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    Walt Disney World FAQ Roundup

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Looking for the answers to our most frequently asked questions about planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Here's a roundup of Touring Plans sources for answers to some of the most common questions asked by Disney trip planners.

KEY BASICS

Touring Plans staff have been planning Disney World trips and analyzing data about Walt Disney World for more than two decades. We have collectively been on thousands of Disney trips to collect research and to have fun.

We've found the most important basics for new WDW visitors to know are:

  1. Walt Disney World is over 40 square miles: twice the size of Manhattan. It includes four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom), two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach), a major shopping/dining/entertainment complex (Disney Springs), a complex of playing fields and sports areas (ESPN Wide World of Sports), 25+ resort hotels, 2 mini-golf courses, 4 regular golf courses, spas, several hundred restaurants (from AAA-Five Diamond gourmet to hot dog carts), behind the scenes tours, and more.
  2. Walt Disney World does NOT include Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, or anything related to Harry Potter. Those are different experiences offered by different companies. Your Disney ticket will NOT get you into Universal Orlando theme parks.
  3. WDW can become very overwhelming very quickly; it’s impossible to do everything in one trip, or even in many trips. Honor the vacation part of your vacation by taking time to relax. Take a nap/swim break during the afternoon. Alternate park days with pool/recreation days. Particularly during hot weather, take time to relax to avoid burnout.

BASICS ABOUT THE OFFERINGS AT TOURING PLANS

Touring Plans offers an array of tools to help you save time, save money, and have more fun during your Disney World vacation. Here are some of the highlights.

Touring Plans
Crowd Calendar
Hotel Tools
Dining Information

THOUGHTS FOR FIRST TIME DISNEY WORLD VISITORS

Thinking About the Kind of Trip You Want to Have

Disney vacations can be splurgy or budget conscious. You can travel alone or with a large group of family and friends. You can plan a once-in-a-lifetime trip or you can plan a trip with the knowledge that you'll be back soon. The weather can be pleasantly mild or center-of-the-sun scorching. And so on and so on ...

The posts below may help you consider some of these variables and frame the kind of trip you want to have. Your choices will impact many of your other planning decisions.

To get the lay of the land, start by taking a look at some Maps of the Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney Springs, and ESPN Wide World of Sports and then dig in.

Getting Ready for Your Trip

Here are things you can do at home to set you on the path for a great vacation.

How to Book Your Trip
Packing
Technology to Know Before You Go
Planning for the Weather

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME

Tips on how to save time at Walt Disney World, reducing your time spent waiting in lines.

General Tips on Using Your Time at Walt Disney World
Genie and Genie+: What They Are, How to Use Them, Will They Save You Time?

Disney's free FastPass and FastPass+ line-skipping system has been discontinued. This has been replaced by a fee-based system called Genie+ (or Individual Lightning Lane, depending on the ride. It's complicated, see articles below for explanations.)

Lightning Lane: What It Is, How to Use It, Will It Save You Time?

Lightning Lane is a service where you pay a surcharge to bypass the wait at a specific attraction. This is only offered at a handful of attractions at any one time. It's different from Genie+, but some of the impact is the same.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY

Tips on how to save money on your Disney World vacation.

Budgeting Basics
Theme Park Tickets: What Are My Options and What Are the Price Considerations?

Theme park tickets are expensive. Prices vary by travel date, number of days of your trip, and whether you want to visit more than one theme park per day (Park Hopping). The per-day cost of tickets drops the longer your trip is. For example, 1-day tickets are $120+ per day (sometimes as much as $150+ per day), while 9-day tickets can be closer to $50-60 per day, depending on the options you choose.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Information on where to stay and how to choose the right hotel for your Walt Disney World vacation.

There are on-site Disney hotels at many price points and room configurations: value, moderate, deluxe, suites, family suites, villas, cabins, bungalows, and campgrounds. Off-site lodging is likely to be less expensive, but staying on WDW property gives many benefits.

General Information About Hotel Situation at Walt Disney World
Information About Disney Vacation Club Hotel Options

Designed for members of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) many WDW hotels offer larger accommodations or accommodations with special features. These rooms may also be used by non-DVC guests. If you need cooking facilities, these options may also be right for you.

Information About Specific Walt Disney World Hotels or Hotel Areas
Information On Features Found at All Disney World Hotels and What It's Like Staying at a Disney World Hotel

DINING AT DISNEY WORLD

Eating well is one of the most enjoyable parts of any vacation. Here are all the things to need to know to make the right dining choices for your family. Note: Some dining information is also included in the "Tips for Special Circumstances" section below.

For table-service (sit down) restaurants, reservations currently open 60 days in advance. Many of the most popular restaurants (character meals and fine dining) fully book months ahead. MAKE RESERVATIONS. There are penalties if you no-show for a table service dining reservation. If you won’t make it, cancel at least two hours in advance.

Dining Overview

General tips and information about the dining situation at Walt Disney World

Disney Dining Plan
Beverages at Walt Disney World
Quick Service and Fast Dining
Table Service Dining
Dining with Disney Characters
Dining at Disney World with Food Allergies
Dining with Kids at Disney World

TRAVELING TO DISNEY WORLD WITH CHILDREN

General Tips for Traveling with Kids
Traveling with Babies and Toddlers
Traveling with Older Kids and Teens

TIPS FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Tips for folks who have special needs or special interests.

Coping With Physical/Medical Challenges at Disney World
Visiting Disney World While Pregnant
Visiting Walt Disney World Alone
Visiting Walt Disney World with a Pet
Information for Military Families Visiting Walt Disney World
Adults Only Trips to WDW
Tips on Staying Healthy at Walt Disney World

TRANSPORTATION

Tips on Getting To Walt Disney World
Tips on Traveling Around the Disney World Parks and Resorts

Much of the transportation at WDW is free. There is no charge for anyone to use the extensive bus/boat/monorail and aerial gondola (called the Skyliner) transportation system within WDW. That said, sometimes using the Disney transportation system can be time consuming. Many guests use a hybrid of Disney transport and Uber/Lyft/cabs. Note: Disney has discontinued its free Magical Express bus transportation from Orlando International Airport to WDW

GENERAL THEME PARK INFORMATION

Tips on the Disney World theme park experience.

  • Get to the parks EARLY every day. And use a Touring Plan. It's well worth the money, even if we are biased.
  • Disney has a new itinerary-planning app called Genie, that purports to be a Touring Plan. It's not. In fact, it's pretty bad, and we don't recommend using it. Note: Genie and Genie+ are not the same thing. See articles above for more info.
  • Some attractions have height requirements. Disney uses height, not age, as their metric for who is able to ride.
  • Park hours vary seasonally. Be sure to check.
  • Rides are sometimes closed for weeks or months for maintenance or refurbishment. This information in online. Be sure to check that Space Mountain will be open during your trip before promising your child that they can go on Space Mountain.
Theme Park Reservations

When Walt Disney World reopened following the COVID-19 pandemic they began to require that guests make a (free) theme park reservation in addition to having a paid park ticket. This system is no longer in force guests with date-based tickets (meaning most guests). Annual pass holders and a few other categories of guests may still need to make theme park reservations.

General Information on the Theme Park Experience
The Types of Rides You'll Find at Walt Disney World
Information About Experiencing Disney's Magic Kingdom
Information About Experiencing EPCOT
Information About Experiencing Disney's Animal Kingdom
Information About Experiencing Disney's Hollywood Studios
Information About Experiencing Disney's Water Parks

DISNEY SPRINGS, SHOPPING, and RECREATION

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