Disney World Planning & Tips

Getting There and Around
Guests of 23 Disney owned-and-operated hotels can use the complimentary Disney's Magical Express service and check their bags at their hometown airport, bypass baggage claim at Orlando International Airport, and take Disney's comfortable motor coaches to their resort, where the bags "magically" appear in your room, albeit a while after check-in.

The service must be booked in advance, and is not available with all airlines. If your airline is not a program participant, you can still take the complimentary bus after you claim your bags. Note: Return bus service is scheduled for three hours before flight time.
Consider renting a car if you won't be staying at a Disney resort with monorail or boat access to parks. Waits for buses can take a while from resorts to parks (and vice versa). Parking at the parks is free for Disney resort guests and $12 per day for people staying outside the park. Walt Disney World is approximately 26 miles from Orlando International Airport.

The Art of Smart Timing
For the best pricing, smaller crowds and shorter lines, visit during January to mid-February, late July to October 1st, and, typically, post Thanksgiving through mid-December (a time when the parks are chock full of holiday decorations and special events, but not people). High season includes weekends between mid-February through April, as well as Thanksgiving weekend, mid-December through New Year's Day, and school break weeks.

Visit during the annual Epcot Flower and Garden Festival (typically held mid-March through May) to see over 70 intricately created topiaries (in the shape of Disney characters of course), play in the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden, walk amidst hundreds of butterflies, and hear Flower Power concerts in the open-air America Gardens Theatre.

Or, plan a trip between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day when the parks and resorts are festooned in glittering finery. Special events include choral concerts with celebrity readers at Epcot, Hollywood Studio's Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights and several Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party evenings held at Magic Kingdom, complete with special parades and performances, and free cocoa.

Make your own special event in 2009; birthday celebrants receive a free one-day admission ticket to a Disney theme park of their choosing on the day of their birthday.

Off the Radar
Have an old-fashioned haircut at Harmony Barber Shop on Magic Kingdom's Main Street. Barbershop quartets entertain and little ones can get a "My 1st Haircut," complete with mouse ears, pixie dust and bubble (from $14 - $17 for adults, first come, first serve).

Learn to hula dance at Disney's Polynesian Resort, where complimentary classes (with leis and grass skirts aplenty) take place most days in the resort's lobby. Auntie Kaui, a hula dancer and instructor with 50 years experience, leads most of the classes offered Monday through Saturday at 3:45 p.m., and Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. until noon.

Visitor Tips
Pick up park guide maps at your resort (or near each park's turnstiles) and a Times Guide (separate from the guide map) to see the day's schedule for shows, parades, fireworks, and character meet-and-greets; and then plan your day accordingly.

Park Pricing: Admission to one of the four theme parks: $63 for ages 3 to 9; $75 for ten and up. A "Park Hopper" pass allows admission to all four parks in a day and costs $50 more per ticket. Discounts are available for multi-day passes and for Florida residents. Water parks Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon: $34 for ages 3 to 9; $40 for ages 10 and up.

Note: A Baby Care Center is located in each of the four major parks, offering highchairs, nursing rooms with couches or rockers, changing tables, microwaves, and disposable diapers for purchase. Stroller rentals are $15 per day ($13 a day for length-of-stay rentals).

Insider Tip
Visit Disney's website and sign up to receive their emails and regular mail promotions. From time to time, Disney mails out coveted "pin" codes to access special deals for special dates, such as free tickets or resorts discounted up to 40 percent. The codes are only good for the person they are issued to, meaning no web sharing and totally hush-hush. However, the codes are less frequently released to just registered website users, the chances for coveted codes increase if you order a free vacation planning DVD, save vacation offers you see on the Disney site, or create customizable park maps... all indicators to the powers that be that you are serious about a Disney vacation. Of course, booking a room or a package confirms your committment, and Disney sometimes rewards those who book with discount codes to be used during your trip.

Visitor's Bureau
Disney World Website
Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitor's Bureau

For more information, planning and tips you may also want to see our Disney Family Vacations section.