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There’s something about Disneyland, from the moment you enter you feel the magic! Some might think that Disney’s Parks are just for kids, but it is not. The park is filled with great food, fantastic entertainment, and fun rides. In this post I’ll cover ticket prices, how to get there, the hotels, opening hours, the app, free and paid Fastpasses, hidden gems, pins, rides, characters, and how to prepare for your Disney vacation.
1-Day Magic Kingdom Park: 218$ (777 NIS) for both of us.
We always prefer to go on a weekday since the weekends and holidays get so crazy, and enjoying that way is hard. We also tend to buy the tickets on the official pages that way, you don't have to wait in lines in the morning and convert the tickets you have to Disney tickets.
Check the hours on the Disney site because they change, but you should know something about all Disney parks - They open the area of downtown Disney until the castle half an hour before written on the official site!!! So if the site says the park opens at 10 am, it's best to get there at around 9-9:15, so you could enjoy, take some photos and get in line for the opening at 9:30! Everyone gets in line so they can rope drop to their favorite rides, such as Peter Pan (which could reach up to 100 min wait), space mountain, or meet Mickey Mouse. Don't forget to take a map of the park! The map has the hours If you don't feel like running to the rides, take advantage of the empty castle and take some beautiful photos.
If you are staying in a Disney hotel, you can book three fast passes 60 days before your trip. If you are staying off-site, you can book fast passes 30 days before!
The most popular rides in Magic Kingdom are:
•Seven dwarfs mine train.
•Peter Pan.
•The mountains: Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Splash mountain.
•Haunted mansion.
•Pirates of the Caribbeans. All these rides have a very long wait line in the park. We got a fast pass for Seven dwarfs, Peter Pan and Space Mountain.
The most popular rides in Animal Kingdom are:
•Avatar Flight of Passage (Could be a 90-minute wait)
•Na’vi River Journey
•Kilimanjaro Safaris (Important to go in the Daytime so you can see the animals)
•Expedition Everest
The most popular rides in Disney's Hollywood Studios are:
•Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (Could be an 85-minute wait)
•Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
•Slinky Dog Dash (Could be a 90-minute wait)
•Toy Story Mania (Could be a 60-minute wait)
•The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Could be an 80-minute wait)
•Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (Could be a 50-minute wait)
The most popular rides in Epcot are:
•Frozen Ever After (Could be a 90-minute wait)
•Soarin’ Around the World
•Test Track
When purchasing a night, it includes:
•Admission ticket to the park
•Transportation - Walt Disney World maintains a vast transportation network connecting hotels, parks, and other attractions via buses, boats, and monorails. All of these transportation options are free for Disney Resort guests.
•Extra Magic Hours - Guests staying at a Disney Resort property have access to one park each day, either before or after regular operating hours, through Extra Magic Hours. Disney World publishes a schedule showing which parks open early or late each day. You’ll need to get to the park at least 30 minutes before morning Extra Magic Hours to get the most out of it, so it’s best for early risers. Evening Extra Magic Hours can make for a late night, better for families with older kids.
•FastPass+ reservations 60 days in advance - Three of which are included with every daily park ticket let visitors ride the most popular attractions without waiting in line.
•Airport - Those who stay at hotels get excellent care to streamline the travel process. To start, they send luggage tags to you that let Disney bring your luggage straight to the hotel when you land at Orlando Airport. No need to stop at the baggage claim. Disney World also operates a free Magical Express Bus service between Orlando Airport and Disney World Resorts.
•Dinner Reservations - Walt Disney World restaurant reservations are available 180 days before your visit. In some cases (think Cinderella’s Royal Table and ‘Ohana at dinner), you need to book as far as possible to get your ideal dinner time.
•Magic Bands - Disney World Resort guests are entitled to a complimentary new Magic Band for every stay. You can even select the color and have them customized with your name. Magic Bands can be used to access the parks and FastPass lines, pay for items around the parks, and to open your Disney hotel door.
•Disney purchases Delivery - Purchases in the park could be delivered to your room.
Disney parks are costly, and so are the things inside them.
•Minnie Ears: Everyone loves to wear Minnie ears, even adults. Disney keeps coming out with new cool ears, but they are always around 25$ (Now it's 29.99$), which is pretty expensive. I would advise buying Minnie ears online for cheaper and bringing them to the park or the Disney store outlet. (I once found Minnie ears for 5.99$!!)
• T-Shirts: The T-shirts in Disney run between 30$-55$ - Go to a Disney store outlet before your Disney trip, and you can find t-shirts for 10$!!
• Her Universe: Great place to get a pretty but cheap princess dress https://www.heruniverse.com/
When choosing a time to go, best not to go when Americans have vacation since the crowds are unbearable. Dan and I looked at the crowd calendar and found the perfect timing (the first week of September). It was right after Labor day weekend and the first week of school in Florida, so the longest we waited for a ride was 30 mins!!!!! we were able to do all the rides + a few that we did twice. I recommend this crowd calendar: www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/
Make sure you check what events are happening at Disney when you are planning to go. Sometimes Disney has special events with separate tickets, and you will have to leave the park earlier that day.
•Halloween - From the middle of September until October 31st, they have a Halloween party twice/three times a week.
•Christmas - From November until December, they have the Christmas party.
•Disney Marathon
If you stay in the park for a few days, you might want to think about purchasing a memory maker, which is 169$ for unlimited photos of you. around the park, there are many, many photographers. They have around the castles, meeting characters, in the attractions. You can get all the photos that way. You also have an option to purchase individual images, but it is about 17$ per photo.
I recommend you download the app! 1. you have a park map. 2. you can see the time wait for the rides. 3. you can make reminders for the shows. 4. is a reason not many know- but when you get hungry and want to eat, it tends to get pretty crowded in the lines to order food. instead of waiting in line, you can order on the app, and your phone buzzes when the food is ready.
At City hall (on your left when you enter the park), you could get different pins for occasions you celebrate the park, such as birthdays and anniversaries. These pins don't usually give you anything. Still, people around the park will congratulate you, and for my birthday, I got a free coffee and Cinnabon from Starbucks in the park from a worker called Miriam! Thanks, Miriam you made my day!!!!
If you have a Chronic disease/disability, you need to bring a note from your Doctor (GP) that states your name and disability in English. You will get a form to give the workers for each ride; they give you an hour to return, and then you ride without waiting. For more info, click here!
• For the daytime parade:
Go about an hour before the parade and sit right across from the castle it kind of adds to the parade seeing the castle behind the charters.
• For the lights show at night:
Go an hour+ before because this seems to get SUPER crowded no matter when you go. the best place is behind the Mickey mouse and Walt Disneys Statue!!!!