Linda and I have been to Disney World in Florida dozens of times so friends and family often ask us for tips and advice - and our notes eventually turned into this page. It's probably not as comprehensive as many guides you'd find online, but we hope it is useful. You may also be interested in Anthony's page on the Highest Score Possible on Disneys Fast Track.
It may be worth exploring the option of flying into another airport like Tampa, especially if you're going to be getting a rental car anyway. We've found that it saves a fair bit of money over flying into Orlando. The drive is about an hour without traffic - be mindful of rush-hour traffic when looking at flight arrival/departure times though.
We sometimes stay in an on-site Disney resort, although more expensive parking isn't free either and we sometimes find the immersive experience more relaxing. Disney does a pretty good job of shutting out the outside world, although cell phones have changed that somewhat. We like to get a suite that includes a small kitchenette so we can have breakfast/brunch in the room, and have found that the resort prices for things like milk aren't as high as one might think - but we still try to stock-up on groceries before getting to Disney World.
When staying off-site we often like to find Airbnb locations at the Runaway Beach Club in Kissimmee, which is just a few miles from the park. We've heard good things about the Bonnet Creek Hotel too, but don't have any personal experience with it. Remember that you'll have to pay for parking at Disney if you're not an Annual Passholder.
Disney has what they call 'magic hours' where a given park is open an hour early or an hour late each day for people staying at Disney hotels. When you are planning what days you'll be in each park try to check out the Magic Hours Schedule and remember that Epcot and Magic Kingdom are the most popular so may be better weekdays while Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will be less busy on weekends. With standard tickets you'll be able to visit one park each day, the park-hopper ticket option allows you to go between parks - something we really enjoy but which might be expensive for many people over many days.
A new option starting in late 2018 is Disney After Hours which for a fee allows visitors to stay later in the evening so you have extra chances to ride popular rides with little to no wait. This is similar to Holiday and other special events in that normal non-special-ticketed guests will need to leave the park so even if you aren't booking these extra tickets it makes sense to be aware of them when planning your days in case they close the park early for them. So far we've only used this option once to make sure we got into the Flight of the Avatar ride and other popular Animal Kingdom rides. It's an expensive option, but might make sense during busy times for people who can only spend a couple days at the park.
Disney has Children's Activity Centers (formerly Kid's Clubs) where children aged 3-12 can be entertained by Disney staff for a few hours if mom and dad need a break. All of the Disney hotels have pools and such so if the weather is nice you can hang out and relax or ditch older kids there once they're theme-parked out. Speaking of which, Walt Disney World is a big place and you should avoid the temptation to cram too many things in your schedule each day - don't be that family yelling at each other in the middle of the Happiest Place on Earth because you're tired and stressed out.
It's a lot of walking - wear good shoes/socks that you've broken in first, sore feet suck. Remember that it could be cool in the evening many times of the year. It's also good each morning for everyone in your family to take a moment and look around to see what each other is wearing in case there are crowds to get lost in... of course if it rains you'll be among a sea of other people wearing yellow Mickey ponchos so it's sometimes a moot point.
They don't check your park tickets until you actually go in the parks so you can go on the monorail, Skyliner, buses, and boats to other hotel/resorts and parks. There are buses to take you from hotel to parks, but you can also take the buses between hotels by riding to any park and then waiting at that bus stop for a bus to the other hotel. For example if you wanted to eat at the fancy restaurant in the Polynesian resort or wanted to look around the Fort Wilderness resort (in case you forget what pine trees look like). Also note that the monorail system can be taken between some parks and hotels, it stops at a structure called the Ticket and Transportation building where you may have to switch trains or boats.
Linda wants to warn everyone that you can't count on all items being sold at all stores - or even at the Disney Springs mega store, so if you see something special it's probably worth getting right away. Disney will hold packages at the front of parks, deliver it to your on-site room, or ship to your home if that makes sense.
Eating at the hotel will generally be somewhat cheaper than in the parks, esp for mid-day meals and evening. As mentioned above, many experienced visitors with younger children will go back to the hotels mid-day to take a break for naps or downtime in the pools to avoid late-night child (or more commonly adult) meltdowns.
Speaking of eating the Disney phone app allows you to make reservations at any restaurant in any park or hotel if you want to avoid waits for popular places in the busier times. Note that the most popular times/places are usually booked far in advance, but with flexibility (park-hopper) and patience we've never had trouble finding places to eat. Additionally it is worth periodically checking to see if restaurant reservations have opened up, we've snagged last minute reservations at popular spots many times while waiting in ride lines days or hours before. While on the subject of the phone app: you should use the new mobile order feature when possible - you can build your order ahead of time while waiting in a line and then place it when arriving at the restaurant. We've even used it at the last minute if we show up at a counter service location at a busy time since there is rarely a line at the mobile order pickup window.
Those who know us will not be shocked to hear that Linda and I rarely get an early start, and often eat a light breakfast/brunch in our room and then eat a late lunch. Many people who like to get an early start also have a nice sit-down and relax noon-day meal - either at a park or in one of the hotel restaurants. Crowds and lines are also best in the mornings and lunch meals are usually cheaper than evening meals, but on the other hand it can take a big chunk of valuable mid-day time to eat at a sit-down restaurant. More organized visitors should know that you can bring outside food into Disney Parks in reasonably sized bags and coolers - I believe glass bottles are not allowed though.
Generally speaking we've found the counter service restaurants to be kind of expensive for what you get, remember that there are no free drink refills in the Magic Kingdom. We've made park-specific notes below. If you're a real foodie or just want to make the most out of your eating experience at Disney we'd recommend a web site and Youtube series called The Disney Food Blog.
If you are (or can be) an early-morning person be aware that they let people into the parks before the official start time so you can be reasonably close to the most popular rides at the moment of official park opening, then can head to less-popular rides while everyone else is waiting in line, and then use fast-passes for your second and third choice rides later in the day. If you do go early be sure to arrive early enough - only being in the parking lot at park opening time won't gain you much for the most popular rides. If you aren't staying on Disney property you'll also want to make sure the park in question doesn't have early-morning Magic Hours, because those park's lines will already be established when you arrive.
You'll have a window of time to use the fast pass; people tend to show up at the beginning of the time window so we've found that the fast pass line will be even shorter if you show up toward the end of the time-window. I can imagine that they may stagger people's windows more in the future to even out that effect. Note that fast passes that have been canceled because of weather or a ride breaking down will be honored later in the day or at other rides of your choosing. Also note that some rides like Test Track have a single-rider line that can be as fast as a fastpass - if you don't mind your party getting broken up into separate cars.
Our strategy for minimizing time in lines is usually to book fast passes in the afternoon when crowds are largest, and one right after another so our time isn't fragmented. For example, we might book them for 2:00pm, 3:00pm, and 4:00pm - then wait in regular lines in the morning and during meal times when lines are shorter. By booking them consecutively we avoid having blocks of time between fast passes that are too short to use constructively waiting in other lines, and have larger blocks of time that can be used going to another less crowed park or activity. We'll often show up for the first fast pass toward the end of its window and the last fast pass in the block right at the start of its window to maximize this effect.
If you have any warm days be sure to try the Dole whip pineapple ice cream near Aladdin's Ride. For counter-service dining we like the Columbia Harbor House by the Haunted Mansion - you can take your food upstairs for a quieter atmosphere. For pricier sit-down options the Crystal Palace and Liberty Tree Tavern are good places to eat. We've found that although the Be Our Guest and Cinderella's Castle restaurants are popular, they tend to be quite expensive for what you get - for meeting princesses the Akershus restaurant in Epcot Norway is a better option and with the exception of the Beast all of the characters can be seen elsewhere.
If you want to take a break mid-day and don't want to go back to your hotel you may consider eating at one of the resorts around the bay next to Magic Kingdom, you can get to them via the monorail. We'd recommend Captain Cooks at the Polynesian resort, at least in part because you can get Dole Pineapple Whip ice cream at Pine Apple Lanai just outside. The Whispering Canyons restaurant at the Wilderness Lodge is also good, you can take a resort boat there from the front of Magic Kingdom - Anthony can confirm that their "bottomless shakes" really are all-you-can-drink.
For family photos Pete's Silly Sideshow in the North East corner is usually good and often doesn't have bad lines because it's kind of out-of-the-way. In the evening there is often a photographer with fun lighting props between Haunted Mansion and Small World in the North-West corner of the park, there are also a bank of USB charging stations in that area.
The fireworks at night are good, the crowds between the castle and Main Street are often large but that's the best viewing area, we like to stay to the right (tomorrowland) side if we're leaving right after fireworks because they open a backstage corridor on that side to help funnel people past the Main Street crowds. Fireworks can also be seen (at a distance) from the ticket and transportation building if you want to see them on a day that you aren't doing anything else in the evening, and you can access that location even if you don't have the Park Hopper option and you don't have Magic Kingdom tickets that day. If you can time getting on one of the paddle boats that go back and forth between the ticket and transportation building and the Magic Kingdom they're neat to see over the water. There aren't many people going to the MK in the evening so you'd be able to get right on the boats going there (they'll be full on the way back, but that's another story.)
The best rides are Sorin and Test Track - they're also the most popular so fast passes are the way to go if there are any lines at all. Sorin has been updated with a new movie featuring scenes from around the world and they've added a third "concourse" so wait times are less than they've been historically. The ride in the Norway area was recently re-themed to feature the Frozen movie so its super-busy, its a cute ride but not worth the wait unless you're with children who are fans. Speaking of which - it's easy to miss the Anna/Elsa character greeting area between the Norway and Mexican pavilions.
Linda and I also like Spaceship Earth (in the big dome) and Living with the Land. The space and energy buildings are easy to forget, they're tucked over to the left of Test Track - Ellen's energy adventure is closed now and being changed to a Guardians of the Galaxy ride. The Mission to Mars ride just uses spinning to simulate acceleration - I think the warnings are more scary than the ride, but I know other people who have felt nauseous for some time afterward. The Mexican pavilion's old-style boat ride is OK, and they have a children's craft area that is fun for children.
The restaurants in The Land building are both good, the cafe service one downstairs and the fancy circular one upstairs - depending on how much time and money you're willing to spend. Linda likes the "family-style" buffet at Garden Grill, and getting food delivered to your table is great if you've got children to manage. The Garden Grill is also one of the best places to meet Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale because it's less crowded and busy than many other character meals. As you'd imagine the dining at the French section is great, and if you're in the mood for new flavors the Moroccan restaurants will be a great change of pace. The Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway pavilion is a good way to meet a number of princesses if that's important to you, and we've found that the quality/price is better than Be Our Guest and Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom - especially for breakfast. Breakfast at Akershus also has the advantage of putting you close to the Frozen ride at park opening.
Epcot is generally a pretty good park to be in on rainy days despite the large open spaces. Having said that, Test Track often closes any time the weather is threatening (note that you'll be able to use your fast passes later in the day if it closes.) On a rainy or hot afternoon instead of standing in 2 hour lines for Test Track it's nice to watch the fish and dolphins while relaxing at The Seas, and Turtle Talk with Crush is cute.
There are a number of quiet corners in Epcot: on the Future World East (Test Track) side there are two unused buildings next to Mission Space (the former Body Worlds and Energy Adventure rides) - it's usually quiet next to them. Additionally in the World Showcase has several areas that aren't as crowded as the ride-areas in the "front" of the park - our favorites are the paths on the left hand side of the Japan pavilion and the tables on the right-side of the French pavilion, and the water features in the Canadian section.
There are also often decent live bands in the back of the UK section. On a quiet evening you can ditch the kids and have a romantic walk around the main lake in Epcot, there's also a back-entrance to Epcot near the UK section - it leads to another lake that has the Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht resorts. It's usually quiet and nice with a few small sand beaches. The lake at the Caribbean beach resort is nice to walk around too.
For many years the fireworks at Epcot were called Illuminations and were Linda's favorite, but they're being replaced in 2020 so we're excited to see the new show. You can get fast passes for better seating during the show, but we've found simply finding a decent view of the lagoon is sufficient. Having said that, there are often fast passes available for the evening fireworks because people don't often pick the fireworks fast pass and forget they can schedule a 4th fast pass after their first 3 are used.
In terms of rides the Yeti Everest roller coaster is good, as are the Festival of the Lion King and Nemo Musicals. Both rides in the new Avatar World are good, the Flights of Passage ride is similar to Sorin and usually has long lines so that's a place to go early-morning or use a fast pass on. Other activities in the park are good also - Flights of Wonder is one of the better bird shows we've seen, and the animal safari can be good during cool days when the lines aren't long and the drivers can slow down where animals are out and visible.
I don't know that we've got many favorite eating places there, but the Satu'li Canteen in Avatar Land is good - as is the Tusker House Restaurant - although Linda thinks it's a little pricy for what you get. An alternative is Jiko at the nearby Animal Kingdom Lodge, with good food and occasional animal views - you can take a bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodges from the park entrance.
This is definitely not a good park on days that rain, indoor cover is limited and their water management scheme seems to involve channeling it all through the walkways.
Remember that the new Skyliner system connects Hollywood Studios, Caribbean Beach/Riviera areas, and Epcot.
Linda likes classic movies so was sad to see the Great Movie Ride close, but the Indiana Jones and Frozen shows are good. We like the Muppets so the Muppet-Vision 3D production is a classic, although somewhat dated now. In 2017 the main street, backlot, and lights-motors-action areas were closed to make way for the new Star Wars and Toy Story areas which turned out awesome - they're richly themed and have great new rides, but very crowded as of the last time we visited in early 2020. Obviously those are places to use Fast Passes is you are able.
The Aerosmith roller coaster is the upper-limit of my roller coaster tolerance, I like it a lot but its probably a mid-level of intensity for people who really enjoy such things. Universal Studios and Busch Gardens have bigger roller coasters if that's your cup of tea. The tower of terror is pretty fun too - although it's really just a themed version of jerk-ya-up-and-down rides anyplace.
The SiFi drive in is a classic place to eat, although the food isn't special. Hollywood and Vine's all you can eat buffet and character dining is pricey but good, and many people like the atmosphere in the 50's Prime Time Cafe. The Backlot express counter service restaurant is one of the better counter-service places in Disney World. On the flip side Pizza Rizo (formally Pizza Planet) is one of our least favorite counter-service places.
Fantasmic is the nighttime show, but I don't recall being as impressed as I was with Epcot/Magic Kingdom fireworks... it might be better if you get there early and get really good seats. The Star Wars fireworks show has been updated and now includes a fair bit of video projected in the central courtyard so that's a good place to view that show, if you don't want to deal with the crowds or are running late the fireworks can be seen fine from the lake area by Greta the Dinosaur. Fantasmic and the Star Wars show often overlap so you won't be able to see both on the same night.
Last Updated 2/16/2020 - anthony - ant@anderbergfamily.net