  A tip:

• A length-of-stay rental ticket is available which offers not only savings but also involves a one-time payment transaction after which the guest simply shows the receipt at the stroller rental location and is expedited through the queue with little or no wait time.

♦ Special dietary requests can typically be accommodated.  The Walt Disney World Food & Beverage team is committed to offering a wide range of choices to accommodate guests who require lifestyle dining options, as well as most specific requests from guests with food allergies or intolerances.  Some considerations to note:

• Whether dining at a table-service restaurant or at a quick-service restaurant, desired dining requests will be addressed.
• In many cases, advance notice is required – usually at the time of your reservation.
• Please call Disney’s Dining Reservation Center at 407/WDW-DINE to discuss arrangements.

♦ Professional photographers take keepsake shots of family vacations – with everyone in the picture.  Here are some of the details:

• Disney’s PhotoPass service photographers are stationed at prime photo spots throughout the theme parks.
• The guest’s Disney’s PhotoPass ID card (issued free) is used by the photo team to keep track of images.
• The images can be viewed online; guests can order prints, customized photo albums, T-shirts, mugs and more.
• Additional information is available online by visiting www.disneyphotopass.com.

♦ Merchandise purchases don’t have to be a burden.  There are alternatives to carrying the packages throughout the parks:

• Package pickup is available at no charge.  Merchandise is moved to package pickup, conveniently located near the front entrance of each park, for guests’ pickup when they are leaving the park.
• Hotel delivery is available at no charge to guests of Walt Disney World resorts.  Purchases made prior to 7 p.m. will be delivered to the guest’s hotel by noon the following day.  Purchases made after 7 p.m. will be at the hotel on the second day after purchase.
• Shipping is available for an additional charge at the time of purchase.

♦ Lockers are available for rental.  They are first come, first served – and quite popular.  They are located near the entrance of each park.  There are a variety of sizes.  If you are park-hopping, you don’t have to pay the locker fee a second time on a day (just a key deposit) provided you keep your receipt.

The theme park itineraries that Disney guests create are as varied as the guests themselves – from their interests to their individual circumstances.  But with planning, all of their experiences can be equally magical.

Knowing what to do when you get there is key to a magical vacation at any Disney Park. We at MackeyMouse Travel are here to help you use all of these resources and more. Think of us as you advocate to the World! Contact us today to book your next amazing family vacation! mackeymousetravel@yahoo.com