Featured
A trip to Disney World Florida remains on many families’ bucket lists. Seeing the joy on your child’s face as they interact with their favourite Disney characters is priceless!
However, navigating Disney World Florida can be daunting, especially for first-time visitors. The massive place consists of four theme parks – each having its share of fun entertainment, rides, and attractions. Thus, proper planning is necessary to make the most of your visit.
Here are some tips to help maximise your trip to Disney World Florida.
Ways to maximise your trip to Disney World Florida
Book your Tickets in Advance
One of the best ways to maximise your time at Disney World Florida is to purchase your tickets in advance. You don’t want to waste your precious time sorting out tickets at the park entrance. Also, you must book a Disney Park Pass reservation for each day at the park, which you can only do so once you have a ticket. You can only get in with a valid park reservation, so you must secure these before leaving.
Aside from the reduced waiting time, another perk of buying your ticket before arrival is you will have the bonus of receiving the tickets at your hotel upon check-in, so you can be ready for the magic as soon as you arrive at the park.
While the ticket prices are generally the same online, you could come across discount websites that offer slightly cheaper ticket prices, allowing you to save money. However, it’s worth noting that these third-party companies are not Disney-affiliated. While they are authorised to resell tickets, they cannot act on behalf of Disney.
Choose the Best Time to Visit
While Walt Disney Orlando package holidays are great all year round, certain times during the year are busier than others. To maximize your time, you should avoid visiting when the crowd levels are at their highest. Usually, the park is busy during summer, spring break, and the week during holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
Throughout the rest of the year, you will find the theme park least crowded on weekdays when the kids are in school. Among the quietest months are January, February, and November (except during the Thanksgiving week).
It’s also best to avoid visiting when Disney hosts special events, such as marathons, concerts, and festivals. These events can draw massive crowds to the theme park, even during low seasons. You can check the event calendar to know when Disney will host these events.
Another thing to do to lessen your time in queues at Disney is to arrive early. If possible, be there before opening times so that you will be among the first to enter the empty park. Prioritize those popular rides and attractions that often draw huge crowds and have the worst queue.
Plan your Itinerary Before Your Visit
Plan your itinerary in advance to make the most of your visit to Disney World Florida. Write down what you need to do on those days you are at the park, which attractions to visit, where to eat, and everything else. It will save you significant time from deciding on the day itself, which can be confusing given the numerous attractions and activities at the massive park.
Ideally, the best place to start is at the Magic Kingdom. Here, there are 27 rides you can choose from. Jot down which rides your kids would want to visit. Prioritize the must-do rides, depending on their interests. The most popular rides at the Magic Kingdom are Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Include the shows to watch, such as Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, Country Bear Jamboree, and the Carousel of Progress.
It’s also worth knowing the restaurants and food shops at the Magic Kingdom, so you will know where to go when it’s time to rest for some snacks or meal. Research those restaurants with menus that your kids will love. For instance, if they are into pizza and chicken tenders, the Pinocchio Village Haus is an ideal place. The Lunching Pad is the best place for pretzels, perfect for snacks.
Use Disney Transportation
Being a massive place, the Walt Disney World Resort offers numerous ways to get around to its theme parks, hotels, resorts, and water parks. One of the best ways to maximise your trip is to know your transportation options and plan how to travel from one place to another. It is also something to consider when planning your itinerary. Given how big the area is, you should allow time for transportation.
Disney provides complimentary bus services between hotels and theme parks and into the water parks and Disney Springs. Depending on where you will go, you can take ferries, monorails, and gondolas to get around Disney World.
Take note that anyone can have access to Disney World Transportation. It’s not only for those staying within the site. Also, they operate on regular schedules. Usually, they start about an hour before the park opens. The last trip is an hour and a half after the park closes.
Experience a Parade
Don’t miss out on the many parades happening around Disney World. While they are not as intimate as character meet and greet, these fun parades are a fun way to see your favourite Disney characters in a short time with little effort – a huge perk if you’re trying to do many things in an already busy day. Also, watching parades is a fun way to rest your feet, which you probably need after walking the entire day.
Most of the parades take place on the Main Street. Also, watch out for the river cruises or flotillas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. These are short but fun to watch and have several showtimes throughout the day. Your kids will surely enjoy seeing different characters in these parades.
When planning your itinerary to Disney World, be sure to include the parades. Find out which parades you can watch and at what time. Also, they could suspend some of these events due to weather and other factors.
