Walt Disney World Tips, Tricks, Hacks

Ahhhhh Disney! Obviously I needed to start 2020 out with a post about my happy place! My daughter has been begging to go on an airplane to see Minnie Mouse all week long, but Christmas and Disney?!? Not even this Disney geek will attempt those ridiculous lines!

Since our next Disney adventure won’t take place until February, I decided why not at least spill all the Disney Tips, Tricks, Hacks I have to sort of get Haylie and I though out Disney withdraws!!!! Hurry up February!!!

1. Disney Hotels ~ Unless you’re being a total baller and book a room a Disney deluxe hotel like the Grand, Polynesian or Beach Club, save that coin! Disney Springs has several hotels you can legit walk to Disney Springs from AND they are Disney partner hotels with many of these such as B Resort & Hilton earning a “Deluxe Category” rating on the official Disney website! These rooms will typically cost you less than $200 a night! I have stayed at B Resort during winter break for as low as $94 a night! That’s cheaper than most Disney Themed Budget hotels like All-Star that tend to be filled with high school tour groups! I guarantee you will have a better time staying at a Disney Springs “Deluxe category” hotel & spending that saved cash elsewhere!
2. Magic Kingdom Special Events ~ one of my favorite Disney hacks! If you happen to be visiting Disney during Mickey’s Not So Scary, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or evening Disney After Hours, plan your Magic Kingdom Day for that event! The park tends to be way less crowded since you need a special event ticket to attend. You can practically walk right onto rides like Splash Mountain that usually have ridiculously long wait times during the day!
3. FastPass ~ if it’s your dream to ride Slinky Dog Dash, Test Track, Frozen Ever After, the list goes on & lines are just not your jam, make sure to purchase your park tickets in advance! You can book fast passes on the Disney website 30 days before your trip, 60 days if you’re staying at a Disney or Disney Springs Partner hotel! These rides will be the first rides to “fill up”, so make sure you book those fast passes in advance!
4. Take Advantage of Free Activities ~ Disney World is its own little bubble world, and there’s far more to be discovered beyond just the parks themselves. Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the more boujee places one can stay at Disney, but what if I told you non-hotel guests are free to walk around the property and see if they can spot resident zebra, giraffe, gazelle, and flamingoes!?!?! Are you visiting Disney at Christmas time? Head on over to the Grand Floridian and check out the Gingerbread house! Traveling with a couple of night owls? Campfire sing-alongs with Chip ‘n’ Dale (s’mores included) capped by an outdoor screening of a Disney movie are held every night at Fort Wilderness (weather permitting) And Disney Springs is a whole world of its own, with shops, restaurants, shows and dance parties for all ages. Don’t miss popping into the LEGO Store home to hands-on play tables and gigantic models of Disney characters.
5. Lyft ~ Lyft is the official Disney transportation app! It will be cheaper than Uber, so save yourself the 5-10 minute hassle of comparing prices and have Lyft downloaded and ready to go! You can also book those fancy Minnie Vans via the Lyft app!
6. Bell Services ~ Does your flight get in ridiculously early or take off super late? Have the hotel bell service hold your luggage and head on over to the parks or Disney Springs! That’s an extra half a day of Disney.
7. Photopass Photographers ~ While I think Photopass is one of the best upgrades one can purchase, it is pretty expensive. The fabulous news is that if you’re on a budget, those PhotoPass Cast Members you spot throughout the park will take (free!) photos of you with your own camera, so don’t be afraid to ask! Make sure your settings are dialed in before handing them the camera or cellphone, as they will not typically adjust settings.
8. Ponchos ~ it rains at least once a day in Florida even if it’s only for 5 minutes, so expect to get rained on at least once. Instead of splurging on ponchos in the park which will cost you around $10 a pop, head to Walmart or the Dollar Tree before your trip and toss a few cheap ponchos in your Disney bag!
9. Shop When Magic Kingdom Closes ~ All the shops on Main Street are open an hour after the parks close! Do your shopping after you can’t ride any more rides.
10. Breakfast Magic Kingdom ~ Both Crystal Palace & Cinderella’s Royal Table are open an hour before the parks open! If you’re wanting castle shots without a single person in the background, make a breakfast reservation and start snapping away before guests can enter the park.
11. FastPass+ Hack ~ if you arrive to a ride and the standby line is ridiculously short, open the Disney app on your phone and see if you can switch your fastpass+ to another attraction.
12. Get “Impossible” Dining Reservations ~ I picked up this trick while living in Orlando! If you try to book a popular restaurant and you just can’t score a table, start checking a week before your trip and check multiple times a every day. People will change their minds at the very last minute and will often cancel the day before (you must cancel 24 hours in advance or pay a fee.). So if you can be a bit flexible and try every single day up until you leave, you have a better chance of getting in. We did this to get dinner at Ohana and omg! Not only did we score a table a few days before our trip, we landed a table with fireworks view!!! Best meal ever!
13. Don’t Buy Water In The Park ~ Any quick service restaurant will gladly give you free ice water if you just ask. This is one of the more common Disney World hacks – but definitely worth mentioning. You can also bring your own water bottle and just refill it at water fountains! You can find water fountains pretty much outside of any restroom.
14. Avoid Epcot During The First/Last Weekends Of Festivals ~ we went to Food & Wine the very first weekend this past year and omg! There was a hurricane. Orlando was being evacuated and Epcot was still so packed that the food and wine lines were just as bad as the ride lines lol. Food & Wine is my all time favorite Disney festival, but those crowds ughhh.... go during a weekday if possible! You will thank me later
15. Buy Disney Souvenirs Elsewhere ~ Disney merchandise can be found just about anywhere these days, including Walmart, Target, and even the Orlando grocery stores. For example, the Disney store sells an adult Mickey T-Shirt for $29.99, whereas a similar shirt can be found at a local Walmart for nearly $5 less. Instead of paying a premium to buy souvenirs on-site, you can save a lot of cash by purchasing your Disney tees and mouse ears at local retailers!
16. Avoid Disney On Christmas & Easter ~ One word ~ Madhouse!!! Disney has also been known to reach max capacity on Christmas Day!Total insanity! If you can, avoid! This Disney junkie won’t even attempt Disney on Christmas Day or Easter, so that should mean something!