As the name of this site suggests, I consider this site’s purpose to teach people how to plan trips to Disney World. Part of teaching you how to plan is showing you the best sources for information.
Here are the best sites for Disney World info:
Best general info sites
- DisneyWorld.com – the mother ship, great place to get basic info but other sites do a better job at explaining the details
- AllEars.net – lots of info on all aspects of Disney World but I happen to like the dining and hotel info the best
- WDWinfo.com – home of the top Disney-related forum, DISboards.com, and creator of great general info. I like their special event info in particular.
- EasyWDW.com – Josh is a guy who is in the parks daily (or close to it) and has a lot of great insight. His “walkabouts” are a highlight for me as he posts lots of pictures of where he’s been that day. Oh, and he’s funny too.
Best niche sites
- WDWGolf.com – There are 4 championship golf courses and a par-36 practice course at Disney World. This site focuses on the courses and has great info including discounts and a long list of FAQs.
- HiddenMickeyGuy.com – There are hundreds of hidden Mickeys throughout Disney World and this site attempts to track them. It is run by Steven Barrett who wrote a book about Hidden Mickeys.
- PressCoins.com - there are dozens and dozens of pressed coin machines throughout Walt Disney World and this site has a database that you can search to see where they are located and which designs are available at each location.
- Stitch Kingdom’s Guide to Kidcot – Kidcot stations are located in each country in the World Showcase section of EPCOT. These stations allow kids to create a mask and get a stamp from that country for free. This guide gives you details on each station.
- KennythePirate.com – for some people, seeing the characters at Disney World is a high priority. KennythePirate.com has all of the info you’ll need including character schedules, character touring plans and lots of pictures. Be sure to look at the links at the very top of the screen to navigate to each section.
Best unofficial hotel sites
Although all of the general information sites have information on the hotels, some of the hotels have unofficial sites that go into far more detail.
- Tikiman Pages (Polynesian Resort) – this is the most well-known site about a Disney hotel and might make you long to stay at The Polynesian. (Note: music plays when you go to the site so turn down your volume if you don’t want to have it sprung on you)
- PortOrleans.org (Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter) – unofficial site for both Port Orleans resorts with lots of great info, including updates on current refurbishment work being done. (Side note: Yehaa Bob appears at POR and he has a site with a schedule of his appearances at YehaaBob.com)
- SwanDolphin.com (Swan and Dolphin Hotels) - the Swan and Dolphin are kind of “hybrid” hotels because they enjoy some of the benefits of being an on-site Disney hotel but aren’t technically Disney hotels. This site helps you understand everything about these hotels. (Note: music plays when you go to the site so turn down your volume if you don’t want to have it sprung on you)
- ContemporaryResort.Net (Contemporary Resort) – focused primarily on pictures of the resort
- DowntownDisneyHotels.com – there are some hotels located in Downtown Disney that are not official Disney hotels but they can be more affordable and they are conveniently located. This site has all of the info.
- ShadesofGreen.org (Shades of Green) – Shades of Green is a hotel available to military families. Site has a lot of information including upcoming discounts that are available.
- AKLResort.com (Animal Kingdom Lodge) – everything you need to know about AKL. The pictures make me wish we could stay there soon.
- WildernessLodgeSite.com (Wilderness Lodge) – lots of good info including a blog describing recent updates
- DisneyCaribbeanBeach.com (Caribbean Beach Resort) – pics, info on internal resort transportation, blog with updates
- PopCenturySite.com (Pop Century) – info on the most recommended of the Value resorts including pics and a blog with recent updates
Best places to find discounts
- Mousesavers.com – this is the place to find Disney discounts. The link goes to the exact section of the exact page where the discounts are updated. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter which is sent on the 15th of every month.
- Disney YES program – up to 50% off on park tickets. It can be tricky to understand so be sure to read my primer on how to use this program.
Best sources of schedule times
- You would think that I would include the main Disney World site for schedules but their travel agent site is more current. The schedules are published by month so just pull up the one that corresponds to your travel dates.
- WDWent.com – the entertainment schedule for the upcoming week is published weekly for each park
Best places for maps
- Scanned park maps – Disney World maps of the parks, resorts, Downtown Disney, convention facilities, dinner shows and maps for guests with disabilities.
- Stitch Kingdom’s satellite maps – dozens of satellite maps that give you an aerial view of things like fireworks viewing spots, parade routes, bike paths and seating
- Disney’s customized maps – not recommended for touring but really nice and free maps that you can customize and personalize
Best videos of attractions
- OnlyHDVideos on YouTube – videos of attractions, fireworks, character greetings and all are HD quality
Best way to decode Disney World-related acronyms
- Stitch Kingdom’s Acronym Decoder – Disney-speak is its own language complete with hundreds of acronyms. Seen something you didn’t understand? Input it into the decoder or view the full list of acronyms.
Best apps
- Stitch Kingdom’s Definite Guide to iOS Disney apps – complete list of Disney iOS apps (there are hundreds!)
- TouringPlans.com Lines App – with a subscription to TouringPlans.com, you can use the Lines app which shows you current wait times and FASTPASS return times. (Note: I don’t recommend the crowd calendars on this site but the app and touring plans are great.)
Best place to find a Fairy Godmailer
- DISboards.com Fairy Godmailer thread – want a postcard mailed to your child before your trip to help get them excited? Post on this thread and don’t forget to offer to send one for somebody else during your trip.
Other sites?
Have a site that you think should be listed? Please leave it in the comments.
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{ 4 comments (add yours) }
Loved the idea of the customized maps, but can’t get them to print out properly (and I know how to work my printer and computer!!) ~ it is a glitch on their side and because I am out of the USA I can’t get them mailed, so kinda disappointed with that! I will probably have to prnt scrn it and save it and print it out that way!
Try printing it to PDF. If you don’t have a PDF converter, download PDF995 which is free.
You mention that you do not recommend the crowd calendars on the Touring Plans app. Can you explain further why you do not recommend the crowd calendars? Thanks for your help! I have really enjoyed your site!
Hi, Richelle -
The crowd calendars are often either incorrect and/or they change a lot over time. For instance, if you logged into TP right now to see about crowds and best/worst parks for your dates, you’d see one thing. If you logged in again right before your trip, you’d probably see something totally different. There’s no reason for that kind of crazy variation. I highly recommend EasyWDW’s charts for best/worst parks and YourFirstVisit.net for choosing the best week to go.