Disney WorldOn this page I have compiled a list of the most common questions I have been asked about Disney World, along with my answers. You can either read this whole page (which I recommend if you have not visited Disney before) or click on the appropriate links to go directly to the questions and answers you are most interested in. Where appropriate I have included links to pages of more detailed information. For questions about Disney Tickets click here. For details on available Disney World discounts Click Here.
What is the best time of year to visit Disney World? In my opinion and that of the rest of my family, the best times to visit Disney World are September (with the exception of the Labor day holiday weekend), October, November (except for the week before and the week after the Thanksgiving holiday), December (but not Christmas week through New Years Day), January, and early February. May is also a nice time to visit but it can be very hot at times. In these months, the crowds are light to moderate and, with the exception of September (which is blazing hot and humid), the weather is pleasant. January and February are a mixed bag of warm and occasionally cold temperatures. If you do not like crowds, avoid all holiday periods: Easter, Spring Break, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all school holiday periods. My personal favorite times to visit Disney World are the whole month of October, as well as November and December in the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. What are the best days to visit each Disney World park? The list below is an estimate of the best days to visit each park. By this I mean when it is likely to be least crowded. You should use this list as a rough guide only. It will never be 100% accurate as crowd levels will fluctuate at different times of the year but it will none the less give you a reasonable idea of what to expect. The Magic Kingdom Least Crowded days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Most Crowded Days: Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Epcot Least Crowded Days: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Most Crowded Days: Wednesday, Friday. Disney Hollywood Studios Least Crowded Days: Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday Most Crowded Days: Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Disney Animal Kingdom Least Crowded Days: Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday Most Crowded Days: Monday, Tuesday, Friday. Extra magic hours allow guests who are staying at an official Disney Resort to enter a specific park one hour before it opens to the general public or stay an extra three hours after it has officially closed. Each park will have extra magic hours on different days and the same park will not usually be open early and late on the same day. To enjoy the benefits of Extra Magic Hours you must be staying at an Official Disney resort hotel and hold a valid resort ID. To make the most of extra hours, I recommend that you purchase tickets with the park hopper add on. These will allow you to visit more than one park on the same day. For details on which parks are participating in Extra Magic Hours and on what days click here. Should I visit Disney World On A Holiday? This depends on what you want to do. The parks will be very crowded and if you want to experience the major rides, holidays are not the best times to visit as the lines will be long. If on the other hand you want to see special shows, parades, and fireworks, and be part of a fun festive atmosphere the holidays can be a very enjoyable time to visit Disney World. It really boils down to how well you tolerate crowds. TIP: If you go during a Holiday period be sure to buy tickets with the park hopper option. As the name suggests, they will allow you to move freely from park to park at any time, which means that you could visit all four parks on the same day. This is a very useful feature as if one park is over full you can simply move on to another less crowded location. Base tickets without the hopper option are only good for one park per day. Once you choose and enter a park, you may come and go from that park as often as you please but you will not be allowed to enter any of the other parks until the next day. TIP: If you want to experience Disney World decorated for Christmas but don't want to fight the
crowds, visit the week after Thanksgiving til the week before Christmas. Crowds are moderate,
all
the decorations are up, and
most of the Christmas parades and shows will be running.
Are Disney Resorts worth the money? In my opinion yes, so long as they fit into your vacation budget and you will be spending the majority of your vacation in and around Disney World. There is something special about staying in a Disney hotel. They have a unique atmosphere and a give a wonderful sense of being surrounded by the magic of Disney that you just can't find or duplicate anywhere else. There are also several significant advantages to staying on Disney property the biggest of which are, you will have total access to the extensive Disney transportation network of buses, monorails, and boats, and you can take advantage of the extra magic hours which allow early entry and extended hours at a different park each day. This perk is only available to guests staying at an official Disney Resort. There are now many different types of Disney hotels from Deluxe to value. While it is true that there are cheaper options off property, the advantages that staying on property afford can make the extra expenditure worthwhile for many families. TIP: If you do intend to stay at an official Disney Resort, before you leave home or on arrival at Disney World always check which parks offer extra magic hours and on which days. If you are an early riser you should plan your park visits around the early entry days. If you like a more leisurely start to your day you can always hit the park that is open late. Either way you should invest in park hopper tickets as they will enable you to visit both an early entry and late closing park on the same day. If you only have base tickets without the hopper option you will be restricted to visiting only one park per day. Which Park Should I Visit First? This is a common question and there is no one size fits all answer. All of the parks have a lot to offer and each provides a very different experience. If you have very young children or if this is your first visit to Disney World, I recommend that you begin with the Magic Kingdom. This is the Park that best captures the magic that is Disney and will set the tone for the rest of your vacation. Young children particularly love the rides in Fantasy Land but this is not just a park for children. The Magic Kingdom has something for just about everyone, from thrill rides such as Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, to elaborately themed rides like Pirates of the Caribbean. There are also fabulous parades, elaborate shows, and spectacular fireworks. The Magic Kingdom truly has something to entertain and delight guests of any age.
This is very much a matter of personal preference. Each park is very different and which is best really depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. If you are looking for thrill rides and action shows, then Disney's Hollywood Studios should be your first stop. Epcot invites you to experience the rides and attractions of Future World, and explore the exotic shops, eat at the many top notch restaurants, and experience the shows, street performers and live music of the World Showcase. The Magic Kingdom, with its emphasis on fantasy rides based on classic Disney movies, is the perfect introduction to all the magic that is Disney. The Animal Kingdom, Disney World's newest park, is a unique mix of a Safari park and a theme park complete with all manner of exotic animals, thrill rides, and shows. Click here for more detailed explanations of what each park has to offer. Which Is The Best Park For Kids? Generally speaking, younger children adore the Magic Kingdom and teenagers prefer the more adult themes of Disney's Hollywood Studios and Future World at Epcot. For those that love animals, the Animal Kingdom should be number 1 on your list. But no matter which park you pick you will find something that will appeal to every age young or old. The best thing to do is buy park hopper tickets as they will allow you to move freely between the different parks even on the same day. This is a big benefit as it gives the freedom to experience everything Disney has to offer on your schedule. Had enough of of one park? Simply move on to another. How Much Time Should I Allow to Visit Each Park? This depends on crowd levels and what attractions are most important to you but in general you
should allow two to three days to fully explore every thing that the Magic Kingdom has to offer
and about the same for Epcot. Disney's Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom will
usually
only need one day each.
How long should I plan to stay at Disney? If you are coming from out of state and will not be able to return in the near future, I would recommend that you stay at least a week, longer if possible. Disney World is vast and it's rides and attractions are scattered between four very large parks over a 48 sq mile area. It is not possible to see everything in one visit. If you don't want to spend your every waking moment running from park to park, taking a longer vacation will allow time to take breaks between park visits, giving time to relax and enjoy all that a Disney World vacation/holiday has to offer both inside and outside the major theme parks. However long you plan to stay, I recommend that you buy tickets with the park hopper option which will allow you to move freely from park to park on the same day and see the attractions that are most important on what ever schedule suits you. Base tickets will restrict you to one park per day. The extra expense of buying the hopper option is, I think, well worth it for the additional flexibility it provides. I would also recommend that you study web sites like this one before you leave home to decide which attractions are most important to you. A little advance planning will make your Disney World vacation much more enjoyable but be careful not to over plan. Rides are only a very small part of the Disney experience and many of the most enduring memories of a Disney World vacation are little things that happen spontaneously and are stumbled upon completely by accident. Should I rent a car while I stay at Disney World? The decision as to whether or not to rent a car really depends on what you are planning to do and where you plan to stay while at Disney World. If you will be staying at an official Disney on property Hotel, you will have access to the extensive Disney transportation network of Monorails, buses, and boats, so renting a car may not be absolutely necessary. If you are staying at an off property hotel, then I think that a car is essential. While it is true that many off property hotels have shuttle services to the major parks, they are not always convenient and can be overwhelmed at busy times, such as park opening and closing times. Even when staying on Disney property a car can be very useful, especially for visiting other Disney hotels and Downtown Disney or if you want to visit restaurants and attractions that are not on Disney property. What is there for adults to do at Disney World? There is a common misconception that Disney World is only for children. Nothing could be further from the truth. From thrill rides to nightclubs, restaurants to shopping, Disney has it all. For those looking for entertainment that does not require entering or paying for a theme park ticket, there is Downtown Disney, a vast entertainment complex made up of three parts: The Marketplace, Pleasure Island, and The West Side. Pleasure Island is a mix of dance clubs, a comedy club, and a very unique adventurer's club and is flanked on either side by the Marketplace to the east and the Westside as the name suggests to the west. The Marketplace is mostly speciality shops, many with a Disney theme including the world's largest Disney store and restaurants such as the Rainforest Café and Portabello Yacht Club, while the Westside has a Multi screen state of the art AMC movie theater complex, and a massive Virgin mega store. There are also more specialty stores, restaurants such as Planet Hollywood and Wolfgang Pucks, and the Cirque du Soleil circus and Disneyquest, a massive multilevel indoor interactive themepark . There is no charge to enter Downtown Disney but you will have to pay to enter the nightclubs of Pleasure Island, as well as Disneyquest , and Cirque Du Soleil. From time to time, there is free entertainment in the shape of live bands on the outdoor stage at Pleasure Island. The theme parks offer many thrill rides and shows that appeal to adults and Epcot has the World Showcase which has exotic shops, restaurants, street theater, and live music. You can also go fishing, parasailing, waterskiing, boating, golfing drive a real nascar and much more. What is there to do at Disney World outside of the parks? It is quite possible to have a great time at Disney World without entering any of the theme parks. There are a tremendous amount of activities to choose from including: parasailing, golf, mini golf, water sports , boat rentals, fishing charters, canoeing, nature trails, tennis, volleyball, shopping, movies, carriage rides, restaurants, horse riding and much more. While some are not cheap, many require little or in some cases no money to enjoy. Click here for full details. Disney's Boardwalk is designed to look much like a New Jersey seaside resort of the 1940s built around a lake directly across from Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts. Boardwalk is a delight to visit. At night it really comes alive with carnival type games for which there is a small fee, street vendors sell inexpensive carnival type snacks, and occasionally street performers will provide free entertainment. There are also restaurants and clubs, as well as shops and galleries which makes the Boardwalk a cheaper, less crowded alternative to Pleasure Island. For more information on everything the Boardwalk has to offer Click here. Downtown Disney is a sprawling entertainment and shopping venue, it is made up of three connecting areas: the Marketplace, Pleasure Island, and the West Side. The Marketplace is mainly specialty shops and restaurants which include The Rainforest Café and a large Lego store. Pleasure Island has several excellent dance clubs plus a comedy club and a club that defies description called The Adventures Club. The West Side has a state of the art AMC movie complex, a huge Virgin mega store, various other specialist shops plus restaurants like Planet Hollywood. The West Side is also the home of Cirque Du Soleil and Disneyquest. Downtown Disney is free to enter, and Pleasure Island no longer requires an admission ticket to enjoy the shops and occasional free entertainment, but you will have to pay and be at least 21 years old if you wish to enter any of Pleasure Island's clubs. There is also a substantial admission charge to enter Disneyquest or Cirque Du Soli.Click here for more detailed information on Downtown Disney. Is there any free entertainment at Disney World? There are many ways to have fun at Disney World, many of which do not involve entering the parks at all, most cost little or are completely free to enjoy. Click here to visit my page of free and inexpensive things to do. Are There Any Discounts Available At Disney World? Discounts are few and far between at Disney World but there are some available.Click here for a complete list of all discounts I have found. Fort Wilderness is one of the best kept Disney secrets. Few people other than the campers who stay here are even aware of its existence. At over 700 acres, Fort Wilderness is a sprawling area of woodlands, crisscrossed by canals and walking trails. It is in sight of the Magic Kingdom but seeming like a million miles away. There are all kinds of activities to be enjoyed here. Some such as the petting zoo are free, others such as horseback riding and carriage riding are available for a fee. For full details of everything that Fort Wilderness has to offer click here. Can I See Fireworks From Outside The Parks? There are many places to watch Disney fireworks without having to set foot in a theme park. I have found Wishes the Magic Kingdoms display to be the easiest and best to view from outside locations. For a list of some of the best viewing spots for Wishes and other Disney World firework displays I have found, Click Here. How Do I Find Affordable Food At Disney World? Lets face it, we all have to eat and if you have a family, the cost of meals will take up a large chunk of your vacation budget. My family loves to eat out while on vacation but finding good food at reasonable prices is always a challenge. Disney World is not noted for cheap food but in recent years they have increased both the quality and quantity of their food offerings and now offer many different choices from very expensive table service restaurants to relatively inexpensive counter service windows and food courts. There are also carts scattered around the parks that offer hotdogs pretzels, ice cream, sodas, and other snacks . For strategies you can use to eat well while spending less, click here. Can I really Do Disney On A Budget? There is no way to get around the fact that a Disney World vacation/holiday will not be cheap. Having said that, there are many ways to reduce your costs. For tips on finding discount tickets, reducing your cost when buying food, finding free and cheap things to do outside the parks, finding discount hotel rooms and airfares, and much more click here. For information on available Disney World discounts click here. What Is DisneyQuest? DisneyQuest is a five story indoor interactive themepark. Contained within its walls are some of the latest and greatest cutting edge virtual reality, 3d, and arcade style video games to be found anywhere. If you have teenagers in your party this is the place to leave them while you enjoy an adult night out. Not that DisneyQuest is exclusively for children and young adults, there is plenty here to interest anyone of any age, and is a great place to go especially on rainy days. DisneyQuest has two restaurants, both run by the Cheesecake Factory which offer a large variety of tasty food to satisfy those who get hunger pangs while playing. FoodQuest has pizza, hot dogs hamburgers, and a variety of other snacks, and for those with a sweet tooth there is the Wonderland Café which offers all manner of specialty coffees as well as mouth watering desserts including a seemingly endless variety of cheesecakes. There is an admission charge to get into DisneyQuest currently $38.99 this covers almost everything except for food, drink, and a few of the arcade style games. DisneyQuest is open Sunday through Thursday from 11.30am- 11pm and Friday and Saturday from 11.30am to Midnight. What Is Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba? Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba is a show like no other. To call it a circus would be to do it a gross injustice. La Nouba is an interactive mix of street theater, art, and circus, all rolled into one show and bound together by a unique musical score, colorful costumes and some very surreal sets. (Salvador Dali would feel right at home here!) You will experience acrobats, tightrope walkers, clowns, trapeze artists, and much more but unlike a conventional circus there are no animal acts. But then Cirque, La Nouba could not be called conventional by any stretch of the imagination. Tickets prices range from $121.41- $69.23 for adults and $96.92- $55.38 for children ages 3-9. While this is not cheap, most guests who go say it is worth every penny and many report that it was the highlight of their Disney World vacation.
How Do I Find Cheap Hotels, Airfares, And Car Rentals? Finding discounts is very hit and miss and generally means chasing all over the web checking different sites, and spending hours making comparisons. I have taken some of the tedium out of the process by setting up a page with the web sites that I have found to consistently return the best results. This will allow you to check prices of multiple sites from one convenient page, without the hassle of running all over the web. To check for discounts click on the links below. For US visitors discounts click here
What Is A Character Meal?
Can I Swim From Disney World Beaches? NO! Swimming in the lakes from any of the beaches at Disney resorts is strictly prohibited! They are for sunbathing only.
Are There Any Nightclubs On Disney's Boardwalk? There are two Nightclubs on Disney's Boardwalk, Atlantic Dance and Jellyrolls dueling pianos
bar. There is also an ESPN sports bar and restaurant. No, Timeshare owners do not qualify for Florida Resident Discount tickets .The only exception would be if they are also Florida residents and hold a current Florida State picture ID with a valid Florida address.
Do Winter Residents Qualify For Florida Resident Discounts? Possibly, if they can prove that they maintain a Florida residence, and have a current Florida State picture ID with a valid Florida address.
Can I Buy Alcoholic Drinks At Disney World? There are many lounges, drink stands, restaurants and other places at Disney World where it is possible to enjoy beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks. The only exception would be the Magic Kingdom which is totally alcohol free.
Is There A Cover Charge For The Boardwalk Nightclubs? Atlantic Dance has no cover charge but Jellyrolls Dueling Piano Bar has a small charge.
I'm not staying on Disney property. Can I still use the Disney Transportation System ? If you hold a valid multi day ticket, you will be allowed access to most of Disney World's monorail, bus, and boat transportation system.
What Kind Of Restaurants Will I Find At Disney World? Gone are the days when food choices at Disney World were very limited. Today between the
Theme parks, Downtown Disney, Disney's Boardwalk and Disney's resort hotels, there is a
tremendous variety to choose from, from expensive table service to relatively inexpensive
counter service, and food courts. They offer food from many different cuisines from around the
world. If you are staying outside Disney World or if you choose to leave Disney to eat, there are
many more often cheaper choices offering everything from familiar chain restaurants and fast
food, to more
exotic choices such as Indian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian, Greek, and
many others.
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