walt disney world Archives - Page 9 of 10

Why Walt Disney World Is Great For Our Special Needs Daughter

WDW With Disabilitiesautism, rides, walt disney world

If you have read our About Us page, you will know that our daughter Little Banshee has Phelan-McDermid Syndrome. Like others with this condition, she has autism, intellectual development delays, low muscle tone, and impaired fine motor skills. The upshot of all this is that she experiences life much differently than the rest of us. It is an understatement to say that this makes choosing vacation destinations very challenging. We have to select activities in which she can participate, but also things that appeal to three others who also have their own preferences. Normal sightseeing vacations are pretty much lost…

Genie+ and WDW: Strategies

Archivegenie+, walt disney world

In our introduction to Genie+, we talked about what Genie+ is and how it works. In this installment of our series on Genie+, we will discuss some strategies to make the most of your Genie+ purchase. But First, Disclaimers Obviously, it is difficult, if not impossible, to come up with a park strategy that will work for everyone in every situation. There are so many variables that could disrupt even the best laid plans of the Mouse and men (and women): Changes to what rides are and are not eligible for Genie+ Ride closures Time of year Weather Changes to…

Banshee’s Walt Disney World Shopping Favorites

Archiveshopping, walt disney world

WDW is a magical place. Foods, rides, entertainment, characters... and shopping! I love shopping at WDW. Not only do they obviously have the best Disney selections, but there are some places that are unique and not particularly Disney, but I can only get them while we are in the Sunshine State. This is not a complete list, or even a favorites, must do list. This is just a few of my faves, and hopefully you will share a few with me. I am always up to a new shopping adventure! So if I am out for Disney merch, here are a few of…

Genie+ at WDW: An Introduction

Archivegenie+, parks, trip planning, walt disney world

In this article, we will talk about Genie+ (also known as Genie Plus, if you prefer to spell out the "+"): What is it? How does it work? Should I use it? What is Genie+? Genie+ is a paid service that allows ticket holders to reserve their ride times. When your reservation time comes, you can enter through what is known as the "Lightning Lane" which has a much shorter wait that the regular standby line. You can think of it as an advanced dining reservation, except for rides and attractions. If this sounds familiar, it is! Back in the…

Trip Planning Summer 2023: What We Are Looking Forward to Doing at WDW

Archivedining, parks, rides, trip planning, walt disney world

Buster and the Banshee thought that it would be interesting to walk through our trip planning process with our audience. As part of this series, we will address many of the aspects of WDW trip planning that all families go through. In our last installment of this series, we talked about how we planned out our park reservations. Today, we will discuss a much more fun topic: what we are looking forward to doing on our next Walt Disney World trip. Sometimes I feel like we can divide the year into two categories: the two weeks we go to WDW,…

WDW Park Reservation Update: Jan 22, 2023

Archivepark reservations, parks, walt disney world

We here at Buster and the Banshee are here to serve you, our audience. As such, we thought it would be cool to provide periodic updates on WDW Park Reservation availability to aid with your trip planning. What are Park Reservations? As a quick reminder, Disney introduced its Park Reservation System when it re-opened in the wake of the pandemic. The purpose was to better track and control attendance in each of the parks. In order to enter a park on a particular day, you need to not only purchase a theme park ticket or annual pass, but you also…

Stop and Smell the Flower & Garden Festival

Archiveepcot, flower and garden fesitval, walt disney world

Last year, we were able to go to the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival for the first time. We usually wind up at WDW later in the summer, but as it turns out, Little Buster graduated from High School. Instead of spending Senior Week with his friends, he wanted to go to Disney with the family! He’s such a wonderful kid. We were thrilled to celebrate his success with him. Plus, we realized that our visit to the Flower and Garden was going to be able to happen! We had been to Food and Wine the year before and…

OVERRATED: WDW In-Park Quick Service Dining

Archivedining, overrated, walt disney world

This is part of our on-going series “Underrated/Overrated”. Today we will feature in-park quick service locations which we think get more love than they should. In a previous installment of this series, we told you which quick service dining establishments we thought were hidden gems. This article will go in the opposite direction. We will talk about popular in-park quick service dining locations that just don't quite do it for us. Now I realize that many of the places on this list might be among your family's favorites. That's okay. We aren't here to judge. Variety is the spice of…

Trip Planning Summer 2023: WDW Park Reservations

Archiveparks, trip planning, walt disney world

Buster and the Banshee thought that it would be interesting to walk through our trip planning process with our audience. As part of this series, we will address many of the aspects of WDW trip planning that all families go through. In our previous article in this series, we discussed the different types of WDW park tickets, and how we decided on the right tickets for our family. In this article, we will talk about how we chose our park reservations. I know that park reservations is a controversial topic among WDW fans. However, in the spirit of not worrying…

Tips For Navigating WDW In a Wheelchair

WDW With Disabilitiesdisability access service, rides, walt disney world, wheelchair

When we visit the Walt Disney World parks, we usually bring Little Banshee along in her wheelchair. Although she can walk on her own (and even navigate stairs - hooray for occupational therapy!), she uses a wheelchair for three reasons. She has low muscle tone so she wouldn't be able to handle the rigors of walking around for an entire day in the park. She has a tendency to "elope", or wander off at a moment's notice. This is not uncommon for those on the autism spectrum. Therefore, it is safer for her to be in her wheelchair. A wheelchair…