So I don’t consider myself a Walt Disney World Travel expert, per say, but I sure am a HUGE fan. And since I’ve planned a bunch of trips, I feel the need to share my tips and tricks. In fact, my Disney blog posts are some of my most pinned, visited, and shared posts. So apparently you guys like the info as well!
We’re officially less than 60 days out from our trip which mean we are all set to go. Fast passes are booked, reservation have been made, and the fun is all waiting for us. I find that the more diligent I am in planning, the more fun I’m able to have once I get there! Below I’ve listed out some of my ‘getting started’ tips that might help you out when you start planning your own trip. It can be super intimidating if you’re unfamiliar with all of the lingo and tricks, so here I am to help!
So let’s get to planning, and let the Disney Magic handle the rest!
Before I start, I want to make a few things really clear. You can’t go into your Disney trip with unrealistic expectations if you want to have a great time. First, there WILL be lines/crowds. That’s 100% a given. Also, Disney is expensive. You will spend money. There are some ways to cut corners, but I’ve found through experience that you just need to be ready and expect the price tag. Below, I’ve listed a few ways to save and/or plan for the expenses ahead of time! Lastly, YOUR ATTITUDE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN YOUR OWN FUN! I’ll say it a little louder for the people in the back. Go into it with a good attitude, remember the first two things I said and take it all in stride. If things don’t go your way, just remember that everyone there wants you to have a SPECTACULAR time!
Now that those little tidbits are out of the way (I’ll probably repeat those on every Disney post I ever write), we can get to the goods.
1| Decide what your priorities are for the trip. Do you want to ride every single ride? Are you a foodie? Are you expecting a week of relaxation? Whatever you are aiming for, try and pin point that before you start planning. Some of you may be going with a group of adults who ALL want to eat good food and enjoy each others company. Or you may have kiddos who want to run from one ride to the next. Odds are, different people in your party will have goals for the trip. So ask everyone and try to come up with a list of priorities.
This trip is a lot different than our last few trips. We have a little one! YAY! The last few trips have been all about doing our favorite things, riding lots of rides and seeing AS MUCH as we could in the time that we had. This year, I’m much more laid back. Kate is my priority and I want to see Disney through her eyes. I’ve made fast passes according to what Kate can ride and when she’ll be most active and I’ve set aside time for parades and shows because I KNOW she’ll love them. We also booked a quick service only dining plan (more on that below) because eating in a sit down restaurant with a 1 year old is NOT EASY!
So we’ve identified our priorities and planned accordingly! This way, we can insure that we’re not missing anything we want to see!
2| Stay on site. This tip is going to have several parts. The first part is financial . A LOT of people think that staying OFF-SITE will save them lots of money. This is totally untrue. The value Disney resorts are sometimes priced even lower than surrounding off site hotels. Not to mention the All-Star resorts and Pop Century are all getting upgrades! The biggest perks to staying on site aren’t financial, though. Even if you find a hotel to stay at off site that is cheaper, you’ll never be able to out-do the perks.
The bus system is #1! It runs 24/7 and gets you ANYWHERE you need to go on site. So if you’re going with a larger party, you don’t have to worry about someone wanting to leave and taking the car or paying for parking (which is stupid expensive). There is also magic express which is the transportation from the MCO airport to your resort. It’s completely free if you’re staying on site. They’ll pick up your bags straight off the plane for you and deliver them to your hotel room.
There are so many perks to staying on site. But the sheer amount of stress relief that you’ll have staying on site is by far the best! Disney hospitality is the best there is and they take care of anything and everything that you might need! This is my #1 tip for anyone going! STAY ON SITE. I’ve done both and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it is worth every penny to be in the magic at all times!
Plus if you’re with Kids, there are lots of activities going on around the resorts if you want to take a day off from park hopping! AND Extra Magic Hours! Which is when the park opens early or stays open late for guest staying at a WDW resort!
We’re staying at All Star Music this time but I’ve also stayed at the Polynesian, Coronado Springs, Pop Century, and Old Key West.
3| Get a meal plan. If you’re the kind of person who grumbles every time you pull out your wallet, this is for you! My dad is that person. When I was younger, we used to pack lunches and cut corners and I feel like we missed so much of what Disney had to offer all because Dad could’t stand to look at the prices on the Disney food (I’m not saying you it’s not a great idea if you’re trying to save money, but if you’re trying to have the BEST trip, I highly recommend it). For my high school senior trip, Mom went out on a limb and did a meal plan for the family and we were hooked from DAY 1! Dad went from complaining about my $16 hamburger to telling me to get the steak!
If you’re not smart, you could totally get ripped off. For instance, don’t use a full quick service meal credit on a $4 sandwich every day and spending your snack credit on a bottle of water isn’t a smart move either. Instead, we booked a Be Our Guest breakfast where each quick service meal cost $28! And we love to spend our snack credits on a full size waffle sundae or a ginormous cinnamon roll from Gaston’s Tavern! If you are smart about your purchases, you’ll 100% make the most of your meal plan.
I also want to add that there are 2 different types of meal plans that I recommend. The Disney Dining plan is the one we’ve always done. You get 2 Snacks, 1 Quick Service (where you pick your food up from a counter), and 1 Table Service every day! This one is seriously the best! I’ll do a whole different blog post (eventually) on our favorite places to eat but you can eat at dinner shows and character dinners for Table services throughout the week!
This year, we opted to do the quick service only plan. That means 2 Snacks, and 2 Quick Service meals every day. Since Kate is little, makes a huge mess, and is very VERY loud at every meal, we decided that doing sit down meals every night would be too much. We did still make a reservation for 1 nice dinner while were there at our FAVE – San Angel Inn.
4| When to Go. Remember what I said above about the lines? That is 100% true. There are ALWAYS lines. But that doesn’t mean you HAVE to go when the lines are the worst. I can tell you with absolute certainty that you should avoid the entire month of March and the time between Thanksgiving and New Years! It’s always unbearably crowded. I’ve been in early January – DREAM LAND!!! And we usually go as a family in late May, early June and it’s always fantastic!
The biggest trick is using the Disney Crowd Calendar. If you google it, there will be lots of options pop up but we always trust this one from Undercover Tourist. You put in your dates and it shows you when the crowds are good, moderate, and bad! It can also tell you which park to go in on which day! Here’s a hint: If there are extra magic hours at that park that day, avoid it! We use the calendar for everything and it 100% works!
5| Traveling: By Car or Plane. I’ve traveled to Disney both ways. I totally don’t mind the drive, but we have a 1 year old this time and I’m not into torture, so we’ve decided to fly this year. We booked with one of those small, cheap airlines like Frontier, it’s called Via Air and so far, they’ve been a dream. I had some questions about the flight and I spoke to a real, live, person who was from Florida where the airline is based! The biggest drawback to booking this cheap flight is that it bring us to the wrong airport.
There is MCO – that’s the big, Orlando airport with Disney’s Magical Express – and then there’s SFB – the smaller, out-of-the-way airport. We’re flying into SFB this time. Mostly because I booked the cheap flights so fast and didn’t pay attention. But it worked out for the better. We added up the baggage costs and the cost of an Uber to our hotel and it still came out cheaper than booking the flight to MCO. So do your research before you book. Do as I say, not as I do!
If you’re traveling by car, make the most of it! download a Disney playlist and get in the spirit on the way there! There’s nothing better than the moment when you drive under the Walt Disney World Arch onto property!
6| Pack Smart & Efficient. This applies especially if you’re flying but I stand by this for everyone. You’ll likely be busy sun up to sun down so there is no time for a chaotic suitcase! I wrote an entire post on this. You can read it here. Even though I wrote it a few years ago, it’s still 100% accurate.
This year, I’m planning on doing and updated post about what to pack for baby. I have the huge fear of having TOO much stuff to keep up with and an even bigger fear of not having what I need. So, I’m doing my research and trying to find the best ways to be pack for baby and what I’ll need in the parks.
7| Park Hopper vs Single Park Tickets. One big question asked is if the park hopper option is worth it. We almost ALWAYS get the park hopper. We tend to be-bop around between parks throughout the day. If we’re in Animal Kingdom for the day but have dining reservations at a resort, then we might finish the night at MK because there is nothing like MK at night.
This is also a huge help for extra magic hours. Remember above I said that parks with EMH are always the most crowded that day. So you can avoid the crowds and STILL take advantage of the extra park time.
The only time that I haven’t gotten Park hopper was when we were there for exactly 4 days and planned to hit one park a day. Even then, I wished that I had them.
8| FastPass+ & Dining Reservations. You’re allowed to start making reservations 180 days in advance of your stay. And there is a reason. The good spots fill up SO fast. Also, you can book a reservation at most places without park tickets or a trip booked. I know for certain you can do this at the resort restaurants, so I would book as soon as you THINK you’re going. You can cancel with no penalty up to 24 hours before. Places like Be Our Guest, Ohana, Cinderalla’s Table, and Chef Mickey’s fill up extremely fast, so don’t wait.
If you’re staying on site, you can book your fast passes 60 days in advance. If you’re not, you have to wait until 30 days in advance. Those 30 days make a HUGE difference. We woke up and were ready at 6 AM on the day we could book and we didn’t get everything we were hoping for.
A little tip with fastpass+. If you can, I would book all of your FP+ in the morning. Once you use all three of your passes for the day, you can then book another fast pass. As you as you use that one, you can book another. And On and On! And you’d be surprised at how many people cancel their passes later in the day and all of the ones that open up!
That’s all I’m going to share for now! But don’t you worry, I have several more posts in the works all about our can’t miss favorites and some more tips and tricks and maybe even a ‘where to take pictures’ guide! I hope you guys enjoyed this one, make sure you check out my other Disney posts:
Love these tips, going for the first time in a few weeks and this is so helpful. Any recommendations for a purse to carry at the park?
Marcia,
Thanks so much! I’m so glad you found this helpful! We never carry a purse. We always do fanny packs or backpacks! Always hands free! I talk about this in my Packing Guide https://kassyondesign.com/ultimate-disney-packing-guide/ – kassy