DisneyWorld Vacation

Months of planning are needed for a Disney Trip. Have you started?

DisneyWorld - Florida

Flights

• there is a direct Westjet flight from YYC to MCO
• Westjet usually has Black Friday and Birthday Sales (Feb 28/29)
• Tip: the RBC Westjet Mastercard ($119) wil get you a round trip companion voucher for $119 and a free checked bag

Hotel

• If you are taking advantage of the Disney Dining Plan, you’ll need to stay at one of the DisneyWorld Resort properties. It’s not cheap, but you’ll save about $57 to $95US for adults and $24 to $30US a day on food which makes up for some of the hotel price differences.
• The Deluxe Resorts will get you the full Disney Dining Plan (including table service meals)

• The Moderate and Value Resorts will get you Disney Quick Service Plan (cafeteria-style or counter-service venues)

• If you’re not on the Disney Dining Plan, check out the Disneyworld special offers page or check sites like AMA Travel
• If staying offsite, ensure the hotel has frequent shuttles to the parks

Ground Transportation

• How to get from the airport to your hotel?
• MEARS Connect bus
• $13-$16, no surge pricing

Park Passes

• If you are taking advantage of the Disney Dining Plan, the park hopper tickets are included with hotel.

• If you’re not on the Disney Dining Plan, check out the Disneyworld special offers page or check sites like AMA Travel

• Ask yourself, do I really need the park hopper?

  • There’s lots to do and see in one park.
  • Taking a shuttle bus between parks is time consuming.

Parks

Note: the below selection of rides is geared towards older kids

• Install Disney App on your phone
• Consider bringing a battery power bank

Magic Kingdom - Map

• Happily Ever After fireworks and lights show (8pm?)
• Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade (3pm?)
• Tip: shorter lines to high value rides during parades and shows
• Tip: don’t visit on a Monday

Tomorrowland

• TRON Lightcycle (virtual queues)
• Space Mountain
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
  • great to get out of the sun

Adventureland

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Jungle Cruise
• Swiss Family Treehouse
  • great at busy times everywhere else, great place for photos

Fantasyland

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• It’s a Small World
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
  • 3D glasses - 12min
  • sit closer to the back
• Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid
  • continuous loading - jump on if line is short
  • great for a break in the sun with Air Conditioning
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Frontierland

• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (aka Splash Mountain)
• Big Thunder Railroad
• Tom Sawyer Island

Liberty Square

• Haunted Mansion

Food - Table Service

• Chef Mickey’s, Dinner, Contemporary Resort (monorail), buffet
• Ohana, Dinner, Polynesian Resort (monorail), sit down style buffet
• Crystal Palace, Lunch or Dinner, buffet
• Steakhouse 71, Contemporary Resort (monorail)
• Cape May Cafe, Beach Club Resort, Dinner, buffet
• Trattoria al Forno, Boardwalk, Dinner
• Tony’s Town Square, Lunch or Dinner
• Grand Floridian Cafe, monorail, Lunch and Dinner
• Liberty Tree Tavern, Lunch or Dinner, sit down buffet

Food - Quick Service

• Columbia Harbour House - Lunch and Dinner
• The Lunching Pad
• Casey’s Corner
• Pinocchio Village Haus
• Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
• Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe
• The Friar’s Nook
• Tortuga Tavern

Food - Snacks

• Plaza Ice Cream Parlor - Brownie Sundae (8)
• Aloha Isle - Dole Whip (6)

EPCOT - Map

• Luminous The Symphony of Us (9pm?)

World Discovery

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (virtual queues)
• Test Track
• Mission: SPACE
• Advanced Training Lab (video games)

World Nature

• Soarin’ Around the World
• Soarin’ Over California
• Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana (trail?) -NEW
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Turtle Talk With Crush
• Living with the Land
• Awesome Planet

World Showcase

• Frozen Ever After
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
  • boat ride
• Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360
• Reflections of China 360
• Bijutsu-kan Gallery - Kawaii: Japan’s Cute Culture
• House of the Whispering Willows - Shanghai Surprises

World Celebration

• Spaceship Earth
• Journey Into Imagination With Figment
• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival (18m)

Food - Table Service

• Garden Grill, Lunch and Dinner, buffet, spins
• Biergarten, Lunch and Dinner, buffet
• La Hacienda de San Angel, Dinner
• Teppan Edo, Lunch or Dinner
• San Angel Inn, Lunch or Dinner
• Tutto Italia Ristorante, Lunch or Dinner
• Via Napoli Pizzeria, Lunch or Dinner
• Coral Reef, Lunch or Dinner
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, sit down buffet, Lunch or Dinner

Food - Quick Service

• La Cantina de San Angel, Lunch or Dinner
• Lotus Blossom Cafe
• Connections Eatery
• Regal Eagle Smokehouse
• Katsura Grill
• Yorkshire County Fish Shop
• Sunshine Seasons
• Sommerfest

Food - Snacks

• Sleepy Hollow - Funnel Cake (7/8)
• Karamell Kuche
• Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie - pastries/sandwich/soup

Hollywood Studios - Map

• Fantasmic!
• Wonderful World of Animation - Disney Movie Magic (8:30pm?) - 12min

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
  • don’t do standby for this during the day (only during early morning or late at night)
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

Sunset Boulevard

• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
• Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
• Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy

Hollywood Boulevard

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Echo Lake

• Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular!
  • 1hr
  • only a few performances a day - plan accordingly
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
  • 1hr
• Vacation Fun - An Original Animated Short with Mickey & Minnie

Toy Story Land

• Toy Story Mania!
• Slinky Dog Dash

Grand Avenue

• Muppet*Vision 3D

Animation Courtyard

• Walt Disney Presents
  • 100 Years of Disney on Display

Food - Table Service

• Hollywood & Vine, Buffet, Lunch or Dinner
• Roundup Rodeo BBQ, Sit down Buffet, Lunch or Dinner
• 50s Prime Time Cafe, Lunch or Dinner
• Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant, Lunch or Dinner

Food - Quick Service

• Docking Bay 7, Lunch or Dinner
• Fairfax Fare, Lunch or Dinner
• Dockside Diner, Lunch or Dinner
• Rosie’s All American Cafe
• Backlot Express

Food - Snacks

• The Trolley Car Cafe - Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie (5)
• Epic Eats- Funnel Cake (7/8)

Animal Kingdom - Map

Pandora

• Na’vi River Journey
• Avatar Flight of Passage

Asia

• Kali River Rapids
• Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Maharajah Jungle Trek
  • if you’re killing time

Africa

• Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • animals are more active first thing in the morning or late afternoon.
• Festival of the Lion King
  • only a few performances a day - plan accordingly
• Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
  • if you’re killing time
• Wildlife Express Train
  • if you’re killing time
• Rafiki’s Planet Watch
  • The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
    • Draw Your Own Disney Character (25min)

Discovery Island

• It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Animal Encounters: Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight
  • only a few performances a day - plan accordingly
• Discovery Island Trails
• Tree of Life

DinoLand

• DINOSAUR
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
  • only a few performances a day - plan accordingly

Food - Table Service

• Tusker House, buffet, lunch or dinner
• Boma Flavors of Africa, Animal Kingdom Lodge (bus), dinner, buffet
• Rainforest Cafe, lunch or dinner
• Yak & Yeti, lunch or dinner
• Sanaa, Animal Kingdom Lodge (bus), lunch or dinner
• Whispering Canyon Cafe, (Wilderness Lodge resort), dinner, sit down buffet

Food - Quick Service

• Satu’li Canteen
• Yak & Yeti Local Cafe
• Flame Tree Barbecue
• Restaurantosaurus
• Harambe Marketplace

Food - Snacks

• Dino Bite Snacks - Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich (7/8)
• Eight Spoon Cafe - Pulled Pork - Jelly Doughnut (7)
• Eight Spoon Cafe - Mickey Pretzel with cheese (7)

Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach

• water parks exists, google it if you want to go

Lightning Lane

• Ask yourself, do I really need to pay extra for Genie+ or Lightning Lane passes?
  • Is the park super busy?
  • Will you be at this park only once?
  • Are you going to stay until the park closes at night?
  • Arrive before the parks open in the morning.
  • Take Advantage of Early Theme Park Entry or Extended Evening Hours.
  • Eat lunch before 11am or after 2pm, so you can go on rides while everyone else is eating.
  • Use the app’s wait times to check for short lines.
  • If an attraction is temporarily offline, keep watching it, once it restarts, the lines will be shorter.
  • Use the Single Rider option (if old enough).
  • Use the Rider Switch option (if you have tiny kids).
  • Be in a ride line at closing time (maybe 30mins before closing?).

Other Tips

• Eat in a nice cool place when the sun is the hottest.
• Bring dollar store ponchos from home.
• Bring gum from home (none sold at the parks).
• Bring sunscreen from home (lots).
• Bring a wide brim hat and good walking shoes.
• Which day to go to which park?
  • check out the crowd calendar
  • Animal Kingdom on a Saturday or Sunday?
  • Epcot Mondays to Wednesdays. Avoid on weekends?
  • Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios on Saturdays and Sundays?
  • Magic Kingdom on Wednesdays and Thursdays?