What Are the Questions That Disney Pros Hear the Most?
You have many questions about Authorized Disney Vacation Planners and how they can help you with your Disney vacation.
Today, I’ll answer some more of the most popular questions. Refer to part one for more responses.
How Do Vacation Planners Get Paid?
Heh, I understand your confusion here. I’ve worked with MickeyTravels for several years now, and I’m still a bit perplexed about some aspects of it.
Fortunately, I have friends in high places who can explain the details to me.
Here’s the most essential answer from your perspective. No, YOU don’t pay a vacation planner out of your own pocket.
However, your agent WILL receive financial compensation for assisting you.


Photo: Katie Hill/MickeyTravels.com
Disney offers an incentive program to Authorized Disney Vacation Planners.
An agency employs workers, and they split the commissions they receive for packages.


Photo: Kent Phillips
Disney sees that a vacation planner booked your trip. It pays the agency, which then pays the planner. Everybody wins!
You can think of the whole process like any other business. As the customer, you’re paying money.
Disney incentivizes a travel planning company to sell trips. And that company rewards its agents for making sales.
You may wonder something else, though.
Can a Travel Planner Get Better Pricing Than I Can Get On My Own?
The answer is yes. A travel planner can get better pricing. The details require a bit of explaining, though.
Let’s say that you decide today that you’re going to Disney. First, you’ve made a wise decision!
Second, you would presumably go to the official Disney website and book a room with admission tickets.
Let’s be honest, though. You probably don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve booked cash rooms many times, yet I still feel overwhelmed.
That’s where a travel planner comes into play. They book several Disney trips per day. They always know the best deals available because that’s their job.
Even better, you would only look once, book your trip, and never think about it again. An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner won’t stop looking!
If Disney provides a new package or discount that will save you money, you would never know on your own.
However, a travel planner WILL know. They’ll work tirelessly from now until the start of your vacation to find you the best possible deal.
The absolute worst-case scenario in using a travel planner is that you receive free expert advice while booking your trip.
Most of the time, you’ll save money and/or receive better amenities, too!


Photo: Disney
An informed source told me that people save hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars this way!!!
You literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain by using a travel planner!
Why Should I Stay on Property?
Here’s a question I’ve had people ask me a lot. I understand the temptation to cut corners and pick a cheaper off-campus hotel or timeshare.
That choice comes with immediate, regrettable drawbacks, though. You’ll waste valuable time traveling to and from the parks.
Once you’re there, you won’t receive the same reliable transportation. Effectively, you’re stuck at Disney until your hotel bus returns.
I realize that some people will rent a car. However, that means parking and walking to the park.
You’re taking a lot of fun out of your Disney vacation by sweating this easily avoidable stuff.


Photo: Disney
Meanwhile, Disney incentivizes guests to stay at official resorts. You’ll receive early park access, an announced feature that hasn’t been implemented yet.
Through the end of 2021, you’ll also get Magical Express service to and from the airport free of charge.
Then, there’s the impeccable nature of Disney resorts. The restaurants and shopping here rival anything at the parks.
Sometimes, when I’m at a Disney hotel, I’ll blow off a park visit because I’m so relaxed. That’s a feature, not a bug.


Image Credit: Disney
Disney likes when guests spend plenty of time at the resort. So, it adds amenities unrivaled anywhere else in the theme park industry.
I mean, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge features a zoo on the property just past the lobby!


Credit: MickeyBlog
The pool at Disney’s Beach Club Resort is better than several water parks I’ve visited.
Finally, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (and Beach Club), I can walk out of my hotel and be at the park in ten minutes!
You won’t receive any amenities like that when you stay off site. And that’s why you shouldn’t!
When Is the Best Time to Go to Disney?
Okay, if you read MickeyBlog, we evaluate this topic regularly. Here’s a recent article I wrote about visiting Disney in December.
If you keep reading over the next few days, I’ll have one for January as well. In addition, I just wrote a piece about the pros and cons of each season.
I don’t know when that one will publish, but I’ll spoil a bit of it for you. The weather plays a factor with any Disney visit.
During the summer, you’ll experience hot temperatures that can cause problems with your phone.
The glare makes it tough to read and uncomfortable to touch. From June through November, hurricane season counts as a minor factor.
Realistically, Disney only closes the parks for hurricanes four or five times every 20 years, but it’s something to monitor.
In the winter, some amenities like water rides may close due to lack of demand.
I guess what I’m saying is that spring is the best time. Okay, I’m joking. There’s no wrong answer, as everyone possesses a personal preference.


Image Credit: Disney
My family visits the most in January, May, September, October, and early November. My brother loves December at Disney. All options are great!
When Is the Least Crowded Time to Visit?
Okay, this one has a more definitive answer than the last one. We can all argue about the best times on the annual calendar to visit Disney.
What’s not up for debate is crowd size. We know when Disney parks claim the fewest visitors.
Presuming that your schedule allows, these are terrific times to visit.
January, September, early October, and early December fall into this group. Early February is often a sweet spot, too. The first part of May qualifies as well.
Disney parks fill up on official holidays, though. So, you will face larger crowds then.
I will modify these suggestions to remove New Year’s, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Labor Day.
Of course, your work schedule makes it easier to visit during these times. That’s true for everyone on government holidays, which explains the behavior.
Is the Pool Warm Enough for Swimming in December/January/February?
This answer depends on your pain tolerance … but not while you’re in the pool.
For many people, the stressful part of a winter pool dip involves getting to and from there.
Once you’re swimming in a heated pool, you don’t care about the weather.
Well, Disney isn’t hosting any polar bear plunges at its official pools. According to the official site, all pools are heated to 82 degrees.
That’s true any day of the year, even the ones in December, January and February.
So, if you’re there to swim in the pool, you’ll always feel comfortable. Walking to and from the pool may require layers, though.


Image Credit: Disney
I’m mostly kidding here. Orlando temperatures rarely dip below 55 degrees. Nippy for Central Florida is unseasonably warm for everyone else in the country.
Feature Image Rights: Disney