The Disney World Aficionado
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118529)
Gainesville, Florida
December 27, 2015 9:05am CST
I will be spending the next 7 days at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, so obviously I will be sharing lots of Disney stories. I am considered to be a seasoned veteran, having experienced numerous Disney trips over the last 40 years. As an annual pass holder, I visit Disney World 5-6 times per year, often spending 20-25 days a year at the theme parks. I've read just about every Disney book written, and have often contributed information or stories to authors who are writing about Disney. So, if you ever have any Disney questions, I might (or should) be able to answer them! Hang in there with me over the next week as I write about Disney, and I promise that after vacation is over, I'll give the Disney posts a rest for a long while! And if you have any specific Disney topics you'd like me to write about, or have any particular questions about Disney that you'd like to see me answer, just let me know!
10 people like this
10 responses
@VivaLaDani13 (60485)
• Perth, Australia
15 May 17
@moffittjc Everything you post about is fun to read. If I think of anything Disney related, I will be sure to ask! 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 May 17
There's an entire underground level underneath the Magic Kingdom that is full of secret tunnels and corridors that allow the Cast Members (Disney workers) to get from one place to the other without being seen by the guests. It's pretty cool, and it's really not all so secret now. Although the public cannot access all of the underground areas, for a hefty price you can take a tour of certain areas underground.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 May 17
@VivaLaDani13 I dated a girl who worked at Disney World, she was Cinderella, and she told me all kinds of cool stories about Disney!
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60485)
• Perth, Australia
15 May 17
@moffittjc wow cool. I've never heard about that before. That would surely be very interesting but yeah, I can imagine the prices being pretty darn high.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
27 Dec 15
@moffittjc That number of pass holders must generate a huge income for Walt Disney World on their own.
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 15
@Asylum The cost of the annual pass is equivalent to the cost of about four day visits. So, any Florida resident who goes (or plans to go) to Disney more than four days in a year would be better off buying an annual pass. The kids and go to Disney about 4-5 times a year, and we are at the theme parks for about 20-25 total days each year. So, as you can see, it is definitely to our advantage to have the annual passes!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 15
Annual passes are only available for Florida residents. If you live outside of the state of Florida, you cannot get annual passes, and must pay Disney's outrageous theme park admission rates. Interesting, there are 950,000 current pass holders!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 15
Is there anything in particular you would like me to write about? So much has changed about the parks, especially as it relates to technology! Can you believe the entire Disney World complex/property is covered by hi-speed wi-fi? I cannot fathom the amount of computer technology, software and hardware integration and collaboration that goes on behind the scenes to be able to provide consistent and reliable wireless internet to a theme park of the magnitude of Disney World!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458867)
• Switzerland
27 Dec 15
@moffittjc Write about the new attractions, those that were added in the last 5 years.
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 15
@LadyDuck Yes, I will write about them! That's a good suggestion!
1 person likes this
@softbabe44 (5816)
• Vancouver, Washington
27 Dec 15
What kinda theme park admissions cost if you don't mind me asking ?
@softbabe44 (5816)
• Vancouver, Washington
29 Dec 15
@moffittjc Well, that's not too bad for everything you mention at all.
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Dec 15
I believe an admission ticket for one day for one park is something like $105 per person now. If you want to add a park-hopper option (the ability to go to multiple parks on the same day), then it's another $20-$25 on top of the base ticket. Plus, parking is $22. For comparison, my annual pass only costs $380 for the entire year, and I can go from park to park as much as I'd like, and parking is free.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Dec 15
@softbabe44 The cost of the annual pass is not that bad at all, which is why I have continued to renew mine for the past 16 years. Plus, each time I renew, I either get a discount, or lock in the old rates, so that my costs have barely risen in the past 16 years.
@Marilynda1225 (79933)
• United States
27 Dec 15
I've only been to Disney once in my entire life!!! It must be beautiful there at Christmas time. I'm sure it's all decorated right?
@Marilynda1225 (79933)
• United States
27 Dec 15
@moffittjc I hope to get back there some day and it will definitely be at Christmas. Have a great time
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 15
@Marilynda1225 Thank you! If you want to experience "Christmas" at Disney, but not have to fight all the crowds, the best time to go would be from about December 7-20, or right around in that timeframe. The Christmas decorations all go up in November, so people can enjoy the "Christmas" feeling at Disney for about two solid months. But Disney is busy during Thanksgiving, and after Thanksgiving they host the Pop Warner football and cheerleading national championships, so you don't want to visit when tens of thousands of screaming, hormonal teenagers who have taken over the parks! And starting around December 20th, and lasting through New Year's, the parks reach peak capacity as everyone comes to visit for the holidays. So you have a small window of opportunity to enjoy "Christmas" at Disney during the second or third week of December!
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 15
Yes, it's is decorated for the Christmas holiday like you wouldn't believe! The Christmas decorations go up in November, and stay up until after New Year's Day. Disney goes all out with their holiday decorations, and to me that is one of the reasons I love taking my family there every year at Christmas time! It's already a magical place normally, but when you add in all the Christmas decorations, it becomes absolute heaven on earth!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (326098)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Dec 15
It's good that you're able to get a pass. It hopefully saves you heaps.
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Dec 15
It not only saves me tons of money, but they allow you to make monthly payments to help spread out the cost over a period of a year. Since I purchase three annual passes, it really helps my budget to be able to spread out that cost over the whole year.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Dec 15
@JudyEv Well, from what I've seen online this year, it looks like about 950,000 people took advantage of the annual pass program. That seems like a lot, but when you factor in that Disney World gets 17.2 million visitors per year, that's really not a whole lot!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (326098)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Dec 15
@moffittjc It's good that you're able to do that. It's in their interests too as many more people would be able to take advantage of the season tickets.
@allisonwish (464)
• Shenzhen, China
28 Dec 15
Looking forward your Disney Post. I hope will share some photos about the Disney 
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Dec 15
I don't usually take a lot of photos, but maybe my children will take some good ones that I can post.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
27 Dec 15
I have never been there.Have not interest.But my friends here go all of the time.They loved it
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 15
Disney is definitely not for everyone! I think it's one of those places where you either love it or hate it!
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Dec 15
There is no Matterhorn at Disney World. That is unique to Disneyland. Disney World's closest equivalent would be Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom.
1 person likes this
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
29 Dec 15
Sounds like you know a lot. Have you heard about the new movie about what pets do when people are not at home?
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Dec 15
No, I haven't heard of that movie yet! What's it called?
