2026 Disney World Planning Guide
Our Walt Disney World vacation planning guide offers advice on how to avoid crowds, save money & time, with info on Lightning Lanes, best rides, restaurant reviews, and itineraries for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios.
It’s largely a time of transition at Walt Disney World. Construction on the next major development cycle that’ll see $17 billion invested in Walt Disney World has kicked into high gear, with new rides and lands opening between 2027 and 2030. Consequently, the threshold question before you even begin planning might be: Should You Skip Walt Disney World in 2026 and Wait Until 2027?
Beyond the obvious downside of construction walls, there are also significant positive changes that include ride reimaginings, special events, and more. Walt Disney World’s 2026 Calendar of Events details everything from Bluey to Big Thunder to Buzz Lightyear to the return of Cool Kid Summer, and more. If you want to receive updates when new things are announced, discounts are released, etc., sign up to receive our FREE Walt Disney World Email Newsletter.
There are a few important things you need to know if you’re visiting Walt Disney World soon. First, there’s the Lightning Lane line skipping service. Lightning Lane Multi-Pass can be confusing, but we’ve used and tested Lightning Lanes a ton and have prior experience with the FastPass+ system, which is strikingly similar to the new one (except that was free, this is paid). Everything you need to know is covered in our Guide to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Pass at Walt Disney World.
If you’re looking for ways to avoid waiting in long lines without spending extra on Lightning Lanes, see our Best Time-Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World, which covers the best & worst ways to do that in each park. That’s the result of extensive testing, and the optimal methods for outsmarting the crowds aren’t always intuitive. For 2 of the 4 parks, you’re arguably better off using a ‘free’ strategy rather than paying extra for Lightning Lanes!
If you’re on the fence about paid FastPass, read our recent post: Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass Still “Worth It” at Walt Disney World? You might find that LLMP is still worth it for you, but we’d nevertheless recommend reading that post to make an informed decision based on current standby line vs. Lightning Lane dynamics.
Although it’s a time of transition at Walt Disney World, there is a lot of new stuff to see and experience! This includes all of the following:
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- TRON Lightcycle Run
- Test Track 3.0
- GEO-82 Lounge Inside Spaceship Earth
- Beak & Barrel Pirates of the Caribbean Bar
- Villains Unfairly Ever After Stage Show
- The Little Mermaid ~ A Musical Adventure Stage Show
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether
- Disney Starlight Night Parade
This list has good and bad, with the last two entries being our favorite (Starlight) and least favorite (Zootopia: Better Zoogether) additions of the last year. While it’s not perfect, Starlight is a can’t-miss piece of nighttime entertainment. See our rundown of the Best Starlight Night Parade Viewing Spots & Tips to Beat Magic Kingdom’s Massive Crowds!
Thankfully, there’s a lot more on the horizon–here’s everything exciting that recently opened or is coming soon: What’s New & Coming to Walt Disney World in 2026 & Beyond.
As exciting as some of this might sound, there are no new rides opening at Walt Disney World in 2026. And probably not in the first half of 2027. The next large-scale addition is Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom in 2027, with a new Encanto ride plus reimagining Dinosaur into Indiana Jones Adventure. And even that expansion is probably opening in late 2027.
In the meantime, there will be a lot of closures and construction. So much, in fact, that it’s too much to list here. See Construction & Openings Timelines for New Lands, Rides & Additions at Walt Disney World. That covers everything you need to know about projects between now and 2030.
Those are only the major construction projects and permanent closures. For a look at what’ll be temporarily unavailable during your trip, see the 2026 Walt Disney World Refurbishment & Closure Calendar, which we update regularly with return and downtime dates.
At the same time that Walt Disney World is debuting no new rides until 2027, there’s the elephant in the room: Epic Universe. This is the third theme park down the road at Universal Orlando, which is a blockbuster expansion containing revolutionary attractions and major lands based on Harry Potter, Nintendo, Universal Monsters, How to Train Your Dragon, and more.
We won’t beat around the bush: Epic Universe is a game-changer, on par with the very best of Walt Disney World. We have already fallen in love with Epic Universe. The only “minor” problem is that Epic Universe has a lot of operational woes, and is still finding its footing. (It’s also a nightmare whenever there’s rain, which is often in Florida!)
There are major downsides to visiting this highly-anticipated new park, as laid out in Why You Should Skip Epic Universe (or Wait to Visit). As great as the park is on paper, or days with extremely low crowds plus favorable weather, it’s going to take a while to work out the operational growing pains. If you visit Epic Universe during its first year, plan to encounter technical difficulties, ride downtime, and other frustrations.
The good news is that visiting will be easier in 2026, as restrictive ticketing policies are relaxed and park hopping is introduced. Our preliminary advice for 2026 is to allocate mornings and evenings to Epic Universe, and focus on the other parks during the busier midday stretch. Refer to our 2026 Universal Orlando Planning Guide for more comprehensive strategy!
With those updates out of the way, let’s tell you about ourselves and why this guide is useful to your trip planning. Although this website is aimed at tourists–meaning first-timers, infrequent visitors, or fans outside Florida–we’ve bounced between being locals who could see the Happily Ever After fireworks from our front lawn to out-of-state tourists. We’re currently the latter, but we still make monthly visits to Walt Disney World.
We’ve also gone through the ‘seasons of our lives’ at Walt Disney World. Both of us visited with our families as kids growing up in the Midwest, then in college and beyond as the much-maligned Childless Millennials. We’ve gone from Disney Adults to parents of a toddler in the last few years, giving us another new (different and slower paced!) perspective on the parks.
Suffice to say, we are obviously big Disney fans, but with this guide, we share our objective and unbiased tips. This covers the good and the bad, and the hard realities of planning Walt Disney World trip. We don’t sugarcoat everything or feel the need to put a positive spin on things. A lot about Disney is great, but that’s plenty that’s overpriced and not-so-great. If blunt, honest advice is not for you, there are many other sites that are all-positive.
With hundreds of trips dating back to the 1980s when we were kids, we’ve learned a lot about all things Disney. That now comes full circle as we start taking our daughter to Walt Disney World! We visit every month to see what has changed, taste-test new menu items, analyze crowds, offer recommendations for things you should do on vacation, share updates on construction, and much more.
This guide distills the key things we know about Walt Disney World into something easy to absorb and less overwhelming. Think of this planning guide as WDW101, with everything organized into the most important aspects of planning. The reality is that Walt Disney World is one of the most complicated vacation destinations on earth, and having a smooth and good trip requires doing your homework. With that said, we promise that taking the time to learn about Walt Disney World will be worth it, so let’s get started…
1A. Best Times to Visit for Avoiding Crowds
“When is the best time to visit Walt Disney World?” This is often the first question readers ask, and it’s not an easy one to answer because it’s subjective. What makes an experience the “best” differs from person to person. With that said, in helping first-timers plan over the course of the last decade-plus, there are usually three distinct components to this: crowds, cost & fun.
The first two variables are the overriding factors and, thankfully, those are objective. If you’re primarily concerned with avoiding long lines and high wait times, consult our 2026 Walt Disney World Crowd Calendars. That takes into account Orlando area school schedules, conventions, youth sporting events, park hours, special events, and more to provide you with specific dates that are the least and most crowded.
While that’s all about crowds (and can be overwhelming), we also have something more holistic: our list of the 10 Best and 10 Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2026 & 2027. As the title suggests, that identifies the ‘red flag’ dates to avoid, as well as the ideal times to visit. It’s really more than just 10 weeks, as a number of the good and bad windows are far longer than a single week.
For example, pretty much the entirety of August and September are great from a crowds perspective, but we zero in on a single week that’s the best-balanced (from our perspective) as it combines low crowds, seasonal events, weather, and other factors. Same idea for a number of other dates throughout the year.
Rather than our objective crowd calendars, those are our subjective picks for when to visit. In addition to wait times, those rankings take other things into account: seasonal offerings like Christmas & Halloween, weather, new attractions, and more. If you find the crowd calendars intimidating, go with the best & worst weeks post instead.
The good news is that, as a general rule, lower prices and crowds coincide with one another. Meaning that if you book your trip around the cheapest dates, you’re more likely to also have lower crowds. Prices are higher and discounts are weaker when crowds are higher, meaning you get hit with a double-whammy if visiting during these times of the year. (Spoiler: the highest prices and crowds both occur when school is out of session.)
1B. Best Times to Visit for Saving Money
The second component is cost. This one is especially significant now, as prices are up across the board. If you’re a first time visitor or it’s been a few years since your last trip, you might be in store for sticker shock. We take a look at this topic in How Much Does a Walt Disney World Vacation Cost in 2026? with sample pricing for multiple ‘trip tiers,’ from budget to luxury.
However, it’s not as straightforward as that. Some people don’t realize it, but prices vary significantly based upon when you’re visiting. If you visit for New Year’s Eve, you could end up spending close to double what it costs to visit a few months earlier, in September. Cutting to the chase, here are the Cheapest Times to Go to Walt Disney World.
The good news is that there’s considerable overlap between the cheapest times to visit and the least-crowded times. Visiting during the least-expensive and least-crowded times is entirely possible, and those goals align pretty well. Conversely, the most expensive times are usually also the most expensive.
Intuitively, this should make sense. When demand is highest, prices are highest. Like most other businesses, Walt Disney World charges what the market will bear, raising prices when able and discounting in order to incentivize visits when attendance and hotel occupancy are lower.
To that point, the other good news is that deals are starting to return to Walt Disney World after a couple years of very strong pent-up demand! See All Current Walt Disney World Discounts for a full rundown of special offers through Summer 2026. There are a TON of discounts available right now, some of which offer up to 40% off hotels!
If you want to save even more money and do WDW as cheaply as possible, we have the 15 Best Tips to Save Money at Walt Disney World. Those tips cover a lot of excellent ideas, such as buying discount Disney gift cards or having Groceries Delivered to Your Walt Disney World Hotel Room.
Those are just a handful of ways to save a ton of money on a trip to WDW! It also covers several options for the biggest expense of your trip–lodging. Among other things, you can stay at Walt Disney World’s best resorts for a fraction of full price by renting DVC points.
The idea behind all of these money-saving tips is not cutting corners and compromising on the quality of your vacation. To the contrary, we aim to “cut the fat” from your budget and recommend ways to save while also improving efficiency. Taking grocery delivery as an example–we do not recommend cooking dinner in your room or packing picnic lunches. Instead, we advice ordering nutritious breakfasts (the weakest meal at Walt Disney World restaurants) to have quickly have in your room or on-the-go each morning to save money and time.
1C. Best Times to Visit for Having Fun
Now we’re getting into the much more subjective area of determining when to visit. What makes a time of year more or less fun? Will you enjoy the parks more or less during certain timeframes? That’s really difficult to say. As a general matter, our mantra is this: “A rainy day at Walt Disney World is better than a sunny day at home.”
This is to say that you can have a great Walt Disney World vacation no matter what time of year you visit. The smile and laughter of your child hugging Mickey Mouse for the first time; the delicious taste of a Dole Whip or Citrus Swirl; the sight and sound of fireworks exploding over Cinderella Castle at the end of a long and satisfying day at Magic Kingdom. Absolutely none of that is seasonal. Those joys are possible 365 days of the year at Walt Disney World, and your trip will be made up of moments big and small exactly like those that happen daily.
However, it’s also fair to say that a sunny day is better than a rainy day at Walt Disney World. Most people probably are more comfortable during mild and temperate days than oppressive heat and humidity. Seasonal events can likewise add a lot to the baseline experience, taking a trip from “memorably magical” to “magnificently magical” on our highly scientific scale of magicalness.
Hopefully you get the point here–that every day at Walt Disney World has the potential to be great, but also, that greatness has its own sliding scale, with weather, seasonal enhancements, and more cranking things up to the next level of magicalness.
The holiday season is our favorite time at Walt Disney World. It’s not even a close call. If we could only visit Walt Disney World one month of the year for the rest of our lives, we’d pick November or December. (Super-specifically, here’s our favorite week to visit Walt Disney World!) If you’re thinking of a holiday vacation, we’d implore you to start by reading our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World.
There were two holiday season hard ticket events: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) at Magic Kingdom and the new Disney Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios, both of which are likely to return for Christmas 2026.
If you need help deciding between the two, check out Jollywood Nights vs. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party: Which to Do at Walt Disney World? Most first-timers and families with small children will favor MVMCP. It’s the “classic” Christmas party in Walt Disney World’s castle park.
There are other seasonal events throughout the year, starting with the EPCOT Festival of the Arts in January and February. Following that is the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival from March through late May. Notably, the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival has been shortened by over a month and will start before Labor Day weekend.
The special events kick into high gear in August, which will kick off the 5-month long ‘party season’ at Magic Kingdom. That starts with Halloween time in Magic Kingdom, from August through the 1st of November. Our Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Guide offers info & tips for Magic Kingdom’s fan-favorite Halloween-themed event.
While it has nothing to do with Halloween, another staple of fall is EPCOT’s annual culinary event. Read our Guide to the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival to prepare for that park’s colossal culinary celebration.
2. How Long to Visit
How long you should stay at Walt Disney World depends largely upon the type of trip it is. If you’re not much of a Disney fan but are taking your kids on a “once in a lifetime” rite of passage trip, we recommend a Walt Disney World vacation of at least 6 or 7 days. The exact length will still vary a bit depending upon how much vacation time you have and if you plan on visiting non-Disney theme parks or destinations.
In addition to visiting Disney’s theme parks, you’ll also probably want to build a day into your itinerary for relaxation, and this is good to plug into the middle of your trip so you don’t get worn out by the theme parks. The other consideration for planning trips to Walt Disney World might be how much time to spend doing other things.
You might want to do Orlando-area theme parks like Universal, SeaWorld, or Busch Gardens. We recommend at least a couple of days at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Use our Universal Orlando Resort Trip Planning Guide for strategy. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is absolutely mind-blowing, even if you’re not a fan of the books. The new Jurassic World VelociCoaster is the best roller coaster in all of Orlando–and that’s just one of several excellent recent additions.
We also have a post titled Walt Disney World vs. Universal Orlando that covers a lot of the pros and cons of visiting Universal. If you want to broaden your horizons and do something beyond Central Florida’s world-class theme parks, check out our 50 Things to Do in Orlando, Florida (Outside Disney’s Parks). That covers beaches, manatee-watching, outlet malls, and much more.
3. Booking Vacation Packages
Vacations booked via DisneyWorld.com cover some combination of hotel, park tickets, and dining. Sometimes these packages offer excellent savings off rack rates, sometimes they’re merely full price elements of the trip bundled together. If you’re looking further into the future, 2026 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages are now available!
If you’re already overwhelmed, you might want to consider using a travel agent. If you go this route, look for one who primarily or exclusively does Disney-related bookings. As you can probably gather already, planning a Walt Disney World vacation is incredibly complex. If a travel agent doesn’t specialize in Disney, they probably won’t know the many nuances of Walt Disney World vacations. (For this reason, we don’t recommend AAA or Costco, even though some of their agents have Disney knowledge.)
Most travel agents specializing in Disney are “no fee” agencies, meaning that it costs you no more to book through them than it does to book through Disney (they get commission from Disney). If you are unsure of which package might be best for you–or need personalized help with any aspect of your trip–we recommend contacting a no fee “Authorized Disney Vacation Planner” (here’s why we recommend one) to get a quote and to help you plan. Request a quote from our recommended Authorized Disney Vacation Planner here.
4. Park Tickets
If you opt to book things yourself and without a vacation package, we recommend buying your tickets from an authorized third party ticket seller to save money. Read our Tips for Buying Discount Walt Disney World Tickets post for everything you need to know about choosing the right tickets and saving money on them.
Prices increase around the start of the new fiscal year in October. So the bad news is that they’ve already hit this year, and will happen again in October 2026. The good news is that Disney has slowed the rate of increases in the last couple of years (after prices exploded the two previous years), so it’s possible they won’t raise costs again in October. Either way, it’s not a bad idea to buy now to lock-in current prices no matter when you’re visiting between now and December 31, 2026.
If all you want to know is where to safely buy the cheapest, legitimate Walt Disney World multi-day tickets from an authorized reseller click here to buy via Get Away Today, our recommended & Disney-authorized ticket seller.
Disney’s mantra is “the longer you play, the less you pay per day.” It’s corny but true. Single-day Walt Disney World tickets are expensive, but multi-day tickets are much cheaper per day.
The incremental cost of additional days on a ticket substantially decreases with each day you add after 3 days. In other words, longer trips are not proportionately more expensive than shorter ones.
This is just one of the many tips we cover in our post about saving money on Walt Disney World park tickets. Whatever you do, don’t wait to buy your tickets at the front gates of the parks or on eBay…they won’t work!
5. Where to Stay
One of the very best posts on this blog is our Walt Disney World Hotel Reviews page. We have stayed at every Disney hotel, plus many off-site ones. That page offers links to each of our hotel reviews, room photos, thoughts on the amenities, pros & cons, and more.
When deciding whether to pay the premium prices that Disney-owned hotels charge, one important consideration for many will be on-site perks. Unfortunately, there aren’t many anymore–basically just some extended hours (see our Guide to Early Entry at Walt Disney World), location, theme, and more convenient transportation. Since reopening, many benefits have been eliminated–either permanently or temporarily. Read about this in Is Walt Disney World’s On-Site Advantage Disappearing or Reappearing?
When pricing out Walt Disney World hotels, you’re bound to have some sticker shock. Prices have gone up considerably in the last few years, and discounts are not nearly as abundant as they once were. If your budget is tight but you still want on-site luxury, consider getting a quote from Disney Vacation Club point rental company (click here to book with the cheapest point DVC rental company).
For more info about renting points, you might want to read our Guide to Renting Disney Vacation Club Points article. This is a great way to save money on nicer accommodations than you otherwise might be able to afford.
If you’re going to stay on-site at Walt Disney World, the three main tiers are Value, Moderate, and Deluxe, which are exactly what their names sound like they are. There’s also a Deluxe Villa tier, which is basically Disney-speak for “timeshare room.” Looking for the best hotel in each tier? Check out the following posts ranking the various Disney hotels:
Debating whether to stay off-site to save money or on-site at Walt Disney World for convenience and to be immersed in the magic? We have an Off-Site vs. On-Site Walt Disney World Hotels article that goes into great depth about the pros and cons of both options.
If you’re also visiting other theme parks in Central Florida, one alternative is to stay off-site. Our Universal Orlando Hotel Rankings & Reviews covers the pros & cons of those resorts, many of which we love for their locations, theme, on-site perks, and value for money. Additionally, refer to Universal Orlando v. Walt Disney World Resorts for a comparison between Disney’s and Universal’s hotels to see what each does better.
6. What to Pack
It might sound hard to believe, but packing for Walt Disney World offers ways to save money and improve your experience. There are some wrinkles to Walt Disney World that make packing a bit different, and by bringing certain “clever” (we think) items in your luggage, you will improve your experience. We go over the best stuff in our Walt Disney World Unique Packing List.
Two of our favorite examples from that list are Frogg Toggs Chilly Pads and this Compact External Charger. Seriously, you’ll wonder how you ever travelled without these (and many other) items on our list!
One of the most important things to pack for Walt Disney World is comfortable shoes. This can trip people up, as you probably walk far, far less at home than you will at Walt Disney World. Suffice to say, what’s best for logging tens of thousands of steps could differ from your day-to-day footwear. See our picks for the Best Shoes to Wear at Walt Disney World for guidance–and be sure to plan ahead, breaking in your shoes before your trip!
Comfort is also key when planning your clothes for Walt Disney World–and weather can make that challenging. If you’re going in the colder months, check out our Packing for Disney in Winter post. For summer months, read Tips for Beating the Summer Heat at Disney.
7. Itineraries & Attraction Advice
Having an itinerary is a big deal, even for some frequent Walt Disney World guests. Some visitors create binders, spreadsheets, and schedule every step of their day. People get serious and obsessive about this. We are not those people. Planning is important, but going to those lengths is unnecessarily stressful and creates unrealistic and rigid plans. The best laid plans often go awry, and when that inevitably happens, it can be disappointing if you’ve over-planned.
With that said, we also recommend first-time visitors do not “wing it” for your daily itinerary. You don’t need to plan every movement so that there’s no spontaneity in your trip, just make sure you have at least a loose plan of what you’re going to do. As with most things in life, balance and moderation are key.
We have the following flexible step by step plans for each park that cover our perfect days using standby-only:
- 1-Day Magic Kingdom Park Itinerary
- 2-Day Magic Kingdom Park Itinerary
- 1-Day EPCOT Itinerary Park Itinerary
- 1-Day Animal Kingdom Park Itinerary
- 1-Day Hollywood Studios Park Itinerary
Additionally, we have itineraries for Universal Orlando offering the same type of step by step advice:
- 1-Day Epic Universe Itinerary
- 1-Day Universal Studios Florida Itinerary
- 1-Day Islands of Adventure Itinerary
- 1-Day Universal Park Hopping Itinerary (both Islands of Adventure & Universal Studios Florida)
If you’d prefer to create your own itinerary, we recommend reading our Disney Parks Ride Guides and getting a rough idea of which attractions you want to do:
- Magic Kingdom Park & Attraction Guide
- EPCOT Park & Attraction Guide
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park & Attraction Guide
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park & Attraction Guide
We also have guides for the Walt Disney World water parks and Disney Springs:
- Blizzard Beach Water Park Guide
- Typhoon Lagoon Water Park Guide
- Disney Springs Shopping & Entertainment District Guide
With that said, we’d strongly recommend using our pre-made Walt Disney World Park Itineraries. Those step by step guides are maximized for efficiency, and will save far more time than ones you put together yourself, or just winging it. These are good, flexible itineraries that offers attractions, dining, and other things to enjoy without going crazy with mapping out every bathroom stop of your day.
Those with small children should also know that some Walt Disney World rides have height restrictions, requiring kids be a certain number of inches tall (usually 38 to 44″) in order to experience. Measuring sticks are outside attractions with a requirement, and kids who do not meet the minimum height are not allowed to enter the line.
There are no age requirements for any attractions. See Height Requirements at Walt Disney World for a comprehensive list, updated with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Attractions that have height requirements also offer Rider Switch (also known as child swap, baby switch, rider swap, or parent swap). This is Walt Disney World’s system that allows parents with small children to take turns experiencing thrill rides and other attractions with height requirements via Lightning Lanes.
See our Guide to Rider Switch at Walt Disney World for everything you need to know about this service. If eligible, it can save you a ton of time.
8. Where to Eat
A lot of the posts on this blog detail dining at Walt Disney World, which is a surprisingly complex (and fun!) topic. The most important thing for first-timers to know is that the tired stereotype that Disney dining is all burgers, hot dogs, and other fast food is not even remotely true. Disney has a lot of wonderful dining options that can be an experience in themselves.
To figure out where to eat, consult our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. That page has reviews of 75+ restaurants at Walt Disney World, plus other resources like our Magic Kingdom Counter Service Restaurant Rankings, and lots of other specific topics. Another great post with random quick-tips is our 101 Walt Disney World Dining Tips post.
Good dining experiences can make a trip, so if you only read more on one topic in this guide, make it dining. We know a number of people who have had their opinions of Walt Disney World changed for the better simply because they “discovered” the right places to eat.
If you’re starting the planning process far in advance, you might want to subscribe to our free newsletter for updates. We also provide subscribers with news from the parks, and have given a heads up on Free Dining and ticket price increases before they have been officially announced. This makes the newsletter especially handy for scoring discounts and being in the know as to what’s going on before your trip.
It’s also worth noting that if you’re trying to do “Disney on a Dime,” one of the easiest ways to save money is to not eat at Walt Disney World restaurants. Dining at Disney is expensive, and unlike park tickets, it’s not mandatory. You can save a lot of money by eating off-site, or better yet, getting groceries and preparing your own meals. We have a comprehensive Tips for Buying Groceries at Walt Disney World post that covers grocery delivery, local stores, and much more.
Even if you don’t want to make your own meals, grocery delivery is great for getting fruit and other small grab and go snacks, both of which are really over-priced at Walt Disney World. It’s also excellent for beer–for less than the cost of a single beer in the parks, you can have a 6-pack delivered to your hotel room!
9. Transportation
Walt Disney World transportation can be hit or miss, and can take a lot of time. For the most efficient transit options, read our Time-Saving Walt Disney World Transportation Tips post. This covers shortcuts, when to use buses v. monorail v. boats v. your feet, and more!
One of the other big considerations is whether you want to stay at a Walt Disney World hotel that offers a unique form of transportation, such as the monorails to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT, or the boats, walking paths, or Skyliner to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. These can be a huge time-saver.
Disney’s Magical Express has now ended, and following a merger of two competitors, it’s indirect replacement is essentially Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine. This does cost money, but otherwise it’s roughly analogous to Disney’s Magical Express–it’s even operated by the same vendor that ran Disney’s Magical Express (same buses and everything, just no Disney branding!). For a broad overview of alternatives, see our Airport Transportation Guide to Walt Disney World.
An alternative to a rental car is Lyft (or the Minnie Van service powered by Lyft) or Uber. For the basics on using these ride-sharing services, read our Tips for Using Lyft or Uber at Walt Disney World post. This post also shares the easiest way to get to Universal Orlando Resort (in case you want to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, too)
10. What Else to Do
Your imagination is really the limit here. Most first-time visitors only know about the theme parks, Disney Springs, and the water parks. That’s just the surface of what Walt Disney World has to offer. There are tours, golf, fishing, nightlife, shopping, fireworks cruises, babysitting, spas, and much more. An exhaustive list would ultimately be longer than the rest of this already long blog post!
Most of our favorite things are couples or adult-oriented, which you can read about on our Walt Disney World for Adults page. Honeymooners (aka “Disneymooners”) should read our Walt Disney World Honeymoon Tips article. Here are some other posts that cover “other stuff” at Walt Disney World, and other ways to improve your vacation, that don’t really fit the categories above:
- Free Things to Do at Walt Disney World
- Best Magic Kingdom Fireworks Viewing Spots
- Best Luminous Symphony of Us at EPCOT Fireworks Viewing Spots
- Tips for Celebrating at Walt Disney World
- First-Timer Tips for Walt Disney World
If all of this is really overwhelming, we (again) recommend contacting an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and letting them do the work for you. This is Disney’s term for their affiliated travel agents, and the huge upside to them is that they don’t charge for their services–Disney pays them directly at no cost to you! Click here to get a vacation quote from our recommended no fee Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
Remember, what’s in this post is just a starting point. To recap, you’ll also want to read our When to Visit Walt Disney World post for the best time of year to plan your trip. If saving money is important, read Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post to buy the cheapest tickets from legitimate sources. To figure out where to stay, our Walt Disney World Hotel Reviews page is a great resource. Want to know where to eat or if the Disney Dining Plan is right for you? Our Walt Disney World Dining Resources will help!
Your Thoughts
Are you visiting Walt Disney World in 2026? If you are a Walt Disney World veteran, what tips would you add to this? If you’re a first-timer, is there anything else you’d like to know? Are you excited to experience the parks now that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is open or will you wait until Walt Disney World’s big celebration when the new night parade debuts? We love hearing from readers, whether it be questions from newbies or tips from seasoned Disney pros with tips of their own to add!
we are planning a trip for 16 people and its our first time going.we would also love to get in touch with you to get help and information about disney world..
thank u for your time my email is [email protected]
We will be in the Disney area June 1-June 6. We will likely be back next year as we now have a condo there. We were thinking of a two day pass only. Two full days may be all we can handle. Or would you suggest a 3 day hopper pass? Also, we have not made reservations for dinner in Epcott. Is it too late??
I’ve checked out the touring plans on the unofficial guides site. How important is a touring plan if you are going to have a GAC that provides for an alternate entrance to the attractions since Disney’s Mom’s panel says that you don’t need fastpass with this type of GAC?
That is correct. If you’ll have a Guest Assistance Card, FastPass and a Touring Plan are less important.
Tom – can you provide me more information on the guest assistance card? I have a disabled son (21) who doesn’t like to use his wheelchair anymore. What type of information should I bring with me? He has one that he uses at Disneyland (it will be expired when we go to WDW in October. Any information you can offer me is greatly appreciated .
Beyond what Disney officially provides here, I don’t know much about it: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/disney-parks-disability-access-service-card-fact-sheet/
Sorry. Hope you have a great trip, though! 🙂
Love this post! Great info, I am planning my third visit to WDW with now three kids ( 7, 3, 9 month) for 5 days.we did waste a lot of money the second time, due to we did not get the time to read n find info how to plan our vacation.Could you please give us some tips with tickets, place to stay, things to do out of parks.thanks
Check out the various pages of this guide…and good luck!
I’m planning my first WDW vacation with my kids(7yrs-4yrs & 11mths)for 5 day. could you give us some tip with tickets & help me with the best deal?
Thx
Forgot to include my email it is [email protected]
Hi Jenna!!
My family will be planning a trip to Disney for next fall. I noticed your an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and would love to get in contact with you about planning a trip. Could you please email me your website and contact info?
Thank You
Lacey
First I just want to say I love your blogs and your photography helps feed my “Disneyaholicism” until my next visit, so thank you! My comment is regarding the where to stay conundrum. I have a large family, when I say large I actually mean to say LARGE! My husband and I have 6 children and 6 grandchildren, so if we all get to go together that is 14 people and the only way that is economically feasible is to rent one of the hundreds, if not thousands of vacation rental homes in the area. I am pleased to say that I have never had any real problems when doing this and the homes have been clean and what was expected from the web sites. Last year only 9 of us could make the trip but I still rented a house with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths for $700 for the full week. I would have spent that in 2 nights at an on-site hotel, so for those families out there who think they could never afford to take the whole family, it is doable with a little research.
Wow, can you give me a name/number so i can try and rent out a house for $700 for a whole week?
check out http://www.vrbo.com for weekly rentals. We have rented homes on this site on several occasions for different vacations; Myrtle Beach, Honolulu and Disney parks. It has always worked well for us and we have been very happy with the homes we have rented.
I love this site!
Did you know that if you go to Disney world with a friend you can poop on their faces?
haha
hi, my first time to vacation on disney, need help 3 adults 1 child under 13 planing trip on labor day weeken 6 days coming from puerto rico. help with the best deal. thanks
This is our first trip with our two children who will be 8 and 5. I am not trying to make our dinner reservations and have to decide now which parks to visit as we are not getting Hopper Passes. Now, are the parks with Magic Hours extra busy? With kids, the extra hours may not be necessary as this is a long day at one park already without adding to this. Would you suggest avoiding those parks on magic hour days?
I would recommend avoiding the parks with evening Extra Magic Hours if you aren’t going to stay that late. Morning Extra Magic Hours don’t have as much of an impact on crowds.
that is reall solid advice, to actually avoid the parks that have the evening magic hours if you have little ones to avoid the crowds. Thanks!
Hi,
can you find out in advance what parks have the extra magic opening hours? Would make planning my itinerary much easier!
The hours for the different parks as well as Extra Magic Hours are usually posted 180 days in advance on the Disney World website
It depends on your lifestyle. We are not morning people. My daughter was 4 when we went and we choose to do parks by evening extra hours. She did great. Even went to the pool at the hotel after the parks. I also like the extra evening hours because we can go do other things in the middle of the day and not miss time at the park.
This is one of the best lists I’ve seen, Tom. I especially appreciate your comments regarding park tickets and airfare. Those are always the most complicated part of our own vacation planning, so I’ll definitely be referring back to these on our next trip!
Linda
Yeah, airfare especially can be difficult since the prices fluctuate so much. You don’t want to wait too long, as there’s always the concern prices might skyrocket! It’s all about knowing trends and having alerts when prices hit their (likely) lows.
Hi Tom, great Disney tips. My husband is taking me to Disney World for my 60th birthday in September 2013. Living in California for many years we have loved visiting Disneyland, however our dream vacation has always been Disney World and Epcot. I can’t believe we are finally going. Yeah…. What would be a good central hotel for older adults who want to have fun. And should we include the meal planning.
We loved Port Orleans Riverside and the French Quarter looked really nice too. You can catch the boat to Downtown Disney from these 2 resorts, a very nice plus for a moderate!
Make advanced reservations for dinner or you won’t have nearly as much fun. We like to make one sit-down reservation a day and then counter service for the rest -and don’t forget to check out restaurants at various resorts. Our fave is Ohana’s at the Polynesian.
What a GREAT post! I read here often, but I have to say this is one of the best articles I’ve seen on here. Covers all the important need-to-know info with links to more in-depth looks. I’ll definitely be saving a link to this one to send out to anyone looking to book a trip.
Thanks Tom!
I notice “Point 5 – Where to Stay” doesnt really touch on the vast off-site resort rental community market. There are so many villa rental resorts within 2-5 miles of the main WDW complex there is a whole world of advice for holidaymakers in this space such as where to stay and how to get the best deal. So many holidaymakers stay off-site in the same set of resorts every year for their trip to Disney without ever staying on-site.
Thanks,
Ewan
I think the on-site v. off-site distinction covers all types of off-site accommodations.
Thanks for response Tom. i was more thinking about the off-site residential resort market. Many frequent Disney visitors never stay on-site or off-site in any Disney owned accomodation or hotels. They always book villas, condos, townhouses in the various resort communities within a few miles of Disney. Its the best way to get value for money on a trip to Disney and worth some tips/guidance on your site as its such a large market.
Thanks,
Ewan
we have visited every year since my now 23 year old son was 18 months old. When he was a toddler, we stayed at the Monorail hotels knowing we’d be back for naps etc. I always brought a collapsible stroller that we would gate check at the airport, it always worked well for us.
I strongly suggest staying on property and establish an itinerary. We continue to do this by using lunch and dinner reservations as our guide. They can always be changed but nothing is worse than wasting time deciding where to go each day
Are handicapped tickets discounted? Due to some serious foot surgery, I have to rent something electric to use.
randy’s mobility off site rental rents scooters that come apart to put in trunk of car. Disney rental for scooter is $70 to75 a day randys is $30 day minimum rental is 2 days. this really saves us a bunch as both of us are disabled.
Oh thanks for this info!
check with AAA…we rented a ‘scooter’ thru them ..for 95 bucks for the week, it was in lobby at hotel, and you leave it in lobby when you leave….they come pick it up
Bruce: Could you tell me who to call at AAA for scooter rental? I have to use a scooter because of my heart, and $95/week sounds a lot better than $30 – $75 a day.
That is a nice succinct summary. I remember that there was a lot to learn the first time we visited. Now it is an “easy” vacation for us because we know the ropes.
I agree with your comments on staying “in the bubble”. Also, even though Disney’s transportation system gets maligned at times, they really do move millions of people efficiently. And there is something to be said for the simplicity of wanting to go to the Magic Kingdom and leaving your hotel room and getting on a bus that says “Magic Kingdom”.
There are few things I enjoy more than the early morning stroll from Boardwalk to Epcot’s International Gateway entrance. That, alone, is worth a fair amount to me…but to a “normal” person? Probably not nearly as much.
My husband works for AAA. They have travel agents that specialize in Disney. She made our ADRs. Disney pays the travel agents commission. Since we booked thru AAA, we received a one year subscription to Touring Plans . We went in January for the half marathon. I found Touring Plan’s crowd counter very helpful & accurate.
Glad to hear that you liked TouringPlans’ Crowd Calendar! Did you have a chance to use the Lines App?
A couple of tips for parents who are bringing babies ( I know, everyone thinks we are crazy). I recomend bringing a lightweight portable stroller like a Combi, where you can fold it up and sling it over your shoulder when you are boarding the trams and busses. There is a lot of walking in between transportation and entry to the gates, not to mention walking around resorts. We always travel by car, so I’m not sure how that would shake out with the airlines, but that is my family’s top recomendation. You can rent a stroller, and that is what I would recomend if you have older kids, say ages 3-6, who normally walk everywhere but a WDW trip would wear them out. Carrying around babies, however, will wear YOU out, and is worth the expense of a good lightweight travel stroller.
I guess that was only one tip, so the other one would be to get your babies first haircut on mainstreet at the barber shop so they can get the certificate and the mouse ears that say “First Haircut”! We are planning a trip in October around that for our newest addition.
Excellent tips! Comments like this offering more specific suggestions complement the over-arching stuff of the post very well!
Do they still do the first hair cut deal? We are planning a trip in June and it would be awesome for our youngest!
Yes they still do the First Haircut at the barber shop. You really need to make a reservation thou!
They can do a “First Haircut” for any age. I took my daughter when she was 4 and we just walked into the barber shop in Main Street. We got her first hair cut with no wait in the morning. She got her ears and pixie dust. Loved it.
Our girls are 5 and 6, not exactly stroller age, but when we go in June you can bet we’ll be renting a stroller. Kingdom Strollers was great to us on our last visit. They had a HUGE stroller for rent which fit our kids great. The downside is that yes, you will be the guy on the bus blocking half the aisle. On the other hand you will have kids that are more rested and better prepared to enjoy their stay. Personally the hundred bucks to rent that thing was an extreme value vs carrying our kids miles every day. It keeps the kids and parents from having a tantrum from the heat and exhaustion that can come with a Disney vacation.
Airlines will gate-check a stroller for free, so it is a good option for those flying as well. We’ve taken our “normal” stroller and it works just fine on the Disney busses. It’s defenitely worth having; we did over 10 miles every day except one of our last vacation. that’s a lot of miles for little legs.
The airline damaged our nice jogging stroller. From that point on we took a less expensive one. The year it was damaged, we had to buy a stroller once we got there. We bought an inexpensive umbrella stroller from walmart, then we left it behind in the hotel room for someone else to have.
Our family is going on our first trip to Disney this May. We are traveling with a 5 year old and a 1 year old. Instead of flying with car seats and strollers we are renting them from Babys R Us travel. We rented a booster car seat for the 5 year old and a car seat for the 1 year old and a double stroller all for $118 for the 7 days we will be there. Babys R Us is delivering everything to the airport car rental so we can have it when we land in Orlando.
You could also rent a stroller from Orlando Strollers. That’s what we did this past time and I loved it! I didn’t have to worry about ours and it freed up space in the car. They have singles, doubles, and a couple of different styles. It works but may not be for everyone.
My husband and I took our son to Florida right before his 3rd birthday (since he was still free…another money saver) and the stroller was a lifesaver. We flew and they allow you to gate check the stroller and car seat for free on most airlines. Very convenient and money saving.
Great tip. Another tip that I can give you (if u have the money for it) is to buy a stroller at Disney. I believe they range from $15.00’s & up. We went a few years a go with my nephew that was about 4 then & we bought a stroller at Epcot for $15.00’s. My brother & his wife still have it & use it for their younger kids.
We flew done and did stroller rentals from an off site company. We got 2 very nice jogging strollers delivered right to our resort. They folded up easily for transportation and were great! We will be getting them again when we go in November even though my girls will be almost 6. It’s a lot of walking and its nice to have something to throw bags in instead of carrying them!
Can you forward me the name of the off site rental place, please
Thank you
We have used Kingdom Strollers for two years now and have been happy both times. It runs about $100 for a week. We have used the strollers at the parks and they are very uncomfortable and do not have undercarriage storage and no rain protection. http://www.kingdomstrollers.com
We have used http://www.kingdomstrollers.com.
Hi
I would like to visit Disneyland with my son
I live and stay in kenya.how can I buy the ticket
Make a left at Harambe Market, the booth is right there. Have a magical time 😀
ok this may be a silly question but if i use a stroller where do iput it hen we go on rides? im a sinlg emom taking my 2 1/2 year old son and im very nervous because i want him to have an amazing time and i know i wont be able to afford to go again for a while..
There are stroller parking areas all over the parks, so you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Keep in mind that cast members will sometimes reorganize the strollers while you are on the ride, watching the show, etc., so don’t worry if it’s not exactly where you think you left it.