Disney theme parks require a lot of planning if you want to do it right. Do you plan one park per day or do you get a park hopper? And if you get a park hopper, in which park do you choose your three fast passes? Which park is better on which days? And what is the best time to visit Disney World? Should you just get the season pass? So many decisions can be overwhelming. I’m here to share my experiences, and those of my Floridian sister, to help make your choices a little easier!

Magic Kingdom

The original theme park. Cinderella’s Castle. It’s A Small World. Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. The movies we all know and love, all in one theme park. It’s a great place to visit for a trip down memory lane. Also, a lot of the rides are geared towards children so it’s a great place to visit if you have a family as well.

The negative side to Magic Kingdom: most of the rides are the original rides as well. While you’ll find some really modern and technologically advanced rides in the newer parks, riding the rides in Magic Kingdom is like watching a movie from 1985. Pirates of the Caribbean was a great inspiration for the movie, but the ride is so outdated you wouldn’t even know it’s the same theme!

Tips for visiting Magic Kingdom: prepare for lots of kids and families. If you bring your kids, wear your “Most Expensive Day Ever” shirt. Remember to check for special events; sometimes the park will close early for special ticketed parties. You can find concerts, parades, and other events within the park at certain times so it’s a good idea to plan around those too. The later you go in the afternoon, the better chance you have of kids going to take a nap or leaving for dinner. Definitely try to catch a firework show at Cinderella’s Castle.

Animal Kingdom

One of the newer Disney World parks, just opened in 1998. It’s in this zoological themed park you’ll find the famous Tree of Life, the 145-foot sculpture with over 300 animals carved into it. Within Animal Kingdom you can travel to Asia, Africa, Pandora, and DinoLand.

In Asia there are forbidden temples, raging water rapids, tropical rainforests, and a jungle trek to see typical Asian animals.

In Africa you can hop on an African animal safari, visit Harambe Village, based on an actual African town, or take a walk through the African savannah. You might even catch an African music and dance show on the street!

Pandora has the most sought after ride in all of Disney World: Flight of Passage. I’ve seen the line over four hours long. I’ve seen the line so long they stopped putting a time estimate on it. And don’t think they’re overestimating to discourage you from going on the ride; the line really does take as long as they estimate. I don’t think they even give fast passes for this ride because I checked twice a day for a month and never saw it pop up once.

But let me tell you – it is WORTH IT!!! It’s the most realistic 4D ride you could imagine. I’m not going to tell you more, I’m just going to tell you to wait in the line. Download the Heads Up app to play with some friends, make some new friends in line, and suck it up. Thank me after! The Na’vi River Journey is a nice relaxing boat ride too, but not worth a two-hour wait.

Finally, DinoLand has the great Dinosaur ride too. It’s a ride through time before the meteor hits. Worth a fast pass! Otherwise, DinoLand is a little juvenile. Stop and get a picture in the car with the triceratops on the way in or out.

Tips for visiting Animal Kingdom: use your fast passes on Na’vi River Journey, Kali River Rapids, and Dinosaur. Keep checking the wait times for Flight of Passage and get in line any time it’s less than two hours. To kill some time between fast passes, check out the Festival of the Lion King show and It’s Tough to Be a Bug 3D special-effects show under the Tree of Life.

Hollywood Studios (Formerly MGM Studios)

Hollywood Studios is the home of Disney movies, backstage magic, theater, and music. If you’re looking to watch great shows, star in your own show, learn how movies are made, or meet your favorite characters, Hollywood Studios is your spot.

Personally, I think one trip to Hollywood Studios is enough. I like to be awed and amazed and live in the fantasy world of movies. HOWEVER, Hollywood Studios is not the home of the Star Wars franchise. This means you can catch all your favorite Star Wars characters on stage, in a parade, or in the hangar where you can talk to them and take pictures.

If you’re a thrill seeker, you’ll want to use one of your fast passes for the Tower of Terror. I tried it once and it is not for me. If you like roller coasters, the Aerosmith Rock’n Roller Coaster will be up your alley. I also tried that once and I’m not a roller coaster person. Can you see why I’m not the biggest fan of Hollywood Studios yet?

But Hollywood Studios does have some good rides. The Toy Story Mania ride is one of my favorite rides and it’s tough to get a fast pass for this one. The Star Tours ride is a simulation (which made me a little motion sick) but it’s great for Star Wars nerds like myself. There are more Star Wars rides and a hotel coming soon too!

Tips for visiting Hollywood Studios: check the show times before you go so you can plan to catch a show, parade, or meet and greet! The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular is one of the longest-running shows in Disney World for a reason…go see it. If you have kids who love Star Wars, turn them into Jedis at Jedi Training! Stay for the Star Wars night-time show with Star Wars-themed desserts and drinks. Hollywood Studios is a Star Wars lover’s paradise!

Epcot

My favorite Disney World park. Travelers rejoice! You can now visit 11 countries in Epcot (and many more during special events like the Food and Wine Festival). Have a margarita in Mexico, visit Elsa and Anna in Norway, try some bubble tea in China, learn how to say cheers in Germany (spoiler alert, it’s Prost). Try some pasta in Venice’s San Marco’s Square, let Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain teach you about America’s history, eat hibachi in Japan, and try a crêpe with some delicious French wine in France. Pop into the British pub for some fish and chips in the UK or try to spot a moose and try a Canadian beer in Canada.

Once you make your way around the world, it’s time to think about your fast passes. Epcot has some great rides!

Soarin’ Around the World is one of the newer simulation rides where you fly over the globe. It usually has a long line since it’s on the newer side but you can probably find a fast pass for this ride. It’s a fast ride so if you wait for an hour or two, you’ll be disappointed. If you catch a fast pass and only wait 10 minutes, you’ll love it!

Spaceship Earth takes you through the history of earth in a slow-moving car, from pre-caveman days to present day. Spaceship Earth is inside the big iconic ball. It hasn’t been updated since probably the late 90’s so the technology of “modern-day” isn’t quite as advanced as real life. Still, it’s one of my favorite rides.

Not to be confused with Spaceship Earth, Mission: SPACE simulates an astronaut’s experience on a spaceship. If you get sick easily or don’t like motion, simulation, or roller coasters, don’t go on this one. My sister got duped into it and regretted it! Don’t confuse the two with similar names – choose your ride carefully!

Living With the Land is a boat ride that teaches you how nature affects growing food, and how Epcot has many sustainable restaurants that grows everything it uses in its restaurants right there in the Living With the Land greenhouse.

Test Track is one of the best rides that lets you test the various features of concept cars. You won’t want to go on Test Track after eating and drinking around the world because you test things like brakes, traction, rough road tests, torque, extreme conditions like heat and cold, and speed. It’s like a mini roller coaster.

Frozen Ever After is one of the most sought after rides in Epcot, mostly among kids. I was lucky enough to get a fast pass for this one and went on solo. It’s a cute ride but not worth waiting an hour for. There are better things to do in Epcot! Unless you have a relentless kid with you, that is.

Journey Into Imagination with Figment is an interesting ride that shows you how the Disney Imagineers create all the fun and excitement of Disney World. If you’ve ever thought about working for Disney as an Imagineer (engineer), this is the ride for you.

Don’t miss the Epcot aquarium! There’s a cute Finding Nemo ride inside that ends in the aquarium. See manatees, dolphins, local fish, and even a real life Nemo and Dory.

Finally, there are some shows in the Epcot world. Mexico has a cute boat ride inside the temple, China puts on a show, Japan puts on a show, Canada has a show, and America, Epcot’s host country, puts on a show.

Tips for visiting Epcot: Try a drink in every country! Pace yourself, there are 11 countries. If you go during the Food and Wine Festival, which I highly recommend, don’t make a dinner reservation anywhere. You can try small samples of food from each country for a smaller price! Schedule your rides for the morning. The countries don’t open until 11:00 am, but the park opens at 9:00 am. If you can get some of the most popular rides out of the way early (and before you eat or drink much), you can spend the rest of the day traveling the countries of the world.

One Park Per Day Vs. Park Hopper

Balance is key here. Do you want to see everything and have options but be worn out, or do you want to pace yourself and see everything just once? How much time are you spending in Orlando? Do you have time to see each park for only one day? If you’re going for a week, one park per day is probably the way to go. If you’re going for a quick weekend, you’re going to want the park hopper.

One Park Per Day	Park Hopper
Slower paced, more spread out	Fast-paced
See less each day	See more each day
Wake up later each morning	Exhausting
Only get one day in Epcot for dinner	Eat dinner in Epcot at different countries every night
Cheaper	More expensive
Each day is planned out	Lots of options each day
Easy choice of fast passes	Decide which park you want your fast pass in each day
If you don't get your fast pass the day you're in that park, you don't have a backup day	If you can't get on Avatar one day, try again the next day

Daily Tickets Vs. Annual Pass

One day, one park Disney World tickets start at $109. One day park hopper Disney World tickets start at $164. One day park hopper plus (with water parks, ESPN sports complex, golf course, and miniature golf courses) tickets start at $189. The price per day decreases as you add more days to your ticket.

Annual passes start at $849. Annual pass holders get special perks like free parking, photo pass downloads, dining discounts, gift and apparel discounts, sports and recreation discounts, tour discounts, and event and entertainment discounts. All annual passes are park hopper tickets. If you plan to go for more than 10 days over the course of a year, the annual pass is the way to go.

Vacation Packages

Vacation packages include a hotel on Disney property, free transportation to the parks, tickets to the parks, and early magic hours so you can go into the parks an hour before the general public. It’s perfect for early risers! If you want to get on that Avatar Flight of Passage ride before the masses, this is one trick. If you want to casually stroll through the parks and enjoy without the crowds, perfect!

I’ve looked into this option many times because it would save a lot of time and money to book the hotel and tickets together and not worry about parking or cars, but it’s an expensive option. You’re paying for the convenience. Once again, it comes down to balance. Is it more important for you to pay more but save time and have everything in one place? Or is it more important to budget travel to Disney World (if possible) and spend a little more time but save money? I’ve always opted for the latter.

Best Time to Visit Disney World

True or False: Disney is always crowded.

Actually, that’s false! There are days when it’s super crowded, days when it’s less crowded, and, believe it or not, there are days when there are more employees than customers. I’m hesitant to give up this little secret, but for my special friends, I will tell you.

Summer and holidays are the worst times to go to Disney World because everyone has the same idea. You don’t have to take days off of work, you don’t have to pull the kids out of school, everything just fits. Except you will be waiting in lines for days. And maybe only get on two rides.

Instead, plan your trip to Disney when school is in session. Try an off weekend in the fall when families are too busy getting back in the school groove to travel. If you need more than a Friday night to Sunday trip, Columbus Day weekend is a great three-day weekend in the fall to head to Disney.

Avoid blackout dates! Blackout dates means busy times. If you plan to buy a season pass, buy the cheapest one that has blackout dates because those are the times you won’t want to go anyway. Save money, time, and your sanity.

Finally, the big secret. Go to Disney World during a hurricane! Disney rarely closes. In fact, Disney World has only closed four times since it’s opening in 1971! But who wants to go on rides in a hurricane? If you don’t want to spend your days waiting in line, then you do. Try it and let me know how it goes!

How to Save Money?

Magic. There are no real ways to be a the system in Disney. They have mastered the art of beating the system. Just suck it up and buy the tickets on the Disney website. Anything offering discount tickets is most likely a scam that will take your money and leave you crying outside the parks.

With that said, there are a few websites that will save you a few dollars. Literally, maybe $3 per ticket. But $3 is $3, especially when you’re buying multiple tickets! Check out undercovertourist.com for park tickets, concert tickets, hotel deals, car rentals, etc.

The more days you book, the more you will save. If you plan to visit Disney for a few days, you could save money by buying single park day passes, but…see the pros and cons above.

If you’re a Florida resident, congratulations! Florida residents get super discounts, especially on annual passes. If you live in Florida, anywhere in Florida, it makes the most sense to buy the annual pass. Plus it gives you somewhere to go when you have a long weekend! Florida residents don’t get much of a discount on single day Disney tickets, the real savings come in the multi-day passes and especially the annual passes. And like I mentioned above, Florida residents have the option to choose different levels of season passes that include blackout dates for a cheaper price. Don’t be afraid to opt for these because blackout dates mean busy times that you probably want to avoid anyway. Enjoy the perks, Florida residents!

Weigh the costs of the vacation packages vs. renting a car, paying $20 for parking at each theme park, and hotel. There are tons of cheap hotels and motels near Disney World. You won’t spend much time in a hotel, so don’t worry about getting a cheap one. Most likely, this is the cheaper option. But if you have the time, weigh out the prices to see which makes more sense for you!

You can bring water and snacks into the parks. Bring a big S’well bottle of water in a backpack to avoid buying $3 20-ounce bottles of water on the hot sunny days. The only water bottle refilling station in all Disney parks is in the Avatar Flight of Passage waiting line.

If you have come across any other way of saving money in Disney World, let me know! I’ve tried for years and haven’t been able to beat the system. Disney is one of those things where you just have to expect to spend money, be okay with it, and enjoy your time!

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