I’ll add tips, tricks, and info about stuff that doesn’t fit 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 search for Disney World crowd calendars to get an idea of expected crowd levels, but none of them will be 100% accurate, and weather and current events will certainly affect the crowd levels.
MagicBands/MagicBand+
MagicBands are optional nice-to-haves that you wear on your wrist. Think of it as an electronic bracelet form of your ticket card that you could use to scan into places where you would typically 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, but they do need to be charged each night for that part to work. You can use them without charging them for normal scanning; they just need to be charged for the sounds and lights.
A lot of people like them because it’s more convenient to wear them all the time instead of constantly having to take a ticket card in and out of your bag. Plus, for little ones, they’re 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, but most Disney shops have many different designs if you are interested.
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 from outside 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 still have the old MagicBands, they should work permanently to scan 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 interchangeably, but technically, PhotoPass is the name of the photographers and the 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. It’s kind of confusing, I know. Basically, they are all related to park and ride photos.
Memory Maker packages 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 entire trip or buy individual downloadable or print pictures. If you know 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 the current day’s photos, so you would have to buy them separately, too.
The parks will have official Disney PhotoPass photographers around key photo op locations to capture your visit. You’ll see them in bright green uniforms and big cameras around park entrances and other common photo-worthy spots. You do have to line up for them; they’re not roaming around capturing you candidly. Some places 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. The pictures will automatically appear in your Disney account with a watermark unless you’ve already pre-purchased the unlimited MemoryMaker package. You will get an icon to download each picture, depending on the package you buy. If you have a ton of pictures, I recommend doing it from the website instead of the app since the website gives you the option to download them all at once.
Nowadays, almost all rides with 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 within a few minutes. If it doesn’t seem to work for you, I recommend you start taking a picture of yourself or whatever right before you get on that ride, purely to get a date/time stamp. Keep a running note of the ride names and the date/time you rode it for any photos you miss. 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 the 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 photos of everyone in your group together. Usually, one person in the group ends up being the designated photographer, and they’re never included in your trip pictures. This is a great way to get everyone included, especially if this trip is rare. These will be great memories to have afterward. And, of course, nowadays, everyone wants to share their trip pictures on social media, so if you’ve bought the memory maker beforehand, you can download them immediately 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 Lightning Lane 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 are not purchasing the Lightning Lane service every day of your trip or at all parks, this would be a way to include ride photos from those parks. You’ll find that if you end up buying pictures onesie-twosie, 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, you will be able to see all of the photos they take and vice versa. Only one person in your group needs to buy a MemoryMaker package to download the pictures of everyone that they’re linked with.
Other Things to Do
Besides just going to do park rides, you can do many other things on Disney property. Be sure to catch the shows and parades and soak in the 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 certain places in the parks and ask for a glittery “pixie dust.” At the Magic Kingdom Barbershop, 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 do activities related to each country. Ask the cast members if any special events or activities are happening the day you’re there.
The Disney Resorts often have movies and activities for resort guests. Fort Wilderness has many activities on the property, such as campfires, horseback riding, and even archery. You don’t have to be a resort guest to do some of them. Some resorts have scavenger hunts and seasonal activities as well. Ask 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 happening 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. Every time we go, there seems to be a new restaurant to try out. If you need a reservation, you can book one using the Disney app like any other Disney restaurant. Some are even bookable in the OpenTable app with availability different from what 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 and apply them to your trip even after you’ve purchased it.
You can stay at cheaper Disney resorts or non-Disney hotels and not buy park hoppers, special events tickets, Lightning Lane 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 there 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 at 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 many 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, and it is 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.
Some third-party sites sell slightly discounted park tickets and sometimes even resort packages but do the research to ensure you’re buying from a reputable source. Also, calculate the final price, including taxes and fees, to ensure that you compare apples to apples. They often 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 if you have to make any changes. Some third-party purchases may be non-refundable, so check the fine print.
You may also see billboards advertising very cheap park tickets. Be very leery of those, as they may be scams or timeshare sales where you must sit through hours of pressured lectures before getting the tickets. Time is money, and you don’t want to waste your limited time sitting through that.
Packing
The Orlando area is hot and humid most of the year, but it is also prone to 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 depend 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 bare minimum, I can just go to the parks with just my phone (I have park tickets and credit cards on my phone) and my battery charger now.
Ideally, you should just bring a small day bag or crossbody purse to the parks each day with your phone, battery charger, and minimum care items.
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 we ended up with tons of clothes we didn’t wear and food we didn’t eat. Just bring an outfit for every day, pj’s, extra comfy shoes & socks, water wear if you’re planning on pool or water park days, outfits for any special events you might be going to, any particular 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 stores for same-day delivery.
Yes, it will be hot and sticky, but you won’t want to waste time returning to your hotel to change in the middle of the day, so don’t pack multiple outfits for each day. Bring deodorant and some body wipes in your day bag if you want to freshen up. Most hotels and all Disney resorts will have standard shampoos and body washes, so there is no need to pack those, either.
Each park has baby care centers for feeding, diaper changing, and other basic care needs. Of course, I know having a baby or young child with you will add to what you need, so definitely bring any necessary items for their care.
There are first aid stations in every park for bandages, pain and motion sickness medicine, and other basic care, so you don’t need to bring your whole medicine cabinet. Obviously, if you have prescription medicine or hard-to-get items, then definitely bring those. Most hair products and makeup will be useless in the humidity, so pare down to some minimum waterproof basics.
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 counter-serve restaurant around the parks, so there is no need to bring many 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 helpful.
Also, look through 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 | Lightning Lane | Dining | Transportation | MDE | Other Stuff
Adventures By Anne 