Disney World Pro Tips From The Experts 

I just wanna say....aj has the bessssttttt voice ever! It's so soothing and comforting. I could listen all day

In addition to the USB Chargers / Fuel Rods - If you don't have either and are in a pinch with a completely dead or nearly dead phone, try taking your phone to guest services and politely ask if they can plug it in for a couple minutes! My best friend and I were separated after fireworks at the Magic Kingdom last year and of course his phone died. I had the backup battery with me. He asked the CM at guest services for directions to the nearest phone to call me and they offered to plug in his phone instead! He said they had cables for all types of phones ready to go. I don't know if there was a time limit or if it was just a CM going above-and-beyond, but it was incredibly generous of them. 15 minutes of charge got him to 40% and we were able to get back in touch. Thanks, Disney! And thanks AJ for these tips!

Pro tip: Don’t try to do it all, especially with young children. You will only ruin the trip for everybody. Pick three things that you HAVE to do, and consider anything else a gift. You will have a much more positive experience, and you’ll avoid the meltdowns that you’ll see all over the park when folks try to cram too much into their stay at WDW. You want to go home with happy memories, not tales of horror...except from the Haunted Mansion, of course.

Missed one. If you buy a Balloon at the park and it deflates or pops, bring it back to a balloon seller and they will replace it!

As a passholder, the tips are dead on and couldn’t agreed more. Bring meal replacement bars, share turkey legs, eat a decent amount before entering the parks helped me with food cost.

Pro Tip: If you schedule a fast pass and the ride goes down for your scheduled time, make sure to check in anyway. They will often give you a Fast Pass for the ride, or a choice of other rides if that particular one is down the rest of the day, that's good for the same day. Sometimes it's automatically added to your Fast Pass area in your Disney Experience app, but sometimes they're just passing out the old paper tickets. Make sure you get those tickets if it's the paper sort. :) And also READ the ticket or the options you have. Sometimes it can include EVERY ride in the park, like Mine Train or Pandora's rides, and sometimes it's just a select type of rides like you can choose one of the Mountains to go to.

I would actually suggest putting fast passes in the morning still, just an hour or 2 after opening, so that you can try and get more passes for the rest of the day

Love these tips!!! Our biggest tip is no bags! We skip the bag lines, even with 5 kiddos. We have a double stroller so we throw everything in the basket underneath and use that as our “bag”!

When you buy the Disney gift cards at Costco / BJ's, they're at a discount AND you can use your Disney Visa and get rewards points. Double win.

Umbrellas can do double duty. If it is raining, obviously you can use it for that. But if it is sunny and hot, it can become your own personal piece of shade. As a fair skinned person, I always have one with me.

I can't help but smile everytime I hears, "Hey guys, it's AJ."

Pro tips: stay in the park even when it rains. It doesn’t last long and wait times go down. Stay on property. It’s worth it especially deluxe resorts!

Additional tips: 1) Bring some caribiner clips with you to easily attach things to your stroller if you have kids or just the straps on your purse or backpack. We use them for pin trading bags, small merch bags, umbrellas, be drink sleeves, sunglass cases, hats, etc. Binder clips are great for holding the curtains closed in your room to keep the early morning sun out when you're trying to sleep. 2) If you're going in the winter, bring Hot Hands hand warmers and toe warmers for at night when it can get really chilly next to the water. You can buy them in bulk online, and they're wonderful little things to keep in your coat pockets. Disney gives them to cast members when it's cold outside. The toe warmers stick to the bottom of your socks. Both kinds will last for 8-10 hours and all you have to do is shake them every so often to refresh them. Once they go cold, just throw them out. 3) Get a UV umbrella instead of a plain one. UV umbrellas are lined with UV reflecting material that will keep the shade under the umbrella a good 10-15° cooler as well as deflect UV rays. This is also good if you're fair skinned or have had skin cancer before like my mom. Target carries nice ones on their website with sleeves that have shoulder straps on them for easy carrying (and you can clip them to strollers/bags with caribiner clips). 4) If your rain coat is big/loose enough you can wear it OVER your backpack/purse and protect it from the rain. You'll look like Quasimodo, but who cares? 5) Bring Ziploc bags to put your electronics in to protect them from the rain if your bag gets soaked. 6) Bring TWO pairs of good shoes with you in case one pair gets drenched in the rain, so the drenched pair can be left in the room the next day to fully dry before wearing them again. Damp shoes suck. 7) If it's forecasted to rain, bring a hand towel with you from your room to wipe down benches and chairs after the rain ends so you can sit and rest outside without getting your butt wet!

By far the best tip I could ever give anyone is the one about going on rides during the shows, especially the fireworks. One time, I went on a school trip and had a group of about 5 or 6 other people with me. They decided to go on Big Thunder Mountain one more time the night we were at MK, and as much as I love that ride, I couldn't miss the chance to get in one more ride on my favorite attraction, the Haunted Mansion, since it had such a short wait. Let me tell you, it was the best decision I ever made. When I got there, there was absolutely NO line, only a few people occasionally coming in and walking right through the queue. Being the nerd that I am, I absolutely HAD to take the opportunity to take pictures of the graveyard with no one else there, which is nearly impossible to do. While I was taking pictures, a loud boom went off behind me and scared the daylights out of me (it seems innocent enough most of the time, but when you're alone in a dark graveyard, it has a much spookier atmosphere), and it was the fireworks! I got some really cool pictures of the fireworks going off in the background, but I only spent a few more moments before going inside, since I had already spent a good 5 minutes just taking pictures. I wasn't alone in the mansion, but it was still much less crowded, and I got out just in time to catch the end of the fireworks! I managed to get some extremely rare pictures and videos of fireworks going off over the mansion, lighting it up in a variety of different colors, and it was absolutely incredible. The rest of my group still hadn't even gotten on BTMR yet, so I was very glad to have spent my time at the Mansion instead of waiting in a line all that time. That night was unforgettable, and it was by far the most magical experience I've ever had at WDW.

Pro tip: avoid that stupid track on Main Street or you'll roll your ankle like the kid at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="774">12:54</a>. I do it once ever trip 😫

We had one of the neatest experiences this last time upon visiting the Magic Kingdom. We were there the evening of a Halloween party, and the parade though enjoyable was the same parade it had been before. So we really didn't care about watching the parade. Instead we decided to go over to the Haunted Mansion. There was absolutely no line. All we saw was one disappointed vacationer walking back through the turnstile as if the ride was turned off and she didn't get to go. Still that didn't deter us, and we decided to go all the way to the front. Well, the doors were closed. Most of our party decided to turn around... But just in case, I decided to knock on the door. Let me tell you, the door opened slowly with a creepy squeak and one very morose cast member beckoned us to come inside. We did the entire Haunted Mansion on our own. We were the only guests inside. It took this normally fun ride and made it something pretty creepy. On top of which we were able to hear every single word of the soundtrack - which is something you don't always get to hear. I know that we'll be talking about this for years to come because it was just the coolest thing. So, yes, during the parade go and get on those rides because it is an experience that you will not forget!

I love going on rides during the parade and fireworks. Im not really into that stuff. Last time I rode space mountain like 6 times with no line I just kept running back through the queue it was awesome

We always liked going to a character dinner the 1st day, no parks. Your kids get to see the characters up close, get autographs, you have a nice dinner, (Not quiet, but nice!!)it's a win-win!!! A lot cheaper then park tickets!!

Here’s just something really awesome I did! If you are the last person in line to met Alice by the Teacups, she might get in the teacup with you! Its a super cool and fun experience!

While my family does like occasional spontaneous moments, the massive amount of scheduling works well for my family. My little sister and I are both autistic so having a fixed points in our schedule really helps us. The first year we got the dining plan changed everything. If anyone was getting overwhelmed we knew when we would definitely have downtime. It is nice to know most of what we will be doing a particular day. It sucks for those who like a more spontaneous experience, but it means the world to my family.

These tips are spot-on! We're local to the Orlando area and we visit the parks, resorts and Disney Springs often. If there's one tip I like to stress, it's the one about wearing comfortable shoes.That is must. I once wore stylish boots at Magic Kingdom and I was miserable by the end of the day. You do put on a lot of miles and your feet will thank you if you wear the correct footwear. However, make sure to wear closed-toe shoes. Sneakers are the best option. A good friend of ours who recently retired from 40+ years at Walt Disney World, had told me the #1 injury in the parks is foot injuries. I get that it's hot and people want to wear flip flops or sandals, but having your feet accidentally stepped on by the crowds or run over by strollers or electric scooters is not worth it.

I was so mad when I went to Disney a few months ago and asked for the magic shot with the Dole Whip and none of the photographers knew what I was talking about. I wish there was somewhere online that Disney listed all the magic shot places and different types pictures available to guests. I'd love for you to do a video on just Magic Shots and the Photopass Service.

PLEASE. PLAN. AHEAD I don't know how many times where people have called to book the best vacation and are coming in a week (already booked their nonrefundable plane tickets!!!!) and want the cheapest room and reservations at CRT and get Pandora fastpasses. "When are your travel dates?" "Oh next week for 6 nights." Honey, you ain't getting a value resort. Not even a moderate. All's I got is the most expensive suite at the Grande Floridian. That'll be $5000 per night. Will that work? Now, I'm not ragging on people or trying to make anyone sound dumb. I understand that they may have never tried to book a Disney vacation before and don't understand how things work here, but you can't just call a few days before arrival (or even literally the same day) and expect to get either 1. a room or 2. a decently priced room. Ya gotta plan honey.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="774">12:54</a> R.I.P

Great stuff. Your last tip about planning made me think that you could do a great post all about planning. You've talked about all these ideas, and it might be great to have just one video (and matching PDF) that includes: How to plan your trip and your days without over-planning; planning down time; planning free time; planning with your older kids and for your younger ones; and a bit about how to keep those plans and reservations, and also knowing when to change your plans.

Allow extra time for Table Service dining. On our recent trip to WDW, it was great to sit down (in the AC!) and enjoy dinner with the family but it was QUITE TIME CONSUMING. It didn't seem to matter if we were at a resort or in one of the parks, it took much longer than expected to wait for a table, enjoy the meal, & pay out.

Recognizing your Contributors is a very respectful. Love that there are so many happy and helpful Disney people. Great video.

Here’s a good tip for ladies and guys, If your thighs rub together and chafe- make sure you bring Vaseline! When your thighs start to stick in a way- just reapply! It was a lifesaver for me-

Here's a tip If you want to get into a park that you know will reach full capacity quickly (over holidays or spring break etc) then book a dining reservation for inside that park. You have to be let in to get to your reservation. Try to book later in the night so then after you finish you don't have huge lines to wait in.

Bring over the counter medical supplies, like band-aids DON'T BUY them at the resorts or you can get them in the parks but they will only give one or two to each person, also cold medicine or even and aspirin,et el. just in case.

Thank you so much Aj and the disney food blog team. You've made my disney experience stress free! Because of this videos, I got to plan accordingly. No running around for a reservation or anything! Me and my boyfriend got the most out of our day in Magic Kingdom! We got into 8 rides and got in our lunch and dinner reservations without any hassle and even had time tl sit around for a break in between rides! Most because of your videos! Thank you so much. I can't wait to go back and see the whole park!

Don’t add water parks onto your ticket. Just buy a ticket directly at the water park if you decide to go. Go later in the day and get a discount

Could you do a video on park visits for the handicapped? I had my leg amputated last year and am just now up to taking on Disney again. I don’t know any tips or tricks for this. Thanks in advance if you do the video.

Tip: Late-dinner room service stops at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="660">11:00</a> pm. So if you get hungry late at night like I do you are on your own. Stock up on snacks. If you order pizza you will have to walk to the lobby and for some resorts like Coronado Springs it is quite a walk. Tip: Discounts for annual pass holders are not automatically applied just because your magic band holds your annual pass and your payment method. You will need to present your card or if you didn’t get one like me you can present the app showing your annual pass and an ID. Tip: You can add stuff to your pre-fix menu. If there is something you would like to try extra (like that escargot we all nearly spat out at be our guest) without sacrificing the stuff you actually want. It does cost more but it is possible. Tip: Not sure if this is a recent development but when you use the online order do not just sit and wait for the app to say it is ready. I did that for a very long time the first few times and I waited forever. Even after the crowd dispersed I had to go to the counter and ask for what I ordered, because the app never showed it as ready. Just politely come up to the counter when you arrive and they will ask you to wait but at least they’ll be aware of your existence and you won’t have to wait forever. Tip: Do not trust the app during after hours! I almost missed out on FoP and Splash Mountain because it showed them as closed. Both were open. Just check in person. Tip: For AK after hours the illumination show happens twice (the usual time and again at 9pm after the park is closed for everyone who is not there for After Hours). If you do come in at 7 pm that first show is a great opportunity to get some rides in or maybe even dinner. This is not true of any of the other parks. Tip: You will have to wait in line to check-in for Be Our Guest even with a reservation so show up about 20-25 minutes early. If you show up exactly on time and wait 15-20 minutes in line to check in you may be rejected as a no-show. Tip: bring your own water. The water from the faucet at our resort had this horrible taste and each bottle was 3.50 at the vending machine. You can get a large pack of water bottles at Walmart, Publix or Target for the same price as 4 bottles from the vending machine so bring it and keep it in the room.

AJ, I cannot thank you enough for making your videos, especially this one! So many Mickey hugs to you!

wow to the kid that tripped on the rail at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="774">12:54</a>

Thanks for always keeping this up to date. As Disney's prices and offerings have changed and evolved, so have the tips and tricks to a successful WDW vacation. Some tips that used to be relevant, no longer are and need to be updated with tips for Disney's current status quo.

Thank you, this helped me remember what to pack, I’m going this Friday through Sunday

Thanks again for your great tips AJ!! We usually travel to Disney in the summer and we always bring our ponchos. This year we're traveling for Christmas, and I thought we wouldn't have to pack the ponchos, but thanks to your wonderful tips, we'll be packing our trusty ponchos to make sure we won't get wet while enjoying Disney during our Christmas vacation. Thanks AJ!!!

I watch all your tips, what to bring to disney world and more and write them down for my family trips to disney and they love it!

One thing that we did this last trip that worked surprisingly well on our last trip ... We were staying for 1-2 weeks and we had hit that price threshold where additional Disney park tickets only costed 10-20 more per person. What we did on arrival day: we arrived in the afternoon, so that evening we spent one of the tickets to go to Epcot that evening. Then we used our fast pass reservation for the fireworks show. - normally fireworks are not a good use for fast pass, but since we had the situation of "arrive late + past point where tickets were cheap" it made sense to get the reserved seating and it was great. Also - fuel rods are omigosh so much lifesaver. lol They haven't cropped up at Universal yet, but they are at Disney Anaheim as well. Additionally they have these stations at San Diego Zoo facilities. Totally worth the investment.

I love listening to your videos whilst working. I get my Disney fix for the day and get my work done, win/win!

To follow up on the show tip: get some insoles that you can add to your shoes, especially ones that’ll help keep your feet from being sore. I recommend Sof Sole cause you can find em at a lot of stores (Finish Line does a life time warranty on them) And to keep your shoes from getting wet, yes there are water proof shoes that work well, but if you not up to buying another pair of shoes get a protectant spray like Crep Protect or Sof Sole. Keeps your shoes dry and dirt resistant! Great content as always miss AJ!💛✨

I have been to Disney World over 40 times in the past 25 years. Even I picked up some tips here. Thanks AJ

Have watched about 5 or so videos of yours and they are really good, thanks and you do have a very pleasant voice!!

Thank you so much for this and for ALL the time and effort to gather the info and share it here with all of us! I have a collection of the lists and will be sharing them with my Cousin and her friend. The tentative dates are still being planned for November 8-13th 2020

If you time it right and get lucky you can see the fireworks at magic kingdom as you go down the big drop on splash mountain. It’s one of my favorite things at Disney world

I am SO THANKFUL for your videos!!!! I learned so much!!!! We are headed to Disney soon my husband and I have been but it’s our first time taking our 8 year old! We can’t wait.... I am so grateful for all of your generous info!!!!

As a pass holder, something to note is that some rides and attractions close for the fireworks! Fantasyland attractions in Disneyland close early for the fireworks and don't reopen until about half and hour after they conclude. It's just something to adjust since I know you mentioned you did the fantasyland rides during the fireworks, which would be possible since they close for that period of time. Otherwise, everything is EXTREMELY helpful! Love these videos.

Yes! Picked up BOG doing the keep checking thing!

Please keep up all the amazing work. I'm so grateful for all your thorough information. I had a video idea for you: Rides with the best queues. Queues worth standing in line to see. I thought that would be a fun & unique idea. 😀

Ha! Ever tried to get IN to the Magic Kingdom after the fireworks? We felt like salmon swimming upstream. And it was a slow time of year.

I didn't know about the Magic Shots! That's nice.

I learned something new! That doesn’t happen very often. 🎉 Thank you! 👏🏻

By wandering...we were able to be last of four people out...yes four out of thousands...after eating Cinderella’s royal table, which we got the day before cuz of cancellation and also be our guest in same day, we were able to get the security guard to take all our pics walking out. It gave me walley world vibes. He even looked like John candy! I have pic in front of Cinderella castle both my fiancé dressed in light blue, just us and Walt and and Mickey (statue)

Hi DFB! Just returned yesterday from WDW and they had fried cauliflower at the kiosk across from Splash mountain and entering adventure land. Pretty cool food item for a theme park.

AJ you got to go on Mr. Toads wild ride, I'm jealous. That was my favorite back in the day at disney world.

Lots of awesome info, always craving more to make our May 1st visit really smooooth!

As DVC members our room always has a coffee maker but is not stocked with enough supplies to last our trip. We bring extra filters and ground coffee from home to supplement...

I would just like to say that your voice is super soothing. :) I love your videos like this where it goes straight to the meat of the content and not that more advertisery opening. Said opening can be a little jarring at times as opposed to the easy going presentation the rest of the video contains.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="783">13:03</a> yeah..i learned that the hard way when walking around universal studios for many hours. got a really bad blister on the back of my heel!

I did run into one issue parking at the resorts. If you have your personal vehicle and drive from one resort to the other, they may deny you parking depending on the parking capacity of the bookings. We went to park at the GF in the morning since we were going to end our day there and the gate attendant wanted to turn us around to central since a convention was checking in that same day. If you want to explore other resorts, keep transit in mind!

I have to schedule everything in advance to keep everything organized. I have fun creating Word Sheets with cute Disney clip art images and making everything colorful.

Great video ❤️ - could you do a video on the Disney good neighbour hotels/resorts? 🙂

Long time goers. We use the magic shots for our souvenir now. Friends love looking at our Disney photo wall.

These are great tips! I wouldn't have thought of some these. THANK YOU!!

Great tips! Thanks, AJ!

My two suggestions: Especially on a day the park is crowded... it will likely take you twice as long to get from one point in the park to another than you estimated. We all know the infamous, “But it looked so close on the park map!” The second is to not wear the same pair of (comfy) shoes every day. A colleague in the Department of Podiatry here on campus gave me this tip years ago and I swear it is excellent advice.

Just a little FYI: Disneyland (Anaheim) actually closes some of Fantasyland during fireworks! Rides including Mr. Toads Wild Ride, Peter Pan's Flight, King Arthur's Carrousel, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Snow White's Scary Adventure and also the Monorail in Tomorrowland!

Love the tip to put money budgeted for food on a giftcard! Thanks for the tip!

Great tips and great vid AJ!!!! 👍🏼

This is so helpful! Thankyou!!

Who else can’t afford to go to Disney but watches these anyway? Lol

Apart from AP & DVC buying drinks at the merchandise stores instead of the restaurant to get discount there are food items that you can get at both like Mickey Premium Bars too.

Going to Florida the first week in March! Will for sure use these tips 👌

Keep checking for fast passes! Yes, we booked our trip less than a month in advance and all the big rides were taken, but kept checking for weeks and successfully snagged some awesome fast passes!

Tip: go on thunder mountain during castle light shows for the best view and no line so u can do it multiple times!

Everytime my family & I do theme parks we use out CamelBak’s hydration backpacks we fill them up with ice from hotel and bottled water we buy. Best way to save money on drinks

Wow! So many contributors! We usually arrive in the area around noon, so we check in at the resort and then head over to Disney Springs to activate our military tickets, it’s a good way to use time and not burn a ticket

Love the advice on not getting a park ticket on day you arrive or leave I always find something to do

Once again, excellent review!

I really enjoyed your video. Some great tips here. I've been to Orlando many times since 2009. Love it there so much, especially Seaworld. My favorite theme park however is Busch Gardens about an hours drive from Disney. The rides there are a bit more hardcore

Fuel rod tip you can get the fuel rod a lot cheaper if you order it online before your trip ! And you can switch it while your there

Disney is considering getting rid of photographers. Let them know that this is not an acceptable change. A machine is not the same as a human and we need to let Disney know what we as consumers want or they will keep making changes for profit.

Awesome tips AJ great vudeo as usual.

I'd love a video where readers/viewers can ask questions and hear some answers. I've only been to Disney a couple of times, so there's still some (probably obvious) stuff that I'm not sure about that I'd want to take into account when planning my next trip.

Hi as a DVC member we all enjoy the parks but do find things a bit over priced at times. so its great to get some very useful tips, next time over we will be trying the desert firework deal. one thing we do is we might do the park in the morning then head back to our resort for a light lunch and break so charge the kids energy then head back. Also head just outside the resorts and there are lots of places to eat where you get good food at a great price

Bring your popcorn bucket back and get refills!

Just got back today from my annual trip. My best advice is by far using the mobile order app. Save incredible amounts of time and stress. Also load your pack full of snacks and carry a water bottle. Can’t wait to go back for Star Wars!!

We were at DW for a week recently. We tried Mobile Ordering once and it was a complete mess. (Backlot Express at Hollywood Studios) It was completely disorganized and slow, and the wait ended up being longer than if we'd just walked up. So the rest of the trip we just waited in the regular lines (which fortunately weren't too bad).

Mobil Ordering is always something that we use, but we used it last week at Andy's Lunchbox and ended up waiting longer than the people waiting in the normal queue. I guess they had more mobil orders to fulfill than regular orders. I'll absolutely still mobil order but it was just one of those weird times where it didn't work out in our favor.

AJ is so right about planning!!! I have been here at least a dozen times, my co-workers would laugh at my spread sheets ( Before everyone had computers, and before smart phones.) BUT....we saw and did so much!! if you come here and just wing it, good luck!!

Not been to Disney since I was 6 and don’t think I’ll ever go again 😢 but still watched the vids. Even as a little kid I guessed the characters weren’t real but apparently when I met the princesses I couldn’t help believing and getting really excited

Mobile ordering was one of my favorite things.

As soon as I get in line for my third FP+ and I have a chance I whip out my phone and book my next FP+ rather than wait until after the ride. Also, thanks for the tip about buying drinks and snacks at merch. I rarely buy drinks as I bring my own, but, it's good to know. Also, don't forget your refillable mug, especially if you plan to resort hop, for free drinks. I'm cheeky and if I have an empty water bottle I'll fill that up and take a drink in my mug when I return to the park.

Love your channel! I just put out my first video on WDW advice! Hoping to make many more!

Can you give us more insight to prime pantry? In the past we just left property and stocked ou fridges from the Walmart or Publix but my next trip I'm flying in and shuttling to the resort without renting a car. I saw you briefly mention Amazon prime pantry and I'm curious how this may work. Can I order my snacks there the day I arrive and have them sent to my room so I have snacks for my trip?

Early to a video, yay! Love this video :)

Pro tip / recommendation: the mini golf course is soooooo fun and wasn’t even busy and it’s amazing at night! Great for all ages one of my favorite things to do in Disney!

Great tips. Thanks.