They’ve been doing soooo much construction at Epcot the last 5 years or so that it’s hard to remember what it was like without all of the construction walls. But the good news is that it’s starting to wrap up and so far the additions have been FABULOUS. The addition of the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind Coaster, the expansion of France to include Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Moana’s Journey of Water have all opened within the last year or so and the rest of the park is supposedly being unveiled by the end of the year. 

I’m excited to get to experience this park again without all the construction walls, plus there’s going to be a new nightly fireworks show, too!

Epcot Tips

Now, when I visit Walt Disney World, I usually stay in one of the resorts behind Epcot’s International Gateway (Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, Disney’s Beach Club and Yacht Club Resort or Marriott’s Swan and Dolphin) so my strategy is usually to pop into Epcot for parts of a day, but it’s not a park that I tend to do from rope drop to fireworks. 

But maybe that will change soon!

Until then, here’s everything you need to know about spending the day at Epcot:

Attraction Breakdown…

Under No Circumstances Should You Miss These

Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind: This isn’t just the hot new ride at Epcot (at all of Walt Disney World!), it’s pretty much the gold standard that all other coasters/thrill rides are going to be compared to. 

It’s fast, it’s smooth, and it’s FUN. I really can’t emphasize how much the Guardians of the Galaxy theme makes a ride just pure fun. It’s probably equal parts the music and the chaoticness of the characters, but this coaster packs a punch without ever feeling “scary.” 

The first time I rode Cosmic Rewind, I was laughing and screaming so hard I had tears streaming down my face. And it’s consistently held up as my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World. Every trip I take, I usually manage to ride it about 4 times or so. 

Cosmic Rewind is still using a virtual queue which means that you CANNOT just show up and stand in line to ride. You either get a spot in a virtual queue and come when your boarding group is called, or you can purchase an Individual Lightning Lane to ride. Or you can do both. 

The first virtual queue opens at 7AM and you join it from your phone wherever you are (in bed, at breakfast, on the monorail, etc.). And it goes FAST. Like in less than one second. So have the app open, navigate to the screen where you’ll join the queue and be ready to hit the button exactly at 7AM. I have about a 50% success rate with getting a spot in the 7AM virtual queue. 

If you miss the 7AM queue, there’s another chance to join the queue at 1PM but this time you have to be scanned in and inside of Epcot. 

Once you’re in the queue, it’ll give you a boarding group number and an approximate time that you’ll be called back (it’s usually pretty accurate within 30 minutes or so assuming the ride doesn’t go down at all). Once they call your boarding number, you have an hour to show up at the ride. 

If it’s at all in the budget, I HIGHLY recommend buying a Lightning Lane AND doing the virtual queue so you can ride it twice. It’s that good. Plus it’s different every time you ride it. There are six possible songs that you can get: September, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Disco Inferno, One Way or Another, I Ran, and Conga. 

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure: Epcot’s France pavilion got a HUGE expansion in 2022 and with that came the brand new ride Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. It’s such a cute ride and a don’t miss if you have kids (really even if you don’t). 

Frozen Ever After: I still have Frozen Fever so I think Frozen Ever After is a don’t miss but even if you’re not a huge Frozen fan, the attraction is really well done and the audio animatronics are top notch. I dare you not to sing along ; ) Plus you can meet Anna and Else in their Royal Sommerhus nearby. 

Soarin’: When Soarin’ opened at Epcot, it was a MAJOR deal and honestly, after 20 years it’s still an incredible attraction. 

In September 2023, they brought back the original Soarin’ Over California film for a limited time run, but normally it’s Soarin’ Around the World. 

Stroll around World Showcase: This isn’t an attraction per se, but it’s what everybody comes to Epcot to do. The 11 countries that circle the lagoon are filled with shops, restaurants, shows, attractions, and places to just hang out.

A lot of people like to do an eating or drinking around the world challenge where they have something from every country, or even buy a little souvenir in each country. 

Journey of Water: This Moana inspired interactive exhibit on the water cycle feels more like an elaborate playground that’s fun for both kids and adults. It just opened in October 2023 and it’s definitely worth a walk through. The photo op with Te Fiti is pretty great, plus you can meet Moana here.  

Other “Big Rides” That Aren’t My Personal Favorites

Both Test Track and Mission Space are kind of billed as “big rides” (they were certainly a big deal when they opened), but neither have really held up well and they’re completely eclipsed by the newer stuff that’s opened in the last few years. 

I think they’re in a weird category where they’re not big headliner attractions, but they’re also not nostalgic favorites. 

Test Track is definitely worth a ride if you’ve never done it before and it has a pretty fun “thrill” at the end where the car races around a track at 60 MPH. Disney just announced a big overhaul/refurbishment for the ride so hopefully they’re able to make it more of a “must do.”

Mission Space is just a hard pass for me. I rode it once when it first opened and I’ve never been back. 

Full disclosure, I have a somewhat bizarre phobia of outer space, so it’s really just not for me, but the ride is a simulator of a flight to Mars and you’re locked into a pretty confined place. There are two versions of the ride (one that spins and one that doesn’t) and the spinning version gives the effect of pretty significant g forces on your chest when you “lift off.” 

They had to create a second version that doesn’t spin because so many people kept getting sick on it…it’s just…problematic. Anyways, if you’re going to ride it verify which version you’re getting in line for if you have a sensitive stomach ; ) 

These Aren’t A Listers But They’re Worth Your Time

Spaceship Earth: This is an iconic old school Epcot attraction, and the PERFECT place to go when you need a little break in the ac. 

Living with the Land: Another classic Epcot attraction, this is actually one of my favorites at Epcot and I usually don’t miss it. It has a vintage vibe, but it’s still really cool going through the greenhouses and learning about how they’re growing food right here at Epcot. Do this when you’re in the Land Pavilion to ride Soarin’. 

The Seas with Nemo and Friends: I love Finding Nemo, and if you have kids, this is a don’t miss. The actual ride is a slow moving ride in the clamshell that tells the story of Finding Nemo but the Seas Pavilion is pretty big with some other good attractions. 

Turtle Talk with Crush is a pretty funny (live) show plus the aquariums in the pavilion are pretty impressive. Don’t forget to go upstairs to see the manatees. 

Grand Fiesta Tour: I think of this as the Mexican version of It’s a Small World. There’s not usually much of a line and it’s a great way to break up all of your “eating and drinking” around the World Showcase. 

Reflections of China & O’Canada: Both China and Canada have giant Circle Vision theaters that play movies about each country respectively. They’re actually really cool, but you have to stand up the whole time : )

Impressions de France: Finally, a theater you can sit down in! This theater actually shows two different shows. One is a Beauty and the Beast sing a long and the other is a film about France. 

American Adventure: The scope and scale of this show is pretty impressive and it’s another great place to get out of the heat and sit for a while. Plus don’t miss the Voices of Liberty show in the rotunda before the show starts. 

Character Meet & Greets

Surprisingly, I think Epcot has the best character meet and greets of any park. I LOVE meeting characters around World Showcase in their “home” countries: 

Donald (Three Caballeros)  in Mexico

Anna & Elsa in Norway at the Royal Sommerhaus

Mulan in China

Snow White in Germany

Jasmine in Morocco

Belle & Princess Aurora in France

Alice, Mary Poppins & Winnie the Pooh in the UK

Plus there are plenty of character meets scattered throughout the rest of the park:

Mickey Mouse has been meeting in the Imagination Pavilion in the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival Theater

Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Daisy usually rotate around between the main entrance of Epcot, the gazebo at the front of World Showcase, and the International Gateway Entrance.

Check the daily schedule to find out exactly who is where, but it seems like once the front section of Epcot is complete, one of the things it’s going to include is a more permanent character meet and greet situation for the Big 5. 

Also there’s a brand new meet and greet with Figment in ImageWorks in the Imagination Pavilion (plus Joy from Inside Out is there too). 

And Moana just started meeting near Journey of Water. 

Epcot Plan of Attack (aka Itinerary)

Okay, now that I’ve told you about all of the great things to do in Epcot, here are some tips for how to actually get it all done…

Epcot is different from the other theme parks for me. Maybe it’s just my perception, but I feel like it has less “things to do” and more of a vibe where you just kind of hang out and walk around. 

So personally, I usually like to stay at one of the Epcot Resorts (Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht Club, Swan and Dolphin) where you can walk into the back of World Showcase and I like to spend a few hours at Epcot several times throughout my trip instead of doing one long day.

It works for a couple reasons: 

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind is my absolute favorite ride EVER and you can currently only ride it with a boarding pass or a lightning lane so the max you could ride is twice a day (if you get lucky) so I usually go to Epcot multiple times so I can ride it multiple times during my trip. 
2. Epcot is almost always having a festival and it’s a fun place to be in the early evening.

So if that sounds like something that might work for your trip, you’ll need less of a plan regarding rides since you’ll have several different opportunities to ride the most popular rides, but I know that probably won’t work for most people, so here’s my best “traditional approach” for doing a day at Epcot: 

Genie+ in Epcot

When Genie+ first debuted at Epcot, its value was a little questionable. First of all, there just aren’t a ton of rides at Epcot in general, and two of them were not in the regular Genie+ attractions pool, but were Individual Lightning Lanes instead. But things have started to change at Epcot. Two brand new attractions have recently opened, and with Disney cutting down the number of ILLs in each park to just ONE ride, I think it’s increased the value of Genie+ at Epcot.

Currently, Guardians of the Galaxy is the Individual Lightning Lane at Epcot (the one ride you can pay an additional $14ish to skip to the front of the line).

Besides the Guardians coaster, rides that I would prioritize for Genie+ in Epcot are: Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, Soarin’, Test Track.

Plus there’s a handful of rides that usually have Genie+ availability late in the day (Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Living with the Land, Seas with Nemo and Friends).

This means, if you’re willing to get there early to “rope drop” one attraction and you work the system well, you can do pretty much every single ride at Epcot with little to no waits using Genie+.

Depending on which entrance you’re coming into Epcot, I would either head to Frozen Ever After or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure as your first ride (Frozen if you’re entering at the park’s main entrance and Remy if you’re entering from the World Showcase). And then I would pick the alternate ride for your first Genie+ selection of the day.

My Ideal Epcot Day

Okay, I know I said I mostly like to pop into Epcot in the afternoon/evenings for a stroll around World Showcase and a little festival appreciation, but Epcot’s got some pretty good rides in the last couple of years so it’s worth a morning. 

Since I like to stay back in the Epcot Resort area, it’s super easy to walk over and do Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure right when the park opens with no wait. 

So my Epcot strategy is usually:

7AM (Hopefully) get a Cosmic Rewind boarding group for the virtual queue. If not, definitely get one at the 1PM drop.

7AM Buy a Lightning Lane for Cosmic Rewind (I told ya, I like to ride as many times as possible!)

7AM Book Genie+ reservation for Frozen Ever After 

Instead of booking a Genie+ for Remy, I head straight there when early entry starts.

After I ride Remy, I like to stop for breakfast at the bakery in France.

Throughout the day, you’ll grab Genie+ reservations for:

Soarin’ (a must do)

Test Track (I usually skip but it’s definitely worth doing once)

Mission: Space (I did it once and never again but it’s still a “big” ride)

Besides Genie+ rides, Spaceship Earth is a classic and I always enjoy spending a little time in the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Be sure to go upstairs to see the manatees!

And while I’m in the area for Soarin’ I like to squeeze in a ride on Living with the Land. 

A lot of the timing and pacing for a day in Epcot depends on your Genie+ and Lighting Lane return times, but generally speaking after I ride Remy in France, I head to Future World (the front of the park) to spend the morning and then plan to be back in the World Showcase for the afternoon and evening. 

Festivals at Epcot

Epcot has become a festival park! It started with the Food & Wine Festival for 30 days in the fall of 1996 and it’s grown to four different annual festivals that honestly span most of the year now. 

There’s the Festival of the Arts in January/February, the Flower & Garden Festival March-July, Food & Wine Festival July-November, and the Festival of the Holidays in November/December. 

My personal favorite is the Flower and Garden Festival in the spring. The food booths are just as good as for the Food & Wine Festival, but the whole park is landscaped incredibly well including dozens and dozens of topiaries. 

Festival of the Arts

Flower & Garden Festival

Want more Walt Disney World posts? Check these out…

Planning a Trip to Disney World? Read This First…

The Best (i.e. My Favorite) Time to Go to Walt Disney World

Tips for a Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park Strategy

How to Spend the Day at the Magic Kingdom

5 Day Walt Disney World Itinerary

Swan Reserve Review

The post To Space, to Sea & Around the World: Tips for Visiting Epcot appeared first on Mousin' Around.

The Magic Kingdom is Disney’s original Florida theme park, and the one that’s full of all that classic Disney nostalgia. PLUS it has the highest concentration of attractions and things to do out of all of Disney’s theme parks so no matter your age, you’ll find plenty of fun here. 

Now, the Magic Kingdom is a VERY DENSE park…meaning it has the highest number of attractions by far at any of the four parks which makes for a fun filled packed day, but also means that statistically it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll be able to do EVERYTHING in the Magic Kingdom in one day. 

My Favorite Things to Do at the Magic Kingdom

So you’ll need to decide what works best for you…do you want to…

1. See and do pretty much everything in the Magic Kingdom? You’ll need two days. 
2. Hit the highlights and have a great time? You can do it in one day. 

Whichever you choose, here’s how I would break the Magic Kingdom down…

Attraction Breakdown…

Listing out attractions in categories of “must do,” “time fillers,” or “fine to skip” is a lot harder in the Magic Kingdom than in the other parks. First of all, there are just sooooo many attractions. Second (and maybe this is just my personal opinion, but I think I’m right ; ) …the majority of the attractions in the Magic Kingdom aren’t necessarily “up to par” with what Disney has built in recent years in other parks. A high percentage of attractions here bank on a nostalgia factor and how much that weighs in really varies person to person. 

Also most of the attractions here are based on Disney movies and characters and I’ve found that people’s “favorites” usually sway what they think is a great attraction. If Winnie the Pooh is your sentimental childhood favorite then riding the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is going to be a must do for you. For someone who has no emotional attachment to the characters and stories, it might seem silly. 

I personally would only rank a handful of Magic Kingdom attractions as “must dos” and the rest are going to depend on what you’re into (and what your travel party looks like). 

So I’m going to break the attractions in the Magic Kingdom down a bit differently than I do for the other parks: 

The “Big” Attractions

TRON Lightcycle Run: The Magic Kingdom’s latest and greatest attraction (actually the newest attraction in all of Walt Disney World) just debuted in 2023 after YEARS of anticipation. 

The verdict? It’s a great addition to the Magic Kingdom and I’ll definitely do it every time I visit, but I don’t think it’s quite the home run hit that Disney needed it to be (but honestly, opening just after Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was a tough act to follow). 

It’s a fun (and super smooth coaster!) that has a fast launch, but I think the setup of the coaster cars make it seem a little more intense than it actually is. You ride straddling a “lightcycle” and being pitched forward over a motorcycle going around the track really makes the somewhat routine coaster seem exciting. It’s a great ride, but I wish it was longer. 

Right now, TRON is using a virtual queue which means the only way to ride is with a spot in the virtual queue OR by purchasing a Lightning Lane. You CANNOT just show up and stand in line to ride. 

There are two chances to snag a spot in the virtual queue: 7AM and 1 PM. Both are done in the My Disney Experience app. To join the 7AM queue, you have to have a Magic Kingdom park reservation (soon to be obsolete) and you can join the queue from your phone wherever you are. For the 1PM queue, you can only join on your phone once you’re inside the Magic Kingdom. 

If you miss getting a spot in the virtual queue (or you want to ride twice), you can purchase a Lightning Lane to walk right on the ride. 

Also, something different about this attraction…you HAVE to put all of your belongings into a locker. After you get in the queue, but before you board the ride, there’s a wall of lockers that you’ll put your stuff in and scan your park ticket/magic band to activate it. When you exit the attraction, you’re on the opposite side of the locker wall and you’ll scan your ticket/band and pull your things out the other side. Honestly, I wish they would do this on all attractions!

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: This highly themed family friendly coaster weaves elements of the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs through a ride that is part roller coaster part dark ride. The ride is smooth as butter (the train cars sway a bit so it’s not jerky and feels like you’re flying) but it’s not a super intense coaster. 

It’s fast and FUN but fairly tame which makes it a great coaster for kids who maybe haven’t graduated up to the more intense roller coasters and adults that like a good ride but don’t love the whiplash and intensity of bigger coasters. This is easily the most popular ride in the Magic Kingdom (even after TRON opened) and usually draws longer waits so go first thing in the morning, at the end of the day, buy access to the lightning lane or just be prepared to wait it out in line.

The Magic Kingdom Mountains: Okay, finally onto some classic thrill rides. The Magic Kingdom Mountains (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad) are regularly regarded as the best thrill rides in the Magic Kingdom and while there are probably better coasters and thrills in the other parks overall, there’s something special about these. Try the Magic Kingdom Mountain Challenge and ride all three in one day! My personal favorite is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

***Times are a changin’ and the Magic Kingdom Mountains don’t look quite like they used to! Splash Mountain has closed down to make way for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. It’ll essentially be the same ride with the big drop, but hopefully with way more star power and appeal. 

For now, Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain remain the same and while they’re sentimental classics, they’re just not quite holding up to the standards the more modern coasters are setting. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON have changed the game big time (not to mention coasters in other parks like Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind), but it’s still fun to hit the original three “mountains.” 

The People Mover: Okay, okay, okay I just had to include the People Mover in this section because it is MY favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom. Located high above Tomorrowland, this ride is my absolute favorite way to escape the heat for a bit and put my feet up. 

The People Mover travels above Tomorrowland on a track that offers you gorgeous views of the castle, Space Mountain, and the rest of Tomorrowland. The ride is a continuously loading slow moving ride that’s a bit like a futuristic train. Listen to a spiel that gives you a tour of Tomorrowland with a nostalgic flair and even catch a peek INSIDE Space Mountain. 

The People Mover is pretty popular and has a cult following with fans who appreciate its nostalgic appeal, the extended time to sit down and go in and out of AC and the fact that there’s rarely a line.

The Fantasyland Dark Rides

The Fantasyland dark rides have pretty much been my favorite attractions in the Magic Kingdom since I was a kid. 

I’m talking about Peter Pan’s Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, It’s a Small World and more recently Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid. These slow moving rides occur in the -you guessed it- the dark and involve you traveling in some kind of a vehicle (pirate ship, honey pot, clam shell, etc.) through the story of the movie presented in elaborate sets featuring audio animatronics (basically robot-like characters that move and talk).

While they’re mostly designed to appeal to small children who are mesmerized by the singing and show stopping scenes, they’re super popular with older kids and adults alike who appreciate the nostalgic feeling and ties to their favorite childhood movies.

Peter Pan’s Flight is by far the most popular of the Fantasyland dark rides (the long lines prove it), but don’t worry too much about the wait because the queue for the attraction is one of the best in Walt Disney World. Explore the Darling nursery as you travel through the interactive queue that features a lot of show elements (including Tinker Bell’s pixie dust) before you board a pirate ship and fly above London to Neverland.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh has a special place in my heart because I was pretty majorly attached to Pooh and friends throughout my childhood (way more than Mickey Mouse and the gang). Kids and adults alike love loading into the honeypot and setting out into the storybook to get immersed into their favorite Hundred Acre Wood stories. This ride has a fun and interactive queue as well.

It’s a Small World is a Disney classic and timeless. Originally developed for the 1964 World’s Fair, this simple boat ride tells the story of international friendship as you parade past dolls (and animals) from different countries singing the famous song. It sounds lame, but the scale of the sets is pretty impressive. It’s been my favorite since I was a toddler and you definitely can’t go to the Magic Kingdom without riding it at least once.

And although newer, Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid is pretty magical. Board your clam shell and set out into the story of Ariel and her adventures under the sea include some real show stopping scenes.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is a gamified version of a Disney dark ride (you shoot targets with a laser cannon) in Tomorrowland.

And while not “dark rides,” classics like Dumbo the Flying Elephant and the Mad Tea Party are sentimental classics. 

The Walt Disney Classics

The attractions that originally opened with the park in 1971 or were personally created by Walt Disney himself have a special quality about them. Some are a little hokey by today’s standards, but others remain some of the park’s most popular attractions. While there’s a dozen or so attractions that would fall into this category, besides a few that I’ve already mentioned, some of my favorites are:

Enchanted Tiki Room: A small theater-style attraction that features singing birds and flowers. It’s 100% kitsch but has incredible 1960s tiki vibes.

Jungle Cruise: Well known for the corny but legendary jokes by your Skipper, the Jungle Cruise is a simple river boat ride that takes you on a quick tour of the world’s largest river’s and the various audio animatronic animals that call them home.

Pirates of The Caribbean: One of Disney’s original attractions from the ’60s , Pirates is a slow moving boat ride that takes you on a journey through the world of pirate adventures and dangerous shenanigans. This is one of the rare scenarios where a Disney theme park ride inspired a hit movie franchise (instead of the other way around). Yo ho, yo ho.

Carousel of Progress: This nostalgic classic was originally developed for the 1964 Worlds Fair and is one of the oldest remaining classics from the original park. It’s a slow moving theater-style ride that takes you through the life and times of 20th century home technology following one family through the ages. VERY kitschy, fairly dated, but a classic and good place to hide out in the AC nonetheless.

Haunted Mansion: I’m not personally a fan of this ride (I don’t love the subject matter ; ) but it is a super popular classic ride with great storytelling elements. 

Shows

Enchanted Tales with Belle: Geared towards kids, this always ends up being one of my FAVORITES. 

It’s not a ride, but more like a small show that moves from room to room. It’s highly interactive and features some pretty cool special effects (including walking through the magic mirror, and a life like wardrobe and Lumiere. The general premise is it’s Belle and the Beast’s anniversary and your group (15-30 people) is planning a reenactment of how they fell in love to surprise Belle. 

It’s hard to explain and it takes up a fairly good chunk of time (about 20 minutes) but it’s highly personalized (kids and adults from the group are selected to participate in the show and everyone who wants a part can have one) and includes a quick meet and greet with Belle at the end.

Monsters Inc Laugh Floor: This is a bit of an outlier on this list, but this comedy club style show features an ever changing act from some of your favorite monsters and some pretty great humor. Besides being a good escape from the heat, it’s surprisingly funny and very interactive. People from the audience are put up on the screen and selected to be part of the different skits (it all happens from your seat). This type of thing always makes me extremely nervous (not gonna lie), but I always laugh out loud during this show and I love that it’s always new and different.

Country Bear Jamboree: Another corny classic, the famous country singing bears are slated to undergo a refurbishment so see it soon in its original form. 

Other Things to Do in the Park

The Dapper Dans on Mainstreet: This classic barbershop quartet performs Disney classics and turn of the century favorites several times a day on Mainstreet. They draw quite a crowd and change up their lineup seasonally. 

It’s also super fun to catch the staff at Casey’s Corner singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame outside the restaurant (it happens randomly).

Watch Happily Ever After: After a brief hiatus for the 50th anniversary, Disney’s classic nighttime fireworks spectacular is BACK. Projections on the castle, full scale fireworks, and an incredible soundtrack really cap the night off in a big way.

Hands down my favorite part is when Tinker Bell flies from the top of the castle. Yep. An actual person FLIES on a wire from the top of Cinderella’s Castle all lit up and waving her little fairy wand around. It’s been a staple of Magic Kingdom fireworks shows for decades now and it’s super special.

Festival of Fantasy Parade: Every day at 3PM, the Festival of Fantasy parade winds from Frontierland and past the castle down Mainstreet USA. If you have little kids, it’s definitely a priority.

Pics at the Purple Wall: In the age of “pics or it didn’t happen,” the “Purple Wall” in Tomorrowland has developed a cult following among Instagrammers. What started as just a normal purple hued wall that stretched along the pathway in Tomorrowland between the Tomorrowland Terrace and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor got an upgrade a few years ago to include a cool geometric pattern. 

The Tangled Toilets: Okay I know you’re thinking I’m crazy, but hang with me a minute. Tangled is one of my all time favorite movies and I personally think the movie is woefully underrepresented in the Disney parks. Case in point…while many princesses have rides, shows or CASTLES dedicated to them, Rapunzel has a…bathroom. To be fair, it’s a really nice bathroom ; ) 

Located on the Liberty Square end of Fantasyland, this bathroom, stroller parking, rest area feels like you’ve stepped into the Tangled movie. There’s a little village area with the lanterns and you can even see the tower in the distance. If you’re a Tangled fan, you’ll for sure want to come check out the area. And there are nice spots to sit in the shade with charging stations too. 

Walking through the Castle to see the Cinderella Mosaics: Did you know that you can actually walk THROUGH the castle? Well, most of the time. If there’s not a show going on out front, most of the time the walkways up through the castle are open. 

It’s so spectacular to see up close but my favorite part is actually inside. Be sure to stop and take a look at all of the beautiful mosaics lining the walls that depict the story of Cinderella.

Take a Picture in Front of the Castle: You can’t go to the Magic Kingdom and NOT take a picture with the castle in the background. Pro tip though: don’t stop and have your picture taken by one of the photographers on Main Street unless you want 10,000 people in the background. There are way better spots. 

I like to go right up to the bottom of the castle and stand on one of the ramps/walkways. Even if it’s roped off it’s a great backdrop. The bridges to Liberty Square and Tomorrowland also are really great spots. Basically, there’s a ton of good angles and spots all around the “hub” in front of the castle where you can get the perfect backdrop without everybody else that happens to be in the park.

Chill on the Main Street Hub Grass: Doing a full day at the Magic Kingdom can make you TIRED so I like to take plenty of breaks to just relax or people watch. The Main Street hub grass is probably my go-to spot. These little grassy areas in the hub in front of the castle are the perfect place to lounge around for a bit. Grab a snack and have a little picnic or just have a lay down. There’s usually kids running around and people acting more like they do in a neighborhood park.

Character Meet & Greets

Since I was a kid, meeting characters has been pretty much my favorite thing to do at Disney. I’ll be honest…I could go to Disney and just do character meets and skip the rides. I’ve collected HUNDREDS of character autographs in a book and even as an adult I still get a kick out of taking pictures with some of my favorites.

Some characters, like Cinderella’s stepsisters and Peter Pan, randomly pop up around Fantasyland to interact with guests, but most characters have dedicated areas where they meet guests every day:

Fairytale Hall is a magical place my friend. When I was a kid, you had to stand in line for a long time, outside, in the sun to meet characters. Now they have so many of them set up INSIDE in the air conditioning. 

Princess Fairytale Hall is the go to place to meet -you guessed it- the princesses. You stand in one line and meet two princesses (Tiana and Rapunzel together and Cinderella and Elena of Avalor together). Rapunzel is my all time favorite princess and Tiana is really great at making conversation (oh the things you know after years of meeting characters) so they’re a don’t miss for me.

And you can’t go to Disney without meeting Mickey Mouse. He meets inside Town Hall on Mainstreet (close to the entrance). Tinker Bell is also in Town Hall and let me tell you SHE IS A HOOT.

Meeting Ariel in her grotto has been a don’t miss since I was a kid. When I was little, the line for her “grotto” was in the sun and we have literally used to wait an HOUR just to meet the mermaid. After the new Fantasyland expansion in 2012, Ariel’s Grotto got an upgrade which includes a billion times more shade, air conditioning at times, and a surprisingly much shorter line. What makes the grotto so fun is that Ariel meets in her “fins.” 

She’s perched on a rock/throne in her full mermaid regalia instead of the dress that she normally wears at character breakfasts.

Another favorite is meeting Merida. She used to meet in the Storybook Garden behind the castle (she’s moved to the Liberty Square gazebo now that Mirabel from Encanto meets here). She’s feisty and a lot of fun. 

Where to Eat

Waffles at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments: A giant crispy AND fluffy Belgian waffle topped with Nutella and fresh fruit. Ummm what?? Hands down my favorite Magic Kingdom snack.

Dole Whip: Maybe the most famous Disney snack. This classic pineapple treat comes in a LOT of varieties now. My personal favorite is the pineapple and vanilla twist soft serve. The classic Dole Whip is a pineapple soft serve “float” in pineapple juice. Don’t love pineapple? There’s usually orange and other seasonal flavors and combinations. Depending on exactly what you want you’ll either want to head to Aloha Isle or Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland. The Pineapple Lanai at the nearby Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort also has a lot of Dole Whip options.

Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bar: Hagaan Das vanilla ice cream meets Godiva chocolate. Win/win. No trip to Disney World is complete until you’ve enjoyed an ice cream shaped like the main mouse himself. You can get these at ice cream carts scattered throughout all four parks.

Cheshire Cat Tail: This fun treat from the Cheshire Cafe near the Mad Tea Party is not only Instagram cute but it’s downright tasty too. It’s kind of like a pastry with icing and it’s pretty divine.

Anything from the Confectionery or Big Top Treats: The Magic Kingdom is home to two of the best little sweet spots on Disney property: The Confectionary on Main Street USA and Big Top Treats inside the Big Top Souvenir shop in Fantasyland. Both have an incredible variety of homemade candy and sweet treats. The decorated caramel apples are pretty legendary, but my personal favorite are the chocolate covered strawberries.

Columbia Harbor House: If you need more than a snack, the Columbia Harbor House is a good choice for a quick service meal. It’s located a bit off the beaten path between Liberty Square and Fantasyland so it’s often not as crowded as other popular spots plus it features a menu that’s pretty unique. In addition to the average chicken tenders, they’ve got quite a few seafood options and stuff that’s on the healthier/lighter side.

Cinderella’s Royal Table: The Magic Kingdom’s signature dining experience will cost you a pretty penny, but it’s a bucket list dream come true for sure. Dine WITH the princesses upstairs INSIDE Cinderella’s Castle. With views overlooking Fantasyland and a lot of royal fanfare, the food doesn’t even have to be good, but it is surprisingly. 

Like I said, it’s not cheap (and it’s hard to get a reservation), but if you can manage it it’s pretty fantastic. It’s not something I do often, but it’s pretty special.

Be Our Guest Restaurant: From the minute you step inside this Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant in Fantasyland, you’ll feel like you’re inside the story. Cross a bridge guarded by gargoyles and enter Beast’s castle where you can dine in the Ballroom, the West Wing, or the Rose Gallery. Dinner’s a little expensive (the Beast is usually on hand for photos), but breakfast and lunch are a great experience.

Crystal Palace: There’s nothing I love more than a good buffet, and if you’re in the Magic Kingdom and looking for one…this is where you should head. Join Winnie the Pooh and Friends for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at this fun restaurant right in the shadows of Cinderella’s Castle.

Magic Kingdom Plan of Attack (aka Itinerary)

Okay, now that I’ve told you about all of the great things to do in Magic Kingdom, here are some tips for how to actually get it all done…

Depending on your budget, let’s run through a few different scenarios…

The Magic Kingdom is definitely the park that you’ll feel like you get the most value with Genie+, just because of the sheer number of rides and attractions. The Magic Kingdom is packed with attractions, which means that there’s a lot of Genie+ capacity. It’s easier to get earlier return times because there’s so many options and you’ll find the most options still available later in the day (when in some parks most Genie+ options will be sold out by early afternoon).

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is the fancy pants Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) attraction in the Magic Kingdom and it is the ride that gets by far the longest waits in the park. You’ll either want to rope drop it (get there an hour plus before park opening and run straight there), buy the ILL, or plan to spend 70-120 minutes in line.

Rides that I would prioritize for Genie+ in the Magic Kingdom: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise.

If you have small kids (or you don’t), you’ll want to alter your picks to what your travel party is most into.

There are some rides that using a Genie+ isn’t generally worth it (because the ride doesn’t have super long waits). Mad Tea Party, Small World, and pretty much any show.

Oddly enough (I think it’s odd), Jungle Cruise is usually the ride that ends up selling out first and even if you can get it the return times are often into the early evening pretty early in the day. So some people make it their first Genie+ selection.

Overall, Genie+ works really well in the Magic Kingdom. There are so many rides in the Magic Kingdom that it would be hard to do everything in one day with NO waits. So having Genie+ is really an advantage.

Genie+ fluctuates in price daily depending on demand, but seems to be between $20-25/person at the Magic Kingdom.

Besides the attractions covered by Genie+, the park currently offers an Individual Lightning Lane to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle Run for $12-15/person. 

So for $44-55/person you could do BOTH Lightning Lanes (Mine Train and TRON) and probably squeeze out another 4-5 attractions with Genie+.

It’s not too hard to get a virtual queue time for TRON so unless you’re wanting to ride it twice in the same day, there’s probably no need to pay for the Lightning Lane there.

Magic Kingdom WITHOUT Genie+

If you’re trying to do the Magic Kingdom without Genie+, it’s really important to take advantage of the early entry offered to Disney resort guests (remember guests staying at a Walt Disney World resort can enter the parks 30 minutes before everyone else). 

Plan to arrive at least an hour before the published opening time and make your way to the ropes up near the castle to line up for your first attraction. For early morning entry, only the attractions in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland open up early so you’ll want to head straight to Mine Train (only if you’re at the front of the pack otherwise it’ll already be a pretty long line), Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, etc. 

Want more Walt Disney World posts? Check these out…

Planning a Trip to Disney World? Read This First…

The Best (i.e. My Favorite) Time to Go to Walt Disney World

Tips for a Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park Strategy

Epcot Tips

5 Day Walt Disney World Itinerary

Swan Reserve Review

The post My Favorite Things to Do at Magic Kingdom: Castles, Princesses & Flying Elephants OH MY! appeared first on Mousin' Around.

They’re more expensive than ever and they take more planning than ever. But if you are your family’s designated Disney planner (that’s me!)…I’ve got your back.

Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know before you book your Disney trip (based on FAQs that I get all the time): 

How many days do you need at Disney?

One day per park (there are four theme parks) is probably the minimum if you want to experience the best of Disney. That won’t be enough time to do every single thing, but I think it’s a pretty good trip for most people. 

I personally find that about four nights at Disney is my limit. I’ll usually do a four night stay with a 5 day hopper ticket and time my flights to arrive early in the day on my arrival day and leave later in the day on my departure day so I can take advantage of those partial days as well. 

Here is the 5 day Disney World itinerary that I always use. 

Is staying at a Disney resort worth it?

In a word, yes. Disney has the full range of budget options covered from “deluxe” to “moderate” to “value.” 

Generally speaking most Disney resorts offer pretty great theming and amenities like good transportation options to the park, but the #1 perk they offer now is early entry to the theme parks each day. 

EVERY DAY Disney resort guests can enter the parks 30 minutes before everyone else. And that’s long enough to take advantage of short (or non-existent) wait times before the park officially opens. 

Disney resort guests also get a head start on booking Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane times. They can make their first selections at 7AM while everyone else has to wait until the park officially opens. 

Do we need a car?

Disney used to offer the Magical Express service from Orlando International Airport (MCO) for FREE (which you had to book in advance), but they stopped it last year. Mears and other companies now offer a variety of services (for a fee) ranging from shuttle buses that drop off many people with many different hotel stops to private town cars that will take you straight to your resort. All of those options will need to be booked before you arrive.

If you don’t have kids that require car seats, I 100% recommend just hopping in an Uber or Lyft after you grab your bags. It is soooooo much quicker (and cheaper!) than taking one of these shuttle services and there are so many drivers in the area that you’ll only wait a couple of minutes for a pickup.

What’s My Disney Experience?

I’m glad you asked! Because your whole trip is going to revolve around it ; ) 

My Disney Experience is an online account you’re going to need to set up for every person in your travel party (parents can manage their children’s accounts). You’ll need to download the app on your phone and sync up with everyone else in your travel party. 

Your resort reservation will appear in your account along with your park tickets and that will allow you to book things like dining reservations, ride reservations, etc. 

The app is also where you’ll find your PhotoPass photos (from rides and photographers around the park) and be able to Mobile Order at counter service restaurants to bypass the lines. 

In the app you can also monitor attraction wait times, check character schedules, park hours, etc. 

It’s basically the hub of which your entire trip will revolve around. 

DO NOT DROP THE BALL AND WAIT UNTIL YOU SHOW UP TO GET IT SET UP. You 100% need every adult in your travel party to have an account, have their resort reservations and park tickets linked to their accounts, and all of you link your accounts before you arrive. 

Once everyone is linked up, you can designate one person to make ride reservations (Genie+) for everyone. 

What reservations do I need?

Theme Park Reservations: Since the Disney parks reopened after COVID, they’ve required advanced reservations for the theme parks each day. It’s been…wild. 

I did a trip in April 2022 where we couldn’t even get reservations to go to all of the parks three weeks in advance!!!

Thankfully, Disney has listened to the extremely negative feedback about this requirement and they’ve announced they’re dropping the need for park reservations on January 9, 2023. 

But if you’re visiting during the remainder of 2023, make sure there are theme park reservations available before you purchase your tickets. 

It hasn’t been explicitly announced yet, but it’s assumed that they’ll also drop the “no park hopping until after 2 PM rule.” Yep, currently if you have the park hopping add on to your ticket (you can go to more than one park per day) you can’t park hop until after 2 PM. 

Dining Reservations: You can currently make dining reservations 60 days in advance. If you’re a Disney resort guest, you can make them 60 days in advance plus the length of your trip. So at the 60 day mark for your arrival day, you can make your dining reservations for your whole trip. 

So what should you make reservations for? Pretty much any meal you’d like to eat where you sit at a table and are served by a waiter (including buffets and family style restaurants). If it’s a really slow time of year (and you have a small party), sometimes it’s easy enough to walk up to certain restaurants and join a waitlist, but not always. 

If you want to have a sit down dining experience every day at a specific restaurant (or just somewhere that’s going to be convenient for where you are in the parks), I strongly recommend making those reservations in advance. 

And if you’ve got your heart set on a certain restaurant (there are some really cool places at Disney) and you can’t get a reservation, I’ve had good success setting up a notification through a service like Touring Plans where they monitor the system for cancellations and send you notifications for open time slots. 

If you can’t get the reservations you want (or you’re overwhelmed with having to book things in advance)…Disney has really stepped up their quick service options lately so don’t worry that you’ll be stuck with hot dogs and chicken fingers if you can’t get reservations somewhere.

I LOVE Satu’li Canteen and Flametree BBQ in Animal Kingdom and Regal Eagle BBQ in Epcot.

How do we skip the lines?

The million dollar question!! If it’s been a while since you’ve been to Disney (i.e. you remember the days of “FastPass”), well…it’s completely different. 

It’s basically a pay to play game now and it’s called Genie+. 

Genie+ is a ride reservation system that allows you to book time slots to show up for the park’s most popular rides and either walk right on or wait in a much shorter line.

The cost for Genie+ varies based on demand but it’s usually between $15-25/person per day. You’ll find out the price when you open the app that morning. 

That’s on top of your park ticket. And just to be clear…purchasing Genie+ doesn’t just allow you to walk on all of the rides…it allows you to make reservations for the park’s most popular rides. It’s a whole process. 

Here’s the nitty gritty:

In each park there’s a list of attractions that are available to book with Genie+ (included in your flat fee) and then there’s an EXTRA “special” attraction that can be booked a la carte for an additional price.

You are not guaranteed to use the Lightning Lane (that’s what Disney calls the Genie+ entrance) for every attraction included in Genie+. Paying for Genie+ just means that you can use the system to book reservations that day. But there’s still a “system” you have to work.

***And remember, EVERYTHING regarding Genie+ is done on the My Disney Experience app on your phone. It’s essential that everyone you’re traveling with has a park ticket that’s linked to their account and that all of your accounts are linked together.

Genie+ can be purchased starting at midnight the day of your park day and technically they put a cap on how many can be sold each day, but I’ve never seen it not available. Set an alarm on your phone and log in to your account and purchase Genie+ BEFORE 7AM every morning so it’s all squared away and you can jump on the reservations right when they open. 

Starting at 7AM, guests staying at a Disney resort with a park reservation for that day (soon not to be needed) can book their first Genie+ attraction.

Non-Disney resort guests (those staying off property) have to wait until the park opens (usually 9 AM) to book their first reservation. 

Your next Genie+ attraction can be selected EITHER 1) immediately after you use your first Genie+ reservation (when you scan in for the ride), or 2) TWO HOURS after you make your previous selection (two hours after park opening if it’s your first selection).

I’ll give a couple of examples to show the difference.

Let’s say you’re going to Hollywood Studios and at 7AM you book Slinky Dog Dash for your first attraction with a return time of 2-3PM. Good news: you don’t have to wait until you ride Slinky at 2PM to make another Genie+ selection. If the park opens at 8AM, you can make your next Genie+ selection at 10AM.

But let’s say you’re going to the Animal Kingdom and you book Kilimanjaro Safari with a return time of 9-10AM. You can book your next Genie+ selection AS SOON as you scan into Kilimanjaro Safari. You don’t have to wait for two hours after the park opens.

And you’ll go the rest of the day like that. Booking your next Genie+ selections either every two hours or after you’ve scanned in at your previous ride (whichever comes first).

Now…you do not get to choose your return times. Return times (your reservation slot to show up and ride) are evenly distributed throughout the day and how quickly they fill up depends on the attractions popularity.

So I don’t know the actual numbers, but it’s all based on ride capacity. Let’s say that they’ve decided that they’ll give out 100 Genie+ reservations per hour at a certain attraction. They’ll start right at park opening, let’s say 8-9AM and move incrementally until they get booked up. So when 8-9AM gets booked up, the time slot moves to 8:05-9:05AM and then 8:10-9:10AM and on and on until park closing.

So if it’s a SUPER popular ride, the return times are going to move later into the day at a faster rate because so many people are choosing that attraction and its availability is filling up. If it’s not a super popular ride (or it has a really high capacity), it won’t book as quickly and return times will tend to be earlier.

So you don’t get to schedule your exact time slot for these rides, you just get the next available time slot.

But you can check back during the day and if you see there’s an option for a return time that works better, then you can modify your reservation to the new time slot. 

EXCEPT with the fancy pants “a la carte” individual attractions in every park (one in each of the four parks-but sometimes they’ll add an extra one if there’s a brand new attraction). They let you pick your time for those (within bounds of what’s available). 

For Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle Run in the Magic Kingdom, Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios, AVATAR Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in Epcot, you can book a specific return time that is not tied to your Genie+ rules (every two hours or after you’ve scanned into your last attraction).

If you’re a Disney resort guest, you can book those individual special lightning lanes (max 2 per day) at 7AM. And you get to select that time you ride, BUT these are the most popular rides in Disney World so the lightning lanes tend to get booked pretty fast. So I would plan for the general time of day you want to ride, but take whatever you can get and book quickly.

The Lightning Lanes for these “a la carte” rides generally cost $13-20 per person per ride.

Now…if you’re NOT a Disney resort guest (you’re staying at a property off site), you have to wait until the park opens to book those individual “special” attractions. And honestly, sometimes they can already be sold out for the day at that point. Sorry to say, sometimes it’s often hard to get a Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance or Guardians of the Galaxy if you’re not staying on Disney property.

And even though the rule is you can buy TWO Individual Lightning Lanes per day, there’s only one attraction available in each park so you’d have to park hop if you want to do the second (except for the Magic Kingdom which currently has both Seven Dwarfs Mine Train AND Tron Lightcycle Run available as Individual Lightning Lanes). Also, you can’t pay for the same attraction twice. 

I’ve got specific information on how to make Genie+ and Lightning Lane selections for each park in these posts:

Magic Kingdom

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Is Genie+ Worth It?

Part of the reason this question is getting asked so much is because Disney’s Fastpass system used to be FREE. And when you’re used to getting something for free, people aren’t super thrilled about having to start paying.

So is Genie+ worth it? Well, if I have to give a short answer, I would say yes. The long answer is…it’s more complicated and there are probably certain scenarios where it’s MORE worth it than others.

But in general, if you really despise spending time waiting in lines, you’re going to want Genie+.

So onto the complicated part. The biggest thing is going in with the right expectations. Genie+ is not an easy breezy way to walk to the front of the line at every attraction in the park. You don’t just walk up, flash a badge, and hop on. You’ve got to have reservations.  And because Disney parks are crowded, and a lot of people are using Genie+, it self limits availability.

Disney officially says that the average guest should expect 2-3 rides with little to no waits when using Genie+. Yikes. In my experience…if you have a strategy and you can work the system, you can stretch it to 4-5 (depending on the park).

The other thing is…Genie+ is….complicated. You cannot just show up and start using this thing. You’ve got to do your research to know the best strategy to lay out your day. You pretty much need an education to know how to work it to your advantage and make it worthwhile.

I’ll be super honest about my personal opinion…if you’re going to Disney on a once in a lifetime trip (even if you go somewhat often but like to “do everything” on your trips), I strongly recommend putting Genie+ and one individual Lightning Lane attraction in the budget every day. It will make your trip soooooo much easier and you’ll really minimize time in line.

A trip to Disney World is EXPENSIVE these days. And I just can’t imagine spending all of that money and having to wait in lines for EVERY single ride. For $30-45/day, you can be in GREAT shape line wise ($15-25 for Genie+ and $15-20 for the extra special ride).

Can You Do the Parks without Genie+?

Of course. I don’t want you to think that you can’t do the park without Genie+, but it’s definitely tougher.

Plan on a very early arrival, staying until close, and you’ll need a super star strategy. I would recommend looking at Touring Plans as they’ll generate a customized itinerary for you based on what you’re interested in and whether or not you’re using Genie+. They have so many years of data and research that drives their recommendations.

What about virtual queues?

If all of this doesn’t sound complicated enough, let’s throw ONE MORE THING into the mix. Virtual queues. 

In the past when Disney has opened a new attraction, it’s not uncommon for 4-5 hour waits to pile up and nobody likes that. So in recent years they’ve introduced a virtual queue to brand new rides for the first year or so until all the wildness calms down. 

Currently there are two attractions at Walt Disney World that use a virtual queue: Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind (at Epcot) and TRON Lightcycle Run (at Magic Kingdom). 

Since these rides use a virtual queue, you CANNOT WAIT IN A PHYSICAL LINE. Both of these rides have the option to PURCHASE an Individual Lightning Lane to ride, but if you want to ride for free, you’ve got to get a spot in the virtual queue. 

Here’s how that works: You’ll find the virtual queue in the My Disney Experience app under the “Tip Board.” 

There’s a 7AM drop and a 1PM drop. At 7AM, everyone who has a park reservation (soon to go away) can request to join the virtual queue and you do this on your phone from wherever you are. 

I have about a 50/50 success rate at getting the virtual queue at 7AM. If you miss the 7AM drop (spots are gone in less than a second), there’s a second drop at 1PM but only for people who are physically in the park (your ticket has to be scanned in at the gate). 

If you miss the 7AM drop, your odds for getting the 1PM drop are pretty good. 

If you get a spot in the virtual queue, you’re given a boarding group number. They start calling boarding groups when the park opens and you have one hour from the time they call your group to show up to ride the attraction. 

They say they’re pretty strict about not letting you in if your time has passed, but I’ve never been turned away : )

Since Guardians of the Galaxy and Tron both have a virtual queue AND the option to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane, it’s possible to ride both of these TWICE in one day if you’re willing to pay. 

Want more Walt Disney World posts? Check these out…

The Best (i.e. My Favorite) Time to Go to Walt Disney World

Tips for a Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park Strategy

How to Spend the Day at the Magic Kingdom

Epcot Tips

5 Day Walt Disney World Itinerary

Swan Reserve Review

The post Planning a Trip to Walt Disney World? Read This First… appeared first on Mousin' Around.

I’m not going to lie…going to Disney World these days is…complicated. And there are a billion websites dedicated to hashing out the endless details of a Disney “vacation.” What to do, what not to do, and what order to do it in. 

Well, this isn’t that. This is the itinerary that I personally use pretty much every time I go to Disney World. 

And I’ve been a lot. I’ve been going to Walt Disney World since I was a kid and now almost 30 years since my first trip, I’ve done countless trips with family, friends, people who have never been before, etc. 

So I’ve got a game plan!

My strategy when I go to Disney isn’t to do everything every single time. It’s to do what I think is “the best” they have to offer and the things that I personally enjoy the most. 

Soooooo….if you want personal recommendations from a Disney fan and not a Disney encyclopedia, then buckle up!

My Favorite 5 Day Walt Disney World Itinerary

First things first, this is my go-to itinerary for a 4 NIGHT trip to Walt Disney World. 

I love love love Walt Disney World as much as the next person, but I think four nights is the sweet spot for a theme park vacation. After 4 days of waking up early, walking 10-15 miles a day, staying up late, and eating theme park food, I’m usually ready to go home. 

And yes, Disney has all manner of resorts and places you can go for “downtime” but since I travel a lot I’ve learned that Orlando isn’t really my preferred place for a restful vacation. 

So, do people come to Orlando for a full week? 10 days? 2 weeks? Absolutely! Do they have a blast? I’m sure. But this is how I like to do it and how I always organize it when I take people to Disney with me that haven’t been before…

My Trip Itinerary

I fly into Orlando, and I usually get to the airport about noon on the day I arrive and leave on a 5PM flight on the day I go home. So I usually opt for a 5 day park hopper ticket even though I’m only there for three full days. 

Yes, you could extend your trip by two nights to get five full days in the parks, or you could just do three days and opt for some free, out of the park activities on your arrival or departure days, but here’s how Disney park tickets work: 

Once you’re locked in for a three day pass, it’s relatively inexpensive to add days. Going from a one day to a two ticket? Almost double the price. Going from a four day ticket to a five day ticket? Only about $20. 

So for me, getting those two extra half days in the park really lets me do a lot and I think it’s worth it to pay extra. 

And really, if you end up just going to Disney Springs or something else “free” on those half days, you’re going to end up spending just as much money shopping, eating, etc. 

Where I Like to Stay

Okay, where you stay really does matter. The big decision is on Disney property or off. If you’re coming for a quick-ish trip and you’re focused on visiting the theme parks, you really want to stay on Disney property. 

Besides proximity and transportation options, they’ve added one big perk for resort guests that make it hard to pass up. 

Whatever the posted opening time for the parks are each morning, Disney resort guests get in 30 minutes earlier. And with 30+ resorts worth of people getting that perk, if you don’t have it, you’re basically guaranteed to start the day out with long lines for attractions as soon as you can get inside. 

Plus Disney gives resort guests a head start on making Lightning Lane and Genie+ reservations each morning so sometimes it’s hard to get on the most popular new rides if you’re staying off property. 

So I’m definitely an “on property” person. But that still leaves a lot of options to narrow down. 

I like a nice place to stay so I’m naturally more of a fan of Disney’s “Deluxe” resort options although I’m always happy staying at Pop Century when it’s a budget trip. 

I’ve stayed pretty much everywhere on Disney property, and I always keep coming back to the Epcot Resort area. 

There’s a pocket of resorts at the back of Epcot that has access to enter the park through the International Gateway. Yes, that’s right. You can WALK to Epcot. Plus there’s also boat transportation to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. 

The Disney deluxe resorts in this area are Disney’s Boardwalk Resort and Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club. They’re both fantastic options, although the Yacht & Beach Club definitely have the best pool on property. 

But there’s also a trio of resorts in this area that are actually owned by Marriott but get all of the Disney perks. The Swan and Dolphin (and new Swan Reserve tower) are a GEM on the Walt Disney World hotel scene. 

You get all of the perks of staying at a Disney resort (early entry, early Genie+ booking window, transportation, etc.) plus the GREAT location where you can walk or take the boat to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios AND they’re usually half to a third the price of Disney’s resorts in the same area (Boardwalk, Yacht Club and Beach Club). 

So even if you’re not part of Marriott Bonvoy’s rewards program (you should be!) it’s still usually a much better deal. And if you do have Marriott status, these hotels usually have great point redemption rates and it’s just always nice to earn points even if you’re paying cash. 

The last few Disney trips I’ve done, I’ve been staying at the Swan Reserve and I LOVE it. If it’s an adults only trip, I think Swan Reserve has the slight edge. The Swan (Westin) has queen size beds while the Dolphin (Sheraton) only has doubles. But honestly, they’re all three pretty equal (and share so many of the same amenities) so I’d probably just go with the best rate. 

When I Like to Go

I’ve been on Disney World trips pretty much every month of the year. There are different reasons to go at different times, but in general my absolute favorite time of year to go is April and May. It’s warm enough that it feels like summer but without the absolute brutal heat and humidity of a Florida summer. So you can take advantage of mid afternoon pool breaks, but the big summer crowds haven’t arrived yet. 

But the #1 reason I love visiting this time of year is because it’s during Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival! 

Epcot is at its best when there’s a festival going on (which honestly is pretty much most of the year these days) and Flower and Garden is my favorite.

You pretty much get the same number of food booths that they have for the Food and Wine Festival (late summer through fall) but Epcot is positively BLOOMING. Dozens and dozens of elaborate topiaries and flower displays really make the whole park pop and honestly, once you’ve been to Epcot during this time, everything else is kind of a let down. 

BUT…I will say…if you’re heat adverse then I also really like going mid January through February when the Festival of Arts is running at Epcot. I’ll be honest…weather is a mixed bag in Florida this time of year. It could be 80 and it could be 30 but it’s usually pretty cool in the mornings and evenings and very pleasant in the afternoons which make for pretty perfect weather for spending long days running around the parks. 

My Park Strategy

So I already said that I recommend a 5 day ticket to cover three full days and parts of my arrival and departure day. 

But I’m also very firmly “team park hopper” and “team Genie+”. 

Generally speaking, here’s the park strategy that works best for me: 

I pay for Genie+ (Disney’s “skip the line” service that usually costs $15-25/person per day) and I usually end up paying for the extra lightning lane too (each park has one ride that you can pay for separately to skip the line). 

I like to do as much as possible when I come to Walt Disney World. It costs a LOT to come play and I’m not going to start pinching pennies once I get here. Now I get that if you’re here for 6-10 days you could get by without it, but with a shorter trip it REALLY makes a difference with how much you can do. 

I also like to go to two different parks a day (sometimes more!). Maybe it’s because I’ve visited a lot and I just have patterns for how I like to do things, but I like to spend the morning in one park, take a break in the afternoon, and then usually head to another park late afternoon. 

It works with how I like to spend time at Epcot especially during a festival (a little bit every day but not a full day from open to close). 

OKAY HERE WE GO!!!

DAY 1: ARRIVE & Disney’s Hollywood Studios 

Okay, I said it earlier but I fly into Orlando (MCO) and usually arrive about 11:30 to 12. I grab an Uber/Lyft at the airport, check in at the hotel and I figure the earliest I can be at a park is by 2PM. 

Since I usually stay at the Swan Reserve, it’s really easy to get to both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but I like to head to Hollywood Studios on the first day for two reasons: 

1. It’s my favorite park ; )
2. It’s the park that works best for “stacking” Genie+ reservations

Hollywood Studios has a pretty high concentration of “must do” attractions and even when you start there first thing in the morning, your Genie+ reservation times usually end up being for later in the afternoon. So it’s the perfect park to show up to mid afternoon with a whole slew of Genie+ reservations to walk right on the park’s most popular attractions. 

So let’s assume you’ll get to the park by 2PM. 

We’re going to pay for Genie+ AND the Individual Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance so here’s how to work it: 

At 7AM ORLANDO TIME (so adjust for the time zone that you’re traveling from. For me, that’s 6AM), make your first Genie+ selection for Slinky Dog Dash. Be ready and push the button right at 7AM. Return times are usually mid afternoon right at 7AM so it should work well. 

As soon as you do that, then buy the Individual Lighting Lane for Rise of the Resistance. You’ll obviously want to pick a time after 2PM. 

Two hours after the park opens, you can make your next Genie+ selection. So check the park hours and set an alarm on your phone so you don’t forget. If the park opens at 9AM, you’ll be able to make your next reservation at 11AM. 

Slinky Dog Dash is the hardest reservation to get (it books out the fastest), but pretty much everything else moves slower. So starting at 11AM you’ll have to start monitoring return times and you’ll want to pick rides that are booking farther out. 

Example…at 11AM if the return time for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is for 11:30AM but Millenium Falcon Smuggler’s Run is for 4PM, then go with Smuggler’s Run since it’s going to run out of availability quicker. 

Every time you make a reservation, set an alarm for 2 hours and then go back in and make another one. Each time, you’ll just pick the next best option in terms of ride popularity (what you want to ride) and how far back the return times are. 

It sounds complicated (and it kind of is), but if you can wrap your mind around it, it works REALLY WELL. I know I said you’ll have to pick the best option every time and that can change, but generally, I’ve found that this pattern/availability holds pretty well: 

7AM Book Slinky Dog Dash Genie+ Reservation

7:01AM Book Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane

11AM Book Smuggler’s Run Genie+ Reservation

1PM Book Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Genie+ Reservation

3PM Book Toy Story Mania Genie+ Reservation

5PM Book Alien Swirling Saucers Genie+ Reservation (maaaaybe depending on availability) 

Those are the times that you will login to your app to make the reservations, NOT the “call back” times they’ll give you. 

With a little luck (the stats mostly just work out this way), you’ll walk into the park at 2PM (or a little before) and have FOUR reservations already made to walk right on popular rides and a good plan to make two more while you’re there. 

Here’s the only little snafu you could run into…it’s possible (but unlikely) that it’ll give you an early call back time for Slinky Dog Dash (you can’t pick the time, it just gives you the next available). Well a 10AM call back time won’t work (you’re on a plane, duh) so you’ll need to “modify” the reservation time to later. 

Also, Disney won’t officially verify this but I’ve heard it from mannnny cast members…you can’t show up BEFORE your call back time, but they won’t turn you away if you show up AFTER your call back time. Example: if your reservation for Rise of the Resistance is from 2:05PM to 3:05PM…you can’t show up at 1:45PM but if you show up at 4:15PM they’ll still let you on. 

This is helpful, because you could end up with some overlapping reservation times and it’s nice to have a little breathing room especially if you want to stop for lunch/dinner. 

Speaking of dinner…throwing a dinner reservation into the middle of this ride stack will complicate things, but it can be done. You’ll just want to be a little more mindful of how your call back times are laid out (which may mean you have to spend more time checking for times to modify and move around) and I would go with a later dinner reservation (7PM) instead of something earlier than may be right in the middle of your stack. 

If you want a sit down dinner, make reservations at Sci Fi Dine in Theater or 50s Prime Time for a FUN TIME. The food at either isn’t going to knock your socks off (I mean, it’s solid), but they’re both “experiences.” 

And I’m REALLY excited to try the new Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Toy Story Land when it opens in March. 

If you want to play it more by ear, there are plenty of decent counter service options in Hollywood Studios (Docking Bay 7, Backlot Express, Commissary, etc.). 

Since it was a big day traveling and you were likely up pretty early, I don’t plan a late night on the first day. I like to get a good night’s sleep so I can hit the ground running the next day!

And don’t worry too much about not getting the perfect Genie+ stack, I’ve got another day in Hollywood Studios planned where you’ll be able to pick up everything you missed today. 

DAY 2: Magic Kingdom 

Yay! Your first full day at Disney! Nothing starts a Disney trip off like walking through Cinderella’s Castle so I always like to visit Magic Kingdom pretty early in the trip, especially if I have people with me who haven’t been before. 

THIS is what people think Disney will be like. 

Good news! I think a day at the Magic Kingdom is a lot less complicated than Hollywood Studios and Genie+ works pretty well in this park so logistically it should all be a lot simpler than yesterday. 

The only little hitch here is that TRON is getting ready to open in this park which is going to change things a bit. 

It’s opening in April and here’s what we know so far: you can only ride via the virtual queue (a lottery) or an individual lighting lane. 

So I would try for the virtual queue at 7AM and if you get it, great! And if you don’t then you can buy a lightning lane immediately. And if you’d like to ride it twice, do both! 

At 7AM you’ll also be able to make your first Genie+ selection. If Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is an option (it’s currently the park’s Individual Lightning Lane but when Tron opens it’s speculated that it’ll move to the Genie+ pool of attractions) then go with that first. It’s wildly popular and gets pretty long lines. 

I’m going to make a pretty bold confession here…I don’t have a lot of “must do” rides in the Magic Kingdom. I think the park is largely nostalgic and the attractions aren’t on the same level as some of the newer stuff they’ve been adding to other parks. And what’s nostalgic to you depends on, well, you. 

So…MY personal favorite list in the Magic Kingdom: 

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

TRON

Peter Pan’s Flight

Mad Tea Party

It’s a Small World

Peoplemover

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Enchanted Tiki Room

Meeting Ariel in her Grotto

If you’re into the “classic Walt Disney” nostalgia era then you’ll want to hit: 

Pirates of the Caribbean

Jungle Cruise

Haunted Mansion

Enchanted Tiki Room

It’s a Small World

Peter Pan’s Flight

Carousel of Progress

If you’ve got older kids who want to “ride” stuff:

TRON

Space Mountain

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

If you’ve got kids who are prime time in the “Disney magic” era, then you’ll want to prioritize anything based on a movie/character that they know and love and don’t forget about character meet and greets! The Magic Kingdom is one of the best parks to meet princesses, Mickey and the Gang and so many more. 

So basically, a day at the Magic Kingdom can fluctuate pretty wildly depending on what you’re interested in, BUT whenever I take people with me I always insist on: 

1. Walking THROUGH the castle to see the murals and the general splendor. They rope it off before and after shows on the castle stage but they open it back up throughout the day. 
2. A ride on the Peoplemover through Tomorrowland.
3. Strolling through all of the lands. 
4. Soaking up some atmosphere on Main Street USA. 

However you play this day, I STRONGLY recommend making reservations for an early dinner at Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. 

It’s one of my family’s favorite restaurants on Disney property and my dad will rarely commit to a Disney trip if it doesn’t include dinner here. 

It’s hard to get a reservation though! They open 60 days in advance and they’re usually gone in seconds. We’ve had pretty good luck just walking up when they open though. 

Okay, I told you I like to park hop…so let’s go! Jump on the monorail at the Transportation and Ticket Center (walk over from next door at the Polynesian) and head to Epcot. 

I love walking around Epcot’s World Showcase in the evening, but lately I find myself drawn to Epcot for one BIG reason…Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind!! 

This new coaster at Epcot is Disney’s best ride HANDS DOWN. It’s absolutely THRILLING (Fun! Crazy! Wild!) but without a big fear factor and I could ride it over and over and over. 

It currently has a virtual queue, BUT you can buy an Individual Lightning Lane to walk right to the front of the line so I like to do that as much as possible on a trip. 

Make a reservation for later in the evening (after dinner) and then plan on sticking around for the nighttime fireworks show. 

But before you go towards the World Showcase to see the big show, you’ve got to go to the bottom of Spaceship Earth to watch the light show. They started this for the 50th anniversary and I really hope they keep it around because it is FABULOUS. They do several different versions and they run continuously until the fireworks start. I think it’s a must-see. 

Okay, about the fireworks show…it’s currently a show called Harmonious which I saw on my last trip and LOVED, but they’re supposed to be changing it out to a new show this spring. 

But whatever they’re showing, the Epcot nighttime show is always worth seeing. 

And when the show is over you can just walk back to your hotel!

DAY 3: Animal Kingdom 

Jambo! You’re going to LOVE Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I think it’s the most underrated Disney park BY FAR and whenever I take people to Disney for the first time, our Animal Kingdom day always ends up being the best overall day. 

Besides some truly great rides and attractions, this park hits a home run with live entertainment and “things to do” when you’re not on a ride.

And never knowing exactly what you’re going to see with live animals just makes it exciting. 

Okay, Genie+ works soooo well in this park. With Genie+ and a Lightning Lane, you’re really not going to end up waiting for anything. All day. It’s crazy. 

At 7AM book your Lightning Lane for Avatar Flight of Passage and then book your first Genie+ reservation for Kilimanjaro Safari. 

If you can get to the park within 30 minutes of it opening (it opens usually an hour earlier than the other parks) I would recommend going straight to Kilimanjaro Safari and getting in the regular line (if it’s 30 minutes or less) and then using your Genie+ later so you can ride it twice. 

Because of the animals, it changes every time you ride so I think it’s always worth a repeat. 

At 10AM when you can make your second Genie+, I’d go for Navi River Journey, then Expedition Everest then Dinosaur. 

If you’re visiting when it’s hot out and you want to ride Kali River Rapids (I usually skip it), then I’d prioritize getting a Genie+ maybe after Navi River Rapids. It gots long lines in the summer. 

Besides your rides that you’ll do with Genie+, you MUST MUST MUST go to the Festival of the Lion King show. It’s super popular and always fills up so don’t wait until the last minute to get in line. 

For lunch I’d do Satu’li Canteen (although I also love Flametree BBQ) and the Mo’ara Margarita at Pongu Pongu in Pandora is one of my favorites. 

I’ve written so much about live entertainment and other things to do in Disney’s Animal Kingdom here, but to sum it up, you’re not going to want to miss: 

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail

Maharajah Jungle Trek

Divine

The Character Flotilla Parades on the Discovery River

For dinner, make reservations at Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. To clarify…this is at the hotel not in the theme park and you’ll have to take a bus over there but it’s not very far.

It’s one of my family’s FAVORITE Disney restaurants. It’s buffet style African inspired dishes which I think is such a good way to try new things but even picky eaters are going to be pleased here. 

Depending on how you time your dinner reservation, it might be worth going back to the park to see Pandora after dark. Nothing special happens there, but the whole land really comes alive with lights and it is so pretty to walk through. 

If you’re a big nighttime show/fireworks person and you’re up for a late(r) night, then you may want to hop over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios (you could get a bus straight from the lodge) to see Fantasmic. 

I’ll be honest, it’s not my personal favorite show but it’s mostly because it’s such an ordeal. It’s in a big outdoor amphitheater in the back of the park and you have to get there pretty early to get a seat. Get there an hour before to get a good spot in the center and honestly by 30 minutes to showtime it really starts to fill up. But on nights where they run two shows, the second one is always less crowded.

It really is a spectacle. And if you’re staying in the Epcot resort area, you can just walk back to your hotel after it’s over (there’s also a boat because it’s a pretty long walk). 

DAY 4: Epcot 

Okay, I know I said I mostly like to pop into Epcot in the afternoon/evenings for a stroll around World Showcase and a little festival appreciation, but Epcot’s got some pretty good rides in the last couple of years so it’s worth a morning. 

Since Epcot opens later (usually an hour after Magic Kingdom) and I like to stay back in the Epcot Resort area, it’s super easy to walk over and do Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure right when the park opens with no wait. 

So my Epcot strategy is usually:

7AM (hopefully) get a Cosmic Rewind boarding group for the virtual queue

7AM Buy a Lightning Lane for Cosmic Rewind (I told ya, I like to ride as many times as possible!)

7AM Book Genie+ reservation for Frozen Ever After 

Instead of booking a Genie+ for Remy, I head straight there when early entry starts.

After I ride Remy, I like to stop for breakfast at the bakery in France.

Throughout the day, you’ll grab Genie+ reservations for:

Soarin’ (a must do)

Test Track (I usually skip)

Mission: Space (I did it once and never again)

Besides Genie+ rides, Spaceship Earth is a classic and I always enjoy spending a little time in the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Be sure to go upstairs to see the manatees!

And while I’m in the area for Soarin’ I like to squeeze in a ride on Living with the Land. 

A lot of the timing and pacing for a day in Epcot depends on your Genie+ and Lighting Lane return times, but generally speaking after I ride Remy in France, I head to Future World (the front of the park) to spend the morning and then plan to be back in the World Showcase for the afternoon and evening. 

Besides Epcot’s attractions, the park also has a surprising number of character meet and greets, especially around World Showcase. 

Meet Alice and Mary Poppins in the UK, Jasmine and Aladdin in Morocco, Belle and Sleeping Beauty in France, Snow White in Germany, etc. 

Now…it’s your last night in Walt Disney World so I say go out with a bang…

One of my absolute favorite things in ALL of Walt Disney World is the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground. 

It’s a dinner show and it is FUN. It books pretty far in advance so you’re going to need to be on top of this and you’ll want to coordinate the seating (there’s usually at least two and sometimes three when it’s busy) with the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom. 

And you’re not going to want to miss the big fireworks show in the Magic Kingdom. Starting in the beginning of April, the spectacular Happily Ever After is returning to the Magic Kingdom and IT IS SOMETHING TO SEE. 

Take the boat from Fort Wilderness over to the Magic Kingdom and find a spot along Main Street USA to watch the show and you won’t be disappointed. 

DAY 5: Hollywood Studios or Epcot & GO HOME

Since you’re staying in the Epcot Resort area and it’s only a half day before you head to the airport, I usually like to spend my last morning at either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. 

If I can get a boarding group for Guardians and a Lightning Lane, then that usually sways me towards Epcot, but if you haven’t been to Disney World very much, you’ll probably want to head over to Hollywood Studios to wrap up some of the attractions that you missed on the first day. 

If you get there when it opens, you should be able to rope drop Tower of Terror and Rockin Rollercoaster pretty easily since most people are usually headed to Rise of the Resistance or Slinky Dog Dash first. 

So just use your Genie+ to double back towards your favorite attractions from day 1!

***Extended Evening Theme Park Hours

On my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, I got to try the new “Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.” They’re available for guests staying at DELUXE Disney resorts only and they happen somewhat sporadically anywhere from one a week to twice a month. 

You can read all the details here including which hotels qualify, which attractions are open, and what dates they’re offered in each park.

Like I said, this was my first time doing this because it’s never been offered on my trip dates before. 

So, I got to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios on a night when the park closed to regular guests at 9 PM and it stayed open for extended hours from 9-11PM. 

I didn’t really know what to expect, but we were able to ride pretty much everything in the park in that time frame. 

We had dinner reservations at Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Toy Story Land and we didn’t end up getting finished until about 9:15 so we got a bit of a late start. 

We were monitoring wait times after 9 PM and we weren’t super impressed (Slinky Dog was still showing a 90 minute wait, etc) so we thought it might be a wash but Runaway Railway was only showing a 20 minute wait so we decided to try that and then decide if we wanted to stay. 

Well the 20 minute wait was a complete walk on…there was NOBODY there. From there we ran to Rockin Roller Coaster and walked right to the front of that. We kept monitoring Slinky Dog, but it was still an hour wait so we did Toy Story Mania and then Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.

By that time, the wait for Slinky Dog was posted as 30 minutes and we had done everything else we wanted to do so we got in line. It ended up being a 10 minute wait!

We finished Slinky Dog about 10:50 PM so we could’ve gotten in line to ride again, or ran to another attraction, but we were pretty thrilled that we got to do everything we wanted so we decided to call it a night and grab a few things in the shops on the way out. 

So if you’re keeping track…from about 9:15-10:50 we rode 5 attractions. Rise of the Resistance wasn’t open for extended hours on this night (it usually is though) but if it was we would have definitely squeezed that in. We skipped Tower of Terror and Star Tours but we could’ve easily done Tower of Terror when we were by Rockin Roller Coaster and Star Tours doesn’t usually have a line so you could do that with no wait before the park officially closes. 

Extended Evening Theme Park Hours work really well at Hollywood Studios and in the future, I’ll probably consider planning my trip dates around it so I can take advantage of it. I think it would also work really well at Magic Kingdom. 

I’ve heard Epcot isn’t quite as good just because things are so far spread out but they do open another virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy so that’s a good opportunity. And they’ve just added Animal Kingdom to the schedule in November and December 2023. There aren’t a ton of attractions at Animal Kingdom that are open after dark, but if you want to do Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest over and over, it’s a great chance. 

Want more Walt Disney World posts? Check these out…

Planning a Trip to Disney World? Read This First…

The Best (i.e. My Favorite) Time to Go to Walt Disney World

Tips for a Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park Strategy

How to Spend the Day at the Magic Kingdom

Epcot Tips

Swan Reserve Review

The post My Favorite 5 Day Walt Disney World Itinerary…Seriously, This Is What All of My Disney Trips Look Like appeared first on Mousin' Around.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been now (or maybe I just don’t want to admit it ; ) and at this point I’ve pretty much stayed at all of the resorts on Disney property. I love different ones for different reasons, but I must admit…I’ve got a new favorite. 

I’ve stayed at the Swan Reserve a few times since it opened in late 2021, and it’s quickly becoming my new “go to” resort. And I’m going to go out on a limb and say it just might be the best Disney World hotel for adults. 

This post may contain some affiliate links, which means I’ll make a little money on anything you choose to purchase. But of course, I only recommend my absolute favorites to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the Lincoln Travel Co possible.

Swan Reserve Review

The Swan Reserve is a new boutique hotel that recently opened under Marriott’s Autograph Collection brand on Walt Disney World property.

It’s an expansion of what’s usually referred to as the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin. 

The Swan and Dolphin Resorts were originally built in 1989/1990 and while they are on Disney property, they aren’t actually owned by Disney. 

They’re part of the Marriott portfolio…specifically the Swan is a Westin and the Dolphin is a Sheraton. 

The duo expanded into the trio with the introduction of the Swan Reserve which joined the property as a “luxury tower.” The Swan Reserve has a newer, more modern feel with a little more luxury while still benefiting from all of the amenities of the larger resort area. 

Bottom line…what I love about the “Swolphin” resorts are: They have a prime time location on Disney property, they’re competitively priced, and being part of Marriott means you get your Bonvoy perks. 

While I would argue that any of these three resorts are a good pick, in this post I’m specifically going to focus on the Swan Reserve.

I’m not going to do the “normal” style of review that I usually do for hotels because I think this is just such a niche property. 

So instead, I’m going to tell you all of the reasons I think this my new favorite place to stay at Walt Disney World. 

The Best Disney World Hotel for Adults

First of all, I think the Swan and Dolphin hotels in general are a hidden gem. I hate to call them hidden because they’re RIGHT THERE. But I’m surprised how many people don’t know about them. 

Location

They’re located on Crescent Lake in the Epcot Resort area. A lot of people don’t know this either, but Epcot actually has two entrances. There’s the main entrance where the parking lot is, where the monorail stops, and where all of the Disney buses drop off (90% of park visitors use this entrance). 

But there’s also an entrance in the International Gateway at the back of the park in the World Showcase in between the United Kingdom and France. This entrance is where the new Skyliner stops (bringing guests from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and also a handful of resorts who are connected via the gondola system) AND there’s a few deluxe resorts that are built WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE to this entrance. 

That’s Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, the Yacht & Beach Club Resort, AND the Swolphin. Yep, if you stay at the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve, you can WALK to Epcot. Which I think is an invaluable perk. 

It’s about a 10 minute walk from the Swan Reserve to Epcot’s International Gateway and about a 15-20 minute walk to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There’s also a ferry that runs continuously between Epcot and Hollywood Studios making stops at the Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Club, and the Swolphin. 

So you’ve got options! 

Like I said…I’ve been to Walt Disney World countless times and this pocket of resorts is BY FAR my favorite place to stay. Especially if it’s festival season at Epcot. Which it usually is. 

Value for the Money

Okay…so yes, the Epcot resort area is my favorite place to stay. It’s not exactly undiscovered, but the thing is…the Boardwalk and the Yacht & Beach Club are $$$. Who wouldn’t love to stay there?? 

But comparatively speaking…the Swolphin Resorts are a GREAT value for the money. The Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve are routinely about half the price of the Disney owned resorts in this area. 

You can talk to me about the “Disney magic” all you want, but if I can get the primo location, the Disney resort perks (early entry, etc.) and a nice hotel at HALF THE PRICE, I’m never staying anywhere else. 

And on top of that, since it’s part of Marriott that means you get all of your Bonvoy perks if you have status. You can book the resort using Marriott points, you can earn Marriott points if you’re paying cash, you get a breakfast credit if you have status, you can request your Suite Night Awards, etc. 

Disney Resort Perks

Besides the great location on Disney property, the Swolphin Resorts also get pretty much all of the perks that Disney resort guests get. 

You get early entry to the theme parks. Every morning you can enter each park 30 minutes before they open to the public. Now to be clear…you will NOT be the only people there. Disney has like 25 resorts and everybody staying there gets this perk. BUT it puts you waaaaaay ahead of the people who are staying off property. I think the new 30 minute rule has made it absolutely essential to stay at a Disney resort. 

Usually once a week, one park hosts extended evening hours (usually two bonus hours) that are ONLY available to guests staying at DELUXE Disney resorts (a much smaller subsection) and the Swolphin resorts also get that perk. 

And if you’re using Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes (Disney’s paid line skipping service), Disney Resort guests get a head start on the booking window. Resort guests can make their first selections at 7AM (in the mobile app) whereas off property guests have to wait until the park opens. That 2ish hour head start sometimes means the difference in being able to ride the park’s most popular attractions or not. When a new ride opens (Rise of the Resistance, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, Tron, etc.) there’s usually a virtual queue which is like a lottery to see if you get a spot or not. If you don’t get a spot, your only option to ride is to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane and if they sell out to resort guests before the park opening time, you’re just out of luck. 

The Disney resort perks that I’ve outlined above make it SUCH an advantage to stay at a Disney resort and if you can get the Disney resort perks by staying at the Swolphin and pay half the price…that’s what I like to call a no brainer ; ) 

New/Luxury Property

The hotel JUST opened in late 2021 so it still has that nice, new hotel feel. While the Swan and Dolphin are perfectly adequate, they’re definitely showing their age. But the Swan Reserve is still shiny. 

It’s also a much smaller hotel than the other two so it just feels a lot more intimate plus everything is more compact. The lobby, dining, pool, elevators to your room, etc. are all just right there. There’s no long trek from your room down an endless hallway to get to the main part of the resort. 

Great Views

This is probably the biggest distinguishing factor between the Swan Reserve and the Swan/Dolphin for me. Every room has floor to ceiling windows and they’ve built the tower so a high percentage of the rooms have theme park views. 

If you book an Epcot view room, you’ll have a view of the Epcot fireworks plus the Magic Kingdom fireworks in the distance. And Hollywood Studios view rooms have a view of the Fantasmic fireworks. 

100% upgrade and go with the Epcot view. 

Attracts Fewer Kids

I’m never trying to avoid kids (you prooooobably shouldn’t come to Disney if you are), but you will DEFINITELY run into fewer kids here than at the Disney resorts. The Swolphin in general (while not kid UNfriendly) caters to more of a convention crowd and just naturally attracts fewer kids, but I’ve found that the Swan Reserve attracts even fewer. It’s across the street from the main resort pool area and most families opt for the Swan or the Dolphin. 

If you do have kids in your party and it’s your best option, don’t shy away though. They’re, of course, very welcome. 

Things I Don’t Love about the Swan Reserve

No place is perfect, right? None of these are deal breakers for me, but they could be for you and it’s always good to have a clear picture of what to expect. Some of these are unique to the Swan Reserve, but most are just the Swolphin in general:

The Bus Situation

The Swolphin resorts do not use Disney’s bus transportation. They used to but now they have an independent contract. This isn’t a problem if you’re going to Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios (you can walk or take the boat), but if you’re going to the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or Disney Springs, here’s the scoop:

There’s a bus stop right outside the hotel that picks up for these three destinations. They’re separate buses so make sure you get on one that’s headed where you’re going (they’re well labeled). The bus makes stops at the Swan and the Dolphin as well (so depending on the order you may be the first or the last). Buses to the Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs drop off near the front of the park/center. The Animal Kingdom bus is in a different location from the Disney bus drop off/pick up but I personally think it’s about the same distance. 

Here’s the big kicker…the Magic Kingdom bus actually takes you to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) which is the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom. When you get off the bus you’ll have to take the ferry or monorail to the front of the park (with everyone else arriving by car). The Disney resort buses drop off directly at the Magic Kingdom entrance and the Swolphin busses used to, but I heard that Disney upped the $$$ to dock at the entrance and they didn’t want to pay (it way crazy money–like hundreds of thousands??) so they drop off and pick up at the TTC. 

So that means you’ll need to catch an extra ferry/monorail after you get off the bus (and on the return) OR…

[Super sneaky spy voice…from the Swan Reserve, you could walk over to the Yacht Club and get on their Magic Kingdom bus which does, in fact, take you directly to the Magic Kingdom]

I like to take as few transportation vehicles as possible and don’t mind the extra walk so that’s what I usually do. 

Connecting My Disney Experience Can Be Buggy

Everything at Disney now runs through the My Disney Experience app and sometimes it’s “fun.” I’ve never personally had any problems with it, but it could be something you have to manage. I think they’ve worked a lot of the kinks out of the system in the last couple of years. 

One thing that’s super important…you need to make your reservation for the EXACT number of people that will be in the room and going to the parks. When you make a reservation in the Bonvoy app it always defaults to just one adult, but everyone in your party NEEDS to be on the reservation or you won’t be able to link in the app and you won’t get access to things like early entry, Genie+, etc. 

The concierge knows this and they’re usually really good about sending emails to verify after you make your reservation. 

Also, if you’re trying to make super popular dining reservations, sometimes the booking window gets messed up. Disney resort guests are supposed to be able to make reservations 60 days out plus 10 (meaning at 60 days out from the first day of your trip you can book all the dining reservations for the rest of your trip – up to 10 days in length) so you don’t have to make reservations every day for the next day. If that’s important to you, you may want to call the hotel ahead of time to verify that it’s connected. 

The Swan Reserve is across the Street from the Swan and the Dolphin 

The Swan Reserve tower is actually just across the street from the main Swan/Dolphin resort. There’s a crosswalk, but if your kids (or you) want to use the other resort pools (besides the one at the Swan Reserve) you will have to cross the street. Some people get really hung up on it being “further” but honestly the Swan and Dolphin are so huge that depending on where your room is, I think you could end up walking a LOT farther to the pools than if you’re staying at the Swan Reserve. 

And similarly, it’s 2 minutes longer to walk to the boat, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, etc. 

Disney Magic? 

I’ve heard some people say they don’t think the Swolphin has the “Disney magic.” It’s not quite as in the “Disney bubble” as the Disney owned resorts and it doesn’t have an over the top theme, but I think it’s fine. 

I do love me some Disney magic, but I’ll take all the perks and the fab location at half the price anyday. 

It Has a Convention Hotel Vibe

This is indisputably true. Although I think the Swan/Dolphin are definitely more so. The Dolphin lobby after 5 is a place I actively try to avoid ; ) 

Check Your GPS

I’m sure this will get sorted out soon, but every time I’ve stayed at the Swan Reserve, it doesn’t show up on rideshare (Lyft, Uber, etc.) GPS yet. It’s because it’s still new. 

When you get a car from the airport (or wherever you’re coming from), it’s not a big deal because you can just tell them “oh, I’m actually going to the Swan Reserve right here.” But if you’re calling for a pickup, it usually only lets me put my pickup location at the Swan across the street or the Fantasia Gardens mini golf course next door. I’ll set it as one of those and then message or try to call the driver with my actual location.

Where to Book

Here’s my final note (and a big favor to ask): If you find my blog and info AT ALL helpful and I’ve convinced you about where to stay on your trip, the absolute best thing you can do to help me out is to click through the links in this post to book your stay. I make a small commission on your bookings and if you’re going to book a hotel anyways, it’s a WIN WIN. Thanks so much!

You can book the Swan Reserve here. 

You can also book the Swan or the Dolphin. 

Want more Walt Disney World posts? Check these out…

Planning a Trip to Disney World? Read This First…

The Best (i.e. My Favorite) Time to Go to Walt Disney World

Tips for a Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park Strategy

How to Spend the Day at the Magic Kingdom

Epcot Tips

5 Day Walt Disney World Itinerary

The post My Swan Reserve Review: Spoiler…I Think It’s the Best Disney World Hotel for Adults appeared first on Mousin' Around.