Here at How to Disney, we want to help you have the most magical vacation possible when you visit Walt Disney World. From helping with touring plans, Genie+ tips, and dining suggestions, we work to help provide tips and tricks to make your trip to the magic even easier.
Today we have some Disney tips that you might not know about. These tips will help you have an even better vacation at Walt Disney World because you will know a few insider tips.
Take Time To Celebrate
When you are visiting Walt Disney World, you can receive free celebration buttons from your Walt Disney World Resort or at any of the Disney Parks. Although they sometimes have specific buttons such as Happy Birthday, First Visit, or Happily Ever After, they also have a Celebration button that you can use for whatever you are celebrating.
Celebrating a family reunion, a runDisney race, a promotion at work, or an adults-only getaway? Grab a free button and wear it proudly. These are fun to wear around the Parks as Cast Members as well as other Guests will join in on your celebration.
If you have Memory Maker, you can also take some fantastic pictures with the buttons as well. Don’t skip out on this free souvenir that will add a little extra magic to your vacation.
To the Left
This tip might seem strange, but it still continues to work and that is to head to the left when it comes to lines. Most Guests will naturally head to the right when it comes to lining up for touchpoints or for queues for food or rides.
Get a step ahead of the crowd by heading to the left. It will surprise you how these lines tend to be shorter just because Guests tend to head to the right and follow the crowd.
Along with heading to the left, is just be aware when heading into lines. This might be getting ready to enter a Disney Park or lining up in the morning for Park opening, Guests tend to follow themselves without looking around to see if there are other options. Be aware of your surroundings and look for those touchpoints that might not have anyone at them or the line that will be shorter just as no one sees it.
Although you won’t save a ton of time with this tip, it will keep you out of the masses which can be a big deal.
Bring Your Own Food/Water
This might seem strange to many who visit local theme parks or ballparks where outside food and beverages aren’t allowed. This isn’t the case at Walt Disney World.
Guests are allowed to bring in their own food and drinks as long as it meets the official Disney requirements:
Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverage items into the park for self-consumption, provided they are not in glass containers and do not require heating, reheating, processing, refrigeration or temperature control and do not have pungent odors.
This can save you a lot of money and time in a Disney Park if you plan ahead of time for snacks and water. Staying hydrated is so important and having your own bottled water or refilling water bottle can help ensure this happens. Water is expensive in the Parks so having your own is a big money saver.
We also highly recommend bringing in some snacks as well. Even though Disney has tons of snacks, it is always when you are standing in line that little ones (or big ones) determine they just have to have a snack. Having some fruit snacks, granola bars or goldfish can really save the day.
See what else we suggest having in your park bag here.
Stroller Parking
There is nothing worse than coming off a ride or attraction at Walt Disney World and not being able to find your stroller. If you are taking a stroller to Walt Disney World, be aware that there is specific stroller parking destinations throughout the Park.
Before heading into a ride, attraction, or restaurant make sure you look around for the designated stroller parking area. If you choose to leave your stroller in a random spot, Cast Members will move it for you. This can cause a lot of panics so it is easier to take a moment to find where you should be leaving your stroller.
If you can’t find your stroller when you head out, find a Cast Member and nicely ask them to help you look for the stroller. They will let you know where it was probably moved to and assist you in looking for it.
To help with this process, consider making your stroller so you know it is yours. Many families will have their names on their strollers, but adding ribbon or string is another way to set your stroller apart from all the others in the Park.
Resort vs Express Monorail
If you aren’t aware, there are two different monorail lines go to and from Magic Kingdom.
The Express Monorail goes straight from Magic Kingdom to the Ticket and Transportation Center.
The Resort Monorail stops at Disney’s Contemporary, the TTC, Disney’s Polynesian, and Disney’s Grand Floridian back to Magic Kingdom.
At the end of the evening, most Guests riding the monorail are heading back to the TTC, not to their Disney Resort. This means that the lines for this line can get extremely long. If you want to get moving faster, consider hopping on the Disney Resort Line.
Even with an additional stop at Disney’s Contemporary, this line can get you to the TTC often faster because there is less of a line.
Take Time to Compliment
Finally, please take time to compliment Cast Members that help make your vacation magical. Disney Cast Members (besides servers and bell services) aren’t allowed to accept tips. The way most Cast Members get reward is through compliments.
Now located on My Disney Experience, is a Cast Compliment option. Guests can now quickly add a compliment for a Cast Member that went above and beyond. They will add a comment on how they helped, where it happened as well as the name and hometown of the Cast Member, and finally the date of the interaction.
This might not seem like a big deal, but for these Cast Members, it can make a big difference for them. Take a second to do this for them and share the magic with them.
These are are some of the tips that might not be at the front of your planning for Walt Disney World. We hope that they will help you have a magical time! Head to How to Disney for more tips and tricks!
