My Top Disney World Tips

Happy Spring!  I hope you had a wonderful Spring Break or are planning something fun, if you haven’t had it yet!  This year, we continued our family tradition of an annual trip to Disney World.  My parents started taking me every year when I was a kid, and we’ve continued the tradition with Raleigh!  Before he was school aged we enjoyed going during the low season (Fall and Winter), but the last couple of years we went for Spring Break.  With family and friends frequently asking for tips before they go, I thought it would be good to finally share a post about it.  This is more focused on tips for people going for the first time or the first time in a while.

Know Before You Go

1. Visit During the Low Season

If possible, visit during the low season.  You can save money on your hotel room, and lines can be quite a bit shorter at the parks.  It’s a lot less crowded September through early March, except for holiday weeks/weekends.  For more specifics, check out this crowd calendar to plan your visit.

2. Download the Apps

You can plan your entire vacation on the My Disney Experience website or app.  Make dining reservations, Fastpass+ attraction reservations, check schedules and wait times, navigate on GPS-enabled maps, preview Disney PhotoPass photos, shop for merch, and more.

When you’re waiting in line, check out the Play Disney Parks app, which has interactive experiences and games.  Some even tie back to the attractions where you’re waiting in line.

3. Stay at a Disney Resort Hotel

Aside from having fun themes and great customer service, there are many benefits to staying at a Disney Resort hotel.  You get free transportation, free parking, free Magic Bands, Extra Magic Hours, early access to dining reservations and Fastpass+ selections, and more.

• Magic Bands – A Magic Band is a waterproof wristband with a sensor that functions as your room key, park tickets, Fastpasses, PhotoPass ID, and credit card on Disney properties.  You can order them on the My Disney Experience website or app.  Assign a color to each person in your party and then easily make reservations for everyone.  Make sure to pack them in your carry-on, so they are easily accessible when you arrive.
• Fastpass+ – A Fastpass+ is a reservation to an attraction, including rides and shows.  You can book 3 Fastpasses prior to your visit, and after they are used you can book a 4th one.  After the 4th one is used, you can book a 5th one, etc.
• Disney PhotoPass – Disney PhotoPass allows you to preview the photos of you and your party taken by Disney photographers all over Disney World. You can purchase all of the photos or just your favorites with Memory Maker.  Photographers just link your Magic Band, and photos are saved into your My Disney Experience account.
• Extra Magic Hours – Guests staying at select hotels have the opportunity to enjoy select attractions at parks before or after regular operating hours.

We usually stay at the Old Key West Resort, which is our Disney Vacation Club home resort.  We enjoy the Florida Keys theme, spacious villas, waterfront area, golf course, and boating options there.  My other favorites are the Animal Kingdom Lodge/Villas, Beach Club Resort/Villas, and Boardwalk Inn/Villas.

4. Get to Know the Parks

There are 4 Theme Parks at Walt Disney World.  Each is unique and special in its own way, offering different attractions, character experiences, dining, entertainment, and shops.  Get to know them a bit, so you know what to expect.

• Magic Kingdom
• Epcot
• Hollywood Studios
• Animal Kingdom

5. Make Dining Reservations 180 Days in Advance

If you are staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, you can make dining reservations for the entire duration of your stay 180 days in advance of your check-in date.  All other guests can make reservations 180 days in advance.  If you are trying to dine at a high demand location like Cinderella’s Royal Table or Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom, you’ll need to make reservations at the 180 day mark because they get fully booked quickly.

• Keep Checking – Disney guests are frequently changing plans, so if the table you want isn’t available keep checking back up until that time.  Reservations must be canceled the day before in order to avoid a cancellation fee, so more tables open up late night the day before and early morning the day of the reservation date you’re seeking.
• Disney Springs – Disney Springs, formerly Downtown Disney, is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment destination.  Many restaurants at Disney Springs are available to reserve on OpenTable, which can be done at anytime and with no cancellation fee.  Just search for reservations in Lake Buena Vista, FL and then zoom in on Disney Springs in the map view.

6. Enjoy Character Dining

One of the most fun parts of visiting Disney World is meeting the characters.  This can be done at the parks, using Fastpasses or waiting in line, or at character dining.  Using Fastpasses or attending character dining are a great way to guarantee you meet at least a few characters.  My favorite character dining includes

• Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom – This is princess focused, and it’s inside the castle!
• Garden Grill at Epcot – Meet Chip ‘n’ Dale and friends, while the restaurant rotates through a wilderness scene.
• Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios – Meet the Disney Junior characters in a cute diner.
• Tusker House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Mickey and friends are dressed for safari.
• Cape May Café at Disney’s Beach Club Resort – Minnie and friends are dressed for a beach bash.
• Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort – Mickey and friends are dressed as chefs, and you can take the monorail there.

You can purchase cute autograph books and pens there to commemorate the occasion.

One other thing to note about dining is many restaurants offer mobile food and beverage ordering on the My Disney Experience website or app, so there is less waiting when you arrive.  This is available at select quick-service restaurants and for breakfast and lunch at Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom.

7. Book Fastpasses 60 days in advance

Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels can book Fastpasses for the entire duration of their stay 60 days in advance of their check-in date, while non-resort guests can book 30 days in advance.  Booking begins at 7 AM EST.  I recommend booking them at 7 AM, if you want a better chance of getting high demand attractions.  Beforehand, make sure all of the guests in your party are connected in your My Disney Experience account, so you can book them for everyone.

• High Demand Attractions – New attractions and roller coasters typically have the highest demand for Fastpasses and longest wait times.  There is a tiering system, that allows you to book 1 attraction from the “Tier 1” (i.e., high demand) list and the other 2 selections from the rest.
• Keep Checking – Much like the restaurant reservations, guests are frequently changing Fastpasses so keep checking back up until that time.

8. Disney Photographers Will Take Your Photo on Your Phone

Disney photographers will take your photos at various landmarks and character experiences.  After taking your photos, they just link your Magic Band, and photos save into your My Disney Experience account.  In addition to that though, they will take your photo on your phone so you have it immediately and don’t necessarily have to buy the professional versions.

9. It’s Good to Plan Non-Park Days

Days at the parks are very fun, but can be exhausting.  Don’t feel like you have to go all day, everyday.  You’re on vacation after all.  If you can, try to plan at least 1 off day, away from the parks.  You can relax by the pool or go to Disney Springs.  We usually go for a week, so we try to do one day on, one day off, etc. so we do a lot and have fun, but are somewhat rested too.

10. Just Bring an Umbrella Stroller

You will be walking a lot, so the less weight and space, the better.  Also, each time that you go on a ride, you’ll have to park your stroller in “Stroller Parking” before you get in line, and that’s a lot easier to navigate with just an umbrella stroller.

At the Resorts

1. There’s Free Transportation

If you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you can get free transportation to just about every place that you want to go.  There are airport shuttle buses called Disney’s Magical Express (book ahead) and buses to all theme parks, water parks, Disney complexes, and resort hotels.  If there’s somewhere else you want to go, you can order a Minnie Van through the lyft app to take you to other places on property.  All are equipped with car seats and boosters.

2. Get a Free Button

If it’s your first time to Disney World or you’re celebrating a special occasion, let the Disney cast members know at check-in, and they’ll give you a free button to wear.  They have them for occasions like birthdays, family reunions, weddings, anniversaries, and graduations.  Sometimes wearing the pins can get you special treatment at restaurants and parks.

3. There are “In-Room Celebrations” and Souvenir Room Delivery

If you are celebrating a special occasion, you can order an in-room celebration with gift baskets and decorations.  One year, we went over Mother’s Day and Raleigh’s birthday, so I ordered my mom flowers and him a custom filled bag of goodies.

If you go shopping when you’re visiting parks or Disney Springs, you can have your purchases delivered back to your room so that you don’t have to carry them around with you all day.

4. Some Rooms Come with Pack ‘n Plays

Complimentary cribs, Pack ‘n Plays, and bed rails are available for Disney Resort hotel guests.  Guests may request them when making reservations or upon arrival.  If you’re staying in a Disney Vacation Club Villa, there will be a Pack ‘n Play in a closet in your room.

5. There are Countless Activities for Non-Park Days

There is so much to do at Disney World besides go to the parks.  Here are some of my favorites activities.

• Go to the Pool – There are some amazing pools and slides at Disney Resort hotels.  All of the pools are heated year round to 82 degrees, and there are poolside activities for kids throughout the day.
• Explore Your Resort (or Others) – Walk around, look for fun photo-ops, go to the playgrounds, and search for hidden Mickeys.  Ask the front desk for the weekly activity schedule.  Many hotels have arts & crafts, trivia games, contests, bike rentals, s’mores by the fire, and Movies Under the Stars.
• Visit Disney Springs – You can shop a variety of Disney and mid-high end mall stores and enjoy a range of dining options.  If you have little princesses, this is where the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique can be found.  There’s also boating, bowling, a movie theater, and live performances.
• Play Mini Golf – Check out the Fantasia and Winter Summerland themed mini golf courses or head to one of the multiple golf courses to get in a few swings, and watch out for the Mickey bunker.
• Ride the Monorail – Hop on the Monorail and ride high in the sky.  The Monorail stops at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the Transportation and Ticket Center, and select resort hotels.
• Enjoy Character Dining at a Resort – If you want to spend most of your park time on attractions, book a character dining experience at a resort.  This trip, we took a bus from our resort to Epcot and then rode the Monorail to the Contemporary Resort and went to Chef Mickey’s brunch.

At the Parks

1. Maximize Your Fastpasses

Remember that after your 3 pre-booked Fastpasses are used, you can continue to book additional ones after each one is used on the My Disney Experience app.  Try to book Fastpasses for attractions that have longer wait times, so they’re not wasted on ones where you could have just waited in the regular line.

2. Check Wait Times on the App

While Fastpasses save a lot of time, each Fastpass window is 1 hour so you’ll want to enjoy attractions in between each one.  Check the app for wait times, which are shown in real-time on GPS enabled maps, so you can see what is quick nearby or may be worth a walk.

3. Reserve Breakfast Inside the Park Before It Opens

All of the parks have at least one restaurant, including character dining, that opens before the park.  This allows you to enter the park early, have breakfast, and the get in an attraction or two before the crowds arrive.

• Jedi Training Academy – If your children are interested in Jedi Training Academy at Hollywood Studios, I recommend making a reservation for breakfast before the park opens at Hollywood & Vine.  Registration for Jedi Training begins around 30 minutes prior to the park opening at the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost.  Stop by registration on your way to breakfast or have one parent and the participating children walk over to register, if you’re still eating.  Participants must be 4-12 years of age and present at registration.  Space is limited and first-come, first served.

4. Arrive Before Opening and Head Straight to Your Top Attraction

If having an early breakfast before the park opens isn’t an option, arrive early and then once the doors open head straight to your top high demand attraction before lines get too long.

5. Visit Attractions During Parades, Fireworks & Nighttime Spectaculars, and Shows

The featured entertainment at parks draws a lot of attention, so lines will be shorter during those times.  It can also be nice to see fireworks from a different/less crowded vantage point in line or an outdoor ride such as Dumbo the Flying Elephant or The Speedway at Magic Kingdom.

6. Check for Extra Magic Hours

Each day, at least one of the parks will open an hour early or stay open up to two hours late for select Disney Resort hotel guests. If you’re not staying on property, check which parks are offering early entry for hotel guests and start or end your day at a different park.

7. Get a Rider Switch Pass

If a child does not meet the height requirement or a guest does not wish to board a particular attraction, one adult can wait with the non-riders while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. The party can simply ask for a Rider Switch pass for the waiting adult.  When the party returns, they can supervise the non-riding guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line.  The best part is that up to three guests can ride with the Rider Switch pass, so other people in your party can potentially ride twice while only having to wait in line once.

8. Join the Single Rider Line

If your party is just adults, you have older kids who can ride alone, or you’re the only one who wants to ride a ride, join the Single Rider Line.  Your party is split up to fill empty seats, but you get on the ride much faster.  This is offered on Test Track at Epcot, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios, and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom.

9. Stay Cool

Depending on when you visit, Orlando can be very hot.  If you need a break and want to cool down, visit one of the misting stations, splash pads, indoor shows, water rides, rides with indoor lines, or shops.  You can also get free ice water at any restaurant or unlimited samples of Coca-Cola products from around the world at Club Cool at Epcot.  If that’s not enough, you can always indulge in a frozen treat!

10. Enjoy the Iconic Disney Treats

Disney World is full of snacks and treats that are just as iconic as Cinderella’s Castle.  Make sure you try at least one!  Our favorites are the Mickey Waffles at breakfast, Mickey Pretzels, Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bars and Sandwiches, and last but not least, the Dole Whip (pineapple soft serve) at Magic Kingdom.

I hope you find these tips helpful!  Please let me know if you have anything to add or any questions!

Thanks,