To put it simply, Disney Orlando is the most magical place on earth. There’s something for everyone whether you’re a young child, well into you retirement or somewhere in between, Disney Orlando has something for everyone and a visit to Orlando has to include a trip to Disney!
There are a few things that are very important when going to Disney Orlando. Now there’s a bit of a read following but everything in here will be a great help when planning your trip.
- Buy your tickets early. There is an important reason for this and it’s to do with the Disney FastPass+. I discuss this a little further down. I also give a few alternatives on where to buy them. One of the options allows you to have the tickets shipped for no charge and will save you time and money.
- Theme parks. If you haven’t done any research, there are 6 parks to visit – The main theme parks are Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Magical Kingdom. All very different, each unique but the theme of fun, engagement and thrills are consistent throughout theme all. There are also 2 water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon plus 100%, definite must do!! there is an awesome experience at Disney Quest at Downtown Disney. It’s a massive 3 story fun house with everything from virtual rides, to arcade games to interactive fun and the bonus is it’s included in your ticket price!! Downtown Disney also has heaps of food and shopping experiences plus things like a permanent Cirque Du Soliel show, movie theater, bowling and even a type of hot air balloon ride! A trip to Downtown Disney won’t disappoint!
- Tickets. You’ll need at least a 4 day ticket to visit all the theme parks but you can buy a single day if you choose.(Not the greatest way to spend your money). There are different tickets options and it’s quite easy to understand it looking at the websites. If it’s your first visit, would suggest a 7 day park hopper and water park fun (depending when you are going) & more ticket. A park hopper allows you to visit different parks on the same day. You’ll have 14 days to use the 7 days. You can also buy the 4 day tickets on the Undercover Tourist website which has a deal that allow you to get the 5th for free. Other than that, there are only small discounts on the tickets. The more days you buy, the less per day it works out. Now they are pricey for a family but an absolute must if you haven’t been before. Click on the links below to get you to the Disney and Undercover Tourist ticket pages.
- 100%, definite must do!! Down load the app. Disney has an awesome app that you can add your tickets to and then plan your days and what attractions you would like to do on the day. Once you’ve loaded your tickets, have a play with to get a feel of how it works. It even gives you wait times on all the attractions!
- 100%, definite must do!! Book your attractions using Fast Pass+. A FastPass+ allows you to book park attractions in advance so there is a much reduced wait time when you are in the park. Let me explain. For first timers to Disney parks or people that haven’t been in the last year, Disney has changed the way Fast Pass works. In the past, you were able to book them in the park once you were there, in fact that’s the only way you could do it however, you are now able to book your fast passes up to 2 months ahead of going and this is highly recommended but you still can do them in the park. Click ‘Here‘ to go to the Fast Pass+ site.
- Book the best attractions with your fast pass and queue for the rest. The best way to book attractions is to book the ones that always have the longest standby queues. It is not unusual to wait over an hour for an attraction but the great thing about fast pass is that you have a window to go to the attraction and you avoid the long wait. The typical wait using a fast pass is about 10 minutes, a lot better than an hour! As I mentioned above, you can see the wait times on the app. To get a feeling for wait times, keep checking the app. You can also use a site called undercover tourist which I will tell you more about below.
- Plan out your whole day. Now in my opinion, the better organised you are the better the day goes and you get the most out of it but you can always wing it. The reason I say plan your day is because there is so much to do and see and having a plan ensures you’ll see and do everything you want but if you don’t, you can always come back! You can jump on the Disney website (click on the Disney logo) and check out the attractions or use the app .
- Food – As with all parks of this nature, you are going to pay a hefty price to eat in the park. If you’re on a tighter budget, then consider packing a lunch and bring along some drinks. Bringing food into the parks is fine to do. There is a healthy range of foods around the park but generally, it’s your fast food type of foods. You can also book restaurants around and can do this on the app. Booking ahead is recommended!
- Parking – There is plenty of parking available and its reasonably priced at $17 and the 2 good things about it is that if you go to another park on the same day, it can be used in that park as well. Also the car parks are huge but there is transport from the car park to the park. With Magic Kingdom, once the transportation bus drops you off, you’ll still need to take either the monorail or the paddle boat to the park!There are 3 places I can recommend to buy tickets – At the park, but as I mentioned earlier, you really want to get them at least a month before you are there; on the Disney website or at an alternate website called Undercover Tourist. Undercover Tourist is my choice when buying tickets. They have great pricing for Disney as well as other parks, the information they have is really useful like best times to visit the different parks and they delivery for free to Australia!!
- To take advantage of early/late opening times as well as a 2 month window to book your Fast Pass, stay at a Disney Orlando property. It’s a great experience but there are a lot of cons in staying there especially given that there are some fantastic places to stay at in Orlando. Please read my where to stay in Orlando to understand more about accommodation.
Although there is a little bit to get though here, it’s worthwhile having a good understanding of what you’re getting yourself into which is a heap of fun and an amazing time![/fusion_text]
