making the most out of your time in the parks

map out your park days: have a game plan! set a schedule ahead of time for which park you plan to visit each day. have your dining and lightning lanes scheduled ahead of time for each of your park visits. don’t stress so much over the planning. keep in mind that things can change like crowd size or weather conditions. be flexible. dining reservations and lightning lanes can always be rescheduled. you can easily make changes to your park day (changing the park you planned to visit to another park) now that you no longer have to schedule a park visit. checking the wait times at each park is helpful in planning your day. you can even make adjustments to move you day to a different park the morning of your park visit.
park maps: view the park map before you head out for your park visit. know what attractions you want to ride and what shows you want to see. view wait times and show times. most importantly know what you DON’T want to do. this will help you streamline your park visit to get in all your planned attractions and shows at each park.
park hours & events: check your my disney app ahead of time to view each park opening and closing. this will help you determine which park you want to visit each day. we recommend avoiding magic kingdom on weekends and mondays: weekends are predictably busy at disney. since most families arrive over a weekend or on a monday, they tend to head straight to magic kingdom as their first park stop. choose animal kingdom or epcot as your weekend visit.
lightning lanes: lightning lanes are express lines that allow guest to skip the regular line for some attractions at disney. you can purchase lightning lane passes through the my disney experience app at an extra added cost. lightning lane passes typically cost between $20 & $40 per person, depending on the park, date, and whether you choose a single lightning lane pass or a multi-day pass. prices are driven by the demand and peak day seasons. passes grant you shorter line waits for certain attractions (usually 15 to 20 minute wait). you can book up to three rides or shows in advance for multi-day passes with specific return window times. once you have experienced one of your attractions using your lightning lane pass, you can book another one. didn’t purchase a lightning lane pass with your ticket package? not a problem. you can add a lightning lane pass to your disney park ticket on the day of your visit by accessing your my disney experience app.
early park entry: if you are staying at a disney resort to get ahead of the crowds, take advantage of the 30 minute early theme park entry. recommendation: we do not normally purchase the lightning lane passes, but just arrive at the parks early enough for a lesser wait time on our favorite rides. this is a money savings cost if you do not want to spend the extra money on lightning lane passes (see our pixie dust tips about rope drop).
dining reservations: book dining reservations 60 days in advance through your my disney experience app to ensure a seat at your favorite restaurant. 60 day advanced bookings are for all guests, whether you stay at an on-site and off-site resort or hotel. it is wise to book a dining reservation at the park you plan to visit that day.
should you book a dining experience?: it is a magical experience if you book a dining experience at disney, but it will “eat up” your time in the parks. to save time and money, book one great dining experience. this gives flexibility and more time to enjoy all the rides and attractions during your park visit. we recommend an early breakfast for park and resort dining (you can get into the parks early with dining reservations). this gives you a jump start on getting to your favorite rides early. a breakfast reservation gets your day started on a magical note and gives you the rest of your day to enjoy your park visit without any interruptions. besides it cuts out wait time in long lines for character autographs and pictures. during your dining reservation characters come right up to your table. our top 5 favorite dining experiences for families: ohana’s at the polynesian resort (dining with lilo & stitch and mickey, family style serving of food and close to magic kingdom), chef mickey’s at contemporary resort (mickey & friends, buffet style, and close to magic kingdom), crystal palace at magic kingdom (winnie the pooh and friends, buffet style, & early access into magic kingdom), tusker house at animal kingdom (donald duck, mickey mouse, daily duck, & goofy, buffet style, dancing with the characters, and early access to animal kingdom) and the hoop-dee-doo musical revue at the fort wilderness campground (nightly– live entertainment, family style serving of food, & drinks).
mobile orders: if you plan to purchase food in the parks, mobile order through your my disney experiences app ahead of time. you will be notified when your order is ready. recommendation: eat during non-peak hours. if you are getting your day started early, eat lunch early too, this saves lots of time since ride wait times increase in the afternoons.
attractions you want to see: choose your topic 5 attractions and plan your day around those. this will eliminate any overwhelming feelings and helps avoid exhaustion. keep the mind set that you might not be able to do all that the park offers in one visit.
experiences: choose your topic 2 experiences and get those in. there are so many things to do and see so plan ahead. you might want to meet your favorite princess, crush a penny (park penny collecting was a favorite past-time of my kids when they were younger), watch a parade, snack around the park, or try to pull the sword from the stone in fantasyland. check all parade and show times to plan your day.
single rider line: want to cut back on wait times? utilize the single rider lines. note: not all attractions use the single rider lines and you will not be able to ride with your party. this is best for adults and teens. four attractions offer single rider options: rock ‘n’ roller coaster (under construction to be re-themed) & smugglers run at hollywood studios, test track at epcot (currently being refurbished), & expedition everest at animal kingdom.
rider switch: traveling with young children and afraid you won’t be able to ride your favorite rides? disney offers a rider switch option. there are some rides that young kids might not be able to ride due to height restrictions or just plan fear factor. in these instances, a parent can ride with one child while the other parent waits with the other child outside the attraction. once one parent is done riding, the other parent can jump right back on in line through the lightning lane entrance. this means that one child gets to ride twice!

DISNEY PARK PLANNING MAGICAL INSIDER TIPS

best days to visit: mid-week

pixie dust tips: avoid monday and most weekends. magic kingdom is where most people like to start their trip and since most people arrive at their resorts over a weekend or on a monday, it tends to get a bit crowded on these days. we recommend scheduling two days at magic kingdom during your visit to get in all your favorite attractions and shows .

magic kingdom

best days to visit: mid-week (wednesday or thursday)

pixie dust tips: since there are not as many attractions and shows at this park, it can get a bit crowded with extra long wait times. a weekday visit give you more time to explore and enjoy its popular attractions and shows. you might even be able to get in more than one spin on your favorite rides. arriving early or staying late are a plus.

hollywood studios

best days to visit: any day (preferably wednesday & sunday)

pixie dust tips: epcot is your flex day park. if you are going to visit a park on a busy day, epcot is the park for you. it is a massive park, people can easily spread out so it doesn’t feel so crowded.

epcot

best days to visit: any day (preferably weekends)

pixie dust tips: animal kingdom is another park that offers you breathing room on a crowded day at disney. it typically experiences lower crowds than the other disney parks. plus it has unique shows that can seat many people at one time.

animal kingdom

Pixie Dust Tips

rope drop: rope drop is when the park officially opens. if you are not staying at a disney resort collection, arrive 30-60 minutes early for rope drop. although, you can not head straight to the rides, you can strategically place yourself at the entrance of the land or area of the park you want to visit first. this ensure the shortest possible wait for your favorite rides to maximize the magic of your day. disney resorts: for early theme park entry days, arrive 30 minutes before the early entry set time.
maximize your time: to maximize your time, we don’t recommend visiting a park the day you arrive since you wouldn’t get a full day in the park (unless you arrive really early and are late hours people). take time to enjoy all your hotel has to offer; the beautiful grounds, pools, food, movies, etc. this is usually the day my family and i plan time to visit disney springs. don’t forget about 2025 free water park pass on check-in day.
other resorts: did you know if you stay at a disney resort, you can visit other disney resorts? hop on the monorail, a bus, or the skyliner and explore all that the disney resorts have to offer.
after hours: if your family members are night owls, book a disney after hours event the day of your arrival. this though is an extra added cost. these ticketed events have shorter wait times for attractions and character meet and greets.
riding attractions during parades: if you are ok skipping a parade, we recommend riding all your favorite attractions while the disney parade or fireworks show is going on. less wait time and beautiful views of the fireworks.
plan for a break: it is ok to schedule a break time. if you are staying at a disney resort, we recommend going back your resort midday to nap, eat, or enjoy the pool for a bit. this gives you time to relax & rejuvenate, especially if you got an early start to you day. you can return to the park later and stay until it closes. don’t want to return to your resort? schedule a dining reservation for lunch or drop in to watch a show to sit down and rest your feet.