Why You Can’t “Wing it” at Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is the most popular theme park in the world and often a dream vacation location for families or the young at heart. Guests save up and look back fondly on memories or hear stories from friends about magical vacations at they get ready to plan their trips.
But what many guests don’t realize is that Walt Disney World is not a destination where you can just “show up” or “go with the flow”. While it is still a magical vacation, there are many aspects that require planning in advance and if you show up without a basic understanding of these details, you will likely have miss out on alot.
While guests could show up at the parks and go with the flow even back in 2019, this is no longer the case and here are 3 things you need to know ahead of time to help you decide if a Walt Disney World vacation is right for you.
Park Pass Reservations- Walt Disney World still requires guests to have a park pass reservation to visit their 4 theme parks. These often fill up and during popular times of year such as holidays, spring break and Christmas break, these can sell out weeks ahead of time. Gone are the days of showing up on the day of, purchasing a ticket and being able to enter the parks. While this is occasionally still available during slower times of year, those times are becoming fewer and further between.
Using the app- Walt Disney World has an app called the MyDisney Experience app which is free to download. Understanding how to use this app can be the key to a stress-free vacation. This is where guests will find wait times for rides, mobile order their food and even book Lightning Lanes. Guests who understand how to navigate the app and find information they need at their fingertips have a much better travel experience.
Lighting Lanes- Gone are the days of Fastpasses. Now there are Genie+ Lighting Lane selections, Individual Lightning Lanes and virtual queues. Guests wanting to save time and use the shorter lines (Lighting Lanes) have to purchase on the day they want to use this service and can begin making their selections at 7am. This often means that if you want the top choices, there is no sleeping in during your Disney vacation. Many popular attractions sell out during the day. Rides included in these services can change and it can be challenging for one time visitors or even occasional guests to try to stay up to date on this information.
While there are ways to enjoy Walt Disney World without having to feel rushed at every moment or to experience the magical moments around you, guests need to plan their Walt Disney World vacation in advance and have a base understanding of the experiences they are looking for during their trip. You won’t see and do everything even in a 2 week long vacation to Walt Disney World.
Our travel consultants specialize in Disney destinations and as part of an Earmarked Travel Agency, we have done all the research and are ready to help you plan your magical vacation so you can have the stress free trip of your dreams!
