Walt Disney World hacks and tips for your next visit

I recently came back from my fourth trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando and having been going since the 90’s, it is great to see it always evolving and changing. From Dining Plans and Magic Bands and to hard ticket events such as Halloween and Christmas there’s always a reason to keep on visiting. I am putting this guide together with TravelPlanners to give you some Walt Disney World Hacks and tips that I learnt on my most recent trip and hoping it’ll help you to have the best time ever on your visit to the Magic Kingdom.

FastPasses

If you are staying at a Disney resort property, you can pre-book your FastPasses 60 days before you travel. FastPasses are a great way to make sure you’re booked in for everything you want to see and do. You can book up three per day per park, and you can book more once you are there on the day after these have been used. This allows you to book from character meets to rides and even shows. It also helps to know which park you will be in on what day when planning what to wear especially if you’re into Disney Bounding.

Transportation

Getting to and from resorts and hotels is easy when staying at Walt Disney World. Buses come very regularly and there’s a bus for each resort and even to Disney Springs. The new Skyliners recently opened too and they are a fantastic way to travel around. They’re not scary at all and offer great views. You also have the classic Monorails and boat transportation too. The Magic Shuttle is free when booking and will be there to pick you up at MCO Airport and take you back from your Disney resort when your trip comes to an end.

Celebration Buttons

If this is your first visit or a celebratory milestone, you can ask for a button at City Hall or any Cast Member should have one to give you. Recently it was Mickey’s 91st Birthday so everyone got a button to celebrate! They always make a fun interaction when meeting your favourite characters.

Festival of Fantasy Parade Spot

If you want a great spot for the parade, I recommend booking Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. You will get given a card at your meal which you will take to the middle of Town Square just before the parade starts.

The Cast Members will then let you into the spot and the view is fantastic, especially for photographs.

Free drink refills

With your dining plan, you will receive a free refillable cup at your resort’s canteen. When you go to pay for the first time it will be free of charge. There are refill stations in the canteen and in the restaurants around the parks. There’s also a place to rinse your cup too.

Solo Character Dining

Another Walt Disney World Hack I have discovered recently is solo character dining. It’s not as daunting as it first seems. As it’s always been a dream of mine to have dinner at the Grand Floridian 1900 Park Fare and I decided to go ahead and book myself a spot to have dinner with my favourite Princess Cinderella. The characters are very interactive and make you feel welcoming. They make sure you get your photos taken and may even join you at your table! You don’t feel like you’re alone as there are so many characters to meet. You can take as little or as much time as you’d wish too.

Tours

If you have visited Walt Disney World a couple of times and want to do something different, having done the Keys to Kingdom tour I highly suggest it. It was amazing to see everything pointed out to us. A highlight is seeing the Utilidors and backstage areas. A tip for the tour is to wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking involved. You will get taken on a couple of attractions too and lunch is included.

I would suggest booking the 8:30am tour and arrive as early to 7:30am. You will get given a lunch menu to choose from with some water, which is handy to have. Also, you will be given a pair of headphones on arrival. You may be one of the first people to enter Adventureland, which, was exciting. I won’t give too much away about the tour itself, but it is a unique and magical experience if you want to learn about how Walt Disney World comes to life and runs each day to keep the magic alive.

Each resort has a different tour on offer too. Living with the lands in Epcot is a popular one with the Behind the Seeds tour. Also, Animal Kingdom has a varied choice including an up-close encounter with Rhinos. There are lots on offer. I do encourage you to book these 60 days in advance, you may get lucky with cancellations.

There are so many hacks and tips to make your holiday one to remember and I hope some of these help you on your next visit or for your first.

This is a sponsored post for TravePlanners. They have fantastic offers for your next Walt Disney World Holiday. All tips and reviews are my own.