Walt Disney World Tips & Tricks From The Pros
Walt Disney World is truly the most *magical* place on earth, and visiting there is an incredible experience that you and your family won’t soon forget.
However, this lifetime experience requires some careful planning to make the most out of it - you don’t want to miss out on any of the magic!
Life Is Better Traveling has put together some TIPS & TRICKS to help you navigate through your Disney World vacation, using our knowledge from many years of Disney travel.
Walt Disney World is incredible. There are popular rides, characters, shows, fireworks, food, and more! To make it even more special, we have some tricks to share for saving money, avoiding lines, securing restaurant reservations, and more.
Take a look, and get started on your way toward making your Disney vacation magical!
25 Tips & Tricks:
Best Time To Visit: Disney World is always quieter when schools are in session, so planning to visit WDW during the times of the year that school is in session is a great start! Other times that are lighter: January, February, the last two weeks of August, September, October week-days, and early November week-days. Check-in on a Friday if you can, since most people arrive on Saturdays.
Make Pass Reservations: Purchase your Disney Park Passes ahead of time. (necessary for set date passes up until January 2024) Many Disney hotels offer these as a package deal - and of course, your travel planner can arrange all of this for you.
Set up My Disney Experience App and Genie+: Highly recommend this! This app is really easy to use and will allow you to plan each day with activity and ride reservations, dining reservations, order-to-go, mobile checkout, and more. It’s also easy to edit your plans and ask questions directly with a chat with a Cast Member. Genie+ allows you access to Lightening Lane (skip the long lines!), and much more. It’s a $15 add-on to have “Genie+” and well worth every penny!
Genie+ Extras: Get free photo downloads of attraction pics! There are also fun and free “photo lenses” to try out and audio experiences within the app.
My Experience App Musts: Use your app to locate bathrooms, see ride wait times, PhotoPass spots, and character greeting locations!
Disney Merch: You’ll save some money if you purchase your Disney shirts, ponchos, extra phone batteries, and souvenirs beforehand. If not, there are great stores you’ll run across, and Main Street stores to check out as you exit at the end of the day.
Strollers and ACVs: Strollers are cheaper off-property. Arrange ahead of time to rent through nearby locations. (we can help you with this) If renting in parks (this is true for ACVs also), arrive extra early. Tip: Place a ribbon or bright bow on it to easily find it after rides.
Hotel-ready: Arrange for Amazon to send drinks, water, snacks, sunblock, and extra fun Disney things directly to your hotel room. This will save you money and time.
Day Of: Arrive 45 minutes early to park and get started. Disney hotel guests are given a 30-minute earlier entry at many resorts.
Comfort: Wear comfortable shoes - a must! You’ll be walking for hours.
Disney Dining plans: These plans can be great for many families! Drinks and snacks and set meals are included, simplifying your trip - and great for setting a budget.
Disney Dining reservations: These can be made 180 days prior to your visit! Online reservations are simplest and open at 6 am, 180 days ahead of time. (of course, your vacation planner can arrange dining for you, along with great recommendations). If you are a large group, consider booking as two smaller groups, etc.
Food and drink savings: Ask for free water at any quick-service station. Share meals and order kid meals - even if you are an adult. Disney moderate resorts offer free dining.
Lunch Time: Mid-day is busy for rides, so plan your lunch reservations for then.
Waitlists Are Your Friend: Use the virtual waitlist early in the day to snag last-minute restaurant reservations - it works!
Open Table: shhh! This is a little know secret. Some restaurants in the Disney Springs area are also listed on open table for making reservations. Give it a try.
Festival Fun: Don’t miss out on Disney’s different festivals, such as the Flower and Garden Festival, Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Holiday Festivals, Festival of the Arts, etc. (opening days are very crowded). They are incredible!
Shopping: Disney delivery will deliver your purchases straight to your hotel for you so that you don’t have to carry things around in the park all day.
Ride Waits: Be sure to watch wait times in your My Experience app. They even have “forecasted” times. Some rides require virtual passes (Guardians of the Galaxy in Epcot and Tron LIghtcycle, for example)
Play: Also add the fun Disney app called “Play”. It’s great entertainment with fun facts to read about while waiting in lines.
Fireworks: You don’t want to miss the Fantasmic Show or Happily Ever After Fireworks! Some restaurants offer packages with perfect views.
End Of Day Line-up: Get in line for one last ride just before the park is about to “close”. You’ll end up squeezing in one more ride, as the park’s official closing times take about an hour.
Monorail: The monorail is a blast - kids love it! At the end of the day, beat the lines and use the resort monorail. The express has long lines.
Disney Springs: Be sure to visit Disney Springs for after-hour drinks and daytime shopping and eating.
Let LIFE IS BETTER TRAVELING help you arrange your Disney trip: We know it’s a lot! We have the experience needed to make your trip a breeze so that you won’t miss anything, and you can just relax and enjoy!
Interested in planning your next Disney vacation with one of our award-winning travel agents? Simply fill out the form below and we will get back to shortly!
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