Disney Tips and Tricks

-all the Disney tips and tricks we learned during our first Disney trip-

Disney is absolutely everything it is cracked up to be and more! The magic is real. If you’re on the fence about a Disney vacation – just do it! We had an absolute BLAST! We are already planning our next visit. We learned SO much about the Disney parks during our stay. We are no experts by any means – but want to share what we learned the hard way for anyone else doing Disney for the first time! Next time around we will be implementing everything we learned for sure!

We went to Disney with our three children – 10, 8, and 9 months. We actually spent our first day in Disney celebrating our 8 year old’s birthday at Magic Kingdom! Our kids did incredible! I didn’t know what to expect being our first time at Disney & with a baby. Everything went off without a hitch! It was truly a dream! There were some things that we learned along the way and I’m here to share them with ya today – and remind myself for next time:

cinnamon roll and lefu's brew from gaston's tavern

family photo in front of the castle
mom dad and three boys

slinky dog rollercoaster hollywood studios disney world

disney all star movies andy's room photo of mom and sons

mother and son selfie in front of disney world castle

Download The Disney App This might be a no brainer – but had to be my #1 tip! We used the app so much during our stay. It’s a wealth of knowledge! Play around and get familiar with it before your stay. I still find myself looking at ride times when I get bored!
Stay On Disney Property Yes, we’ve only been once and stayed on property – – – so I don’t really know the difference – – – but I would do it 1000x again! We stayed at the All Star Movies resort – a value resort – & it was absolutely incredible! All the Disney magic was there after we left the park and as soon as we woke up. Customer service was next level. The bus service was amazing! It was clean! The hotel grounds were so much fun! I couldn’t recommend All Star Movies more!
Bring Reusable Straws
This is one I forgot & remembered as soon as my paper straw lasted 3 minutes! Disney has paper straws and they don’t last very long. Bringing your own straw is the move!
Get In Early
We got to the parks as soon as they opened. It was so nice beating the crowd! We got our castle photos with little to no crowd (side tip – bring a small tripod!) My husband got our Starbucks coffee in the park as the boys and I explored – it was just a great morning!
Make A Ride Game Plan Day one we spent a lot of time walking around aimlessly and taking it all in – I don’t regret it – but next time I would like to go straight to our #1 ride and get in line. Because we wasted some precious time walking around – we missed getting in lines before they got too long. Day two at Hollywood Studios we came in and got right in line to ride Slinky Dog. It was so much fun!!
Do Two Days at Magic Kingdom Because of the reason above – I wish we would have done a second day at Magic Kingdom! There’s so much to do and see there – we missed so many rides! All the more reason to come back – but totally wish we would have had a second day.
Buy Glow Sticks & Bubble Wands Before I was so happy we grabbed glow sticks at Walmart before going to Disney. The boys loooooved being decked out for the evening firework show – and we didn’t go broke buying anything in the park!
Bring Reusable Water Bottles A big tip for summer travels! We brought regular water bottles – but next time I would totally bring some hydroflasks or something!
Buy Disney Gift Cards Before Such a great idea for budgeting & fun for the kids! You can usually get rewards or cash back at your local grocery store! The boys felt they were extra special using their Mickey Money! We loved knowing it was already paid for and not coming from our daily park budget.
SKIP THE OUTLET MALL! Instead check out the Orlando souvenir shops + Orlando Target! I came across so many TikTok videos about going to the Disney Park Outlet at the Orlando Outlet mall…wish I didn’t. The mall was so incredibly packed…like took forever to park. Other people were parking in the grass. When we came out they were all getting tickets. So not only did this mall cause me to have a panic attack – the store was a BUST! There was one pair of ears. The prices were nothing like the TikTok videos I saw. After our trip my husband found a souvenir shop outside of Disney. It was so great with pins, mugs, hats, tees. If you shop you also get a coupon good for the next day. We also went into the Orlando Target on our way home & that’s where it’s at! I wish we would have gone there vs the outlet before the park!
Let Go & Let The MAGIC Take Over Yes, there’s so many tips and tricks and things to do and don’t do – – – and there’s so much we learned after the fact – – – but I wouldn’t change it for the world! We were relaxed and go with the flow. Enjoy yourself and don’t be so pressed to get the perfect photo or ride all of your must rides. Enjoy the time and memories being made. If you’re traveling with kiddos, remember they vibe off of YOU! If you’re high strung and stressed – it will come right back at you through their behaviors!