If you are traveling to Orlando for the first time and Disney is your target, there are certain things you need to know first. This is the largest theme park in the world. It offers diverse attractions in its more than 25,000 acres where you can find: 4 different theme parks, 24 Disney hotels, 2 water parks and numerous shops, restaurants, golf courses and shopping centers; pretty easy to get overwhelmed, right? There is a lot to do so it is convenient to do the proper research before traveling. Otherwise, you’ll end up wandering around with thousands of options and no idea where to begin. With this in mind, I want to share some tips that will help you on your first trip to Disney:
Plan ahead
As I stated before, visiting Disney Orlando requires meticulous planning if you do not want to get exhausted with so many things to do. Please know that thousands of tourists from all around the world visit this destination annually so you should be cautious and make reservations well in advance. You can check directly on the official Disney page and familiarize with their parks, attractions, accommodations, etc. and assemble your itinerary according to yours and your family’s tastes and needs.
Rent a car
While there is the option of taking the Disney transportation (Disney has an excellent internal transportation system that offers its guests buses, boats and monorails that take you from one park to another) depending solely on it can be very limiting apart from the fact that the crowd and lines for using it can get to be really fatiguing. A good recommendation is always renting a car in Orlando on your own. With a rental car you have more flexibility to move around in total comfort and even venture to visit other interesting spots out Disney with total freedom.
Where to Stay
As I stated before, visiting Disney Orlando requires meticulous planning if you do not want to get exhausted with so many things to do. Please know that thousands of tourists from all around the world visit this destination annually so you should be cautious and make reservations well in advance. You can check directly on the official Disney page and familiarize with their parks, attractions, accommodations, etc. and assemble your itinerary according to yours and your family’s tastes and needs.
Rent a car
While there is the option of taking the Disney transportation (Disney has an excellent internal transportation system that offers its guests buses, boats and monorails that take you from one park to another) depending solely on it can be very limiting apart from the fact that the crowd and lines for using it can get to be really fatiguing. A good recommendation is always renting a car in Orlando on your own. With a rental car you have more flexibility to move around in total comfort and even venture to visit other interesting spots out Disney with total freedom.
Where to Stay
There are two options when it comes to accommodation in Disney. You can either stay in one of the hotels owned by Disney or outside. My personal recommendation is to stay on a Disney Hotel. Here are the reasons:
The price might be a bit higher in comparison to other accommodations in the area but the advantages that come with it definitely worth it. (A room with good views at any of these hotels is around $ 600 a night and a standard view about $450 a night.)
Where to eat
- Free transportation that takes you from hotels to parks
- Free parking in the parks ($ 22)
- Free Magic bands
- Possibility of hiring the dining plans
- Free transfer between the hotel and the airport
- Extra Magical Hours (overtime to park opening hours only for guests staying at Disney hotels)
The price might be a bit higher in comparison to other accommodations in the area but the advantages that come with it definitely worth it. (A room with good views at any of these hotels is around $ 600 a night and a standard view about $450 a night.)
Where to eat
If you are staying on a Disney Hotel you can always choose the Disney Dinning Plan. Disney offers this package to their hotel guests so they can organize meals and make them cheaper. There are 5 types of packages, although the most common are the quick-service dining plan, the regular and the deluxe. The Premium and the Platinum packages are a little bit more complex offering all kind of different activities that, if you are visiting the parks, you will not have time to enjoy. So for a first visit it is not worthwhile. (Prices range from $44.13 to $115.08 per day)
If you consider eating inside the parks is expensive, you have another option. You can use your car rental and go buy food and beverages at a self-service center or restaurant outside the park. Luckily, this is allowed Disney and you can save a good amount of money, especially if you travel as a family. You can have a picnic in the Disney green spaces and spend a really enjoyable time with them.
Beware of the park’s itinerary
If you consider eating inside the parks is expensive, you have another option. You can use your car rental and go buy food and beverages at a self-service center or restaurant outside the park. Luckily, this is allowed Disney and you can save a good amount of money, especially if you travel as a family. You can have a picnic in the Disney green spaces and spend a really enjoyable time with them.
Beware of the park’s itinerary
Disney parks have specific schedules depending on the day and time of the year so it is important to check this out since all of them have also a different programming. If you are staying on a Disney hotel you can add the Extra Magic Hours (overtime opening and closing hours) to the official schedules.
Visit one park a Day
Visit one park a Day
There are 3 ticket options for the theme parks: The 1 Park Per Day ticket allowing you to enjoy one theme park per day, the ticket with Park Hopper Option allows you to visit multiple theme parks on the same day the ticket with Park Hopper Option Plus that includes a certain number of visits to a water park.
Although the ‘’1 Park Per Day tickets’’ are a bit more expensive than if you bought a package of several parks, I actually recommend to visit one park a day. Because of the magnitude of them, you might end up really tired if you visit many on the same day and you won’t even enjoy them in all its extent.
Use the Fast Pass Express
Although the ‘’1 Park Per Day tickets’’ are a bit more expensive than if you bought a package of several parks, I actually recommend to visit one park a day. Because of the magnitude of them, you might end up really tired if you visit many on the same day and you won’t even enjoy them in all its extent.
Use the Fast Pass Express
You can get this express pass if you buy your tickets in advance or if you pay for accommodation in Disney hotels with tickets included. This allows you to reserve access to selected theme park attractions saving you a lot of time of waiting in long lines. You will find a Fast Pass machine at the entrance of each attraction. (If you are not staying in a Disney Hotel, Fast Pass Tickets prices can vary from $60 to $110)
If you are visiting the Disney World Orlando theme parks, you must sure to make the most out of your trip through organization and good planning but in addition to this it is essential to have a cheerful attitude and spread it all around. That will definitively make the difference and turn your visit into one of you most memorable experiences!
Article written by Johana
Photos © Shutterstock.
If you are visiting the Disney World Orlando theme parks, you must sure to make the most out of your trip through organization and good planning but in addition to this it is essential to have a cheerful attitude and spread it all around. That will definitively make the difference and turn your visit into one of you most memorable experiences!
Article written by Johana
Photos © Shutterstock.
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