It takes a lot of planning when it comes to a Walt Disney World vacation. Often if you are the one doing all the planning, you might feel like it is a part-time job that you have taken on. Determining where to stay, what to eat, and what to ride are just a few of the major decisions that you will have to think about.
To help you make your planning a little easier, we are going to help answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding planning a trip to Walt Disney World. Your trip can be magical and we think answering these questions will help get you there.
When Will It Be Less Crowded?
Figuring out when to visit is the first step to planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Most want to visit when the Disney Theme Parks are less busy if possible.
Although there are a few times throughout the year, overall the Parks are starting once again to be pretty steady when it comes to crowds.
If you can avoid it when kids are out of school (holidays, spring break, and summer) this can help greatly with crowds.
After those times of the year, then think about if you can visit mid-week instead of the weekend. This can be helpful when it comes to avoiding large, local crowds.
We also recommend looking at Disney’s calendar to see if you can avoid some of the big events like runDisney Weekends that bring large crowds that you might not be aware of.
These are some of the tips we have when it comes to finding those less crowded times in Walt Disney World.
How Long Should We Plan on Staying?
If it was up to us we would always stay at least a week at Walt Disney World. We like to be able to see all four Parks, but also have time to slow down. There is no perfect amount of time, but think about what you want to accomplish and that can help guide your planning.
If you look at the fact that Disney offers four Theme Parks, we would recommend staying at least four to five days in order to visit all four Parks.
That is a good amount of time if you want to visit each Disney Park once; however, if you wish to visit them more than once we recommend more of a 6-7 day trip.
Staying longer allows Guests to enjoy the Resorts as well as the Theme Parks, giving them some room to revisit some of their favorites.
The big fact to keep in mind when determining how long to stay is to know that no matter how long you stay you won’t get everything completed on your Disney vacation, and that’s okay. You will have an excuse to visit the Walt Disney World Resort a second time.
Which Resort Should We Stay At?
Once you have figured out where you want to stay, then you will want to begin thinking about where you want to stay. Walt Disney World has over twenty Resorts on its property. These Resorts fall into three categories: value, moderate, and deluxe.
When deciding where to stay, you will want to think about your budget and then what you need and want from your Disney Resort stay.
If you are looking for a place to lay your head at night at a lower price point, you will want to look into Value Resorts. These provide Disney magic without a huge cost but are also very basic accommodations.
Moderate Resorts provide bigger rooms with more amenities such as dining options, more pools, and even slides at the pools. These are great if you want to spend some time at the Resort but also don’t want to break the bank.
For the best of the best in Disney World, you have the Deluxe and Deluxe Villa options. These are the highest price points but with good reason. The Deluxe Resorts are often closer to the Parks and offer unique transportation options like boats, Disney Skyliner, or monorail.
The amenities provided at these Resorts are top notch with some of the best dining and pools on Disney property. This is where you want to stay if you want to feel pampered.
Think about what you want out of your Disney Resort experience and then go from there to help make your decision on where to stay.
What Will the Weather Be Like?
We all hope for a sunny, beautiful vacation. When determining when we want to go, weather can play a big part in that decision. Typically, you will find a little of everything, but mostly hot and humid with a chance of rain.
Most months of the year are warm in Central Florida. It is one of the reasons we love going to visit.
Starting in mid-March sometimes all the way through November, you get hot and humid conditions. These days are tough in the Theme Parks and you will need to pack accordingly. The rest of the year the temperatures are all over the place. And yes, it can get cold in Florida.
Finally, there is rain. Starting in the summer months and running through fall and even into winter at times you can expect rain during the day at the Theme Parks.
Overall, we like to prepare for any weather when we head down to Disney World but maybe that’s why we are considered over-packers.
What is Disney Genie? Genie+? Individual Lightning Lanes?
A major question that we get now revolves around the new Disney Genie. This is a free planning app that helps Guests navigate their way around the Disney Parks.
Genie+ is a paid option that starts at $15 per day and can be up to $29 per day per person. Guests can add it to their Walt Disney World tickets. This gives Guests access to Lightning Lanes for over 40 attractions in the four Theme Parks during their Disney trip. Lightning Lanes are the actual queue lines that bypass the Standby Lines, providing Guests with a shortened Wait Time.
In each of the four Parks, there are rides that aren’t included with Genie+. If Guests are wanting to use the Lightning Lanes for these rides, they have to purchase them separately- or individually.
These rides can change as new rides and attractions come to the Parks. We have seen Avatar: Flight of Passage, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and we will soon see Tron: Lightcycle Run added to this list.
For more details and specifics about these features, head to How to Disney to gather more information to help you better understand.
These are some of the most frequently asked questions about Walt Disney World. We hope by sharing information about them with you here at How to Disney you’ll have a magical trip.
