Travel and Food Blog

After being a cast member [employee] at Disney World and going there at least once every year with my family since I was a kid, I’ve found a few tricks that we always abide by. So I’ve made a list of my favorite Disney hacks to share so we can all make the most of our time and money while still feeling all the magic.

My favorite hack [because you always need water, especially in Florida] is about staying hydrated for free.

If you go into any quick service restaurant, you can ask for a cup of ice water and the best part is that it’s free. You don’t need to spend all your money just to stay hydrated.

Download the My Disney Experience App.

This app connects everything you’ll need for your visit. You can connect your hotel [if staying on Disney property], your park tickets, reservations, everything. This app even shows you maps and wait times for rides. When the park is busy this can save you time from waiting or walking across the park just to find out the ride you were aiming for is down.

Why wait in line for every ride when you can get FastPasses?

Fastpasses are essential to maximizing your time in the parks. If you do this ahead of time, you can guarantee you’ll ride at least three rides. I like to use the initial Fastpasses of the day for the most popular rides or the ones that always have the longest wait time. I’m not going to stand in line for 80+ minutes to ride Space Mountain, but with a FastPass you can be on and off the ride within 20 minutes.

Multiple parades or firework shows [same night, same park]

Opt for the second showing for these shows. There are usually less crowded because families tend to see the first showing and leave after. You can also get on rides faster during the first showing because everyone is waiting near the castle or show area.

Bring some snacks, but not too many

I try to bring something that I can have as a snack like a granola bar because then I can enjoy the food at the parks while still being budget friendly. I also do this by eating more snack like foods in the parks [ice cream or pretzel]. This still costs money, but allows you to still feel like you’re enjoying your time in the parks more.

Monorail [to Magic Kingdom]

If there’s a line at the Ticket and Transportation Center you can ride the Resort Monorail to Magic Kingdom. This goes the same for returning to the Ticket and Transportation Center at the end of the day. This monorail makes a few stops, but if it has no line and the direct monorail’s line is really long then this is the way to go.

Do you have some Disney hacks of your own? Share them in the comments!