Disney World Secrets & Tips

Oh, man, I can give you guys tons of tips. I guess one of the most important tips I can give you at this moment is that making dining reservations is way more important in Disney World than it is in Disneyland. Because of free dining plan offers and an online reservation system, popular eateries tend to book very quickly. The reservation window opens 180 days before your intended check-in day and you can make reservations up to ten days in advance of that date.

On a related note, if you want to try to wing it, be sure to take advantage of Disney World’s mobile online dining site. You can search by specific locations or resort wide for specific dining times or meals, as well as narrowing it down further by quick service, casual, character and signature dining experiences. It’s very user-friendly and is great for finding day-of reservations.

Make sure you visit Disney World’s website and sign up for their monthly “Hello” newsletter. In addition, while logged in, save a couple of vacation package options. Getting your information into their system gives you the opportunity to receive special demographic-specific PIN codes that can be used to gain fantastic savings on room rates (sometimes as much as 35% off of value and moderate options or 45% off of deluxe villas)! These PIN codes are not common, but they do exist and are well worth staying on the radar, so to speak.

Located at the top of the Contemporary Resort just outside of the Magic Kingdom, you will find the California Grill, a signature-level restaurant specializing in delicious food inspired by the diverse cultures of the Left Coast. It’s a popular restaurant, where it can be hard to get a table, but here’s a great tip, especially for couples: Make a reservation for two hours before the evening’s fireworks show (which should be early enough to avoid the crowds), and when you are taken by elevator to the top floor, request to be seated in the lounge near a window. You can order from the full restaurant menu from the comfort of cushy chairs in a laid back environment and have front row views of the fireworks with the music piped in and the Electrical Water Pageant on the Seven Seas Lagoon below. It’s a long night, but the wait staff is warm and accommodating. You’ll feel right at home.

Disney World is built on a large expanse of land, as large as one and a half Manhattan islands. Because of this Disney has devised several different methods of complimentary transportation between the resorts and theme parks. A huge network of bus routes connect every hotel to every park (including the two water parks and Downtown Disney) and it is possible to go resort to resort by transferring buses. Many hotels, however, have alternate transportation options to some resorts. All of the resorts on the Seven Seas Lagoon outside of the Magic Kingdom connect to each other and the Magic Kingdom via monorail. From All of the Epcot area resorts, you can access both Epcot and Disney Studios by foot (Epcot even has a “back entrance” that serves only the resorts) or by boat. Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and both Port Orleans resorts also have alternate boat transportation to Downtown Disney.