I know there's like literally millions of blog posts on Disney World all saying similar nonsense about how to get the most out of your trip and blah blah blah. I just want to give you the few pointers we use when we attack Disney, and mind you we always visit over NYE, Disney's prime time.
-try to stay within the park's hotels. Magic hours are truly magical. If the wait times on rides make your head spin, magic hours is your chance to do it all. We may sound crazy but on December 30 magic kingdom was open until 3 am for magic hours guests. From 2-3 AM we hit 10 DIFFERENT RIDES. our three year old may have stayed up late, but she didn't miss a single ride!
-if you love Epcot, hit it up early. Although the world showcase "officially opens" at 11am most days, you can stroll through the countries as soon as the park opens, getting to enjoy Epcot to yourself, and the crowds really don't ramp up until about noon.
-If you want something but think it might not be possible. Just ASK. Starbucks has what I believe they refer to as their "just say yes policy".. Basically meaning if a customer requests it just do it. Do whatever it takes to make them have a great experience. For example, rushing from a fast pass at soarin to dinner in France, we passed by the meet characters "ride" before you enter the world showcase. Minnie turned out to be our toughest character to find, and also our daughter,s favorite Disney character! Of course she was one of the characters inside along with Mickey and goofy, but unfortunately a 45 minute wait... Taking a shot, I asked the cast member running the fast pass if there was anyway she'd let us sneak in, without even hearing my reasoning she smiled and allowed us, I couldn't believe it. Yet on a few other times throughout the week this mindset worked. I just asked, and all but once my wish was granted! (But please don't abuse this idea! We didn't)
-I never saw this advertise and only found out about it by the end of the week but Disney has a system where for $30 called FuelRod. Since we use our phones for everything, especially capturing memories in Disney (not to mention the Disney experience app which is like your keys to the world in DW) anyways... They offer power banks fully charged at various locations throughout their parks, you can pick one up and drop your old one off keeping your phone charged up throughout your time. And the best part, you keep your fuel cell the end of the week.
-hopefully this one is a tip... So one thing we dread with a little one is the bag lines for security at Epcot and magic kingdom when bringing a stroller. We always assumed strollers were to be searched there.. Turns out if you don't have a bags, you go right through the normal line. So we'd shove all kinds of things into our stroller basket still, sweatshirts, sunscreen, water, cameras. And yes sometimes they'd make us take it out but no more of the long slow bag line. They can really get backed up especially in the evenings at high times of the year.
So take these as you may, and feel free to share any of your Disney tips too!
-try to stay within the park's hotels. Magic hours are truly magical. If the wait times on rides make your head spin, magic hours is your chance to do it all. We may sound crazy but on December 30 magic kingdom was open until 3 am for magic hours guests. From 2-3 AM we hit 10 DIFFERENT RIDES. our three year old may have stayed up late, but she didn't miss a single ride!
-if you love Epcot, hit it up early. Although the world showcase "officially opens" at 11am most days, you can stroll through the countries as soon as the park opens, getting to enjoy Epcot to yourself, and the crowds really don't ramp up until about noon.
-If you want something but think it might not be possible. Just ASK. Starbucks has what I believe they refer to as their "just say yes policy".. Basically meaning if a customer requests it just do it. Do whatever it takes to make them have a great experience. For example, rushing from a fast pass at soarin to dinner in France, we passed by the meet characters "ride" before you enter the world showcase. Minnie turned out to be our toughest character to find, and also our daughter,s favorite Disney character! Of course she was one of the characters inside along with Mickey and goofy, but unfortunately a 45 minute wait... Taking a shot, I asked the cast member running the fast pass if there was anyway she'd let us sneak in, without even hearing my reasoning she smiled and allowed us, I couldn't believe it. Yet on a few other times throughout the week this mindset worked. I just asked, and all but once my wish was granted! (But please don't abuse this idea! We didn't)
-I never saw this advertise and only found out about it by the end of the week but Disney has a system where for $30 called FuelRod. Since we use our phones for everything, especially capturing memories in Disney (not to mention the Disney experience app which is like your keys to the world in DW) anyways... They offer power banks fully charged at various locations throughout their parks, you can pick one up and drop your old one off keeping your phone charged up throughout your time. And the best part, you keep your fuel cell the end of the week.
-hopefully this one is a tip... So one thing we dread with a little one is the bag lines for security at Epcot and magic kingdom when bringing a stroller. We always assumed strollers were to be searched there.. Turns out if you don't have a bags, you go right through the normal line. So we'd shove all kinds of things into our stroller basket still, sweatshirts, sunscreen, water, cameras. And yes sometimes they'd make us take it out but no more of the long slow bag line. They can really get backed up especially in the evenings at high times of the year.
So take these as you may, and feel free to share any of your Disney tips too!