For those of you that don’t know me, I am a HUGE Disney fan. I grew up very close to Disneyland and have had a pass pretty much every year since I was 11 years old. Most of my friends that I take that are from other parts of the country always say, “Wow! It’s SO small compared to Walt Disney World!!”
This seemed kind of ridiculous to me, never having been myself. Obviously there are more parks there, but could they really be that much different??
The answer is yes, yes they can.
Walt Disney World is GIANT!! The parks are nowhere near each other and when you go inside, even though they look similar they are spread out so much more. I decided to make a list of 10 Walt Disney World tips for those of you who are used to Disneyland, but are planning to take a trip to Florida soon!
8 Walt Disney World Tips:
The difference between the four parks
Animal Kingdom
If you live in Southern California, Animal Kingdom is basically the San Diego Zoo with rides.
Of course as I’m sure you know, the Avatar land is the gem of this part. When we were there in Jan of 2018, the line for Flight of Passage averaged around a 240 minute wait of you didn’t have a fast pass. We lucked out and only waited about 2 hours. OH MAN was it worth it. It’s unlike any ride I’ve ever been on because its so immersive. You should definitely check it out.
Would I say you need a whole day in this park? Probably not if you don’t have the time. Hit the main rides, look at an animal or two and call it a day.
Magic Kingdom
When I first walked into MK I was slightly confused. It looked just like Disneyland only everything was just…slightly further apart. I loved it because even though it was really crowded, there was so much ROOM!
We we’re lucky enough to get a lunch reservation at Be Our Guest in which you get to dine in the Beast’s castle. You can pick to sit in the ballroom, the West Wing or the library. The decor is gorgeous! The food is definitely not worth the price. You are paying for the experience, not the food. Am I mad we did it? No, but I’m so happy we only paid for lunch not dinner.
Our favorite ride was the Snow White Mine Train coaster. There’s nothing like that out here and it was SO fun! We also enjoyed that rides like Space Mountain were totally different so it was like a brand new experience!
Hollywood Studios
So, Hollywood Studios is just like California Adventure. It has the OG Tower of Terror (which was so fun to get to ride again!!), Star Tours and the Aerospace roller coaster. This park will soon be the home of the Star Wars and Toy Story lands, but until then, there really wasn’t tons to do. We only ended up staying in this park for a few hours.
Epcot
Epcot!!! My favorite park of the trip. This is most likely due to my love of travel and food, but MAN IT WAS SO FUN!!
There are some cool rides like Test Track and Soarin, but the gem for me is visiting the World Expo. Each country has food and drink from their respective places AND all the cast members are from there as well!
If you are over 21, an unoffical game people like to play is drink around the world where you get (and finish!) a drink in every country. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to try new things out. We were there the entire day and I wish we had had more time to really explore each place.
Stay At The Resorts
You get so much bang for your buck when you stay at the resorts! Also, because everything is so obnoxiously spread out, it’s much easier to get around from them. Check out the other hotels even if you dont stay at them! They are all so different and have great food options!
PS you should definitely eat at JIKO at the Animal Kingdom Resort. Probably some of the best food I have ever had.
Magic Bands!
Magic Bands are your best friend. If you are staying at the resorts, they come with your stay. Basically you can upload your fastpasses, your tickets, credit cards and room key to them. It makes the experience so seamless and convenient!
Download The App
WDW’s app My Disney Experience is amazing and is almost necessary for your trip. You can hook your magic band up to the app so all the choices you make are all synced. It will also let you make reservations, check wait times, use Photopass, etc.
They Have Buses, Not Trams
There are so many modes of transportation to get you to the different parks, but buses are by far the most common. Instead of trams to take you back to the parking lots, these buses will drive you to different parks, resorts and Disney Springs!
Just be aware– the buses will not take you from one hotel to another so you will have to get creative in how you get back to your hotel if you explore other resorts.
You have to get your fast passes WAY in advance
Okay so at WDW you can get your fast passes months before your actual trip. MAKE SURE YOU DO ASAP otherwise all the good rides will be gone! You can still stand in line of course, but what fun is that? Plus you only get 3 a day so use them wisely!
Not All Rides Are Equal
This is basically part two to the pass pass tip. Even if The Little Mermaid ride is your favorite ride in the whole park, you should maybe just wait in line for that one and save your fast passes for the rides with crazy waits. My advice would be to research which rides have the longest avg wait time and get passes for those.
You Don’t Need Your Own Ride To The Airport
That’s right! When you stay at the resorts, a charter bus will pick you up from MCO and drop you off right at your hotel’s front door!
That’s all I’ve got! Do you have a favorite park or some Walt Disney World tips to share? I’d love to hear below!
