Foolproof Disney World tips for first-timers

You and your family have decided to go on your first-ever Walt Disney World vacation! Hooray! *cue the confetti* As you’ll quickly learn, planning a Disney World vacation is a little more complicated than simply clicking “book now” and then showing up at the park gates. You can certainly do that, but you are likely missing out on valuable information that will make your vacation a lot smoother. That means it’s time to do some research on Disney World tips to make things easier.

There is a lot of information to take in and digest as you prepare for your first Disney World vacation. It’s unlike any other vacation destination! If you’re planning your first trip and are wondering where in the world you’re supposed to start, let this article be your guide. Like I said, there’s a lot to take in. Feel free to reference this guide as you go through the planning process, check out other articles on the site, and feel free to leave comments and ask questions!

Disney World is big. Like, really big.

As you embark on your first-ever Disney World vacation and drive away from Orlando International Airport, what will quickly become apparent is the sheer size of the resort. Walt Disney World, in its entirety, is over 27,000 acres, or roughly 43 square miles – twice the size of Manhattan and roughly the same size as the city of San Francisco.

When you visit Disney World, you need to think of it less like a singular theme park destination and more like a small city. It comprises four theme parks, two water parks, a shopping and dining district, nearly two dozen hotels, and miles upon miles of roadways. Just to get around property, Disney offers several transportation options: buses, Monorails, the Skyliner, boats, their own ride share service, etc. On top of that, there are hundreds of restaurants, plus all of the attractions, shows, stores…you get the picture.

I think the first thing you need to remember when planning your first-ever Walt Disney World vacation is the sheer size. Everything requires you to board some method of transportation to get to and from. Each park consists of enough rides, character meet and greets, dining options, and entertainment to keep you occupied for a full day. This is all to say: you will need more time than you think to get around and see what you want to see.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you cannot get everything done in one Disney World vacation. Even the pros can’t get it all done. Every time I visit Disney World (which is often!), I always wind up skipping rides or omitting entire areas of the parks if I’m short on time. However, if you want to scratch the surface of everything, you should plan on spending one full day at each theme park. I also like to throw in a fifth day in case you want to visit one of the water parks, spend more time at Disney Springs, relax at the hotel pool, etc. This doesn’t count your arrival and departure days. All in all, that’s a 7-day, 6-night vacation.

READ MORE: HOW TO SPEND YOUR FIRST DAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Disney World has a lot of hotels, but they aren’t your only options.

Like any vacation, one of the first decisions you’ll make in the planning process is where you want to stay. If you want to be as close to the parks as possible, this is almost a no-brainer decision. Disney World is home to nearly two dozen hotels, all at various price points and with varying levels of amenities. Disney World’s website is a great place to start to get a sense of what’s available.

Keep in mind that you do NOT have to stay at a Disney World hotel – in fact, many travelers always opt to stay off-site. This is, after all, the greater Orlando area, where there are dozens more options within a few miles from Disney World. The benefit of staying off-property is that you stand to save a ton on accommodations. 

While there are clear benefits to staying off-property, remember the point I made above – Disney World is large. If Disney World is the only thing you’re doing on vacation, then I would not stray too far. You don’t have to look far, however, to find affordable options. A small group of hotels known as the Disney Springs Area Hotels is a good place to start looking. 

To drive this point home, your choice of hotel will impact more than your budget. It also impacts how long it takes to get to the parks. Even some of the hotels on Disney World property are a 15 to 20-minute drive from the parking lot of some of the theme parks. If you don’t have a rental car, you’re also at the mercy of buses and ride share, which adds even more time to your transportation. And as we’ll discuss throughout this article, your time at Disney World is money. Very often, it is worth spending a little extra to save time in order to fit more into your vacation.

Sometimes, it’s best to stick to the three golden rules of real estate when picking your hotel: location, location, location.

READ MORE: WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEXT DISNEY WORLD VACATION.

No, you don’t need to buy the Disney Dining Plan.

A lot of vacation destinations around the globe offer all-inclusive packages where your meals are included. Disney World doesn’t offer a literal “all-inclusive” package, but you can opt for a meal package that gets you half way there. It’s known as the Disney Dining Plan.

In short, purchasing the Dining Plan ahead of your trip gives everyone in your travel party a certain number of meal and snack credits based on the number of days on your trip. This usually breaks down to everyone having enough credits for a couple of meals and a snack per day, prepaid (tips and gratuity are not included). So, having the Dining Plan gives your vacation a more “all-inclusive” feel where you aren’t constantly paying out of pocket for food.

There is a major convenience factor that comes when you purchase the Disney Dining Plan. I’ve used it many times. But you by no means have to buy it, and in fact, you’ll often wind up paying more and have to eat more food than you typically do in order to get the most benefit out of the Dining Plan. I go into way more detail about the Dining Plan in my breakdown of if you need it, but the short answer is no, you don’t need it. 

Some people love and swear by it, and some never buy it. Both are correct. It’s up to you to determine if it’s worth the cost.

READ MORE: IS THE DISNEY DINING PLAN RIGHT FOR YOUR NEXT VACATION?

Use Disney World’s website as a tool for mapping out your days 

I briefly mentioned Disney World’s website above as a way of researching hotel options, but it truly is an invaluable tool when planning your vacation. It is not just a portal to book your vacation (which I highly recommend you use rather than go through third-party services. It keeps everything more streamlined. Or you can go with a certified Disney World travel agent). It also lists everything there is to see and do. You can research attractions, read entertainment schedules, study park maps, etc.

There is also some valuable information on Disney World’s website you definitely want to know ahead of time. You can read about the various height requirements for rides, you can see if there are any rides scheduled to be down for regular maintenance while you’re there, and much more.

The website also helps from a budgetary standpoint. Every restaurant and dining location at Disney World has a page on the site where you can read the menus and get a sense of what things will cost. This is also helpful if you’re traveling with anyone that has a dietary restriction or food allergy — the menus on Disney’s website have allergy information available. You can also see which restaurants offer character dining experiences, if that’s something your party is interested in.

Even as someone who has been to the Disney theme parks hundreds of times, I still use their official websites to plan my trips. As a first-timer, I think Disney Word’s website is an undervalued tool that can make you a pro in no time. You’ll also start to get a sense of how much “stuff” there is to accomplish in one day, which leads me to my next point…

READ MORE: THESE DISNEY WORLD RESTAURANTS ARE WHERE YOU CAN MEET MICKEY MOUSE!

You can’t do it all in one week. Plan and prioritize accordingly.

Perhaps the most important thing you can hear and internalize before going on your first Disney World vacation is that it is impossible to do it all in one week. That can be frustrating to hear, but it can also be very freeing. This allows you to pick and choose what you want to prioritize, and anything else on top of that is just icing on the cake. That way, it becomes possible to do everything on YOUR personal check list, and not everything under the sun.

There are a few tips and tricks to consider if you want to maximize your time. After all, Disney World is a pricey vacation, so of course you want to try and fit as much into your trip as possible!

Warning: This is about to get confusing. It’s not just you; this is confusing for all of us. I have to remind myself of these rules and intricacies constantly. We’re all in the same boat here. If this is making your head hurt, feel free to skip this part and return as your trip draws near.

LIGHTNING LANE

Consider purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass on some of the days. Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a paid service that allows you to reserve return times at most rides for a shorter wait using a ride’s Lightning Lane (fancy term for the expedited queue). The intricacies of Lightning Lane are a bit complicated, but for the purposes of your first-ever vacation, here’s what you need to know:

• Lightning Lane Multi Pass is available for purchase for guests of Disney World Resort hotels up to 7 days in advance of their stay. Other guests may purchase Lightning Lane up to 3 days in advance of their park visit.
• You can begin purchasing Lightning Lane and booking reservations reservations starting at 7:00 AM on your first day of eligibility (see above). You can make plans for multiple days at once, and you can choose experiences and arrival windows for Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass before completing your purchase.
• The price of  Lightning Lane is variable and fluctuates per park per day.
• In addition to Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you may purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass reservations for the most high-demand attractions. This is an additional fee and is sold separately. You do NOT have to have purchased Multi Pass in order to purchase Single Pass.
• Lightning Lane Multi Pass can sell out. It usually doesn’t; when it does, it’s usually during the busiest weeks, like around Christmas. But it can and does sell out.
• You can book an additional Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection after you redeem your first one OR two hours after park opening. After that, it’s every two hours or when you redeem your current selection. 

The current Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions include:

• In Magic Kingdom: TRON Lightcylce/Run and Seven Dwarf Mine Train
• In EPCOT: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• In Hollywood Studios: Star Wars Rise of the Resistance
• In Animal Kingdom: Avatar Flight of Passage

As you can see, time management is going to be an important tool to use during your Disney World vacation. Lightning Lane Passes can be very confusing and have made navigating the parks more complicated for everyone these days, even the seasoned pros! 

My tip, if you’re just getting started, is to research the various rides and attractions in the theme parks and have everyone pick their top two or three must-dos. From there, you can begin building an itinerary that checks everyone’s boxes, and you can determine whether you need to worry about Lightning Lane.

In my experience, you likely don’t need Lightning Lane Multi Pass every day of your vacation. It can be helpful for theme parks with a ton of popular rides, like Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. But you may find you don’t need it for Animal Kingdom or EPCOT! But if you have a once-in-a-lifetime trip coming up, it may be worth it to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass to maximize your time. Again, your time is money at Disney World.

READ MORE: MY ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DISNEY WORLD’S LIGHTNING LANE PASS SYSTEM

What else does a first-timer NEED to know about Disney World?

I thought I’d close this out by doing some rapid-fire tips you should definitely be clued in on prior to your first Disney World vacation:

• Advance Dining Reservations open 60 days out for all guests. If you want to dine at a table-service restaurant, I HIGHLY suggest you circle that day on your calendar in red Sharpie. Popular restaurants can and do fill up. Refer to my article on restaurants with hard-to-get reservations for more information.
• You’re going to spend a good chunk of change. No matter how you slice and dice it, Disney World is an expensive vacation destination. Budgeting ahead of time will help minimize the pain. Check out my article on ways to save on your Disney World vacation for more help on this topic!
• It will likely be crowded. Disney World is a popular vacation spot for a reason, and lots of families will have the same idea you did to visit when you’re visiting! Don’t be alarmed when you see long wait times for rides and wall-to-wall crowds.
• Be ready for the weather. It’s Central Florida, so it’s going to be anywhere from warm to very, very hot. It can also rain, and depending on what time of year you visit, it will definitely rain. Pack accordingly. Drink lots of water.
• Maximize those park hours. Especially if you don’t plan on buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass, the best way to find shorter wait times for rides is to show up early and stay late. “Rope drop,” a.k.a. the park’s opening time, is when lines for popular rides will be at their shortest. Head to your number 1 priority ride at that time. Lines tend to get shorter closer to closing time, too! Consider buying tickets to Disney After Hours if there happens to be an event during your trip.
• Perhaps my favorite tip of all: don’t let anyone boss you around and tell you how to do Disney World “correctly.” There are a lot of tips and tricks to make your vacation easier, but that’s very different than me or anyone actually TELLING you what to do. My goal is to equip you with the tools and knowledge to make your own informed decisions as your OWN Disney World expert. You’ll get a ton of advice from your friends and family leading up to the trip. Take it with a grain of salt. Determine if what they’re telling you is advice on making your life easier or if they’re trying to prescribe their own preferences onto your trip. Trust me, this is a big one!!

Is there anything I’m forgetting? Drop your questions in the comments!

READ MORE: SHOULD YOU ADD DISNEY AFTER HOURS TICKETS TO YOUR VACATION ITINERARY?

Foolproof Disney World Tips For First-Timers was originally published on The World of Spark.

More from FamilyVacationist: