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Disney World Advice You Can Take or Leave

Cinderella Castle
Credit: Disney

If you plan a trip to Walt Disney World, you have probably learned that everyone has advice for you. From blogs, podcasts, and your next door neighbor, everyone becomes an expert on Disney World once they know you are traveling there. It can be helpful to get advice from people to help you plan, we have some advice that you might want to take or leave for your next vacation.

You Have To Plan Everything

We do think that a plan is important when heading down to Walt Disney World. With Park passes required to enter one of the four main theme parks, it is important to know which Park you are going to before arriving and have those reservations made. This doesn’t mean that you need to have every minute of every day planned out. Instead of feeling like you need to have a strict plan every day, have a list of those must-do rides and experiences that your travel party wants to make sure they get to. Think about 3 to 5 each day, and then everything else you get to do will be a bonus.  

Credit: Disney

You Have to Do the Must-Do Experiences

If you research Walt Disney World, you will find that blogs and vlogs will give you a list of must-dos for rides and dining throughout the parks. This is a great place to start; however, you don’t have to do all of them. When you look over these must-do suggestions, keep in mind what is important to your family. Rise of the Resistance is the top must-do experience in Walt Disney World right now. It is an unbelievable adventure that takes Guests into the movie like never before. With all that said, if your family hasn’t seen any Star Wars movies, don’t want the stress of getting a boarding pass, or don’t have time to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this ride might not be a must-do for you- and that is okay. Look into what the rides are and if they are something that your family will want to experience. My daughter loves Space Mountain; however, as I have gotten older, I no longer feel the need to get thrown around again, that is okay.  

Another area that people will give you must-do advice is when it comes to dining.  We agree that there are some dining experiences that are better than others but that doesn’t mean they are must-do dining experiences for your family.  One good example of this is Cinderella’s Royal Table that is located inside the castle itself.  This dining location is unbelievable as you can imagine.  It truly takes you inside the story and beauty of the castle; however, if you don’t care about princesses or look at the menu and don’t find anything you would enjoy, don’t feel pressured to eat here.  There are other great options when it comes to dining so don’t push yourself to eat at those places that others feel are must-dos as they might enjoy different things than you do.

It is okay to figure out what those must-do rides and dining locations are for many, but that doesn’t mean that they will be must-do for you.  Instead, do your research and learn what they offer and then determine if they are must do for you.

You Have To Get a Park Hopper

Walt Disney World has four main theme parks to visit on vacation. If you are interested in being able to travel between the four parks in one day, you will need a Park Hopper. Some Disney veterans might tell you that it is a must get, but look into the facts to determine for your family. Right now in Disney World, Guests can hop to a second Park after 2:00 pm, and after they have visited the Park they made their initial Park pass reservations for that day. This limits your park hopping option to the late afternoon and evening. Double check the Park hours to make sure if you do choose to hop that it will provide you with enough time after 2. Sometimes Animal Kingdom closes at 5 pm, which would only give you three hours in the Park. Another thing to think about is if your family is one that will want to hop from Park to Park. If you have little ones, hopping between parks might be a lot of work. You have to gather everything up and use Disney transportation which sometimes can take up to an hour or more to get where you want to go. Look into your plans to determine if the cost of the Park Hopper will work for your family.

Credit: Disney

You Have to Rope Drop

Rope dropping at Disney World refers to when the parks are officially open to Guests. A lot of people will tell you that you have to rope drop in order to have a good time. Although we recommend rope dropping in some cases, you don’t have to each day you are there. If you try to rope drop every day, you and your family will become exhausted and worn down. Instead, pick and choose which day or parks would be the best to rope drop based on your goals. With EPCOT opening later, maybe it would be easier to get everyone there for rope drop, but with the early hours at Animal Kingdom it might not be the best choice. Think about your goals and what strategy would be the best to accomplish those goals.  

These are just a few of the big pieces of advice others will give you when planning a trip to Walt Disney World that you don’t always have to follow. The key aspect to planning a vacation to Walt Disney World is to do your own research and then determine what will be important to you and those traveling with you. Once you know that, then you are ready for a great time in Walt Disney World.

About Jennifer Retzlaff

My name is Jennifer Retzlaff and I became a lifelong Disney fan during my first trip to Walt Disney World in 6th grade. From that moment, Disney became a big part of my life. I live in Iowa with my husband and two kids who are growing up too quickly for my liking. I started introducing my love for Disney early to my family with a Disney honeymoon and then trips when our youngest of 18 months. Since then, our family has been to Walt Disney World over five times and we continue to plan and dream for the next trip. I love the magic that Disney brings to people through the theme parks, cruises, adventures and movies they create. As a teacher, I try to bring that magic into my classroom to help kids believe that “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It.” I recently reached a dream of mine as I joined Magic Vacation Planner as a personal travel advisor. With this team, I can now help others plan magical vacations. As a passionate writer, I also have my own blog at magicalvacationsbyjen which is also where you can follow me on instagram for trip reviews along with tips and tricks for your next magical vacation.