Disney holidays, when they are planned well, can be exhausting. To get the most from your experience, make use of limited lines and unique vantage points, booking in advance and prioritizing attractions is key.
Book dining reservations as soon as possible to not be disappointed because busy eateries will book up quickly. The character restaurants and the table service establishments normally need a reservation.
Staying on-property
Staying at Disney in the parks can be a wonderful way to have their vacation, but it isn’t always the best choice for every family. Going there has advantages such as being near the place, it’s easy and you’re near something; that is worth the cost for a lot of families.
Visitors staying on-site enjoy some other benefits apart from walking like Early Access and Late Check-In and Check-Out. Early Entry gets guests on popular rides earlier and without a wait. Extended Evening Hours only available at certain deluxe resorts (Swan/Dolphin and Shades of Green) and certain hotels that offer the Dining Plan.
An added perk of staying onsite is free transportation between the Disney parks. Offsite hotels might offer shuttle service, but sometimes only on limited schedules and with offsite hotel fees also come the costs of parking or rental cars.
Buying tickets
Getting to know Disney takes some important decisions, such as where you’re going and how many days you want to stay at the parks. You also have to factor in the rental car, flight and food.
Tip number one: buy the tickets for every day you’ll be coming which will save you money each time you go and also gives you the option to add park hoppers for less. But do check final price (tax and fees) before buying!
Apart from Disney Discounts, Third-Party Sellers offer Discounted Tickets. Perhaps consider Disney Vacation Club (DVC), but do the math and only decide when every savings begins to emerge a few years from now. Further, buying DVC contracts is expensive but something to consider as savings won’t start coming in years after you buy them – plus, buying them will have to wait until one goes on sale!
Dining reservations
Group reservations at a restaurant are hard to make. But you can do something about that to make it more likely that you’ll land those restaurant-in-demand spots. Firstly, wake up 10-15 minutes before the 60 day window opens and double-check that the restaurant you’re interested in still shows up online or on My Disney Experience – cancellations do happen all the time so a reservation you thought was not possible might be full within the hour!
Try to go for the lesser visited times, such as before park opening for breakfast or dinner outside the theme park. And if you are travelling with a group, spread the booking load out – have one member book difficult reservations and the other plans other dinners and experiences.
Transportation
Disney also provides a staggering selection of transportation – buses, monorails, monoplanes/ferries/boats and Skyliner – free of charge for resort guests staying on-property. It can be tricky to get used to — for instance if you are travelling between resorts along the same park-to-park path then sometimes taking a bus first to Disney Springs and riding the bus there would be preferable to taking an entire trip across property to another resort.
There is bus service from your hotel to the parks that begins 45 minutes before the park opens and continues for 1 hour after it closes (check My Disney Experience for the exact schedule for your hotel).
On-premise ride share companies such as Uber and Lyft also exist but aren’t free. Lyft Minnie Vans are the exception (they’re available only at Walt Disney World Resort hotels); book one on the app and they’ll pick you up right at Magic Kingdom; otherwise, they stop at the Transportation and Ticket Center to take other people.
