4 Tips for Your First Trip to Disney World

Make plans but be flexible

There are some plans you’ll need to make ahead of time, like accommodations and which discount theme park tickets to buy. However, you should remain flexible on most of the other details. You can make dining reservations 180 days before your trip, but these can be canceled for no fee as long as you do so 24 hours in advance. Set up a number of reservations, make a general plan on what you want to do, but reassess as the time gets closer and you understand the weather, what your party likes most, and other currently unknowable factors.

Understand how park hoppers work

A base ticket allows you admission to one of the four theme parks per day. For example, if you have a 3-day base ticket you could visit Magic Kingdom one day, Epcot another, and Hollywood Studios on the third day. Alternatively, you could visit Magic Kingdom for two days and another park on the third. It doesn’t matter which park you visit, but you can’t use two day’s worth on a single day. For example, you can’t visit Magic Kingdom in the morning and decide to use another day’s worth to visit Epcot later in the afternoon.

The park hopper option allows you to visit as many parks in a single day as you’d like. Initially it seems like a great idea, but at more than $60 per ticket, it can get quite costly! The good news is that it covers every day of your ticket, so if you have a 4-day ticket you’d have park hopper on all four days. However, remember that you can always buy your discount tickets ahead of time and then add this option in the park if you find you need it.

Travel during off-season if you can

The best way to save the most money, have the lowest crowds, and get the most of your trip is to travel during the off-season. This basically means any time that most schools are in session. You can save as much as 35% off on your Disney World packages if you travel during the off-season.

It’s all about the shoes

Did you know that you may be walking up to 10 or more miles per day? It’s true! Just getting from the parking lot to the main gates of each park can be quite a trek. The good news is that you’ll be having so much fun it won’t feel like exercise. The bad news is that without the right shoes, you could be dealing with a painful experience!