I decided to make this a series of mini guides to break down the information you need to know. This way it won't be too overwhelming for you as you plan your Disney vacation.
With the help of my first guide, First Trip to Walt Disney World - where to begin?, you would have by now a general idea of your travel dates and choice of accomodation. Now let's take a look at the next steps to take towards planning your vacation.
Step 1: Theme Park Tickets
It is imperative that you get your park tickets at least 2-3 months ahead of your vacation. Yes, that long. The main reason being, Disney has stopped physical ticket sales in the parks, making advanced ticket purchase a necessity. And not all days were created equally, with some days of the week being pricier than others.
(and we do not want to wind up in a situation similar to the group of guests from Switzerland whom were stranded outside Walt Disney World reasons cause they thought you could buy tickets there)
Park tickets can be purchased one of two ways:
directly from the Walt Disney World website
Authorised sellers/travel agencies (Undercover Tourist, Mickey's Dream Vacations, Mickey Travels, etc). These travel agencies are authorised by Disney to give free services to help you plan your trip, book your tickets and hotel reservations all for FREE. They don't charge any agency fees cause they get paid by the travel supplier (in this case, Disney). Some offer discounted rates and a full refund option for tickets too!
Minnie Mouse in Move It Shake It Dance Party
Photo by Clarice Nicole Lee, 2019
Alternatively,
If you're going by tour, our local Singapore travel agencies (Chan Brothers, Dynasty Travel etc) have itineraries that include 1-2days in Disney World. Subject to changes since the pandemic, for most updated information, do check their individual websites. But of course I prefer to go free & easy :)
Another cool thing to note is that if you've purchased Single Park admission tickets and would like to switch to the Park Hopper option later on, you can! Just note that Disney will charge you for the additional cost of the Park Hopper tickets for the entire duration of your trip. So if you change 2 days of your 5 day vacation to Park Hopper tickets, Disney will charge you for 5 days of Park Hopper tickets.
Anna and Elsa in Festival of Fantasy Parade
Photo originally by Clarice Nicole Lee, 2019
My best advice is to decide prior if you'd like to hit multiple parks in a day or if your party only has the energy to just do one a day.
Once you do get your park tickets, remember to link them up to the My Disney Experience app. This will help keep your entry to the parks smooth. You do not need to print out your park tickets as Disney does not use a barcode scanner anymore like the ones you see in Universal Studios Singapore.
Which brings me to my next point....
Step 2: Download the My Disney Experience App
This is the MOST important thing to bring with you on your WDW trip. I'm not even kidding. Okay second to your passport, but still crucial.
Android store screenshot, 2022
The My Disney Experience App (search for "Walt Disney World" on the App Store or Android store) is an app by Disney Parks where guests can:
Get the latest Disney World updates on events, merchandise, park operations
Link their Park Tickets and Hotel Reservations
Share upcoming vacation plans by linking up your friends & family together
Make Park Reservations
Make dining reservations
Mobile order food from Quick Service restaurants
Access Disney Photopass photos
Check ride wait times, park hours
Booking Genie+ lightning lanes
Shop Merchandise
AND MORE...
Needless to say, you need to download this app in order to make some really important pre-trip arrangements, which I will now cover in the subsequent steps.
Step 3: Park Reservations (as of Apr 2022)
This is a new thing Disney introduced into the US parks when they reopened after lockdown due to the pandemic. Essentially, after purchasing park admission, guests then have to make a Park Reservation to reserve a spot in their "daily guest quota" to enter the parks. Park Reservations have to be made for each day that you're visiting any of the parks.
If you are a park hopper, you will have to make a park reservation for your first park and enter that park first before you jump to another. Park hopping guests are only allowed to enter their 2nd park after 2pm. So plan ahead! What must-dos are on your list for the mornings? Do you want to do early entry (if you're a Disney hotel guest) in Magic Kingdom first, clearing all the popular rides before heading to Epcot for feast around the world? Decisions...decisions...
Without this park reservation, you will be denied entry into the parks, despite having purchased a park ticket.
For my own trip, I planned out which parks to start and end off at based on the parades and shows I HAVE to catch. (I'm more of a "see Mickey Mouse and his pals 3000 times a day" kinda gal)
Step 4: Dining Reservations
This is not compulsory unless you're choosing to dine at a Table-Service style restaurant within the parks or at any of the resort hotel dining locations. There are literally hundreds to choose from with different price points depending on the time of the day i.e. Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner.
Table service restaurants are the more proper sit down places i.e a waiter comes to take your order. Which means after your meal you are strongly encouraged to include gratuity (a gauge would be about 20% of the cost of your meal). Do be mindful as well about the tipping culture in the USA!
Storybook Dining, Magic Kingdom. Photo by Clarice Nicole Lee, 2019
Now of course the more popular restaurants do see their slots getting booked up really quickly like Be Our Guest, 1900 Park Fare, Tusker House, Crystal Palace, amongst many others. So be sure to book your must-dine places before you take the long haul flight to the US. You can make your dining reservations up to 60 days in advance through the Walt Disney World Website or through the My Disney Experience app.
Step 5: Planning your Rides & Attractions
This is something I've told friends who are visiting WDW for the first time: plan your route/park day based on the rides & attractions you want to take.
It's going to be your first time experiencing all that Disney World has to offer and it can get quite overwhelming, I mean Magic Kingdom alone is already bigger than Universal Studios Singapore, you would want to optimise your time in the parks.
Hence I suggest to list down your must-do attractions in each park and then categorise them according to priority:
the ones to do during Early Entry (if you're staying in one of the Disney World hotels)
the ones to do earlier in the day when you get in at park opening - popular rides
Of course, stay flexible with your plans as well. Sometimes Space Mountain has a malfunction and has to shut down temporarily but you can always hop onto the Carousel of Progress and watch Walt's vision of the future of American homes come to life.
Step 6: Stick to your Budget
You're probably not going to want to hear this since "I'm on vacation, I need to enjoy". Yes, I love me a vacation shopping-spree-foodie-adventure too. However, Disney is expensive. So perhaps instead of buying 5 Magic Kingdom souvenirs, we get 2 items and save the money for a delicious snack break later or for an Animal Kingdom souvenir instead.
This is my all time favourite cap that I got just before my 3-month Disney program in 2019, at the outlets. It represents the park I worked in and reminds me of the sweltering summer heat which made me wear it everyday without fail!
The point being, focus on things that will really spark immense joy and remind you of your magical vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth. Something that you can display, wear, or actually use. That way, those mementos will really bring happiness and magic to your life daily, and be a better use of your money.
And those are the next 6 steps to take to plan your park days in your Disney vacation planning. Stay tuned to see what to do once you get to Florida. As always, do drop any questions you have in the comments section below or send me an email on what else you'd like to know about at magicallynickelocity@gmail.com
See ya real soon!
And remember your daily scoop of pixie dust! :)
<<BONUS:>>
Now, as much as I'd love to be on of the Disney bloggers, going to the parks everyday to create content, I can't right now because of where I'm located. But I get my weekly dose of Disney from these amazing blogs - refer to table below. There are hundreds of Disney content creators (aka Disney fans and Disney adults who create all sorts of content for people who love Disney) these are just some of my favourite ones to look up when I need the most updated news about Disney World. Hopefully their guides and resources can serve as additional help with your Disney vacation planning as well.
Disney Bloggers | Links: |
All Ears Net - DisneyWorld, Disneyland, Universal Studios Orlando - All things: food, merchandise, navigating the parks, resorts and other updates | |
Disney Food Blog - DisneyWorld, Disneyland - Focusing on food but also covers merchandise, navigating the parks, resorts and other updates | |
WDW News Today - All things DisneyWorld and Disney | |
ResortTV1 - Livestreams in the parks | |
There are some bloggers who are based in California and hence create content specifically for Disneyland too. I'll include them in a future article if you guys are interested.
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