MickeyBlog works with its sister site, MickeyTravels, to provide Disney fans with the best possible vacation options.

Over the years, we’ve noticed several questions that guests have about the process.

Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions that Authorized Disney Vacation Planners hear.

Disney Theme Park Questions

Understandably, most of the questions focus on vacation details. Here’s a small sample of popular subjects.

Photo: Disney

Is Disney Too Old/Young for My Kid?

Obviously, you know your children’s likes and dislikes more than a vacation planner. Also, Disney trips come with some mystery.

You can never really guess how your kid will behave when a giant mouse starts talking to them. Some will gaze with wonder and experience euphoria.

Photo: Disney

Others will believe that a giant, evil monster has just started talking. They will cry until they’re out of breath and your ears are ringing.

The former happens exponentially more than the latter. I’m just making a point here.

Realistically, Disney doesn’t charge admission for children under the age of three. That’s a young’un who may not get the most out of a park visit.

Only you can decide whether you believe your child will get enough out of Disney to justify the trip.

Photo: Disney

However, the dirty secret for many parents is that they don’t go for their kids.

They’re looking for memories that will last a lifetime. Disney provides an endless, timeless batch of those.

Fireworks in the Magic Kingdom
Photo: Disney

Many (most?) kids will get more out of Disney when they’re old enough to ride some of the more famous attractions. You can read height requirements here.

I tell friends that their child will get the most out of it when they’re four or five. As for being too old, some kids do act like Disney is for babies.

Image Credit: Disney

They tend to hit this age of rebellion in the 13-18 range, but then it passes.

They grow old enough to appreciate Disneyland and Walt Disney World anew. There’s a reason why the Disney College Program is so popular.

Photo: Ryan Wendler

If your child is a pre-teen/teen, just ask them whether they still like the idea of visiting Disney. The answer may surprise you.

I mean, who doesn’t love a Disney vacation?

Will There Be Enough for My Age X Kid to Do?

The height requirement I just posted doubles as an answer to this question.

By my count, only six attractions at Magic Kingdom come with a height requirement. Everything else is fair game.

Most of Magic Kingdom’s attractions are tame enough that a four- or five-year-old will get the gist.

Meanwhile, older kids will view Disney as a maturation test. The average eight-year-old can ride Space Mountain according to height requirements.

Should they? That’s up to your parental judgment. Your kid will vote yes, though.

Disney also hosts several interactive experiences designed for children. Kids can pet animals, learn to draw cartoon characters, or dig in the dirt.

At Tom Sawyer Island, they can pretend to be pirates. Then, at Swiss Family Treehouse, they can test their climbing skills.

Look, it’s Disney. No company on the planet has ever entertained children better than Disney.

Adults and children alike will enjoy a plethora of entertainment options at Disneyland and especially Walt Disney World.

Photo Credit: Disneyland

I’ve vacationed at Disney for 10+ days several times. I never ran out of things to do on any of those trips. I was never even close.

Will We Get the Bracelets/Wristbands and What Are They Used For?

You’re talking about MagicBands! These wearables go on your wrists and function as a Disney vacation multitool.

A MagicBand will unlock your hotel room door, pay for your Disney meals and shopping, and prove you have valid park admission.

You will set up an account on My Disney Experience and add the appropriate information about your hotel stay and park tickets.

Then, you will add a credit card to your account. After that, your MagicBand will take care of the rest. Your wristband will have access to all that information.

Please note that MagicBands aren’t free. They cost from $20-$35, but you can use them for multiple trips. You should splurge and buy a MagicBand!

By the way, the My Disney Experience stuff is something that your Authorized Disney Vacation Planner can do for you! That’s another reason to use one!

Can I Get a Park Hopper Pass for Part of My Trip?

Yes and no. When you purchase park tickets ahead of time, you must add the option for all dates.

However, Disney always allows guests to update tickets while they’re at the parks. So, a caveat exists.

Let’s say that you’re staying at Disney for seven nights. After three nights, you decide that you want to do some Park Hopping.

You can upgrade your current tickets to add the Park Hopper feature! The only sticking point is that you must do it for all four remaining nights.

As long as you don’t mind that, it’s a decent approach to save money while still having Park Hopper for part of your trip.

Still, I’d recommend that you splurge and buy Park Hopper for your entire trip. There’s too much going on at Disney to spend all day in the same park.

Questions without Answers Right Now

You can imagine how trying the pandemic has been for people in the travel industry, especially those working with Disney.

Source: Variety.com

When Bob Chapek assumed the role of CEO, he promoted several people he trusted and respected to run the theme parks.

Since then, Disney has played its cards close to the vest on when amenities will return. I’ll list three such examples.

Photo: Getty Images

When Is the Disney Dining Plan Returning?

I wish I could answer this question. In fact, a dear friend has asked me this question more than once about an upcoming trip.

Some of us adore the Disney Dining Plan and miss it dearly. When I have a dining plan, I think of my meals in terms of entitlements rather than money.

Conversely, when I travel without a dining plan, I’m acutely aware of how much I’m paying per meal. I don’t want that. Disney should be totally stress-free.

Alas, Disney has provided no indication about when its dining plans will return.

I PROMISE you that MickeyBlog will shout it from the rafters the moment we learn a return date. We’re every bit as attached to dining plans as you.

When Will FastPasses Return? Will They Be Back Before My Trip?

I’ve discussed this subject quite a bit recently. Here’s one such article.

Image Credit: Disney

Again, nobody knows the answer to this question. We’re all reading the tea leaves about Disney’s virtual queue plans.

Right now, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the only Walt Disney World attraction that offers digital queues for everyone. Disneyland offers one, too.

Image Credit: Disney

At Disney California Adventure, WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure uses it as well.

Otherwise, you’ll only receive a FastPass at Disney right now in particular circumstances like a make-good when a ride tears up while you’re in line.

Image Credit: Disney

This situation remains challenging for Disney for unavoidable reasons. The pandemic shifted suddenly from nightmarish to controllable.

Disney went from begging for the reopening of Disneyland Resort to dropping all mask requirements at Walt Disney World in a span of three months.

Nobody could have planned for that because the timeline exceeded even best-case scenarios.

The new Park Pass system involved at least some modification of Disney’s computer systems. Insiders suggest that FastPasses were impacted.

How accurate is that statement? Only someone who works in IT at Disney could honestly say for sure.

What we do know is that Disney cannot return to full park capacity until it has some means of managing crowd control. FastPasses do that.

I expect either FastPass or its replacement to arrive by the end of summer. That’s just one person speculating, though. Take it with a grain of salt.

When Will Meet and Greets Return?

This answer is the same as the others, although the situation isn’t as bleak. We do have some meet and greets at the parks right now.

In fact, Avengers Campus just opened with several opportunities to interact with superheroes.

The only difference at the moment is that you cannot hug a character or the like. While social distancing signs have largely vanished, the concept remains.

Disney wants to protect cast members and guests from the potential of COVID-19 infection.

Vaccination numbers must increase more before that can happen. As I type this, 52 percent of Americans have received at least one dose.

I presume Disney will wait until the number is in the 60-70 percent range before returning to pre-pandemic policies. Again, that’s just my speculation, though.