Disney World - The Online Guide

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2003
(UK customers)

More tips...

"If you are going to DW during the 4th of July, and you want to be at Magic Kingdom for the day and the fireworks, GO EARLY!!! I have been there for 5 years and have not gotten in yet because it is so busy." Robin MN

"This is a tip that many first-timers may not want to follow, but if you've done Disney before, I recommend to SKIP WATCHING THE PARADES! While everyone's crowded on the sidewalks, the ride lines are much shorter! Take advantage of the time to hit up the biggies!"

"Drinking plenty of water is a must! Fill an empty water bottle the night before and pop in in the freezer. The following day it will be solid but will melt as the morning goes on. Icy water that tastes decent!"

"Always go for the shortest queue (line). All of the attractions are great, and this strategy gets you on more. Hit space mountain around one hour before park closure. We have ridden 4 times in 30 mintures, rather than waiting 75 minutes during the day. If you want to ride those spinning rockets good luck. you wait forever for your very short ride, especialy near park clsoure time. Do Animal Kingdom very early and take the kilamanjaro safari first. Get out of the park by say 5.00 pm (easy to do all by then) and go to mgm, which is also easy to cover in part of a day." Fred & Co (6 times at WDW)

"plan your day a little different each day. your on vacation, you don't need to be so routined. that's just like being at home. it's great to get up early some days to hit the most popular attractions first. leave the theme parks in late afternoon. have an early donner and rest up for the great night life. don't miss jellyrolls nightclub on the boardwalk. it's a blast. drove all the way up from sarasota with my brother one night just to go there. two piano players on stage-complete audi e nce involvment- drink, sing and be merry. you'll laugh all night long. also check out adventurer's comedy club in pleasure island. next morning sleep in to revitalikze and reaaly enjoy your stay. no fun when traveling on empty." cari

Staying in a WDW Resort at Christmas? For a fee , guests can get a fully decorated Christmas tree in their hotel room.

Be careful where you store your park tickets, the magnetic strip on the back can be demagnetized by credit cards, cell phones, etc, just as ordinary credit cards can be.

"Even after you have made your reservations, keep checking for discounts. WDW will still honor any discount package. I have a trip planned for this summer at the Fort Wilderness Cabins. I had already paid my deposit and a month later discovered a new discount was added on thier website. I called WDW and they reduced my rate at a savings of over $600.00! So keep checking!" Vicky (see our discount page)

"Early Entry for Resort guest has come to an end. This is still referred to in many people's tips. As a resort guest, you pay a little extra for this privilidge. Everyone should write to WDW and ask them to reinstate this benifit." Marsha

"When you check in into a disney hotel you will get a card that you charge food and merchandise,room key,park admission and also you can use it for fast pass.The limit you can have on your card is $1500.If you lose your card i think you have to pay a fee to replace.Spend your money wisely and stuff is expensive in Disney World."

"Fill a suitcase full of food that doesn't require refrigeration, and eat your meals from that. We brought a loaf of bread, peanut butter, tuna fish "kits", bottled water, granola bars, breakfast items, etc. The empty suitcase was then used to fill up with all the souvenirs we got.
And speaking of souvenirs - one of the cast members recommended this: buy after you get home! I wrote to Disney and this is what they had to say:
'As Always, we will still be here to assist you with your Walt Disney World merchandise requests. If you do not have item numbers for the merchandise you are seeking, we will endeavor to locate the item by a detailed description, approximate price and shop location where the item was seen. You may order by phone at 407-363-6200. We look forward to assisting you with your merchandise needs'." Marion

"A few years ago, my daughter had a math project to do in her geometry class. They had to make pictures of different shapes...so she took her camera and made pictures of all the geometrical shapes that make up Disney (and Universal). "

"A couple of tips if going to Disneyworld during the peak season...park strategy.. (a)committ to one park a day (b)get to park when it opens (c)go 1st only to the fastpass activity..get fastpass, then head to the second fast past activity and wait in line.. the result is that you will complete the popular rides 1st and avoid long lines. (d) next wait for 1st park show or two... (e) lunch, and then visit the rest of the park...(finish by 4:00) (f) return to resort hotel for dinner (cheaper)and REST.. (g) return during evening for fireworks events or parade.. (h)bed by 10:00 or so... (i)...2 parks in two days, 1 day for misc..(water park), next 2 day for next two parks,,last day up for any makeup of previous parks.. IMPORTANT REMINDERS: (A) EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST, AND CARRY WATER..(NO SUGAR JUNK)..(B) BED EARLY...(C)PARKS ONLY HAVE 1 OR 2 POPULAR RIDES SO GET THERE EARLY FOR THEM...."

"Ask for a upgrade on your hotel room because I went Sept 22 2001 and they upgraded me to a Suite at Portofino Hotel."

"At the Magic Kingdom, Get to the park before it opens. First visit Space Mountain(our wait was 20 min.), then go straight to Splash Mountain. There was no wait at all! We walked right through."

"We learned this one the hard way. Write down the numbers of your tickets. Thay way if you forget them at the hotel or you flush them down the toilet, you can hopefully get a replacement. WDW does not have to replace them, so treat the Cast Member politely. And do put your name in the fanny pack/backpack. We learned that one the hard way, too! ALong with losing our very expensive camcorder, which we were lucky enough to reclaim from Lost and Found. We must sound like the klutzes of the century!"

"Dont believe everything you see --- when lines are backed up a little at space mountain and the haunted house, does not mean it will take forever to get through. those are a couple of the fastest moving lines at disney. Space mountain is a great ride for children 6-11! Alien encounter is a very scary attraction! i reccomend no one under 9 goes! If you want to see the parade, get there early if you have children. they wont be very happy if they cant see very much of it. During the parade is when a lot of the lines are short." brittney

"when you are staying at the all star resort a loaf of bread in the shop (in the hotel) costs little more than a slice or two in the food court. This can be made into toast using the toasters provided in the food court."

"A tip for some of the parks: If you do go to animal kingdom be sure to see the 3D animated, It's Tough To Be A Bug! At MGM, Tower of Terror and Rockin Rollercoaster are a must ride, at Epcot, be sure to visit the World showcase. The people are nice and the food is great. Finally, at Magic Kingdom, while a parade is going on, slip away onto one of the more popular rides like Splash Mountain or Buzzb Lightyears Space Ranger spin." #1 nhl fan

"Before you get to the park, make sure you pick up a few crutial items. Don't leave home without:
* Comfortable shoes. Some people wear slides or sandals to the park. Bad, bad, bad, bad idea.
* A bathing suit. It's usually warm enough to swim in Florida all year.
* A lightweight, waterproof jacket. Or, if it starts raining while you're there, Disney sells bright yellow plastic ponchos for $5 all over the parks.
* Sunglasses and/or wide-brimmed hats to shade your face.
* Sunscreen. You need it year-round in Florida, not just in summer.
* A phone calling card. Hotels have surcharges of up to 40 percent on long-distance calls, so use a card and a pay phone when you can.
* Extra film. You can get it in the parks, but at primo prices.
* A beach towel. The rental towels at the water parks are pitiful.
* A waist pouch or fanny pack to keep your hands free while loading?to rides. If you have something heavy to tote, like a camcorder, bring a backpack.
* A waterbottle. Drinks are expensive in the parks- try $2.50 for bottled water and $3 for a Coke. Bring your own water bottle and refill it when and if you can. The water at Disney besides the sold water tastes like someone urinated in it.
* A waterproof, disposable camera. A must-have if you're visiting the water parks."

"My husband always wants to go on rides that I am terrified of....so of course I don't go. Any of you who have this problem know how awful the wait for them to come out is, so in advance we plan who wants to ride what ride and who doesn't. Then if it works out that some of the people who don't want to ride one ride, do want to ride another ride that the people riding the first ride don't want to ride (whoo!!), you have saved some time!!" Carroll Payne

"Get to the parks when they first open up. That way the lines are not that bad and it is not very hot. Also you can be ready to leave for a swim while the big crowds are just coming in."

"i am currently planning a trip to disney world this spring. i am taking an avid visitor to the park. so i have a tour guide so the speak. anyway, this is my third time there. i bought this book called "birnbaums walt disney world". it has helped tremendously on planning this trip. i reccomend anyone going on a trip, plan by this book. it saves you time and money!!!!!" steve

"I am 9 years old.I recommend to go to 'Breakfeast With Disney'.You never know what those funny characters are going to do next.Once goofy tried to walk off with a waterbaby I had brought!" Laura Conning

"Stay at 2 disney resorts when you take a trip down there. It lets you see more attractions. When my family went in September 2000, we stayed 3 days at the Coranado Springs and 4 days at the Grand Floridian. It made our trip. Also its best to stay in a resort on the monorail and one off"

"When bringing young children, buy small trinkets and keep them hidden in the stroller. As the children become restless in line pull out a toy or book. When you reach the attraction put it away. The children are too excited to remember the toys until they get cranky again in the next line. Also purchase things that have multiple parts and take out each piece one at a time. Maps are also great reading with the kids. The meal with the characters at the Contemporary is the best. Each character comes to your table several times and the towel waving is very fun. The cabins and homes at the campgrounds are wonderful for kids to have room to get around in your room and the golf carts are a great way to get around. Be extra kind to the CMs in the restraunts and they may just find you a seat when it is booked." Paul Kohler, Alabama, paulk818@yahoo.com

"Many corporations have employee lounges at the attraction they sponser. Employees of these companys get many perks when they visit their company's lounge, some of which include: free beverages, front of line privleges for that attraction, someone to make dinner reservations at the park for you, etc. The lounges that I am aware of are: General Motors - Test Track, Met Life - by Body Wars, EXXON - Universe of energy, Kodak - Journey into your Imagination, AT&T - Spaceship Earth, Fed EX - Space Mountain and McDonalds - Countdown to Extinction" suejojo@yahoo.com

"Suggestion: Don't necessarily wait to buy all of your souvenirs until the end of the trip. I had heard and read that anything you see during your stay at WDW can be found at Downtown Disney. This is NOT true. I had waited until our last day to buy souvenirs to avoid impulse shopping and to be able to use my Magic Kingdom Card for a 15% discount at Downtown Disney. Unfortunately, the only store specializing in Villains is located at MGM (unbeknownst to me). Also, one of the cast members pointed out that as of 12/31/00, Disney will no longer recognize the Magic Kingdom card for discounts. She said that Disney is changing this club to the Disney Club and that EVERYONE will need to purchase their way into it and that it will no longer be made available to corporations and their employees (how I received mine)." Sheila O.

"Small children should bring a poloroid camera to take pictures of themselves with the characters. The characters then can sign the bottom of the picture, so your children can have an autographed picture to carry with them. This was my 3 year old's favorite part!"

"Make priority seating arrangments before you leave your resort that day. This way you won't have to do it once you get to the park. "

"Try to eat your meals before or after everyone else eats. This way you can go on the more popular attractions while other guests are eating."

"Don't try to rush everything into a few days. Spread out the attractions and try to allow for days that you do not go to theme parks. This way you will be more energized."

"GREAT RESORT BOOKING TIP: My family was scheduled to go the WDW in 6 months, but due to a change of plans we had to move our trip up to only 1 month away. Needless to say we started to frantically search for a Resort that had availability. We booked 2 days at Port of Orleans (PO) and 4 nights at the All-Star Movies. We despertly wanted all 6 nights at the Movies, but due to our short notice that is all we could get, or at least we thought so. I found out that if you call each day, the Resort rooms are constantly opening from cancellations, and we found 2 days later from our original booking a opening for the 2 extra days at the Movies, thus allowing us to cancel our PO reservations. Never loose hope if you can't get the rooms at the Resort you wish to have. Just book what you can and keep checking even up to your actual arrival date. I can almost guarntee you will get what you want."

"I highly recommend that you go to Epcot! Its educational and fun. Take at least 2 days to explore all of its wonders."

"Make sure you leave enough time to go to Fantasy land for 3 days, as it is one thing the whole family while enjoy the most! My 3 year old son to my 15 year daughter loves it and mostly my husband"

"if you're not interested in parades or shows, go to any attractions nearby the shows. That way, you can hit the most popular attractions while others are watching shows. If you do want to see a parade, camp out near where a popular attraction is. As soon as the parade is over, high-tail it to the attraction for a VERY short wait. This always works for me!"

"In January I had a question about digital cameras being able to download them at WDW. I did get a few answers but not much help. So I went in to WDW main site and emailed them. This is the answer I got from them and hope that you can use it on the site. Angela --'Guests wishing to use a computer while visiting our Vacation Kingdom are welcome to stop by the Business Center at Disney's Contemporary Resort, where two PC-compatible computers and one Mac (each with an HP color printer) are available. The cast members in the business center can inform you rather your version of digital camera is compatible with our computers. Internet access via American Online is also available. This facility is located in the Contemporary Resort's Convention Center, adjacent to the East Registration Desk, and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please note that there is a $9 charge per 15 minutes of equipment use or online time. For additional information, please call the Business Center directly at 407-824-1780. We hope that this information is helpful, and we look forward to future opportunities to entertain you in our Vacation Kingdom! Sincerely, Lee Douglas Executive Offices Walt Disney World Resort.'"

"Growing up in florida(cracker)i have tried to get dw every year for the last 25 years. I remember the chills i would get as a child as i entered the magic kingdom! Luckily they are still there as an adult with my kids! I have a system down to see dw the most efficient way. You have many great ideas and suggestions. I have over the years rated each attraction and before we enter already have labeled out the order in which we will go to attractions. The busiest ones are scheduled at opening--lunch-- dinner. A site map is obtained prior to entry and we numerically mark the rides. Its worked over the years-- we also never go on weekends or holidays--rather we take the kids out of school during the week--usually at a whim with a bad weather forcast." makeitso17@aol.com

"A great place to watch the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom is on the beach at the Polynesian."

"If you see a line, go someplace else. Then try back later. If the line is still the same when you come back to it and you really want to go on that ride go back before the park closes. This will add lots of time to your visit. People have a tendence to group. You may find your doing this. Remove yourself as soon as you notice this happening.In Epcot go to the back of the park first (World Showcase)the front of the park is much better after 4pm." dkberrien@msn.com

"If you have young children, take a spare outfit for each, when the go to Goofy's boat, they will get wet, including the socks and after a while in the heat can develop a skin rash. I also like to take a small hand towel to dry them off with. I've had people tell me they wished they had done so."

""During the really hot months pack a wash cloth with you. You can run them under the COLD water fountains and wash the sweat from your face and neck." antenucci@snip.net

"Spend the money and stay in a Disney resort. It is well worth the money to gain EARLY ADMISSION into the parks on the selected days. We do this everytime we go and we go three to four times per year. I'm proud to say that we usually are able to ride ALL the major rides plus a majority of the smaller ones all before 10:00am. Especially if you have little ones. You'll be happy you spent the extra money when your back in your hotel pool at 11:00am while everyone else is still at the park waiting 35-40minutes for a ride that you have already done. Then return to the park later in the afternoon and stroll the streets and pick and choose what you want to do. I find those evening times to be soooo relaxing because I have no pressure to ride anything.

Realizing that the only two lands open in the Magic Kingdom on the early admission days are tomorrowland and fantasyland. If you have little ones ride Dumbo first. And a handy little trick to do if you go with more than one adult is this: (using dumbo as an example) Have the first adult go on the ride with the kids. Then the second adult get in line at two fill-ups behind. That way when the first adult gets off the ride with the kids hand the kids to the second adult who will be in the front of the line waiting to get on again. That way the little ones can ride Dumbo twice in a very short period of time. And since an adult was standing in line and they would be taking up an elephant by themselves nobody will mind if two kids join them. NOTE it is rather rude to take more than one elephant in that situation because there are others waiting in line. Some rides are difficult to do that with. The technique is called CHUCK-BUBBA. Bubba being the kid. good luck."

"Start a file before you go, containing your schedule & planning notes. When you return put all of your park maps, tickets, & other bits & pieces in it to form a nice keepsake."

"Buy a poncho before you leave because it's rains a lot in the afternoon.

Make sure you have everything before you leave because everything is expensive on the disney resort. The cheapest meal for two people costs about $15.00.

At the new Test Track ride at EPCOT, there's a line for singles on left side of building. It's hidden so you'll have to look for it. The wait is only 20 to 30 minutes otherwise you'll have to wait about 1-2 hours in the regular line.

At DisneyQuest, Go to CyberSpace Mountain in the Create Zone first. It's the most popular ride there.

The best times to go the Disney Water Parks is either when they open or after 3p.m.

At the Animal Kingdom, the 3-D movie "It's Tough Being A Bug" is very popular."

"Take something for the kids to do whilst waiting in queues, a coloring book, or something similar. The lines can sometimes get very long & kids soon get bored!"

"Want to go to Magic Kingdom and have no wait to get on the rides? If you're going to do Magic Kingdom and you don't have small children and you're there between Thanksgiving and Xmas (a lot of ANDs, I know) - go to MK during "Mickey's Very Merry Xmas Celebration", which is only on certain nights from 7:30pm to 1am. It's a separate admission, not covered by the park hopper pass, but my boyfriend and I agreed it was the best way to see the place. The longest wait we had was at the Speedway (about 6 minutes). 90% of the rides we went on had no lines at all! They had about 3/4 of the rides open, and all of our "must-see" rides were included. We'd done everything by 12:30, and would have been done earlier if I hadn't dropped my map getting into the Jungle Boats, thus giving us no navigational tool for the park for the next several hours." Nikki

"My tip for resorts is to definitely stay on-site...which means stay at a Disney Resort, the transportation and atmosphere is just magical. Character meals are a must see also especially if you have children. No matter where you go it's always one of the best parts of the trip."

"Most of the guides will tell you to eat a good breakfast before you enter the parks, I say, keep some milk, juice and donuts in your hotel fridge and enjoy, before you go to the parks. Then make sure you arrive at the park of your choice AT LEAST half an hour before official opening.Get all of the major rides under your belt as soon as you can, depending on the time of year, you can do this by eleven o clock like we did. Now have an early dinner, eleven is early I know, but your stomach will get used to it! You have now beaten the dinner time rush and you can carry on with your tour of the park. Around about two, you should have done most of the main attractions, so this is a good time to go back to your hotel for a swim or Orlando's second industry shopping! Depending on the opening times of the parks, its now time to head back and see the night shows, some of the best shows Disneyworld does. You will enjoy the evening far more if you have had a break in the day, twelve hours in a park, even Disneyworld, is not a lot of fun." - Peter Thomas.

"Organize yourself. Take the opportunity while your catching a rest period to plan, plan, plan. When your up and about you'll put the least amount of energy into a task."

"The Fantasmic show at MGM was the highlight of our stay. It rivals Illuminations and is better in some ways. A good tip to share you may have heard: To avoid the wait of up to two hours, make reservations for dinner at the Brown Derby and specify you want Fantasmic reservations. The restaurant is really upper crust, but it's worth avoiding the wait. After dinner, we hit the tower of terror twice before going to our seats at 8pm for the 8:30 show. Meanwhile others had been waiting in their seats since 6 or so. A caveat: if they cancel due to high winds or rain, they may not tell you until 8:30. So, check the weather reports before making reservations at the BD.

The pool at the YC was great. The kids (7,9,38,39) all loved the Slide and the pool's unique "sinking sand". The Beaches & Cream restaurant was also good, basic food (burgers, kids meals, sundaes) for fairly reasonable rates." Dave, just got back today 5/2/99.

"If you are traveling with kids always bring your own stroller. The strollers with the oversized baskets on the bottom are a must. We packed a soft cooler with soda, juice and water for six people and it fit in the bottom just perfect. This saves a lot of money on cold drinks." antenucc@snip.net

"I have this big sketchbook that I fill with Disney film characters from the Walter Foster "How-to-draw" series. So far, my collection has ranged from Bambi to Pocahontas. I thought it would be a neat idea to have the characters autograph certain areas of the book where their characters were. At the Soundstage Restaurant, I collected the autographs of Aladdin, Genie, Rafiki, Meeko and Pocahontas. As an added bonus, Aladdin went through is section and proceded to describe particular moments from the film as "his life". You can get the whole story at the following web address: http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/statue/245/wdwpics.html"

"Go for 3 weeks if possible. Look at buying annual passes. The 10 day uk pass is a rip off. Rent a pontoon boat to see the illuminations. Always rent a car, we found the Disney transport system a pain at best. Ride upfront of the monorail and get a co-pilots license.

"Let me explain first that I work at Disneyland. About once a year all things lost at Disneyland and not claimed after a certain period of time are sold at a Lost and Found sale usually off property. Last time they had one I went - and I couldn't believe all the things people have lost and never claimed! Anything from disposable cameras to very expensive camcorders, purses, sunglasses, pillows, blankets - anything you can imagine!

I don't know if you put up any lost and found info anywhere on your site, but I haven't come across it yet. But obviously MANY people aren't clued into the fact that Disney parks have a lost and found system - my aunt can vouch for the wonderful one at WDW! So maybe you could put up info on where to go when you lose something. At Disneyland every little thing that gets turned in gets tagged or marked with where it was found and when.

So in your tip section you might put where to go if you lose something and also tips on how to make it easier to get them back. Such as putting your name, or if you prefer some distinguishing mark/sticker/whatever on your belongings. Name and such on luggage, books, or anything you wish. If you care about getting your camera back, even if it's disposable, you can put a sticker on it or write on it. If you have a regular camera, especially a popular brand/model I know there's places where you can have a little something engraved on it."

"you can take photo processing mailers with you. that way you can have your pictures waiting in your mail box when you get home."

"Go to animal kingdom early morning to see the animals eating on the safari, and avoid the river boats they are not worth the wait."

"Epcot has a "back door" [International Gateway] that gets you right into World Showcase while the big crowds are just getting into Future World. You can see WS first and see the rest of Epcot in the late afternoon/evening when crowds are concentrated in WS in preparation for Illuminations. I did this the week of July 4th, and it was almost like being there during off season times."

"One of our very favorite things to do while at Disney is to take a fishing trip. A chartered pontoon boat comes to your hotel, picks you up, and with a fishing guide for you and your group alone, will take you to the hot spots in front of Magic Kingdom where the bass are 4 lbs plus and if your real lucky, as I felt I was, a 6 and a half pound bass can really get your heart pumping. The next time we are in disney, which will be this fall, we will be fishing 3 or 4 mornings of our week vacation.

Our list of favorite restaurants, so far...since we have many more to try yet...is as follows: The Flying Fish, on the Boardwalk; The Yachtsman Steak house, Yacht and Beach Club; Rose and Crown in England, Epcot; Narcoosees, Grand Floridian, but I miss that they are not serving lunch there any more. And dont miss eating in Mexico, in Epcot. It is to die for. Fultons Crab house, another of our favorites, in Disney Market Place. The Hoop-dee-doo. The food is so so, but the fun and entertainment is the best. Make reservations for this way ahead. Our next trip this year will be a 4 day cruise, and at least 4 days at Disney. Next year is our 25th wedding anniversary, and our plans are to renew our vows at the Wedding Chapel. Once you have been bitten by the Disney bug, you will never be the same." Dee.

"There is a book out(not sure who it is by)called Disney World without the Kids that I found very helpful in planning my upcoming WDW honeymoon.It has great tips about what to see and when to go,etc." Gayle.

"Go into a Disney park in the morning and then go back to your hotel for a swim between 12'o clock and three 'o clock when the sun is hottest, go back to the park afterwards, and you will be able to carry on the day for longer, and you will also enjoy it more as you will be more refreshed." Katie.

"Get to your parade spot at least 45 min. before it starts- you may get picked to be in it!"

"We joined the DVC. I highly recommend this! This year for the what would normally be the cost of 1 plush room we will be able to take 17 of us to Boardwalk Villas. (Our yearly dues basically equal what we paid for 5 days when we were non-members.) Check into it!" ~Sondra

Recommend this page to a friend

Discuss this at the message boards.

Disney World - The Unofficial Online Guide is not affiliated with, maintained by, or in any way officially connected with the Walt Disney Company.
Walt DisneyWorld & it's theme parks, resorts, attractions & area names are trademarks of The Walt Disney Company. All information contained in Disney World - The Unofficial Online Guide, including prices, dates, times, availability, is subject to change & not official. DWUOG will not be held liable for any information (valid or invalid) presented on any page in this site, and will not be held responsible for anything that happens as a result of following advice or information on this site, and does not represent the Walt Disney Company in any manner.
� text, photos, logos are all copyright Disney World - The Unofficial Online Guide 1998-2003.
Text and/or photos & artwork may not be used in any way, or form without permission.
Please note - In submitting any photos, reviews, tips, etc for use on the site, you agree to them becoming the property of wdisneyw.co.uk, and being used on the site indefinitely.