Now that I've enticed you enough - I say with hopeful spirits - you are now thinking to take a trip to the biggest Disney resort in the world! Congratulations! You are in for a whirl of a good time making lots of memories and I'm so excited for you.
But planning a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida can be jarring once you get into it. So let me help you with this guide covering the main considerations you should take FIRST before diving deeper into the rest of Disney World's jargon. This can help you along with your budget for your trip as well.
We will cover the following in this mini guide:
Best Time of the Year to Visit WDW; Park Admission Cost
WDW Special Event Celebrations & EPCOT Festivals
Accomodation
Transportation - Getting to and around WDW
Food - Eating in WDW
(this information is relevant as of Apr 2022; links attached are non-affiliate)
BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO VISIT WDW - PARK ADMISSION COST
AThe WDW theme parks admission page is a great way to gauge when to fly over to Disney World. Links in the caption of the photos above,e January to February; September through mid-November (from USD$109/day) tend to be cheaper since those are the main school semesters. As See below for a price comparison of 1-day single park tickets for September VS December, from the WDW website:
(September 2022 ticket prices - retrieved from the WDW website, 10 Apr 2022)
(December 2022 ticket prices - retrieved from the WDW website, 10 Apr 2022)
As you may notice, there are certain days of the week that are better to visit the parks since those are the "off-peak" days too; though crowds are still going to be on the high side compared to our tiny little USS in Singapore.
The WDW theme parks admission page is a great way to gauge when to fly over to Disney World. Links in the caption of the photos above,
There are also different park tickets for you to consider, depending on your vacation duration and needs (prices vary accordingly):
Single Park Ticket (allows entry to 1 park per day)
Park Hopper Option (allows you to enter multiple parks per day)
Water Park and Sports Option (1 day theme park entry + 1 water park or sports-related fun at WDW)
Park Hopper Plus Option (Park Hopper + X no. of visits to the water parks)
My suggestion would be to get the Single Park Ticket on your first trip. Soak up all that the individual parks have to offer each day. Plus it saves you a lil' extra money too that you could use for something else. Travelling between parks can be tiring or a waste of time for the Disney fan who wants to feel more magic in their short vacation.
You've travelled this far, why not ride Space Mountain like 3 times in Magic Kingdom right?
WDW SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATIONS & EPCOT FESTIVALS
Of course, another thing you might want to consider when deciding the best time to visit WDW is the special celebrations! During special holidays celebrated in the US (listed below), Disney World holds special themed celebrations usually after park hours (referred to as "Special Event Tickets" on their website) and most incur and additonal admission ticket on top of the normal park admission. Prices for these Special Event Tickets range from
Disney After Hours Boo Bash
Disney Very Merriest After Hours (replacement for Mickey's Very Merriest Christmas Party in 2021)
Aside from the paid celebrations, Epcot in WDW has festivals all year round. These festivals feature themed food, merchandise, performances, experiences, and MORE. What's best is, these festivals are FREE for you to enjoy in EPCOT! You just need your Epcot admission to enjoy the festivities.
The festivals celebrate Art, Gardens in Spring time, Food and Holidays from around the world.
Festival of the Arts: January — February
Flower and Garden Festival: March — 1st week of July
Food and Wine Festival: July — mid November
Festival of the Holidays: end November — end December
Hence, if you'd like to check out some of these festivals, plan your visit around this time. Exact dates can be found on the Walt Disney World website.
ACCOMODATION
A very very important decision to make - where do I stay while on vacation in Disney World?
Recall that in my first article , I mentioned there are over 30 different Disney World hotels to choose from depending on your budget. My absolute favourite thing about staying on property a.k.a staying in a Disney hotel, is that the rooms and the whole hotel resort is THEMED!!
Overall, there are 3 main categories for hotels WITHIN DISNEY PROPERTY:
*Prices listed are for 1 pax/night in September 2022. Price range represents the lowest value room you can get within that group of hotels in each category.
**prices listed in USD and will vary based on room type and date of stay.
Category | Hotels included | Price range (before tax) |
Value |
| USD 150 - 228 |
Moderate |
| USD 266 - 450 |
Deluxe |
| USD 411 - 673 |
There are other hotel resorts as well such as the Deluxe Villas and Other Select Deluxe Resorts but this table summary is just to give you an idea of how much it would cost to stay on property.
If these prices astound you, don't worry they astound me too sometimes. While the experience of staying in a Disney resort is absolutely magical and highly recommended for the full immersive Disney experience, not everyone can afford to.
Thankfully, there are hotel options OUTSIDE (but near) DISNEY PROPERTY that you can consider as well. These are known as the Disney Good Neighbour hotels - hotels that have been given the Disney "stamp of approval" in delivering quality service that is up to Disney's standards.
Some of these Good Neighbour hotels even have shuttle services to and from select parks in Walt Disney World. (Good to check their individual websites).
Which brings me to my next point....
TRANSPORTATION TO, FROM AND AROUND WALT DISNEY WORLD
Another thing to consider is how you're going to get around Walt Disney World. Like I said earlier, WDW is a huge propert and renting car may not necessarily be your only option.
This is where the big perk of staying on property comes in. WDW has many transportation options available to resort guests to help them get from their hotel to the parks in a jiffy. This saves guests the time and money from driving and parking their cars. Parking in WDW can cost between USD15-25 per night in the hotel or USD25 per day at the parks! (Estimate: Car rental ~$97/day, fuel ~$4.07/gallon)
Firstly, getting into Walt Disney World from the Orlando International Airport. WDW used to have a free shuttle bus service known as The Magical Express that fetches guests to and from the airport from their Disney hotel. However, this service has been made unavailable when the pandemic hit. Disney has since partnered with Mears Connect to provide a paid alternative to and from Disney property. A one-way ticket will set you back USD$16 and a round trip will cost you USD$32. An advanced booking is recommended from their website link here.
Now that you've made it into Walt Disney World, let's look at these amazing options. These transportation options are also free for non-hotel resort guests to use as well to travel around property.
1. Disney Bus Transportation
Getting around Disney World has never been easier. Almost the entire property is accessible via their huge fleet of guest buses! There are bus stops placed very conveniently around property i.e. at alll 4 parks, Disney Springs, throughout the hotels. Think SBS/SMRT/Tower Transit but with a touch of Disney magic.
Wait times are typically 20mins, which is absurd if I was waiting for a bus home from Orchard Road, but it's pretty normal in Disney World.
(Photo retrieved from Military Disney Tips, 11 Apr 2022)
2. Disney Monorail Transportation
This is the oldest form of transportation, envisioned by the main man himself, Walt Disney. He had the idea for his futuristic EPCOT city to be connected by the monorail after its prototype success in Disneyland California back in 1959. While it's no MRT system like in Singapore, the monorails are fairly efficient and a unique way to travel between theme parks.
You can find more info on the monorail routes and stations on the WDW Website.
3. Disney Skyliner Transportation
Imagine if the Sentosa cable cars could bring you directly to the entrance of USS or to your hotel. That's what the Disney Skyliner (aka gondolas) aim to do. These colourful cable cars, "whimsically decorated" as described by Disney takes guests from Epcot and Hollywood Studios to their resorts*
(Photo retrieved from the Walt Disney World website on 11 Apr 2022)
*Disney's Riviera Resort, Disney's Art of Animation Resort, Disney's Carribean Beach Resort & Disney's Pop Century Resort
4. Disney Water Transportation
Yes, water transport! Disney also has a fleet of ferry boats that can take you to similar stops around some hotel resorts, the Ticket and Transportation Centre (TTC), Disney Springs and to the parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot & Hollywood Studios).
This is my favourite mode of transportation. A nice breezy boat ride before a crazy park day, or something to relax on in between park hopping. A boat ride makes any park day for me, the best Disney day.
FOOD - EATING IN DISNEY WORLD!
Oh boy! Where do I begin?
Disney theme park food is not your average hot dogs, cotton candy and Wall's ice cream. Especially since it's the 50th anniversary, they have kicked things up several notches. There's a saying in Disney - Everything tastes better when it's Mickey shaped. Mickey waffles, Mickey Pretzels, Mickey Beignets, Mickey caramel apples Mickey shaped FRUIT (yes I'm not kidding). But first, let me introduce you to the different types of F&B in WDW. This will help you with your research and your budget
Quick Service F&B
This is Disney's version of fast food where you order and collect your food at a counter before returning to your seats. But they serve up more delicious eats than just your regular burgers and fries. These quick service options are all themed to their individual locations and can be found literally everywhere from the parks to the hotels.
Prices range between USD$9.99 - 14.29 per individual meal serving. Though some meals are definitely shareable with the larger portions served in the US.
(Grilled cheese with side at Woody's Lunchbox in Toy Story Land in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Photo by Clarice Nicole Lee, 2019)
Table Service / Full Service F&B
Table Service in Disney means a proper sit down restaurant with servers and all the bells and whistles. These places serve fuller meals and require a Dining Reservation. One of the most famous table service restaurants is the Be Our Guest Restaurant located in the Magic Kingdom. Some table service restaurants are beautifully themed and some are more quirky & fun. I gurantee you will have a fabulous time so do find one that interests you and try it out once.
(At Be Our Guest restaurant where you got to meet the Beast after your meal.
Photo by Clarice Nicole Lee, 2019.)
(A white chocolate Chip cup filled with the Grey Stuff - this has now changed to a chocolate tart with the same Grey Stuff. Photo by Clarice Nicole Lee, 2019)
Prices range from USD$18-25 for an individual entree (main dish) and the special table service restaurants that offer Character Dining (where yes Disney characters come out to meet you during your meal) cost around USD$60 for a prefixe menu/buffet.
SNACKS - Confectionary Stands, Bakeries and Outdoor Vending
Spoiled for choice at the hundreds of snack stands, bakeries, popcorn carts, etc. This is where you will find the most Instagrammable Disney food on property.
I mean, a Mickey Ice Cream Premium bar or Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich in front of the castle? Literally nothing better than that.
(Mickey Premium Ice Cream Sandwich. Photo by Clarice Nicole Lee, 2019)
(Blue Milk at Galaxy's Edge, Hollywood Studios. Photo by Clarice Nicole Lee, 2019)
Prices for snack items usually cost less than USD$10 per item. A cupcake would be around USD$5.99, a churro USD$4.50, a bottle of water....get ready, USD$4.50.
Okay, phew! That's all on my list. Thank you for reading this far.
I've talked so much already haha. Nonetheless, I do hope this has given you a good baseline for you to create a budget for your vacation. I've layed out the stones for you to take a step on. 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! ;)
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