Destinations / January 30, 2025

A planning guide for your first Disney World family trip

There are a lot of polarizing opinions on visiting Walt Disney World (WDW). It is a dream family vacation for some families, while others scoff at the idea of spending miserable hours waiting in line at a very expensive theme park.

We recently visited Disney World on an extended family vacation. It was the kids’ first time, and my first time really doing the legwork. We can unequivocally say that while there are many magical places on earth, Disney World *can* certainly be one of them, for both kids and adults. Done well, Disney feels like a warm hug, with a generous sprinkle of magical pixie dust.

It’s debatable whether you can do Disney *not* well. Even if you do NO planning, you can still spend the day soaking in the vibes, running into characters, buying lots of cute themed snacks and merch, and even squeeze in a few rides. However, if you’re hoping to maximize your experience and stick to a budget at WDW, you will need to do *some* planning beforehand.

We are not Disney experts, but we do consider ourselves expert planners. Hopefully, our experience will reassure you that planning for Disney doesn’t have to be overwhelming (and I was surprised to find it was even fun! I mean… watching videos of people eating Mickey shaped churros? There are worse ways to spend your time.)

Can I plan a family trip to WDW on my own?

It’s amazing what is out there dedicated to helping you plan a family trip to Disney World. There are entire travel agencies that only plan Disney vacations. There are guidebooks on how to navigate Disney (which get updated every year, of course). You can find Youtube channels where people go to Disney every *day* and show you what it’s like inside the park. There are countless Facebook groups, forums, and chats all about planning a trip to Disney World. (And this guide, of course! 😉

It’s all a little overwhelming.

The good news is most of these resources are free. In fact, even many travel agents get paid their commission directly from Disney, and do not cost anything to use.

But the equally good news is if you wanted to plan your own trip to Disney, it’s almost as easy. The two main aspects are 1) you have to know what you want, and 2) you have to trust you’ll have a good day no matter what you’ve planned or haven’t planned. Think about it this way: if you use a travel agent, they’ll ask you aaaall the questions: how many days do you want to go? Do you want to skip the lines? Do you want to meet the characters? – If you know what you want, you are halfway there, whether you use an agent or not. If you do use a travel agent, you trust they’ll plan for a good time. Are you missing any experiences? You won’t really know, and it doesn’t matter because you’re having a great time! It might sound weird, but this is the same approach you want to take if you plan Disney on your own.

DO NOT COMPARE YOUR DISNEY TRIP TO OTHERS. FOMO at Disney is very real, especially for the first time visitor who want to soak up all the magic. If you try to do aaaall the things, you will be stressed and broke. You want to do your trip, your way, on your budget – and I guarantee, Disney World is such that you will have a magical time.

Plan your time-frame

How many days is ideal to spend at Disney World?

There are 4 main parks. For a first trip, you definitely need at least 1 full day in each park. For families with toddlers who still need to nap and young children who cannot go from 8am to 8pm and beyond, 2 days in each park is ideal. This way, you can return to your hotel for a mid-day nap and swim, and not worry about missing anything.

We recommend planning a rest day (a no park day) on the day of your arrival in Florida, and the day you depart. We also recommend a rest day in between every park day, if you can. You want your trip to feel like a vacation, not a bootcamp.

Disney also has 2 water parks, and a shopping/entertainment district called Disney Springs. These you can check out on non-park days.

Our recommendation for your first Disney World trip is 1 week-ish. This way, you can do 3 or all 4 of the Disney Parks, with some rest days. If you have LESS time, plan to do less parks. (For example, if you’re getting away for a long weekend to celebrate a birthday, pick 1 or 2 parks.) If you have MORE time, consider adding extra park days, or renting a car to explore some of Florida’s other attractions.

When is the best time to visit Disney World?

Realistically, when you visit may just depend on when you and your kids have the time off. It may be summer (July and August). It may be during holiday season (Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break).

Ideally, if you can, you want to *avoid* the above times. Crowds are high and it makes everything a little more challenging and more expensive. Summer in Florida is also *hot*. It is a chore to spend full days in the heat, especially when you’re doing so much walking and waiting in line.

You also want to avoid hurricane season in Florida, which seems to be getting more intense by the year. This is generally around mid-August to October. While bad weather means no crowds, it can also mean heavy rains and ride closures.

If you are really flexible and want to visit during the lowest crowd weeks, there are “Disney Crowd Calendars” you can use that predict which weeks will be quieter, such as this one by WDW Prep School. However, don’t twist your schedule into knots planning for crowds. As long as you can avoid the holiday weeks, the crowd difference on any other week may not be worth the effort.

How far in advance do I need to book?

You can buy tickets at the door, if you want!

For the Disney Parks, it is *not* usually cheaper to buy tickets online through their website than if you buy at the gates. However, you may be able to find offers and discounts for cheaper tickets if you buy in advance. Undercover Tourist is a vetted website that frequent offers park tickets at a discounted rate. Many workplaces may have employee perks. And sometimes the Disney website itself has special rates and offers.

However, if you want to buy Lightning Lane tickets or make dining reservations (more on those below), you need to buy tickets ahead of time. You can make Disney dining reservations up to 60 days in advance of your trip. Lightning Lane tickets are available either 7 days in advance (resort guests), or 3 days in advance (off-resort guests).

You should book your hotel at least 3 – 6 months in advance if you can. Many Disney resorts, especially value resorts, fill up quick, as do many popular vacation rentals. However, there are SO many hotels in the area that if you are booking your vacation more last minute, you can definitely find somewhere to stay.

DOWNLOAD THE DISNEY MY EXPERIENCE APP

Once you have purchased your tickets, you need to download the Disney My Experience app. You will need this to do absolutely everything else.

This will let you make dining reservations, buy Lightning Lanes, order food for pick up. You can also check out your own merchandise, and access your Disney photos. The app has options to help you plan your park day, and maps with wait times for all the attractions.

You can connect your tickets to your app under the “My Tickets and Passes” option.

Plan your parks

The 4 main parks

Magic Kingdom – this is the flagship Disney park. There are castles and princesses in Fantasyland with all the main Disney princesses, jungle and pirate rides in Adventureland, and space-themed attractions in Tomorrowland. There is a nod to America, with Frontierland and Liberty Square (part of this to be converted to a Cars themed area starting in 2025).

Epcot – this is Disney’s celebration of Earth and the world. The “front” half of the park has attractions that celebration the land, the sea, space, and our journey through time. The “back” half of the park is a world showcase that takes you through 11 different countries.

Hollywood Studios – Disney’s nod to music and cinema. The main “lands” here are Star Wars and Toy Story.

Animal Kingdom – self-explanatory. Here you will find yourself in remote Asia, Africa, and Avatar’s Pandora. The old Dinoland USA is slowly transitioning to a South American land as of 2025.

Which parks should you visit?

This depends on the age of your kids, their areas of interest, and your areas of interest. It also depends on your budget, and how many days you are planning to visit. You can visit all 4, or just 1.

To help you get a better sense of every park and what each offers, we recommend watching YouTube videos that take you through the park. There are some videos that are 1+ hours long, but all in all, this takes less time and is more enjoyable than reading a 300 page guidebook! This is a great way to *see* what each park is all about.

We recommend The Frugal Brit in particular. His videos of each park’s RIDES and ATTRACTIONS are fantastic. The videos are succinct, informative, and comprehensive.

If you have time to visit 1 park…

No brainer. Magic Kingdom.

Not because Magic Kingdom is our favourite, or most memorable, but it’s definitely the most iconic. Not visiting Magic Kingdom on your first visit is the equivalent of going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower.

Magic Kingdom is busy, crowded, and there is a lot to do. There are tons of rides, some shows, lots of characters, and the infamous Happily Ever After fireworks at night.

If you have time to visit 2 parks…

With babies and toddlers, we recommend Epcot. Epcot has gentler rides. It has the most interactive play areas of all the parks, including a Moana-themed water feature. It also has a huge aquarium, the *second largest* in the US!

With elementary-age kids, Animal Kingdom is a good choice. It’s a great mix of animals (African safari, tigers, gorillas), shows (including the infamous Lion King), and thrill rides where you need to be at least 44 inches. For kids who have seen Avatar, Pandora is incredible at night for kids and adults – it just lights up in “bioluminescence”.

With older kids and teenagers, Hollywood studios may be a good option, particularly if they are into pop culture. There are more rides here, including the most popular rollercoaster at Disney, Slinky Dog Dash. However, the pace at Hollywood studios can feel a little more frenetic, like Magic Kingdom. It might be a nice change of pace to choose Epcot or Animal Kingdom.

If you have time to visit 3 parks…

With babies and toddlers, your 3rd park should be Animal Kingdom. Animals. Need I say more? 😉

With younger elementary kids, Epcot and Animal Kingdom are both wins. With older elementary kids who enjoy rides, go with Hollywood Studios.

Don’t forget to consider any special interests of anyone in your party. If someone loves Star Wars? Definitely Hollywood. Avatar? Animal Kingdom. Lion King? Animal Kingdom. Disney does such a great job with its themes it really is a special experience if you love a certain franchise or movie.

Approximate your budget

We have an entire post on our realistic budget for our family of 4 (plus 2 grandparents who came to enjoy Florida and visited the parks “a la carte”.)

Disney is frequently considered to be an expensive vacation. And don’t get me wrong. It *can* be a very expensive vacation. However, the good news is there is a Disney trip available for every budget.

Once you’ve kind of considered how many days you’re planning to stay and which parks you’d like to visit, you can use your budget to help you plan your hotels and other experiences.

For example, if you are only staying a few days and visiting 1 park, maybe you can afford to splurge a little on a deluxe Disney hotel. If you are staying 2 weeks, you might want want a value hotel and look for free experiences on your days off.

An example of the huge range of costs:

a 1 day ticket to Magic Kingdom: approx $180 USD
a 4 day park ticket (use within 7 days): $630 USD –> with a discount, this drops to $430 USD
a 7 day park ticket (use within 10 days): $760 USD

(*Keep in mind you can usually find slightly better deals, but expect to pay around $2000 USD for all 4 parks for a family of 4.)

A 1 night stay at a Disney deluxe resort: $500 – $1000 USD (depending on resort, season, room type)
A 1 night stay at a Disney value hotel: $150-$350 USD
A 1 night stay at an off-site airBNB (3 bedrooms, 1 kitchen – so could split between 2 families): $200 USD

Book your hotels

This may be the one part of your trip where you feel overwhelmed by the number of options. There are 2 main options when it comes to booking your hotel: on-property at Disney and Disney affiliated resorts, or off-property.

Disney resorts come in 1 of 3 classes: value (cheapest), moderate, and deluxe. Disney has its own transportation that connects these resorts to the parks. They provid either buses, monorail, or the Skyline (the Disney Gondola).

If you are staying off property, there are numerous hotels in the area, including all the established names like Hilton and Best Western. There are also a ton of vacation rentals on airBNB and Vbro, that are part of resort complexes with pools and recreational facilities.

Consider these questions to help you narrow down your search:

What is your budget?

Luckily, already determined above! 😉 You don’t need to nail down a number, but know whether you want to book that luxury trip or a more value trip.

If budget is not an issue, a Deluxe Disney resort is the way to splurge. There are 7 deluxe resorts. For a premium, you are really paying for a theme (for example, Animal Kingdom Lodge has its own mini-safari on site!), enticing pools and grounds, and the convenience of getting around to the parks. Deluxe resorts are either within walking distance, or accessible by monorail or Skyliner (so you don’t need to wait for buses or be stuck in traffic.)

If you want to stick to a budget, a Disney value resort is the way to go. Disney has 5 value resorts. Value resorts still have themed pools and grounds, and transportation to the parks. (However, as we mentioned, they may only have buses, which is less convenient than the monorail or Skyliner.) It is possible to do what Disney-goers call a “split stay”, where you stay part of visit in a value resort, and part in a deluxe resort. However, then you have to pack up and move halfway during your vacation.

For those on a budget, off-property hotels and resorts are similarly priced to Disney value resorts. They are often bigger – condos or townhomes or even houses. This means you can stay together if you have a bigger group, and split the costs. This also means you have access to a full kitchen, so you can save by preparing some of your own meals.

Are you renting a car?

If you are *not* planning to drive during your Disney vacation, you should stay on property to take advantage of Disney’s free transportation.

There are many off-property hotels that are very close to the parks. You *could* Lyft, Uber, or taxi to the parks, but this requires extra coordination.

Disney on-property perks:

Besides transportation, Disney offers its on-property hotel guests a number of perks that may be appealing, which include:

Disney water park access on your day of arrival (as of 2025).
30 minute early park entry
Ability to buy Lightning Lanes 7 days in advance (as opposed to 3, for off-property guests)
Ability to make dining reservations for up to a 10 day stay. Dining reservations open 60 days in advance for *everyone*, but on-property guests can book for their entire stay. (This means they could potentially book a popular reservation up to 10 days before other guests.)

–> Early entry

Of all of these, the 30 minute early park entry is probably the biggest consideration. If you can enter the park 30 minutes before it opens to the general public, you can knock off some of your rides without having to wait in line, or having to shell out for Lightning Lane passes.

However, if your family/kids are not early risers, forcing yourself to get up for early entry may not be worth the reward. (If a park opens at 8am, that means early entry is at 7:30. To take advantage of it, you will want to get there for 7am, because some rides start getting people on *before* official Early Entry time. Which means you will need to wake up at 6am… or earlier. Don’t forget through all of this, that you are on *vacation*.)

–> Lightning Lane passes

Lightning Lanes are passes you can buy to bypass the standby lines. If you have decided to pay for Lightning Lanes, staying on site does not make a huge difference. When you have Lightning Lanes, you do not need to feel as pressured to do Early Entry.

Yes, Disney resort guests are able to buy Lightning Lanes 7 days in advance of their first park date, while off-resort guests can only buy passes 3 days in advance. However, if you are buying a multi-day pass, you can buy Lightning Lanes for all parks at the same time. For example, if you have a 4 day pass (good for 1 week), you can even buy Lightning Lanes for the last day as soon as your window opens, giving yourself a 3 + 7 day advantage even when staying off-resort.

–> Water Parks

Disney has 2 water parks: Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon. Prior to the 2000 pandemic, both these parks were open, with alternating closures in the winter for maintenance. However, since the pandemic, only 1 park is generally open at any given time.

The parks will *close* when temperatures drop below 70F. If you are travelling in the winter months, this may not be a Disney resort perk you can take advantage of.

Make your dining reservations

In general, you only *need* a sit-down table-service restaurant meal at Disney World for 1 of 3 reasons: 1) there is a special event, 2) you are a foodie, 3) you want to meet a character.

Special event dining

This is unlikely to be a priority if this is your first Disney World trip. These reservations are for things like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Dinner, or Not-So-Spooky Halloween Dessert Party, or limited dining experiences during EPCOT’s various festivals throughout the year.

You are a foodie

Disney is not just the land of dole whips, cheeseburger spring rolls, and Mickey shaped churros! 😛 There are plenty of fine dining restaurants both in the parks and at the Disney resorts. Some of these include:

Victoria & Albert’s (Michelin star dining at the Grand Floridian Resort, no kids allowed)
Jiko (Animal Kingdom Resort)
Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort)
Le Cellier Steakhouse (EPCOT)
Monsieur Paul (EPCOT)

If dining is a priority for you, you should absolutely enjoy a sit-down meal – or several – during your stay at Disney. You do NOT need to rush and book these at the 60 day window. Of all of these, Victoria & Albert’s is quite exclusive, but many of these can still be reserved a couple of days in advance. However, if you do know where you want to dine, you should book this as soon as you know, to guarantee your reservation and your preferred dining time.

We also recommended booking restaurants at a resort on your rest days. You do *not* have to be resort guests to dine at the resorts. Dining inside one of the parks will cut into your park time, which is valuable especially on your first visit!

We are decidedly *not* foodies, and also have an affliction known as kids-who-cannot-sit-still. We did not make any dining reservations. However, there were still lots of “speciality” Disney treats to enjoy. EPCOT is basically one long day of food-hopping. Some of Disney’s quick-service spots are fantastic and memorable. Rest assured there is still plenty for the palate outside of typical “amusement park fare” even if you do not make any reservations.

You want to meet characters

This is probably the most common reason to book sit-down dining, especially with kids. And this is also the *best* way to meet characters. While we did not book any character meals on our most recent trip, we enjoyed several of these on a previous trip to Disneyland Hong Kong.

The characters come right up to your table to interact with you. You don’t have to wait in line. While at Chef Mickey’s in Hong Kong, Lil S spent her entire meal playing peek-a-boo with Mickey! And for a princess loving kiddo, is there anything more magical than meeting Cinderella inside her very own castle?

As with fine dining, our recommendation is to book character meals on rest days through the resorts, as to not waste park time. Of course, this may depend on which characters you/your kiddos really want to meet.

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and crew: Chef Mickey (Disney Contemporary Resort), Cafe May Cafe (Disney Beach Club Resort), Garden Grill Restaurant with Chip and Dale (EPCOT), HollyWood and Vine (Hollywood Studios), Ravello (Four Seasons Orlando), Topolino (Disney Rivera Resort), Tusker House Restaurant (Animal Kingdom)
Princesses: Cinderella’s Royal Table (Magic Kingdom), Akershaus (Norway, EPCOT), Snow White and the Evil Queen at Artist’s Point (Disney Wilderness Lodge). You can meet the Beast at the Be Our Guest Restaurant (Magic Kingdom).
Newer characters (Tiana, Mirabel): 1900 Park Fare (Disney Grand Floridian)
Winnie the Pooh characters: The Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)
Stitch and Lilo: Ohana (Disney Polynesian Restaurant)

Some of these meals are very popular, so try to book these early, particularly if there are characters you really want to meet.

Keep in mind: some restaurants only have character dining at certain meals. Breakfasts tend to be slightly cheaper (but not by much). Besides the above general guideline, you are not guaranteed a certain character at any meal.

*Bonus: restaurants that consistently book up

There are a few restaurants that are consistently popular, which you should consider booking the full 60 days ahead of time.

Space 220 Restaurant (EPCOT)
(sometimes) Oga’s Cantina (Hollywood Studios, for Star Wars fans)

Rent your car (if renting) or book your transportation

If you are staying in a Disney resort, you do not *need* to rent a car. However, if you are staying a week or more, having a car may be convenient for grocery runs or off-park adventures.

If you are not renting a car, you will need to find a way to get from the airport to your hotel. A popular option is MEARS Connect. This costs around $32 USD per adult, round trip.

Renting a car is actually very cheap in Florida. For a 10 day 7-seater rental, it cost us around $370 USD. You can compare deals and book using a booking service like Expedia or discovercars.com. If you plan to drive to the parks, parking per day costs $30 USD, which you can pay at the gate.

Arrange deliveries ahead of time

There are a ton of services you can pre-arrange if you do not have a car. These include:

Strollers: if you don’t want to bring your own stroller from home, you can rent one to be dropped off directly to your hotel/resort. Disney has a preferred rental company called Scooterbugs. (If you are staying on-site, you do not have to be present when the stroller is dropped off. A hotel staff can collect this for you. For all other companies, you need to arrange the drop off yourself.) You can also rent a stroller from the Disney parks directly, but this is typically a little pricier at $15 USD/day, and the strollers are a little unwieldy.

Consider a stroller for any child under 6, or even 7. Disney is a *ton* of walking. Our kids regularly clocked 25000-30000 steps daily. Lil S, who was 7 at the time of our visit, would typically start to lag around 4pm, and require piggyback rides to get her through the night.

Diapers and formula: if you are staying at a Disney resort, you can ship diapers, formula, and other necessities directly to your resort, using the hotel address. You need to indicate your date of arrival, and the Front Desk does charge a $6 USD fee to hold this for you. Alternatively, you can use services like Instacart for delivery after you arrive.

Groceries: this is a great way to save money. Ordering groceries for breakfast, snacks, beverages, and even making sandwiches will save you a ton in the parks. You can order groceries to be delivered directly to your hotel using services such as Instacart, Walmart +, and Amazon Prime. Be sure to order deliveries a few days in advance, as some time slots do fill up.

Plan your park days

Visualizing your day at each park will hopefully be the most fun part of planning for Disney, but probably also the most stressful. You want to be knowledgeable about the parks, but also flexible. You do want to plan ahead of time – going into the parks without a game plan is a recipe for not being able to please anyone – but you also want to be adaptable to keep everyone happy.

Study the maps for each park

This is our number one helpful tip. The Disney My Experience app has maps of each park with all the attractions. Get a general sense of where everything is, including the attractions, shows, and main restaurants.

This will help you plan what to do, and when. This is exceptionally key in planning rides. No matter which method you are using to manage wait-times, you will need to know where things are. For example, if you are using Lightning Lanes, you have to book time-slots for each ride, which means you have to estimate where you will be at what time.

Keeping an eye on the park map in advance can also give you some sense of the wait-times for each ride. For example, if TRON at Magic Kingdom has an 60-80 minute wait time all day everyday, does it really matter when you ride it?

Prioritize must do’s

You won’t be able to do everything. And that is fine, because as long as you/your kids hit their most magical experiences, the rest won’t matter as much (or at all).

All our kids wanted to do was ride rides and eat snacks. They did not care to meet the characters, and did not care for any special meals. They do not have any particular Disney favourites – although we had just watched Avatar with them for the first time, so that was super fresh in their minds.

On the Disney My Experience App, there is a feature called the “Disney Genie Service“. This lets you select things that are important to you (meeting characters and villains, shows, rides), and tries to help you plan your day. This is especially important when booking Lightning Lanes, because it will prioritize rides you have selected that you can book throughout the day.

Work your way in a circle from one end of the park to the other

Each Disney park is arranged either circle-ish or like the spokes of a wheel. You want to try and plan your day so you are not doing too much back and forth. Ideally, you don’t want to do *any*. (The exception to this is Magic Kingdom, where there is a train that circles the park. If you have to backtrack, you can then take the train back to your original spot.)

Not only will your feet thank you, but you also want to spend the day enjoying Disney, not just rushing from one ride to the next. Every area in each park is themed, and this is really where Disney shines as an amusement park. You want to take some time to immerse yourself in each area to fully appreciate the magic.

This is where you have to be selective about your Lightning Lanes or your wait times. There is all sorts of advice on minimizing time in lines, but does it really make sense for your schedule? For example, there is the advice that if a ride a down (marked by a “star” instead of a wait time), you should keep an eye on it. The idea is when it does start back up, it should have a short-ish wait time. But if you are at the opposite end of the park, does it really make sense to rush all the way there, and then back again?

Early Entry or Lightning Lanes?

We can talk about Disney magic all we like, but there is nothing magical about waiting 2 hours in line for one ride. If your family is in to rides, you need *some* sort of method to decrease wait times. Wait times for most rides at Disney are easily 30 minutes, and the popular rides 80-100+.

There is a lot of talk about “rope drop“. Rope drop means getting to the park early so you’re at the front of the line when the park opens. This is a hectic experience – you will see people quite literally running toward the ride they want to queue for. This tactic will not work for the most popular rides, which will already have a queue from the Early Entry guests. Furthermore, you can only rope drop 1 ride.

You can also use the “single rider” option if the ride has one, which typically sees a significantly lower wait time. However, this means your group/family will not be able to sit together.

Which leaves us with Early Entry or Lightning lane? (Or both?)

Early Entry:

Pros:

You do not have to pay anything extra for early entry.
You could potentially check off several rides (3-4, sometimes!) during that time.

Cons:

You can only take advantage of this if you are staying at a Disney Resort.
It makes for an even longer day.
Not every ride will be available. Some park areas are not open for Early Entry. (For example, only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are available for Early Entry in Magic Kingdom.)
Not as enjoyable of an experience as you WILL inevitably be rushing from ride to ride.

Lightning Lanes:

Pros:

Better able to plan your day – you can book rides at times that are convenient to your schedule, when you plan to be in that area of the park anyway.
It does what it’s suppose to do – bypass the stand-by line.

Cons:

Expensive. Buying Lightning Lane passes could cost upward of $250 USD per park for a family of 4 (cheaper for EPCOT and Animal Kingdom).
You have to do more planning. For every ride you book, you need to select an arrival window, so you need to know generally where you will be, and when. (Otherwise you will be rushing all around the park.)
You will have to spend time on your phone. For Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you are guaranteed 3 pre-selected rides. But as you ride those rides, you can then “replace” those with new rides throughout the day. You will need to be constantly planning for what is available and when you might be able to ride it.
You may not get the rides you want. Lightning Lanes spots do max out.

Our advice is if budget allows, Lightning Lane passes are the way to go, especially for your first time visit. This is the best way to “secure” a smooth day and minimize wait times. But there is so much nuance around it we have an entire post on how to use Lightning Lanes.

(Dedicated Disney visitors can certainly do Early Entry *with* Lightning Lanes. Being able to knock out 1 or 2 popular rides can make your Lightning Lanes experience less stressful as you book rides throughout the day. But consider – do you want your first Disney experience to start with a mad scramble?)

What is “virtual queue”?

Virtual queue is another term you hear floated around amid all the planning for Disney. It is for booking rides, but not necessarily designed to help you save time. It is a way for Disney to manage crowd control at its most popular/newest rides.

As of 2025, Disney World has virtual queues for 2 rides: Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind (EPCOT), and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Magic Kingdom). For these rides, there is *no* in person standby line. To ride them, you either need a Lightning Lane, or a spot in the virtual queue.

Virtual queues open at 7am and 1pm every park day. You can access the queue through your Disney app. The 7am spots are fleeting – sometimes all taken within milliseconds! The 1pm spots are a little more forgiving (but you must be in the park to book these). If you manage to snag a virtual queue spot, you will be given a boarding group. During your park day, you need to show up during your assigned boarding time. (And to be clear, there *is* still a line, albeit shorter.)

If you are able to buy a Lightning Lane for these rides, it is worth avoiding the stress of trying to snag a virtual queue.

Mobile food ordering

If you did not book any dining reservations, you need to do this.

You can order food from available locations through your Disney app, to be picked up at a specified time. (For example, if I am riding a ride at 12pm, and want lunch from restaurant X immediately after, I can place my order for restaurant X for pick up at 12:30.) This decreases the time you need to wait in line to actually *order* the food. If there is more than 1 adult in your party, you can have one person piloting the Lightning Lanes, and another person in charge of ordering food.

Watch videos on popular Disney snacks

We already mentioned watching videos to learn about the rides and attractions. It’s also helpful to watch videos and clips about tasty snacks and foods to try. (I mean, there is even a social media handle called “Disney Food Blog”!) Will you be spending your day hunting down snack carts? No, but there are *so* many food options it does get overwhelming. If you go into the parks with some idea of which snacks or meals are recommended, this will help you narrow down what you would like to try.

Plan for rests during the day

Disney days are long, and you (and especially kids) need time to recharge. Plan for long food breaks, particularly if the afternoons are hot. We’ll usually try to find some open space for our kids to relax with a beverage or frozen treat. Indoor spaces are excellent on hot days, such as Connections Eatery in EPCOT.

Don’t be afraid to go where the crowds are

Yes, I know we just spent the majority of this post talking about ways to *avoid* crowds and lines. But in some cases, you *do* want to be where the people are! A prime example is the Happily Ever After fireworks at Magic Kingdom every night. There are plenty of social media videos that recommended quieter and less crowded spots to enjoy the fireworks. But for your first time, there is no experience like watching it head-on in front of Cinderella’s castle, where you can see the fireworks in their full intended glory and the projections on the castle.

Don’t sweat it if something doesn’t work out

Don’t expect to go on all the rides. Maybe the Lightning Lane you were hoping to snag just didn’t open up. Maybe a characters didn’t show up to an expected location. Or maybe you weren’t able to find those Mickey churros that went viral online.

Don’t worry about it! And I guarantee, your kids will be none the wiser. What they *will* remember are the rides they did go on, the characters they did meet, the snacks they did have.

What to do on your “rest days”?

Rest days are sometimes the best days! You can wake up late and spend the day chilling at your resort, take a dip in the pool, and nap as much as you’d like.

This is a great time to book a special meal or a character dining experience. (Remember you don’t have to be staying at a specific resort or even on site at all to make that reservation!)

Disney Springs is always a good option if the kids are getting antsy for something to do. Disney Springs is basically a large pedestrian shopping/entertainment complex. There is a ton of Disney merch, including the largest Disney store in the world! (And a ton of other Disney themed stores, including candy shops, a Star Wars shop, a Marvel shop, and a Christmas ornament shop.) There are also higher end boutiques and clothing stores. Disney Springs has some fun restaurants, like the Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex Cafe, and the patio on the roof of the Coca Cola store. You can frequently catch live entertainment, play some bowling at Splitsville, or catch a movie at the theatre.

For those looking to experience more of Orlando and Florida outside of Disney, there is plenty to do. You can visit old town Orlando, grab a meal at World Food Trucks, or go alligator spotting at the Apopka Wilderness Drive. If you’re willing to drive 1-2 hours out, you can spend a day at Cocoa Beach, or visit Blue Springs State Park or Crystal River for some manatee spotting!