fb



How To Do Disney World

How To Do Disney World

Guide
21-Feb-2017

There are two ways to do Disney World. Stay in a Disney hotel, or stay outside of the Disney area in a hotel/villa offsite.

Staying at a Disney Hotel


Staying at a Disney hotel makes your holiday super easy and convenient. The downside is the cost of staying in a Disney hotel is more than hotels in the surrounding area. But once checked in, you get free transportation from the hotels to parks (buses, boats and monorails), so you do not need to pay to hire a car, pay for parking and mess around with all that! You get access to extra magic hours, where a park each day stays open up to 3 hours late, or an hour early, just for Disney resort guests. You get to book your Fastpasses 60 days before your arrival, rather than 30. And your magic bands are free!

Staying outside Disney


If you stay outside of Disney, you will most probably need to hire a car to get around. This does give you more freedom, but it also means paying for parking and enjoying the busy Orlando traffic. You'll also have to endure tolls, and there's lots of them. There are some bus links to the parks, if you don't want to drive, however this is yet another cost and means you'll have to work out the timings for any plans and reservations. Staying outside of Disney is also a lot cheaper, as Disney hotel prices are marked up considerably. So if you're on a budget, this method may be better.

We enjoy staying in the Disney hotels for a more immersive and stress free experience. Of course if you plan to spend some time outside of Disney's parks and explore other theme parks or shopping malls, it may better off spending at least some of your time offsite. If you stay in a Disney hotel the entire duration of your holiday, but want to go off to the malls or other parks, you can get a taxi. Taxis cost about $50 each way to Universal and Florida mall. There is a Lynx bus service from the transport and ticket centre, although you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get to your destination. (Keep in mind Disney don't really want to make it easy for you to go and spend your dollars elsewhere!)

Do I have to plan every aspect of my Disney holiday?


The days of being able to wing it are over. People think they can just turn up on the day, get on the rides they want, and get into any restaurant they want. It is strongly advised that you plan out and book your restaurants 180 days in advance, and your fastpasses 60 days in advance (or 30 days if not staying in a Disney hotel).

Some people don't like planning a holiday to the extreme, and I get that. But you will have a much more stress free time when you're there knowing that you've got everything sorted.

Just because you've booked some fastpasses for a day, it doesn't mean you're completely tied to that park. If something else comes up, or you want to go somewhere else, you can. You don't get punished for not showing up to your fast passes. Bear in mind that if you go to another park you can't book fast passes if you still have outstanding passes at another park, you will need to cancel them. If you're wishing to just change a time for a same attraction it's highly recommended to check the availability before you cancel an existing booking. Once you have used your three fast passes you can book more, one at a time.

Planning your restaurants (if utilising the table service credits) in advance is an absolute must. There are restaurants, like T-Rex and any character dining places get pretty much fully booked as soon as they become available 180 days before. You need to give at least 24 hours notice if you don't want to eat at a booked restaurant, else you will be charged $10 per guest. This does not apply to quick service restaurants.

Planning your Disney trip might sound stressful but if you stay calm it adds to the fun! 6 months before you go you get to choose your restaurants, then at 60 days before you choose your fastpasses, and next thing you know you'll be there.

I'm excited just thinking about it!


What To Read Next: How Long To Stay At Disney World?
Join the FREE Mickey From The UK email club & never miss any of our Disney content
Tick the box to confirm you want to signup to our email club
(Your email will never be shared, sold or spammed as outlined in our privacy policy. Only Disney goodness you'll receive.)

Share    Share   Share   Share   submit to reddit

Read Next
Experience The 30th Anniversary Grand Finale For Just £137 PP/PN & Enjoy A FREE P&O Ferries Crossing Included
DH Ad
 


Experience The 30th Anniversary Grand Finale For Just £137 PP/PN & Enjoy A FREE P&O Ferries Crossing Included
All Disneyland Paris packages bookings made by 2nd April 2023 will receive a FREE crossing with P&O Ferries when you arrive between 1st April and 30th September 2023. Benefits of Coming by C...   Read more >
Enjoy A Summer Disneyland Paris Hotel & Ticket Package During The 30th Grand Finale For £137pp
DLP Ad
 


Enjoy A Summer Disneyland Paris Hotel & Ticket Package During The 30th Grand Finale For £137pp
The 30th anniversary continues... and the magic is shining brighter than ever! It's time to dream bigger, laugh louder and smile wider as the 30th Anniversary continues until the 30th September, ...   Read more >
Digital Attraction Photos Now Included With Genie+ But Is No Extra Value For Most Brits
 


Digital Attraction Photos Now Included With Genie+ But Is No Extra Value For Most Brits
Starting today March 20th, guests who purchase Genie+ will receive the ability to save attraction photos at no additional charge for that day. However, the news isn't that exciting for Brits as M...   Read more >
TRON Soft Openings Begin With Lightning Lane Priced at $20
 


TRON Soft Openings Begin With Lightning Lane Priced at $20
As previously announced, TRON soft openings begin today March 20th through April 2nd. Guests must use a virtual queue to get an opportunity to experience the attraction, or they can purchase a Li...   Read more >
AVIS Becomes Official Disneyland Paris Car Rental Partner With Discounts For Guests & More
 


AVIS Becomes Official Disneyland Paris Car Rental Partner With Discounts For Guests & More
Disneyland Paris has announced that AVIS has come become their Official Partner in the Car Rental category for the next 5 years. Avis is a leading global rental car provider, with four distinct b...   Read more >
TRON Will Soft Open From March 20th Through April 2nd
 


TRON Will Soft Open From March 20th Through April 2nd
TRON - the newest attraction at the Magic Kingdom - fully opens April 4th. However, guests who are at the Magic Kingdom between March 20th and April 2nd will get the opportunity to ride early dur...   Read more >
Passport Office Workers To Strike For 5 weeks, Expect Passport Delays
 


Passport Office Workers To Strike For 5 weeks, Expect Passport Delays
More than 1,000 Passport Office workers (via BBC) will go on strike for five weeks over a dispute about jobs, pay and conditions. The 5 week strike will take place from 3rd April to 5th May. The ...   Read more >
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt Will Not Reverse ~12% Increase To Air Passenger Duty Tax
 


UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt Will Not Reverse ~12% Increase To Air Passenger Duty Tax
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt decided against (via This Is Money) stopping the rise of air passenger duty today in his budget, so it will rise in line with inflation this year resulting in travellers pa...   Read more >
Figment Meet & Greet Coming To EPCOT This Summer
 


Figment Meet & Greet Coming To EPCOT This Summer
Disney has announced that a Figment meet & greet will be coming to the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT late this summer. No further details or exact date were shared yet, but more love for Figment ...   Read more >
Concept Art Released For The New EPCOT Nighttime Spectacular Coming This Autumn
 


Concept Art Released For The New EPCOT Nighttime Spectacular Coming This Autumn
The nighttime spectacular currently at EPCOT - Harmonious - will be going away at the end of March. Replacing Harmonious, EPCOT Forever will return. However, in the fall of 2023 EPCOT will get a ...   Read more >

View More >
Mickey From The UK
British Disney Parks Community
Email Subscribe Join Our Free Email Club
All our Disney news, reviews, offers, and more, direct to your inbox, for free.

Facebook FB Page
80,000+ Likes
Facebook Group FB Group
13,000+ Members
Instagram Instagram
7,000+ Followers
Twitter Twitter
1,500+ Followers



'Mickey From The UK' is an unofficial privately owned Disney and Walt Disney World community website.
© MickeyFromThe.UK . All Rights Reserved. Content cannot be reproduced without permission.

Email Club       About       Contact Us       Advertising/Reviews/Sponsorships       Disclaimers       Privacy