The Beginner’s Guide to Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is one of my favourite places in the entire world. Visiting Florida’s various Disney theme parks is definitely the highlight of any trip to Orlando. In saying that, there is A LOT to know if you’re planning to go to Disney World – sometimes an overwhelming amount if its your first time. I’ll be covering the various theme parks that comprise Walt Disney World in separate posts on the site, but before doing a deep dive into the most wonderful place on earth, I thought it would be a good idea to cover some of the basics. I’ve been to the parks many times, but I always read up on the latest changes at Disney prior to my visit.
- If you’re planning a trip to Orlando, there’s more to do than just Walt Disney World. I’ve written a basic guide to a week in the Florida theme park capital HERE.
First Off…What is Walt Disney World?
Walt Disney World covers nearly 25,000 acres (twice the size of Manhattan island!) just outside of Orlando, Florida. Its actually found in the Orange County cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. The term Walt Disney World is used to refer to everything that encompasses that massive space. There’s four main theme parks, each of which deserve at least a day of exploration on their own – Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. There’s so much to talk about in each of them. What follows is just a very basic overview of the different parks, and the other places to check out at Walt Disney World.
Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom is the park that most people think of when they hear Disney World. Its the centrepiece of Walt Disney World and draws heavily on Walt’s original Disneyland in Anaheim, California (but is much bigger). Its built around Cinderella Castle and features a plethora of attractions, many of which are the classic Disney attractions we all know and love. Those attractions are spread out around 5 varied lands (outside of the entrance on Main Street USA). Popular rides at the Magic Kingdom include Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean.
- You can read about these attractions and so many more in my detailed post about the Magic Kingdom park HERE.
EPCOT
EPCOT is a MASSIVE theme park that opened in 1982 that has a rather interesting mix of attractions. The park is divided up between two very distinct areas. The front of the park is filled with various pavilions themed loosely around aspects of technology and creativity, while the rear is a permanent world fair set around a huge lagoon, with a number of countries authentically represented. EPCOT is my personal favourite Disney park. Popular attractions in the front of the park include Test Track, Mission Space and Soarin’, while the World Showcase is popular for drinking and snacking around the world.
- I’ve written a guide to EPCOT’s attractions, which you can read HERE.
Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios is the Disney park that contains the most high thrill rides, and is tons of fun to visit. The front half of the park is themed around the glitz and glamour of Golden Age Hollywood, with a myriad of landmarks such as the Chinese Theatre and Sunset Boulevard recreated. Popular attractions here include the Rock n Rollercoaster and the Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror. The park also contains two highly immersive lands based on the Toy Story and Star Wars franchises, with the latter being truly out of this world (I didn’t think anything could top Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios is right up there with it!).
- You can read more about Disney’s Hollywood Studios and all its attractions in my post HERE.
Animal Kingdom
Rounding out the set of parks is Animal Kingdom, which is something of a hybrid between a theme park and a zoo. Its by far the largest of the parks (though not all of it is accessible to guests on foot), and it contains a series of regions devoted to different parts of nature around the world. The emphasis is on the wildlife that inhabit earth, and a visit is surprisingly educational. There’s plenty of excitement to be had as well though, with popular attractions such as Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris found in the park. The relatively new Pandora – the World of Avatar also contains one of the best attractions in all of Walt Disney World.
- You can read my guide to the attractions of Disney’s Animal Kingdom HERE.
The Water Parks
Walt Disney World also contains two water parks. I haven’t been to either, but if you are on a longer trip you might want to check them out. Typhoon Lagoon is the original water park and is known for its massive wave pool that creates waves of up to six feet in height. Meanwhile Blizzard Beach has a range of exciting waterslides. What sets the Disney Water Parks aside from most parks like this is (as expected) the attention to detail in theming. Blizzard Beach is supposed to be a ski park that melted away in the middle of Florida, while Typhoon Lagoon is set in a tropical rainforest landscape. I keep telling myself I’ll check out these parks one day, but I’m always lured back to the main parks on my spare days at Walt Disney World!
Disney Springs
And we can’t forget Disney Springs! The former Downtown Disney is an entertainment and dining destination filled with tons to see and do. The highlight is probably the World of Disney – the largest store in America (and possibly the world) selling Disney merchandise. If its Disney, you’ll find it here. There’s excellent dining, including a number of upscale restaurants, as well as clubs and bars. Its a fun place to check out on arrival day after you’ve gotten into your hotel (or if you need a break day midway through your vacation).
- I’ve written a post about Disney Springs, which you can read HERE.
Where to Stay in Walt Disney World
Disney World also contains 32 (at the time of writing) on-site resorts. They are varied and unique, each having a distinct theme. They are without a doubt the best place to stay on a trip to the parks. By staying at a Disney Resort, you’ll have a series of perks available, and you’ll also have the joy of being caught up in the “Disney Bubble” for the duration of your stay.
Staying at a Disney Hotel is more expensive than staying at a hotel off-property, but the advantages really make it worth while. Getting to the theme parks is super easy if you’re staying at a Disney hotel thanks to the excellent transport services around Disney World, and you’re also able to make reservations for dining and attractions earlier than guests staying outside of Disney World. In some parks, you can also take advantage of extended park hours if you’re staying at a Disney Hotel. You can also book your park tickets with your hotel as a combined package.
Disney’s hotels are broken down broadly into three categories: value resorts, moderate resorts and deluxe resorts. While the deluxe resorts are stunning, I just can’t justify the cost when I visit Disney World (some in excess of $1,000 USD a night). I find I personally don’t spend much time at the resort outside of going to bed at night. I’m always on the go at Disney. For that reason, I generally stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Its a value resort that has direct bus and Skyliner service to the parks. Depending on the time of year you’re visiting, you can expect to pay between $160 – $350 USD per night.
Getting Around Walt Disney World
At over 25,000 acres, it goes without saying that you can’t just walk around Walt Disney World (though you’ll be doing your fare share of steps in the actual parks!). I’ve always stayed at a Disney hotel when I’ve visited Disney World, so I can only really comment on the options to get around if you’re staying on property (if you’re not, go with Uber I guess?). You definitely don’t need a car if you’re on property. Most of the Disney resorts offer buses to the various theme parks. They leave from the front of the resorts and (generally) go direct to each particular park. They run very regularly throughout the day, starting around an hour before park opening and ending an hour after park closure. You can ride the buses for free as well.
There’s other options that replace the buses depending which hotel you’re staying in. The Contemporary, Polynesian Village and Grand Floridian Resorts are all connected to the Magic Kingdom by a monorail. Meanwhile the Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach and Riviera Resorts (along with those on the Disney Boardwalk) are linked to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios by the Disney Skyliner, a fun suspended gondola that offers views across Disney World.
Things to Do Before You Go to Walt Disney World
Planning a trip to Disney World doesn’t involve AS much planning as it used to (the days of picking your rides 60 days out have come to an end), however there are still a few important things to do throughout the planning process.
- Sign up for an use the MyDisney Experience App. Seriously, you need to do this (all the other steps rely on it). There’s too much to cover here, but you can read about it on the various Disney site blogs.
- Once you’ve bought your park tickets, you also need to make a Disney Park Pass Reservation for the park you want to visit on each specific day. There are caps to park capacity that fill up during peak season, so lock these in as soon as you know your dates. Note that if you have a park hopper pass, you can go to another park in the afternoon, but you have to visit your first chosen park beforehand.
- Book your dining reservations 60 days in advance (Disney resort guests) or 30 days in advance (non-Disney resort guests).
- On the morning of each day, make your first Genie+ Lightning Lane selections at 7.00am. This is the successor to the old Fastpass+ system. I wasn’t a fan of it at first, but I think it works fairly well when you get used to it. Again, a Disney specific blog is your best resource for Lightning Lane tips.
- You should also check out the official Walt Disney World website to read up on the Lightning Lane and Genie+ system so that you’re not trying to figure it all out on the day.
This post is by no means a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about Walt Disney World. There’s whole websites devoted to that after all! Hopefully this has provided you with a decent foundation if you’re a first time visitor to the Disney parks. Take a dive and read up on the points I’ve mentioned in this post while you’re planning your vacation and you’ll have a better time for it. If you’re a Disney pro, leave your essential Disney planning tips in the comments below!