Wild time at Walt Disney!!!

Last holiday season, we had the opportunity to experience the Walt Disney parks in Florida for the first time. It was a delightful visit, building on our memories from the California park some years prior. The trip was incredibly exciting for our children. However, a trip to the ‘happiest place on Earth’ requires careful planning to afford the stay and tickets. Also, we knew we had to cope with the long lines, more so during the holidays, to make the most of the attractions and our park days. Sharing below some of the tips and strategies that we followed for our trip.

Air travel in the US has inflated since covid, more so during school breaks, so we usually plan well ahead to book tickets for our family of four. We fly on a weekday and let the kids miss 1-2 school days (this might only work out until they are in elementary though!). I also often get better rates when I book a flight in the middle of the week. I always avoid the saver fares, which are less expensive but do not offer the flexibility I require to travel/alter our plans as needed, especially in these uncertain times.

The pandemic has made accommodation costs, dining out, and everything else more expensive. I look for Apartment condos or timeshares on Airbnb or sometimes on sites like booking, Expedia etc. Usually my main concern with Airbnb is the additional fees that they might charge, but I appreciate their travel coverage and flexibility in case of plan changes. Also, the Apartment/Condo option allows me to save some money by having the flexibility to prepare meals as needed and gives us more space to spread out while traveling with kids compared to a single hotel room.

Fortunately, Orlando has many choices for accommodation that may fit your budget. We stayed at a nice Airbnb with water park, pool etc. that aligned well with our overall plan. We also wanted some amenities to unwind during our stay, and not only have a packed schedule in Disney parks. As a city, we found Orlando to be one of the more well-designed and enjoyable cities that we've visited, with broad roads and a cheerful, Disney vibe in most of the streets and shops there. If you want to stay at a Disney resort hotel, you may need to book a year in advance, and it’ll still be pricey😊.

Our 9 nights/8 days itinerary was as follows:

Walt Disney Parks (4 days):

We chose to visit 3 of the 4 parks in 4 days, thinking Magic kingdom may need more time. But we realized later that one day was enough for each park (if planned properly which we did) and we could have seen the 4th park on the last day.

In addition, we had to book the park we wanted to go to each day after purchasing the tickets until last year. But I believe that policy changed from 2024 onward. I suggest looking up the park availability for the dates in mind before finalizing the plan. We got our Disney tickets from the Disney website, but one can also try ‘TicketsAtWork’ to find any corporate discounts. Ticket prices are high (varies further based on the season), and for a family of four the daily costs pile up fast.

Some tips that you may find especially helpful (this was relevant when we visited last year around holidays, it might have changed since).

• To get on 1-2 of the busiest rides in each park, one has to sign up for a virtual queue around 7am that day. If one fails to do that, it might be hard to find another opportunity later in the day.

• Add-ons like Park Hopper are unnecessary as each park will require an entire day to explore and the parks here are not as close to each other as in CA.

• For add-ons such as photo Memory maker, I personally didn't think it was worth the cost, as I preferred the quality of the photos from our smart phone anyways. However, I appreciated the convenience of having a photo taken at some of the photo prop areas with the Disney characters and so on.

• Add-on like Disney Genie+ (per person) that we purchased daily for each park was a good investment for our entire family, especially if you visit during the busy season. Again, the price for this may vary each day for each park, depending on the level of demand. It cut down the long wait times significantly for most of the rides but using this feature needs some planning which you’ll figure out as you use it as you can only reserve 1-2 rides at a time until you use them. Not all popular rides are accessible to book through Disney Genie+ and might need purchasing additional lightning lane (price may vary each day, depending on the ride and level of demand) for individual rides to avoid waiting for specific rides.

• I’d highly recommend beginning your day early, arriving at the park before it opens as you need time to take the shuttle from the parking lot and line up to get in.

• Therefore, use Genie + to book 1-2 morning rides and finish them early to reserve more. We could usually schedule 4-6 rides a day with Genie plus.

• We brought our own food, water, snacks and they didn’t object during the bag inspection at the entrance. There are quite a few dining options, such as Pizza, refilling stations for drinks, popcorn etc., but they are of course priced at Disney rates. To avoid long lines at the dining areas, plan to have your meals early or late.

• On a couple of occasions, we opted for Preferred Parking, which was nearer to the park entrance and did not require a tram ($45-$55 a day), instead of the regular parking ($30-$40 a day). The difference is not very significant if you want to save more money and can arrive early. However, for Magic Kingdom, you still need to queue up for a train or ferry to get to the park, regardless of which parking you choose.

• Also, I heard from a friend that they got extra day(s) as compensation for the day(s) they missed due to bad weather conditions like rain at Walt Disney and Universal Studios. Doesn't hurt to check with the customer service desk if you encounter similar situation.

Here are some of the well-known attractions that I recommend visiting in each of the parks:

Epcot (1 day)

!!!Don't miss rides and recommended to plan with Genie +

(This may have changed since our visit last year)

• Soarin’ Around the World: This 3D simulator ride is amazing. It gives you the sensation of flying in the sky. It's extremely popular, so you might want to use some of the tips I shared above to avoid long waits

• Frozen Ever After: This is a leisurely boat ride that features some drops and splashes, young children and frozen fans will especially love it. Expect long regular lines. +

• Ratatouille Adventure: 3D dark ride, our 6+ year old opted out of this ride but the older one (10+) enjoyed it a lot.

• Test Track: Older kid enjoyed it.

Rides to plan without Genie +

• Guardians of the Galaxy: For roller coaster fans, you may plan for this with the lighting lane pass as it has long wait times. We skipped it.

There are a few others we covered with shorter lines:

Seas with Nemo and Friends, Disney and Pixar film festival and Mickey & Minnie meet and greet. Kids loved visiting these as well!

Animal Kingdom (1 day)

!!!Don't miss rides and recommended to plan with Genie+

• Kilimanjaro Safaris: We had a blast on this safari ride and it's a big hit with everyone. To skip the long lines and grab a slot with Genie+, make sure you book it first thing in the morning.

• Na'vi River Journey: This is a beautiful boat ride that takes you into the world of Avtaar. You will explore caves, rainforests and hear the enchanting song of the Shaman. I felt transported and energized by this experience and I really enjoyed it. 😊

• It’s tough to be a bug: This is a funny and immersive show that explores the challenges of being a tiny creature in a big world. You will be entertained and surprised by some of the effects, especially at the end. My kids enjoyed it a lot.

• Dinosaur: This was a small thrill ride, a bit scary for younger kids but a good, rough ride overall.

• Festival of the Lion King: I highly recommend this show and we were happy to catch it. Amazing performance and atmosphere, using Genie+ to reserve a spot was very helpful to avoid long lines. We could have used Genie+ to reserve these two popular attractions, but we decided not to. One was a roller coaster with a big drop and the other one would have soaked us completely. We didn't want to get wet or cold, especially in winter. 

• 1)      Expedition Everest: Long queues without Genie+

• 2)     Kali River Rapids: Short queues as most people were thinking same! 😊

Rides to plan without Genie +

• Avatar Flight of Passage: Its an immersive 3D simulation experience that was even better than Epcot's Soaring attraction. My recommendation is to buy the lighting lane for this ride (per person). It can have very long waiting times (we saw up to 3 hours) and it was the BEST ride in all the parks for us. But I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much if I had to wait that long (which we wouldn't have and would have skipped this ride!).

There are a few others we covered with shorter lines:

Feathered Friends in Flight, Gorilla Falls, Top Spins, Tree of Life

Magic Kingdom (1.5 days)

One day was sufficient but would have been hard and exhausting with younger kids at Magic Kingdom during high season. Looking back, we could have spent one day at Disney Hollywood Park instead, but we couldn't alter that plan at the last minute because park reservations were needed in advance.

!!!Don't miss rides and recommended to plan with Genie+

• Peter Pan’s flight: This is a classic and fun ride for the whole family, especially for the kids. It's very popular at this park, so we were glad to use Genie + and save some time in line.

• It’s a small world: Another enjoyable and smooth boat ride, where Genie + was super handy.

• Characters meet and Greet: We used Genie+ to book a time slot for some popular characters like Cinderella and Snow-white, since they had some waiting time to meet and greet.

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: One of the popular roller coaster ride that was not too scary but fun. It was a busy attraction, so we were glad to reserve it through Genie +

• Also, we opted for simple and quick meals like Pizza, since many of the fancy/dining restaurants needed reservations (also possible through Genie +)

Rides to plan without Genie + (Don't miss attractions!!!)

• The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: Intermediate roller coaster ride, didn’t have those long lines (30 mins-1 hour wait). You can enjoy it without the add on if you schedule it or fit it in your day.

• Tron: A thrilling roller coaster ride for the adventurous ones, but with super long queues. We were glad to skip it 😊

• Astor rockets: We were looking forward to this ride, but we had to skip it because the lines were too long (75+ minutes) and it was not part of the Genie+ service when we checked.

• Disney Castle: Nice family photos in front of the Castle. You don't need to book anything, but you should plan to find a good time when there are fewer people around (we found that early morning or lunchtime were good options)

• Disney Parade: The parade usually happens twice a day on Friday-Sunday and once a day on weekdays, but the schedule might change. To get a good view, I suggest finding a spot at least 30 minutes before.

• Disney Fireworks: This is usually on Friday-Sunday evenings after 9pm for the public (the schedule also depends on the season), and you don't need a reservation. Note: We noticed that private parties booked the venue on weekday evenings during the winter season. Also, if you want a great spot to see the fireworks, you may want to arrive at least an hour early. Keep in mind that the closer you are to the front, the harder it will be to leave and get to the rail for the parking lot. It gets very crowded after the show when everyone tries to exit.

There are a few others we covered with shorter lines:

The adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Buzz lightyear’s space Ranger Spin, Tomorrowland Speedway, Dumbo the flying elephant, People mover, Barnstormer, Magic Carpets.

Also, sharing some suggestions that I’ve received for Disney Hollywood Studios

Alien Swirling Saucers, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt, Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, Mickey & Minni’s Runaway Railway Fantasmic!

Kennedy Space Center (1 full day):

We skipped Universal Studios this time and chose to save it for later, since we had already visited it twice before, in California and Singapore. Therefore, we chose to go to the Space center instead. This might not have required reservations, since it was not as crowded as Disney, but we had already booked the date ahead of time and got tickets that were much more affordable than Disney.

We had a one-hour drive from our place in Kissimmee to get there, so we started early around 8:30 am to maximize our time there as it was supposed to close around 6pm.

I'd plan for at least 6-7 hours to see the place, including lunchtime. There was a cafeteria with pizza and other options to choose from that suited our family. We also bought the KSC Explorer (2-hour tour) that I strongly suggest because it has more stops for pictures and shows you some of the behind-the-scenes views of NASA KSC headquarters.

But apart from that, there is a lot to see at the Space center based on what you and your kids like, and you'll have to decide what's most important depending on how much time you have. If you have a spare day, you can get the 2-day pass and maybe also consider spending a day near Cocoa beach or staying there overnight.

Some of the other visits we really enjoyed there are as follows:

Space Shuttle Exhibits, Space Flight simulator and 3D experience, Shuttle Launch Experience and Stroll through the Heroes and the Legends Center

Chilling at Airbnb (3 full days):

This was the most leisurely part of the trip, and it was a great decision, as we were very tired from travelling every day since morning and collapsed by evening. It was also a smart idea to alternate between busy days and days just resting at the Water park, pool and other facilities (including a convenience store) that this beautiful (and relatively reasonable Airbnb) community offered us.

To book this Airbnb from a great superhost with excellent reviews, you can use this link: https://www.airbnb.com/slink/LuU2re0a (the owner has a couple of options to choose from) . Mention my name when you contact her and she might offer you a even better deal.

There was also a Walmart nearby, less than 5 minutes by car, that had everything we needed. We also got some Disney merchandise there at half the cost before going to the park.

Overall, it was an excellent trip which was particularly enjoyable for the children, and allowed us to indulge in child-like wonder once again 😊.