The Happiest Place on Earth- Disney World Hacks & Tips

August 24th 2018 

There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day~

Disney World is a land of fun and excitement for people of all ages. However, depending on how you plan your trip, you could be missing out on some extra magic you didn’t even know existed! Here are a few hacks, tips, and tricks to ensure that you get to experience all the magic that Disney has to offer and get some added benefits along the way!

Hacks and Pro-Tips

1. Know your times of year- There are good and bad times a year to go to Disney, finding a good time of year can mean shorter lines, better temperatures, and more fun for you! Check out this calendar by Undercover Tourist who labels out the best days to go to the parks based on crowd information: HERE
2. Utilize extra magic hours- If you have the privilege to stay in a Disney Resort for more than 3 days (I believe), you are entitled to extra magic hours! Extra magic hours are 1-2 hours before a park opens or after a park closes where only hotel guests can be in the parks. That means shorter lines for you and the chance to get on those hard to get to attractions.
3. Guest Services has the hook up- Is it your first trip? Is it your birthday? Is it a special occasion? Do you want everyone to know it? If so then head over to guest services! They have buttons for everything from first visits, to graduations, to getting married and more! Did you know that if you hit the Galactic Hero level on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, you can actually get a button for it so everyone can bow down to the hero you are?!
4. Become a Pirate, a Prince, or a Princess- At some Disney shops in Downtown Disney/Disney Springs as well as on Main Street,  you can become a pirate, prince, or princess. If you find a cast member in a shop that does princess makeovers, you can ask for them to pour glitter over your head or “pirates treasure” which is more like chunky confetti.
5. Get the App- If you’re an avid Disney Goer then this isn’t really much of a pro-tip to you, but if you’re new, the app will save your life (and your time). Going into Disney everything sort of hits you at once, rides, foods, character meet-ups, parades, shows, etc. However, the Disney parks app is a super valuable resource that tells you wait times, stores your fast pass info (that you can change any time). Never waste your time running back and forth only to find that the ride you want has long wait times again.
6. You can bring food into the parks- If you want to go to Disney on a budget, bring your own food. When my friends and I went, we made a Peapod order to arrive at our hotel the day we checked in and we made sandwiches and packed baggies of chips and small water bottles to take to the park with us to save money. (We still ended up eating and drinking tons of stuff at the park, which Disney probably expects happens anyway), but we did save time and money not having to stop for lunch.

If you have any pro-tips that I didn’t mention, feel free to share them below!

Jess~