*Post last updated on February 07, 2022
I first created this post in honor of Disney World reopening following its closure due to the COVID-10 pandemic. We take regular trips to Walt Disney World. In the last decade, I have visited Disney World around ten times. I have visited with family, friends, my niece, and my spouse; both in groups and with just one other person. Although there are certainly people who are far more knowledgeable about Disney or who have visited far more than I have, I think that I can still share some valuable tips with people who are visiting for the first time or who haven’t visited recently. These tips for visiting Walt Disney World reflect our most recent trip in February 2022, but I encourage you to visit https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ for up-to-date information on the current changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tips below assume a certain knowledge of Disney World. If you haven’t planned a trip before (or recently) I strongly encourage you to visit my post on planning tips and resources first. I hope you find both posts helpful!
#1: Don’t purchase park hopper tickets
Not everyone will agree with this recommendation, but I will explain to you why I advise against it. For those unfamiliar with the park hopper option, it is a costly add-on to your basic park tickets that allows you to visit more than one park on the same calendar day. Without it, you are restricted to visiting one park per day. I think it’s definitely a waste of money in most circumstances. First, park hopper tickets are a significant expense. Even if you plan to park hop only one day, you pay the same flat fee as if you were park hopping every day of your visit. The cost to add the park hopper option is $85 per person. So if you are a family of four visiting for six days, the park hopper option will cost you an additional $340 on top of the over $2,000 you are paying for your base tickets.
Secondly, it isn’t generally a good use of time to switch parks. Going from one park to another is extremely time consuming. This is true both if you are using in-park transportation or your own vehicle. You must first walk all the way to the front of whatever park you are currently visiting, walk through the parking lot to your car (or wait for appropriate park transportation), travel from one park to another, park and walk through the parking lot, wait in line to re-enter the new park, and walk through that park to your desired attraction. We have purchased the park-hopper option on previous trips, but I found that we rarely used it and wasted close to an hour traveling each time. This is especially frustrating if you are visiting during non-peak season when park hours are much more limited. Instead, I recommend planning your trip so that you can make the most out of one park per day (and if possible plan a second day for your favorite parks).
In addition, Disney World currently doesn’t allow park hopping until after 2pm. While it is unclear how long this restriction will be in place, it is another reason not to purchase the Park Hopper option.
#2: Consider eating dinner outside of the park
Some of the best restaurants in Disney World are located at the resorts and in Disney Springs. While there are definitely some great restaurants in most of the parks, I encourage you to consider dining options outside of the parks. One of our favorite meals on a recent family trip was at 1900 Park Avenue which is located in the Grand Floridian. Some other great options include Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the California Grill at the Contemporary, and The Boathouse in Disney Springs. Check out touringplans.com’s list of top table service restaurants here. I also created a list of the best restaurants if you are trying to please vegetarians, pescatarians, and omnivores which you can read here.
#3: It’s not worth eating at the Be Our Guest Restaurant
I encourage you to skip the Be Our Guest Restaurant. We have eaten at the Be Our Guest Restaurant on several occasions, but in the past, lunch was offered as a quick service meal. Currently, the lunch and dinner menus (along with the price tag) are the same.
I am sad to say that dinner at Be Our Guest was hugely disappointing. This three-course table service service meal has a set price of $62.00 per person (plus tax and gratuity). The menu is extremely limited. I got the lamb and Brian ordered the steak. Neither meal was very good. My lamb (which no longer appears to be on the menu) was the fattiest lamb I have ever been served. Neither meal was very flavorful and the service was some of the worst I have encountered in Disney World. We were also disappointed by dessert. The grey stuff wasn’t particularly delicious. In addition, our table was in the main room which was so crowded and loud that it felt like a cafeteria. To make matters worse, our server rarely made an appearance. There are so many other really great dining options that I encourage you to consider one of those instead. My favorite table service restaurant in Magic Kingdom is the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen but the buffet at the Crystal Palace is also nice.
#4: Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge (E.g. Star Wars land)
A few thoughts on the new Star Wars Land in Hollywood Studios. In our opinion, Disney did a great job making this area feel really immersive. Much like Universal Studios does a magnificent job making you feel like you are in the Harry Potter movies, Disney makes you feel as if you could indeed be in the Star Wars universe. It was fun to walk around the land and take in all of the sights, sounds, merchandise, and occasional storm trooper.
Unfortunately (and I doubt anyone will find this surprising), it tends to be very crowded. It is usually one of the busiest areas across all four theme parks. Despite this, even if you aren’t a fan of Star Wars, it is worth a visit. Just try to visit early in the day and mentally prepare yourself for large crowds.
Neither of the new Star Wars rides are ground-breaking from a technological standpoint. The Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run ride is somewhat confusing and it is difficult to see the action and follow the storyline unless you are in the front seats (see the next tip below). The Rise of the Resistance was fun and involved several parts/stages. However, the main part of the ride is really just another large vehicle following a mostly flat track from room to room with a few elevators throughout. And depending on the noise level in the ride queue , it is easy to miss some of the introductory storyline that sets the scene for the ride.
#5: Try to be the Pilot on the Millennium Falcon Ride
Shortly before you board the Millennium Falcon ride, you are divided into groups of six. Each group enters a small room (your ship) and sits in three rows with one seat in each row on either side of a center aisle. Before boarding, you are assigned a ‘job;’ either a pilot, gunner, or engineer. If possible, you want to be the first two people in your group of six because you will be assigned to be the pilots. The pilots control where the ship goes and have the most interactive roles. They also have the best view of the screen at the front of the ‘ship’ where the storyline unfolds. The gunner and engineer seats (the second and third rows of seats) are pretty lame. You are trying to watch the screens at the front of the ride but there are flashing lights on the wall next to you. Your only job is to push the buttons when their lights flash. We found this mostly a distraction from enjoying the ride, but there are actually negative implications to your storyline if you miss or ignore the buttons with flashing lights.
#6: Take a free drawing class
Disney World currently offers two opportunities to learn to draw a character with a Disney animator. I highly recommend participating in one of these classes if you can find the time. The process itself is fun (even for those of us who aren’t great artists) as the animators take you through drawing the character step-by-step. The specific characters are assigned before each class, so you don’t get to choose, but it is fun no matter what character you draw. These classes can be a bit fast-paced for young children, but my husband and I enjoy turning it into a light-hearted competition. Plus, you get a custom (and free) souvenir from your trip. In the past we have drawn Eeyore, Donald Duck, and the Ed the hyena.
The first opportunity is currently offered at Animal Kingdom and requires you to take the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and the Conservation Station. It isn’t super convenient, but sometimes on a hot afternoon it is nice to sit for a few minutes and enjoy a low-key train ride. In keeping with the theme of the park, you will draw an animal character. On our last trip we weren’t super stoked to find that we showed up for the session that was scheduled to draw Ed (one of the hyenas from the Lion King), but it was fun nonetheless.
Classes are also offered at the Art of Animation Resort which is now connected to Epcot and Hollywood Studios via the Disney Skyliner. They are offered three times per day (11am, 2pm, and 5pm) in the lobby and you don’t have to be a guest of the resort to participate. The characters for these classes tend to be more classic Disney characters. It does not appear that these classes are currently being offered due to COVID, but I encourage you to see if they have started back up before your next trip.
#7: Go on a backstage tour
A few years ago when planning a trip to Disney World, I discovered the page where they list special events and tours. I was immediately intrigued. I did a bit a research (you can find reviews online) and decided to try it out. These can be a bit pricey (most require you to have purchased park admission in addition to the tour fee) and some don’t allow children under a certain age. However, if you find the idea of behind-the-scenes access and information appealing, I highly recommend looking into these tours.
I recommend starting with the Keys to the Kingdom tour. For about five hours, you get to visit some really cool behind-the-scenes places in the Magic Kingdom. In addition to traveling through the utilidors, we were able to see some parade floats and the area where they set off nighttime fireworks. We also got to access the Haunted Mansion using the VIP entrance (which was super fun). Our tour guide was also incredibly informative and taught us a lot about Disney history as well as some upcoming changes in the parks. I highly recommend this tour. We have also done the World Showcase: Destinations Discovered tour which was a comparable tour of Epcot’s World Showcase. We hope to do the Undiscovered Future World tour on a future trip.
On our most recent trip in January, we took the Backstage Magic tour. We traveled via private motor coach for seven hours to behind-the-scenes locations including Creative Costuming (where they make and repair all costumes for all cast members) and the American Adventure show (and some of the first animatronics in the park). We also visited the Central Shops (where ride vehicles are repaired), walked through the utilidors under Magic Kingdom, and got to get an up close view of the floats for the Rivers of Light show in Animal Kingdom. A really nice touch on this tour was that although you aren’t allowed to take your own photos at several of the stops, the tour guides take photos for you at specific points throughout the tour and then email them to you. This tour included lunch at Tiffins in Animal Kingdom.
These are some of my top tips for visiting Walt Disney World in 2020. What tips would you share with someone planning an upcoming trip?
If you are looking for Disney-related posts, check out my post on the top Disney World planning tips and my suggestions for what to wear in Disney World. If you are also planning to visit Universal Studios while in Orlando, you might also want to review my posts on the top Universal planning tips and my post on tips to make the most of your visit to Universal Orlando.
I am so glad you visited us at Jack and Bax. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter (sign up available either on the right sidebar or at the bottom of the page). And please follow me on Instagram and Facebook so that you don’t miss any of my upcoming projects!
