THE OPTIMIZED DISNEY WORLD TRIP – Oct 2021
Planning a Disney World Trip can be nerve wracking, you’re spending thousands of dollars for a family of 4+ to enjoy all the parks, not to mention accommodation and food. Having recently traveled during the post-covid times as well as during their 50th Anniversary we’re writing our tips while they are still fresh, to make the most of your trip. Granted it might be stressful just navigating what we went through, but if you are able to enjoy your trip then it’s worth it! If you’re interested in more Disney World Tips, check out our Archive
Before You Go
You can’t just drive to the park on any given day and buy a ticket to go in. Disney in 2021 requires advance reservation to the park in addition to buying tickets and there are days where they are completely booked. Don’t waste precious time waiting at the gate the day of plan ahead! Would I recommend this for families with kids under 5? No if money is tight. You’re better off taking them to the smaller local affordable amusement parks to have some quality family time. They won’t remember a trip that you spend thousands on other pictures you can share. Definitely a memorable trip for agest 7-14 though.
TICKETS
While Disney almost never discounts their tickets, you can save money by buying through official vendors such as Working Advantage or Undercover Tourist. On our previous trip, due to a promo of bonus day, we paid about $50 per person per day with Undercover Tourist! We don’t recommend getting a magic band, it only last a few years and you can’t change battery.
RESERVATIONS
Once you purchased your tickets, sign up for 1 My Disney Experience account and link all your party members. Link your tickets and reserve your park days. Check out their calendar as some days certain parks open longer. Avoid Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios during weekends. If you load your tickets on your Disney App you can avoid the guest service line to get a physical card ticket.
LODGING
Book your stay. If you stay at a Disney Resort or one of their partners, you get extra magic hours at the park as well as free shuttle which saves on parking. However their cheapest hotel night right now is more than 3 times other hotels. We recommend the Hyatt Grand Cypress or Liki Tiki Village if you need a kitchen. Both have awesome pools
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Disney Tickets are non-refundable. Treat this like a cruise, always buy insurance! Especially when someone in your party is too ill to make the trip this will help you recover your expenditures. We use RoamRight and their plus package offers free coverage for 1 child per paying adult.
PACKING
Shop for your Disney Gear ahead of time. Unless you want souvenirs, everything costs an arm and a leg there. Buy your princess her dress and crown ahead of time if she wants to dress up. Buy water bottles and snacks for the long wait lines. Yes you can bring food inside and save money that way as well!
FOOD
If you do want to save money on this trip, plan your menu for the days in the park as well as at your lodging area. Plenty of water, snacks and sandwiches or hot dogs can reduce that meal bill from the hundreds. Of course still budget for must have treats like Dole Whip!
DISNEY APP
A Must Have to Navigate the Park
Some general thoughts for each park below. Click on the images for more detailed tips for each park. If you can’t go to all four parks, check our ride descriptions on each and we let you know which rides are similar.
Disney Springs
Unless you like to shop, there’s not much to do here. If you do need to meet with guest relations though and get tickets this would be the spot, and parking is free! Be aware though lines are long. we waited about 40 minutes to speak with someone (sure beats being on hold though for 2+ hours on the phone and not reaching anyone)
Magic Kingdom
The ideal age range to enjoy everything in the park is from 7-10 years. They are old enough to remember the trip, they still enjoy the kiddie rides and they are tall enough to get on the older kids rides. While many don’t outgrow Disney, 12+ years wouldn’t want to sit through “it’s a small world” or wait an hour for the 7 dwarves mine, while kids 5 and under will appreciate any amusement park that won’t break the bank. Recommend to avoid on Weekends.
Animal Kingdom
Recommended as a relaxing day in the park, you can easily finish all the major rides in less than a day even if you don’t purchase the lightning pass. Plenty of trees and shaded areas to walk through, shows to see and thrill rides for the older kids and of course the unique safari experience. Newest ride is Avatar which is on average a 90 minute wait. Recommended for the Weekend as the crowd is smaller.
Epcot
While not as many rides as the other parks, it can be quite a tiring day as you walk “around the world” and wait in line for the 2 most popular rides Ratatouille (currently by virtual queue only but still over a half an hour walk and wait when you arrive) and Frozen while hanging on until the end of day to see the most beautiful night time show of all the parks. Recommended for the weekend as there are less rides.
Hollywood Studios
Likely the most favorite park for the older Disney and especially Star Wards fans, be prepared to wait over 2 hours for their newest ride Rise of the Resistance. For the kids, Slinky Dog Dash, a roller coaster has on average 1.5 hour wait times as well as Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. If you want to be able to maximize this day, lightning pass or use of Disney Genie is the way to go to not miss out. Not recommended to go on a Weekend.
What to Bring
Protect Yourself from Florida Weather
A nice sturdy fabric folding fan comes in handy for 2 things: Keeping your kids cool and sane during the long lines in hot weather and using it for shade where you’re waiting in the sun.For the most part Disney does a great job of keeping you cool while you wait but there are rides like Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Rail or Rise of the Resistance that keeps in in the sun for a long time.
An umbrella is a must for 2 reasons as well. 1 It rains almost every day randomly in Orlando. We’ve witness toddlers cry when parents try to cover them with ponchos (which is another item people get but we didn’t do because it gets bulky for 5 people for reusable ones). It also protects your family from the hot sun while waiting.
Save Time & Money
Sounds unconventional for a vacation yet you have to eat every day. If you’re willing to wait in line and spend $$$ for mediocre food ignore this tip. We stayed at a hotel so we made most of what we got. An electric skillet can be used to cook soups/ramen, toast bread, fry eggs and cook sausages. We used it to cook hot dogs for our packed lunch. Boil water to clean and wipe away. We refilled our cooler with ice from the hotel every day. No refrigerator needed. Sure you have to waste time cooking but that time I estimated was less than waiting in line at restaurants.
We brought giò for sandwiches, a Vietnamese cooked meat roll that wouldn’t spoil easily like american cold cuts and hot dogs we cooked in a pan. A nice continental breakfast like we have pictured maybe cost us less than $5 for our family of 5. At a restaurant: That’s $50 plus tax and tip and possibly not as fresh. A hot dog at the parks cost $9, cost us maybe $0.50 per person. Coke costs $4.50. Bring your own: 25 cents. We brought a cooler backpack and a thermos for ice and cups. We stuffed those backpacks with snacks and water bottles you can refill at park. It helps. Yes you can bring food into the parks! We didn’t do that for Epcot since we wanted to try the Food and Wine Festival. We spent over $200 that day on food!
You Will Need Your Phone For Everything!
From contacting family members, to checking ride wait times to even ordering food. Not to mention you’ll be bored waiting in line so you might be checking email or taking pictures. Charging ports can be found at all parks (there’s a charging and picnic table area near Rapunzel Bathrooms at Magic Kingdom for example) but when you don’t have time to wait, an extra battery pack will save you a lot of headache. Or you can buy them there for $30. You can always ask guest relations to charge for you but that means you won’t have your phone for awhile. Your phone also doubles as your ticket if you load them in your app.
Dress The Part But Save The Dough
Is this necessary? Not really, but if your kids are into it and you want memorable pictures, buying Disney clothes and princess dresses ahead of time you can save over 75% of what the park charges you. Of course we still splurge on memorabilia (where else can you get a 50th Anniversary shirt??) but when everyone is wearing Minnie headbands you’ll be grateful you spent a few bucks buying it before you go than spending $35 at the park for something you’ll probably not wear again.
