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Get ready to immerse yourself in the magic of Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. With four theme parks, two water parks and numerous hotel and dining options, the experience promises to be unforgettable.
Find out how to make the most of your visit, from buying tickets online to discovering what’s new. This guide is your ticket to an enchanted Disney adventure. Here, you’ll find tips for visiting Walt Disney World’s top attractions in Orlando, our review of the Genie+ option and Lightning Lane, and how to save money on travel, food and accommodation.
Walt Disney World's nighttime shows
Every evening, each of the four parks closes with a show. Build your days around them: they draw the biggest crowds, and attraction queues empty out while the show is on. Check the day's schedule in the My Disney Experience app: it changes from one evening to the next.
At Magic Kingdom, you will watch the nighttime show “Happily Ever After” which illuminates the castle of Cinderella every night with projection and fireworks. Luminous The Symphony of Us, at EPCOT, is the other fireworks show not to be missed.
The attraction “Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure,” open since October 2021, is to be seen at Epcot. And finally, the magic is everywhere with details in every park, and our favorite characters with their best costume.
Preparing for a trip to WDW
Walt Disney World admission tickets
When buying your Walt Disney World attraction tickets, try to book outside school vacations and visit on weekdays. No children? Choose August, September. You’ll have fewer people and it’ll be a little cheaper. For more info, check out our article on the Undercover Tourist service.
Also, be sure to check, the hours of operation differ by day and by park. And your benefits can change, too!
Each person in each family will have its own objectives. Your visit time can vary according to many criteria:
- the number of parks you wish to visit: 1, 2, 3 or all 4;
- the number of days on site;
- the number of people in your group, with or without children;
- of the chosen hotel;
- the type of attractions you like to do;
- whether you prefer to see as much as possible or just stroll and shop;
- park traffic, etc.
For example, as a family of two adults and two children aged 4 and 6, we chose to spend 4 full days in the parks (9 a.m.-10 p.m.) with Hopper, Genie+ and Lightning Laneand we stayed at the hotel Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando at Flamingo Crossings Town Center ideally located about 10 minutes from the parks, at a cost of US$99 per night. For comparison, others will do this over 8 days at a Disney hotel.
Credit cards, points or gift cards can help you save big at Walt Disney World. See our other articles on the subject:
When you buy your tickets, be sure to reserve your place in the parks. It’s a must! Then, download the Disney World My Disney Experience app from Google Play or Apple.
To enter the park, you can scan your e-tickets on the Disney World app on your phone to sync with your account or wristband (to be ordered).
Individual wristbands replace the phone. Convenient to scan at the entrance of each attraction. Linked to your credit card like the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card (so you pay no foreign currency conversion fees), or even your gift cards, you’ll be able to pay for everything with your wristband.
We can no longer receive them in Canada but you can have them delivered to your hotel.
Using Credit Cards to Save at Walt Disney World
Credit cards can help you save money, whether it’s on conversion fees, getting free hotel nights (or accommodations on Airbnb), restaurants, or booking your airline ticket.
Here is our selection of credit cards to have when you travel:
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150 | |||
| $120 | |||
| $0 |
Our Review of Lightning Lane Passes at Walt Disney World
When you only have a few days to visit all the parks, Lightning Lane Multi Pass can be a winner, especially for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, which are often very crowded (that was the case for us). Note the name change first: Multi Pass replaced the Genie+ service, and Single Pass replaced à la carte Lightning Lane entry. The trip described here took place under the old system, but the logic is the same.
Beware, during high traffic periods, Multi Pass is very popular and can become less profitable.
You now buy Multi Pass before you arrive, in the My Disney Experience app: 7 days before your stay begins if you are staying at a Disney or select partner hotel, 3 days before your visit otherwise. Purchasing opens at 7:00 AM Eastern Time, and you pick up to 3 experiences and their arrival windows at the same time. It goes fast, so don't miss your window! On the day itself, once you redeem one of your three selections, you can add another, subject to availability.
Once at the entrance of the attraction to be scanned, you can book another one again. On average, we had to use it for 4 attraction reservations each.
Tip: Always set an alarm and use both phones to give yourself more chances!
Lightning Lane Single Pass opens up the most in-demand attractions, the ones Multi Pass does not cover: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios and Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom. It is an additional fee per person and per attraction, the amount varying by date and attraction, and you can buy up to two per day. You choose the time you want to do the attraction next.
At the end of the day, the amount of attractions paid with Single Pass can be high but it is a personal choice.
Visitors staying at a Disney or partner hotel keep a head start: they buy their passes 7 days before arrival, for the whole length of their stay, while everyone else waits until 3 days before their visit.
Despite our best efforts, we were unable to do the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction for example (it falls under Single Pass, not Multi Pass). Arriving early does not guarantee that you will be able to make it. The wait was already about 110 minutes when we entered the park and never went below that.
To have a chance to do it, buy a Single Pass the moment your purchase window opens, at 7:00 AM Eastern Time.
If you are outside of a Disney hotel, plan on 2 days for Magic Kingdom or 1 day with Multi Pass and Single Pass. The same goes for Hollywood Studios.
The Genie+ saved us a lot of time in our case. Often avoiding queues of 70 to 150 minutes! We waited at most 45 minutes without the Genie+ and about 20 minutes with the Genie+: a time saving for more fun (especially with children aged 4 and 6) but more walking!
My Disney Experience Application
Log in to your account, all your information will appear there. You will be able to bookmark attractions, see park opening hours, show times, or even find your way around on the map in real time.
Purchases and selections for Lightning Lane are also done on the app.
The app is most convenient also to make a reservation at the restaurant but also mobile orders of food to go at some restaurants in the park. You avoid a long wait with the children.
All the photos taken by the park photographers or during the attractions will also be available in the application. It’s up to you if you want to buy the package.
You can also switch parks during the day on the app, starting at 2pm if you’ve completed the first one and taken the Hopper option.
Finally, you will have to orient yourself quickly in each park, so the application will be your ally throughout your visit! However, don’t forget to bring a battery to recharge your phone: the use of the Disney application is intensive and by early afternoon your phone will need to be recharged!
Choosing the right accommodation at Walt Disney World
Staying at a Disney or partner hotel gives you several advantages, one of which is that you can enter the park 30 minutes before the other visitors. This is ideal for the most popular attractions and to avoid paying for a Lightning Lane pass!
For a Disney hotel, count from 200 $CAD for a Value category to 600 $CAD for a Deluxe category hotel (ex: Animal Kingdom Lodge).
Some will rent Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points in order to afford a Deluxe Disney room at a lower rate. This can be done through a DVC member or through the Canadian company DVCrequest.com.
Are you a Marriott hotel fan? If you stay 5 consecutive nights using Marriott Bonvoy points, remember: the 5th night is free!
Finally, why not rent a villa on VRBO if you are a lot in your party? You can find it for less than $1,000 a week.
Walt Disney World Travel Options
You’ll have your choice. Car rental, Taxi, Uber, Lyft, or shuttle, bus to Disney hotels. Some will even arrive from Canada with their car (about 2 days drive).
With your car, you will have to think about parking fees: US$35 per day in the parks, good the same day at all four parks (or US$50 to US$60 depending on the date for preferred parking, closer to the entrances).
Those with an annual Disney World pass or Disney World hotel guests will be able to park for free.
Good news if you stay on property: self-parking at Disney hotels is complimentary for registered guests, overnight included, and it is complimentary for Disney Vacation Club members too. Valet service, however, still costs extra.
In particular, electric cars will be given strategic locations in the theme park parking lots, as well as handicapped spaces. This avoids the wait for a shuttle bus to get to the transportation center at Magic Kingdom for example.
Some park at Disney Springs where parking is free, then take a bus to the parks.
I read a tip from someone, with a reservation at a Disney hotel. She would rent a car at the airport, run errands, drop them off at the hotel, and then return her car to Disney’s Car Care Center and use only public transportation afterwards. Clever!
The Disney Center offers car rentals from Enterprise, Alamo and National.
For Uber/Lyft, count $40 USD from the Orlando airport to a Disney hotel. Also, prices rise quickly in the evening when the park closes. It is best to wait 20 minutes for the price to drop.
Finally, a tip: if you have children aged 4+ and need to rent a booster seat. We tested the Mifold product for our two children. Convenient to put in the suitcases, this allowed us to avoid the rental fees on site, often expensive in the United States!
How to save on food at Walt Disney World?
Marriott hotels are interesting here. If you have a Platinum status and above, you will benefit from free breakfasts.
Without status? Choose a Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn or TownePlace: they offer free breakfast for all.
In the parks, food is expensive, not to mention sit-down meals at restaurants (with an 18% tip to pay). Use the Disney World app and order with your phone at one of the restaurants. It’s quick and easy. Otherwise, bring your own water bottles, snacks and lunch boxes (and cooler!): it’s allowed.
Shop online before you arrive, and have it delivered to your hotel. Check out these sites:
- Amazon fresh,
- Instacart, serving several major U.S. cities
- Garden Grocer, serves Florida including several Disney resorts
Foreign currencies
Consider getting a credit card with no foreign currency conversion fees before your visit to Walt Disney World. Here are the two best credit cards in Canada with no conversion fees:
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150 | |||
| $120 | |||
| $150 |
The Disney gift card trick
Do you know the Costco Landry’s restaurants gift card?
On the US Costco site, for $80, you get $100 USD (2 x $50) in gift cards, received by email and to print. They can be used at many of the restaurants near the Disney Orlando locations. And yes, you can buy while being Canadian.
Also, know that you can pay for everything with Disney gift cards: Hotels, restaurants, admission tickets, gifts, etc. Finally, the conversion to US dollars is free of charge.
Buy Disney souvenirs
Disney madness is everywhere. Hard to get away with a souvenir for less than $20 – $30 USD at Disney! So take advantage of deals at stores like Target, Walmart or even place an order before you arrive at the hotel.
Also, be aware that your purchases in the parks can be picked up at the end of the day at the exit.
Websites you need to know to plan your trip to Walt Disney World
Finally, to prepare your trip, here are different sites to know:
- Undercovertourist: to take advantage of reduced rates on attraction tickets
- Mousesavers.com for discounts on all things Disney
- Touringplans for guides, maps and tips
- Disney Food Blog for all things food at Disney
- Finally the YouTube page AllEars.net
- Unionsavings.ca for discounts on admission.
Finally, if you prefer to use the services of a travel agency, many specialized providers exist in Canada.
Other tips for Walt Disney World
Pick up brochures and booklets available at the hotels. Coupons are available for discounts on local restaurants and activities, including “Enjoy Florida” magazine. The offers are also available online, take a look!
In order not to lose your children (yes, it is possible), hang an Apple Airtag or put on a bracelet with their identification and the hotel where you are staying.
Take a rechargeable battery for your cell phone and a poncho in your backpack: it doesn’t take up much space and it will be practical in case of rain, wind or wet attractions…!
Finally, take a picture of your car’s location at the theme park parking lots. It will be less stressful to find her at night.
Walt Disney World's four theme parks
Magic Kingdom (MK)
Unlike other parks where you can easily access the park entrances, there will be different ways to get to MK:
By car, we park at the parking lot, we take a shuttle if available to get to the transportation service where you will have the choice between the monorail and the ferry. Either way, it will take 15 minutes to reach the park’s front door.
By bus, cab, same system, we arrive at the transportation system where we have to choose between the boat and the monorail.
The boat is more scenic and calm in our opinion. Be aware that in both cases, breakdowns can occur. We had the inconvenience of being stuck in the monorail for 45 minutes on the way back, with the kids asleep in our arms at 10pm!
If you are a guest at a nearby Disney hotel, you can have direct access to boat transportation or be only one MK monorail station away (example with the Disney Contemporary Resort) instead of 2.
For those who want to maximize their time, it’s time saved on the attractions to be next to and before everyone else in the park!
The MK park has 6 zones and we visited it in 1 and a half days thanks to the Hopper. We were able to see the fireworks twice.
Here are our top 5 attractions to do:
- Jungle Cruise for a fun boat ride.
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain (caution: may scare the little ones)
When we came, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was unfortunately closed.
Celebrate Halloween at Magic Kingdom
On select nights from August 7 to October 31, 2026, Magic Kingdom transforms for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, open to kids of all ages. It is a separate-ticket evening, running 7:00 PM to midnight, and your ticket lets you into the park as early as 4:00 PM. Book early: every 2026 date has sold out.
Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular
Dress up for the occasion and go trick-or-treating in Magic Kingdom. On certain evenings, Disney presents a live show, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, on the Cinderella Castle stage to mark the occasion. Disney villains take center stage as the Sanderson sisters seek to create a magical party potion.
Fireworks display
The show is called Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular. Jack Skellington, from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, hosts a fireworks display mixed with lasers and projections on Cinderella Castle. You will only see it on party nights.
Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade
Your favorite characters, Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle, will be dressed up for the occasion.
New must-see attractions at Magic Kingdom
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom
Open since June 2024, this attraction took the place of the famous Splash Mountain and is based on the animated film “The Princess and the Frog”. It’s a great way to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the Disney world.
Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom
Open since April 2023, this roller coaster will take you aboard a hyper-futuristic bicycle and propel you at speeds of up to 95 km/h. It’s currently the fastest roller coaster in all the Disney parks.
Animal Kingdom (AK)
The park comprises six zones and can be visited in less than a day. It is a walk in the middle of nature proposed to you to discover animals and fantastic worlds.
Take the train to the conservation center, and have your children collect badges, solving puzzles and exercises around the theme of nature.
Our top five AK attractions:
- Avatar Flight of Passage (beware of the size limit): just WoW!
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Kali River Rapids
- Expedition Everest
- Dinosaur and It’s tough to be a bug: beware, these attractions can scare the little ones!
Hollywood Studios (HS)
Hollywood Studios is divided into 7 areas and can be visited in one day. This park is often very busy.
Here are the top 5 attractions:
- Rise of the Resistance – Galaxy’s edge neighborhood
- Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run – Galaxy’s edge neighborhood
- Slinky Dog Dash – Toy Story Land area
- Rock’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets – Sunset Boulevard area.
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – Sunset Boulevard area
EPCOT
Do you like to travel? You’ll love Epcot. Mix of culture, gastronomy. This park is very pleasant, full of surprises and we go there for its festival of flowers and gardens! These 4 districts can be visited in less than a day.
Worth knowing: EPCOT is in constant evolution, and construction can close an area or an attraction during your stay. Check Disney's refurbishment calendar before you commit a day to it.
Here are our Top 5 attractions:
- Remy’s ratatouille adventure: an immersion in the kitchens of the Gusteau restaurant in Paris!
- Test Track: you design your car and try one that goes fast.
- Mission Space: a crazy experience (beware of the little ones, the orange mission shakes hard)!
- Soarin’ : a flight through the countries of the world thanks to its 180 degree screen and its recreated atmospheres (scents, winds).
- Spaceship Earth for a journey through time and space, right into the giant sphere of Epcot.
New must-see attractions at Epcot
Journey of Water at Epcot
Inspired by the film Moana, this attraction features an interactive exploration trail centered on water. You can spend as much time here as you like, making it a unique experience.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot
This indoor roller coaster is Disney’s first to move in reverse. It offers a unique experience with its 360-degree rotation and 1980s music.
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Bottom Line
Ready for Disney? Come and discuss it with the community in our Facebook group and share your good deeds! We wish you a ton of fun at Disney!
Which Disney park to choose in Florida?
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, offers four very different theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. If you’re short on time and need to make a choice, here are the specifics of each:
- Magic Kingdom: Ideal for families and fans of Disney classics.
- Animal Kingdom: Perfect for nature and animal lovers.
- Hollywood Studios: For Star Wars fans and thrill-seekers.
- EPCOT: For those who love international culture and gastronomy.
Which is the best Disney park in the world?
It’s hard to say. The “best” Disney park is subjective and depends on individual preferences. However, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Orlando, is often cited for its classic charm and various attractions for all ages. You won’t go wrong choosing it for your first experience.
How much does Walt Disney World cost?
Walt Disney World admission prices vary depending on several factors, including the number of days you visit, the type of ticket (standard, Park Hopper, etc.), and the season. Budget at least US$119 before tax for a one-day, one-park ticket, ages 10 and up. We recommend consulting the official Disney website for the most up-to-date rates.
How many Disney theme parks are there in Orlando?
There are four main theme parks at Walt Disney World, Orlando:
- Magic Kingdom
- Animal Kingdom
- Hollywood Studios
- EPCOT
In addition to these four, there are also two water parks:
- Blizzard Beach
- Typhoon Lagoon
