If you’re planning your first time to Disney World — WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR YOU! You get to experience the magic of Disney for the first time! It is going to be great.
You may be looking at all things Disney and possibly feeling overwhelmed. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ve got a list of 13 must know things for your first ever Disney visit.
It is important to read through these items so that you don’t become a Kingdom Casualty and never return to the land of Mickey.
Today we are talking Disney World philosophy. We’re not focusing on which attraction is best, or is this hotel better than that one. We want you to focus on seeing Disney World in the big picture!
We have boiled it down to these things you really need to know:
13 Things You Need to Know for Your First Time to Disney World
1. Disney World has 4 parks.
There are 4 parks at Walt Disney World in Orlando. (You already know that? You are way ahead of the curve!)
These 4 parks are the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you have 4 days, you should spend one day at each park. If you have extra days, we recommend at least two days at Magic Kingdom, especially if this is your first visit to Walt Disney World.
Be aware that you won’t be able to do everything in each park! You will want to try to prioritize the things you most want to get done or see in each park. There are things you can do to help save some time, but it is best to get in the mindset that you just won’t see it all.
2. You need to use the Disney Experience app.
Disney has a great app called My Disney Experience. Download it now! It’s ok, we’ll wait until you’re done.
(We’ll just hum the jeopardy theme song while you are doing this.) Ok, got it? Just for fun, check the current wait times for the attractions you most want to visit!
You’ll need to use the app as you make your reservations and go to the parks so play around with the app and become very familiar with it. You will need to use this app to book your Lightning Lanes, dining reservations, check hotel reservations – literally everything. Poke around on this app well before you need to start booking things. This app will be your new best friend when you are at Disney World – and during your planning.
3. You need to plan your trip well in advance.
Start planning your trip early! How early? Ideally you want to start planning 9 months in advance.
If you are trying to decide when to go, this post about the best time to book a Disney vacation will help you.
If it is under 6 months before you go, you can still pull it off but you need to devote some serious time to your planning, especially if this is your first visit and are hoping to accomplish a lot. We are talking a part time job here! You can do it. We will be your biggest cheerleaders! There is plenty of material out there to help you.
4. You need to understand Lightning Lanes.
The current system is called Lightning Lanes and it is the best way to avoid long wait times at attractions. It can be a little confusing to use, but with a little bit of prep work you can use it to your advantage to skip lines. You can check out our “Lightning Lanes made simple guide” here.
Lightning Lanes cost extra money, so it is something we recommend factoring into your budget. At bare minimum, try to get Lightning Lanes for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
5. Early to bed, early to rise.
Arrive to the parks early! In our opinion, you absolutely cannot sleep in and enjoy Disney World. Get up and get going early! Rope dropping helps us knock off some of our favorite rides before the lines get too long.
In order to get to the parks early, your night will have to be devoted to sleep. We have learned that children without sleep become cranky and irritable (even at Disney World!!) and angry and other things we don’t want to talk about.
In order for this to not happen, we need to make sure they get sleep. You may be thinking: “But what about the fireworks? Uncle Ned went to Disney World and said the fireworks are amazing! Did Uncle Ned lie?”
Nope. He told you the truth, but you can’t have it all!
Here is a compromise. On the last day you are going to the Parks, stay late, watch the fireworks and do other night things that are cool.
Plan a later flight home so the kids can sleep in.
6. Stay at a Walt Disney World Resort.
If at all possible financially, try to stay at one of the Walt Disney Resort Hotels. The two biggest reasons are: Tinker Bell will tuck you in and it gives you an edge in getting to the parks.
Ok, we jest. Tinker Bell won’t tuck you in but you are surrounded by the magic of Disney. Staying on site makes the trip extra special for your children – and you. It is very special to never leave the “Disney bubble” while you are on your Disney trip.
It is true that you have an advantage getting into the park! Every Disney resort guests are able to get into the parks 30 minutes before everyone else! Disney has magic hours at night that gives those who stay at a deluxe Disney resort extra time in the parks. We have a rundown of the pros and cons of staying on or off site here.
7. You need to start exercising now.
Get in shape. You are going to be a walking a ton in the parks so start working out before you go! On average you will be walking 10-12 miles per day. On our last trip we walked over 40 miles in three and a half days!
Make sure that you and your children are up for this before you go. The Disney rash is a real thing, and exercising will help you avoid it.
Here’s how to increase your steps and get in shape for your Disney trip (notice we didn’t say a marathon…we’re keeping things easy and attainable here).
8. Know you will spend money. A lot of money.
We get asked this a lot: Someone told me it costs a lot of money to go to Disney World. Is that true?
Yes it is. There really is no way around it. The sooner you accept this fact the more fun you will have planning your trip. There are ways to cut some costs, but you need to accept the fact that you will be spending a ton of cash on this trip.
Speaking of cash…don’t go into debt to go to Walt Disney World. It simply is not worth it. You don’t want to be paying off your trip 5 years later – with added interest!
9. You can find ways to make Disney less expensive.
Check out number 8 if you are randomly skimming these great tips. Actually, there are quite a few ways to ease the burden of how expensive it is but the bottom line is Disney World is not cheap but it IS worth it.
We have 23 tips to help cut some costs here. We also have some ideas for how to save up to $1500 for a family of five. For example, you do not have to buy Disney ears or Disney clothes. You also do not need to buy brand new shoes for your trip, despite what all the Disney Facebook groups claim.
10. Make dining reservations early.
Unfortunately, you can rarely just “show up” at a restaurant at Disney World and get in. Just like you figured out Lightning Lanes, you need to figure out dining reservations. You can start reserving dining options 60 days before your trip. We have all the Disney dining reservation information you need here.
If you are hoping to do a character dining experience you will need to get reservations. Many of the more unique dining options, such as Space 220 and Oga’s Cantina require reservations. Think of it this way – if you are sitting down and have a server, assume you need reservations.
You can always do fast food style eating which is called counter service. You can do counter service dining without reservations, but if you are eating greasy hamburgers every day, your kids will likely start to become sick and cranky and irritable.
There are some great quick service options at the parks that give you salads, sandwiches, and other great options. Lucky for us, Disney has all the menus on their website!
Just figure out the dining options long before you go! Try to hit up at least one sit down restaurant during your trip.
11. You need to plan for the heat.
It gets really hot in Florida! Especially in the summer! Dress appropriately. Make sure to drink lots of water. Consider bringing extra hydration options like Liquid IV.
Counter service places do offer water free of charge even if you are not eating a meal, so take advantage of this and bring your own water bottle. Plan breaks into your day. Don’t let the heat ruin your trip – plan for it.
There are quite a few shows and attractions that are in the air conditioning, These are not only fantastic to watch, but you get a nice break from the heat.
12. Magic Bands are magical!
You want to consider purchasing a fun bracelet (even if you are a macho guy and don’t wear bracelets…) called a MagicBand.
This thing gets you into your hotel room, buys you souvenirs, gets you into parks and attractions and at the end of the day it magically goes off your wrist and goes to sleep on your nightstand. (Everything I just said is true except one thing…can you figure it out?).
We personally love MagicBands. You can re-use them on multiple trips, which helps to justify the cost. We do want to note that MagicBands are 100% not necessary, so don’t feel like you have to purchase them if you are on a tight budget. You can use your phone or a free Key to the World card.
13. There’s lot of different transportation in the parks.
Transportation is free throughout all the parks and resorts. They have buses, the monorail, the Disney Skyliner and boats! Disney pays for it! Aren’t they nice?
In all seriousness, staying on site gets you amazing transportation options. You do not have to drive to any of the parks (unless you want to). One thing to note – there are no transportation options to go from hotel to hotel. So if you are staying at POP Century and have reservations at Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary, you will either need to drive, Uber, or take transportation to a park and then another transportation option to the Contemporary.
Get the lowdown on all resort transportation right here.
We are just scratching the surface here, but these are some of the key things you need to know before you start planning your Walt Disney World Vacation!
If you have not planned your Disney dates yet, be sure to check out our crowd calendar to see when Disney has lower attendance. Low attendance days will also help you avoid lines – you can check out all our other tips to avoid long lines at Disney here!