Disney World

Our group dates are November 11-18, 2023.

Our tickets are valid 7 days before, and 7 days after our group dates (from November 4-25) so you have some leeway on your travel dates. However, you’re required to attend our educational experience. It will be scheduled on one day beginning November 12 through November 17. If you can’t be there during those dates, don’t register.

The registration deadline is August 31 in order to give us plenty of time before parks start to reach capacity. All payments will be due within 7 days of the date I email your confirmation with payment information.

I can’t hold spots, but we won’t run out of tickets as long as you register by my registration deadline.

However, we may run out of spots for special events and discounted group rooms. Also, due to the park reservation system, entry to the theme parks may become limited as we get closer to our travel dates.

Don’t stress about this, though. Just register as soon as you have the money and are certain you want to go.

So many people did “partial registrations” last year (in order to lock in a Disney room at our group rate, I suspect), that it doubled my workload. Please wait until everyone is confirmed to go – then register. I will only allow add-ons on a case-by-case basis.

Disney doesn’t allow anyone to participate in any of our group events without purchasing our tickets.

Yes to all of the above. Everything listed in the “These premium tickets include” section above (near the top of the page) is included in our tickets.

Disney has never limited our tickets, so we’ve never run out of tickets. However, due to park capacity issues, I may have to stop registration before my deadline of August 31.

Don’t stress about ticket or park availability. However, consider registering as soon as you’re definitely sure you want to go and have the money in hand so you can reserve a group room (if you want one), add on any optional events you want to do, and have plenty of park availability without stressing about it.

Please read this to see why park reservations are important. If you go to Disney without park reservations, you won’t be able to go to any of the parks. If you wait until our registration deadline, one or more parks may be unavailable. Check Disney World’s current park availability calendar here.

I’ll email ticket numbers on a first-registered, first-served basis beginning in August. Tickets will be digital/mobile, accessible through the My Disney Experience (MDE) app. A cell phone using Disney’s free MagicMobile service or a MagicBand (if you have one) will be required to access your tickets and enter the parks.

When you receive your tickets, you’ll be able to reserve your park days through your MDE account.

Disney doesn’t offer our group discounted tickets with more than 6 days, and you can’t add days to your tickets while you’re at Disney.

However, even if you plan to stay at Disney more than six days, our tickets will likely be all you’ll need. There are other places to spend your time that don’t require a ticket: Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) has a lot of shops, restaurants, and activities, as does the BoardWalk area.

Since we have premium tickets, we also have six fun visits to the water parks, miniature golf courses, etc., during the trip. They’re separate from park days, so you can use them on days you’re not going to the parks.

I’m offering only one ticket type from now on. If you’re staying fewer than six days, consider using one day on your ticket to go into a park on your arrival day to watch the fireworks, and/or use a day to visit a park on your departure day to enjoy your favorite attraction one last time.

Students (and at least one parent) must participate in our educational experience. If you don’t attend, Disney can either deactivate your tickets or charge you the difference between our discounted group tickets and their regular tickets.

Everyone in your party will get the discounted tickets, but each family unit must register and pay separately (grandparents, single aunt, adult sibling can be included on your registration).

Ask others in your travel party (sister’s family, best friends and their children, etc.), to register separately and note that they’re your guests in the comments section of their registration.

You’ll be able to add our tickets to MagicBands via the My Disney Experience website. I’ll email more information about that when I email your ticket numbers.

Disney no longer provides free MagicBands to their resort guests. If you have a MagicBand from a previous trip, you can use it for our fall trip. (Make sure it’s still “active” in your MDE account).

The FastPass system no longer exists. It has been replaced with Genie+, a paid add-on that is similar(ish) to the previous FastPass system. It’s new and gets mixed reviews, so there may be changes before our dates. Here’s more information about how it currently works.

If you want to add Genie+ to your ticket, you can do that on a day-by-day basis through your MDE (My Disney Experience) account. If you don’t need it for a specific day or specific park, you won’t have to pay for it that day.

The price is per ticket, not per day.

Full payment for tickets is due within 7 days of the day I confirm your registration. Please wait until you’re able to pay in full before you register.

Payment for our add-on group events is through my online payment system. (You’ll receive more details about that after I receive your ticket payment.)

If you stay at a group resort, you’ll pay Disney for that separately and can make payments. (You won’t be able to reserve a room until you’ve registered and paid for your tickets. Any room reservations made before making payment will be canceled without notice.)

 I accept:

• Personal checks
• Bank checks
• BillPay checks (not PopMoney) through your bank
• Zelle online transfers through your bank (as long as it’s paid in one transfer – no split payments)

I can’t accept:

• Money orders
• Credit cards
• PayPal or Venmo
• Disney gift cards for tickets or special events, but Disney accepts them (and reward points) for group rooms. You’ll have to reserve your room with a credit card, and it will be charged one night’s deposit. However, when you arrive, you can apply your rewards points/gift cards to pay for the stay and get a refund on your original credit card for the first night.
• Other payment methods not listed in my “I accept” section.

I’ll update this FAQ when 2023 pricing has been determined.

I’ll update this FAQ when 2023 pricing has been determined.

Our tickets and special events are nonrefundable and nontransferable. If something happens and you have to cancel, let me know right away and I’ll see what I can do for you. No promises, but I’ll try.

You can trust me, but don’t take my word for it. My About Us page has more information about my trips and how you can determine if I’m trustworthy. Read that before registering for any of my trips.

I’ll post the time, location, and more details about the experience when everything is finalized. Attendance is required. Save a park day on your ticket for this event. I’ll update this as soon as possible.

Capacity at my add-on special events is limited and we usually run out of spots. After I receive your payment, I’ll email links to register and pay for our add-on special events if spots are still available.

Capacity for our private group event is much higher. However, depending on the size of our group, we may reach capacity. Families who register for the trip after we reach capacity will be waitlisted. I’ll do the best I can to accommodate everyone who wants to go.

You’ll pay for tickets first, then register for special events later. You can add special events up until my registration deadline (August 31), if spots are still available.

If only some of your party want to do a special event, just make it clear on your registration form who’s doing what.

Disney doesn’t allow anyone to participate in our educational programs or group events without purchasing our tickets.

You are required to attend the group educational experience. That’s the only time you have to stay with the group.

We have optional add-on events for our group (breakfasts, dessert party, etc.), and a private group party (also optional).

Everything else is on your own.

Disney is great about accommodating any food allergies we’ve thrown at them. They can usually accommodate kosher food requests, but it costs extra.

In order to make sure your allergies, issues, requests can be accommodated, you must list them on your registration form. I’ll let you know if Disney can’t accommodate them before you pay.

It will count as one park day. You have hopper tickets, so you can visit two or more parks in one day, it still only counts as one park day. This is important if you want to spend the day at Animal Kingdom, then hop over to Epcot for our Dessert Party. Or whatever.

However, due to current park capacity restrictions, you have to wait until 2:00 pm to hop to a different park and will be admitted only if it’s not at capacity. Here’s more information about how park hopping works right now.

Park days don’t have to be consecutive. You can go one day, skip the next, go the next, and the next, then skip the next two, or whatever. Just stay within the date range of the tickets and make sure you save a day to attend the mandatory educational experience during our group dates.

Your Fun Visits are included in your tickets. You’ll scan to enter a water park or miniature golf course the same way you would scan into a park (with your MagicBand or MagicCard).

Fun Visits are separate from park days – you can use them throughout the validity dates of our tickets. They don’t have to be used on days you visit the parks. You don’t have to use a park day first.

You can do a round of miniature golf in the morning and visit a water park in the afternoon. This counts as two visits.

You can visit a water park in the morning, leave for lunch, then come back to the same waterpark in the afternoon. This counts as one visit because you’re coming back to the same water park.

You can’t do more than one mini golf course on the same day, and the round must begin before 4:00 pm.

Disney usually closes one of the water parks for refurbishment during fall/winter. Typhoon Lagoon is usually open during our dates, but Blizzard Beach was open during 2022 (with a “Frozen” theme – everyone loved it!).

2023 Group Resorts and Rates

• All-Star Movies (standard) – $140.97 per night
• Pop Century (standard) – $183.26 per night
• Port Orleans Riverside (standard) – $258.19 per night
• Port Orleans Riverside (5-person) – $271.35 per night
• BoardWalk Inn (standard) – $551.25 per night

Price includes taxes and fees. (Disney has recently stopped charging parking fees at their resorts, so that’ll save us some money this year.)

Our discounted rate will be available from November 9-19, 2023. If you want more nights before and after, you can ask them when you reserve your group room. If they’re able to add them, they’ll be at the regular rate (not the group rate).

You don’t have to stay at one of our group resorts to get our tickets – you can stay wherever you want.

Notes about staying at our group Disney resorts (or another non-group Disney resort):

• Disney resort guests who purchase Genie+ are currently able to reserve lightning lane entrances earlier than off-property guests.
• Buses (and the Skyliner – if you stay at Pop Century or BoardWalk Inn) will transport you around Disney property relatively frequently throughout the day. Port Orleans Riverside also has a water taxi to Disney Springs.
• No parking fee at the parks (saving you $25 per day).
• You’re in the middle of the magic, and Disney does “magic” very well.
• You’re able to visit Disney’s parks during extra magic hours.
• Value resorts (Pop Century and All-Star Movies) are louder in noise level and theming than moderate resorts, less spread out, and rooms are smaller (but beds are queen-size now, one is murphy-style and can be stored during the day).
• Moderate resorts (Port Orleans Riverside) are quieter in noise level and theming than value resorts, more spread out, and rooms are a little bigger than the value resorts (two queen beds).
• Deluxe resorts (BoardWalk Inn) are less spread out than the moderates, quieter in noise level and theming than the values, have more restaurants and on-site amenities, and more elaborate pools than values and moderates. Also, during the 50th Anniversary celebration, deluxe resort guests have access to extended evening hours at selected parks.

Notes about staying off-property:

• If you pay for Genie+, you won’t be able to reserve your Lightning Lane entrances as early as Disney Resort guests.
• Depending on the hotel, an off-property hotel will probably be less expensive for what you get.
• Depending on the hotel, they may have bigger rooms for a lower price than Disney resorts and may accommodate larger families less expensively.
• Some hotels offer free breakfast (of varying quality).
• They’re not usually themed as well as Disney’s resorts, and it may not feel as “magical.”
• They may not have the same level of customer service as Disney resorts.
• You won’t be able to participate in Disney’s Extra Magic Hours.
• You may feel disconnected from the group.
• If driving to the parks, parking will be an extra $25 per day.
• If you don’t have a car, transportation to the Disney parks won’t be as convenient. Even if your hotel offers a shuttle, it may go only to the parks (not to Disney Springs, Water Parks, or other Disney areas). And it’ll almost certainly be less frequent, with longer wait times than Disney transportation. To make it worse, hotels often share shuttles, making many lengthy stops along the way. Many travelers end up unexpectedly renting a car (or getting Ubers or Lyfts) due to the inconvenience and hassle, so factor the price of a rental car or Uber/Lyft rides into your budget, even if you don’t think you’ll need it.

My advice:

• Choose the accommodations that best fit your needs and budget – a Disney resort, off-site hotel, timeshare, rental, campground, whatever.
• If you won’t have your own car and don’t want to rent one or arrange for Uber/Lyft rides, a Disney resort will most likely be your best bet. The extra money you spend will be offset by no parking fees (currently $25 per day at the parks), and much better transportation options (more convenient, frequent, and less time-consuming than off-site hotels, regardless of what the off-site hotels advertise – trust me on this).
• If you want to be in the middle of the magic, choose a Disney resort. (Disney does “magic” very well.)
• If you have a camper, consider Disney’s Fort Wilderness campground (but use your own transportation to get to the parks – the Fort Wilderness bus system is slow and cumbersome).
• If you’re on a tight budget, will have a car, and don’t mind being more removed from the magic, choose an off-site hotel near Disney property. Look for one that offers a good free breakfast at the hotel (saves money and time). If you have a camper, consider an off-site campground.
• Don’t buy into the myth that you’ll spend all your time traveling to parks if you don’t stay at a Disney resort. The Disney parks, resorts, water parks, and Disney Springs are spread out over miles. Even guests who stay at Disney resorts have to drive to get to the different areas (or use Disney transportation). Many off-site hotels are located near Disney property (or even inside Disney property in the Disney Springs area), so you probably won’t have to drive much farther than we will.
• Choose whatever is best for your family’s budget and preferences. You’ll have a great time regardless of where you stay.

I’ll send you the information you need to reserve discounted rooms at our group resorts after I receive your payment. Rooms are first-registered/paid, first-served, but I have a large room block this year, so don’t stress.

You won’t be able to reserve your room until after I receive your payment. I will cancel (without notice) any reservations in our group block made before I receive payment or made by families who are not in our group.

If one of your children is an infant, then you can likely stay in a standard room at Pop Century or All-Star Movies. Otherwise, you’ll likely need to get one of our 5-person rooms at Port Orleans Riverside or BoardWalk Inn. Ask them when you call to reserve.

Rooms are available for our group regardless of what the Disney website says. They won’t show as available because they’re being held for our group and can be reserved only through our group.

Our group reservations are for November 9-19. You may be able to reserve extra nights before and after, but they likely won’t be at the discounted rate. (Double-check this when you reserve your room – sometimes they’ll add days at the group rate.)

Parking at the theme parks is $25 per day if you’re not staying at a Disney Resort. (It’s free for resort guests.) If you hop parks, the fee covers all the parks you visit that day.

Disney recently stopped charging for parking at their resorts.

Our group rooms are completely optional. You can stay wherever you want, on Disney property or off.

Disney provides transportation to the parks, water parks, and Disney Springs during times they’re open to the public. Here’s more information.

Disney can’t guarantee transportation that early, and most likely won’t provide it. Ask Guest Services at your hotel what your transportation options are so you’ll know whether you have to arrange your own (Uber, Lyft, taxi, etc.). Also, Disney’s Minnie Van service has a partnership with Lyft.

Disney discontinued their Magical Express service in 2022. Here are some transportation options.

Disney isn’t currently offering the dining plan (free or paid). However, it may return before our travel dates, so here’s more info:

Disney doesn’t allow multiple discounts, so we can’t add the free dining plan to our room block. However, free dining isn’t really free. Keep reading this section for more information.

The dining plan (whether free or not) isn’t as much of a bargain as it used to be. You currently have to pay for multi-day park tickets that include either Park Hopper or the Park Hopper Plus option to qualify for the free dining. Some resorts are excluded from this offer and certain room categories may not be available. Also, there are fewer dates available now for the free dining plan.

You have to stay at a Disney deluxe resort to get the regular dining plan. You can stay at a value or moderate resort and get the quick service plan and then upgrade to the regular dining plan for an extra fee per person, per day, but that just increases the cost of the “free” dining.

Also keep in mind that the dining plan (whether free or not) doesn’t include gratuity. Meals at Disney restaurants are very expensive, so their gratuity is also very expensive. In some cases, the gratuity we paid for a Disney “free” meal was the same or more than what we paid for an entire meal for our family off-property.

We did the math and found that we could get our discounted tickets, pay out of pocket for our dining, and come out with a better deal. We’ve done this for the past 10+ years (after doing the free dining for 5 or so years prior to that), and find that we actually eat better, and enjoy our meals more.

We park in the off-property restaurant’s parking lot and walk right in, with no reservations, and are usually seated immediately. The atmosphere is always better – quieter, less hectic, and more leisurely paced. And the food has been better than comparable Disney restaurants. (In our opinion, the quality and portion sizes at Disney’s restaurants have decreased over the years due to the free dining.)

Every family is different, though, so I encourage you to check out your options and do the math for your own family and circumstances. The dining plan has changed so much now that it may not be the best deal for your family, either.

I’ve done this trip every fall* since 2006 through my Carolina Homeschooler website, and then moved it to my Traveling Homeschoolers website in 2016. Sometimes I do a spring trip, too.

*Except for fall 2020, when Disney canceled our trip due to COVID.

November is my favorite time to visit Disney. We have cooler weather (usually averaging in the 70s), lower humidity, and a lower chance of rain than in the summer. There’s a Christmas/holiday feel, with Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival as an added bonus.

It’s more difficult to predict crowd levels at Disney now due to special promotions, date-based pricing, and park capacity issues. But crowds are usually lower when we go.

You’ll have to get your tickets and reserve all group events through me. If you want to stay at one of our group resorts, I’ll give you our group contact information to reserve your room after I receive your payment. (Any rooms reserved in our block before I receive payment will be cancelled without notice.)

We do a Universal trip every fall and spring. Here’s more information.