I know that the internet is FULL of all kids of Disney World tips, tricks, and advice. Most of it is really good advice and some of it is terrible. Because of all of this advice, I’ve contemplated writing this post for about 3 years now, I just wasn’t sure about it- I didn’t want it to just get “lost” in the sea of Disney related information… and I wanted to make sure if I wrote a post about Disney World that I knew what I was talking about.
I’ve been asked many times about my advice for traveling to Disney World, by friends and family, so I decided to sit down and type it up, and since I was typing it up I thought I’d just go ahead and post it here, so that hopefully it will help you out too.
I don’t know how many times I’ve been to Disney World, let’s just say it’s more times that I would have guessed when we first went 17 years ago. I guess it’s just one of those places that actually lives up to the expectation you put on it. I don’t know how it really happened that we went so much, it seemed like it Disney was “on the way” to somewhere, or my husband had a class in Orlando, or they were offering a killer deal, but after a few years of “stumbling” our way to Disney, we just decided to jump in and PLAN to go to Disney World on a regular basis. We live close enough to drive, which helps a lot,are DVC members, and now have annual passes, so I guess we’ve evolved into “Disney People”.
This is not however a “how to see everything at Disney World and not spend any money” post, although those do exist, just google it… I’m not going to talk about costs and Disney, because it’s so different for each person that goes, I will say this, there are ways to save money at Disney World and to get more “bang for your buck” but Disney is not cheap, and I realize that. So my goal today is to hopefully offer you some tips to make the most of the time and money that you do spend at the “happiest place on earth”.
That being said, we have “our” way of doing Disney. Someone else might have another favorite way to do Disney, but this is ours.
1. Try to stay til close. Okay here’s what happens at Disney World most days. People wake up and try to get to the park when it opens. Well, we all have kids and know how that usually goes. Someone is tired, traffic is bad, you miss a bus, someone can’t find a clean shirt, etc. Most people don’t get there when it opens but soon after. About 2 o’clock you look around and swear it’s so crowded they couldn’t get another person in the park if they tried…
Most people intend on staying til it closes, (closing time changes by park per day) but after about 6 o’clock are done for the day. The park slowly begins to clear out…. next thing you know you look up and it’s 8 o’clock at night and the park feels downright roomy :).
There is something that is dare I say, magical about walking out of a Disney park at closing time. It’s quiet, and dark and you get such a nice view of the park. We love to stop for a treat on our way out, visit some shops and just meander our way to the exit. There’s going to be a HUGE line for the buses at closing time anyway, why not just take your time getting out?
2. Get out of the main aisles. Okay, for some reason most people congregate to the middle of things at Disneyworld. I guess it’s just simple crowd mentality… but before you walk into a big crowd of people, take a second and look around, to make sure it’s where you want to go, is there a side path? Is there another way around? Is there a ticket kiosk with no people in line (and usually a employee waving for people to come over to the side!) ? If you see a path and wonder where it goes, walk down it. There are all kinds of fun little shortcuts and passages in the parks…did you know you can walk from the new Fantasyland to Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom? There’s a cute little path that lets out by the cars.
On Main Street in the Magic Kingdom there are little side streets with fun things to see, and places to SIT! In Epcot the World Showcase is FULL of little paths, if you stay on the main drag you’ll miss 90% of what’s back there. Take a second and look around, you don’t have to follow the crowd down the middle of Main Street if you don’t want to… and if you want your photo taken with the castle in the background, try the evening, it’s less crowded that at the beginning of the day.
3. Stay on property (book online at Disneyworld, watch this page for specials, and sign up for their emails, there have been deals pop up there ranging from hotel discounts to free park days to free food).
People always ask me where to stay and how I booked my room. It’s pretty simple, I stalk the Disneyworld specials page until one pops up for the time frame I’m looking for. Then I book a whole package together. I like this for lots of reasons… You get extra magic hours in the parks (i.e. you can stay past closing time)… you don’t need a car, you can take the bus (but if you have a car, you can park at the parks for free if you’re staying at a Disneyworld hotel), and with the new Magic Bands you can book your ride reservations 60 days before you leave.
That being said, if you don’t stay on Disney property you’re still going to have a great time, I just prefer it when it’s an option.
Also, we have found unless it’s offered for free as part of a promo, the Dining plan is too much food for us to eat in a day, so it’s not a good deal for us to buy it (more on food in a minute).
4. Plan for breaks and snacks. Okay, slow down and make sure you take breaks frequently, even if you don’t think you need it, your kids might. Find a nice quiet (or at least shaded) place to sit and have a soda and a rice krispie treat. If you’re going an a million miles an hour all day you’re going to wear out and fast. Last time we were at Epcot we walked 10 miles! That’s insane!!! It’s a place that requires a lot of walking, so don’t wear yourself out.
5. Know the places to take a break. Okay, so now that I said, “don’t wear yourself out” lets talk about what to do if you DO wear yourself out. If you’re needing a nap or a cool air conditioned place to sit, here are my choices:
Magic Kingdom:
Carousel of Progress (okay, sorry Walt but this is the most boring ride ever!!)—but it’s air conditioned, you can sit and it takes about a half an hour… you could even take a nap if you wanted to.
People Mover- one of my favorite rides in the park actually, it’s slow moving but is very relaxing and you get a great view of the park.
Get on the train and ride it in circles until you’re not tired anymore!
Epcot:
Spaceship Earth- Sorry another kinda boring ride in my opinion, but you sit down, and it’s cool and dark.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends- a really cute ride and at the end is an aquarium, very relaxing if you’re feeling stressed out.
Grab a pastry at the cafe in France (it’s in the back you have to go find it our you might walk right by)- delicious pastries, and it’s now bigger (so the lines are shorter) get an eclair find a place to sit near the lake, and relax for a bit.
Hollywood Studios:
American Idol Experience- This is actually a really FUN show to watch. Not good for a nap, but great if you just NEED to get off your feet for a bit (and once again, it’s air conditioned).
Animal Kingdom:
Ride the train to Conservation Station- there is a petting zoo there and a nice big room with educational things to do. It’s cool and not usually very crowded. A great place to recharge for a bit.
6. Buy Pins & T-Shirts before you go. My kids are older now but they still love to wear Mickey Mouse (and other Disney) t-shirts when they visit Disneyworld. The shirts at Disney are very cute and unique, but you can get great deals on shirts at Target and the Disney Store– buy them before you go to save $. Also if you want to trade pins (you can read more our pin trading experiences here) consider buying them on ebay before you go… just be SURE you are buying genuine pins from a reputable seller- don’t waste your $ on fakes. You get a variety of pins and since you’re going to trade them anyway, it doesn’t matter which ones show up in your grab bag.
7. Watch the Food Prices. Okay, crazy thing, one day we all went out for breakfast, to a sit down restaurant (Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Restaurant) and the total bill was less than the fast food lunch meal we had the day before! I’ve figured out that some sit down restaurants are the same price as fast food, so for the cost of a tip you can sit and enjoy your food (mabye even less if you share a meal). But watch out, some are much more expensive-before you go check the menus, and don’t automatically rule out the sit down restaurants.
Also, if there is somewhere you KNOW you want to eat make reservations in advance.
Our favorites (both fast food and sit down): Via Napoli in Epcot, Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom, Ohana and Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort, the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue, Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom, Mama Melrose’s and Sci Fi Dine In Theater in Hollywood Studios. One last thing, don’t shoot me, but I’m not a big fan of the Princess Breakfasts, BUT my kids were never DYING to see Cinderella either. They are a great option if you know your kids LOVE characters, you’ll knock out a bunch in one sitting (but you’ll also pay for it).
8. Don’t be afraid of lines. There is a lot of information online about the BEST way to see a Disney Park, what to go do first, in what order, you can even make a plan for your ENTIRE day before you go… I think in all of the hub bub of trying to avoid lines at all costs, people have been just afraid of lines in general.
I’m here to tell you if it’s less than 30 min, it’s not bad at all. 45 min and longer, I’ll be honest, is not super fun… If you find yourself waiting in line for a ride (and by all means, DO use your fast passes, stay late, go early or whatever to avoid the line if you can)… find things to do, play games with your kids, pull up Disney Trivia on your phone, take silly photos in line, Look for Hidden Mickeys etc… You can find ways to pass the time, and Disney has gotten better at finding ways to entertain you while you’re in line. Also, if you’re trying to get on Toy Story Mania, I think they lie about how long the wait is at the end of the day to keep people from getting in line…
9. Look for Hidden Mickeys. We started this a few years ago, and my kids love it now. It’s a really fun thing to do while you’re waiting in line and I think it makes you “slow down” and notice what’s going on around you more– You know that whole “be in the moment thing”… A hidden Mickey is a Mickey Mouse head hidden somewhere it’s not supposed to be. Some are so obvious and others are harder to find. You can get an app on your phone or a book to use as a guide. We now walk around calling them “hidden Mickeys” and “Totally Obvious Mickeys”… it’s become a fun inside joke.
10. Rethink Lunch. Okay this is my favorite trick… don’t eat lunch at noon. We like to do one of two things. Eat snacks in our hotel room for breakfast then eat lunch at 11 am right when the restaurants open. OR eat a bigger breakfast and wait to eat lunch til after 2 pm. We also prefer to sit down for lunch rather than dinner. It gives you a nice break in the middle of the day and most times we end up so full from lunch that all we want for dinner is a snack.
11. Travel Off Season — (January, September & October and between Thanksgiving and Christmas) Disneyworld is most crowded at Christmas and Thanksgiving. After that most of April is busy for Spring Break and the weekends in May are busy for Star Wars weekends. You can find crowd calendars online. Orlando in July is INSANELY HOT, it’s also crowded, if you have the option, Fall is by far our favorite time to visit.
12. Don’t try to see it all – Just realize before you go that you’re not going to see EVERYTHING and ride EVERY ride. You’ll make yourself crazy trying. Although I’m a “check off the list” type when I’m on vacation, I have to let go of that instinct a bit at Disney. If you love it, you’ll probably go back, save some things for next time.
13. Prioritize – Before you go decide whats most important for you and your kids to see. If they are crazy for characters make a plan around seeing characters (fast passes and character meals)… If you want to ride ALL OF THE RIDES then plan your fast pass times close together so you can get to as many rides as you can. Whatever it is you decide, leave some time unplanned for just wandering around the parks and popping into the shops.
14. Take project life cards autographs. If you are going to try to get autographs from characters and employees at Epcot, take along Project Life cards for them to sign, then when you get home you can just slip the cards into your scrapbook album and not worry about losing an autograph book (btw, not my original idea, saw it on Instagram one day).
15. Visit KidCot Stops at Epcot and become an Adventure Scout at Animal Kingdom – Disney has done a good job finding ways to entertain kids as they move through the parks. Each country in Epcot has a KidCot stop — the kids can sit and color and get their passport (or project life card) signed by a person from the country they are visiting. It’s a great way to get your kids to chat with people and it’s really fun to see how each culture is different. At Animal Kingdom the kids can visit several educational stops and become and Adventure Scout- we did it this last time and my kids loved it (they are 12)…
and….
if you’d like to see what Disney World is like in 2 minutes or less and in stop motion video no less, check out this video my husband made of our last visit. He is to Go Pro camera’s what I am to Sewing Machines *wink*
I hope you’ve enjoyed my tips! If you have any please feel free to leave them in the comments section, I’m always looking for fun new ideas for Disney World!
Other Disney Related Posts you may enjoy:
How to Display Your Disney Trading Pins
Simple DIY Disney Vacation Photo Album
DIY Disney Cruise Scrapbook Ideas
OMG I am Magic Kingdom right now waiting in line to see Anna and Elsa! This is our first trip as a family and here is what we have learned: bring an umbrella to make your own shade, get an app to get on the fly directions, we put a cheap huge fake flower sticking up from our car door to help find it in the parking lot, if you have a driving navigation app you can also mark the position of your car that way, bring your own plain aloe gel everything they sell here has alcohol blended in
ugh!! You’re in the worse line at the park!! It was a 3 hr wait for Anna and Elsa when we were there- I was glad my kids didn’t mind not meeting them. That’s a great tip about the flower for you car, I’m going to have to remember that one. Have fun and eat a Mickey Mouse rice kripsie treat for me!
Thank you so much for your tips.
My husband is taking me to Disney world as a graduation gift and we are first timers!!!
I am so glad I read your page.
Now I know what rides are good for small breaks!!
Thank you!
I am glad I saw your video you made it look so much fun. My family are going in June I can’t wait. Thank you for the tips.
Thank you.
I love your tips especially about going in the off season!! When I went we had an early spring break that year and school and went in late March it was great it rained a little but it wasn’t too hot mostly 70 so it made our whole trip very enjoyable.
Well, now I want a GoPro. What an awesome video! Went in March, planning our next trip. We paid for the Memory Maker and did not enjoy the results. Thanks for the post!
Great tips!! I love the Project Life tip and will have to use that one. We are leaving next Saturday for our first family Disney vacation. Wish us luck!!
The American Adventure in Epcot is also a nice place to sit and relax. Nice long show in the dark with air conditioning and comfortable seats. Napping is an option.
Yes, I forgot about that one…. we are headed back next week, I’ll have to remember that.
Your video made me cry and give me goose bumps. We have 27 days until our trip, my 5th and my husbands 1st and I’m having a hard time bottling my excitement. Thank you for the video! So worth the 2 minute watch!
My fiancée and I are going for a day trip to Magic Kingdom after a family wedding. So excited!!! It’s the first time for both of us and we can’t wait! Thanks for the tips!!!
My mother in law ( 80 yrs young) and I (65 yrs young) are both going for the 1st trip in early Dec,2015. I have severe. Arthritis and would never be able to do the walking and mother in law won’t be able to do as much walking to do all we want to do. The carts in each park are $50. A day and 1st come 1st serve, with no reservations allowed. So I called several places in town and found 3 wheeled carts for rent at $149.00 for the 5 days we’ll be there and they will be delivered and picked up by the company to our motel rooms. Now we can enjoy the whole trip and not have to spend most of each day resting.
Thanks for the tips. I’ve seen several people in the parks with outside rentals. Disney is very scooter and wheelchair friendly. I hope you have a great time.
Hello, Great tips! We surprised the kids last year for the April vacation in school. I got a Disney Gift Card and put money on it every month. We used that for all of our food purchases. We even had money left over that we used for souvenirs. We got the kids their own gift cards that they could use for whatever they wanted (not food – we covered that) – they loved it! For me – I loved that everything was paid for before we arrived. It requires serious planning on what you would spend on food and souvenirs, but well worth it for us.
Where do you get a disney gift card? I love the idea of giving the kids each their own card!
You can get them at customer service at the front of the park. We have done this many times, our kids love that they can buy things themselves and the receipt prints how much money they have left on their gift card after each purchase. It really helped my kids to be able to budget their spending money and not ask us a million times for souvenirs.
These were super helpful! How warm was it when you guys went? In going on Friday and we are staying til Tuesday then going to key largo and these tips definitely will help! Thanks again!!
We went in April. It was cold the first few days then hot and muggy the last few. The weather there changes a lot. If you’re going now, it will be chillier than you think… make sure that you pack layers!
I love this post, we are going in August and cant wait, some of your tips are fantastic thank you. oh and love the go pro video, i think I need one of these for my trip too x
We are going in August too! I am nervous about the extreme heat…I like the umbrella idea for shade and the tips about places to rest and cool down. Have you been before?
We have been in August before, yes it’s pretty hot but you’ll be okay. Disney has lots of places to “cool off” my advice is to let your kids wear clothes and shoes that they can get wet… In Magic Kingdom in the new fantasy land there is a new splash pad that would be great on a hot day.
Great post! I too am a huge Disneyworld fan and find our family revisiting every other year. I always find that each time a read a post on Disney I find another great tip or tidbit of information I didn’t know. The beauty of research. One of my fav’s I’ll pass along to families with little ones…go ahead and rent the double stroller at Disney. The double is roomier. Even if you have another child who is more than capable of walking for the day (4,5,6 year old) they too will want to sit in it at some point. Bring your own bandana (and a bright one- neon works great) and tie it to the handle to quickly spot yours in the ocean of strollers. Trust me, this is a MUST. Bringing your own stroller is do-able but a pain when trying to get on/off the buses and then trying to stand holding onto it, your kids, your loot/gear…yeah, rent one- it’s worth it. The character meals are all great- I think we have been to most all of them. Chef Mickey is our favorite for breakfast, Crystal Palace is great for lunch. The princess meals were great too. Dressing up is a must for those meals for your little girls! Must haves for our family are Dole Whips and the huge cupcakes! Now our kids are pre-teen but Disney is still so much fun for us all! Our favorite resort has been Port Orleans Riverside. I think we enjoy is most since it is centrally located to all the destinations. I can’t say we have personally experienced any thing less than great at any of the resorts we’ve stayed in. It is an expensive vacation, but well worth it. Pack your own snacks and water as you will need them. We typically go in September (less crowded and cooler). Their are strange winged bugs that come out the later part in September that are everywhere. Did I mention everywhere?? Maybe they are there in other months too…not sure. The meal plan gives you PLENTY of food. It’s fine when they are offering it for ‘free’- and you can stretch it out to cover your food for the whole day. We worked our character meals into this for our sit down. Do a little research to stretch it out. One cupcake will easily feed two people but only using 1 of the snack credits. MANY of the snacks work that way- giving you large portions that can be shared. This is an expensive trip even with super careful and strategic planning- it’s still going to be expensive, but it is action packed and so many unique experiences. Disney does TRUELY make it worth every penny.
I agree it’s worth every penny!! Thank you so much for sharing your tips, there are a few I can’t wait to try out on our next trip.
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HI! We leave in 34 days for Disney!!!! Thanks for the tips..just one question…when you talked about a “passport” / “project life cards”..what do you mean? Is that something you buy or make? THanks!!!
You can grab the cards on Amazon… http://amzn.to/1PMYESC – there are a lot of different styles to pick from. Then while you are in Epcot ask where each KidCot stop is. There will be someone there with a stamp and they will sign your cards for you!
It’s hard to come by well-informed people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re
talking about! Thanks
Melissa, thanks for the tips!Can I add my 2 cents?I live in sFL(we’re a family of 7) and get to go to a park every few yrs:)We rarely stay on property, because the perk of being in the park before the general public isn’t worth the cost to us. We’ve stayed in several hotels that offer free breakfast and /or suites that have kitchens, or timeshares/condos. We go to the grocery store as soon as we get to Orlando and buy fruit and other non-salty snacks. We bring our own refillable water bottles that we carry with us. We have breakfast in our suite or hotel dining area, lunch ‘out’ at the parks, and an ice cream at some point during the day* disney has their own line of icecream treats that kids love), and dinner back in our suite.We also stay until the parks close, as there is a parade right at closing time. scout out a good place to sit to watch the parade, and sit back and relax. Our favorite places to eat are England and Norway in Epcot( we’re vegetarians), the restaurant you see as soon as you get into Animal kingdom, and a place in tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom- they have reasonably priced food that is kid-friendly. warning to people who plan to bring a cooler of food to save $: security is very tight and I’m not sure they let you bring food into the parks. check before going.
We’ve taken lunch into the parks before and they were fine with it, but I know that security has changed recently. I also love to carry the refillable water bottles, we just have the people at the restaurants fill them for us and they are almost always happy.
Thank you so much for sharing your tips!!!
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Hi Melissa, thanks for the tips, they are the best I’ve read so far. We are from Australia and planning a visit to Disney. My husband and myself, 3 adult children and a 10 year old. How long do you think we will need to allow for Disney? This will probably be a once in a lifetime trip so we want to see everything. Also do you recommend visiting the waterparks? We will be going in April.
Thanks Clare
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