INTRODUCTION

FOR the LOVE of DISNEY

DEAR READER, we’ve been writing The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World since 1986—before one of our authors was even born! You’ve really got to love a place to study it for that long—and we do. Millions of you do too. Comments like these arrive in our messages every day:

It took a lot of planning, but this was easily the best family vacation we ever had.

I thought the commercials about the most magical place on earth were cheesy and overblown. And then I visited with my own kids and I can’t believe I doubted.

We just got back home and we’re already planning another trip.

Disney’s theme parks are among the most iconic vacation destinations. They skillfully combine unmatched imagination and storytelling with new technologies, all presented with a touch of pixie dust. Walt Disney World is also a purpose-built city: a place engineered from the ground up to entertain, amaze, and inspire.

WHY DISNEY WORLD NEEDS a 572-PAGE GUIDEBOOK

WE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING. What have I gotten myself into? Why on earth do I need a textbook-size tome of information, suggestions, recommendations, and—gulp—data for one family vacation? Is all of this even necessary?

If it’s your first visit, we think so.

The thing that surprises most Walt Disney World visitors is that a vacation here requires much more planning and effort than probably any other vacation they’ve taken.

Why? A lot of it has to do with scale and capacity. Some of the best experiences at Disney World simply don’t have the capacity to serve the 60,000 people who visit the Magic Kingdom on an average day. The best restaurants can’t handle that many people, and the best rides have queues that would spill out all over everywhere if everyone tried to experience them. This results in vastly different experiences for the visitors who do their homework and make their plans and reservations … and for those who don’t. A reader from Louisiana, understands:

I don’t know how people do Disney without this information. I felt sorry seeing people so excited to get into the parks and only then realize that a little homework beforehand would’ve saved their trip.

We see your panic level starting to rise. Take a deep breath. If you love theme parks, Disney World is as good as it gets. If you arrive without knowing anything and make every possible mistake, there’s a really good chance that you’ll still have a wonderful vacation. All of the planning we cover here is just to guard against the small chance of disappointment, and to maximize your fun—while hopefully minimizing the cost and time spent in lines.

The ultimate goal of this book is to help you avoid potential problems, and to point out opportunities for greatness that you might not have known about. We’re here to help you turn a great vacation into a particularly amazing one.

A mom from Kentucky who hadn’t been to Disney in over a decade came back with this to say:

I was convinced that I already knew everything I needed to know about Disney and that this book was overkill—boy was I wrong. There is so much to learn!

WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK DIFFERENT?

THE ADVICE IN THIS BOOK is different from what you’ll find by scrolling TikTok, random Googling, or reading other books, in three important ways.

First, the team behind this book is totally independent of the Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World, and all other parts of the Disney corporate organization. We don’t get any free trips, gifts, special favors, invitations, or other compensation from Disney; we pay for everything we review. Disney doesn’t request, influence, edit, or approve anything you’ll read here.

That means that we stay totally unbiased. If a restaurant serves bad food, an experience is overpriced, or a ride isn’t worth the wait, we say so. No need to guess at what our motivation might be.

Second, we use data, science, and technology to help solve the problems that everyone encounters at Walt Disney World. The Disney theme parks are the ultimate problem-solving opportunity for numbers nerds like us: it’s the most meticulously well-run environment anywhere. For example, lines for rides and restaurants that seem chaotic at first actually form in predictable ways at predictable times. That makes it possible for us to study them—and predict them.

You might be surprised that Disney-related questions like How can I spend less time in line? or What rides should my kids try? are active areas of research in schools around the world, and similar business problems pop up in corporate America every day. The authors and researchers who contribute to this book have years—even decades—of academic and professional experience in these areas and use them to help you. And don’t worry—we’ll translate all of those numbers and science into easy-to-understand, actionable advice.

The third way this book is different is the amount of time and money that goes into making it. Disney research is a full-time job for a lot of our core team. Over the years, we’ve spent millions of dollars and many thousands of hours reviewing and analyzing Disney World’s hotels, rides, crowds, and restaurants. No other book or website commits the people, skills, or budget to do anything like the research you’ll find here. The only other organization that does the same level of analysis on Disney World is Disney itself. And we will tell you what they won’t.

HOW to USE THIS BOOK

THE BEST WAY TO USE THIS BOOK is to read the introductory chapters, then scan the topics of the remaining chapters to get a feel for the kinds of questions each chapter answers. Read in depth the chapters most important to you. Then, as you plan your trip, you can refer back to sections as they become relevant to you.

We’ve organized the chapters so that they appear in the same sequence and timeline that you’ll use to plan and take your trip. For example, Part 2 contains advice on what you need to know to start planning your trip. The next few chapters guide you through choosing a hotel, finding good places to eat, and picking the best rides and entertainment in the parks.

Each chapter starts with Key Questions, a list of some FAQs that visitors have about Walt Disney World. For each question, we’ve listed where in the chapter you can find the answers.

Of course, each chapter answers more questions than the ones we highlight. You can skim each chapter’s section headings to see if a particular topic is relevant to you.

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS CHAPTER

•Where can I find a planning checklist and timeline? ( page 21 )

•What are the six most important tips for avoiding lines at Disney World? ( page 40 )

•What is the Genie+ ride reservation system, and how do I use it? ( page 50 )

Some subjects, such as how Disney accommodates guests in wheelchairs, are relevant across multiple parts of your vacation. These subjects are usually covered in depth in one chapter (in this case, Part 8, Tips for Varied Circumstances), with cross-references in other chapters when they’re needed.

Most topics are covered in great detail. For example, Disney World has hundreds of attractions, from simple spinners you might find at your local town carnival to massive super-headliners, the likes of which you’ve never seen. Understanding these rides and how they’re run will help you decide what’s worth your time.

THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TEAM

ALLOW US TO INTRODUCE THE PEOPLE who work on this book, except for our dining critic, who shall remain anonymous:

YOUR UNOFFICIAL WALT DISNEY WORLD TOOLBOX

WHEN IT COMES TO WALT DISNEY WORLD, a family with two toddlers in diapers (bless your heart) needs different advice than a couple going to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.

To meet the needs of our diverse readers, we’ve created this guide. We call The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, at 572 pages, the Big Book. It provides the detailed information that anyone traveling to Walt Disney World needs to plan a super vacation. It’s the cornerstone of your trip planning.

As thorough as we try to make the main guide, though, there just isn’t enough space for all the tips and resources that may be useful to certain readers. Therefore, we’ve developed two additional guides that provide information tailored to specific visitors:

The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line, by Tammy Whiting with Erin Foster and Len Testa, presents advice for first-time cruisers; money-saving tips for booking your cruise; and detailed profiles for restaurants, shows, and nightclubs, along with deck plans and thorough coverage of the ports visited by Disney Cruise Line.

The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando, by Seth Kubersky, is the most comprehensive guide to Universal Orlando Resort in print. At more than 400 pages, it’s the perfect tool for understanding and enjoying Universal’s ever-expanding complex of theme parks, a water park, resort hotels, nightclubs, and restaurants. The guide includes field-tested touring plans that will save you hours of standing in line.

CORRECTIONS, UPDATES, AND BREAKING NEWS

WE EXPECT THIS 2025 EDITION to be available through fall 2025. The first set of updates was started in the spring of 2024 and incorporates Disney’s current operating procedures at press time. An up-to-date summary of book changes is available at theugseries.com/wdwupdates.

LETTERS AND COMMENTS FROM READERS

MANY READERS WRITE TO US with comments or to share their own tips for visiting Disney World. Their feedback is regularly incorporated into the Guide and contributes to its ongoing improvement. If you write to us or complete our reader survey, we won’t release your name or address to anyone. If you’re willing to have your comments quoted in the Guide, be sure to tell us where you’re from.

Speaking of comments, from the thousands of letters, emails, and surveys we receive, a little over 10% contain comments. Of that 10%, an even smaller percentage are useful and well written. Quotable comments are like gold to us. If a comment hits the nail on the head, it’s unlikely that we’ll receive a more well-written and more insightful one. If a better comment hasn’t been submitted recently, the older one remains in the next edition because it best serves our readers.

Online Reader Survey

TouringPlans.com hosts a questionnaire you can use to give feedback on your Walt Disney World visit. Access it at touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/survey. This questionnaire lets every member of your party, regardless of age, tell us what they think about attractions, hotels, restaurants, and more. The responses we get are critical to the updating of our book and recommendations.

You can also print out the reader survey and mail it to us at the following address:

Reader Survey

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

2204 First Ave. S., Ste. 102

Birmingham, AL 35233

Finally, if you’d like to review this book on Amazon, go to theugseries.com/2025reviews.

How to Contact the Authors

Becky Gandillon, Bob Sehlinger, and Len Testa

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

2204 First Ave. S., Ste. 102

Birmingham, AL 35233

info@theunofficialguides.com

Facebook: TheUnofficialGuides | X: @TheUGSeries

When you write, please put your mailing address on both your letter and your envelope—the two sometimes get separated. It’s also a good idea to include your phone number. If you email us, please tell us where you’re from.

Derek Burgan is our food consigliere. Brad Huber developed the latest version of our Lines app. Todd Perlmutter, Bryan Klinck, and EJJ skillfully debugged the touring plan software. Lines’ chat is moderated by the fabulous Weasus, missoverexcited, and PrincipalTinker.

We’d like to say thanks to these folks for their assistance with fact-checking and research: Robert Bloom, Shannon Bohn, Dani Dennison, Anne Densk, Alyssa Drake, Erin Foster, Scott Gustin, Jennifer Heymont, Erin Jenkins, Lauren Macvane, David McDonough, and Carlye Wisel. Thanks also to Jamie Holding and his GitHub repository (github.com/cubehouse/themeparks). Thanks to John Tierney, who knows more about DVC rentals and water treatment than any one human has a right to know.

Finally, to everyone at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts who follows our research from a distance, even if they can’t say it: We love you too. You make the magic.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SERIOUS

SOME READERS ARE ASTONISHED that seemingly functional adults would spend so much time on critical analyses of a theme park. But most of us do plenty of reading and research before buying a car or a major appliance, and a Disney World vacation costs more than a dishwasher.

On top of that, the Disney advertising machine is immensely powerful, and we think it’s important that when Disney’s marketing says its theme parks and restaurants are world-class and its artists are legends, it’s important to hold it accountable for those words.

One of the ways we do that is to point out whether the things Disney is doing today meet the standards it has set for itself. When we say that Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the best theme park ride Disney has made in at least 30 years, it’s because we believe it meets the highest of Disney’s ideals dating back to Walt himself. Likewise, if we complain about an expansive and violent pirate raid of a Caribbean island mysteriously pausing for an auction that sets the price of chickens, it’s because those things don’t make sense in the stories Disney has already established. And at Disney, storytelling is key.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING GOOFY

WHAT MAKES WRITING ABOUT WALT DISNEY WORLD so much fun is that the Disney executives have to take everything so seriously. Day to day, they debate momentous decisions with far-reaching consequences: Will Pluto look silly in a silver cape? What possible color schemes can we come up with for our next batch in the never-ending parade of spirit jerseys? What big anniversary can we celebrate next?

Unofficially, we think having a sense of humor is important. This guidebook has one, and it’s probably necessary that you do too—not just to use this book but to have the most fun possible at Walt Disney World. Think of The Unofficial Guide as your private trainer getting your sense of humor in shape. It will help you understand the importance of being goofy.

PART 1

WALT DISNEY WORLD: An Overview

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS CHAPTER

•What is Walt Disney World? (see below)

•How big is Walt Disney World? (see below and next page)

•What’s the difference between the different theme parks? ( page 8 )

•What do these new words and acronyms mean? ( page 17 )

WHAT IS DISNEY WORLD?

WE MAY BE BIASED, but we think Walt Disney World (WDW), in Orlando, Florida, is the best collection of theme parks anywhere. Its size, quality, theming, and ambition go far beyond that of any other amusement park or theme park you may have seen.

You might be familiar with commercials for Disney’s theme parks. These are great at showing families bonding over exciting rides and meeting famous characters, but 30-second ads don’t convey where to find those rides and characters, how long you’ll stand in line, or how much money this magical visit will cost. That’s where this book comes in. We give you all of the information you need to know, in a format that you can refer back to as you continue to plan, book, and then take your vacation.

Let’s start with the basics! Walt Disney World has four theme parks. If you think of Walt Disney World, the park that probably comes to mind is the Magic Kingdom—the first one built and the one most people think of when they hear the words Disney World. The other three theme parks are EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Walt Disney World also boasts two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. But wait, there’s more: over three dozen hotels and a campground; more than 100 restaurants; a massive year-round sports center; an outdoor mall/entertainment/hotel complex called Disney Springs; six convention centers; four golf courses; and an array of spas, recreation options, and other activities. Phew!

HOW BIG IS WALT DISNEY WORLD?

WALT DISNEY WORLD IS MASSIVE—around 43 square miles, about double the size of Manhattan and slightly smaller than Miami.

We like to use the theme parks as rough guideposts for the locations of other places within Walt Disney World. For example, the Magic Kingdom Resort Area is about 7 square miles and contains the Magic Kingdom theme park and nearby hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and entertainment.

The theme parks are miles apart, separated by barely-developed Central Florida swampland—so you’ll either need a car to get around or you can use the Walt Disney World transportation system’s fleet of buses, boats, vans, monorails, and aerial gondolas (the Skyliner). Disney World’s bus system is the third largest in Florida, behind Jacksonville’s and Miami’s. Its transportation system is so large (and complex) that Part 9 of this book is dedicated to it.

Because of Walt Disney World’s size and everything there is to do, it would take at least two weeks to thoroughly explore most of it. Two weeks at Disney is way outside of the budget for most families, so we’ll tell you the best things to see in the time you have available.

THE MAJOR THEME PARKS

The Magic Kingdom

Opened in 1971, the Magic Kingdom is the original Walt Disney World theme park. Here you’ll find Cinderella Castle, along with other entertainment and rides, mostly featuring Disney characters. It’s only one piece of Disney World, but it remains the heart.

The Magic Kingdom is divided into six lands arranged around a central hub. First you come to Main Street, U.S.A., which connects the park entrance with the hub. Arranged clockwise around the hub are Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. The Magic Kingdom has more rides, shows, and entertainment than any other WDW theme park. A comprehensive tour would take two days, but a tour of the highlights (and more) can be done in one full day.

Three resorts—the Contemporary and Grand Floridian Resorts, Polynesian Village, and their villa units (Bay Lake Tower, The Villas at the Grand Floridian, and Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows)—are connected to the Magic Kingdom by monorail and boat. Three other hotels—Shades of Green (for the US military and their families), Wilderness Lodge (including the Boulder Ridge Villas and Copper Creek Villas & Cabins), and Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground—are located nearby but are served by boat and bus instead of monorail.

EPCOT

Opened in 1982, EPCOT is twice as big as the Magic Kingdom. The front (southern) part consists of three areas (World Discovery, World Celebration, and World Nature) with giant pavilions themed to human creativity, technological advancement, and the natural world; World Showcase, the back (northern) part, is arranged around a 40-acre lagoon and presents the architectural, social, and cultural heritages of almost a dozen nations, with each country represented by its own pavilion. EPCOT has recently been undergoing a revitalization that aims to increase its appeal among families with young children, which typically means the introduction of more Disney characters.

The EPCOT resorts—the BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Dolphin, Swan, Swan Reserve, Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, and Beach Club Villas—are within a 5- to 15-minute walk of the International Gateway, a secondary entrance to the theme park located in World Showcase. The hotels are also linked to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios by boat and walkway. EPCOT is connected to the Magic Kingdom and its hotels by monorail. An elevated gondola system called the Skyliner links EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Disney’s Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Riviera Resorts. In case you can’t tell, this is one of the most well-connected areas of the entire resort, and a personal favorite of our authors.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Opened in 1989 in an area slightly larger than the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS) has two main sections. About half of the space is a theme park focused on the motion picture, music, and television industries. Highlights include a re-creation of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards from Hollywood’s Golden Age, several rides and musical shows, and a movie stunt show.

The other half is made up of two immersive movie-themed lands.Toy Story Land opened in 2018 with three themed rides for children. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019 and is an incredibly immersive area that has two state-of-the-art, large rides for older children, teens, and adults.

DHS is connected to other Walt Disney World areas by highway, boat, and Skyliner but not by monorail. Guests can park in DHS’s parking lot or commute by bus; guests at EPCOT resort hotels can reach DHS by boat, on foot, or by Skyliner.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

About five times the size of the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the largest park. It combines zoological exhibits with rides, shows, and live entertainment. The park is arranged in a hub-and-spoke configuration somewhat like the Magic Kingdom. A tropical rainforest serves as Main Street, funneling visitors to Discovery Island, the park’s hub. Dominated by the park’s icon, the 14-story-tall, hand-carved Tree of Life, Discovery Island offers services, shopping, and dining. From there, guests can access the themed areas: Africa, Asia, DinoLand U.S.A., and Pandora. Discovery Island, Africa, and DinoLand U.S.A. opened in 1998, followed by Asia in 1999. Africa is over 100 acres just by itself and is home to free-roaming herds in a re-creation of the Serengeti Plain.

Pandora—The World of Avatar, based on James Cameron’s Avatar film franchise, is the most significant recent expansion. Its biggest draw may be the scenery—including floating mountains and glow-in-the-dark plants—which Disney has replicated from the movie. See Part 13 for full details.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom has its own parking lot and is connected to other Walt Disney World destinations by the Disney bus system. Although no hotels lie within walking distance of Animal Kingdom, the All-Star Resorts, Animal Kingdom Lodge & Villas, and Coronado Springs Resort are all nearby.

THE WATER PARKS

DISNEY WORLD HAS TWO WATER PARKS: Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Opened in 1989, Typhoon Lagoon is known for its wave pool capable of making 6-foot waves. Blizzard Beach opened in 1995 and features more slides. Both parks pay careful attention to atmosphere and theme. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach have their own parking lots and can be reached by Disney bus.

OTHER WALT DISNEY WORLD VENUES

Disney Springs

Themed as a Florida waterfront town, Disney Springs consists of four areas, each with shopping, dining, and entertainment: the Marketplace, on the east side; the West Side, on (surprise!) the west side; Town Center; and The Landing, on the waterfront.

The Marketplace contains the country’s largest Disney merchandise store; upscale and specialty shops, and many restaurants. The West Side is a diverse mix of nightlife, shopping, dining, and entertainment, including a Cirque du Soleil show exclusive to Disney World. And Town Center hosts a wide variety of well-known brands, from Anthropologie and Free People to Levi’s and Under Armour.

The Landing offers more shopping and arguably the best dining options in Disney Springs. These include The Boathouse, an upscale waterfront seafood eatery that also serves great steaks; Morimoto Asia, a high-quality, midpriced restaurant from Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto; Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, a restaurant from Florida native Art Smith that features local farm-to-table ingredients and traditional Southern cooking; and Wine Bar George, serving tasty Mediterranean small plates and a well-curated list of affordable wines.

Disney Springs has three multistory parking garages, with short walks to the middle of the action. It is also accessible via Disney transportation from Disney resort hotels and theme parks.

Disney’s BoardWalk

Near EPCOT, the BoardWalk is an idealized replica of a 1930s East Coast waterfront resort. It features upscale restaurants, shops and galleries, and a brewpub. In the evening, a nightclub with dueling pianos and a DJ dance club join the lineup (both are for guests age 21 and up only). Anyone can enjoy the BoardWalk for free, but the piano bar has a cover charge at night. This area is anchored by the BoardWalk Inn & Villas.

The BoardWalk is within walking distance of the EPCOT resorts, EPCOT’s International Gateway entrance, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Boat transportation is available to and from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Skyliner connects the BoardWalk to the Studios and the hotels on its route, and buses serve other Walt Disney World locations.

WHAT’S NEW AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Disneyland is something that will never be finished. It’s something that I can keep developing. It will be a live, breathing thing that will need change.

—Walt Disney

WHAT WALT SAID OF DISNEYLAND is also true of Disney World. The table on page 15 shows all the major changes that have taken place at Walt Disney World in the last 2, 5, and 10 years.

THE PEOPLE OF WALT DISNEY WORLD

DISNEY’S EMPLOYEES are called cast members. These are the people who can make or break a vacation with their service. Fortunately, Disney staff often go the extra mile to make your visit special, as the following two readers share.

First, from a family from Illinois who received assistance for a health emergency:

On our first day at the resort, our 6-year-old grandson woke up with a deep cough, fever, and kind of wheezing. Our daughter-in-law contacted the desk and found that WDW provided a shuttle to a local prompt-care facility. As it turned out, the shuttle wasn’t available, so they called a cab instead and covered the cost! Our grandson was able to be seen by a physician and received medication that allowed him to get better and salvage the trip. We can’t say enough about what the staff and WDW did for us that day! They were terrific!

And a family from Michigan had this to relate:

We had a very unexpected and wonderful surprise waiting in our stroller after the Country Bear Jamboree. Out of nearly 30 strollers, ours had been visited by Santa Mickey while we were in the show. We came out to a stroller decorated with silly bands, Christmas ornaments, and a snowman Mickey plush toy. Our 5-year-old son, not to mention the rest of our party, were delighted. Just another way that WDW goes one more step to make a magical experience.

POCKET TRANSLATOR FOR COMMON DISNEY ABBREVIATIONS

IT MAY COME AS A SURPRISE to many, but Walt Disney World has its own somewhat peculiar language. On the opposite page are some abbreviations and slang you’re likely to encounter, both in this guide and in the larger Disney community.

PART 2

PLANNING before YOU LEAVE HOME

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS CHAPTER

•Where can I find a planning checklist and timeline? ( page 21 )

•What is My Disney Experience, and how do I use it? ( page 24 )

•When is Disney World least crowded and most crowded? ( page 29 )

•What are Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours, and how do I use them? ( page 30 )

•What special events are scheduled while I’m at Walt Disney World? ( page 32 )

•How can I contact someone at Disney with questions? ( page 34 )

Visiting Walt Disney World is a bit like childbirth—you never really believe what people tell you, but once you have been through it yourself, you know exactly what they were saying!

—Hilary Wolfe, a mother and Unofficial Guide reader from Wales

GATHERING INFORMATION

IN ADDITION TO THIS GUIDE, we recommend that you visit our sister website, TouringPlans.com. The blog posts there can keep you up-to-date with breaking news and even more data for your Walt Disney World vacation.

TouringPlans.com complements and augments the information in this book, and it provides real-time personalized services that are impossible to build into a book. The book is your comprehensive reference guide; TouringPlans.com is your personal concierge. You can sign up for free at touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/join/basic.

With that free access, you’ll be able to create custom touring plans, follow them in the parks, and get updates to them if conditions change while you’re there. You’ll also find current information on attractions, shows, restaurants, crowds, park hours, and more. A few of the site’s features require a small subscription fee to access, such as a detailed, day-by-day crowd calendar and a service that sends your hotel-room request directly to Disney. That fee covers the costs of the extra people, technology, and external services it takes to provide them.

Below is a brief rundown of some things you’ll find on the site. We only share it because we regularly receive many requests asking us for tools and information that don’t fit into the book but are already available on the site for free.

TICKET DISCOUNTS A free, customizable search helps you find the cheapest tickets for your specific trip dates and needs. A typical family of four saves around $130 on average by purchasing admission after using the tool.

CUSTOM TOURING PLANS Some of the best and most well-tested touring plans are found in the Unofficial Guides. They’ve been used by millions of families over the years, usually with excellent results. That said, they often depend on arriving at the park early, and they’re built to accommodate the general public. Your family or traveling party might want to visit different attractions or tour only in the afternoon and evening. In those cases, and for others with unique circumstances, we provide custom touring plans online.

The free online plans will also allow you to input any Genie+ return times, if you have them, to minimize your wait in line throughout the day. Online plans also work with Disney’s Disability Access Service (see page 314).

A DETAILED 365-DAY CROWD CALENDAR FOR EACH THEME PARK Subscribers can see which parks will be the least crowded every day of their trip, using a 1–10 scale. You can also view historical crowd data and check the accuracy of the predictions.

HOTEL-ROOM VIEWS AND ROOM-REQUEST SERVICE TouringPlans.com has photos of the views from every Disney-owned hotel room in Walt Disney World—more than 35,000 images in all—and it’ll give you the exact wording to use to request a specific room. If you’re a subscriber, it’ll even automatically email your request to Disney 30 days before you arrive. A couple who regularly uses the service writes:

We don’t always get a room that matches our request, but when we do, the results are worth attempting it every time. Nothing beats walking to the window in your standard view secret-Savanna room at Animal Kingdom Lodge and seeing a giraffe greeting you there, while you’re saving several hundred dollars a night compared to the more expensive room.

Disney tries to accommodate your request, and most of the requests sent on behalf of readers are honored in full or partially, but sometimes Disney just can’t make it work. Feel fortunate if you get what you asked for.

GENIE+/INDIVIDUAL LIGHTNING LANE INFORMATION The site shows which reservations are the most useful and will automatically suggest the best ones for your touring plans.

ANSWERS TO YOUR TRIP-PLANNING QUESTIONS The TouringPlans online community includes tens of thousands of Disney fans and repeat travelers willing to help with your vacation plans. Ask questions in the forum and offer your own helpful tips.

LINES APP This in-park app is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. For years, Lines has been one of the highest-rated Disney World apps for Apple and Android devices—higher than even Disney’s own apps. Designed to accompany you in the park, Lines has lots of interesting, free features and provides ride and park information that Disney doesn’t, including:

•Posted and actual wait times at attractions. Lines is the only Disney app that displays both posted wait times and the estimated actual wait times. The wait time you see posted outside of a ride is sometimes much longer than the actual wait time, often because Disney is trying to do crowd control. With Lines, you can make better decisions about whether to get in line.

•Ride now or wait recommendations. Lines shows you whether ride wait times are likely to get longer or shorter. If you find a long line at a particular attraction, Lines tells you the best time to come back.

•Real-time updates while you’re in a park. Lines automatically updates your custom touring plan to reflect actual crowd conditions at a given moment. You can also restart your plan and add or change attractions, breaks, meals, and more.

Seeing actual wait times can also help set kids’ expectations about how long they’ll be in line, as this family from New Jersey found:

The Lines app had the actual wait time nailed almost every single time we consulted it. My kids used Lines on their phones and felt like they were in on a huge adult secret.

The Unofficial Guide and TouringPlans.com, along with the Lines app, are designed to work together as a comprehensive planning and touring resource.

This mom from Missouri used all the tools available to her:

The Unofficial Guide was the perfect place to start planning our vacation (actually our honeymoon). After reading the book, I had a good idea of what hotels I was interested in, and I had must-do and must-eat places somewhat picked out. I then took the knowledge from the book and switched to the website to personalize our touring plans and use as a reference when needed. The book and the website together made our trip INCREDIBLE.

Our website, TheUnofficialGuides.com, is dedicated to news about our guidebooks and features a blog with posts from Unofficial Guide authors. You can also sign up for the Unofficial Guides Newsletter, which contains more travel tips. We also recommend that you check out the following:

1. Walt Disney World Resort vacation-planning videos. You can watch online videos advertising Walt Disney World’s offerings at plandisney.disney.go.com/plandisney-video-library .

2. Guide for Guests with Disabilities. An overview of services and options for guests with disabilities is available at disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities ; at Guest Relations when entering the parks, at resort front desks, and at wheelchair-rental areas (for locations, see the Services sidebar in each theme park chapter).

YOUR DISNEY TRIP-PLANNING TIMELINE: THE QUICK-START GUIDE TO USING THE GUIDE

AS YOU GO THROUGH THIS BOOK, you’ll see many references to date-specific planning milestones for your trip. For example, you can make Disney dining reservations 60 days before your arrival. You might be wondering about other important dates for your Disney trip, too, so on the next few pages, we’ve provided a comprehensive timeline that represents the major research, decisions, and tasks that happen when preparing for a Walt Disney World vacation. Within each milestone, you’ll find a reference to the section in this book that has the information you need for that milestone, and/or links to TouringPlans.com for additional information.

Most Disney trips involve about a dozen important dates to remember. If you’ve started planning more than 11 months before your trip, you’ll have plenty of time to do research ahead of those dates. If you’re traveling within the next couple of months, you’ll want to move a bit quicker.

Do you really need to do this? Absolutely—the demand for things like restaurants can easily outpace their capacity, and you may not get to experience them at all without planning and making reservations. A popular character meal such as Topolino’s Terrace can accommodate only a tiny percentage of the people who want to eat there.

Making dining reservations as soon as possible is vital if you want to eat at good (or popular) restaurants. Other reservations, such as those for spas or recreational activities, are important to consider too. Your best bet is always to research early and make reservations as soon as Disney allows.

How to Plan in a Hurry

We get variations on this email a lot:

AH! Our first Disney trip is in three weeks, and I just found out about the Unofficial Guide. I had no idea about all the research and reservations I needed to do! Am I too late?

You’ll be fine. You’ll still want to go through the timeline, because those steps are important—you’ll just work through them all on a tighter schedule.

9–12 Months Before Your Trip

You may already have a general idea of when you want to visit Disney World. What the trip will cost you, however, can be a surprise. Take a couple of evenings to plan a budget and an approximate time of year to travel, and to narrow down your hotel choices.

•Establish a budget . See pages 58 – 60 for an idea of how much Disney vacation you can get for $1,500–$4,000, for various family sizes. You can also go to disneyworld.disney.go.com and put in some sample dates to see package prices in your cart without purchasing.

•Figure out when to go and where to stay. Begin researching resorts (see Part 5 ) and the best times of year to visit (see page 27 ).

•Brush up on discounts. Disney releases certain discounts around the same time every year. Check mousesavers.com for a list of these regular discounts, when they’re usually announced, and the travel dates they cover at theugseries.com/wdw-discounts. Also see the section on hotel discounts beginning on page 82 in Part 5.

•Create an account at My Disney Experience (see page 25 ). You’ll need it to make hotel, dining, and (potentially) ride reservations later.

•Make a preliminary hotel reservation. This typically requires a deposit equal to one night’s cost and guarantees you a room. Staying on-site gets you early and (at select resorts) late access to the theme parks, offering a substantial advantage in avoiding long lines (see page 30 ). You can change or cancel without penalty for several months while you continue your research.

•Disney Vacation Club ( DVC ) members can make reservations at their home resorts starting 11 months before their trip. See page 83 for information on how to rent points from a DVC member.

•Investigate whether trip insurance makes sense for your situation. If you’ll be traveling to Disney World during peak hurricane season (August and September), it is almost certainly worthwhile. Third-party policies, such as those from insuremytrip.com , are usually cheaper than Disney’s trip insurance and are often more comprehensive. In the post-pandemic era, almost all trips should be insured for trip cancellation or interruption, and for medical emergencies.

•If you’re not a US citizen, make sure your family’s passports and visas are in order. Passports typically need to be valid for six months beyond your travel dates. An electronic US visa is typically good for two years from the date of issue, if you need one. See esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta to check whether your country participates in the US’s visa waiver program. As of 2024, you must apply for a visa (or waiver) at least 72 hours prior to arrival.

7–9 Months Before Your Trip

Now is the time to start thinking about where you’ll be eating and what you want to do in the theme parks.

•Purchase your park tickets at least this far in advance (see page 63 for ticket and add-on details). TouringPlans’ Least Expensive Ticket Calculator ( touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/ticket-calculator ) will find you the best discounts on Disney tickets. This helps you lock in prices before any potential increases.

•Link your tickets to your My Disney Experience account so that all tickets and reservations are linked together.

•Disney Vacation Club members can make resort reservations outside their home resorts starting seven months before their trip.

•Check the best days to visit each park. Use the Disney World Crowd Calendar ( touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/crowd-calendar ) to select the parks you’ll visit on each day of your trip.

4–6 Months Before Your Trip

Get familiar with Disney’s rides, shows, and attractions, and start planning what you’ll see each day.

•Review the attractions and shows in the Magic Kingdom (see page 363 ), EPCOT (see page 403 ), Disney’s Animal Kingdom (see page 433 ), and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (see page 458 ).

•Make a list of must-see attractions in each park. If you’re unsure whether your child should experience a particular attraction, see our Small-Child Fright-Potential Table on pages 304 – 306 . See the table on page 307 for a list of height requirements for the attractions.

•Review our touring plans (see page 546 ) and use them to begin putting together a touring strategy for each park. You can also use the touring plan software at touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/touring-plans .

180 Days Before Your Trip

Use this time to research Disney’s restaurants and dining options.

•Get familiar with Disney World restaurants (see Part 6 ) so you’re ready when Disney’s dining reservation system opens at your 60-day mark. See touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/dining for current restaurant ratings, menus, and prices at every Disney restaurant, all searchable.

•Get familiar with the Disney Dining Plan (see page 205 ). If you’re planning to stay at a Disney hotel, you’ll need to figure out if the plan will save you any money on the meals you’re interested in.

120 Days Before Your Trip

As your vacation approaches, it’s time to make concrete arrangements for your days in the theme parks.

•Save money on stroller rentals in the parks (if you’ll need a stroller) by renting from a third-party company; see page 297 for our recommendations. You can also save on wheelchair and ECV rentals this way; see page 316 for details and recommendations.

60 Days Before Your Trip

Now you can start making restaurant, tour, spa, and other reservations.

•Make reservations for sit-down dining beginning at 5:45 a.m. Eastern time online at disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining , or at 6:45 a.m. by phone (see page 208 for tips): 407- WDW-DINE (939-3463). If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World resort, you can make reservations for up to 10 days of your trip today. You have a better chance of getting what you want if you use the website instead of calling.

•Make reservations for the following:

Theme park tours: 407- WDW-TOUR (939-8687)

Recreational activities such as boating: 407- WDW-PLAY (939-7529)

Spa treatments: 407- WDW-SPAS (939-7727)

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique ( page 503 ): 407- WDW-STYL (939-7895)

•Start a walking regimen to prepare for the 7–10 miles per day you may be walking in the parks. See page 290 for more on that.

•If you decide not to go to Disney World, you typically have 30 days to cancel most Disney vacation packages without a penalty; room-only reservations can be canceled without a penalty until eight days before your trip. See page 80 for a review of Disney’s cancellation policies.

•Start online check-in at disneyworld.disney.go.com/trip/online-check-in , if you’re staying at a Disney-owned hotel. Doing this in advance means you’ll be able to head directly to your hotel room upon arrival, without having to stop at the front desk.

45 Days Before Your Trip

•Final payment for room-only reservations is due if you book online within 45 days of arrival (payment of room-only reservations booked farther out isn’t due until check-in).

•Order your MagicBands (see page 70 ), if desired.

•If you’re flying, make arrangements for your transfer between the airport and your hotel (see page 328 ).

•If you want to switch resorts or make more dining reservations, now is a good time to check on both.

30 Days Out

•Send your room request to Disney. TouringPlans can do this for you automatically (see page 19 ).

•Final payment is due for Disney vacation packages.

•Sign up for Disney’s Disability Access Service (see page 314 ), if needed. You’ll be able to make two ride reservations in advance. See theugseries.com/get-wdw-das for more details.

•Confirm park hours and finish preliminary touring plans.

•Download the Lines app so you can follow your chosen touring plan and get updates in the parks.

•Arrange to stop delivery of mail and newspapers.

•Arrange for pet or house sitters.

2 Weeks Out

•Arrange grocery delivery to your resort (see page 362 ).

•If you’re flying to the US from another country, complete the Advance Pas senger Information and Secure Flight ( APIS ) process at least 72 hours before your flight. You should be able to do this through your airline’s website; otherwise, make sure your travel agent has your information. You’ll need to provide the address where you’ll be staying in the United States, so have that information handy when you complete this form.

•Check that you have enough prescription medication.

•If staying at a Disney Good Neighbor hotel, ensure your hotel reservation appears in the Resort Hotel section of the My Disney Experience app or website. This is how Disney knows you’re eligible for Early Theme Park Entry or Extended Evening Theme Park Hours (see page 30 ).

8 Days Out

•For 2025 arrival dates, this is typically your last chance to cancel Disney room-only reservations without penalty. Call 407- W-DISNEY (407-934-7639).

6 Days Out

•Check the weather forecast.

•Start packing. Good shoes are especially important.

5 Days Out

•For 2024 arrival dates, this is typically your last chance to cancel Disney room-only reservations without penalty. Call W-DISNEY (407-934-7639).

4 Days Out

•Purchase Disney’s Memory Maker photo package (see page 359 ) at least three days in advance to ensure that all photos are linked as soon as you arrive. You’ll also get a discount if you buy your package in advance.

The Day Before

•Check in for your flight online.

•Finish your Disney resort online check-in, if you haven’t already done so, at disneyworld.disney.go.com/trip/online-check-in .

•Cancel any unneeded dining or baby- or pet-sitting reservations.

•Do one last check of park hours and weather.

DISNEY ONLINE: OFFICIAL AND OTHERWISE

A SUITE OF HIGH-TECH ENHANCEMENTS to Disney’s theme parks and hotels, known as MyMagic+, includes optional wristbands (MagicBands) that function as admission tickets, hotel keys, and credit cards. MyMagic+ also integrates Disney’s dining and ride reservation systems. It requires you to make detailed decisions about every day of your trip, sometimes months in advance, if you want to visit popular attractions and avoid long waits. Dining reservations, for instance, require you to know the exact time you want to eat, and where, two months before you arrive.

The Walt Disney World website (disneyworld.disney.go.com) and the My Disney Experience (MDE) mobile app are the glue that binds this all together. Because you must plan so much before you leave home, we cover the basics of both the website and the app in the next section. MagicBand information starts on page 70. Details on Disney’s ride reservation systems—Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane—and Disney’s other new way of waiting in lines, called boarding groups or virtual queues, start on page 49. Finally, Disney’s free Genie itinerary-planning service, which you absolutely should not use, is described on page 53.

My Disney Experience on the Disney World Website

The web version of MDE (disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan) allows you to make hotel, dining, ride, and some recreation reservations; buy admission; and get park hours, attraction information, and much more.

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS Disney World’s website is so unreliable that most visitors are familiar with the various broken page screens and keep track of how many times they encounter Stitch ate my page vs. The Seven Dwarfs are working on it. If you run into technical issues on Disney’s website, the first thing to do is try using your browser’s private or incognito mode. Disney’s website often places so many cookies on your computer that it appears to break its own systems. If that doesn’t work and human intervention is required, call 407-939-4357 in the US or 0800 169 0749 in the UK for help.

Set aside several hours to get any issues resolved. Disney’s phone systems are regularly understaffed, and stories abound of long waits for support. This is especially true on days when big events are released.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN Set aside at least 30–40 minutes to complete this process. Make sure you have the following items on hand:

•A valid admission ticket or confirmation number for everyone in your group

•Your hotel reservation number, if you’re staying on-site (including the Swan, Swan Reserve, Dolphin, and Disney Springs hotels)

•A computer, smartphone, or tablet connected to the internet

•An email account that you can access easily while traveling

•The dates, times, and confirmation numbers of any dining or recreation reservations you’ve made

If you’re coordinating travel plans with friends or family who live elsewhere, you’ll also need the following information:

•The names and (optional) email addresses of the people you’re traveling with

•The dates and times of any dining or recreation reservations they’ve made

GETTING STARTED Go to disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan and click Create Account. You’ll be asked for your email address, along with your name, billing address, and birth date. (Disney uses your billing address to send your hotel reservation information, if applicable, and to charge your credit card for anything you purchase.)

Once you’ve created an account, the website will display a page with links to other steps in the planning process. These steps are described next. If the website shows you different screens and options when you sign in, click the My Disney Experience icon in the upper-right corner of the page and look for similar wording.

DISNEY HOTEL INFORMATION If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, select Resort Hotel and then Link Reservation. Enter your reservation number. This associates your MDE account with your hotel stay in Disney’s computer systems. If you’ve booked a travel package that includes theme park admission, Disney computers will automatically link the admission to your MDE account, allowing you to skip the Linking Tickets step. If you’ve booked a Disney hotel through a third-party site like Expedia, that site should send you a Disney reservation number to use here. It can take up to a week for third-party sites to send Disney your booking information, so be patient and plan ahead.

REGISTER FRIENDS AND FAMILY Click the Family & Friends icon; then enter the names and ages of everyone traveling with you. You can do this later, too, but you’ll need this information when you make your park and dining reservations.

LINKING TICKETS You will need to have purchased theme park tickets for each member of your group and linked them to each member’s MDE profile before making some reservations.

If you haven’t purchased your tickets, do so now. See page 68 for where to find better deals on tickets. Once purchased, you can add these tickets to MDE just like tickets bought directly from Disney.

If you’ve already purchased tickets but have not linked them, click the Park Tickets widget, then click on Link Tickets, and follow the instructions.

MAKING DINING RESERVATIONS In My Disney Experience, click the Dining icon, then the Make a Reservation link. (You may have to reenter your travel dates.) First, you’ll need to indicate how many people are dining. Then, you’ll choose a date and a time range for when you’d like to dine. A list of every Walt Disney World eatery will be displayed. Use the filtering criteria at the top of the page to narrow the list. Once you’ve settled on a restaurant, click the time of the reservation you’d like to book. To complete your reservation, you’ll also need to enter a credit card number to hold your reservation. If you want to make other dining reservations, you’ll need to repeat this process for each one.

My Disney Experience Mobile App

In addition to its website, Disney offers an app called My Disney Experience, available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. It includes park hours, attraction operating hours and descriptions, wait times for buses, restaurant hours with descriptions and menus, the ability to make dining and ride reservations, GPS-based directions, counter-service meal ordering, the locations of park photographers, and more. You’ll definitely want to download the app and familiarize yourself with all of its features before your trip.

unofficial TIP

Some features of My Disney Experience, including mobile ordering, may not be available on older devices.

Our Recommended Websites

Searching online for Disney information is like navigating an immense maze for a tiny piece of cheese: You may find a lot of dead ends before you get what you want. Our picks follow.

BEST Q&A SITE planDisney, formerly Walt Disney World’s Mom’s Panel, is made up of Disney World veterans chosen from among more than 10,000 applicants each year. The panelists have a website, plandisney.disney.go.com, where they offer tips and discuss how to plan a Disney World vacation. Several panelists have specialized experience in areas such as runDisney or traveling with sports groups. Some speak languages other than English, too.

BEST MONEY-SAVING SITE MouseSavers (mousesavers.com) keeps an updated list of discounts for use at Disney World resorts, separated into categories such as For the general public and For residents of certain states. Anyone who calls or books online can use a current discount. The savings can be considerable—as much as 40%. The site also offers deals on rental cars and non-Disney hotels in the area, along with a calendar showing when Disney sales typically launch.

BEST SITE FOR CAR-RENTAL DEALS AutoSlash (autoslash.com) will use every available discount code for every car company in Orlando to find you the best deal. See page 330 for more on car rentals.

BEST DISNEY DISCUSSION BOARDS There are tons of these; among the most active boards are disboards.com; forums.wdwmagic.com; forum.touringplans.com; and, for Brits, thedibb.co.uk (DIBB stands for Disney Information Bulletin Board).

WHEN to GO to WALT DISNEY WORLD

SELECTING THE TIME OF YEAR FOR YOUR VISIT

WALT DISNEY WORLD IS BUSIEST from the weekend before Christmas Day until the first weekend in January. The next-busiest times are spring break (early March–early April, plus the week before Easter when Easter is later); Thanksgiving week; and February during Presidents’ Day and Mardi Gras. You’ll also see shorter bursts of crowds in early June as public-school summer vacations start, and on three-day weekends, such as Columbus Day and Veterans Day.

The least busy time historically is Labor Day through early October. In addition, the last two weeks of October and the first week of November are usually less crowded than average, as are the weeks after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. The weeks between late April and Memorial Day have lower crowds than the weeks on either side.

The biggest rule of thumb is that Walt Disney World is less crowded (and less expensive) when most kids are in school. That said, Disney has become adept at loading off-peak periods with special events, conventions, food festivals, and the like; discounts on rooms and dining during slower periods also figure in.