Planning a trip to Walt Disney World can be very intimidating, but there are a few things to know before packing your bags and heading to Florida. There are some questions to be asked and answered such as how big is Disney World? How long should you stay? Where to stay? and many more. The following ten tips are the basic things to know before and while you are planning your trip to Walt Disney World.
1: Plan! Plan! Plan! and Plan some more.
You have to plan for any vacation in small elements such as where to stay and how long you will stay and more. Walt Disney World has made planning it's own sport. There are numerous elements to plan for. Travel agencies are a great help in this department. I prefer Fairy Godmother Travels. I will link their website at the bottom.
2: Shoes
I know what you are thinking. You are going on vacation and want to have new stylish shoes. Well do not do that at Disney unless you break them in first. You will walk miles on miles everyday, at least seven miles a day. You do not want blisters on your feet from new shoes. If you buy new shoes make sure you have worn them for at least two to four weeks before your trip.
3: Weather
Florida has great weather....most of the time. Central Florida however has chaotic weather. If the forecast says 0% chance of rain do not believe it. You can always bet on a pop-up rain shower or thunderstorm between noon and 5:00pm daily. Depending on when you go it is different year round. The winter months can get into the 50s and be chilly. The fall months can get into the 60s and be cool, where you may need a light jacket. If you want to have a poncho for the rain there are two options. Option one is buy your own from the dollar store and bring them. Option two is buy one in the parks for about $20. I would say go with option one and just keep them in the bag you take to the parks.
4: Crowds
Walt Disney World is the number one vacation destination in America, if not the world. There will be people everywhere. There used to be an offseason in January and February. While this may still exist it is becoming more crowded year round. Expect long lines everywhere. If you go on the week of July the 4th or Christmas then you can expect longer lines. Just do not go with the mind-set of it will not be too crowded. My top three suggested times to go would be the week of Memorial Day, right before spring break, after Labor Day until mid-October.
5: Property Size
When you think of the size of Disney World just imagine the size of San Francisco or two Manhattans. This place is massive. Four theme parks, two water parks, 20+ hotels, and a lot of open land. Walt Disney World is 25,000 acres and nearly 40 square miles. It is going to take roughly 30 minutes to get from park to hotel depending on where you are staying.
6: Food in Parks
When you go to a sporting event or concert the food is pricy. It is the same at Walt Disney World. There are two levels of meals for restaraunts, quick service and table service. The difference is this, at a quick service you can expect a fast food environment with hamburgers, chicken nuggets, etc., at a table servicr you will be waited on like a sit down meal. There are also snacks in the parks such as ice cream stands and snacks in the shops. The best option for food is the Disney Dining plan where your food is pre-paid for and you just let the person taking your order know you have the dining plan. I will place the link to the dining plan on the official website at the bottom. You can also bring your own food and drinks in a small cooler. I will also leave the link with these details at the bottom. Just expect to pay nearly $15-$25 per person at a meal at Disney World.
7: Transportation
You have already spent countless dollars on this trip. The last thing you want to worry about when you get there is how to get from place to place. Well dont worry because Walt Disney World has you covered.
If you fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO) you can take the FREE shuttle service called "Disney's Magical Express." It will take you to your hotel on property and has other benefits as well.
If you are driving and once you are on property you do not have to drive anywhere. Disney has FREE busses that will take you from hotel to park and back and anywhere else on property. They also have Minnie Vans (mini-vans) which is a rideshare program.
I would suggest to do the bus system because it is free and seamless. Just prepare to leave thirty minutes to an hour early before you need to be anywhere in a park.
8: Mid-Day Break
The parks are all open for twelve or more hours a day. People get tired and need a break. If you are one of the people who like to open up the park when it opens, I suggest to take a break for at least two hours in the middle of the day. This is a great way to cool off and re-energize before the night. There are a few ways to take this break. One way is to go to a nearby hotel, close to the park you are in and relax in their lobby. All the hotels have couches and lounge chairs. They are free to use. Another way and this will take longer, but go back to your hotel room. You can also do a meal at Disney Springs or a nearby hotel. I only suggest the mid-day break if you are in the park before 11:00am. Anything past that you should be fine unless you have small children.
9: FastPass
If you are going to Disney World and know absolutely nothing, you should know about fastpass. Fastpass is a system that Disney created to speed up lines. The most popular rides will have fastpass lines and these are meant to have shorter waits in these lines. I will post a link for more info on fastpass at the bottom, but it can be complicated. Fastpass is essentially this, if a line is 90 minutes long for stand-by, then the fastpass line may take 45 minutes or less. I strongly suggest fastpass or you will be in very long lines all day.
10: Rope Drop
This is a term that is used by all theme parks for when the park opens everyday. Disney parks typically open at 9:00am everyday. Usually at 8:30am or 8:45am the cast members (employees) will walk groups of people to the entrance of each land of the park with a rope in front of the guests. Then at 9:00am the rope will be pulled and the park is open. If you do rope drop you can usually do most of the popular rides with short waits. You can also save some of your fastpass by doing rope drop. The parks do not fill up until about 12:00pm (noon) meaning if you rope drop you can get about seven to ten attractions done in the first three hours with relatively short waits.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tips for Walt Disney World trip, but these are all great to know and be reminded of. If you have any other tips or tricks, I would love to hear them. Comment below or you can send them in a message or tweet me @DISPNofficial on Twitter and Instagram. Don't forget to follow on Twitter and Instagram @DISPNofficial. This is Zack Pounders saying Have a great rest of your day and SEE YA! real soon.
Links to websites mentioned
https://www.fairygodmothertravel.com
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/plans/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/help/fast-pass-plus/?int_cmp=INS-intWDWtoWDW-FP