Disney World is 40 square miles – that is the size of San Francisco! YIKES!  What that means is that there is LOTS to see, LOTS to do, and LOTS of tips and tricks you need to know about to make the most of your Disney World Vacation.

Don’t miss our other tips and tricks as you are Disney World Planning

Here I am sharing 135 Super Helpful Disney World Tips arranged by park/area, to help you get ready for the most magical vacation you can imagine.

1. All parks have bag check/screening – allow extra time and open your bags for inspection (includes kids)
2. Any location that has a soda machine will happily give you a free cup(s) of water just by asking. Stay hydrated!!
3. Bring a stroller, Disney is a lot of walking plus it will offer you convenient storage and a seat for your child for parades & fireworks.
4. Bring shinny pennies and quarters to make pressed pennies around Disney World – there are several dozen in each park and in resorts too.
5. Bring a cover for your stroller – it rains a lot in Orlando (many times without warning while you are in a ride)
6. Buy pins from eBay ahead of time to trade with Cast Members is and save between spending ~$1 per pin and $8-10 per pin. This is not only like a fun scavenger hunt for kids, but is a fun souvenir too.
7. If your child is too short to ride an attraction make sure to ask about a Ride Swap which will allow the parent that doesn’t ride (and up to 3 children) go on the ride with minimal wait when you get off.
8. Cast members often rearrange strollers to make them neat and tidy – make sure to put your name on your stroller so you can find it
9.  Chewing gum is not sold anywhere on Walt Disney World property. Plan accordingly.
10. Disney Springs is not like Downtown Disney  – it is 50% high end stores, 25% restaurants and 25% classic Disney shopping. Some like it better, but although beautiful, we found it to be overwhelming large to navigate to get to restaurants and Disney shopping like we use to (especially with bus stops at their new location)
11. Don’t get duped into buying into Disney Vacation Club by the alluring promotions while at Walt Disney World. Wait until you get home, research the Pros and Cons of Disney Vacation Club, and buy via the resale market if you’re going to buy at all. We avoid them like the plague or they will chat your ear off and suck up valuable park time
12. Employees have stickers!! Just ask Always make sure to check for ride rehab/closures before you go so your kids aren’t disappointed a favorite ride is closed. I can almost guarantee at least 1-2 rides will be closed during your visit and sometime it is more.
13. Even if you were at Disney World last year there is always something new/different! New in 2017 is Avatarland, Happily Ever After Fireworks, new dining options, and more!
14. Every park has a don’t miss evening show. If you are at the park multiple days, see the show/fireworks the first night (to make sure there is no rain to interfere in the show) and then plan to go on rides during the evening show/fireworks the next time and experience much  shorter lines.
15. Florida rains come and go quickly. When they start it will POUR for 5-30 minutes and then be done. Hunker down shere you are at and it will quickly pass or get really wet (you’lll dry quickly) and run to the next spot and you’ll have short lines as soon as the rain stops and everyone is leaving where they were at.
16. Free Wi-Fi internet is available in the theme parks and resort hotels at Walt Disney World.
17. If the park closes at 9pm and you got in line for dwarf mine at 8:59pm they will let you ride. This is a great way not waste “valuable” time especially on days the park closes early.
18. If you buy anything in the shops you can get it delivered to your resort the next day for free – no need to lug those bags around the park with you!
19. If you get the hopper make sure you are still strategic so you don’t waste all your time on transportation. Here are our touring plans using the hopper
20. If you get to the parks early you may get chosen to open the park – a special honor with unique perks! (they tend to choose happy families, at the front of the line, many who are wearing matching Disney shirts or princess dresses)
    
21. The new Hopper Plus option allows you to go to Blizzard Beach, Typhon Lagoon, one of 2 fun Disney themed mini golf courses, and more per day of your tickets.
22. Instead of rushing out of the park and waiting with the masses in line for the busses, hang out and shop or catch a last minute snack and you’ll have a more relaxing exit, beautiful pictures with few people, and watch  The Kiss Goodnight.
23. Instead of spending $10+ on each on-ride photo, get Memory Maker with all the pictures you care to take with characters, on rides, and around the parks for one price (includes videos)
     Pre-purchase to save $20. Plus you can access those pictures from your Disney App right away to share on Facebook or make sure everyone has their eyes open and is smiling.
24. Kids 3 and under FREE at Disney
25. Kids love looking for Hidden Mickey’s throughout the parks, resorts, and rides; it is like a giant scavenger hunt. Grab a HiddenMickey Book and always feel free to ask a cast member when getting on a ride for clues if you need them.
26. Let Resort Cast Members or Park Guest Services know If you are celebrating a special occasion, they will give you a special button – not only will cast members help you celebrate all day long, but you may get some unexpected surprises too!
27. Bring and use LOTS of hand sanitizer so you don’t get a stomach bug or pink eye – think of all the hands touching everything!
28. Many Photopass Photographers can do “magic shots” – these are a fun surprise after – feel free to ask for these from as many photographers as you can.
29. Match in the same color so you can easily spot your group
30. Most of the summer months are the worst times to visit, with late fall through spring being among the best times to visit. See BEST time of Year to go to Disney World
31. No more charging stations – bring your own portable charger
32. No selfie sticks allowed!
33. Not having a plan for your day can cost you considerable time and headaches – may I suggest our 1 day itineraries ( Magic Kingdom Park Guide, Epcot Park Guide, Hollywood Studios Park Guide, and Animal Kingdom Park Guide)
34. Photopass photographers are happy to take a picture with your camera too!! It’s a great backup
35. Select attractions have single rider lines that will save you a lot of time if you don’t mind splitting up from your group. Rides include Test Track, Kilamanjaro Safari, and Spaceship Earth
36. The longer you stay the more you save per day – if you have the time…..pick 10 day tickets and stay for 14 nights and get 14 days of FREE dining plan and you can enjoy relaxing days at the pool, enjoying their 2 water parks, playing mini golf, shopping at Disney Springs, movies at the pool, etc.
37. The most difficult Fastpass+ to get are for the Dwarf Mine Train and Frozen Ever After
38. There are literally thousands of things to do at Walt Disney World, many of which are quite known and popular, some of which are relatively unknown. Read as much as you can when planning your trip–you can never know too much about Walt Disney World, but you can definitely know too little.
39. There are many rides that have fun, interactive ques so you won’t be super bored while you wait (Haunted Mansion, Dwarf Mine, Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Space Mountain, and more)
40. There is a baby care center in each park with nursing area, TV and couches, kid size toilets, changing tables, and sale of kids items you may have run out of
41. There is a dog sitting location on property
42. There is a lost and found. My husband lost his wedding ring and employees found it sweeping streets after a parade. We were able to go to the lost and found and retrieve it!
43. There is a shuttle to urgent care if you end up with pink eye or something else while you are at Disney world.
44. There is always some sort of special offer if you are headed to Disney World. Make sure you do the math to figure out which one will be a better deal for your family. The FREE Dining offer (typically available in the fall) may not be as good an offer as a 30% off room rate if you are staying at the Contemporary or Polynesian Resort.
45. Want to ride in the front row? Feel free to ask the cast member and
    they usually are happy to accommodate
46. You can get bug spray for free at various locations throughout the parks & resorts
47. You can trade pins at Disney springs too (look for the pin trader shops and Disney souvenir shops)
48. Although evening fireworks are best seen in front of Cinderella’s castle (on main street just in front of Casey’s Corner), Chinese Theatre (in plaza), and anywhere around the lake at Epcot – there are many magical locations throughout the park with much less crowds! (including on rides like Dumbo or Big Thunder Mountain, in front of Tomorrowland Speedway, in front of Gaston’s Tavern, and by Tom Sawyer’s Island. You must be 7 years old to ride without an adult.
49. Your magic band connects with various interactive things and Genie will talk to you in morocco, small world will say good by e to you by name, your name will appear on poster at all star movie resorts poster, it’s like magic

Disney Dining Tips

1. Most important tip is to make your dining reservations 180 days before your trip. HINT: If you have a resort reservation in the system you will be able to make reservations for up to 190 days early giving you a significant advantage (180 days from your check in and then up to 10 following days of your stay)
2. Don’t waste Disney Dining Plan snack credits on bottled water or fruit. Here are some of our favorite snacks at Disney World.
3. For breakfast have a continental breakfast with 2 pastries and a drink to share and stretch your dining plan
4. If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, you can order a regular OR large fountain drink at counter service restaurants. The default is regular, so make sure to specify large if that’s what you want
5. Last minute dining reservations can be found; check your Disney app the day before for last minute cancellations
6. If your meal is exceptionally slow or you have poor service, make sure to let a manager now. Not only will that allow them to improve their service, but it gives them the chance to make it up to you (that is what Disney excels at!I)
7. Dining reservations are free to make online; you can only have one reservation per day/meal and don’t forget to cancel any reservations you don’t intend to use by 11:59pm the night before or pay the penalty of $10 per person.
8. The Garden Grill at Epcot serves delicious food family style, allows you to meet farmer Mickey / Pluto / Chip / Dale, all while rotating ever so slowly
9. Many restaurants open 1 hour before park opens which is a great way to eat with characters without wasting park time, plus you can usually get an amazing picture in front of the castle with hardly any other people in the picture.
10. New in 2017, the “regular” Disney Dining Plan now includes 2 snacks per person per day instead of dessert with your quick service meal. That is a great improvement – more dole whip, less generic chocolate cake!)
11. There are a couple restaurants that require use of 2 dining credits(Cinderella Castle, Le Cellier, and shows like Mickey Backyard BBQ / Hoop Dee Doo Review / Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
12. There is a Startbucks in each park and you can use snack credits for drinks or pastries.
13. They can cut caramel apples for you to make it easier to share, just tell them how many slices you’d like it cut into.
14. Wolfgang puck has an amazing breakfast for quick serve meal credit (see best quick service restaurants)
15. You can share meals (even on the dining plan) assuming they are not buffets.
16. Character meals are a great chance to not only eat a yummy meal (many are buffets) plus see some characters and get autorgraphs from the convenience of a table. See Best Character Meals
17. Disney’s Be Our Guest Restaurant continues to be a DO NOT MISS restaurant with hard to get reservations for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
18. Make sure to keep an eye on your dining credits at the bottom of your receipts, ¾ times we have encountered errors where we were over charged or charged for adult/child entrees incorrectly. The problem is easily resolvable at any guest services.
19. The only place to meet the Beast is after dinner at Be Our Guest, Magic Kingdom.

Epcot Tips

1. The Flower and Garden Festival is an amazing time to visit Epcot! Besides all the usual attractions, you will be amazed by the number and complexity of topiaries throughout the park!
2. Cast Members in the world showcase are truly from the country they are stationed in and can give you lots of information on their native homeland and speak in their native tongue for you.
3. The Nemo pavilion has so much more than the Nemo Ride in it – you can meet crush, watch manatees, gaze at their HUGE aquarium and see diving demonstrations … all from the comfort of a large air-conditioned indoor pavilion.
4. Epcot is a beautiful park with lots of fountains (sit and watch a spell), flowers, and interesting landmarks from around the world to take in.
5. Disney offers fun scavenger hunt type activities at the Food and Wine Festival & Easter.
6. If you don’t have a fastpass+ and want to ride the new Frozen ride, make sure you go AS SOON AS THE PARK OPENS! This ride will be long all-day-long!
7. Ellen Degenerus Energy Ride is L-O-N-G! It is a B line attraction that requires standing for a 15ish minute pre show movie (kids under 8 will be bored) and then slow moving cars that go by some dinosaurs. Start to finish it takes about an hour.
8. Get a free caffeine fix at Epcot’s Club Cool, where there are eight flavors of Coke products from around the world. Make sure to try the Beverly. It’s a rite of passage!
9. Sunshine Terrace in The Land Pavilion has wonderful, diverse, and delicious quick service/snack choices.
10. Kids will have fun visiting the Kid Spot in each country to get a Duffy bear to color.
11. A few restaurants in Epcot’s World Showcase offer views of Illuminations. Try
    • La Hacienda, Mexico for the best view. Make reservations for at least 30 minutes before the fireworks, arrive early and request a window table; let them know you are willing to wait 20 minutes for the window seat.
    • Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room, England. Get reservations for 7:45 and when you check in tell them you’d like a patio table and are willing to wait an hour for it.
    • Bistro de Paris, France (high end) – arrive early and request a window seat
    • Cantina de San Angel, Mexico (quick serve) – if you can get and keep a table this is a great inexpensive option. Be prepared for possibly having other children squeezing by table to get a view.
    • Tokyo Dining, Japan is a newer offering and is less popular. Make sure to get their early and ask for a table by the expansive windows.

Magic Kingdom Tips