12 Disney World Tips for First Time Visitors

Planning your first time at Disney World is exciting but it can feel overwhelming. These are the best Disney World tips for first timers planning their Walt Disney World resort vacation.

There are a lot of tips out there for first timers visiting Disney World and that can feel like a lot, making you more stressed when planning your trip.

We first visited Disney World when my kids were 5 years old, 2 years old, and 10 months. It was a busy trip and I left wishing I knew some of the basic planning tips before we went.

Fast forward over a decade and we are still taking the trips, now visiting Disney with teens, and these are my tried and true tips to help you plan your trip.

Disney World Tips

These are the Disney World tips I give my friends before their trips.

• Purchase Park Tickets Before You Arrive
• Download the My Disney Experience App
• Arrive Early
• Spend Time Learning How Lightning Lane Works
• Stay On-Site at a Disney Property Resort
• Don’t Visit Other Orlando Theme Parks
• Research About the Disney Parks to Decide What you Need to Prioritize
• Know Your Travelers
• Plan a Non-Park Day
• Check out the Height Requirement for Rides and Attractions Before You Leave Home
• Bring Snacks & Refillable Water
• Don’t Worry About Doing It All
• Arrive Early
• Trust Yourself

Purchase Park Tickets Before You Arrive

All guests need to have a park ticket to enter the park. If you would like to visit more than one park in one day a park hopper ticket is needed.

I suggest starting at the Walt Disney World website for ticket prices and then compare to other sites that offer discount Disney World tickets.

Always purchase your Disney tickets before you arrive at the Disney Resort. You do not want to waste any time sitting in the ticket line when you could be entering the park. (Park reservations are no longer needed.)

Download the My Disney Experience App

The My Disney Experience App has everything you need to help plan your visit. You can book dining, check wait times, and make Lightning Lane Reservations. You will also want to check park hours and parade hours to plan your visit.

Once you make your Disney vacation reservations you can link tickets and room on the app to organize everything in one place.

Arrive Early

If you can…arrive early!! This is my biggest tip!! You will get more done in the park in the first few hours when the crowds are low. We once went on 7 rides before 11:00am on a visit to Magic Kingdom.

If you want to sleep in on vacation you can try to take advantage of evening crowds, but arriving early is the best way to get on a lot of attractions in a short time.

This is one Disney tip that is a non-negotiable for us. It is not always easy to wake up early but it is the best way to get a lot done.

Become Familiar with How Lightning Lane Works

Lightning Lane allows guests to reserve time to skip the traditional line for select attractions. Lightning Lane is a paid add-on.

Guests do not have to use Lightning Lane and can use the regular line to ride, for almost all of the rides. This may result in longer wait times but it won’t cost extra.

Read this for all the details: Easy Guide to Lightning Lane Pass at Disney World

Stay On-Site at a Disney Property Resort

I will always stay on-site when visiting Disney World. For one I dislike sitting in traffic and if you stay off-site you will most likely have to deal with driving in Orlando traffic.

I also like the feeling of being at the resorts and inside the “Disney Bubble”. People may think you save a lot of money staying off-site but there are value resorts at Disney World that can make an on-site trip work. Read about our stay at the cheapest on-site Disney Resort.

The magic of staying on-site is really special for first time visitors. Even after multiple trips we always prefer staying on-site when visiting Disney World.

Don’t Visit Other Orlando Theme Parks

I know when visiting Orlando you will want to experience everything but I caution you for two reasons.

First it will save you money on tickets. Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World offer “more you play, less you pay” ticket pricing. This means you pay less per day the more days you visit. If you split up your trip you will not have this benefit.

Second there is a lot of planning that goes into a visit to Disney World and it can become overwhelming planning multiple parks. There is so much to see and do, you might feel as if you are spending a lot of money and rushing through things.

If it is part of your vacation plan, it can be done, but be sure to plan to rent a car or uber between the resorts. We did do a multi theme park visit and you can read it here: How We Did Disney & Universal in One Trip.

Do Your Research

Planning a Disney World vacation is like planning a visit to a city, it is that big. It helps to know what to expect at Disney World, do your research and plan before you arrive.

The more planning you do before you leave for your vacation, the easier it will be.

Disney Trip Planning Questions:

• What parks do you want to visit?
• Decide how long you want to visit. How many days will you go to the parks? Rest Days? Disney Springs?
• What rides, attractions, and shows do you want to see?
• Book Dining reservations. This can be made up to 60 days in advance.

It may seem like a lot of planning ahead of time, and it is! Doing this will help you see and do everything you want to experience during your visit.

If you prefer to visit without planning ahead, you can, but you will wait in longer lines, may miss attractions, and may not secure dining reservations you are hoping for.

Know your Travelers

Are you traveling with kids 5 and under? They may need a mid day nap and will probably do more character meet and greets.

Are you visiting Disney with teens? Thrill rides may be their first choice for rides.

Grandparents? Understand what types of ride restrictions they may have. During the planning process it is a good idea to talk to everyone and find out their expectations.

Some people in your group may want to sleep in while others want to be up before the sun. If you know what to expect from each other you will cut out a lot of confusion at the parks

If you are traveling with a large group expect that you may not be together all the time. Allow everyone an opportunity to do their own thing, and then meet for a meal, a show/parade, or at the pool.

Plan a Non-Park Day to Rest

When planning your Disney World vacation you often spend a lot of time finding the perfect resort for your family. You want to enjoy the resort as well as the parks and it is important to plan a rest day.

On our first trip to Walt Disney World we made the mistake of not planning a rest day.

We spent five straight days at the park. The kids were all under 5 years old. We went to bed early and got up early so it worked. On our last visit we planned a day to sleep in a little and take a slower pace.

It was nice to relax and enjoy the resort. This “day off” gives you an opportunity to explore the resort. Check out the food options, pools, and playgrounds.

Need ideas for what to do on your day off? Check out: How to Enjoy Walt Disney World on a Non-Park Day.

Bring Your Own Snacks & Water

If you are on a budget for Disney you can bring your own snacks and water into the park. Disney does have amazing snacks, but you can balance purchased snacks with snacks you bring to ease the cost.

We always pack a few refillable water bottles and snacks in a backpack. Florida gets hot and it is very important to stay well hydrated.

Don’t Worry About Doing It All, Have a Plan but Keep it Flexible

A Disney World vacation is a big expense. You don’t want to get home and realize there is a Frozen Attraction in Epcot and you missed it because you did not do your research and have a plan.

I spend a lot of time planning and sometimes we stick to it, and sometimes we don’t, but it’s always a guide if we are not sure what to do next. I like the planning part and it is part of the excitement of vacation.

Understand that you will not be able to do everything. You will not be able to control what rides are down or under refurbishments, or the weather, or the crowds, so make a plan but be flexible to enjoy whatever the day brings.

Plan out a basic itinerary with 3-5 priorities at each park and enjoy those. Check out my guides and itineraries to help you.

Trust Yourself

The biggest tip for visiting Disney World is to plan the trip for you and your family. Don’t worry about what others have done on their trips, if it doesn’t work for you. You know your family best and if they are not early risers don’t force it because you are at Disney World.

Take advice and then make it work for your family. What works for me might now work best for you.

My Final Thoughts

Planning a trip to Disney World will take a bit of time but when you are on the trip you should enjoy yourself and have fun.

Do what works for you, choose your top 3-5 things to do for each park, decide on a few restaurants to enjoy and then everything else is just extra.

I hope using these Disney World tips will help you have a fantastic trip to Walt Disney World.

If you are overwhelmed with planning or just want someone to make all the reservations for you consider using a travel agent. Our friend Nikki at Royal Treatment Travel is amazing and has helped us plan and book many of our trips. She finds the best deals and her service is complimentary for most theme park vacations! It is a win-win. Learn more here.

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