60 Best Disney World Tips to Know Before You Go

  1. T. Thomsen says:

    What a great blog!!! I love Disney World, my family and I used to go every year for at least a week each! I haven’t been back for nearly 10 years! I can’t wait to go again though!

  2. Kristen says:

    What perfect timing! We leave this Friday for Disney – first time for 8 yo daughter. Thanks so much!

  3. cheesehead4ever says:

    OMG. This entire article stressed me out. Free Fast Passes? They cost money now? Plus you have to reserve Fast Passes six months in advance? The thought of planning our ONE future trip there makes me ill. I went there when I was 13 and none of this stuff existed.

    We went to Disneyland last year. All the magic and none of the stress. Hotel outside Downtown Disney, less than fifteen minute walk from our room to the front gate. We ate one meal in a sit down restaurant (no reservations yesterday), one character meal and ate everything else in quick service restaurants. The only ride that was out of Fast Passes was the Cars Ride and we just got it the next morning before our breakfast with the Princesses.

    Fortunately, by the time we can save up for a trip to WDW (we are in Minnesota) both my kids will be teens and we will be able to skip all of the little kid stuff which will cut down a little bit on some of the sights to see.

    • suburbanturmoil says:

      To each her own! 🙂

      • cheesehead4ever says:

        Did this change in the last year? When you say buy your tickets in advance, do you mean park tickets? Those we had months in advance. When you reserve the three fast passes in advance are you assigned a particular time like you were under the old system or does it just mean you can just get in the Fast Pass line whenever you want?

        You also mentioned free Fast Passes. Does this mean you are charged now when you reserve them?

        • suburbanturmoil says:

          Yes, it just changed from “Fast Pass” to “Fast Pass+” If you are staying at a WDW resort, you can book up to 3 Fast Pass park rides up to 60 days before your visit. If you aren’t, you can book up to 3 Fast Passes up to 30 days before your visit once you’ve bought your tickets- so it would be a good idea for you to at least buy your park tickets 30 days in advance and go ahead and book your Fast Passes as soon as you can. You can always switch them around later- It’s really easy to do with the My Disney Experience app and we were constantly switching around our Fast Passes, even while we were at the park. Fast Pass+ is also free.

          Here’s the official info on Fast Pass+ from Disney: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/fast-pass-plus/

  4. Chris Miller says:

    Good list but I think you might have one mixed up – Goofy only appears as a voice in philharmagic – I have heard of bringing a golf ball to fake catch for soarin’ however. Another dining plan tip (a big one) while table service credits are split between adults and children, counter service credits are not! So they can get whatever they want, or have two kids split a meal to save one for breakfast.

    • suburbanturmoil says:

      You are right- I read it wrong, and should have realized it since I was just on Soarin last week! You bring gemstones for Philharmagic. Made the switch above. 🙂

  5. Jennifer says:

    One of our favorite tips is to stop in Castle Couture gift shop (and sometimes Sir Mickey’s) to get pixie dusted for free! My daughters love doing this every trip!

  6. Anne says:

    Wow, this is amazing!
    What do you think about Disney World for teenagers? We live in SoCal near Disneyland, so we’ve never made the trip to Florida
    — is it worth the extra effort with a 14 and 15 year old? They actually really like amusement parks and (for teenagers) are reasonably non-snarky and appreciative of new experiences.

    • suburbanturmoil says:

      I think the resort experience would make it WAY more fun for teenagers- but they will REALLY love the Universal parks. We do both now when we visit Orlando, but be sure and plan your Universal experience for the second half of your trip- Their parks blow the Disney parks out of the water. I’ll have a Universal post coming up very soon- Stay tuned!

  7. aj says:

    #28 had been gone for a long while 🙁

  8. Willette says:

    Great info! Looking for a 2015 trip with my son. So you have this down pretty well. Would you plan my trip for a fee? Lol! So serious! Everything y’all have down.

  9. Erika says:

    WOW!!! I am planning my first trip to Disney for September. There is so much to plan…This is definitely going to help.

  10. Karen says:

    Brilliant blog! Definitely some handy tipsfor us first timers to note down from here, thanks! ☺

  11. Rhodisney says:

    Nice tips, most of which I knew already, but I enjoyed the way you explained them in detail not just a one sentence blurb. Even though I don’t have a baby I am going to check out #23, just to see the attendants in their Victorian garb. I love the costuming at WDW! I also liked how your kids were dressed in costumes of that country. I am determined to make my photos a little more interesting this trip and have my grandson in different hats and t shirts that depict that land, instead of the same old stock photos I take year after year. Good Job.

  12. Robbyn says:

    I am taking my 7 year old niece to WDW. I am thinking we would go the second week in June. I am planning 2 (3 if that would be better) to spend there. I was originally thinking to stay at Animal Kingdom, but it is pricey. If there are only the two of us, what parks would you recommend along with what hotel would be the best to stay at? Do you feel SeaWorld would be worth taking a day for? Any advice for what would make this most beneficial for my niece and I, please let me know. I have never been there and don’t want to waste hours by not planning out my locations very well.

    Thank you so much!

  13. Shelly says:

    #10 – How do you get free parking at the parks if you are staying at one of the on-site resorts? I’ve never heard of this option before.

  14. Ambar says:

    I have read tons of these. I am going for a Disney the second week of February for first time with my family and I think this is a great guide for newbies. I am so grateful that you shared this blog.

  15. Ambar says:

    I have read tons of these. I am going for a Disney the second week of February for first time with my family and I think this is a great guide for newbies. I am so grateful that you shared this blog.

  16. reenigee says:

    Great blog. Do they still offer the free dining plan? Is it in a particular season? We;re going late August.

    • suburbanturmoil says:

      Call the Disney hotline and ask- They’ll have the latest dining plan information and can tell you which months they’ve offered the free dining in years past. 🙂 Have fun!

    • suburbanturmoil says:

      Call the Disney hotline and ask- They’ll have the latest dining plan information and can tell you which months they’ve offered the free dining in years past. 🙂 Have fun!

  17. reenigee says:

    Great blog. Do they still offer the free dining plan? Is it in a particular season? We;re going late August.

  18. Susan Sebastiani says:

    Hi, This is SO helpful! Thank you for taking the time to write this post! FYI, if you rent a car, you can only get free parking at the resorts. It’s twenty dollars a day (unlimited parks) for a car. Thank you again, this has definitely prepared me for my upcoming trip!

    • Susan Sebastiani says:

      I called my hotel and I guess there isn’t free parking for all the resorts. They only have free parking at resorts not at the parks if your staying at the All Star resorts.

    • Susan Sebastiani says:

      I called my hotel and I guess there isn’t free parking for all the resorts. They only have free parking at resorts not at the parks if your staying at the All Star resorts.

  19. Susan Sebastiani says:

    Hi, This is SO helpful! Thank you for taking the time to write this post! FYI, if you rent a car, you can only get free parking at the resorts. It’s twenty dollars a day (unlimited parks) for a car. Thank you again, this has definitely prepared me for my upcoming trip!

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