27 Walt Disney World Tips for a Better Vacation

Planning a Disney vacation can become overwhelming pretty quickly. Did you book the right resort? Are your dining reservations on the right days? Are there characters at this breakfast? What about the app? How are we getting there? The questions are enough to make you just give in or give up. But let’s face it, you didn’t spend all this money on your Disney vacation to sit by your resort pool drowning in indecision. Here are our top 27 Walt Disney World Tips to help you have a better vacation.

Learn and Love the My Disney Experience App

The My Disney Experience App is your lifeline to everything you need to know at Walt Disney World. This app lets you know bus arrival times at your resort, ride wait times, can unlock your resort room, and pay for your food. It also contains all your plans, from your resort stay to your dining reservations. Learn it and Love it. While you will be checking on the app throughout the day for things like mobile ordering food at Disney, checking Happily Ever After Showtimes and even shopping at the Disney gifts shops. It truly is a lifeline to everything you need to know while you’re on a Disney trip. 

Get a Magic Band

A staple on any Disney Vacation, having a Disney MagicBand for everyone in your travel party is not only fun, but also just makes sense! With a Magic Band you can scan into your rides through Lightning Lane, scan into the parks, and open your room. And as a Disney Adult, it’s great knowing that they also store the important stuff, like your Disney Dining Plan credits, your payment cards, your emergency info, and more. Check out all the things that a Magic Band can do, and why you should absolutely have on your Disney trip. 

Stay On Property at Disney World

If you’re headed to Walt Disney World, you’ll find Disney Resorts comparable to other Orlando hotels. And if you’re lucky enough to book during a sale or bounceback offer prices go as low as 89 dollars/night.  Apart from cost, there are other reasons we would definitely suggest staying on Disney property. As a Disney resort guest, you get access to loads of perks. Check out all the Perks of Staying on Property at Walt Disney World. Here are a f w of the important ones. 

• Early Morning Theme Park Entry allows you early and late access to the parks
• Disney Complimentary Transportation 
• Advanced Lightning Lane Reservations able to be booked 7 days ahead of your trip
• 60 day Advanced Dining Reservations
• Disney Magical Extras with discounts and free mini golf tickets

What we really love about staying onsite is that you’re immersed in the Disney experience completely. Mickey cartoons play in the dining hall, Disney movies are offered on the lawn at night at most resorts and the gift shop is right near the concierge desk for last-minute souvenirs. If you’re staying at the All-Stars Value Resorts you’ll get crazy Disney chaos in a good way. If you’re staying at a moderate resort you’ll get extra amenities, more relaxation, and a lot more quiet with all the Disney flair. Or opt for the deluxe resorts for extra luxury and convenience. No matter which resort you choose it’s an experience you won’t get at the local Wyndham.

Arrive Early or Stay Late

This is one of our most repeated Walt Disney World Tips. If you’re staying at a Disney resort you’ll be able to take advantage of Early Morning Theme Park Entry which allows you additional 30 minutes in the park before it opens. This means we get more rides, more snacks, more meet and greets more hidden mickeys, and more shopping. Getting there early or staying there late for even just one day during your vacation will make your Disney experience more memorable than you can imagine. Yes, chances are you’ll have groggy grown-ups in the morning or whiny/ sleepy kids at night but sometimes that just means lots of coffee or an extra stuffed animal… both great vacation experiences!

You’ll also see a completely different Disney! In the mornings the park is calm, quiet, lines are minimal and you get beautiful unobstructed views for pictures. In the evenings you’ll get to experience rides and lands at night! Late-night parades, fireworks, and our favorite end-of-the-day tribute to Walt Disney, The Kiss Goodnight.

Make a Ride Plan

With the new Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Service you can now choose up to three rides in advance of your trip, for each day. This does cost extra, about $20-30 per person per day in fact, but if you’re headed to Magic Kingdom, we always recommend getting it for your MK day. With the most rides of any park, Magic Kingdom is the toughest to get though when it comes to ride lines. If you’re not ready to pay money to skip the line at rides, then just be prepared with some good Disney ride strategies.  Then prioritize the busiest rides for mealtime hours, when the waits are lower.

Learn the Complimentary Transportation 

One of our best Tips for a First Time Disney World Trip is knowing how the Disney Complimentary Transportation works. One of the many benefits of staying on property at Walt Disney World is that you can remain in what’s often referred to as, the Disney Bubble. You don’t need a car, and you don’t need to go off property. You can stay in the Disney bubble and forget about real life for as long as you want. Disney transportation is what makes it possible. But it’s important to understand how the transportation works. Walt Disney World has several types of transportation, so we’ll break down your options and how you can use them during your stay. 

Disney Bus Transportation

The buses are the main mode of transport at Disney. They go from resorts to the Parks and back again. They generally do not go from resort to resort or Park to Park. There is a bus directory at each Park that will tell you what bus stop to go to in order to get to your final destination. Note that some resorts have multiple bus stops. And if you’re toting a stroller, it needs to be folded up before you board. 

Monorail Transportation

Disney World has a monorail that connects three Magic Kingdom Area resorts and the TTC (Transportation and Ticket Center). If you’re driving you will park at the TTC before heading to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. If you’re taking the bus, you have a couple choices. You can catch 2 monorail loops at the entrance of Magic Kingdom; the Resort Loop, and the TTC Loop. At the TTC, you can catch an additional monorail to EPCOT Park.

Boat Transportation

There are also several boats at Walt Disney World that allow for easy transportation between the parks and resorts. Boats go between resorts, and parks, read up on all the details about the Boat Transportation at Disney World.

Disney Skyliner Transportation

Disney’s Skyliner is its newest form of Disney transportation that is available at Disney’s Art of Animation, Disney’s Pop Century, Disney’s Caribbean Beach and the Riviera. It can transport you between any of these resorts and can also take you to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. It’s free to ride, and a great way to see other resorts you may not be staying at, as well as get to the parks easily. 

Plan to Mobile Order Your Food at Disney

In order to keep lines at a minimum, Walt Disney World has added even more Disney Parks restaurants that offer Mobile Order to the list. Your first step is to make sure you have a credit card loaded in the app BEFORE you go on your vacation. We’ve had so much success with just being able to order and have food ready at the walk-up counter in about 15 minutes. It’s one of the most needed Disney Vacation Tips for Disney vacations from here on out. Even more is that you can also add Disney Gift Cards to the app to pay for your food as well. While the app won’t store the gift cards, you can still add them. We recommend typing your Disney gift card info into your notes app so it’s easy to copy and paste into the app when you need it. 

Get the Refillable Disney Resort Mug

If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan this refillable Disney Resort Mug is included with the plan. But our Disney Beginner Tip here is that even if you’re not on the dining plan, or even staying at Disney Resorts, we still recommend it. Get The Disney Resort Mug. And make sure you understand how to use it. The refillable resort mug can save you a ton of money if you’re staying on property. You can fill them with coffee, tea, soft drinks and water from any of the Disney Resorts. And they are active for 14 days after you pay for the mug and it gets scanned at the register. 

Note: It a RESORT mug. This means you can only fill them at the resorts, not in the Parks. We see tons of people lugging these mugs into the parks as if there are free drinks waiting. P.S there aren’t. Unless you’re Resort hopping, or planning to use it for water, you can leave them in your room for the day. As they’ll just be an extra hassle to lug around. Quick service restaurants will not refill them for you and if you’re caught trying to fill it at a self serve station inside of a quick serve restaurant, you will get yelled at.

Now if you’re planning to spend some time at another Disney resort during your day, by all means, bring it along. You can spend a nice day at any amazing resort and you can refill your mug while there. 

Plan Around the Parades and Shows

As Disney First Time Tips go, this one may sound crazy. But walkways get blocked several times a day as a result of parades. So parades can cause quite the inconvenience. Whether you’re watching it or skipping it, you’ll need to know how it can impact your day. For example, if you’re watching the Festival of Fantasy Parade in Magic Kingdom, you’ll want to grab a spot at least a half-hour before the parade starts. And even by then most of the really good spots will be taken.

If you’re not watching the parade, make sure you are where you want to be when it starts. Walkways will be blocked off and near the end of the parade, even the exit from Magic Kingdom will be blocked off at one point until the parade has finished. All the way from Frontierland to Main Street USA the walkways are packed and blocked So if you’re trying to get to a dining reservation somewhere else, leave before that happens or you’ll be standing there just waiting. Same goes for fireworks shows at any of the parks. While pathways may not be blocked off, crowds become heavy. Plan to save your spot or avoid the area. 

Pack the Poncho

Obsessed with checking the weather? Or perhaps just know the inconsistency of Florida rain a little too well? Read our post about how you can have fun at Disney in the rain and stop checking the weather. You can’t control mother nature so stop trying and just put that plastic bundle of joy in your bag. If you want to buy one at the gift shop on your first day, it comes with a Disney Parks logo and runs for about $12 bucks. It makes a nice and reusable souvenir and ours has held up three years straight for the rainy season. Or grab this 5 pack of vacation ponchos for the family. 

Limit Phone Distractions

Set up your phone to silence your ringer and Turn off Notifications on all Apps except your Messages. The important people in your life will either be on vacation with you or should know about your upcoming vacation. For everyone else, let them see you’re busy by setting up an instant text that lets them know when you’ll return. 

Nothing is more stressful than seeing that little red bubble with numbers pop up on your app. Because it always equals Unfinished Business on your phone. And even then, it’s not so much the bubble as what’s on the other side of it. Perhaps it’s a coworker who can’t find a file, your mother calling to complain about the neighbors, someone wanting you to donate money, an Instagram post from someone cooler than you, a Facebook post about something in your hometown or a new funny puppy video. You get it, the list goes on and on. All of this can wait. If you’re really worried about your virtual social life, put a little away message in your bio so your followers don’t freak out if you don’t reply right away.

Check the Weather

Florida weather can be all over the place. With Hurricane Season at Disney lasting about 6 months, you can plan for rain and heat. And frankly, it’s Florida, it’s gonna be hot. Make your life easier and be prepared. Plan on lighter fabrics for your clothes, wear tank tops or shorts that breathe. Keep your hair up or under a hat. PLAN for times inside. Whether that’s more time at your resort, or in the lobby of a nearby resort to the parks. We love the Disney Resorts as a way to escape the weather and crowds. And there are plenty of Disney Indoor Rides to Stay out of the Heat.  And if you’re visiting during the rainy season, and want to limit indoor time, we get it! We’ve also introduced new packable rain jackets in our store, and LOVE them for rainy days in the parks. 

Purchase Early Check-In for your Flight Home

Get rid of the worry about checking in for your flight 24 hours before you depart. Purchase the early check-in option so you don’t have to interrupt the ride, the meal, the sleep, or the pool time to make sure you have a flight home. While this does usually cost something, if you find you’re a worrier, it may be a wonderful way to cut yourself some slack. 

Get to Know Lightning Lane and Virtual Queue

This is essential. You can always ride rides at Disney World for free, by standing in the line and waiting. But Disney does have a Skip the Line system for rides. Disney’s Lightning Lane costs between $20-$30 per person, per day and involves a complex reservation system for both pre and day of ride selections. This tends to be the most confusing aspect to any Disney trip. And honestly, once you start using it, it’s pretty easy. But there is a learning curve to it! Get to know how it works, what the difference is between the two and have a strategy that works for you.

Make a Disney Day Plan

Since we always recommend just One Park Per Day at Walt Disney World, we recommend making a plan! When planning your Disney Day Itinerary, it’s important to pick your top 3 rides, so you can prioritize them, and where you plan to eat. When picking your Must-Do Rides in each park and decide what ride strategy to use. Will you 1. Wait in line with the standby queue? 2. Will you buy a Lightning Lane multi-pass? 3. Are you buying any Lightning Lane Single Passes? You’ll have to figure out which rides actually warrant the extra cost.  While wait times may be generally low the illusion of extra time not on a schedule could have you leaving the park wondering why you didn’t get to do everything you wanted. Make your priority ride and restaurant lists ahead of time. 

Make Disney Dining Reservations in Advance

While most of your Disney Vacation will probably be filled with quick service meals at each park, if you’re looking for a nice Table Service Restaurant and a sit down meal, you need to make dining reservations 60 days in Advance. If you’re planning on doing quick service only, you still want a plan. Think about where and when you’ll want to eat for each meal, so when it’s time for a meal, you already have an idea. We’ve rounded up all the Quick Service Restaurants at Disney World that are worth trying to get you started.

Keep Your Phone Charged

A  simple recommendation? Yes. But how often does your phone still die in the parks? You don’t want to be fighting for a spot among crowds of guests in the phone charging area. So, make sure you have a portable charger handy. Or grab at Fuelrod in the parks. Fuelrod boxes can be found across the parks and at Disney Springs, and allow you to swap out a dead battery rod for a fresh one, whenever you’re nearby. If you’re taking video, lots of photos, have your notifications on, or are facetiming during your vacation, plan on your battery needing charged often. Going prepared means you won’t have to worry about stopping to charge your phone, or being without your camera and socials when you need them. 

Wear Good Shoes

Believe it or not, this is one of our TOP Walt Disney World Tips. Because we can’t stress this one enough. Nothing is less magical than having blisters and sore feet by the end of your one day at Disney where you realize, yes, you just walked 15 miles today and you have 5 more days to go. We’re not exaggerating this one. Look at your phone… we find we routinely walk between 13-15 miles at one park in one day. Check out the Best Shoes for Disney World for Adults and Kids. 

We’ve worn through good shoes, regretted opting for flip flops, and have spent time searching for socks and large bottles of foot cream. That said, douse the need to be Instagram-cute all day long. Do we advocate for a good outfit change and photoshoot- yes, absolutely! Do we suggest just stashing those cute shoes in a locker after your mini photoshoot- yes, absolutely! A great pair of shoes for Disney will have a thick insole, be worn-in, and preferably a little flexible. You can also pack a pair of flip flops to give your feet a breather halfway through the day, but unless your flips are Sanuk, with thicker soles- they are not all-day Disney shoes. 

Drink Plenty of Water

While this may seem like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget to stop and drink something! Let’s face it, at Disney you are focused on rides, food, parades, and characters…not necessarily on keeping your body hydrated. Bring a water bottle and fill it on your own, grab the triple-filtered water for free at Starbucks, or plain ‘ol water at any quick-service restaurant. Add fun drinks to your hydration lineup to ward off headaches and grumpiness and getting sick at Disney World. We like the night blossom drink at Pandora in Animal Kingdom, the American Dream at American Adventure in Epcot, Lefou’s Brew at Magic Kingdom, and the PB and J Milkshake at Hollywood Studios. We’re staying away from alcohol when we’re trying to stay hydrated… so it only felt appropriate to throw in a milkshake. Check out all our favorite Cool drinks to beat the heat at Walt Disney World.

Get a Dole Whip

We give you permission. Get a Dole Whip. Feel okay about completely abandoning whatever diet you may be on, this treat is worth it. We love the dole whip floats and if you’re feeling extra grown-up some places can add rum to this sweet treat. There is a reason that people talk about this Disney snack. 1. You can’t get it anywhere else! Disney’s partnership with Dole is what makes this possible. 2. It’s semi-healthy with a large amount of Vitamin C which can protect your skin from that Florida sun. 3. It can give you a reason to venture over to The Polynesian Resort on the monorail to stop by the Pineapple Lanai. You can also get this in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom. Is this one of our Best Disney Snacks at Magic Kingdom? Yes. We think so. 

If you Attend a Party- See the 2nd Parade and the 2nd Fireworks

If attending Magic Kingdom for a party at Halloween or Christmas, you’ll notice there are 2 parades and 2 evening firework shows. Like almost everyone, we’re always super excited to save our seats for the parade or stand around the castle at 9 waiting for the fireworks show. That is until of course, we realized that every single person is doing the exact same thing which suddenly means all the rides are left open with no waits!

As Walt Disney World Tips go… finding rides with no waits is a TOP TIP! For this reason, we absolutely recommend trying for the second parade or the second fireworks show instead of the first. Your chances of riding everything you didn’t get Lightning Lane Passes for earlier are good and your view of the fireworks at the later show will be better. You may even get hub grass seating! Always a plus. Of course, if your toting around kiddies and really need to wrap up your day another quick tip would be that people leave the parks after the fireworks at 9 or 11, which means the busses will be packed at both times. So you can easily end your day at the end of the 2nd parade around 730/8 and miss the crowds.

Plan at Least One Sit Down Meal at Disney 

We must admit we go a little crazy about Disney food. Properly spoiled by the Free Disney Dining Plan we become kinda grouchy if we don’t have a meal planned. In other posts when we’ve chatted Walt Disney World Tips, we ALWAYS bring up the importance of a sit-down meal. Preferably 2 or 3 for a One week Disney World Trip. 

We can’t even elaborate on how amazing it is to actually sit down in a decent restaurant after walking that 10 miles and riding all the rides for the day. Whether it’s a nice cappuccino at Liberty Tree Tavern or the amazing Pizza at Via Napoli, sometimes you just need a great meal to top off your great day. Mind you this doesn’t have to be a sit-down Table Service meal if you don’t want to spend the money. Your planned dining could be as easy as chatting with your family/ friends about the best quick service restaurant at each park so you’re all on the same page. And if you’re hoping to get hard to get Disney Dining Reservations, like at Space 220, you’ll NEED a reservations anyway. 

Don’t eat Meals at peak times

Plan to eat your meals outside of regular meal times. That is not during 8-9 AM, 12-1 PM or 5-7 PM. If you choose times outside these time to eat at Disney Restaurants you’ll have shorter line waits at restaurants and rides, and easier to get dining reservations. Instead aim for a really early or late breakfast, like 7-8, or 10-11AM. A lunch at 2PM means you’ll be eating while everyone else is in ride lines. And dinner earlier at 4PM or later at 7PM means you’ll avoid crowded times in the parks, and get better dining reservation availability. 

Have a Resort Day to Take a Break from the Crowds

One of the best Disney Vacation Tips involves getting to know your Disney Resort! There are walkways, gift shops, restaurants, and some even have beaches. No matter where you are staying take the time to be outside, walk the paths and learn your home for your vacation time. Often we are so on the go that all the amazing resort things go completely unnoticed! From Movies Under the Stars at each resort, to trivia games at the pool, or campfire stories with s’mores, there are plenty of things to do if you’re not going to the parks. Just be sure to check the Resort Recreation guide when you check in for all the details and times. Check out all our favorite Resorts at Walt Disney World. 

Find the Best New Disney Snacks

Disney World is filled with food. And every month, and season you can find NEW Disney Snacks you haven’t tried yet! From the Wonderland Slushy to keep you cool to the luscious Waffle Sundae at Sleepy Hollow, to the guacamole at Choza de Margarita. Add in half pound cookies you can only get at Gideon’s in Disney Springs, and all the new treats that show up for special occasions and there is plenty to eat! Enjoying your Disney vacation is about taking time for the little things, be sure to make time for it! 

Grab a Disney Park Map

Having a Disney Park map will give you important information at your fingertips like showtimes, parade times, character meets, and of course a general layout of the park. It’s great to review during breakfast with your family, or travel friends, and makes a great Free Disney Souvenir too! 

Use an Authorized Disney Travel Planner

When you are paying for a Disney Vacation, you’re paying for a Disney Travel Planner. So why not use one? The cost of a Disney Travel Planner is included in the cost of your Disney trip. That’s how they make their money. If you choose not to use one, Disney just keeps that extra money. And with Disney being so confusing to plan these days, a Disney Travel Planner can help take some of the stress off before you even start your vacation. They can often help with things like Park Day Planning, Dining Reservations, Transportation to and from the airport and more. They can also help guide you if something does go wrong while on you’re vacation. 

Walt Disney World Tips for Your Next Trip

Hopefully, these tips will help you prioritize what’s really important for your Disney Vacation.