I went to Disney World last year, which was the first time I had been since I was 3 years old. I had no clue what to expect, and in my opinion, it was very complicated to figure out.
I also went for the second time, in my adult life, last week.
I figured (some) things out by now and I low-key felt like a Disney pro this time around lol.
Last year, May 2023, I went with Lily to all the parks in Disney World. Very kid – focused.
Last week, May 2024, I went with a girlfriend to Epcot, only. Very adult – focused.
There are a TON of incredible Disney resources on the web. They also contain a shit ton of information and I basically cannot handle reading them. It’s like Disney brain overload, and it’s not my style.
This blog post is simply my TIPS for getting started with Disney, and the tips that helped me not go insane at either of my trips to Disney.
In fact, we had an amazing time BECAUSE we knew the basics of what to expect and how to navigate it.
This blog post is NOT a budget / how to save money at Disney. There are a million other blog posts in the web that cater to that. I am not your girl in that area.
I prioritize convenience and time, and love a good life & travel hack that support those areas. Disney is not cheap. Be prepared to drop some cash, and live it up with your overpriced Minnie Ears and all that jazz.
TIPS for Slaying Disney with a kid:
💜 Download the “My Disney Experience” Walt Disney World App in the App Store.
💜 You’ll need to purchase park passes (1 park per day or a park hopper pass) and sync them to your Disney app + inside the app you’ll need to choose which park you’ll be arriving to each morning. If you’re planning to go to 2 parks in one day, you can go to the second park as early as 2:00 pm. You MUST have the app to be able to properly navigate the parks and know the wait times at restaurants & rides, and to be able to easily see the park maps & directions.
💜 If you want the opportunity to skip some of the ride lines, OR if you want to even want the chance to ride the top rated rides at Disney World, in addition to the downloading the app & purchasing a daily park pass, you’ll also need to buy “GENIE+” inside the Disney World app EACH MORNING AT 7:00 AM SHARP for EACH person. Genie+ gives you access to skip more lines and choose (or purchase) Lightning Lane passes for certain rides. If you’ve ever heard of Disney’s “Fast Pass”; well, that doesn’t exist anymore and now you can get a few “lightning Lane” passes each day – usually 2, if you get up by 7:00 on the app, and sometimes more are released.
💜 Genie+ is about $25 per ticket per day. NOT per group. Per person. If you have a family of 4 and want all members of your family to have access to Genie+ perks (which is basically a necessity if you don’t want to stand in 1-2 hour lines all day long), Genie+ would run you about $100 for a one-day visit. For non-Florida residents purchasing a one day park pass, that would be around $150ish per person + $25 per person daily for Genie+ inside the app.
💜 If you want to arrive to Disney wearing Disney swag, go to the Target closest to SeaWorld (it’s about 10 min from Disney). This Target location has GREAT Disney swag for the whole family, and much of it is even cuter and more park / ride friendly than the stuff they sell inside Disney parks. Trust me on this! I was SO glad we stopped into Target the day before we went to Disney, and even happier that I didn’t wait to purchase everything at Disney. (Lily’s whole outfit below is from Target that we bought the day before! Minus the ears; those were a park purchase)
💜 Wear a belt bag/ fanny pack + a comfy backpack. I’m a big fan of a belt bag – I like to keep my phone, ID, cards, mini hand sanitizer, lip balm, etc there for quick access so I don’t have to swing my backpack around every time I need an essential.
💜 Speaking of backpack, here is what I carried and the essentials I recommend bringing with you to Disney: lip balm, hand sanitizer, water canisters filled with ice & water, backup charger block for phones, peppermint essential oil for cooling you down, advil, snacks that don’t melt, sunscreen, sunglasses, handheld fans / neck fans, disposable ponchos in case it rains, baby wipes & sanitizer wipes, band aids, and blister pads if you’re prone to that kind of thing. Of course, also pack nail glue if you’re a press on girlie like me. We cannot have a nail popping’ off at disney with no way to reattach it!)
💜 You can bring your own water AND snacks into the parks. There are plenty of water, drinks, and snacks to purchase, but I don’t know about you, I hate it when my kid is ready for water or a snack and I have to find a place to buy it. I like to have something I can grab out of my bag ASAP, and then purchase specialty treats simply for fun and not out of hydration & starvation desperation.
💜 Book a mid-day sit down lunch during the hottest hours of the day. Between 1:00 – 4:00 is hot AF at Disney (even in May when I’ve visited, so I can’t even imagine the summer). I’ve figured out that I like to reserve a sit-down lunch at 1:00 pm so we can relax in air conditioning and be out of the sun. This is a great time of day to get out of the heat and reset.Â
💜 After lunch, I like to have a Lightning Lane pass booked for a ride around 3:00 – 3:30 pm. (remember we booked this at 7:00 am via the Genie+ service inside the Disney app). This way we can go straight from air conditioning lunch to a shaded A/C Lightning Lane line. This will take up about another hour or so, and by then the worst heat of the day will be calming down! At least this is my theory, and it’s worked so far!
💜 Epcot is the most “adult-focused” park, but it’s def still worth going even if you’re with your kids. They have the Frozen ride, Ratatouille, and some cool space experiences too. AND Epcot has the most air conditioned, spacious areas and restaurants when you need to take a break from the heat or chaos and actually have a place to sit down. It’s harder to find this in the other parks.
TIPS for Slaying Epcot as an adult:
For those without kids that will skip ahead to this section only, I am going to copy/paste the necessary need-to-know-info from above that applies to adults-only!
💜 Epcot is most adult-friendly park, in my opinion. There are some fun things to do at every park for adults, but unless you’re Disney’s #1 fan, as an adult, you’ll probably enjoy Epcot the most. Perhaps with Animal Kingdom coming in second, and Magic Kingdom coming in last (there are more kids at MK, and no boozy beverages sold at MK just FYI). The roller coaster, TRON, is located at Magic Kingdom, but it’s extremely short and overrated – Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster at Epcot blows it away. You heard it here.
💜 First you’ll need to download the “My Disney Experience” Walt Disney World App in the App Store.
💜 You’ll need to purchase park passes (1 park per day or a park hopper pass) and sync them to your Disney app + inside the app you’ll need to choose which park you’ll be arriving to each morning. If you’re planning to go to 2 parks in one day, you can go to the second park as early as 2:00 pm. You MUST have the app to be able to properly navigate the parks and know the wait times at restaurants & rides, and to be able to easily see the park maps & directions.
💜 If you want the opportunity to skip some of the ride lines, OR if you want to even want the chance to ride the top rated rides at Disney World, in addition to the downloading the app & purchasing a daily park pass, you’ll also need to buy “GENIE+” inside the Disney World app EACH MORNING AT 7:00 AM SHARP for EACH person. Genie+ gives you access to skip more lines and choose (or purchase) Lightning Lane passes for certain rides. If you’ve ever heard of Disney’s “Fast Pass”; well, that doesn’t exist anymore and now you can get a few “lightning Lane” passes each day – usually 2, if you get up by 7:00 on the app, and sometimes more are released.
💜 Genie+ is about $25 per ticket per day. NOT per group. Per person. If you want to have access to Genie+ perks (which is basically a necessity if you don’t want to stand in 1-2 hour lines all day long), your park ticket plus Genie+ would run you about $200 total for a one-day visit (for non-florida residents.. or person without disney perks going to the park for a day)
💜 If you plan taking a trip to Disney more than once, I would recommend purchasing one of the Magic Bands. This is basically a wristband you’ll wear that’s synced to your credit card and Disney app and you can use it to scan for anything (rides, Lightning Lane passes, anything you’d purchase at the park). I DO NOT have one of these, but they could come in handy. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to carry anything with you (other than your phone), then this makes sense. For me, I have so much stuff I like to have with me all the time anyway, that it’s just as easy for me to pull out my disney card to swipe for rides and my credit card anytime I want to buy food, drinks, or souvenirs.
💜 Speaking of people who like to keep stuff with them at all times, I’m a big fan of wearing a belt bag/ fanny pack + a comfy backpack. I like to keep my phone, ID, cards, mini hand sanitizer, lip balm, etc right there ON MY WAIST there for quick access so I don’t have to swing my backpack around every time I need an essential. It works for me.
💜 Speaking of backpack, here is what I carried and the essentials I recommend bringing with you to Disney: lip balm, hand sanitizer, backup charger block for phones, peppermint essential oil for cooling down, advil, sunglasses, handheld fans / neck fans, disposable ponchos in case it rains, wipes. Of course, also pack nail glue if you’re a press on girlie like me. We cannot have a nail popping’ off at disney with no way to reattach it!)
💜 Apply sunscreen before you arrive to the park! The sun is no joke.
💜 There is a HUGE Starbucks inside of Connections Cafe at the entrance of Epcot. We liked to go there first and chill for a few in the air conditioning and figure out our first move (assuming we don’t have a lightning lane pass upon arrival). The lines are really long at Starbucks in the AM, but they are quick & efficient. You could totally grab a coffee & a brekky sandwich when you arrive and there is plenty of space to sit down.
💜 Book a mid-day sit down lunch during the hottest hours of the day. Between 1:00 – 4:00 is hot AF at Disney (even in May when I’ve visited, so I can’t even imagine the summer). I’ve figured out that I like to reserve a sit-down lunch at 1:00 pm so we can relax in air conditioning and be out of the sun. This is a great time of day to get out of the heat and reset.
💜 We booked lunch at Nine Dragons in the China Pavilion. Although the food was average, this was a really good move and I would do it again. Having a solid hour of indoors time scheduled for cool, peace & quiet was perfect. If you don’t reserve a restaurant lunch, you’ll be standing or sitting on a bench outside in the heat eating a food kiosk snack out of your hands. That being said, the food at the kiosks are actually tastier and more innovative, BUT you trade it for the comfort of being indoors and having an air conditioned break indoors. I say do both! Eat the snacks AND reserve a sit down lunch. We ate snacks before, ate a light lunch, and then made our way back to all the snacky snacks afterwards. Why not live an “and” lifestyle. Especially while at Disney.
💜 After lunch, I like to have a Lightning Lane pass booked for a ride around 3:00 – 3:30 pm. (remember you’ll book this LL pass at 7:00 am via the Genie+ service inside the Disney app). This way you can go straight from air conditioning lunch to a shaded A/C Lightning Lane line. This will take up about another hour or so, and by then the worst heat of the day will be calming down! At least this is my theory, and its worked so far!
💜 Let’s talk about the “Drinking Around The World” at Epcot. This is Epcot’s unofficial craze. At Epcot’s World Showcase, there are 11 countries that are “featured” around a beautiful lake. If you start from the left and go counter clockwise you’ll begin in Mexico and end in Canada. Inside each “country” you’ll find food kiosks, gift shops, restaurants, mocktails and cocktails all centered around that country’s theme.
For example, we had lychee margaritas and tamales at the food kiosk (the tamales were INSANE. So good.), and in Japan we had Violet Sake, sushi, and veggie dumplings.
As you stroll around, you’ll transition from one country to the next. While each “country” is next to the other, the scene changes incredibly, from the music to the flavors.
💜 The great things about all of Epcot’s food kiosks is that the food is DELISH and the portions are not huge. You won’t be overly full from any one place, and you can taste test things from all the countries!
💜 I recommend hydrating with WATER as much as possible. You’ll walk a TON, plus if you’re drinking alcohol the last thing you want is an Epcot headache halfway through the day.
💜 My friend and I agree that Mexico, China and Japan, are the best countries to experience at Epcot. But we are also biased because we love asian food and we hate beer. Canada and Germany were not the vibe for us. Sry, Canada; you really needed to showcase Vancouver’s Empress Gin to impress us.
💜 START THIS WAY: I recommend walking to the right of the lake, and walk through Canada & int United Kingdom FIRST. The UK has a very London-esque pub called Rose & Crown; it’s very chilly A/C in there which we LOVE, and you can start your day with icy PIMM’S CUP & take a pic with the red London Photo Booth.
NEXT, I would go to the other side of the World Showcase, and begin strongly with MEXICO. Grab yourself a yummy snack and take the boat ride, Gran Fiesta Tour. It’s vintage and cute. Also, grab an avocado margarita after the boat ride. It’s very cool inside the Mexican Pavilion.
Next up is Norway. I’d like to say Norway was cool, but it’s very blah. The Frozen ride is here, which is basically the only attraction. We skipped the Norway cocktail as it was basically a regular Mudslide. Not into it, and we definitely didn’t want to start our “drinking around the world” with a 10000 g of sugar drink.
China is next! China Pavillion’s JOY OF TEA kiosk was MY FAVE. It was so good, I tried 2 cocktails (and they have boba & tea mocktails). The menu changes, but I had the Lychee Cha Cha & the Butterfly with Blueberry Popping Boba. TDF!
We skipped Germany because, well, we are not into beer. If you’re into beer and meat, this may be your style.
Italy was next, and we shared a Strawberry Prosecco! See, at this point we were sharing cocktails. I am not sure how people drink a boozy beverage from every country lol.
After Italy, was Japan, and we hung out in Japan as the sun was starting to set for about 2 hours. We had sushi and veggie buns at a kiosk, had violet sake (OMFG SO GOOD), and then went back to try sake flights. WE didn’t finish the sake flights, but it was fun to taste.
After Italy was ‘MERICA. TBH, I don’t think an America is necessary considering Epcot is in America. Being that I am from the American South and have never tasted a Mint Julep, I tried a Mint Julep. Not a fan. In the trash it went, but it was fun to try. The American Pavilion basically had giant turkey legs and smoked BBQ. Neither of which are my style. I hate the smell. So we quickly went to Morocco & France.
Morocco was very cool, but we had enough cocktails for the day and I was holding out for my champagne cheers in France. The music was vibey in Morocco though!
We finished with champagne to end the evening in France! It was great! They have other kinds of sparkling wine at the kiosks, BUT who wants Prosecco when in France?! 🇫🇷😉🥂
💜 Epcot at night is SUCH A VIBE at night time. The music goes up, giant tiki torches light up, and the lights change colors everywhere. I would definitely recommend going, or staying, for the evening hours.
DO U HAVE A #1 DISNEY MUST-KNOW TIP?!
XO, Ashley!
If you want hotel & Disney park deals, shoot my girl Jenny on Instagram a direct message, and she can hook you up on all kinds of travel perks & insider tips if you’re planning a big trip to Disney!
