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Planning your first Walt Disney World trip can be confusing. When is the best time of year to go? How many parks are there? Is a park hopper ticket essential? Do not let the questions overwhelm you! You can have a good time on your vacation if you follow these expert recommendations and Disney World tips for first timers.

What to Know Before Your First Visit to Disney World

Close-up of fountain at Magic Kingdom.

Walt Disney World is a vast and expansive property. Unlike Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, the two closest Walt Disney World parks are a 20-minute walk from one another (Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, respectively). The entire property spans 43 square miles.

Traveling from park to park, or from your resort to a park, can take time. Be prepared to walk a lot, and plan more time for travel than you need. First timers cannot truly fathom how big the Walt Disney World resort is until they actually visit.

What are the Names of Disney World’s Parks?

Ballons floating at Disney World.

The names of the different areas of Walt Disney World property are just as important as knowing where they are in relation to your hotel room. Four main parks have popular rides and attractions. Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom are known as “the big four.”

Additionally, there are two water parks, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach, located near the popular shopping and dining district known as Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney). Knowing these distinctions is a good idea so you don’t get turned around driving on property or take the wrong Disney bus to a location you didn’t mean to go to.

Disney World Tips for First Timers

Enter the park early for the shows to see in Hollywood Studios at Disney World

First time visitors absolutely MUST research while in the planning process of their Walt Disney World vacation. Gone are the days of just “showing up” and winging it. This is especially true if you or a family member has not visited the parks in several years.

Disney World can be a full day of fun or headaches if you are unprepared. A travel agent can be a crucial part of this process. Travel agents are experts with the knowledge to navigate the My Disney Experience app, get popular dining reservations, and know which Disney hotel is best for your group.

Why You Should Consider Working with a Travel Agent

Epcot Food and Wine festival decor highlights the entrance to Epcot.

One of the best ways to have an amazing Disney vacation is to work WITH your travel agent instead of depending on them for everything. They usually cannot vacation with you, so it will be imperative for you to know how to use your MagicBand or how to make the most out of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass or Single Pass, or how to mobile order food and skip the line at restaurants.

Only you and your group can decide the most important things to accomplish on your Disney vacation. Do you have favorite attractions you must do? Would you rather spend a lot of time enjoying your hotel amenities? Deciding on these plans sets expectations for a vacation with so much fun potential.

Tips for Disney Theme Park Tickets

Another consideration for your vacation planning is travel time. Extra time needs to be built into park days to accommodate the spaciousness of the Walt Disney World property. As such, decide if add-ons to your tickets are the best deal for your group. If you plan a rest day, you may not want to splurge on park hopping tickets.

Park Hopper tickets allow guests to visit more than one park during the course of one day, but they are an extra cost on top of regular ticket prices. 

A crowd calendar is typically helpful in assessing how busy the parks will be when determining a great time for your family to visit and whether or not you can realistically park hop. In recent years, crowd calendars have not been as helpful as they used to be due to all the changes to procedures and protocols brought on in 2020. 

Download the My Disney Experience App

Tron Lightcycle Run by Steven Diaz
Photo: Steven Diaz/Disney

Time is the most important factor in a first timer’s Disney World vacation. No one wants to spend their trip in a long standby line or waiting on Disney transportation to take you across Walt Disney World property. Make sure to create a My Disney Experience account and download the My Disney Experience app before your Disney trip. This is crucial for getting your first ride of the day in place as well as keeping track of reservations for dining or a character experience or mobile ordering that afternoon Dole Whip! 

Select rides are part of the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Pass experience, and some rides are still making use of virtual queues, like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot or Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The app is also a quick way to see the park’s calendar and hours during your visit.

Disney Hotels vs. Good Neighbor Hotels

Photo: Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

While on-property hotels used to have many perks, there are not as many currently. However, the remaining perks may benefit you depending on your vacation situation. If staying on budget is the most important part of your trip, one of the best Disney World tips for first timers is to book at a Good Neighbor Hotel or another hotel “off property.”

Current resort guest perks are discounted, pre-arrival prices on MagicBand+ magic bands, room charging privileges, and early access to all the theme parks. Additionally, there is now free parking at the resorts on the Disney property and free parking at Disney parks for resort guests. Parking is always free at Disney’s water parks and at Disney Springs.

Benefits for Good Neighbor Hotels

Lobby area of Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

Early Theme Park Entry replaced Extra Magic Hours on October 1, 2021. Early Theme Park Entry happens 30 minutes before each theme park opens for the day, including every Disney resort guest and other select hotel guests. Additionally, guests of Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort hotels can enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks.

While Good Neighbor Hotels occasionally offer significant monetary savings, their distance from the parks might mean you’ll spend too much time using their free transportation or driving around the property instead of on the popular attractions you’ve wanted to try. Many of these hotels, however, are now included in the Early Theme Park Entry benefit, so that is one perk that may entice you to save money and stay off property.

Transportation Options

Yellow Monorail at Epcot.

Unfortunately, Disney’s Magical Express is no longer a transportation option from Orlando International Airport to Disney property. However, there are cost-effective options to get you to and from the airport or just around the property in general.

Rideshares and Shuttles

Minnie Vans are official modes of transportation at Disney World

Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft are allowed to operate on property. They may not be able to get you right to the park entrance, but they are one of the cheapest options for transportation if you don’t have your own vehicle.

Minnie Vans, official Disney transportation reserved through the Lyft app, has returned, but it will cost you. However, this cost may be worth it to avoid the crowded bus, monorail, or boat transportation lines.

Transportation with Kids

Magic Kingdom entrance building and train.

Young children need special accommodation considerations in most vehicles. Ensure you have an appropriate car seat or booster for small children through the transportation company or on your person. The good news is that once you are on Disney property, car and/or booster seats are unnecessary on Disney buses and the monorail system.

Most families I share tips with don’t really want to drive to or around Disney World. If you have a special advanced dining reservation or a desire to “rope drop” a park (i.e. be there for the opening), being in charge of your transportation from the first day of vacation might be the right choice.

Tips for Rides and Attractions

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Tie Fighter ship

When deciding which park to visit and when this is where a general knowledge of the parks comes in handy. First-time visitors may not know that “it’s a small world” is located in the Fantasyland section of Magic Kingdom or that the best place to watch the parades and cavalcades is not always Main Street U.S.A. Below is a basic overview of what you can expect in each park:

  • Magic Kingdom: the “original” Walt Disney World park that opened in 1971; contains the most family-friendly attractions such as Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Peter Pan’s Flight.
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios: where Star Wars fans can get their fix; also home to favorite rides such as Tower of Terror, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and Slinky Dog Dash.
  • Epcot: more hands-on activities than rides, especially in the World Showcase area; home to rides like Mission: Space, Soarin’, Frozen Ever After, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom: see wild animals up close and in person; Pandora: The World of Avatar is part of this park, as is Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and Kilimanjaro Safari.

Utilize Rider Switch or Child Swap

Image Credit: Matt Stroshane/Disney

One way to minimize wait times is to take advantage of rider switch. Traveling with small children means they may not always meet the height requirement or be afraid to ride. At Disney World, up to 2 guests can utilize the rider switch function. This allows one adult and participating children to go through the line standyby line or Lightning Lane while the other adult waits with the younger child.

Note: Each guest who wants to ride using Lightning Lane must pay for Lightning Lane Multi-Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass. While the children will get to ride more than once, each paying adult may only use their Lightning Lane entitlement once.

First Time Character Meeting Tips

One of the Disney World tips for first timers is to book a character meal to avoid waiting in line for them at the theme parks.

Disney World tips for first timers also apply to character experiences. A time-saving tip is to book at least one character meal during your vacation. This is a great way to enjoy good food and a quick character meet without spending precious park time in yet another long line. If you’re a Disney Visa Cardholder, don’t miss the exclusive meet-and-greets at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The waits are virtually nonexistent!

Disney Dining Plan Options

BBQ Platter at Woody's Roundup

Mobile ordering is one of my favorite things to save money and time at Disney Parks. Restaurants, and some snack locations, that accept mobile orders do not require reservations, which keeps dining from taking up too much of those precious, sometimes limited park hours. However, if you are interested in the Disney Dining Plan, you must book a vacation package (tickets and a hotel room) if you want to try it out.

There are two dining plan options; Disney Quick-Service Disney Plan and the Disney Dining Plan. The only difference is the second option includes table service restaurants, while the former only includes quick service restaurants.

Save Money with this Disney World Tip

One of the best Disney World tips is to book a character meal to combine dining with a character experience.

Looking for a way to save since you’ve splurged on other aspects of your vacation? Consider bringing your own food to the parks (yes, that is allowed) or cooking in your hotel room if you have a kitchen. You paid for the larger accommodations, so take advantage of access to more than just a mini-fridge!

My family does not think the previous version of the dining plan was worth the cost. The portions at Walt Disney World are very generous, and we often found we got a better deal by splitting meals, especially if we had enjoyed individual snacks during the day.

FAQs and Disney World Tips for First Visits

Entrance of Epcot during Festival of the Arts

I wanted to end this article with some tidbits of help that may be a little random and, thus, don’t really fit anywhere else in the article.

What is Pin Trading? How Do I Do It?

Sign for Pin Trading at Disney World

Pin trading is a fun activity that guests can participate in with other guests or Cast Members. First, purchase your own “starter” set to trade. Find pin trading starter sets or purchase individual pins and lanyards online or at Disney Parks. Once you’re in the parks, look for other guests or Cast Members with pins who might want to trade with you.

Where Do I Go When I Have a Problem?

Guest Services is the place to go if you have any issues in the park. They are located at the front of every park, and they now have blue umbrella stands set up throughout each park to assist guests. Cast Members working in these positions can help with app issues, ticket issues, dining questions, and even praise for their fellow Cast Members.

Do I Really Need to Plan a Rest Day?

Stormalong Bay pool at Disney's Beach Club deluxe resort

The short answer is, yes, you do. Disney World can be an exhausting vacation. Plan a rest or hotel day and enjoy your hotel pool or other fun activities.

When is the Best Time to Visit Disney World? 

Disney characters riding on a parade float.

The best time of year to visit is whenever you can go. There are no longer “slow” times at Walt Disney World. Manage expectations before you arrive, and everyone will leave the happiest place a little happier than when they arrived.