Hey Subbies,
I'm very excited to say that, I will be traveling to the World of Happiness place soon. I live in SoCal so I have talked about going Disneyland as a kid and more so on a whim these days lol. This trip is actually something I wanted to do for a while now. And you're probably wondering why!? Well, it's a long story when I was in middle school my mom's co-worker's friend invited us with her and her family because she wanted me to babysit her kids for their trip on Disney Cruise on the Wonder. Little did they know Disney is known for keeping Families occupied. Long Story short the closest I have ever been to parks was staying a day at the All-Stars Sports Hotel on the property. My mom did try again 2 or 3 years later when we visited Florida for another cruise but it seemed futile to get tickets without a park reservation in advance so we visited Downtown Disney instead now known as Disney Springs. I'm considering this as my inner child raincheck for my mom's inner child's experience we didn't get to have and boy it was not cheap of course.
This year, Disney announced that they have changed its park's reservation requirements for 2024 for single, couples, and small families. So you all know the drill this post is to help those including myself get ready for a trip to Disney World. I caveat that this post will be geared more towards people who live in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, etc who have access to or are very familiar with a lot of the park's rides already and just want a new experience so to speak because there are so many videos scenario videos on how to tackle the parks that it is literally gamified due to the high demand. The genie+ system at Walt Disney World is its own beast. Personally, as a "Disneylander," this is going to be a very interesting trip because we are chill or just vibing over here sometimes to the point of breaking the rules in some cases.
Before I forget Florida even though the taxes are low they still have Gratuities law aka Mandatory Tip so you may see 15-20% gratuities fee for services rendered on your receipt i.e. sit down Restaurants, Bars and Beauty Salons. Make sure to factor that into your budget for each day because it really does add up and may burn holes in some tourist pockets.
Resort Hotel Booking
Tip: Book at the beginning of the year or 6-months in advance; Hurricane Season is from mid-August to mid-October
- Splurge: Disney Vacation Club, Disney's Polynesian; Disney's Grand Floridian; Disney's Contemporary; Fort Wilderness Resorts, Port Orleans French Quarter; Walt Disney World: Beach, Yacht club;
- Budget: Hilton Orlando, Coronado Springs Resort; Walt Disney World: Dolphin and Swan; All Stars Resorts: Pop Century, Art of Animation, Music, Movies, Sports;
- Disney Budget Vacationer: AirB&B, Partner Hotels, Shoulder Hotels
Transportation
Tip: Give yourself a extra 20-30 mins to hour to travel between parks if you have a Lightning lane/ Virtual Queue booked.
- Personal Car/ Road Trip (24-72hr drive)
- Rental car
- Flight (Intl fly in 24-48hr; Direct flight to MCO preferred)
- Mears shuttle (Flat rate fee) to/from the Resort and Airport
- Disney Cruise Line Shuttle (Flat rate fee) to/from the Port, Resort and Airport
- Uber/ Lift (surge charges may apply based on demand)
- Walt Disney's Transportation & Ticket Center >>
- Monorail
- Magic Kingdom ~6-15mins
- EPCOT ~15-20mins
- Shuttle Boat
- Magic Kingdom ~11mins
- Hollywood Studios >><< EPCOT ~10-20mins
- Shuttle Buses
- Magic Kingdom ~11-20mins
- Hollywood Studios ~60-75mins
- EPCOT ~60-75mins
- Animal Kingdom ~60-90mins
- Minnie Van (Lyft app)
- Magic Kingdom ~5mins
- Hollywood Studios ~8-10mins
- EPCOT ~5-10mins
- Animal Kingdom ~7-10mins
- Skyliner
- Hollywood Studios >><< EPCOT ~10-22mins
Park Demands
Tip: Buy the Park Hooper if you can afford it; Book the things you want to do 60 days in advance.
- Magic Kingdom (MK) - High Demand
- Hollywood Studios (HS) - Moderately High Demand
- EPCOT (EC) - Moderate Demand (A Foodies Dream)
- Animal Kingdom (AK) - Low Demand (Park Hop to EPCOT/ Hollywood Studios)
(This will generally apply to Tourists and the Visiting.)
Jan. 1-8, 13-17 | Feb. 12-22 | Mar. 23-31 | Apr. 1-3 | May 25-29 | Jun. 17-21 | Jul. 2-6 | Aug. 30 | Sept. 1-4 | Oct. 12-16 | Nov. 9-13, 23-30 | Dec. 23-31
*Opening and Closing times may vary based on the time of year so plan accordingly.
Tip: You have a 10-15mins window after the Reserved time to make it the ride
- VQ - Virtual Que (Newer Rides)
- LL - Lighting Lane (Surge Charge Rate per Park to get on High Demand Rides)
- ILL - Individual Lighting Lane (Pay-to-Ride)
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Magic Kingdom Itinerary
- 6:45-7:15 AM Buy Genie+
- VQ: TRON Lightcycle
- (Summer/Fall VQ: Tianna's Bayou Adventures)
- RD/LL: Peter Pan's Flight, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Jungle Cruises, Haunted Mansion, Ariel's Grotto
- ILL: TRON/ Peter Pan's Flight/ Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- ~ 8:30 - 9:00 AM Hotel Guest Early Access
- 8:45 AM Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- 9:00 AM Peter Pan's Flight (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder for non-hotel guest)
- 9:20 AM Haunted Mansion
- 9:40 AM Jungle Cruises
- 10:00 AM Pirate of the Caribbean
- 10:30 AM Big Thunder Mountain/ TRON Lightcycle
- 11:00 AM Ariel's Grotto (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder)
- 12:00 PM It's a Small World/ TRON Lightcycle
- 1:00 PM The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder; VQ 2nd Chance: TRON Lightcycle)
- 2:00 PM Lunch Recommendations:
- Jungle Skipper Canteen
- Be Our Guest
- Crystal Palace
- Cinderella Royal Tables
- 3:00 PM Mad Hatter's Tea Cup Party
- Other options:
- TRON Lightcycle
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- People Mover
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Carousel of Progress
- 4:00 PM Astro Orbiter
- 5:00 PM Buzz Light Year
- 6:00 PM Space Mountain
- 7:00 PM Dinner or Dessert Recommendations:
- Crystal Palace
- Jungle Skipper Canteen
- Main Street Bakery
- 8:00 PM Night Show: Happy Ever After
- 8:30 PM Last Ride of the Day/ TRON Lightcycle
*Disney World's Space Mountain may cause some back discomfort because its tracks have yet to be updated
Option 1: Animal Kingdom & EPCOT Itinerary
- 6:45-7:15 AM Buy Genie+ (Multi-park option)
- VQ: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- RD/LL: Avatar Flight of Passage/ Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, Test Track
- ILL: Avatar Flight of Passage/ Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
- ~7:30 - 8:00 AM Hotel Guest Early Access
- 8:15 AM Avatar Flight of Passage
- 8:45 AM Na'vi River Journey
- 9:00 AM Kilimanjaro Safaris (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder for non-hotel guest)
- 10:00 AM Expedition Everest
- 11:00 AM Festival of the Lion King Show/ Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder)
- 11:50 AM To-go Meal Recommendations:
- Satu'li Canteen
- Tiffins
- Yak & Yeti
- Flame Tree BBQ
- 12:15 PM >> TRAVEL TO EPCOT >>
- 1:15 PM The Seas with Nemo & Friends/ Turtle Talk With Crush (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder; VQ 2nd Chance: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind)
- 1:30 PM Remy's Ratatouille Adventure/ Living with the Land/ Journey into Imagination with Figment
- 2:00 PM Lunch Recommendations:
- Space 220
- Cool Wash
- Takumi-Tei
- Teppan-Edo
- 3:00 PM Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
- 3:30 PM Frozen Ever After
- 4:00 PM Test Track
- 5:00 PM Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- 5:30 PM Mission: SPACE
- 6:00 PM Spaceship Earth
- 6:15 PM Soarin Over California
- 6:30 PM Remy's Ratatouille Adventure/ Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- 7:00 PM Dinner or Dessert Recommendations:
- Shiki-Sai
- La Hacienda de San Angel
- Tutto Italia Ristorante
- Biergarten Restaurant
- Le Cellier Steakhouse
- Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
- Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie
- 8:00 PM Night Show: Luminous: The Symphony of Us
Option 2: Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios Itinerary
- 6:45 7:15 AM Buy Genie+ (Multi-park option)
- VQ: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- RD/LL: Avatar Flight of Passage/ Slinky Dog Dash, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Mickey & Minnie Railway, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror
- ILL: Avatar Flight of Passage/ Slinky Dog Dash. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- ~ 7:30 - 8:00 AM Hotel Guest Early Access
- 8:15 AM Avatar Flight of Passage
- 8:45 AM Na'vi River Journey
- 9:00 AM Kilimanjaro Safaris (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder for non-hotel guest)
- 9:30 AM Break the Fast Recommendations:
- Pongu Pongu
- Satu'li Canteen
- Mahindi
- Nomad Lounge
- 10:00 AM Festival of the Lion King Show
- 10:50 AM Expedition Everest (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder)
- 11:45 AM DINOSAUR >> Tropical Americas Pueblo Esperanza
- 12:00 PM Brunch Recommendations:
- Warung Outpost
- Anandapur Ice Cream Truck
- Thirsty River Bar
- Trilo-Bites
- Eight Spoon Café
- Nomad Lounge
- 12:15 PM >> TRAVEL TO HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS>>
- 1:15 PM Slinky Dog Dash (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder)
- 2:00 PM Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
- 2:45 PM Mickey & Minnie Runaway Railway
- 3:15 PM Times for Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
- 4:30 PM Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror/ Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- 5:00 PM Toy Story Mania (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder)
- 5:30 PM Alien Swirling Saucers/ Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- 6:00 PM Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- 6:30 PM Star Tours
- 7:00 PM Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror/ Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- 7:30 PM Grab a Late Dinner:
- 50's Prime Time Café
- Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
- Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
- The Hollywood Brown Derby
- 8:00 PM Grab a seat for Fantasmic!
- 8:30 PM 1st Night Showing: Fantasmic!
- 9:30 PM Grab a seat early for the 2nd Showing Fantasmic! -or- Last Chance to Ride
- 10:00 PM 2nd Night Showing: Fantasmic!
Hollywood Studios Itinerary
*Consider Reserving a Fantasmic! Dinner Package
- 6:45-7:15 AM Buy Genie+
- RD/LL: Slinky Dog Dash, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Mickey & Minnie Railway, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror
- ILL: Slinky Dog Dash
- ~ 8:30 - 9:00 AM Hotel Guest Early Entrance
- 8:45 AM Slinky Dog Dash
- 9:15 AM Toy Story Mania (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder for non-hotel guest)
- 10:00 AM Alien Swirling Saucers
- 10:45 AM Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder)
- 12:00 PM Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- 1:15 PM Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (*Genie+ Next Ride Pick Reminder)
- 2:00 PM Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
- 3:00 PM Lunch/Dinner Recommendations:
- 50's Prime Time Café
- Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
- Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
- The Hollywood Brown Derby
- 4:00 PM Star Tours
- 5:00 PM Mickey & Minnie Runaway Railway
- 6:00 PM Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror
- 7:00 PM Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith/ Grab A Quick Dinner
- 7:30 - 7:45 PM Grab a seat for Fantasmic!
- 8:30 PM 1st Night Showing: Fantasmic!
- 9:30 PM Grab a seat early for the 2nd Showing Fantasmic! -or- Last Chance to Ride
- 10:00 PM 2nd Night Showing: Fantasmic!
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