Disney World Travel Tips

We recently had an amazing trip to Walt Disney World. It was our first trip in seven years and I had a lot of questions about how things worked and how to make our trip go as smoothly as possible. I searched several different websites and blogs to gather information. I also relied a lot on our amazing travel agent Pollyanna at Tink's Magical Vacations. I thought it might be helpful to share all the information I found along with our experience for others who might want that information. This isn't a blog post of our trip as I'll do that separately. This is just for information. This is specifically about Disney World, not about Disneyland. Some of the information may apply to both, but I haven't been to Disneyland in several years. Also note, that information is subject to change or I could be wrong to start with.

Using a Travel Agency - using a travel agency doesn't cost any more than booking the trip yourself. The travel agent just gets a commission from your package. I recommend Pollyanna at Tink's Magical Vacations. (First of all, her name is Pollyanna - what else do I need to say?!) Travel agents book these trips every day. They have inside knowledge and tips. They know about discounts. They know about special events. For example, we got a significant discount on our trip because we subscribe to Disney+. They can also advise you about different options so you can make an educated choice.

Where to Stay - We had never stayed in a Disney property before. I highly recommend it! By staying in a Disney property, we got early access to the Lightening Lanes (more on that below), early entrance to the parks, and easy transportation to/from/between the parks and our hotel. We were able to get additional help in making sure everything was set up correctly before we ever got to the park. 

When we booked, we were given the choice between an economy hotel (Pop Century), a mid level (Port Orleans), or high end (Animal Kingdom Lodge). There wasn't a huge price difference between Pop Century and Port Orleans, but when I read reviews, they said that Pop Century had been recently renovated and Port Orleans was a little run down. (We noticed it was being worked on while we were there.) Animal Kingdom Lodge was out of our price range. So we chose Pop Century.

We actually really liked this hotel. The rooms were small, but the design was ingenious. We had adjoining rooms with my parents. Both rooms had two queen sized beds and one of the beds in each room was a Murphy bed. During the day, we could fold them up and have a lot more space. We could also use the Skyliner gondolas to get to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. The hotel wasn't fancy, but it was clean and modern. We don't spend much time at the hotel so it was perfect for us. We didn't use the pool at all. If you stay in a Disney hotel, you can swim in the pool(s) at any of the Disney properties. 

If you stay in a Disney hotel, you can drive between all the parks and park for free. (You do pay $15 a day for parking at the hotel.) My mom needed an electronic scooter so driving our car didn't make sense for us. Fortunately, with the scooter, we were always first to load the bus. (More about the Scooter below.)

Genie, Genie+, Lightening Lanes, and Virtual Queues - I have to say that who ever came up with the organization and naming of these was a little misguided. It's almost like it evolved without being thought through from a whole picture perspective from the beginning. All of these work from the Disney World app. Once I figured out the app, it was very cool and things went smoothly.

• Genie - Genie is a tool to help organize your day with suggested itineraries, tips, etc. It would probably be helpful for someone that had no idea what to do at Disney or someone who elected not to buy Genie+.
  
  
• Genie+ - is for people who pay $15 a day extra to be able to use Lightening Lanes (more on that below). Thanks to guest services, I learned that Genie and Genie+ do not work very well together in the app. If you have purchased Genie+, you won't find what you're looking for in Genie, which is as confusing as it sounds. I learned that I should stick to the "Tip Board" portion of the app and ignore the "My Day" portion of the app. Once I did that, things went much more smoothly. From the Tip Board, I could see what Lightening Lanes I had reserved and what the wait times were for all the rides.

• Lightening Lanes are what we used to call Fast Passes. They are shorter lines and only people who paid for the Genie+ can use them. I have heard that if the park is very slow, it's  not worth it to pay for Genie+. I have also heard that if the park is very busy, the Lightening Lanes run out before the day is over. We were fortunate and got to use them all day long. You can only reserve one Lightening Lane at a time (except for those that are paid for separately - more on that below). You can cancel them if you change your mind or book another one if two hours go by. Once you have used one, you can book another. So after we scanned our passes, I would book our next Lightening Lane while we were still in lane. One person can book the Lightening Lanes for everyone in your group. You can select which members of your group will ride the ride. You can only use a Lightening Lane for the same ride once. 
  
  There are some rides where an additional fee is required in order to book a Lightening Lane. You can stand by for these rides, but to get a Lightening Lane, you need to pay extra. I booked the ones we wanted right at 7 a.m. You do not have to be in the park to book them if you are staying in a Disney hotel. You can have a paid one and a free one reserved at the same time. You cannot have two free ones at the same time.
• Magic Kingdom - Seven Dwarves Mine Train (not worth it)
• Epcot - Guardians of the Galaxy (book virtual queue instead, but note requirements below)
• Hollywood Studios - Star Wars Rise of the Resistance (worth it)
• Animal Kingdom - Avatar Flight of Passage (worth it)
  
  
• Virtual Queues - Right now, the only ride that uses a virtual Queue is Guardians of the Galaxy. You cannot stand by for this ride so you either need to buy a Lightening Lane or use the free Virtual Queue. A virtual queue is what it sounds like. You hold a virtual spot in a line so you don't have to actually stand in line. You return to the ride within the window you have reserved. You can book the queue at 7 a.m. if you have a park reservation for Epcot. Otherwise, you will have to actually be in Epcot to join the queue. Spots become available at 1:00 and 6:00 p.m.

Wristbands - The wristbands are great! You don't have to use them. You can use the app on your phone, but it is super convenient to use the wristband to open your room, make purchases, and access the Lightening Lanes. There are a variety of styles and you can set them so that only specific people can make charges. I didn't think I'd like it, but the wristband was amazing. Anything you buy with your wristband will appear on your final invoice. (Note that if you purchase something in a giftshop with the app on your phone, it will not show up on the invoice.)

Rides in Each Park - G+ indicates rides where I recommend using Genie+ to get in the Lightening Lane. Before using a Lightening Lane, check the app to see what the standby wait times are. You don't want to waste a Lightening Lane on a ride that doesn't have a long standby line. Also, pay attention to ride warnings. There are some rides I won't do because they make me so nauseous. 

• Magic Kingdom
• “It’s a Small World”
• Astro Orbiter
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad G+
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion G+
• Mad Tea Party
• Jungle Cruise G+
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean G+
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (you have to pay for Lightening Lane & in my opinion it's not worth it)
• Space Mountain G+
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• The Barnstormer
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
• Splash Mountain G+ 
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room (home of the Dole Whip)
• There are also parades and a fireworks show each day as well as special events throughout the year. Rides are often shorter during the fireworks or shows.
  
  
  
• Hollywood Studios
• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run G+
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith G+
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (have to pay for Lighting Lane access)
• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Land
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ™ G+
• Toy Story Mania! 
• There is a Fantasmic Pyrotechnics show after dark. Rides are often shorter during the fireworks.

• Epcot
• Beauty and The Beast Sing-Along
• Frozen Ever After Sing-Along (lots of fun)
• Mission: SPACE
• Ratatouille Adventure 4D G+
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track 
• Guardian’s of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind (have to pay for Lighting Lane access or join free virtual queue)
• Soarin’ Around the World G+
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends show
• There is a firework show on the water.
• Epcot is fun to walk around because there are areas that are designed like foreign countries. The entrance to the park is under a lot of construction. There are really great places to eat here, especially international cuisine. 

• Animal Kingdom
• Avatar Flight of Passage (have to pay for Lighting Lane access) - best ride at Disney!
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest G+
• It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Na’vi River Journey (Avatar) G+
• TriceraTop Spin
• Kali River Rapids G+
• Kilimanjaro Safari G+
• Pandora is lit up at night and is supposed to be amazing. I was sad we missed this.

Park Hopping - You have to make a reservation for a specific park. You can't move from one park to another until 2:00 p.m. I don't think you need a full day in Hollywood Studios or Epcot. Transportation between the parks is available by bus, monorail, Skyliner or car. It just depends on which two parks you're traveling between. You can book a Lightening Lane from a Disney hotel at 7 a.m., but after that, you can't book Lightening Lanes unless you're actually in that particular park.

Photo Plans - I don't think photo plans are worth it, but that's just my opinion. I couldn't figure out how to purchase just one photo. I was only able to purchase for a full day or for our entire trip and that was way too steep for me.

Meal Plans - I also don't do the meal plans. I like to have flexibility and worry that a meal plan ties you down. But since I've never purchased it, I'm not an expert on it. You can make reservations on the app, which is handy. There are some Disneyland favorites that are not available for purchase at Disney World (i.e. corndogs (the bites are NOT the same thing), churro toffee, raspberry macaroons).

Scooters for People With Disabilities - we booked a motorized scooter for my mom from Scooter Bug Rentals. There are other companies available, but I liked this one because they deliver right to the hotel and you just leave the scooter there when you're finished. We could take it into the room and charge it at night. It was very convenient. Customer service was very quick to respond.

Airport/Hotel Transportation - we picked up my parents at the airport, but otherwise we would have used a shuttle. Disney resorts used to provide transportation, but they no longer do. Mears Connect was the company recommended by our travel agent.

Souvenir Shopping - Before the trip, I read a couple of different blogs that recommended Disney Character Warehouses for souvenir shopping. We went to the location on International Drive that was recommended, but it was a total waste of time. I wish I had known more about Disney Springs because that is where we should have gone. When you go to Disney Springs, there are several different Disney shops. By far the best is the World of Disney. It is a massive Disney store and they have everything. It's nice to find everything in one place. The other stores are pretty much a waste of time. We had gone into 3 or 4 of the smaller ones before we found the big one. I wish we had known where to start. (Park in the Lime garage.)

Hopefully this information is helpful to anyone planning a trip. Let me know if anything is incorrect or needs more information!