I’ll add tips n tricks and info about other stuff that doesn’t fit into the other categories here.
When to Go
Anytime is a good time to go to Disney! However, certain times will definitely be more crowded than others. Usually, those will be times when kids have off from school, such as holidays and Spring Break weeks. There is no time when there are no crowds anymore, just less crowded than the most busy times. Definitely go into it expecting some wait times for most things, but if you plan accordingly, you should have a great time.
You can just do a search for Disney World crowd calendars to get an idea of what some expected crowd levels may be, but none of them will be 100% accurate and things like weather and current events will certainly affect the crowd levels.
MagicBands/MagicBand+
MagicBands are an optional nice-to-haves that you wear on your wrist. Think of it as an electronic bracelet form of your ticket card and you could use it to scan into everywhere you would normally scan your ticket card. After you buy one, you link it up to your Disney account so that it recognizes everything from your account. You can use it to scan in at the park entrances vs using your ticket card or phone mobile ticket, scan into ride lightning lanes if you bought them, charge purchases back to your Disney Resort room, open your resort room door, etc. The new MagicBand+ ones also have fun extras like sounds and lights that sync with certain things in the parks.
A lot of people like them because it’s more convenient to just wear it all the time instead of constantly having to take a ticket card in and out of your bag. Plus, for little ones, it’s more fun to use and a little harder to lose than a card. You don’t have to buy them for everyone in your party and there are tons of different designs to choose from.
Every park and resort, as well as Disney Springs, sells them, so you can buy them when you’re there for more options, or you can look online and buy them beforehand. Just make sure to account for shipping time. It seems to take longer than 2 weeks to get to most people in the United States. I don’t believe they even ship out of the country if you’re coming from out of the United States. If you’re staying at a Disney Resort you get a slight discount for buying them beforehand but there are limited designs.
If you have the old MagicBands still, they should still work permanently for scanning into the parks and rides as long as they’re linked to your Disney account. The only issue you may have is the RFID battery for the automatic ride photos. If it seems like you’re not getting your ride photos when you’re there, see my note below about looking up missing ride photos.
Memory Maker/PhotoPass
PhotoPass and Memory Maker are used interchangebly but technically, PhotoPass is the name of the photographers and photos they take. In addition, some rides also have an automatic ride photo. Memory Maker is the name of the photo packages you can buy to get the photos. Kinda confusing, I know. Basically, they all related to park and ride photos.
There are Memory Maker packages that let you buy all of your photos or just a certain quantity. You can buy an unlimited package to download all park and ride photos for your whole trip or buy individual downloadable or print photos. If you know for sure that you will want to buy your photos, there is a discount to buy a MemoryMaker package online at least 3 days before your park visit. If you buy them while you’re there, at least for the unlimited package, just know that it may not kick in right away and it may not include that current day’s photos so you would have to buy them separately too.
The parks will have official Disney PhotoPass photographers all around to capture your visit. You’ll see them in bright green uniforms and big cameras around park entrances and other photo worthy spots. You do have to line up for them, they’re not roaming around capturing you candidly. Some spots may have longer lines than others, so look around to see if there’s a better spot. There will usually be several photographers around the park entrances especially.
There is no cost to have them take your pictures. You’ll only pay if you want to buy the pictures later, if you haven’t already pre-purchased them. They will ask to scan your park ticket when you take the pictures and the pictures will automatically appear in your Disney account with a watermark, unless you’ve already pre-purchased the unlimited MemoryMaker package. Depending on the package you buy, you will get an icon to download each picture. If you have a ton of pictures, I recommend doing it from the website instead of the app since the website gives you an option to download them all at once.
Nowadays, almost all of the rides that have ride photos will automatically link them onto your Disney account via facial recognition or RFID based on your park ticket or MagicBand as you’re riding. They’ll usually show up in your account within an hour after you ride it, usually even just within a few minutes. If it doesn’t seem to be working for you, I recommend you start taking a picture of yourself or whatever right before you’re about to get on that ride, purely to get a date/time stamp. Keep a running note of the ride names and date/time you rode it for any ride photos you’re missing. Then, before you leave that park for the day, go to the PhotoPass Center in that park, usually up front near the entrance, and ask them to look up your photo based on that date/time stamp you noted. They can then manually add it to your account.
Many people ask if it’s worth it to get the MemoryMaker. I say it depends on how much you value pictures. This is a great way to get pictures of everyone in your group together. There’s usually one person in the group that ends up being the designated photographer and they’re never in your trip pictures. This is a great way to get everyone included, especially if this is a rare trip. These will be great memories to have afterwards. And of course, nowadays with social media, everyone wants to share their trip pictures, so if you’ve bought the memory maker beforehand, you can download them right away and share them while you’re still there. Of course you can always take selfies, but you won’t get ride photos that way, and they’re usually the best ones.
At Disney World, if you purchase the Genie+ service, you will automatically get your ride photos included and downloadable for that day/park, but not the PhotoPass pictures that the photographers take around the parks. So, if you also want those, it may be worth it to buy a MemoryMaker package so you can download those as well. Also, if you may not be buying the Genie+ service every day of your trip or at all parks, this would be a way to get the ride photos from those parks included. You’ll find that if you end up onesie-twosie buying photos, it actually may be more cost-effective just to buy the unlimited MemoryMaker package from the get-go.
Note that if you are linked to other Family and Friends in your Disney account, then you will be able to see all of the photos that they take and vice versa. Only one person in your group needs to buy a MemoryMaker package in order to get the photos for everyone that they see.
Other Things to Do
Besides just going to do park rides, there are many other things you can do on Disney property. Be sure to catch the shows and parades and just soak in the overall atmosphere. Look all around you, there are often Easter eggs hidden in the walls and other decor. Of course, always keep an eye out for hidden Mickeys! Try the fun, unique snacks too. You may even be able to go to Guest Services at the parks and resorts to ask for scavenger hunt sheets. Many have them.
Some parks have fun extras you can do, such as the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Magic Kingdom where your little ones can do a fun makeover (additional cost and needs to be reserved 60 days beforehand, usually sells out fast) or you can walk up to a certain places in the parks and ask for a glittery “pixie dust”. At the Magic Kingdom Barber shop, you can even get a haircut. At Animal Kingdom, kids can pledge to become a Wilderness Explorer. At EPCOT, there are KIDCOT tables around each country where kids, or even kids at heart, can go around to do activities related to each country. Ask the cast members if there are any special events or activities going on the day you’re there.
The Disney Resorts often have movies and activities for resort guests. Fort Wilderness especially has many activities on property such as campfires, horseback riding, and even archery. You don’t even have to be a resort guest to do some of them. Some resorts have scavenger hunts and seasonal activities as well. Ask at Guest Services if you’re visiting or staying at a resort about any activities going on while you’re there. We love resort hopping to check out what’s going on at the other resorts and eat at the restaurants whenever we’re there.
The Disney Springs area also provides a ton of restaurants, shopping, and other entertainment. There’s an AMC movie theater, Cirque du Soleil, Splitsville bowling, and many other fun activities going on there usually. Every time we go, there seems to be a new restaurant to try out. If it’s one that needs a reservation, you can book them in the Disney app like any of the other Disney restaurants and some are even bookable in the OpenTable app with different availability than you’ll see in the Disney app, so check both. You can catch a free Disney bus there from any of the Disney resorts, and if you have a car, there are free parking garages there.
Ways to Save Money
Often, Disney runs sale offers for Disney resort rooms, park tickets, or dining packages. Check the Offers section on the Disney site or work with an authorized Disney travel planner who can stay on top of the sale offers for you and apply them to your trip even after you’ve purchased it.
You can also stay at cheaper Disney resorts or non Disney hotels and not buy park hoppers, special events tickets, Genie+ passes, dining plans, or extravagant souvenirs. Bring Disney themed clothes and trinkets with you instead of buying them there. There are tons online and even at stores like Target and Walmart, especially the ones near the parks if you have a car, for way less. Just go with the proper expectations and strategies and you will still have a great time.
You can also save money on your Disney trip by buying discounted gift cards beforehand. Places like Costco, BJ’s, and Target often sell Disney gift cards at a discounted price or with some cash back on your credit card that will give you some net savings. If you have a trip coming up, start hinting for Disney gift cards for your holiday or birthday gifts. You can use the Disney gift cards to pay for your Disney resort, park tickets or any dining and merchandise purchases in the parks and resorts.
If you end up with a lot of gift cards, you can combine them all on the Disney Gift Card site. Note that this site merely lets you transfer the value of one card to another, not meant to store your cards. You still need to hold on to the cards with the money left on them to use them.
Most importantly, in case you might get a refund on any purchases made with the gift cards, the refunds will automatically go back to the gift card you used, so do not throw them away!!
If you utilize credit card points, you can often find flights to Orlando with those points and if you’re staying at certain off-site hotels, you may be able to utilize your points for them as well.
There are some third party sites that sell slightly discounted park tickets and sometimes even resort packages, but make sure to do the research to ensure that you’re buying from a reputable source. Also, calculate to the final price including taxes and fees to ensure that you’re comparing apples to apples. I often find that they don’t offer a tremendous price difference when all is said and done. Also, if you purchase tickets and resort packages directly from Disney, they will often work with you in case you have to make any changes, where are some of these third party purchases may be non-refundable, so be sure to check the fine print.
You may also see those billboards advertising very cheap park tickets. Be very leery of those as they may be scams or timeshare sales where you have to sit through hours of pressured lectures before you get the tickets. Time is money and you don’t want to waste your limited time sitting through that.
Packing
Most times of the year, the Orlando area will be hot and humid, but it is also prone to get short afternoon storms and could even get slightly chilly at night depending on what you’re used to. So, for the most part, shorts and t-shirts, and most importantly, comfy walking shoes will suffice, but bring some ponchos and perhaps a light jacket.
Since so many things are dependent on the Disney app nowadays, the most important thing you should bring is a battery charging pack and charging cords for your phones. At the most minimum, I can just go to the parks with my phone (park tickets and credit cards on my phone) and my battery charger now.
Ideally, just bring a small day bag or crossbody purse with your phone, battery charger, and minimum care items to the parks each day.
Don’t overpack. I see lots of people online seemingly bringing their whole closets and pantries. We did that too for our first trip, but ended up with tons of clothes we didn’t wear and food we didn’t eat. Just bring an outfit for every day, extra comfy shoes, water wear if you’re planning on pool or water park days, outfits for any special events you might be going to, any special medication or unique hard to get items, and of course, your tickets, phones, and wallets. If anything, come with some extra space in your luggage to have room for souvenirs.
If necessary, you can always order things from Amazon to ship to your hotel or use delivery services from local supermarkets for same-day delivery nowadays.
Yes, it will be hot and sticky, but you won’t really want to waste time going back to your hotel to change in the middle of the day, so don’t pack multiple outfits for each day. Just bring a deodorant and maybe some body wipes in your day bag if you want to be able to freshen up. The hotels and resorts will have the standard shampoos and body washes, so no need to pack those either.
There are baby care centers inside each park for feeding, diaper changing, and other basic care needs. Of course, having a baby or young child will have its own set of challenges, so definitely bring any necessary items for their care.
There are first aid stations in every park for band-aids, pain and motion sickness medicine, and other basic care, so no need to bring your whole medicine cabinet either. Obviously, if you have prescription medicine or hard to get items, then definitely bring those. All the hair products and makeup will be useless in the humidity, so pare down to some minimum basics that are waterproof.
Yes, you could save money by bringing all your food, but there will be so many fun foods there that you’ll want to try, and you will not eat as much as you think. You can get free cups of water at any of the counter serve restaurants around the parks, so no need to bring tons of water bottles. Plus, you will get so tired of lugging that heavy backpack around the park all day with all that stuff in it. It’ll also make it harder to get on to rides with a huge bag.
Email me for a detailed Disney prep/packing spreadsheet if you’d like.
View my list of some travel products that I’ve found useful.
Also, look thru my blog posts for related Disney World info or just ping me if you have any specific questions about these or any other trip topics.
Planning | Parks | Resorts | Tickets | Genie | Dining | Transportation | MDE | Other Stuff
Adventures By Anne 