Passport At The Ready

I love Disney Parks. If scientists invent a gadget to measure magic, they will find it leaking out of every creaky floorboard, singing tree, and blue turret.

I have been to five of the six resorts, and Disney World in Florida is my favourite. I love EPCOT and Animal Kingdom; the parks are big, and compared to Disneyland, there is less time difference when travelling from the UK. Hong Kong Park is better suited to younger children; otherwise, you will have a great time at whichever park you visit.

Tips to make the most of your holiday

1. Plan what to see and in what order to see them.

Planning can be boring, but when I was in the Magic Kingdom, I sat next to an American woman who told me how disappointed she was that she had only managed to do 2 rides and spent a long time in queues. I didn’t tell her we had done 6 rides, including a few headliners. The difference was I had planned what to do in advance.

Most people wander in and head off in the same direction, and a few rush off to see a main attraction and then cross the park to the next big attraction. I plan which rides we would like to go on and which rides have restrictions; I do rides with long queues at the beginning or end of the day and choose a less busy route. If you look at a book called The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World by Bob Sehlinger, it gives you all the information you need to plan your day.

The more time you spend planning, the less time you will have standing in queues.

2. Download the “My Disney Experience” App

This app allows you to do a lot. You can navigate the park, see what time the shows are on, and how long the queues are. You will need it for a virtual queue. It can also be used to order food and book restaurants.

If you want to use Lightning Lanes (see below), you will need the app to use Genie Plus.

Some people find this app brilliant, and others find it a pain as it keeps crashing and can be unusable.

3. Check the rides out before you go

If you have a timid child or you don’t like scary rides, use YouTube to assess the ride. You can see for yourself what it is really like. If a child decides he wants to go after watching a clip but later is terrified, at least you won’t feel guilty, as it was their decision.

4. Get there early

Make sure you are at the door before it opens. The doors open at different times throughout the year, but today, the Animal Kingdom opens at 8 a.m. It might not seem very restful to drive to Animal Kingdom, park, and get to the gate before 8, but if you go on the first day of your holiday and you have come from Europe, your body clock is 5 hours ahead of the local time, so getting up early should be no problem.

There are days when a guest staying at certain Disney hotels can enter 30 minutes early, and extended evening hours are also available. If you are not staying at one of these hotels, you could visit a different Disney Park that day.

5. Book restaurants in advance

Some restaurants require advance booking. The popular restaurants are fully booked within seconds of opening their booking system.

Bookings are taken 60 days beforehand; however, those staying at a Walt Disney World Resort can make reservations for the whole of their stay (limit 10 days) 60 days from their arrival date.

You can make a reservation using their app or by phone. If you use the app, log in and fill in all the details before the reservation booking opens (6 a.m. EST). Use the pull-down menu “my Disney experience” to select the restaurant, and the moment the system opens, refresh the page. Keep an eye on the date, as it tends to default to the next day.

Some popular restaurants are Space 220 in Epcot, Topolino’s Terrace in Riviera Resort (breakfast), Sci-Fi Dine-in in Hollywood Studios, and Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom Park.

Research the restaurant before you book to ensure it meets your needs. For example, Takumi—Tei is in Epcot and is a memorable experience perfect for a special occasion but pricey. The Omnivorous and Plant-based courses start at $250 plus tax and tips. Children under 8 years old are not allowed, and if you cancel less than 48 hours before your reservation, you will have to pay a $100 cancellation fee per person.

6. Plan rest periods.

Walking around all day can be exhausting, even if you are having the time of your life. A good idea is to watch a show in the late afternoon when you might be flagging a bit.

If you have young children, maybe go back to your hotel in the afternoon for some quiet time and let them watch TV if they can’t sleep. Then, return to the park later in the day. Some of the parks are open late, and the queues can be shorter in the evening, especially for the younger riders. With an afternoon rest, your kids might be able to continue long after you are ready to give up.

Have some days when you lie in or don’t go to a Disney Theme Park, maybe plan a day at a water park instead. A day at Typhoon Lagoon can still be thrilling or if you prefer you can spend time floating in a tube along the lazy river like me.  

7. Understand lightning lanes.

Lightning lanes are a way of joining a much shorter queue. Previously, they had fast passes, which were brilliant and free, but now there is a charge for these quicker lanes. Lightning lanes are at most rides, but not all.

There are three ways you can use lightning lanes.

Firstly, you can get a Lightning Lane Single Pass, which allows you to go on one ride that offers a single-lane pass. Usually, these are the most popular and newest rides. You can book when the park opens unless you are staying at a Disney hotel, in which case you can book at 7 a.m.

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows you to use various other attractions. It used to be called Disney Genie.

• You can’t book to go on the same ride more than once each day.
• You will be offered a time slot, which you can accept or wait until later in the day to try again and hope they have some still available.
• You can make the next booking once you have used the last ride booking
• Or two hours after you made the last booking (if the park wasn’t open when you made the first booking, you must wait until 2 hours after the park opens).

They have just introduced a third type of lightning ticket, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass. This includes the single and multi-pass lanes and allows you to use the lightning lane whenever you want without choosing an available window to arrive.

Single-lane passes can be brought when you enter the park. Multi-lane passes can be bought as an add-on when you buy your ticket or via the Disneyland app at the theme park. The Premier Pass can be brought using the Disneyland app two days before you visit the park starting at 7 a.m. Pacific Time. The Premier Passes are limited, so I imagine you must be quick to get these tickets.

All types of lightning lane tickets have various prices depending on the date. If you want, you can buy a single pass and a multi-pass on the same day.

Note that if you go to a Disney Park outside the USA, they do things differently.

8. Understand virtual queues

Virtual queues allow you to queue virtually using the My Disney Experience App. This option is limited to just a few rides and is usually offered for newer rides. Anyone who has a ticket can use it.

The queue system opens at 7 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. You have to be in the park for the 1 p.m. queue, but it is unnecessary for the 7 a.m. queue.

Before 7, ensure you have the latest version of the My Disney App and that all your groups are added to your family and friends list. Then, be quick when the queue opens at 7. Even if you get a place in the queue, you are not guaranteed entrance, as there can be ride-related problems.

You must make a park reservation if you don’t have a date-based ticket, such as an annual pass.

9. Work out the best time to visit

During peak periods, hotels are more expensive, and the crowds are worse. Peak periods in the USA are the school holidays, June to about the third week in August, Presidents Day, Halloween weekend, Thanksgiving week, and the Christmas period. May can be busy with students celebrating their graduation.

There are fewer crowds during quiet periods, but there might be no fireworks display or shorter opening hours.

Regular periods might be the best option; these are when it isn’t the peak period, so there are fewer crowds but not so quiet that attractions close to do repairs. However, check the opening hours, as they might close early on weekdays.

If you look at Disney’s website to book tickets, you can see the peak, regular, and value periods.

10. Save some money

Disney is expensive, but you can save money.

• It is cheaper not to stay in a Disney accommodation, but be aware that you will lose out on some benefits such as early entrance to the park (on certain days) and booking 60 (+10 days) in advance at restaurants.
• Buy multi-entrance tickets.
• Buy Disney t-shirts, toys, etc, from cheaper places at home.
• Bring reusable water bottles.
• Bring snacks.
• Set budgets on spending for souvenirs.

Summary

Things change regularly in Disney parks, so remember to check for the latest changes before you visit.

Many different things are going on at Disney, including Disney PhotoPass, Rider Swap for those with small children, parades, and magic bands. If you want to know more about Disney, look at https://www.disney.co.uk/, or if you want to ask questions and learn from others’ experiences, look at https://www.wdwinfo.com/chat.htm.

I am very jealous if you are going to a Disney Park soon. Enjoy yourself, take time to look at all the details that make Disney magical, take lots of photos, and make some wonderful memories.