At each Walt Disney World theme park you have the ability to rent either a standard wheelchair that can be pushed, or an electric convenience vehicle (ECV) that the user can drive. Located near the entrance of each park, the Disney rentals are available in limited quantities and are subject to availability. The earlier you arrive in the day, the more likely your chance to obtain a rental.

“Disney Park Wheelchair/ ECV Rental Fees (Prices are subject to change.)

• $12.00 USD per day for wheelchairs at Theme Parks
• $12.00 USD per day plus a $100.00 USD refundable security deposit for wheelchairs at the Downtown Disney Area
• $50.00 USD per day plus a $20.00 USD refundable security deposit for ECVs at Theme Parks
• $50.00 USD per day plus a $100.00 USD refundable security deposit for ECVs at the Downtown Disney Area

Disney Theme Parks offer a length of stay rental ticket where you make a one-time payment transaction for as many days of rental as you will need. Wheelchairs are available for $10.00 USD per day when rented for multiple days. Upon visiting a Disney Theme Park, show your receipt at the wheelchair rental location and you will be expedited through the queue with a reduced wait time. The length of stay rental option is not available or valid at Downtown Disney”

There are rentals available from outside companies that may have lower prices. However for someone who can walk some distance but occasionally needs a little extra help, I find the Disney option excellent. There’s a learning curve when it comes to navigating the bus system from a chair, that other guests don’t always understand. For myself, being in an EVC at the park, allows me the opportunity to be pain free and walk back to the hotel at the end of the night.

You don’t need to slow down on your Walt Disney World Vacation just because you or a loved one has a problem with mobility. All Disney theme parks are wheelchair friendly with convenient rentals to make your time as a guest filled with pixie dust.

Source: WDW Guest Services

For my family a rest day doesn’t mean, “do nothing”, although just lying in a hammock on the beach is a definite possibility. For us a “rest day” means we’re not going to be rushing through a park. Instead, we may sleep in a bit, take a dip in the hotel pool and then take advantage of the many other fun and entertaining options available at Walt Disney World Resort.

Adding a rest day into your schedule has many benefits, including allowing older members of your party to recover from a busy park day, exploring all the nooks and fun Disney has to offer as well as helping to save money by reducing the number of park day tickets needed.

Here are a few of my favorite “Rest Day” activities in no particular order:

• Resort Hopping to figure out where I would like to stay next
• Shopping at Downtown Disney with a movie at the AMC Fork & Screen
• Relaxing with a swim and drinks by the pool
• Interactive Gaming at Disney Quest
• Horseback Riding or Renting a Boat
• Heading to the Spa for a Massage
• Playing a Round of Golf
• Catching a Dinner Show like the Hoop-de-doo

Most of all a rest day should let you relax a bit and really take some time for yourself. After all, you are on vacation at Disney, and there’s a whole world to explore. How would you like to spend your days that aren’t in the Parks? Leave me a comment and let me know!

The Sassagoula River Cruise is a great way to travel to Downtown Disney from select resort hotels.

No matter if you’ve booked room only or if you’ve got a package deal for your Walt Disney World Resort vacation; if you’re staying at Port Orleans, Old Key West, or Saratoga Springs Resorts, you have a unique treat in your transportation to Downtown Disney.   The complimentary ferry service on the Walt Disney World waterways offer a fun alternative mode of transportation to buses.   These relaxing and often beautiful journeys by boat can offer great way to spend some time on a non-park day as you travel to the shopping and entertainment center of Downtown Disney.

Port Orleans:

The Sassagoula River Cruise is a gentle 2 ½ mile journey from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney down the Disney created river, and takes about 20 minutes one way.  The service begins at 10am daily and runs about every 20 minutes until 4:30pm when more boats are added to the route and it then runs every 10 minutes until 11pm.  This route is marked with Yellow Flags and departs from the Downtown Disney Marketplace dock (left-hand queue line).

Saratoga Springs Resort:

Hourly service is provided from 11:00am thru 4:00pm, and at 4:00PM a second boat is added and service becomes available every half hour. Blue Flags mark the Saratoga Springs Service that departs from Downtown Disney Marketplace dock (right-hand queue line).  This includes the Tree house villas dock.

Old Key West Resort:

Green Flagged boats can be found departing from Pleasure Island dock.  The last boat leaves Old Key West at 11:00pm and then leaves Downtown Disney for it’s final trip at 11:30pm.

Downtown Disney Internal Water-Shuttle: There is also a local water shuttle at Downtown Disney (with red flags and signs) that operates and will take you from the Marketplace dock to the other end of the complex at the West Side dock.

All Walt Disney World boat service operates subject to local water and weather conditions.  Service may temporarily cease operating if lightning storms are forecast or water levels are too high.  Operational times were current at the time of publication, but may change and fluctuate to accommodate seasonal crowd changes.

Thanks so much to Andy Buckingham for his beautiful creative commons picture of the river boat.

If you already know quite a bit about Disney World and desire control over your plans, it would be best to book directly with Disney World yourself. This way you can choose your resort and ticket options yourself, and make your own dining reservations.

If you’ve already read up on Disney World a bit on your own and feel confident making these decisions, then go ahead and book on your own.

However, if you’re a true Disney World newbie, navigating the reservations process can be confusing and overwhelming! This is when we recommend a travel agent.

Specifically, we recommend a company that specializes in Disney travel. This way, you get a knowledgeable travel agent who’s been to Disney World themselves and can answer just about any question you might have to help you navigate the process.

Travel agencies like Mouse Fan Travel, The Magic For Less, Small World Vacations and Destinations in Florida (and many others) really know Disney World, and won’t just rattle off the basics. They’ll also keep you apprised of specials that could help you save money on your trip.

This is important: If you decide to go with a travel agency, make sure you find out how the agency handles payments. The agency should send your payments immediately and directly to Disney. And ask your friends for recommendations on travel agents too — you may luck out and get a great agent who treats you great!

Have you used a travel agent to plan a Disney vacation? What was your experience like? Leave a comment below!

The benefits of using PhotoPass are great, especially if you’re traveling solo or as a couple, or if you’re traveling in a group and somehow always designated as the photographer.

So how does PhotoPass work? When you arrive at your first park, look for a Disney PhotoPass photographer. You’ll know them by the khaki vests and the BIG cameras.

They will hand you a card with a special code — don’t lose this card! Then, every time you get your photo taken at different spots around the parks, hand the photographer your card. They’ll scan the card, which will assign your photos to your online account.

To view your photos, visit DisneyPhotoPass.com within 30 days, log in (or register if you haven’t done so already), and enter the number from your card. The best part is that you can edit your photos and add fun Disney touches — like characters, borders and other fun graphics. You can order prints, or if you want, you can order a PhotoPass CD with all of the photos from your visit. You can even upload your own photos from your trip, so don’t forget to bring your own camera too!

A few tips:

• Once you get your card, keep it in a safe place, and write down your 16-digit card number in case it gets lost. The photos assigned to that number will still be available once you key the number in on your PhotoPass account.

• If your party splits up, each person can still have their own card. You can combine them later online.

• Look for photographers at park entrances, main icons like Cinderella’s Castle and Space ship Earth, and at character meet-and-greet locations.

• Ask your photographer for any “special” photos that can be taken. Sometimes photographers have the ability to pose you and add in a character in graphics later on — for example, a photo of you holding your hand out with a surprised expression? They’ll add in Tinkerbell during processing.

• Look for an offer in the mail to pre-order a Disney PhotoPass CD. You can save $50 by pre-ordering.

Online check-in is available 10 days ahead of your arrival time. Sign in at disneyworld.disney.go.com, and look for the orange suitcase and and “My Disney vacation” near the top left.

During the online check-in process, you’ll provide the same information you do during in-person check-in: Name, room requests, address, phone number, and credit card.

Once you arrive at your Disney World resort, proceed to the online check-in desk and show your ID. Your welcome folder with resort info and room keys will be waiting for you. Most report that the process takes 5 minutes or less.

Keep in mind that standard check-in times still apply — if you arrive early, you may still have to wait to be placed in your room.

Disney World Mom’s Panel member Allison V. explains the online check-in process here.

Have you used Disney World’s online check-in service? What was your experience like? Leave a comment below!

There's a way to get lost cell phones back

We all hate that feeling of panic once you realize you’ve lost an important item — perhaps a cell phone, a camera, sunglasses, or your child’s cherished stuffed animal. Luckily Disney World is used to this happening often, and there is a great Lost and Found system in place for helping you get your lost item back.

Disney World reports that every day, an average of 210 pairs of sunglasses are turned in and, since 1971, an estimated 1.65 million pairs of glasses have found their way into the “lost” bin. Every year, Lost and Found cast members collect more than 6,000 cell phones, 3,500 digital cameras, 18,000 hats and 7,500 autograph books.

Here’s what to do once you’ve lost an item:

Call (407) 824-4245 between 9am and 7pm Eastern time, then press zero to speak with an operator. Ask to speak with someone in Lost and Found. The operator will ask where you lost your item (such as a certain park or resort), then they’ll direct you to the correct Lost and Found department.

Once directed to the appropriate Lost and Found department, don’t hesitate to leave a voicemail if a cast member doesn’t answer. Make sure to say when and where you think it was lost, and give a good description, including any unique qualities of your item. For a phone or camera, tell them some recent photos that were taken, give colors and description of cases, and so on.

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 an item somewhere along a Monorail trip from Epcot to Magic Kingdom, call first to the Magic Kingdom Lost and Found, then call back and ask for the Epcot Lost and Found department.

Keep in mind that lost items are cataloged the next day, so finding your item on the day you lost it may not be possible. Stay calm and patient, and you may end up pleasantly surprised to be reunited with your lost item.

Pins have always been available at Disney World as souvenirs, with thousands created over the years. There are character pins, park pins, movie pins, attraction pins, commemorative pins and more. But in October 1999, official pin trading began, and since then, it’s become very popular for Disney World guests to take part in pin trading.

Pin trading is easy, once you’ve bought a lanyard and some pins — there are some great starter sets with lanyards available online and in the parks. Here’s how to trade:

1. Meet a Disney Cast Member wearing a pin trading lanyard.
2. Find a Disney pin that you would like to trade.
3. Trade your Disney Pin with the Cast Member.

Questions? There are additional guidelines for pin trading that you can download as a PDF.

A lot of information on pins and pin trading is available at Disney’s pin trading website. Here you can learn about upcoming pin releases, learn about special pin trading events, and see where to buy pins — there are locations in every resort and every park, plus Downtown Disney. And, there’s the official What’s HapPINing blog, updated with the latest pin trading news.

Disneystore.com is your home to buy pins online. Pins range on price depending on size and design, but you can expect to pay about $7.95 to $14.95 per individual pin, and more per set.

Have you bought any pins or lanyards? Are you into pin trading, or do you prefer Vinylmation? Leave a comment below.

If the standby wait time listed is short, there's no need for a FASTPASS.

One of the first things a Disney World newbie should learn about when planning a trip is Disney’s FASTPASS system. Utilizing the FASTPASS service can dramatically lessen the amount of time spend waiting in lines at the most popular attractions in the four theme parks.

Disney’s FASTPASS is a way to “reserve” a 60-minute window of time during which you can return to the attraction and experience it with a minimal wait time. And the best part is that there’s no added cost, though you may feel like a VIP as you receive the velvet rope treatment and get to saunter pass hundreds waiting in line, especially on busy days!

The first question Disney World guests usually have is, “How does the FASTPASS system work?” And the next is, “Which attractions offer FASTPASS?” We’ll answer both of these questions here.

The FASTPASS system works with your park ticket, or for guests staying on Disney World property, your Key to the World card. The first thing you’ll want to do is look for the “Disney’s FASTPASS Distribution” sign outside your attraction of choice. Then, check the return time listed on the display above. That time tells you when you can return to experience the attraction if you choose to get a FASTPASS.

So, for example, if you arrive at Space Mountain at 10 a.m., and the return time listed is 12:30 p.m., then you can put your card in the FASTPASS machine, and it will spit out a paper card telling you that you can return between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. for your minimal wait. Then you’re free to experience other low-wait attractions or grab a bite to eat while you wait for your return time window. When you return, go to the FASTPASS line, show the cast member your FASTPASS ticket, and you’re free to go — you VIP, you!

Keep in mind that FASTPASSes are only good for the day of issue. Also, there’s a limit to how many you can have at one time. Be sure to look at your FASTPASS for the next time you’ll be allowed to get another one. Don’t waste time trying to rack up a bunch of FASTPASSes at multiple attractions because they will not be valid.

A tip: You can send everyone’s ticket or Key to the World with one person in your party to get FASTPASSes for everyone.

The following attractions offer FASTPASS, though keep in mind that attractions sometimes add or take away the FASTPASS option based on popularity and season.

* denotes FASTPASS recommended.
** denotes FASTPASS highly recommended.

Animal Kingdom:

*DINOSAUR
**Expedition Everest
It’s Tough to be a Bug
*Kali River Rapids
*Kilimanjaro Safaris
Primeval Whirl

Epcot:

Captain EO starring Michael Jackson
Living with the Land
Maelstrom
*Mission: SPACE
**Soarin’
*Test Track

Hollywood Studios:

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
*Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Star Tours
**Toy Story Mania!
*The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Magic Kingdom:

**Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
*Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
*Jungle Cruise
*Mickey’s PhilharMagic
**Peter Pan’s Flight
**Space Mountain
**Splash Mountain
*The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Enjoy Crepes or Escargot in France

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is a yearly celebration of food and spirits from around the world, running in 2010 from October 1-November 14. This year, the festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and they’ve pulled out all the stops!

At the festival, you can try food, wine and beer at international booths situated around the Epcot World Showcase; attend free and low-cost seminars on food and wine with renowned chefs; and indulge in decadent meals from around the globe at culinary events at various Walt Disney World restaurants. Then you can top it all off with one of the nightly concerts – Sugar Ray, Air Supply and Boyz II Men are just a few artists who will visit the Epcot America Gardens Theatre stage.

Here’s more on what you can expect:

International marketplaces:
More than two dozen international booths will be set up around the World Showcase Lagoon, showcasing cuisine from around the world. Small plates will be available for purchase – some of which will be eligible as snack credits on the Disney Dining Plan. New this year is South Korea, Belgium, and Charcuterie and Cheese booths. You can also get a Marketplace Discovery Passport and receive stamps from all of the booths! Click here for Food and Wine Festival Booth Menus.

Free and low-cost events:
Culinary demonstrations and food and wine pairing seminars will be held daily for as little as $8 per person, with booking for the general public available Aug. 28 (Tables in Wonderland members and Annual Passholders can book on August 26th). And there are many free events to take advantage of, such as book signings and author meet and greets, bottle signings, short films and seminars. Click here for information onFood and Wine Festival free and low-cost events.

Special culinary events:
These more pricey events are for those wanting to truly indulge in a food experience for the senses. Booking for these events began on July 20, so hurry and get your spot reserved (call 407-WDW-FEST). Whether you’d like to get a taste of the festival before anyone else (Delicious Discoveries First Bites, Sept. 30, $195), experience a night with Cat Cora herself (Celebrating Family & Friends in the Kitchen at Kouzzina, Oct. 29, $140) or feed your cheese obsession (Cheese seminars, Saturdays, $75), there’s something for every foodie. Click here for 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Special Events.

Eat to the Beat! Concerts:
Each night, various artists will play concerts at the Epcot America Gardens Theatre. Showtimes are 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. nightly. Taylor Dayne starts off the concert festivities from Oct. 1-3, while Big Bad Voodoo Daddy pulls up the rear from Nov. 12-14. In between are a host of artists such as Jon Secada, Taylor Hicks, Sister Hazel and more. Click here for the 2010 Eat to the Beat! Concert Schedule.

Hopefully that helps lay out what you can expect from the 2010 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival! You can keep you to date with the Disney Food Blog’s index page on the festival here! Or check out the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Guide and Map!

Be sure to follow us over on Twitter (@DisneyBasics) to discuss your Food and Wine Festival plans!

This post is part of the DisMarks.com Disney Blog Carnival! To read more great Disney posts or learn how you can be part of the carnival, click here!