Whether you are visiting Walt Disney World for the 1st or the 10th time, the magic is sure to excite your inner child. I have been visiting the Disney parks since I was a baby, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the only place my sister and I would get along as children, it was where I took my husband on his very first roller coaster, and where my family still goes to bond and spend a few magical days together even as adults.
However, as the world changes and technology evolves, so does the way we visit Disney. While the magic remains, it’s necessary to plan a bit ahead of time to make sure your trip goes smoothly. To get the most out of your magical vacation, use these 5 tips while visiting Walt Disney World.
VERY IMPORTANT: As soon as you make your reservations, download the My Disney Experience app. Everything you need is on that app. I literally mean everything.
1. Stay on Property
I am a strong believer that staying on property inside what is known as “The Disney Bubble” is part of the magic when visiting Walt Disney World. There are currently 31(!!!) resorts on Walt Disney World property for you to choose from. These resorts are categorized by price as Value, Moderate, & Deluxe. While deciding where to stay, price is obviously a huge component, but I also encourage you to look into what transportation options are available at your resort.
My favorite resorts are those on the Skyliner route. In addition to being a super fun way to travel, the Skyliner is a very quick way to get to and from Epcot & Hollywood Studios. If you’re staying at a Skyliner resort, it is super easy to pop back to your room mid day for a snack, nap, or costume change! The resorts currently on the Skyliner route are:
- Pop Century (Value)
- Art of Animation (Value)
- Caribbean Beach (Moderate)
- Riviera (Deluxe)
It is worth noting that if you stay on property, you get to enter the parks 30 minutes early on most days (check the calendar on the app), which can actually get you through 1-2 rides much quicker if you get into the park as early as possible.
I have personally stayed at Art of Animation and Caribbean Beach and will have a review of those resorts coming soon!
2. Purchase Genie+ (But learn how to use it first!)
Disney’s Genie+ replaced the FastPass system a couple years ago (unfortunately). If you know Disney, you know that FastPass used to be a free way to skip the lines, but is sadly now a thing of the past. Genie+ will still let you skip lines via “Lightening Lanes”, but you have to pay for it. When I visited in 2023, the additional service was $8-$20 a day per person depending on the day of the week and park we were visiting.
Genie+ a mobile reservation system through the My Disney experience app. Genie+ lets you reserve “lightening lanes” (aka fast passes) every 2 hours, or whenever you are finished using your next pass. So this means the earlier you can get passes, the more you can get in one day. I’ve been able to get up to 10 in one day at Magic Kingdom. Here’s a quick and simple guide on using this system:
- Reserve your first pass at 7am – try to get the most popular rides first
- If your pass return time is after 9am, you can reserve your next pass at 9am.
- If your pass is before 9am, you can reserve your next pass after you redeem your first pass.
- Repeat the this process the rest of your park day! If you are using a park hopper, you can now purchase a multi park Genie+ option.
Honestly, you don’t need it for every park. But you do need it for Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom if you want to do all the rides in one day. Epcot is a toss up, my best advice is to buy an individual Lightening Lane for Guardian’s of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, and wait in line for the other rides.
In order to not be glued to your phone the whole day, I would set a timer for whenever I could reserve my next pass. Have ONE person manage passes for the whole group so you can reserve the same times for your whole group.
For more info on Genie+, listen to The Pixie Chick’s Podcast on the subject on Spotify.
3. Make your dining reservations ahead of time
Disney World is a big hit with foodies because they have so many dining options. However, the popular restaurants get booked up fast. You are able to make reservations for dining at sit down restaurants 60 days in advance. So set a reminder on your phone, write it on your calendar and make sure you have the app downloaded!
You can make reservations 60 days out from the FIRST day of your trip, so book the most popular/least available reservations for the end of your trip. This will guarantee the best availability.
A few popular reservations that book out first are:
- Character Breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace
- Character Breakfast at Ohana
- Character meals at Be Our Guest
4. Check back often after making your hotel reservation for additional deals & savings
Disney often has discounts for resort stays that can range from 10-30%. When spending $300+ a night for a room, this can save you a ton of money. The problem is that these discounts may not be posted yet if you’re booking your room 9-12 months ahead of time.
Luckily, Disney will let you rebook to apply these discounts once they are announced. For example, on my last trip in July, I initially booked the room with a 10% discount. But a few months later, a 25-30% discounted rate was posted on the WDW website. All I had to do was call Disney, who has amazing customer service by the way, ask to rebook at the discounted rate, and done! This saved about $250 from my originally booked rate.
It is also worth mentioning that if visiting Walt Disney World at “slower” times of the year, ahhem, Summer in Florida, there may occasionally be discounted tickets. In July 2023, there was a discounted 4 day- 1 park per day ticket for $399/pp. I had originally bought a 3 day park hopper that typically runs about $500/pp. So by calling a cast member and asking to switch my 3 day park hopper to the promotional 4 day ticket, I saved $100/pp and got an extra park day! Woohoo more magic!
5. Plan, but don’t over plan
Last tip is simple! Plan enough to not miss out, but not too much that you can’t have fun. It is really easy to get overwhelmed with coordinating dining reservations, lightening lanes, and seeing all the parades and shows.
For a one week trip, I would pick 3 dining reservations you really want to do, hit everyone’s favorite ride at least once, and maybe watch one show if that’s your jam. Other than that, play it by ear! Sometimes the most magical moments are the ones you can’t plan for.
Bonus Money Saving Tips:
- Mobile order kid’s meals for adults – At quick service restaurants you can mobile order food for pick up. The kid’s meals are pretty sizable, come with a drink, and are often about half the price of an adult meal. If the food looks good, order the kids portion!
- Buy merch from small shops before your trip – There are many small shops that make amazing Disney shirts & ears! These shops are almost always cheaper than the parks. Support a small business and save money! Check out some of my favorite small shops: @yoloso.co, @magicshoppeears , and @mickey.and.mandy
- Bring snacks – Most Disney rooms have a fridge and space to store a couple snacks. If you don’t have a car, you can use Doordash or a similar service to order some groceries to your hotel. Pack snacks in a backpack and bring them to the park. That way you can spend more time riding rides and save your food budget for the amazing restaurants at WDW.
- Take advantage of happy hours – Many bars and restaurants at the resorts and Disney springs have happy hour deals, so if you want to have a drink on your trip, take advantage of these deals.
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