How to Have the Best Disney World Vacation
Staying on Disney Property & Transportation
For my family, we really care about location and what modes of transportation we have available to us. Last year we stayed at Beach Club, and this year we stayed right next door at the Yacht Club. We decided on staying in this area, because it is less than a five minute walk into the World Showcase entrance in Epcot. Not only that, but you can walk or take the friendship boat right outside of the hotel to Hollywood Studios. You also have direct access to the Skyliner if you want to go visit some of the other resorts like Riviera, Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, etc. There’s also a bus stop at the resort if you want to visit Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, etc. My point is that you’re in a great location with tons of ways to get from point a to point b without having to drive or paying for parking.
Deluxe resorts will always be in the most convenient locations and have the most transportation options available to you. When you go to a value or a moderate resort, you are limited on your transportation options, although they will all have access to a bus, and sometimes a boat or the skyliner. Personally, we like having more choice, and taking Disney’s transportation is normally very convenient and hassle free. Staying on property also gives you the opportunity to enter all parks 30 minutes early every morning and on select nights, stay later in certain parks. It is a nice perk for guests, especially if you’re trying to get on that ride that always has a long wait!
Disney World is massive, and deciding on which Disney resort is the best for you depends on what parks you want to prioritize. We went with Yacht Club because our favorite parks are Epcot and Hollywood Studios. But if you’re more of a Magic Kingdom person, staying at a resort on the monorail line like the Polynesian, Contemporary or Grand Floridian would be the most convenient way to get to and from the park to your hotel. Or if you really want to spend a lot of time at Animal Kingdom and want to focus on seeing as much wildlife as possible on your trip, staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge would be the choice for you. Talking to a Disney travel agent about what your budget is and what parks you want to be closest to will help determine what is the best resort for your trip.
Lightning Lanes
After going to Disney World and experiencing using Lightning Lanes for myself, I can confidently say that they are 100% worth it. Lightning Lanes are essentially fast passes, and give you the opportunity to skip the line for most rides. If you really want to maximize your day, and don’t want to spend it all waiting in line, I think it’s absolutely a necessity at Disney World now. I have been to Disney World in the past when paid fast passes weren’t a thing, and you would just get a return time ticket. I loved it when Disney was like that, but times have changed, and I just don’t think waiting in line is a good use of my time, especially when you’re spending over $100 a person on a park ticket alone. At that point, what’s another $20 - $30 a day for a Lightning Lane? I understand that some may be trying to budget their Disney trip, and think they don’t need lightning lanes, but your park day is just so much more enjoyable and you can do more attractions when you can walk on and off a ride in less than 10 minutes.
How Lightning Lanes Work
When purchasing Lightning Lanes, you must wake up at 7 AM EST on the first day you are eligible to buy them. If you are staying on Disney property, you can purchase them 7 days ahead of your arrival date, but if you are staying off property, you can only do so 3 days ahead of arrival.
There are three different types of Lightning Lane passes, each offering a different level of access:
- Lightning Lane Multi Pass — The most basic option. Reserve up to 3 experiences at your starting park, all with scheduled arrival windows. You must select your starting park before purchasing, and your first 3 reservations must all be at that same park. Once you've used your first selection, you can book additional rides at another park through the My Disney Experience App. Does not include the most in-demand rides.
- Lightning Lane Single Pass — For one specific high-demand ride not available through the Multi Pass (TRON, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Cosmic Rewind, Avatar Flight of Passage & Rise of the Resistance). You can purchase up to 2 per day, each with a scheduled arrival window.
- Lightning Lane Premier Pass — The all-inclusive option. Covers every Lightning Lane experience in one park for the day, including the rides only available through the Single Pass. No arrival windows needed — ride what you want, when you want. Most expensive and limited in availability.
Click here for more in-depth information on Lightning Lanes.
For my family, we decided to do the Lightning Lane Multipass for each park day, and then we also did a few of the Single Passes for Rise of the Resistance & Cosmic Rewind. This helped us to narrow down where to start our days, and what rides we wanted to prioritize. If all of this sounds confusing and overwhelming, you’re not alone! It took a lot of research to fully understand Disney’s Lightning Lanes, but once you figure it out, it saves you so much time at the parks. Again, this is why I would recommend going to a Disney Specialist, so that you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself, and have someone you can go to with any questions.
Disability Access Passes
My mom has MS and uses a walking aid, so we used Lightning Lanes in lieu of Disney’s DAS pass. Long story short, Disney has been cracking down on Disability Access Passes (DAS) and are being a lot more stingy on who qualifies. Unfortunately, they claim that those with mobility issues are able to wait in line, whereas someone with developmental disabilities do qualify for DAS. It truly is a shame for Disney to be picking and choosing which disabilities qualify, but in the past, people without disabilities were claiming they did, and abusing the system. You can read more about Disney’s DAS pass here.
I will say that the Cast Members at Disney are always very good at asking my mom if she is able to transfer from her walking bike to the ride seat, and would let her take her cane on the majority of the rides to get in and out of the seat. On the rides that were too fast, like Cosmic Rewind, they held onto the cane for her once she had gotten into the seat and brought it back to her after the ride had ended. So we did appreciate how well the staff was trained to accommodate guests with mobility issues. If we were able to get the DAS pass, we wouldn’t have bought Lightning Lanes, but truthfully it is possible to navigate the parks with mobility issues, it just unfortunately costs more money for Lighting Lanes. I’m not saying that that is morally right for Disney as a company, but it’s what they have chosen to do. I think Lightning Lanes are a necessary purchase for someone who does not qualify for DAS but would prefer not to wait in long lines due to their disability.
Dining Reservations
My family likes to have one sit down dining reservation each day, so that you can take a break and enjoy a meal together. We have done Disney trips where we don’t do this, and we end up hangry and start to argue with each other on where to eat if we don’t have a plan. Normally we choose a lunch or dinner spot to sit down and eat one big meal. The other meals for that day we just find a quick service spot that has good reviews. I think it’s also important to do some research on what places are the best to eat at for both quick serve and sit down dining. I like watching TikToks or Reels on the best food in Disney, and I have a favorite TikToker, Shay Spence, who has given some great recommendations. If you’re a foodie, it’s definitely a must looking on social media beforehand. There are a lot of hidden gems, and seasonal items you might miss if they’re not on your radar.
Reserving dining is also similar to Lightning Lanes. You don’t have to have a reservation for every restaurant on Disney property, but for the ones that are popular, you definitely do. You can book dining 60 days from your arrival date on the My Disney Experience App at 6 AM EST. It definitely is an early morning booking dining, but it is worth it! We made sure to be up bright and early to make reservations for one restaurant each day, but we made sure to snag the coveted Rose & Crown Fireworks package. That gave us the opportunity to dine in Epcot’s World Showcase with the perfect view of the fireworks with our meal. It was pricey, but it’s the absolute best way to watch the fireworks at Epcot and you absolutely need a reservation because it sells out quickly. I will also say that it’s the best fireworks dining package offered at Epcot. Morocco just doesn’t have the best view!
We dined in the parks, but also at some of the resorts. They don’t tell you this, but generally it’s cheaper to eat at a hotel restaurant than inside the parks. And sometimes the food is even better outside of the park. So don’t be afraid to take a day to explore Disney property and not just the parks. There is a ton to do, especially by Yacht Club, which is right next to the Boardwalk and the Swan & Dolphin that all have a ton of great dining options.
When to Visit Disney
We have been to Disney during the summertime and it’s hot. Very hot and sunny. And that’s just typical Florida weather. We have realized though that we love going in January. After the holidays when it’s not as crowded, prices are a little lower and the weather can be beautiful. I won’t say that it’s always beautiful, but I would take 80 - 40 degree weather over 100 degrees! If you do go in January, pack both shorts, pants and layers. Every day is different, but much more enjoyable in my opinion than sweating through my clothes in the dead of summer.
Another thing to consider, especially if you’re staying at a resort like Yacht, Beach or Boardwalk, are the Epcot festivals. I personally have never been during their festivals (Festival of the Arts, Flower & Garden, Food & Wine, etc.) but I know that it gets much busier in this area, and pricing for those hotels do as well. Everyone comes to Epcot to experience the new food, activities and scenery, so it’s just something to keep in mind. You should definitely check to see if a festival is happening while on your trip, because each festival typically runs for about a month. And if you do plan on visiting, maybe don’t do it the first week of the festival, because Epcot gets very crowded when they first start.
Worthwhile Additions & Experiences
Whenever my family and I go to Disney World we purchase the photopass. This makes it so much easier to not have to constantly worry about getting enough photos on your trip. It does cost about $200 extra, but you get all of your ride photos automatically linked to your app, character interaction photos, and being able to go up to any of the photographers in the green shirts scattered throughout the parks. The photographers will be located at all of the best photo op spots and sometimes have a prop for you to use, or they might add in a Disney character / animation that shows up on your app later that day. For me, I think it’s totally worth it, because they go straight to our family's digital frame after the trip, and I never have to think about pulling out my phone for pictures.
Another thing to consider are some of the guided tours and experiences that Disney offers. I didn’t know they even had anything like this until last year when we did the “Behind the Seeds” guided tour of the greenhouse in Living with the Land. I absolutely loved the experience, and was able to spend an hour behind the scenes of the ride, where our guide talked about the plants and how some are even grown to be used in the restaurants on Disney property. We also got to taste one of the cucumbers growing there, and take a picture with the oldest plant in Living with the Land, a mickey shaped pepper plant! I am a plant person, so I loved this experience, but there are other ones like “Caring for Giants” at Animal Kingdom which gives you a closer look at what it’s like taking care of the elephants. Or you can join “A Brush of Elegance” at Coronado Springs for a guided painting class! You can check out more special events here.
Ultimately, everyone does Disney differently, but I don’t think everyone knows about planning ahead for your Disney trip. Some things like Lightning Lanes, the Photopass, guided tours & firework dinners are just worth the extra money in my opinion to have a better experience on your trip. It’s too often that I go on a trip to Disney and see people around me that aren’t having a magical time. That’s why I’ll stress once more that using a Disney specialist will help you take advantage of all of the perks and experiences you might not know about!
Interested in visiting Disney World? Contact one of our Disney Specialists below!
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