Going on a vacation isn’t as straightforward as it used it be…
A visit to Walt Disney World or Disneyland has always been a little different from other vacations—even for those who prefer spontaneity, Disney parks have always required a slight learning curve for guests to navigate tickets, attractions, park layouts, and newer features like virtual queues. Many a new Disney guest has assumed a trip to the ticket counter is all that’s needed to prepare for a Disney trip—only to end up frustrated with long lines, a confusing app, and limited dining choices.
That learning curve has increased during the season we’re in—to the point that even longtime Disney guests can miss steps.
If you want to reduce stress and wasted time on a Disney vacation, there are some things that it’s important to do before your vacation ever starts. A lot of advice about Disney parks surrounds this subject—you don’t have to look far to find experts recommending things like making dining and hotel reservations early.
Not all of these steps are obvious though—there are certain things that even experts often fail to mention, and the changing climate at Disney parks hasn’t helped. These are the sorts of things that can cause unneeded frustration and waste valuable time during a Disney Day. While all of these can prove helpful to new guests, some can benefit longtime visitors too, especially those who haven’t visited since Disney’s 2020 reopening…
1. Get familiar with Disney’s current policies
This is not an ideal time to “wing it” on a Disney trip…
As a Floridian who writes about Disney parks, I’ve had to be the bearer of bad news to multiple friends over the course of the past year when it comes to understanding Disney’s current pandemic policies…
In particular, the crucial detail that it is impossible to get into Walt Disney World parks right now without a Disney Parks Pass reservation…
Guests who have visited Walt Disney World since 2020 have become familiar with the ever-shifting curveball which is Disney Parks Pass reservations, but many people still don’t understand how the system works. I’ve had multiple friends stare at me in confusion when I explain that you cannot just walk up to Walt Disney World right now—indeed, that even planning weeks in advance, you may not be able to get into a particular park… and that in order to even procure a reservation, you need a valid ticket.
We’re living in a different world right now, and much has changed at Disney parks. During this season, it is absolutely essential that guests visiting Walt Disney World or Disneyland get familiar with each resort’s policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You’ll need a parks reservation to get in. You’re going to need a comfortable mask to wear all day. Your temperature is going to be checked. There will be no Fastpass+, character hugs, buffets, or fireworks shows. Some attractions or restaurants you enjoy may still be closed. Knowing what to expect can do a great deal in reducing the potential shock of visiting and finding that just too much has changed—we’ve dived before into the importance of guests not taking out this dismay on cast members when the policies are made clearly available.
At the same time, getting familiar with Disney’s current climate can reveal some positives. There are benefits to visiting Walt Disney World right now—reduced park capacity is one of the biggest ones, meaning less crowds (and a better chance to get onto Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!). Character cavalcades are a charming addition, and some old time-sinks like security checks have been streamlined much better than before. We’ve quite enjoyed our visits this year despite the weirdness.
It’s a basic tip, but it’s especially important right now—do your research and know what to expect well before you arrive at the parks.
2. Buy tickets ahead of time
Buying Disney tickets at the gate is almost always a bad idea. You are guaranteed to pay maximum price on tickets bought at the parks, and you’ll also waste time that could otherwise be spent enjoying your day.
This advice goes double this season, as waiting to buy your tickets at the gate could mean you don’t get into the parks at all.
As mentioned, you cannot get into Disney parks right now without a Disney Parks Pass reservation—those reservations are easy to make online, but they’re only available to guests who already have a ticket purchased.
To clarify, Disney isn’t asking you to gamble on buying a ticket you can’t use—the Walt Disney World website has a calendar where guests can determine if reservations are available at a particular park for their ticket category (Regular guests, Disney Resort Hotel Guests, and Annual Passholders). Check that calendar before purchasing a ticket, but if reservations are available, get your tickets online and make the reservation immediately. The two parks that have proven most difficult to get into lately remain Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom (more so the latter as of April).
In most cases, the cheapest reliable Disney tickets are found at UndercoverTourist.com. You may also find discounted tickets via employee benefit programs, AAA, or military discounts. Florida residents, in particular, can usually find some impressive offers on tickets, even directly from Disney. Once you’ve bought your tickets, register them on My Disney Experience via the park’s website. After that, you can make your reservations.
3. Passholders, don’t let your passes lapse
If you’ve been enjoying Walt Disney World visits as an Annual Passholder since the park’s reopening, you’ll want to keep a close eye on your pass expiration date—it may be different than you expect.
The theme park closures of 2020 caused something of a hot mess both for Disney and its Annual Passholders. Annual Passholders were, theoretically, offered a range of options to deal with the closures, including cancelling and receiving a partial refund or keeping their passes and receiving an extension. For Florida residents taking part in Disney’s monthly payment program, various options were offered for managing those payments.
The actual rollout of these options hasn’t always been straightforward.
My husband and I realized this when in 2021, we noticed his pass expiration date was different than mine. My pass had been extended to June, but his was set to expire in March. The only difference between our passes was that he was on a monthly payment plan, while my pass was paid in full. We’d known Disney might be sending out emails to monthly payment passholders, and we’d watched attentively for these or any mail but never received anything.
Turns out, we should have been a little more assertive and called Disney directly—because monthly payment passholders are held to contracts, my husband’s pass was automatically put in the category that his payments were simply suspended during the closure. That meant that other than the free month, his pass expired earlier than mine. It took a very long conversation and a lot of math with a confused cast member to confirm we hadn’t been charged for the time the park was closed.
It’s a good thing we checked that expiration date, because letting an annual pass lapse right now can make for a real mess if you’re planning to continue visiting Disney parks.
Due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, Disney is not currently offering any new Annual Pass memberships—meaning if your pass lapses, you may be out of luck. You have 30 days from the time your pass expires to renew (and get discounted pricing), but some guests may be unaware of how the closure changed their renewal dates, especially if your situation was like ours with lost emails and letters.
Take time to check your expiration dates—renewing online remains fairly easy. The only exception where guests may need to visit the parks to renew a pass is if you plan to use the monthly payment program but want to reduce your monthly cost with a larger down payment. This currently can only be done at Walt Disney World ticket boots, Guest Relations windows, or Disney Springs.
4. Buy important “trip kit” items ahead of time
This subject could be an article all by itself, but there are some things that are worth purchasing before your Disney parks trip.
Foremost on this list right now would be a comfortable mask. Guests are required to wear a multi-layer mask that covers the nose and chin tightly at all times while visiting Disney parks—the exceptions are when actively eating and drinking (while stationary and distanced), while actively taking a photo (while stationary and distanced—this one is new), or while visiting relaxation stations at the park.
A comfortable mask makes a considerable difference while visiting Walt Disney World right now. Early in the pandemic, I used a DIY mask made of a folded bandana and a cleverly placed headband—I lasted about two minutes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios parking lot before I realized it was a terrible idea. I switched to a cotton mask a friend had given me, and the difference was night and day. Not only was I more comfortable, but it looked pretty awesome with my Galaxy’s Edge Batuu-bounding get-up.
These days I’ve switched to an Under Armour sports mask—we picked ours up from an outlet mall. It’s the easiest mask I’ve found to breathe in, it’s sculpted so it doesn’t smoosh your nose and mouth, and it’s super easy to wash. I also didn’t have any major issues in it the one day I got caught in the rain.
Other items that are good to bring ahead of time include sunscreen (Disney tends to overcharge for it throughout the resort), a power bank for your phone (due to My Disney Experience’s crazy battery drain), and a water bottle—you can even get a collapsible one with a filter to remove the weird taste from Florida water.
5. Add everyone in your party to My Disney Experience
This one seems obvious, but it can cause some serious frustration if it gets missed—particularly, if you have any plans to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Disney Parks are continuing to become more and more integrated with the My Disney Experience phone app. The app is the primary tool for guests to make dining reservations, place mobile orders, check ride wait times, and more. Guests have the ability to add friends and family to their account so that one member of a party can easily make reservations for everyone else.
The problem comes if you don’t add everyone until you’re already at the parks.
Setting up friends and family on My Disney Experience can be a trying experience on the best day—the process can involve a lot of hunting for confirmation emails and bouncing between accounts in some cases. We once had to figure it out in the line for Spaceship Earth when we realized a student we brought had no ability to access his account.
Having My Disney Experience set up ahead of time is especially important if you want to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. As we’ve dived into many times here at Theme Park Tourist, the only way to get onto the ride at this time is to use My Disney Experience to try for a spot in the ride’s virtual queue (called “Boarding Groups”). Guests with a parks reservation to Disney’s Hollywood Studios can currently try for a Boarding Group on the day of their visit at 7am from wherever they are using the app—a second distribution time takes place at 1pm and requires guests to be in the park.
Once 7am arrives, Boarding Groups usually fill up within a minute. If you happen to be offered a boarding group reservation, it’s crucial you already have your friends and family visiting the park with you connected to your account so you can add them—otherwise, you might be the only one who gets onto the ride. Awkward!
6. Set up mobile ordering
Mobile ordering is another feature worth setting up ahead of time in My Disney Experience.
Whereas this Disney dining feature was once simply an option to help guests get counter service meals faster, Mobile Order has now become an essential part of visiting many Disney dining locations. Some locations like Aloha Isle and the Milk Stand only use Mobile Order at this time.
If you don’t have Mobile Order set up before you arrive at one of these locations, setting it up can cost you some time. Awkwardly fumbling with a credit card in the middle of a theme park isn’t an ideal situation, and you have to use the app to pay for your order. Knock out this step ahead of time to ensure you can visit Disney counter service restaurants without time lost.
7. Have a plan for stand-by lines
This last one is a bit broader, to the point it almost falls in that category we mentioned regarding obvious Disney parks advice. However, there is an element to it that we felt was worth mentioning due to post-pandemic changes at Walt Disney World.
For decades, Fastpass+ has acted as a sort of immovable spine for planning out which Disney attractions to visit when. The system used reservation times, providing fixed points throughout a guest’s day at the parks to plan around.
Since reopening, Disney has ended the Fastpass+ program for the foreseeable future. In truth, this was a smart move—stand by lines, by nature, act as “crowd sponges” that keep guests from crowding thoroughfares. Unfortunately, the return of stand-by lines means that waits at Disney parks are becoming more and more unavoidable.
Figuring out the best time to visit particular attractions during this season is not an exact science—crowd trends continue to shift regularly at each Walt Disney World parks. Early in 2021, arriving right at opening gate wasn’t necessarily a guarantee for short lines—indeed, in some parks, lines were longest the first half of the day.
For the most part, that has changed as more guests have returned to the parks. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, for example, right now your best chances to enjoy short lines take place right at opening gate (and we mean the moment the park opens) and the last two hours of the evening. An attraction that breaks this rule consistently is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway—it tends to draw massive crowds the first half of the day then taper down to surprisingly short waits by late afternoon. Slinky Dog Dash is more unpredictable—it can draw monstrous crowds as soon as the park opens, but it’s difficult to pin exact time to avoid these.
The best advice for navigating these changes is to familiarize yourself with what regular visitors are saying, as well as with what wait times on My Disney Experience look like on days leading up to your visit. We put out updates on what to expect at the parks every few weeks (our most recent updates were on Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot), and you can also use websites like TouringPlans.com to see what wait times have looked like for individual rides, as well as get advice on specific touring strategies.
You may not be able to completely avoid waits right now, but with some preparation, you can reduce them, even during this unique season.
Enjoy this article? Keep reading to learn…
