I'm a gigantic Disney fan, and I've been vowing to go to Disney World since I was six. Almost 12 years later, I'm finally taking matters into my own hands and planning/paying for the whole trip myself. While that is a little hard to do when all of the parks are closed indefinitely, I'm still doing as much planning as I could and watching tons of YouTube videos to learn about tips and tricks. So, here are the most important things I've learned during this experience.
Make sure to book your trip during off-season.
The price of tickets is dependent on the time of the year. So, when you book off season dates, not only do you enjoy smaller crowds, you also enjoy a cheaper trip.
USE FASTPASS!!!!!!!!
Some people don't even know that Fastpass exists, but it is an essential tool. Fastpass enables you to skip the lines at rides. That sounds like it would cost a lot of money, but its free with the purchase of your ticket. You get to use three per day, but once you use those three, you can continue to book one at a time for the rest of the day. This really enables you to ride as many things as possible. I watched a video this morning where a girl rode 25 rides in one day by using fastpass.
You don't have to buy your magic band from the official Disney Store.
Magic bands come free with your resort reservation, but I'm taking advantage of my parents timeshare, rather than using the little money I have to stay in the parks. So, I will not be provided with a free magic band. I went to Shop Disney to buy one, but the graphic ones cost around 25 dollars. So I looked for them on amazon, and I found a wide array for as low as 16 dollars. You can also buy skins and decals for your plain magic bands for a cheaper option.
You can get ice water for free at the quick serve locations.
Drink prices have increased in the parks, and soft drinks are around 4 dollars. This is ridiculous to me, and I would rather bring my own drinks and snacks than pay for them. But something that a lot of people don't know is that if you ask for ice water at the restaurants, the cast members will give it to you for free.
Book your reservations and fastpasses as soon as you can.
While being spontaneous in the parks is fun, we are in an age where the parks are continuously crowded, you can't just walk in to attractions and dining venues and expect to not wait for extended periods of time. You can book your restaurant reservations up to 180 days in advance. For fastpasses, you can book them 60 days before your trip if you're staying on the resort, and 30 days ahead if you're staying off-resort.
Those are the most important things I've learned while planning my Disney vacation. Hopefully with these tips, I can have an smooth and relaxing trip, and maybe you'll use these tips and tricks the next time you go to the parks!
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