I Went To Walt Disney World and Am Sharing My Best Tips

What you need to know to have the best time at the Parks, the rides & attractions that are a must, where to eat & how to navigate it all so you have the happiest time at the Happiest Place on Earth!

Planning a Visit to Walt Disney World in Florida? Read This First!

Last week I was fortunate enough to be invited by Walt Disney World to Summer Fun Fest to preview some brand new updates to some of the attractions, rides, and fun stuff they’ve been working on as part of their Cool Kids Summer launch. Let’s face it, for families with kids, summer offers the most flexibility in terms of planning time at Disney and they’re making sure to maximize precious summer vacations and your time together as a family.

Running from May 26-September 8, there are new character experiences, dance parties, and attraction upgrades to the parks, alongside exclusive family-focused deals like resort discounts and complimentary water park admission on check-in day. Yay! Make sure to check out their Summer Events page for more info.

I live in San Diego about 75 minutes from Disneyland in Anaheim and am pretty familiar that park.

However, the various Disney Parks in Florida are just so much bigger, more sprawling, and with more to do, and more going on. Planning your days before you get there so you maximize your time rather than wandering in circles or waiting unnecessarily in long lines is what I’m here to help you with. And so that everyone from little kids to big kids alike do so without melting down.

Buckle up, pour a coffee, and enjoy the nearly 100 photos I’m sharing and my experiences and insights. Here are some important tips:

• Download the Walt Disney World app and familiarize yourself with it. Disney World and Disneyland have two separate apps, make sure you grab the right one. The app can link your park admission tickets and hotel room if you’re staying on property. You’ll rescan every time you enter a new park along with your fingertip, and doing so through the app is easy.

• You’ll need the app to reserve Lightning Lanes (fast entrance to certain popular attractions which cuts down wait times from let’s say an hour to 15 minutes, for example).

• You can also pre-order food at their fast casual restaurants via the app. Order your food, walk over, tap the “I’m Here” button, your order should be ready in minutes. I find pre-ordering is less necessary in Orlando than in Anaheim but still very helpful to save time.

• Also have your Googlemaps or Maps at the ready because in my experience the Disney apps don’t quite navigate you to exactly where you want to go within the parks and true map-based apps are more geo-precise. Nothing worse than walking down a path only to figure out you should have taken a hard left rather than a softer left and then you need to backtrack. And it’s 95F.

• Buy Park Hopper passes if you can swing it so that you can go from one park to another on the same day, which is easy to do via monorail or Disney shuttle buses. It’s a way to mix up your days and see new things and freshen up your scenery. In my opinion, Magic Kingdom will always be the most crowded and if you mentally max out with that, having another park to be able to hop over to during the peak of the day may be a sanity saver if you’re not one for crowds or are traveling with kids.

• For some things, Disney transportation buses are the best option and they’re free. For other routes, like going from the parks to Disney Springs (aka Downtown Disney for all your west coasters) to from our Disney hotel which was the Port Orleans, it’s faster and very inexpensive to take an Uber or Lyft even if you’re staying at a Disney property. At the end of a long day, getting somewhere quickly for a $5.85 Lyft charge, and we were back in 10 minutes rather than 30-45, was a big win for very little cost. Rideshare is a fraction of the price in Orlando than it is in SoCal I realized and saves time and sanity.

• Common sense: Wear shoes you know are your most comfortable, tried-and-true sneakers. My Hokas were on my feet for 15 hours each day. My husband wanted to wear a brand new pair of shoes and I was like nope, not happening, because you’ll (we’ll) be suffering later.

• Wardrobe: Make it comfortable and functional. I lived in these cutoffs and different colors of these lightweight tanks. My husband wore various colors of this golf shirt and we were both happy with our wardrobe choices, given the 90F+ temps plus Florida humidity.

• Bring a power bank for your phone! You will burn through your battery with all that app’ing and toggling and Disney doesn’t have many places within the parks to sneakily plug your phone into a wall in their restaurants - trust me, I looked. So my power bank saved me.

• Bring the least amount of personal stuff you possibly can get away with. For me, I carried what I needed in my Lulu belt bag (shown in pics below). For people with kids, maybe that’s a backpack of some sort. Just remember, you’re carrying it, all day. Yes there are lockers but you will need to walk back to them to get your stuff out.

• You can bring a stroller and Disney is probably the most accessible place out there for people who need it. Ask, and you shall receive is what I’ve been told from friends who’ve been in wheelchairs, motorized scooters, who have a kid with a broken leg, special needs family members, and more.

• You do not need cash (and in fact some places are cashless), and you don’t need a bunch of credit cards. I bring one card, my ID, and tap-to-pay on my phone for everything.

• There are fountains all over the parks to refill water bottles, which you can bring your own. And you can bring in your own snacks or food. I went with a Chomps stick and a protein bar each day just in case to prevent hangry moments and keep my protein up.

Fun fact: the last time I was at Walt Disney World was in February 2016 running the Disney Half Marathon. Six weeks later I ran another half marathon at Disneyland making me “special” (or just crazy) in what Disney calls their Coast To Coast Challenge, where you run one marathon in both parks, within one calendar year.

Let’s Go To Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Our first full day started off at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

We specifically headed towards the Galaxy’s Edge area of the park. Think all things Star Wars!

We previewed the Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run which is newly redesigned and for the first time ever, the crew will be in control of their own destination, leading to potential adventures on Bespin, the wreckage of the second Death Star around Endor, or the just-announced bustling city-planet, Coruscant. This is mostly a 4D/virtual “ride” and it’s incredible how realistic it all was!

Then we headed over to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. If you’re going to use a Lightning Lane pass, this is one to do it on, since it’s very popular. Although midweek, late morning, we were able to get on in about 30 minutes!

There’s a parallel attraction at Disneyland and so my husband was super excited about this one! You’re in a multi-person “cart” that moves through the ride but there’s nothing physically “scary” here since again, there’s a lot of effects and 4D without anything fast moving.

We had lunch at the ABC Commissary and using mobile order pickup, we had zero wait. We were starving by the time we inhaled our tacos, pork, and chicken salad.

Then we made our way over to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starting the Muppets and were able to preview it before they open this newly enhanced ride to the public tomorrow.

I love roller coasters and this was a 10000/10 for me! It starts out fast, you go upside down, and my husband hates roller coasters and speed (opposite of me!) but he survived in one piece. If you’ve ever been on Incredicoaster, this is the closest coaster in terms of that overall vibe IMO.

The last time I was on the Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster was 10 years ago when I was running the Walt Disney World Half Marathon and it lived up to my memory, and then some. With high-speed thrills, a pulse pounding soundtrack with a rock remix, and a VIP list like no other, this reimagined attraction hits all the right notes! There’s also new Muppets merch. This attraction is one that if you may want to consider using a Lightning pass.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

After a really intense first 8 hours of our day, by 3PM we were ready for something more chill: like going to see the animals in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We hopped a Disney bus over and were there in no time.

Although we didn’t have time to check out Zootopia: Better Zoogether, I wish we did because it’s a new 4D show at the Tree of Life theater featuring familiar furry faces from Zootopia and Zootopia2 and it’s a wild and hilarious adventure.

We did go on Avatar Flight Of Passage and again, I had only been on this one 10 years ago when I was at Disney for my half marathon and back then, it was without a doubt the coolest ride/adventure/attraction I had ever been on in my life! And you know what, IT STILL IS. It’s impossible to adequately describe this experience but basically you’re virtually flying on the back of a bird-like animal called a banshee and you’re viewing the world with a literal bird’s eye view. If you’ve ever been in a helicopter in Hawaii or barrel surfing big waves, there are moments that feel just like that.

My husband was blown away, and we both left the trip talking about how amazing this one is. Don’t miss it. Animal Kingdom is incredible because of all the animals, and as a bonus, you’ve got Avatar too!

We also went on a sit down 22 minute safari ride through the bush and it was the perfect relaxing ending to our day. We saw so many beautiful animals!

We closed the park down at 6PM. Note that Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks because the animals need to go to bed. In the summer, it’s open later until 7PM but always check before you go.

Disney Springs (aka Downtown Disney)

Disney Springs is where you’ll find dozens of restaurants, dessert shops, boutiques, an AMC movie theater, bowling alley, bars like the House of Blues, a Cirque du Soleil theatre, and more.

After a long day at Hollywood Studios and then Animal Kingdom, we took an $8 Lyft over to Disney Springs. Specifically, we had dinner at Summer House on the Lake. I highly recommend reservations for this particular restaurant and if you’re traveling with a party of more than 2, anywhere you go, reservations are ideal, although not technically obligatory, you need to be willing to wait. You’re not the only person or family who wants to have dinner about 6-8PM after the parks.

Food, view, service, and vibes at Summer House was 10/10 and both my husband and I needed salads and healthier food and it delivered. And then we ordered the Cookie Butter Cheesecake (not healthy) but oh so good! The pastry chef at Summer House has competed in multiple baking shows on TV and you can taste it. Wow!

The previous night, following our long travel day from San Diego to Orlando, we went to Wine Bar George quite honestly because we stumbled on it and they had two open seats at the bar. We were winging it without reservations, at 8PM, starving, and things were very full everywhere else we had looked into.

We were veryyy hungry and ordered meatballs, lamb lollipops, I ordered the chicken, and my husband ordered the ribeye. It was at least 14 ounces if not more. If I were to do it again, I would skip the appetizers (or get a cheese board instead because they looked amazing) and then just order main courses because the portion sizes were extremely generous, even when super hungry.

Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom

I kicked off our second full day in the parks with media and press interviews. It was such a unique and very special opportunity to be able to talk to engineers, designers, and people who were really integral in making enhancements and changes to the various attractions in the various parks.

First up was chatting about Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin with Jeff Harmon and another team member, Kimberly. It now has all digital targets and everything came to life in collaboration with WDI. You can find new secrets, there’s an intergalactic hero, and a multi colored ring to unlock the target. Since this attraction has been a rite of passage ride for many over the past 30 years, and for many kids it’s their first ride, there’s a congratulatory message at the end, and since not all messages are the same, patrons will be encouraged to ride again.

We also chatted about Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with Wyatt Winter, who’s an executive producer and former cast member at BTM. There’s now a lower height requirement making it a whole family coaster and a fun rainbow feature in the caverns. For me, the best enhancement are the new train cars in which you ride. They’re bigger, much more cushioned, and it’s just a smoother experience, but the same track layout.

Finally, we chatted with Alec Ras, Director of Facility Asset Management. There’s a team of 250 who dedicate themselves to maintaining, beautifying, reworking, and redoing things that need it - in all of the parks, hotel properties, and more. I truly cannot imagine how many lightbulbs, garden hoses, or literal tons of paint they go through!

Speaking of which, Cinderella’s Castle is newly painted gray, after being formerly gray a long time ago, then pink, and now back to gray again. She’s a beauty!

In the Magic Kingdom, my husband and I went on Space Mountain. IMO it’s more tame in Florida compared to in California; and the wildest Space Mountain without a doubt is in Disney Paris! If you’re doing Space Mountain, do it as early in the day as you can or use Lighting to save on wait times.

We hit up Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, and after couldn’t resist a pineapple Dole Whip.

EPCOT

After a morning at the Magic Kingdom we trekked over to EPCOT using the Monorail. From the Magic Kingdom, take it towards the Disney Hotels, get off on the second stop, and transfer to a second Monorail which takes you to EPCOT. Signage is a little light, so ask for help to make sure you do it right.

We arrived in the early afternoon at Epcot (I am going to stop using all caps because I don’t like screaming at you in my written communications), ravenous from our morning’s activities, and were ready to eat. The great thing about Epcot is that you can literally eat your way around the world.

First stop, and conveniently located to the left of the entrance, is Mexico where we ate at La Cantina de San Angel. Chicken tacos, pork, and some tasty red sangria that wasn’t too sweet.

We continued grazing and snacking around the globe, including a Peach Dole Whip, a glass of Veuve Clicquot and a French beer 1616 for my husband in France.

We had some ceviche back in Mexico, various ice creams, saw a replica of the Gardens at the Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower, and much more - it was a true smorgasbord of food and culture! No complaints!

Venice vibes too!

I also spotted 3 bonsai trees that are the age and corresponding birth years of my daughter, my husband, and myself which I thought was very serendipitous.

It also happened to be the Flower Festival time of year so there were just so many incredible flowers, topiaries and all things botanical in beautiful form.

We looked at Louis Vuitton handbags (no joke, they’re there in Epcot France), took in Morocco and it felt like we were transported into another world, and admired the spectacular foliage and flowers everywhere.

The coolest thing we did was preview the newly vamped Soarin’ Across America attraction which showcase the United States from sea to shining se, and highlights some of the country’s natural beauty and iconic cityscapes. And comes just in time for America’s Semiquincentennial, or 250 years old. I was a bicentennial baby so you can do the math there.

I had never been on this before, so have no basis for prior comparison, but you truly do feel like you’re soaring above America, descending into various cities, with such cool effects. When we were soaring over Hawaii, you could smell flowers; when we were over the plains states with fields, there was a grassy smell. There was a breeze wind effects at points and really neat sensory effects so I highly recommend checking out this out!

We wrapped up with a media-only preview of some of the many things Cool Kids Summer will entail including Bluey’s Wild World. highlights, GoofyCore, Jessie’s Roundup, sampling some of the new food and menu offerings, saw some new merchandise, and it was the final event to an incredible couple of days!

Tell me about the best things you’ve done at the Disney Parks, tips, tricks, or memories! Do you have a trip planned?