Hey! Are you traveling to Walt Disney World for the first time? Is the trip only a few days away? Have you done little by way of planning, figuring that everything will work itself out when you get there? If any of this is true, let me be blunt. You’re in a world of hurt. You’re poised to have a nightmare of a “vacation.”
Okay, take ten seconds to freak out.
Are you appropriately stressed? Okay, now take a deep breath. I’ve got some good news. These trips CAN turn out great. All you need to do is read every word of the rest of this article to find out what you haven’t done yet that’s important. Here’s everything you need to do right now to enjoy a wonderful trip to Walt Disney World.
Let’s start with the basics
I’m sure you’ve already got a hotel room booked and travel plans finalized. Those are travel basics. What you apparently didn’t realize is that Walt Disney World requires a few more steps. I’m going to take you through each of them so that you can avoid a few moments of aggravation.
The first thing you’ll want to know is how transportation works at Walt Disney World. If you’re staying at a Disney resort, you’re in business. All of their hotels offer some form of transportation to and from the parks as well as Disney Springs and the Disney water parks. It won’t be perfect, and you’ll wind up with a horror story or two about the time you waited forever or just missed a bus/boat. All your pain and suffering means is that you’re now a Disney veteran with a tale from the battlefield to share with others.
While some theme park tourists still do so, you won’t need to rent a car when you stay at a Disney hotel. The buses, boats, and monorails can take you everywhere you need to go. If you have planned to rent a car or intend to do so, understand that parking at the resorts is free to paying guests. You’ll also get a parking sticker that enables you to park at all four theme parks without a fee. If you’re staying offsite, the situation is a bit more complicated.
Once you reach Walt Disney World, you can use the transportation systems in place just the same as any other guest. Getting to the campus is the problem. Many third party hotels offer a ride to and from the parks at set intervals, but you’ll be stuck on site for an extended period. That can get hot and sweaty and is cause for someone in your family to have a meltdown. Having your own car gives you a bit more control of the process, but you’ll pay twice for the option. In addition to the car rental fee, you’ll also have to pay to park at the theme parks, and that costs between $20 and $35 per trip, depending on how close you want to get to the front gate.
A solution that benefits guests staying offsite as well as travelers at Disney resorts who need to get somewhere fast is ride-sharing. Uber and Lyft both have strong presences in Orlando, Florida. For a reasonable fee (somewhere between $8 and $15 in most instances), a driver will take you wherever your family needs to go. At the parks, they can basically take you to the entrance. If you have money set aside for a car rental, run the calculations to see if ride-sharing saves you money. Even if it doesn’t, you might be willing to pay more for the convenience. Theme park tourists who prefer a layer of control and plan to do a lot of non-Disney stuff while in Orlando should still consider a car. Otherwise, I’d strongly suggest letting Uber and Lyft drivers take you where you need to go.
Of course, there’s one more form of transportation you should consider prior to your trip. That’s your feet. You’ll walk a ton while you’re at Walt Disney World. If you’re planning on wearing a new pair of shoes during your vacation, break them in NOW! Otherwise, you’ll suffer blisters while you’re traversing the parks, which will make all the walking that much more treacherous. Alternately, dig out your favorite pair of comfortable shoes and wear them every day at Disney. You’ll be so glad that you did.
Learn to love the FastPass
The first thing you need to do is set up FastPass+ selections. FastPass is Disney’s way of moving a theme park tourist to the front of the line. You can book up to three of them in advance, and they’ll guarantee that you get to ride some of a theme park’s most popular attractions with minimal inconvenience. These will inform your decisions about how to approach your time at the parks. You should understand that rides like Frozen Ever After, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Test Track will run out of FastPasses each day. Disney only offers a limited amount. You need to book them in advance to avoid getting shut out.
How do you book your FastPass+ selections? First, you need tickets to a Disney theme park, which I’m presuming you’ve already bought. With those in hand, you need to set up a My Disney Experience account on Disney’s site. Then, you can book here. Alternately, you can (and should) download the My Disney Experience (MDE) app. It’s capable of much more than reserving your Fastpasses, something we’ll discuss later. In booking your selections, something you should keep in mind is that earlier is better. The instant you use your allotted FastPass selections, you can make more via the MDE app. Even when the best ones sell out, you’ll still find plenty of great attractions with available options. Remember to pick the earliest one whenever possible unless it interferes with your plans.
You eat, right?
With your attraction reservations in hand, you can attack the other pre-trip issue. You’ll get hungry at Walt Disney World. You’re probably thinking that eating will be a breeze. I…don’t have great news here. More than 20 million people visit Magic Kingdom each year, and they all get hungry, too.
The Walt Disney Corporation has attempted to alleviate this issue by offering Advance Dinner Reservations for their Table Service restaurants. There’s even a Quick Service restaurant that books ahead of time now. What’s the difference between Table and Quick Service? The former restaurants are some of the finest on the Walt Disney World campus. They’re also more expensive. You’ll pay at least $15 per person at most of these places and oftentimes substantially more. Quick Service restaurants are akin to fast food joints, although the food is a bit more upscale. That’s Disney’s way of addressing the dietary needs of a wide swath of park guests. Still, Quick Service establishments primarily have a reputation as burger and nugget fare.
Even if you’re a cheeseburger fan (and thereby someone with a palate after my own heart), you should know that Quick Service places are crowded at most times of the day. With tens of thousands of people visiting the park, somebody’s always hungry. They’re going to stand in line in front of you. They’ll also grab the table you want. Don’t be surprised if you struggle to find a seat at these places, especially during lunch and dinner hours. If you have a big family, consider eating at off-hours to avoid long lines and frenzied crowds. Then again, you’re at Disney, so that last part’s an ongoing concern.
At Magic Kingdom, the Quick Service restaurants with the best reputations are Columbia Harbour House, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café, Tortuga Cavern, and Pinocchio Village Haus, although I also have a soft spot for Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and Casey’s Corner. At Epcot, you’ll never go hungry thanks to the World Showcase at the back of the park. If you don’t have firm plans for a meal and you love international cuisine, this area will quickly become your happy place.
Hollywood Studios has the worst food of the four parks in my opinion. Since it’s a half-day park, I try to enjoy the attractions there then eat elsewhere. If you want to try something, ABC Commissary and Pizzerizzo are worth your time. At Animal Kingdom, Flame Tree Barbecue towers above the rest, but carnivores will love Restaurantasaurus. I’m also a huge proponent of Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes. Finally, Disney Springs is your friend when you have the time and opportunity to visit. It offers some of the finest restaurants on the Walt Disney World campus, many of which are Quick Service options. They even have a food truck section that’s dynamic.
Should you prefer Table Service restaurants, you can book in advance. If you are reading this only a short time prior to your visit, however, I should add that you’re already behind the 8-ball here. Disney has a 180-day window on ADRs, meaning that some folks started booking almost six months ago while you’re just getting started. If you want to make ADRs of your own, start immediately!
By now, a lot of them will book up. I do have one tip, though. Disney has a policy wherein people who make ADRs must cancel within 48 hours of the reservation. Otherwise, the customer gets billed $10 per person. Should you have your heart set on a particular restaurant, the day before and the day of your preferred meal are times when a last-minute ADR could become available. Assuming you’re not picky, some of the best Table Service restaurants where you might be able to get a last-minute ADR are Skipper Canteen (Magic Kingdom), Biergarten Restaurant (Epcot), La Hacienda San Angel (Epcot), Restaurant Marrakesh (Epcot), 50s Prime Time Café (Disney’s Hollywood Studios), Rainforest Café (Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs), and several of the hotel resort restaurants such as The Wave (Disney’s Contemporary Resort) and Olivia’s (Disney’s Old Key West Resort).
I should add that nothing forces you to eat onsite at Disney. In fact, you’ll save money if you leave the resort to grab a meal elsewhere. You’ll once again face the transportation issue, though, and if you’re driving, you’ll have to walk to your car then walk back into the park from a new parking space once you return. That’s a lot of aggravation. On the ride-sharing side, the expense of the trip might counteract the savings of eating someplace cheaper than Disney. So, these options are absolutely viable. They simply come with their own additional aggravations. Personally, I like to remain firmly ensconced in the Disney Bubble, so my family stays onsite the whole trip.
What about my phone?
What you’ll want to do with your cellphone is use the My Disney Experience app religiously. Although critics assailed the earliest versions of the software, Imagineers have done an amazing job of improving it with each update. You can find maps that will guide you to your next attraction, meal, or even bathroom. You can see ride wait-times, helping you understand current crowd traffic. If something you’re not sure about has a long line, just keep checking the app until you find a sweet spot. The latest version of My Disney Experience even lets you book FastPasses from your phone. Should you see that rarest of rare Frozen Ever After FastPass available, book it right then and there! Okay, that never happens, but dare to dream!
As far as keeping your phone charged, I always carry a replacement battery that lasts more hours than any Disney theme park is open. If your storage space is tight, that strategy might not work for you. Fortunately, Disney has added a lot of cellphone chargers in the parks in recent years. You can even find a map directing you to one from the MDE app, which is a great example of one hand washing the other. For a fee of $20-$30, a Fuel Rod charging station will save the day by bringing your phone back to life.
