Disney Revealed - Walt Disney World Tips and Tricks

Disney Revealed - Walt Disney World Tips and Tricks

Walt Disney World Tips

Looking for Walt Disney World Tips?

You’ve come to the right place for Walt Disney World Tips.  I’ve been going to Walt Disney World ever since I was a kid.  My wife and I try to get to Orlando every couple of years.  It wasn’t until our last trip that we really discovered how to make the most out of our vacations.  There’s a chance that you’re going to have a great time at Walt Disney World without any kind of planning.  However, what if I told you that there is one simple thing that you could do that would make your trip BETTER and CHEAPER than the family next to you at Walt Disney World?  There is an e-book that exists that is packed full of Walt Disney World Tips.  We purchased it before our last trip and it literally saved us hundreds of dollars and  exponentially increased our fun factor while at Walt Disney World.

Discount Mouse

The Disney World Saving Guide is completely packed full of Walt Disney World tips and budget-saving idea for your Orlando vacation.  Some of the things that I found the most helpful were:

  • Discount tickets for all Walt Disney World parks.  This alone will pay for the e-book plus some.
  • Deep Discounts on WDW Hotels and Resorts.  Huge Savings here.
  • Walt Disney World tips and tricks for all types of vacationers.
  • How to beat the long lines at Walt Disney World.  Waiting in long lines is for suckers!!

Planning A Trip Isn’t For Everyone

I get the fact that planning a trip isn’t for everyone.  I personally like knowing that I am maximizing my budget and my fun.  I love knowing that with a little extra reading and planning up front that my trip is going to be an amazing experience.  A Disney World vacation is not like a vacation to the beach.  I’m of the opinion that you absolutely have to have some kind of game plan or you will be completely overwhelmed and you will also overspend.  I’m 100% confident that the Walt Disney World Tips that are provided in Disney World Vacation Saving and Travel Guide will make your trip to Walt Disney World a memorable vacation for years to come.

Walt Disney World Tips Guide

Walt Disney World History

Anyone know exactly what happened to spark Walt Disney’s idea of building Walt Disney World?

Well…when Walt was alive, he used to stand at the exit of Disneyland wishing the guests a farewell at the end of the night. NO ONE ever left the park before closing time. One night, a family walked by and was leaving the park before closing time, and Walt stopped them. He asked them why they were leaving early, worried that maybe a CM was rude or something bad happened. They said everything was wonderful, but when they were on the skyride, they saw the highway and could see there was a lot of traffic. They wanted to get a head start home to beat the traffic. Walt would have none of it, so he decided that day he would build a bigger park and make it a “world” instead of just a “land.” He wanted it to be that once you enter Disney World you have no ties with the outside world. Since Disneyland is in the middle of the city and is so small, one couldn’t do that. With a new world, you are engulfed in all that is Disney. Thus, the idea for Disney World was born (which was later renamed “Walt Disney World” by Roy Disney).

Disney Hours

You already know how I feel about the importance of getting to the parks early.  The first step in planning your day at the parks should be to find out what the Disney park hours are.

The official website lists the Disney hours here.  Once you find out when the parks open each day you should allow plenty of time to travel to each park.  We try to be at the front gates about 30 minutes before they open.  This tip alone will really set the tone for your day and allow you to have so much more fun at the parks.

The Disney hours are always changing so be sure to check the website before you leave for your trip just in case the hours have changed.

Disney World DVD

Having the Disney World DVD sent to you from Walt Disney World is generally the first thing that you should do when planning your Walt Disney World vacation.  The Free Disney Vacation Planning DVD can be found on the official Disney World homepage.

The Disney World DVD contains a very nice overview of each of the 4 parks at Walt Disney World.  The DVD is a lot of fun to watch with your family and it will really get you kids excited about going to Disney World.

Also on the Disney World DVD are overviews of each of the Disney resorts.  This should help you decide where you would like to stay if you are planning on staying on property.

The DVD contains information about new shows and attractions, plus much more, including pocket-sized planning guides, planning tips, and information on special events.

I highly recommend getting the Disney World DVD before you begin planning your trip.  It generally takes about 2 weeks to show up in your mailbox and it’s totally free.

Which Rental Car Company Should You Use at Walt Disney World?

We were in Disney World during the week between Xmas and New Year’s in 2008.  This recommendation is only based on my experience at one moment in time, but I think it’s worth noting.

We arrived at airport on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed.  Traditionally, this is one of the busiest times at Walt Disney World.  When we arrived downstairs at the rental car counters I noticed that there was a line at the Budget counter that had at least 75 people in it.  There were only 3 agents renting cars so you can imagine my relief as I walked by.  We had rented our car from Dollar and had little to no wait before speaking with a representitive.  I mentioned to the Dollar rep that the lines for Budget and Alamo were out of control and she just laughed as if to say that they were always like that.  She even made a note that there were some news crews there filming the chaos the night before.

My wife and I were in our rental car and off to Walt Disney World within minutes and had a great experience with Dollar.  I will definitely be renting from them again.

RideMax Review - Walt Disney World Trip Planning Software

I will be reviewing RideMax.com in detail during our holiday trip to Walt Disney World this year. We will be at WDW from Dec 27th-Jan 3rd. I have used TourGuide Mike in the past for my trip planning and he has some wonderful ideas. It’s time to try something new and see how accurate the RideMax software is.

We are going to be at WDW during one of the busiest weeks of the year, so I’m very curious to see how the software handles our trip. Stay tuned. I will post my review in January.  Have a very Merry Christmas!!

I would like to point out that RideMax already is off on the right foot.  I ordered the software this morning and accidentally chose the Disneyland software rather than the Disney World software.  I wrote the support an email and received a response within the hour letting me know that they were crediting back my account.  Now THAT is great service.

EDIT:  We just returned from our trip and I had the stomach flu for almost the entire trip.  We didn’t make most of the parks and I will not be able to review RideMax the way that I had wanted to.  HUGE bummer to say the least.

Walt Disney World SunNews7 Newscast - Person of the Year

Have you ever wanted to be celebrated as the “Person of the Year” at Walt Disney World?  SunNews7 has put up a new video that allows you to type in your name (or anyone’s name) and watch a news video that highlights that person as Disney World’s person of the year.  This would be a great treat to show your kids if you are planning a Walt Disney World vaction.

They allow you to customize the occasion as well.  You can choose from the following celebrations.

  • Vacation
  • Holidays
  • Birthdays
  • Graduation
  • Wedding
  • Anniversary
  • and Many Others

For the example below I used the name “George Clooney”.  Notice that Goofy even says that name George at the end of the video.  You can email the video to whoever you want or save it for your blog or website.

Walt Disney World Fun Facts

This list comprises of fun facts for Walt Disney World.  These facts are always fun to tell other people you’re standing in line with or impress (scare) your family with how much knowledge you have of Walt Disney World.

These facts are all compiled by Debbie H. from the Dis Boards.  She maintains a Word document that is over 150 pages long with all kinds of fun facts.  I will be posting the bulk of that information on the blog over the coming weeks.

Walt Disney World Fun Facts - General Information

(1) Go into any Park store–the CMs have stickers behind the desk. Ask them for the “I Made Magic Today” sticker. They will give you 10 Mickey stickers and 1 “I Made Magic Today” sticker. Your job is to pass out the 10 Mickey heads to people that aren’t looking so happy and make them smile w/the sticker or people that are having a great time and telling them it’s because they are so HAPPY. At the end of the 10 stickers, you end up w/your sticker, and you know that every time you look at that sticker YOU MADE MAGIC!!!

(2) Ask the bus drivers if they have any of the tradable bus cards!

(3)  WDW has over 2,000 acres of grass to mow! That’s 18 miles around the Earth’s equator! (…and Disney mows THREE times a week!)

(4) In some attractions, there are VIP lounges. If there are celebrities visiting WDW (or politicians, etc.), they can be taken into the VIP lounges. There are drinks and snacks available in the lounge, photo albums of different celebrities and people who have been in the lounge, and they get taken on to the front of the line when they are ready to ride. (If you look at Spaceship Earth from the back, there is a building attached to it with some window looking things. That’s the lounge in SE!)

(5) IF YOU ASK FOR A LARGE CUP OF ICE WATER THEY WILL GIVE IT TO YOU AT NO COST, AND YOU CAN GET AS MANY AS YOU WANT AT A TIME. (Get two when you get food or when you need something wet and cold. Drink one right way and use one to carry around so you can stay hydrated longer.) Disney won’t tell you this, but they won’t turn down your request.

(6) When leaving MK at closing time, hop on the Resort monorail and skip the massive lines heading to the TTC via the direct Monorail. The resort monorail stops at TTC but is not express. It is more relaxing as you can usually get a car to yourself and can sit. Also, no standing in line on tired feet waiting and waiting, and once you get to the TTC, it is usually between arrivals of the express monorail and there is a lull in the crowds trying to get to the trams. (Additional note: Have one person in your party drive to the Park you are going to [if you are a Resort Guest] and park for free. The rest of your party can ride the bus, boat, etc. [for the fun part of it]. Then, at the end of the night, no waiting in long lines on tired feet. Just hop in your car and go back to your resort!)

(7)  If you have a special needs child with a disorder that falls under the autistic spectrum or is hypersensitive, you can get a note from their doctor and take it to guest services. They will give you a special assistance card. When you get to an attraction, show it to the CM working there. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have to wait in line, but they will try to take you into a quieter area for your wait. You can get a sample note from www.allearsnet.com.

(8) A bottle strap that you buy at the parks for cokes/water bottles works great for carrying around Pal Mickey. (Put it around his neck.)

(9) Disney World bought about 150,000 gallons of paint — enough to cover nearly 7,500 average sized homes in 2004.

(10) If you were to stack all of the buttons used by the Costuming Plant Seam Team in one year, you would have a stack 96 times taller than the height of Cinderella’s Castle.

(11) Number of trees, shrubs and flowers: more than 7 million!

(12) Daily water usage: 15 million gallons!

(13) Largest working wardrobe in the world with more than 1.5 million operational garments in use and over 7,000 different garment types. In addition, there are over 2 million pieces of entertainment costumes. Each day, the costuming plant processes between 27,000 and 31,000 garments.

(14) More than 50 million soft drinks sold annually.

(15) 10 million hamburgers, 7 million hot dogs, 9 million pounds of french fries, and 300,000 pounds of popcorn sold annually.

(16) Uses 194,871 miles of toilet tissue, 24,409 miles of paper towels, uses 319,353 lbs. of chocolate, 1.2 million pounds of watermelon, 741,150 pounds of sugar, 1.8 million pounds of flour, 245,000 pounds of fruit filling, 38,000 pounds of white icing glaze, 2.9 million pounds of eggs, 606,000 pounds of bananas, and 510,000 of grapes.

(17) Serves more than 1.5 million soft pretzels, more than 639,000 pounds of macaroni and cheese, and more than 3.8 million ballpoint pens annually.

(18) Uses more than 337,000 pencils annually, nearly 148 million sheets of recycled copier paper annually, and 730,102 gallons of bleach annually.

(19)  214,000 bandages were provided to guests during the year 2004.

(20) In 2004, Walt Disney World recycled 18,322,000 pounds of paper products.

(21) WDW uses human waste as fertilizer! They treat the waste on-property and put it to good use.

(22) In the morning (usually from around 8am-12pm) when the lines are really long to get on the monorail from TTC to MK, take the boat! The TTC boat offers wonderful views and a great breeze in about the same amount of time that the monorail would have taken to get you to MK. A great added bonus: If you get on the TTC boat at those times, Chip, Dale, and Pluto love to hang out on it! Perfect opportunity for your kids to see their first characters at DW-before they even enter the park! Not too many people on the boat either, so there are great opportunities for pictures with the characters.

(23) If you are the first family of the day to request the photo that they take of you on the ride, they will give it to you free!!

(24)  Disney merchandise that is exclusive to Disney World has a gold castle logo on the package somewhere.

(25) Ever notice there isn’t a lot of gum stuck on rides, trees, waiting areas in WDW? That’s because they don’t sell it, just for this reason.

(26) There are more than 20,000 different colors of paint used in Walt Disney World

Cheapest Disney Tickets

Looking for the cheapest Disney tickets?  Look no further.  As you’ve probably found there are many different options for buying your Disney World tickets.  I’m going to try to make sense of it all for you and hopefully lead you to making a decision on which tickets you need for your trip.  Undercover Tourist is our pick for cheap Disney World tickets.

First, if you are looking for a one day park ticket you are probably better off just buying your ticket at the gate.  The discounts for Disney World tickets purchased from another company don’t offer any benefits unless you are staying 3+ days.  If you are looking for Disney World tickets for your entire vacation then you should definitely keep reading.

Types of Disney World Tickets

There are basically two types of Disney World Tickets.  The first is called the Magic Your Way (MYW) ticket.  These tickets only allow you to visit one park per day.  The other type of ticket is called the Park Hopper ticket which allows you to visit any park you want on a given day.

Magic Your Way:

1 park per day (no hopping & no water parks) admission for the selected number of days to:

  • Magic Kingdom®
  • Epcot®
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios™
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom®

Park-Hopper Tickets

More than 1 park per day (hopping allowed but no water parks) admission for the selected number of days to:

  • Magic Kingdom®
  • Epcot®
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios™
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom®

You may be tempted to go with the MYW tickets because they are cheaper and you don’t think that you will visit more than one park per day, but we always choose the Park Hopper tickets because of the flexibility that they give us on our vacation.  I’m not here to tell you how to spend your vacation, but here are the reasons we choose the park hopper passes.

  1. Flexibility - If one of the parks is too busy then we sometimes head over to one of the other parks and enjoy our day a lot more.
  2. Shows and Dining - We typically go to the parks early in the morning to get all of our attractions in.  In the afternoon we come back to the resort to relax or clean up for the evening.  We almost always have a dinner ADR (Advance Dining Reservation).  Most of the time it will be in a different park than we toured that morning.  Also, there are many times where we want to see a fireworks show or night-time parade in a different park than we toured that morning.  Having a park hopper ticket allows us to do that.

You can also buy tickets that include a water park option that allows you to visit both of the Disney water parks.

Where to Buy the Cheapest Disney Tickets

You will find many places that say they offer Disney tickets for Cheap, but unless you’re willing to sit through a timeshare presentation, or take a risk dealing with an dishonest broker, then I can only recommend one place.  Undercover Tourist allows you to choose the tickets that you want at a discount off of the Disney gate prices.  We always use Undercover Tourist and they have been reputable and efficient every time.  You simply choose which tickets you want on their website,  and within days your tickets are in your mailbox.  It doesn’t get any easier.  You will not need to wait in line to buy your tickets once you get to Disney.  It’s a no-brainer if you ask me.  The cheapest disney tickets are at Undercover Tourist.  Below are the current prices (and savings) of each of the different ticket prices.

Undercover Tourist Disney Tickets

Disney World Parking

I see questions all the time about Disney World Parking.  It can be a bit daunting to think about all of the different parking options that you have when going to Walt Disney World.  I’ll try to sum up Disney world parking as best I can.

All of the parks have parking lots that guest can use to park their cars.  The cost for Disney World parking as of August 3, 2008 is :

Auto/Taxi/Limo/Shuttle/Motorcycle $12, Campers $13, Buses $16.  Note, you can not buy a length of stay pass, but you can go from lot to lot with your daily parking pass on the same day.

If you are staying on the Disney World property in one of the Disney owned hotels (Swan and Dolphin excluded), you will not have to pay for Disney World parking.  The resort(s) will give you a parking pass that will be good for the length of your stay.  I personally like taking my own car to the parks so that I don’t have to deal with the bus lines.  Sure, you have a walk a bit more in the parking lot, but I like the flexibility that you have.

Disney Revealed Secret:  If you booked your vacation through AAA (Triple A) you should definitely ask about the AAA Diamond parking lot passes.   These are spots reserved for AAA members and are as close to the front of the lot as the handicapped spots in most cases.  You will still have to pay the Disney parking fee, but you will be walking a lot less.

The last tip I have about Disney World parking is to arrive EARLY!  Read my article about the importance of being at the WDW parks early.