Alright friends. It’s Disney World vacation time. Finally, after months and months of planning. So. Much. Planning. Nothing left to do but enjoy! It may seem daunting at first, but understanding the special terms and lingo and following a few tips in advance can make all that planning easy-peasy, and totally worthwhile in the end. So here’s some practical info to get you started.
Once you’ve reserved your hotel and made your transportation plans, you’re ready for the nitty gritty details of all that magic you’re going to enjoy. Theme park tickets and park hopper upgrades? Fast Passes? ADRs? Magic Express? Magic Bands? What?? Don’t freak out! It seems so complicated, but really, it’s just Disney talk for simplifying the whole vacation experience. If you are a compulsive planner, today’s your lucky day. If you fly by the seat of your pants, well, take a few notes to spare yourself a headache later. Let’s break it down, shall we?
Magic Express: This is Disney’s complimentary ground transportation from the airport for guests staying at a Disney resort. It’s reliable, comfortable, gracious, easy and free. If this option applies to your plans, be sure and indicate in your My Disney Experience reservations.
Theme Park Tickets: Available in single or multi-day uses, this is what gets you into the various parks–Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. You decide how many days you want to spend at each park during your vacation and purchase accordingly. One park per day, per pass, generally. If a Disney water park visit is on your agenda, you’ll be able to add that option to your ticket package with or without a Park Hopper upgrade. Keep reading.
Park Hopper: Upgrade your tickets to this option if you want the flexibility of visiting more than one theme park in a day. You can come and go as often as you like between the 4 parks. I love having this option. We might enjoy the Animal Kingdom in the morning, return to our resort for swimming or naps, then hop over to the Magic Kingdom in the evening for the nighttime shows and fireworks. It may or may not be the right thing for your group, but we really like this plan.
Magic Bands: This is Disney’s new paperless access to pretty much everything you’ll be doing at Disney World. The bracelet/wrist band functions as your key to your Disney resort room, your entrance ticket to all the parks, your Fast Pass access, even your form of payment within the resorts and parks. You establish which bands in your group have purchasing power. About 30 days prior to your arrival, Disney mails your customized bands directly to you, so don’t forget to pack them in your carry on.
Fast Passes: A Fast Pass allows you to bypass the main standby line for most of the attractions throughout Disney World. Not just rides, but also live shows and character meet-n-greets. Simply head to the attraction you’d like to visit later in the day, scan your magic band (or grab an actual Fast Pass) and return to that attraction during the designated window of time. You’ll have a much shorter wait. Keep in mind that very popular attractions sometimes reach their maximum Fast Pass allotment by the afternoon. Fast Pass+ is available to Disney Resort guests and allows them to pre-select up to 3 Fast Pass attractions. So, you’ll know that 3 of your favorite attractions will have short wait times. Fast Pass + can be selected up to 180 days in advance. Once your 3 are used for the day, you can try for additional Fast Passes that same day.
Dining Plan: This is essentially a pre-paid way to eat each day at Disney World. There are a few different plans available, offering varying combinations of restaurants. These include quick service (counter-type restaurants, food trucks, etc.) or table service meals, signature dining (premier, often upscale restaurants), snacks (like those Mickey ice cream bars) and character meals (like dining in the castle with Cinderella herself). Most people love the dining plant. But. After checking menus and comparing costs we realized it wouldn’t really be an advantage for our family and our plans. Desserts and soft drinks are usually included with your dining plan meal credits. Gratuity is not. If you like to eat several large meals each day, though, or if you really love to do character dining experiences, then a dining plan might be a great fit for you. I found the whole process of tracking meal credits and which dining locations qualify a bit tedious, but many people find it convenient and money-saving. Do your own math here.
Advanced Dining Reservations. ADRs. There are dozens of wonderful places to eat at WDW. Some of the best places are, understandably, extremely popular. If you have your heart set on having a particular meal at one of the famed table service restaurants, you’ll need to make your ADRs in advance, up to 180 days. That’s right, 6 months ahead of your arrival date. Many of the best spots fill up quickly, so don’t count on getting in at the last minute. All of this can be done online or over the phone. Quick service restaurants don’t do ADRs, so plan to eat at slightly off-hours, like 11 am, 4 pm, or late evening to reduce wait times.
My Disney Experience: This is the best. Really. It does just about everything for you, including sending you updates & reminders as your arrival date nears. You can track, plan or make changes to every detail of your itinerary here. Reservations for resorts, ADRs, notes for each day, your Fast Pass selections (again with the 180 days in advance), theme park tickets, Magic Band info, water park tickets, and so on. And it’s easy to share with the other guests in your group so everyone has all of the same info. Can be used on your desktop and via smartphone app, so it’s always handy.
It is a lot of planning and preparing, but now that you are armed with a bit of basic knowledge, it will be a cinch! You could wing it of course, or you could plan every hour of every day. I land somewhere in between–planning ahead for things that are most important to us, but leaving plenty of flexibility for surprises. Either way, it’s going to be a magical time.
For a bit more info on this whole planning process, check out my plans here and here. Feel free to email me if you have more questions or suggestions! I’ll be back soon with recaps on our favorite experiences and packing tips.
Kimberly
...by day, making a home where the buffalo roam. By night, pretty much the same thing, punctuated by the occasional fantasies of sunny beaches, italian movies and sparkling lemonade.
