I Used To Work At Disney World, And Here Are 18 Tips Nobody Else Will Tell You
Hi! I'm Audrey, and I used to work at Walt Disney World. Aside from being a former cast member, I'm a born Floridian and passholder, so I've been there a time or two.
You can definitely be good at going to Disney. How do I know? When I eventually visited Disneyland a few years ago for the first time, I was bad at it. Not knowing what the crowd will do, where things are, or not having a game plan means you spend a long time just walking around and not actually doing anything.
So here are some time-saving and headache-saving tips I've learned about Disney World from all my times being there that will hopefully make you feel like you're maximizing your time!
1.If meeting characters is a must, character dining kind of rocks.
You can eat, and the characters will come to you while you're in the air conditioning. You can get your autographs and photos there, and it'll save you having to wait in line to meet some A-listers like Mickey and Minnie or Anna and Elsa.
2.Check the alley between American Adventure and Italy for characters.
On certain days, typically mid-day, sometimes characters will come out between the American Adventure and Italy pavilions. They're unannounced, so they typically have short lines.
3.Don't stop at Spaceship Earth in the morning.
Please, if you go to Epcot, never stop at Spaceship Earth first thing in the morning. You will be doing the same thing everyone else does. Spaceship Earth has, like, a 60-minute wait in the morning because its everyone's first stop. At night, you can basically walk straight on the ride.
4.Ask about rain locations.
Characters who typically meet outside also have a designated rain location, where they'll go for inclement weather. The rain locations aren't on the map or updated on the app, so they typically don't have a line. If it's raining, keep your eyes peeled for characters in covered areas!
5.Eat at one of my favorite places.
I'm not a huge fan of burgers; paying more than $15 for a meal makes me nauseous, and I don't have the foresight to book dining reservations a month in advance, so here are my dining recommendations if you're just like me:
At Epcot, the Boulangerie in the France pavilion. The jambon beurre sandwich is delish and comes in at $10.95.
At Animal Kingdom, Harambe Market and their Chicken and Rice bowl for $12.99.
At Hollywood Studios, Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo. My recommendation is the Felucian Garden Spread for $13.29. If they packaged and sold that hummus in bulk, I would buy it.
At Magic Kingdom, Sleepy Hollow and their Sweet and Spicy Chicken and Waffle Sandwich for $11.59.
6.Grab the free stuff!
Here's a shameless plug to another piece I've written, detailing all of the things you can get and do at Disney World for free. Why not, right?
7.Disney Photopass photographers will take photos on your camera for you so you can get a picture of everyone.
Give staff or Photopass photographers your personal phone for them to take pictures for you! All you have to do is ask, and that way, your whole party can get in the picture.
8.Bring a portable charger (or even your phone cord and plug).
It's really not hard to find an outlet at the parks or resorts, and your phone is going to run out of battery. You need it to access the app to book dining, order food, and check wait times, as well as, of course, picture taking. Your battery is going to drain. It's not going to drain as fast as it did in the days of Pokémon Go, but it'll be close.
9.Dine at a hotel and park for the day for free.
Here's a pro tip: Parking at the resorts is free if you have a dining reservation. If you choose to dine at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, or Contemporary, you can monorail, boat, or walk to the Magic Kingdom straight from the hotel.
10.Save your Photopass code as your screensaver.
If you don't have a MagicBand, Photopass will either scan a QR code on your phone to link your photos or they'll give you a Photopass card. If you don't want to worry about pulling out a card every time, you can save that QR code as your phone wallpaper so all you have to do is pull out your phone whenever you take pictures.
11.If you are thinking about going early in the a.m. or late in the p.m., go in the p.m.
I have one kid, and he's not of Disney-appreciation age, so maybe this tip is less practical for tots, but since crowds are lighter first thing in the morning and last thing at night, you'll have a much emptier park last thing at night after fireworks. A mid-day break back at the hotel where you can recharge your devices and your bodies isn't a bad idea since crowds peak in the early afternoon.
12.Use rider swap if you have people who can't ride.
Rider swap is a service Disney uses where someone can ride a ride while someone else stays with the person who can't ride, then the two people can switch and the person who stayed behind can go through the Lightning Lane to ride. Its a great way to get anyone eligible to ride the ability to experience it.
13.Watch parades literally anywhere other than Main Street.
The parade sneaks through the whole park. I'm not too sure why people pile up on Main Street to watch it. Watch it near the opposite end of the parade route in Frontierland to only deal with about 1/3 of the amount of people.
14.Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind have different experiences if you go multiple times.
On Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, depending on which part of the train you sit in, you'll be able to see different things on the ride. You'll be able to experience one of six different songs on Guardians of the Galaxy when you ride.
15.Take virtual queues seriously.
If the newest ride or attraction is on your to-do list, pay attention to its virtual queue and try to get on it. Virtual queues typically open twice a day. If you don't get in the virtual queue, you'll have to pay per person for an individual lightning lane if you want to ride it at all.
16.Plan a non-park day.
A day at a Disney park is exhausting. Not to mention, the resorts have so much to offer. Do yourself a favor and don't get tickets for every day so you don't feel the pressure to go to the parks every day. Take a day to wind down, go to the pool, go to Disney Springs, and hang out to give yourself a break.
17.Get the hug picture.
The BEST picture comes before the pose. Characters greet with a hug, and that's the money shot. Be ready with the shutter for when someone in your party is first introduced to the character.
18.Finally, being a nice person at the parks goes a long way.
Truly the worst versions of people come out when they're hot, broke, and tired. I bought a onesie a few weeks ago that didn't have a tag on it, so I brought one up to the register with a tag, then hung it back up for the cast member. When I came back to pay after hanging it back up, the cast member wrote me a pin that said I was an amazing human being. The bar is that low. Cast members go through it, and they have the power to make your day extra special, even if it's just a little pin. Be nice!
Do you have a Disney World tip you swear by? Tell us in the comments below!
