Introduction
Visiting Disney World has always been on my bucket list. So when I had the chance to finally go, I jumped at the chance! My girlfriend and I spent 3 days there and I would say that it was an amazing trip. However, making the most of your trip requires some planning beforehand to maximize the time that you have.
I will say that I loved my time at Disney World, but the only reason I will probably not come back (at least maybe to visit the parts I didn’t see) only revolves around the cost. However, if you do have the itch, I would definitely recommend going!
I will say that I loved my time at Disney World, but the only reason I will probably not come back (at least maybe to visit the parts I didn’t see) only revolves around the cost. However, if you do have the itch, I would definitely recommend going!
Useful Information
In terms of best practices, I would refer to my Disneyland article (sections Useful Information & Planning a Trip to Disney).Assuming that you aren’t a Florida native, the two biggest things you’ll have to consider are your ticket cost and your accommodation.
In terms of the ticket cost, you’ll need to make a reservation and buy your park ticket. It’s pretty simple to make a reservation - check if there’s still availability for the days you want to go. The ticket is going to be a big cost, since there’s 4 parks and it can easily be $150+/day. Although it’s a little cheaper the more days you go, you’ll need at least 2 days to see the best bits of each park. Off-peak days will always be cheaper than peak days (think weekends, holidays, and summer).
In terms of the ticket cost, you’ll need to make a reservation and buy your park ticket. It’s pretty simple to make a reservation - check if there’s still availability for the days you want to go. The ticket is going to be a big cost, since there’s 4 parks and it can easily be $150+/day. Although it’s a little cheaper the more days you go, you’ll need at least 2 days to see the best bits of each park. Off-peak days will always be cheaper than peak days (think weekends, holidays, and summer).
Picking your accommodation + getting around
The next step is to pick where you’re staying. If you have the choice and the budget, I would recommend that you stay at a Disney-branded hotel. That’s because you’ll have the perks of Early Entry and the Disney transportation. Although the buses are free for everyone, it’s much more convenient because the buses can take you from your hotel to any of the 4 parks.
If you stay in any other hotel, it could be much cheaper but you’re on your own for transportation. This is what we did. We simply picked a hotel near the parks and then used Uber to get to the parks and back, which was fairly affordable. However, I would just calculate if booking another hotel chain is more expensive than booking a Disney hotel, barring the cost of Ubers.
If you stay in any other hotel, it could be much cheaper but you’re on your own for transportation. This is what we did. We simply picked a hotel near the parks and then used Uber to get to the parks and back, which was fairly affordable. However, I would just calculate if booking another hotel chain is more expensive than booking a Disney hotel, barring the cost of Ubers.
On the Day
Your daily plan will look different depending on which park you’re visiting. So I’ll roughly share a section on each park EXCEPT Animal Kingdom, since I didn’t have time to go to that park. I would also recommend getting to the park as EARLY as you can (before opening) to make the most out of your day. However, you can still have a great day even if you arrive later. Also, I would make sure that you pack snacks with you! Food at the park is kind of expensive and nothing special.
Your general strategy should be hitting as many rides as you can in the morning. The rides you hit should be the ones that will probably have a longer wait time in the afternoon, but you shouldn’t waste your time waiting in line for the most popular ride. The reason is because the morning is the best time to knock out some mid-tier rides, since the line for popular rides will always suck. Again, look at the wait times throughout the day and make your own judgment call.
You might want to consider buying Genie+ if you’re in a time crunch, but we didn’t get it. I would say if you have 4 full days in each park, you can get away without Genie+. But if you are doing Park Hopper, I would recommend getting it to shave time off. It is pricey though, so it depends on your group.
Your general strategy should be hitting as many rides as you can in the morning. The rides you hit should be the ones that will probably have a longer wait time in the afternoon, but you shouldn’t waste your time waiting in line for the most popular ride. The reason is because the morning is the best time to knock out some mid-tier rides, since the line for popular rides will always suck. Again, look at the wait times throughout the day and make your own judgment call.
You might want to consider buying Genie+ if you’re in a time crunch, but we didn’t get it. I would say if you have 4 full days in each park, you can get away without Genie+. But if you are doing Park Hopper, I would recommend getting it to shave time off. It is pricey though, so it depends on your group.
Plan for Magic kingdom
On your trip, you’ve got to make one of the parks be Magic Kingdom - it’s really a classic in the whole Disney experience. However, make sure you line up for the virtual queue for TRON Lightcycle / Run at 7am. When you join the queue, you’ll be assigned a boarding group to come back later that day. However, this can only be done on the Disney World app. So make sure you and your phone are ready at 7am! Your app will have the option to “Join Virtual Queue”, and that’s the button you want to press. You can also try again at 1pm if you miss the 7am one.
*** highly recommended rides in bold
*** highly recommended rides in bold
- Start off your day with Space Mountain, then the PeopleMover if the wait time is low.
- Head to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, then Haunted Mansion.
- At some point you’ll be called back to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run, so just do this when it fits in your day.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Mad Tea Party
- Pick a good spot in front of the castle for the fireworks at 8pm (Happily Ever After).
Plan for HoLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Both of us felt like we were able to get a lot done since Hollywood Studios felt a lot smaller. If you immediately get to the park right when it opens, you can probably knock out most of the rides and shows. I planned the day in a way where I prioritized some of the smaller-stake rides first, and then saved the longer rides for later in the day.
- Start your day by going to the Tower of Terror, and then heading to Star Tours.
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Toy Story Mania
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Watch the show Beauty and the Beast (multiple times throughout the day)
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (single rider)
- Watch the Frozen Sing-Along (multiple times throughout the day)
PLAN FOR EPCOT
My daily plan here is slightly different since I had a later start to the day and had to leave the park around 5pm. I was also stuck in the line of 3 different rides experiencing delays, which affected how much I could do. If you had the whole day, you could definitely see all of Epcot but I unfortunately had to skip a few things. Luckily, Epcot only has a few rides that have a really high wait time and everything else has a moderate wait (~30min).
The Guardians of the Galaxy ride also has a virtual queue (same as TRON) and unfortunately I was unable to get a spot during the 7am opening. Given my constraints of the day, I bought the Lightning Lane for the ride at $15. I selected a time in the afternoon, and it would have been worth the money if I wasn’t stuck in a delay in line for ~20min or so. I did end up getting a virtual queue spot at 1pm, but my callback time was estimated to be at around 6pm which was too late for me. But, I really do recommend this ride and thought it was the best one in Epcot.
The Guardians of the Galaxy ride also has a virtual queue (same as TRON) and unfortunately I was unable to get a spot during the 7am opening. Given my constraints of the day, I bought the Lightning Lane for the ride at $15. I selected a time in the afternoon, and it would have been worth the money if I wasn’t stuck in a delay in line for ~20min or so. I did end up getting a virtual queue spot at 1pm, but my callback time was estimated to be at around 6pm which was too late for me. But, I really do recommend this ride and thought it was the best one in Epcot.
- Start the day doing The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Soarin’, and Living with the Land.
- Then, on the way to walk around The World Showcase, ride on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
- Use the single rider line at Test Track.
- Walk around the Journey of Water: Moana, before going to Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind.
- Spaceship Earth