a visit to walt disney world game rules

“A Visit to Walt Disney World” 1970’s Board Game Reproduction Available on shopDisney

Hi everyone!

shopDisney added “ A Visit to Walt Disney World ” board game that has been in the parks in the past few weeks. The game is a reproduction of the 1972 game and is part of the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Vault Collection. Here is information about the game, with more details on shopDisney while it remains available.

• ”A Visit to Walt Disney World” by Milton Bradley
• Vintage board game reproduction from 1972

Forty color coded attraction tickets

Six cut-out character pieces with four stands: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto

”Haunted Disc”

Three Monorail trains

Four game board walls

One each  The Haunted Mansion, Mad Tea Party, Cinderella Castle , Railroad Station attractions

Game rules and assembly instructions

• Be the first to visit all the places in Magic Kingdom park and use all your tickets
• Pop-up version of the park you can experience right on the tabletop
• Assemble 3D elements including  Cinderella Castle , Train Station, T he Haunted Mansion Mad Tea Party  and Monorail attractions
• For 2-4 players
• Part of the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Vault Collection
• Assembly required
• 99% paper / 1% plastic
• Box: approx. 9 3/4” H x 19 1/4” W
• Assembled game: 18 1/2” H x 18 1/2” W

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Disney World pool rules and FAQs (including the facts about pool hopping)

By: Author Heather Thomas

Published: May 24, 2022 Updated: February 21, 2024

Disney World has many beautifully themed resorts and when you stay at one of them you’ll have access to their amazing pools.

From the sand-bottomed, shipwreck-themed Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club Resorts to the Finding Nemo themed, zero-entry Big Blue Pool at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, there is no shortage of great options to choose from when you’re ready to cool-off after a day in the parks.

But, what exactly are the pool rules and can you use a pool at a resort other than yours ( pool hop )?

In this article

Disney World pool rules

In most cases, you’ll find the pool rules to be the same as those you’d find at any public pool:

Supervision

Children under 12 must be supervised by an adult.

If your child is still in diapers, they must wear swim diapers or plastic pants. 

Food and drink must be consumed on the pool deck; no food or drink allowed inside the pool, and no glass containers or bottles of any kind are allowed on the pool deck.

All feature pools have a bar and snack stand (with typically a very small food selection) in nearby.

Moderate and Deluxe-level resorts have slides (the Values do not).

There are no height-restrictions on the slides; however, guests can only go down the slides 1 at a time, and you can’t wait at the bottom for somebody to come down.

Because the slides dump into water that can be deeper, you’ll want to make sure anybody choosing to use the slides are confident swimmers.

Can you pool hop at Disney World?

In most cases, you can not pool hop at Disney World.

Resort pools are a perk meant to be enjoyed by the guests staying at that particular resort. In order to ensure that resort guests can enjoy their pool without overcrowding, Disney only allows guests staying at that resort to use the pool.

There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule:

• Guests staying at one of the All-Star Resorts (including All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, and All-Star Sports) can use the pools at any of the All-Star Resorts regardless of which resort they are guests.
• This same situation is true for the Port Orleans Resorts. Guests at both Port Orleans – French Quarter and Port Orleans – Riverside are able to use the pools at both resorts without issue.
• Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owners are sometimes allowed to pool hop, but only at other DVC resorts and only outside of scheduled blackout periods.
• On-site guests that have reserved a Cabana at either the Contemporary or Grand Floridian (more on that below).

So, how would Disney even know if I was pool hopping?

You may think you can pull a fast one on Disney and sneak into a pool at a different resort.

But, that won’t work.

To access many of the pools (including the ever-popular Stormalong Bay) you’ll need to scan your MagicBand, phone (MagicMobile) or Key To The Room Card. If your resort doesn’t match when you scan, you won’t get in.

Just because you aren’t able to use the pool facilities at other resorts shouldn’t prevent you from visiting the resorts for other reasons, though.

Walt Disney World resorts are great for touring and taking some time away from the parks.

To see our suggestions for visiting the resorts, checkout our How to Tour Disney World Resorts (Even if You’re Not Staying There)   post.

What is the best pool at Disney World?

Although Disney World has several great pools, Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Clubs is nearly everyone’s favorite. It is huge, and feels more like a mini water park than a resort pool.

Other great options are the Big Blue Pool at Art of Animation , the Dig Site at Coronado Springs , and the gorgeous Lava Pool at the Polynesian Village Resort (although it is also very small for the size of the resort!).

VIDEO: Why schedule a pool day?

Disney World pool FAQs

Are there life jackets available at the pools.

Yes! You’ll find life jackets available for free at all the pools at Disney World. 

Are the pools open year-round?

The pools at the Disney World resorts are open year-round, however, during inclement weather or when the temps are predicted to be unusually low they do close. 

Are the pools at Disney World heated?

The pools at Disney World are heated. Disney has said that they heat the pools to 82 degrees.

Are there hot tubs at Disney resort hotels?

Just like with slides, Moderate , Deluxe , and Deluxe Villas all have hot tubs near their feature pools. Value resorts , however, do not.

Does Disney have any cabana rentals?

Yes! 4 resorts do now offer cabana rentals:

• Contemporary
• Grand Floridian

The amenities provided inside the cabanas differs slightly from resort to resort and since the number of rentals is limited, is recommended that you reserve those ahead of time (up to 180 days) by calling 407-WDW-Play.

Are there toddler pools (or splash pads) available?

All of the Disney World Resorts offer smaller toddler-sized pools and/or splash pads, or they may have pools that offer zero-entry areas (which are perfect for little ones that just want to splash around!).

Are there towels available?

Deluxe-level resorts do provide towels at their pools. Moderate and Value-level, however, may not (it can vary from resort to resort).

If you are staying at a resort without pool towels, you are allowed to bring your towels from your room with you to the pool.

Are the pools open 24 hours?

Some of them are.

Feature/main pools at Disney World have posted hours. During the summer/warmer months you can expect the pool to be open later into the night, however.

The “Quiet” pools, however, are open 24 hours. But keep in mind, these pools do not have lifeguards on duty.

Can I use toys like pool noodles while swimming?

Disney does allow floats and noodles purchased in their gift shops to be used in the pools.  Items brought from home (outside of smaller-sized toys) are generally not allowed.

Can you use the pool at your resort before your room is ready (or after you check out)?

Sometimes travel and flight schedules mean that you’ll find yourself needing to arrive to your resort before the “official” check-in time or with time to kill after the official check out time.

You can always leave your bags at Bell Services , if you’d like, but what if you’d like to use the pool (or other resort amenities)? Can you do that?

The good news is yes! If you arrive before your room is ready or if you need something to do while you wait for a flight, you are welcome to use the resort pool, as well as the other resort amenities.

And, if you intend to hit the pool before heading to the airport, don’t forget that you’ll probably need something to store your wet suits in, so make sure you plan for that, too!

Are there showers available?

Yes, there are locker rooms near the feature pools where you will find showers.

Are lockers available?

Yes. There are typically a small bank of lockers available near the feature pool.

What is the difference between a “feature pool” and a “quiet pool”?

Feature pools are the big, main pools. For Deluxe and Moderate-level pools, these will be the pools with the slides, for example.

The feature pool is also typically near the main building, often hosts activities, and frequently has music playing.

Quiet pools aren’t totally silent, but because there is no music or the games and activities you find at the feature pool, they tend to be more adult-focused and, consequently, more quiet. 

***************

The rules for Disney’s 2 water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon) are a little different. You can find the facts on those below.

Blizzard Beach Typhoon Lagoon

Saturday 5th of June 2021

I think they changed the rules. The wdw site says that cabanas at Grand Floridian and Contemporary can only be rented by those hotels guests and magic bands or. Key cards are checked.

Thursday 29th of April 2021

One limit not included on this list, Disney doesn't allow mermaid tails at any of their pools for "safety reasons". Not sure what that would be, the lifeguard gave us no explanation.

Wednesday 14th of July 2021

The reason is because it is safer if you have both legs to swim.

Friday 1st of November 2019

One thing that disappointed my son on our first trip (2016, Coronado Springs) is that he wasn’t allowed to wear his swim mask on the water slide there. He ended up just not using the slide. The swim mask was OK in the pool.

Sunday 30th of May 2021

Most water slides don't allow anything to go down but a rider in a bathing suit. Goggles, glasses, and other things held in hands can become a hazard quickly on the slide to both the rider and to other persons around, especially at the slide exit. If your child can't ride without goggles for any reason, they need to choose a different activity.

Friday 5th of April 2019

So many great tips on all things pools at WDW. Thanks so much for sharing this info!

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Classic Walt Disney World Board Game spotted at Disney World

Classic Walt Disney World Board Game spotted at Disney World . With the 50th-Anniversary going strong, we are seeing new merchandise releases on a regular basis now. One of the newest, or oldest, is the rerelease of the 1971 board game in the Disney Vault Collection .

The newest vault release is a Classic Walt Disney World Board Game “A Visit to Walt DIsney World” Magic Kingdom Park by Milton Bradley (which is now owned by Hasbro). Read the description below.

Related: Hasbro Lists Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration Castle on Zillow to Celebrate “World Princess Week”

To play this game you must first assemble the board which is a miniature toy-like replica of the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World. Each player receives all the attraction tickets that match his pawn color, and 3 monorail tickets. Players start at the park entrance and, using a spinner for movement, travel along the paths trying to visit all the attractions that they have tickets for in the order that they draw them. Monorail tickets can be used to take shortcuts from the corners of the board (like secret passages in “Clue”). The first player to use all their tickets wins the game.

Related: We’re in Love with the new it’s a small world Board Game

Classic Walt Disney World Board Game

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Disney World Genie+ & Lightning Lane 2024 Guide: Best Tips & FAQ

This guide to Walt Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lanes dives into the “paid FastPass”, how to use the Disney Genie Plus service, tips on which rides you should use Genie+ for, which rides have Lightning Lanes at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, and how you can take advantage of loopholes in Genie Plus system to maximize your Walt Disney World day.

Walt Disney World Genie+ is a complete replacement for the previous FastPass Plus service. The Genie Plus service allows guests to make attraction “reservations” from the Walt Disney World Genie Plus app. Guests then return to the Lightning Lane for the specific attractions at the designated time. There are over 40 attractions that can be reserved through the Genie Plus service.

The Genie Plus service is quite a departure from the FastPass+ service where guests would schedule attractions far in advance. This new system is much more like the MaxPass system previously available at Disneyland with a few tweaks. This 2024 guide to Disney Genie Plus at Walt Disney World will dive into all the specifics you need to know as you get ready to make Lightning Lane reservations with Genie Plus.

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What is Disney Genie+ at Walt Disney World? What Are Lightning Lanes?

Walt Disney World Genie+ gives guests access to shorter queues for popular attractions called Lightning Lanes. Guests pay for the Genie+ service and then can book reservations for the Lightning Lane at select rides. There is also an option to purchase Lighting Lanes a la carte without paying for the entire Genie+ service but this is only for a small number of rides. There is also a multitude of free features guests can use on the app which is just referred to as Genie.

Is your head spinning yet? Let's start with a helpful breakdown of the lingo:

• Genie : the FREE planning tool that is built into the My Experience App. Genie can help you plan your day and make suggestions for trip planning.
• Genie+:  this is the PAID service that gives guests access to shorter lines for popular rides. Guests staying on-site can book their first Lightning Lane at 7AM and book their second one once they redeem the first ride OR 120 minutes have passed since park opening.
• Lightning Lane:  this is the name of the shorter line you pay for access to. Most rides will have two lines: a regular line and the Lightning Lane. The Lightning Lane will always be a much shorter wait, often less than 20 minutes and sometimes as quick as a walk-on.
• Individual Lightning Lane:  this is the name of the five rides (yes, that's it!) that you can purchase access to without needing to buy Genie+. These rides are purchased separately which means you can pay for access to these rides AND Genie+ at the same time.

How much is Disney World Genie+?

Disney Genie+ starts at $15.98 per day per person after tax at Walt Disney World and can go as high as $39 per person, per day. This is actually $15 less per day than the starting price per person of the Disney Genie+ service at Disneyland. However, the most common price is around  $25 per day and it's rare to see the cost of Genie+ on the lowest end of the spectrum.

Walt Disney World also prices Genie+ differently for those with 1 Park Per Day Tickets and Genie+ prices are based on the park you are visiting. So the cost of Genie+ for Magic Kingdom could be different than for less popular parks like Animal Kingdom.

Walt Disney World Genie+ also includes complimentary downloads of on-ride photos taken while on an attraction. This perk is only available for photos taken on days guests have purchased Genie+. This doesn't include photos taken by PhotoPass photographers.

You can see how this pricing stacks up with your full Walt Disney World budget in the guide to the cost of a Walt Disney World vacation .

How much are Individual Lightning Lanes?

For the Individual Lightning Lanes, these costs vary based on the attraction. These rides are NOT included in the general Genie+ purchase but you also do NOT need to have purchased Genie+ to purchase these. Access for Individual Lightning Lanes will vary depending on the day (busier times of the year will create higher prices) but you can average anywhere from $10 to $20 per person, per ride, depending.

Individual Lightning Lanes are often the most popular rides in the park like the NEW TRON at Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT. So it often feels “worth it” to pay for this access.

What happened to FastPass?

FastPass was discontinued and replaced by Genie+ at Walt Disney World. Genie+ is very different from FastPass as this is now a paid service (FastPass was free) and you cannot currently make reservations for rides in advance. But this will change in the future, keep reading for more information!

Can I Book Genie+ In Advance?

You cannot purchase the Genie+ service until the morning of your trip. Once you make that purchase in the My Experience App, you will be able to book your first Lightning Lane at 7AM if you are staying on-site at a Walt Disney World hotel. Guests staying off-site will need to wait until the enter the park to book their first Lightning Lane.

However,Disney has teased an upcoming update to Genie+ at Walt Disney World in 2024 that would allow guests to pre-plan their Lightning Lane bookings before the day of their visit. Once this change is implemented, guests will be able to pre-book their Lightning Lanes and purchase Genie+ before their park day. It may also include a method to make individual Lightning Lane selections in advance.

This is in response to guest feedback as many guests miss the ability to pre-book their reservations for attractions. In the days of FastPass+, guests staying at Walt Disney World hotels could prebook their FastPass (which we now call Lightning Lane!) selections before they arrived. This means you would enter the park and already have 2-3 rides planned for the day which was a large advantage for hotel guests.

As of now, there have been no further details about this 2024 update for Genie+ or a starting date. I imagine we will see this return to pre-planning to model the prior FastPass+ program which gave this perk to hotel guests.

Genie+ Can Become Expensive During Peak Travel Times

Genie+ has hit record high prices during the last holiday season and this is a trend we expect to continue during upcoming peak seasons at Walt Disney World in 2024. This includes three-day weekends (think President's Day, Labor Day, etc.), Spring Break, and the holiday season. The highest we have seen Genie+ reach is up to $39 per person for popular parks like Magic Kingdom.

Disney has changed the structure of Genie Plus to have variable pricing for the different theme parks so the most popular parks, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, will see higher costs during peak travel times. This only applies to guests that purchase One Park Per Day Walt Disney World tickets, guests with Walt Disney World Park Hopper Tickets will pay a set price to include access to all the theme parks.

Genie Plus can also sell out during peak travel times of the year. This is actually a good thing because if too many people are using Genie+ then the service becomes useless. Walt Disney World also needs to price the service at a level that not everyone will purchase it to ensure that not every single guest purchases the service (this renders the service useless).

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We have worked with Get Away Today for six years and Disney has worked with them for 31! They are an incredible organization that helps you save money on your Walt Disney World vacation. In addition to low prices, they have GREAT guest services that go above and beyond any other travel agency. You can read all about the additional offerings and request a no-obligation FREE quote below.

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For no additional charge, you'll receive FREE Walt Disney World concierge services. These include having Get Away Today's Walt Disney World expert Brooklyn help with dining reservations and price monitor your trip. When Disney announces a new discount, Get Away Today will automatically apply the new discount and refund you the money!

Park Hopping with Genie+ at Disney World

Park Hopping restrictions are NO LONGER in place at Walt Disney World which means you can park hop at any time you want which has greatly increased the flexibility for Genie+.

This means you can now book Lightning Lane return times for other parks for the current available time. Previously, it would default to a later time after park hopping was allowed. This is only available for guests with a Park Hopper ticket.

What Disney World Rides Have Lightning Lanes Where You Can Use Genie Plus?

There are over forty Disney Genie Plus rides across the four Walt Disney World theme parks. You will choose the next available time on the day of your visit for a variety of experiences and attractions using the Lightning Lane entrance.

Every guest, regardless of where you are staying, can book their first Lightning Lane reservation at  7AM  each day of their visit. You can book another ride reservation once 120 minutes has passed OR you've redeemed your previous reservation- whichever comes first. Keep in mind that even though you book your ride reservation at 7AM, that 120-minute rule won't kick in until the park officially opens.

All attractions offer traditional standby or virtual queues with Lightning Lanes receiving priority. Below is the full list of Genie+ Lightning Lanes for all four theme parks that are included with the Genie+ service. The two most popular rides to use Genie+ on at each park is in bold.

Genie+ Lightning Lanes- Magic Kingdom

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Enchanted Tales with Belle
• Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
• Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
• Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Space Mountain
• The Barnstormer
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

Genie+ Lightning Lanes- EPCOT

• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission Space: Green & Orange
• Soarin' Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas Nemos & Friends
• Turtle Talk with Crush
• Frozen Ever After
• Remy's Ratatouille Adventure

Genie+ Lightning Lanes- Hollywood Studios

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage
• Disney Jr. Play and Dance!
• Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular
• Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
• Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
• MuppetVision 3D
• Rock ‘n Roller Coaster
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours- The Adventure Continues
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania
• Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

Genie+ Lightning Lanes- Animal Kingdom

• Festival of the Lion King
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Feathered Friends in Flight!
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
• Naʻvi River Journey
• The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

All of these attractions and shows are included with your Disney Genie+ purchase. You can reserve a Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation once every two hours or once you've redeemed your Lightning Lane reservation.

You can only ride each attraction once using the Genie+ selection. If you want to ride something again you will need to use the standby line. It's also important to know that if you don't show up for the specific time slot you reserved without canceling it, Genie+ won't let you book another one and consider it as your one ride. So if you can't make a reservation, make sure you cancel it so you can book another one later!

You can also redeem your reservation up to five minutes before the arrival time.

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lanes for Premium Attractions

Lightning Lanes Individual Attractions service is an option for guests to purchase one-off access to the most popular Walt Disney World attractions on the same day of their visit.

You do NOT need to purchase the regular Genie+ service to purchase access to these rides as they are all priced completely separately.

This service is limited to two attractions per theme park which include:

 Individual Lighting Lane- Magic Kingdom

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• TRON Lightcycle Run

 Individual Lighting Lane- EPCOT

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

 Individual Lighting Lane- Hollywood Studios

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Individual Lighting Lane- Animal Kingdom

• Avatar Pandora Flight of Passage

Guests can book for everyone in their party and prices will vary for each attraction depending on day and wait times. You can book access for up to two  Individual Lighting Lanes per day. You will be given the choice of what time you want to ride when you make your purchase in the Genie app.

PERK  for on-site Walt Disney World hotel guests- Guests staying on-site at Walt Disney World can book their upcharge Lightning Lane reservations at 7AM  while guests staying off-site have to wait until the park opens.

Average Pricing

Here is an example of pricing per person so you can see what to expect:

• Rise of the Resistance: $15 weekday and weekend
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind $14 weekday / $17 weekend
• Avatar Pandora Flight of Passage: $11 weekday/$14 weekend
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $10 weekday/$12 weekend

Of course, if you're visiting during a peak travel week like Thanksgiving or Christmas week you can expect to pay the higher tier of pricing even if it's a weekday. The price is influenced most by crowd levels but this is an average of the trends we've seen in price.

How to Use Genie+ at Walt Disney World

All of this information can certainly be overwhelming but it's worth the time to figure out so you can avoid standing in long lines on your Walt Disney World vacation. Genie+ is pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it so first let's start with the basic rules of Genie+ and then go through a sample step-by-step day in the park.

Genie+ Rules 

• Walt Disney World hotel guests can purchase Genie+ and book their first Lightning Lane ride at 7AM.
• Walt Disney World hotel guests can purchase Individual Lightning Lanes starting at 7AM.
• Off-site hotel guests can purchase Genie+ and book all their Lightning Lanes once they enter the park.
• Once you book a Lightning Lane, you cannot book another one until you redeem the existing one OR 120 minutes have passed.
• Guests can only book two Individual Lightning Lanes per day.
• Guests can hold an Individual Lightning Lane and regular Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation at the same time.
• You can only use Genie+ on an attraction once per day. For example, if you use Genie+ on Space Mountain, you cannot book it again that day.

Genie+ Example Day at EPCOT

Since most guests stay on-site at Walt Disney World, let's go through an example morning of using Genie+ for someone staying at a Walt Disney World hotel and going to EPCOT.

• Purchase Genie+ and book Remy's Remy's Ratatouille Adventure reservation at 7AM. If you're quick, you will likely get the first time of the day from 9AM to 10AM.
• Purchase Individual Lightning Lane to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at 7AM. You will get to pick from available times throughout the day, I would pick a time around noon to ride other attractions in the morning.
• Enter EPCOT at 9AM and ride Remy's Ratatouille Adventure.
• Book the next Lightning Lane reservation for Frozen Ever After. Since this is a popular ride, you may end up with a later return time. If the time is more than 120 minutes out, set an alarm so you can book your next ride reservation once 120 minutes pass.
• Ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind when your return time is ready.

This is just a few short steps but you can get the idea. Once you get the hang of it, you're just looking at My Experience App to grab your next available Lightning Lane.

I highly recommend you read through our extensive Walt Disney World theme park strategy and touring guides page for each theme park which includes my advice on how to best use Genie+!

Walt Disney World Park Strategy and Touring Guides>

Essential Walt Disney World Lightning Lane & Genie+ Tips

Now that Genie+ has been around for awhile we've had time to find the best tips and tricks on how to use it.

Use Genie+ on the most high demand rides

For some guests, trying to ride as many rides as possible with Genie+ can become stressful and the better strategy is to snag reservations for rides that will end up with the longest waits in the park.

Always have a reservation booked

Have a lunch reservation? Heading back to the hotel for a break? Always make sure you have a ride reservation in place beforehand. You can book your first reservation at 7AM everyday so be prepared to book one at the beginning of the day! There are Walt Disney World Genie Plus refills in the morning so if you aren't seeing anything you want right around 7AM, be sure to check again about 15-20 minutes later for an additional drop of reservations.

Refresh, refresh, refresh!

Keep refreshing the app (pull down on the screen to reload it) to check for Genie+ reservations that may have ‘sold out' or are too late in the day… as people cancel, times will get released back to the pool for everyone else to grab.

Only pay for what you need

Individual Lightning Lane attractions do not require the purchase of Genie+ since they are a separate purchase. For parks like Epcot with limited high demand attractions, you may be better off just purchasing the individual attraction access.

Know when to book next

You can book your next ride reservation once 120 minutes have passed or you've redeemed your ride reservation. Some rides book up really fast, especially in Hollywood Studios (looking at you, Slinky Dog!) so try to make that reservation before you eat lunch, take a break or have other plans in the park.

Know the grace period

Typically, you have a grace period of five minutes before your reservation officially expires. Try tapping your Magic Band or discussing with a cast member but be nice- Disney is not required to allow you to redeem your pass if you missed your arrival time!

Multiple Experience Passes

If you have a ride reservation and the ride breaks down you will be given a Multiple Experience pass which you can use on any attraction within the same ‘tier' of what you originally booked. The app will tell you which rides qualify!

When to Use Genie+ at Walt Disney World

Most guests want to know: when can I skip Genie+ and just use standby? When should I use Genie+ at Disney World? This will all depend on the time of year you visit but generally, some lines remain consistently more popular than others. This list will help you focus on what is included in your $15 per day Genie+ access.

Remember: the most in-demand attractions are separate from what's included with Disney Genie+ and you pay separately for.

Magic Kingdom

Yes, you definitely need Genie+ for Magic Kingdom due to the sheer amount of rides that are in this park! You will get the most for your money purchasing Genie+ at Magic Kingdom.

You should book either Big Thunder Mountain for your first reservation time- not just because this ride is popular but because the weather can often shut this ride down making it a must to do it early. This is a good rule of thumb anytime you're visiting Walt Disney World, those afternoon rain storms can come in quickly and most outdoor rides will stop until the storm passes.

Pro tip: stay late until park closing! I have walked on to many rides at Walt Disney World in the late evening even popular ones like Space Mountain, Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean!

Hollywood Studios

You should always book Slinky Dog Dash first in this park since it is easily the most popular ride! The Genie+ reservations often run out (which can happen!) within an hour for this ride so you should prioritize this if you don't want to wait in a long line. This ride easily has the longest line of all rides in the park (aside from Rise of the Resistance) so I would always use it for Genie+ before others.

Booking Slinky Dog Dash first will likely give you a return time beyond two hours which means you can't book other rides the first two hours of the park opening. In this case, I would recommend going right to Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster. You can usually ride these two rides with the lowest waits of the day early in the morning and since they're right next to each other it's easy to finish both within the first hour of the park being open.

Genie+ is a must for Hollywood Studios-especially since it's such a popular park with fewer rides than Magic Kingdom… meaning the lines tend to be longer here.

Animal Kingdom

The top two tier attractions on the included Genie+ list for Animal Kingdom are Kilimanjaro Safaris and Na'vi River Journey. I always try to do Kilimanjaro Safaris for Animal Kingdom first just because the animals will be more active! I would book this ride first just for that reason. And then at rope drop, I would go ride Expedition Everest (which is an attraction that is a separate purchase!) because it will always have a small line first thing in the morning.

Animal Kingdom is a park where you could get away with skipping the $15 per day purchase of Genie+ and instead buy the individual attractions (Flight of Passage is a must!) which could save you money. If you are starting your day at Animal Kingdom, you can easily ride both Kilimanjaro Safari and Na'vi River Journey in the morning with no wait!

Remy's and Frozen Ever after are easily the most popular attractions in the included Genie+ list for Epcot so I would make your reservation for Remy's before the other rides. After Remy's, the next most popular would be Frozen Ever After and the rest can usually have low waits during most times of the day.

This is also a park where you could skip purchasing Genie+ if you're just doing a 1-park per day and not park hopping.

Walt Disney World Genie Plus and Lightning Lane Frequently Asked Questions

Let's dive into some of the frequently asked questions on Genie Plus at Walt Disney World we have been answering recently.

Can I make Genie Plus reservations 60 days in advance?

No. Walt Disney World Genie Plus reservations can only be made for the same day you are experiencing this attraction. This is the most dramatic difference from the Walt Disney World FastPass Plus offering.

How do I purchase Walt Disney World Genie Plus?

Genie Plus can be purchased on a daily basis each day of your trip or added in advance for the length of your trip. Either way the service costs the same $15.98 per day. It is very simple to add the service to your tickets each day of your trip, but if you know you want the amenity for each day there is no reason you shouldn't add it in advance.

Do we really need to make Disney Genie Plus selections at 7 am? Is there a true impact?

Some attractions will sell out for the day during the first 7 am release of Genie Plus slots. By waiting to make a reservation until you are in the parks you are giving up on an additional potential attraction. We do recommend getting up and getting your selection made.

If you do miss the exact 7 am window, there will be more reservation slots released throughout the morning.

What are Genie Plus refills?

Warning – this is an intermediate to expert level Disney Genie Plus tip.

Additional time slots are added for some attractions throughout the morning and day. Starting around 7:05 am and lasting until 7:25 am, additional ride slots may be added for attractions that are earlier in the day than the initial drop for the attraction which will likely have return times shoot late in the afternoon right after the service opens for guests to make Genie Plus selections at 7 am.

There are lots of nuances to this trick, but it really works. We are going to share more in a separate article soon.

When can I make another Disney Genie Plus reservation?

Guests can make another Disney Genie Plus reservation either after they have scanned into their first reservation or 120 minutes* after they made their first selection. This 120 minutes gets tricky because there is an asterisks on that time. The 120 minutes starts once the park opens so if your first Genie Plus reservation isn't until after 2 hours post park opening your first time to make another Genie Plus selection will be 2 hrs after the park officially opens. If you follow the tips here to make an early selection you shouldn't end up with a Genie Plus slot more than 2 hours after park opening.

How early and late can I arrive to Disney Genie Plus slots?

The Walt Disney World Genie Plus system is built to allow for guests to scan into Genie Plus attractions up to 5 minutes before the stated window and 15 minutes after the state window. Anything beyond these times is up to the discretion of the Cast Member.

Can guests choose return times for an attraction?

No. Just like the original paper FastPass system, you cannot pick a return time for a Genie Plus reservation.

Does Genie Plus at Walt Disney World include unlimited PhotoPass downloads?

No, at Walt Disney World unlimited PhotoPass downloads are not available as part of the Genie Plus package. Disneyland Genie Plus does include unlimited PhotoPass downloads.

Will Disney Genie Plus increase the length of the lines for attractions?

No. In fact, the queues for attractions should all be shorter now than they were during the FastPass+ era because fewer guests are utilizing the paid service and you can only ride each attraction once per day using the service.

Is there any Disney Vacation Club or Annual Passholder add on for Disney Genie Plus?

No. Disney Vacation Club member s and Walt Disney World Annual Passholders are able to add Disney Genie Plus on a daily basis, but they are not able to add the service on for a set yearly rate.

Does Genie Plus sell out at Walt Disney World?

The Genie Plus service has sold out at Walt Disney World multiple times. Read our full analysis of Genie Plus selling out at Walt Disney World .

What is Disney Genie? Is it separate from Disney Genie Plus?

You do NOT have to pay for Genie+ to experience rides at Walt Disney World as each ride will still offer its same standby line or virtual boarding queue in the case of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind . Some guests will choose not to utilize the new Disney Genie+ service and that is ok.

The free version of Disney Genie in the app has a number of itinerary planning tips and suggestions, but we have found these suggestions to be largely convoluted and unhelpful. In success, a Walt Disney World itinerary planning service that was responsive to inputs including your interests, weather, crowd levels, and wait times would be very popular but this service is not yet at that level. For example, in Magic Kingdom I have seen the itinerary builder recommend attractions that would have low wait times throughout the day like the carousel in the morning rather than encouraging you to rope drop Seven Dwarf's Mine Train. You will be far better off familiarizing yourself with our tips for using Genie Plus listed above and reading our general Walt Disney World strategies for touring rather than messing around with the Disney Genie touring itinerary builder in the app.

The most helpful aspects within the Disney Genie Plus service are:

• Mobile order option
• Restaurant wait list, check in and reservations (this was actually very helpful during our most recent trip)
• Attraction virtual queues (available at select attractions)
• Virtual queue options

Disney has mentioned they've also been forward thinking about cell phone battery usage when developing these features. Using Genie will not continuously drain your cellphone battery as it will only reoptimize your plan when opening the app, it will not be running the background. So this shouldn't have too large of an impact on your cell batteries.

What about the DAS program for guests with disabilities?

The existing DAS program received new enhancements such as the ability to pre-enroll in the program before arrival and for DAS participants to select attractions from the app. This is a great improvement for the DAS program because sometimes it can be tricky for guests to find areas where the Guest Services cast member are located to receive a new DAS time.

Guests will be able to utilize live video chat to register for the program with a cast member up to 30 days in advance of their visit. During the video chat, guests can also select two experiences per day using the new DAS advance planning option.

The same in-person DAS program will remain so it's not required to use the app if you don't wish to! You can read more about options for guests with disabilities at Walt Disney World in our guide.

What else is included with the new Disney Genie+ service at Walt Disney World?

Guests are also given additional perks who purchase the Disney Genie+ service at Walt Disney World. The other perks that Disney has shared so far include:

• Augmented Reality Lenses for use throughout Walt Disney World
• Exclusive behind the scenes audio tours with appearances from Walt Disney Imagineers that make the Disney magic

What special perks are included for Walt Disney World Hotel Guests?

Walt Disney World on-property hotel guests will have the opportunity to purchase some of the limited Lightning Lane access before non-hotel guests at 7AM each day . The Disney Genie planning service will also integrate with the Walt Disney World hotels to provide recommendations to start your day.

Disney Genie Plus Digital Overview Video

You can also watch the video above to get a great look at how Disney Genie works in real time!

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World?

Be sure to join our newsletter (linked above and below) for all the best tips and exclusive discounts for your Walt Disney World vacation. Click the links below for our top tips and guides to visiting Walt Disney World in 2021. Leave a comment below with all your questions about the new Disney Genie Plus program.

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About Lindsay Brookshier

Lindsay is a college English instructor and has years of writing experience through various nonprofits, charities, newspapers, and online magazines. As the content director of Mickey Visit, she oversees article content and leads our fantastic team of writers to meet guest vacation needs. You can still find her writing weekly content to help make your Disney Parks trip fantastic here on Mickey Visit and Disney Dose- you can also view her recently featured posts on Disney Parks travel on Visit Anaheim, Nerd Wallet and SFGate. Lindsay comes from a dedicated Disney family and enjoys taking her son to the Disney parks as often as possible.

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11 comments add your comment

Not excited about having to access my phone after every ride to schedule another ride. That plus having to reserve my park day makes it less flexible for me. Add eliminating ME, plus reducing on site benefits, makes me rethink my AP and staying on site.

Seems to me Disney management gets greedier by the day. They have already greatly increased the ticket prices, I’m sure to make up for lost revenue through Covid, but now to charge more to be able to avoid long lines seems to be going overboard. Are they totally eliminating fast pass so you won’t even be able to do that? What was wrong with the old free system? I’m sure even with this service people will not be able to get on any more rides than they did was fast pass and why would those who cannot afford to pay extra even try to come to Disneyworld as their chances of getting to ride more the 1-2 rides a day would be very slim. I realize I don’t have to use the service but find it frustrating that our love for Disneyworld is about to be a thing of the past.

I totally agree! It has become difficult to get on rides now without paying a bunch of money, especially for a family of 5! And the value and enjoyment of going to the parks is very much diminished with only a few rides! Disney has most definitely become extremely greedy!

Have not seen this posted anywhere. In the past – My Disney Experience was accessed via WiFi in the parks – without having to resort to going through phone’s data plan. Now that we are retired, we don’t use data plans with our phone UNLESS we need data- and that is an additional charge per amount of data used (not that expensive, but Disney seems to want more of our money), so can anyone answer the question – is this still accessible through Wifi? or is it through the phone’s data usage?

Yes, Disney Wi-Fi should still work with Genie!

So…I have to pay $15 more per person in my group for what I use to get for free with Fastpass?? And even more money for the rides we really want?? I don’t see how this is better for anyone other than Disney and the rich. I love Disney and have gone many times but these and several other changes are really going to impact how often I return with my family. Sad but it is capitalism and they are in the business of making money.

The $15 allows you to make the reservations directly from your phone and skip the lines! This is directly lifted from the very popular MaxPass system that was live at the Disneyland Resort since 2017. There are far fewer people utilizing the service than utilized FastPass so there really is no line. You can still have a great experience at Walt Disney World without the service. Hope that helps!

I really wish Disney didn’t break what didn’t need to be fixed. Makes me sad and disappointed that it has become more about money then the magic. Fast pass was free. Max pass was great too. But now cost for genie and then additional cost for certain rides ( each) to go through the “ lightening lane”. Ridiculous just as much of the misrepresentation of the “ magic key pass” and having to make reservations.

Bring back the pre” covid” great ways of if Disney. The magic.

Wish I could be as enthusiastic as the writer about this up sell. I’m on vacation! I’m not going to pull out my phone at 7AM for a ride, and pull it out again for other rides. Disappointed we can’t reserve ahead of time, when we reserve our park day. That would be of value. Disney missed the mark on Lightning Lane.

Do I have to reserve a show on genie Plus like the Lion King and animation experience at conservation station? Will all the spots be reserved with genie Plus holders or can we get in without genie Plus

Using Lion King as the example. No, all the seats are definitely not taken up by Genie Plus. Those will Genie Plus passes will just end up having to wait a shorter amount of time for a guaranteed seat.

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Disney World Quarantine Rules & Travel Guidance

Quarantine rules to Florida from many states apply to Walt Disney World visitors returning home. This covers travel restrictions, mandates & recommendations, international testing requirements, updates on numbers, and relaxation of rules for fully vaccinated people by the CDC. ( Updated April 26, 2021 .)

In addition to travel rules, this post has become our monthly status report for progress and setbacks by states and the U.S. as a whole. As always, we’ll begin with the above map, which has stalled in its improvements. In some states, new cases have plateaued and even increased in hot spots. The silver lining there is that hospitalizations and deaths continue to drop throughout the United States, and that trend will likely continue with older and higher risk populations vaccinated.

Speaking of which, more positive news: the vaccination rollout continues to accelerate. The United States has now administered more than 225 million doses, fully vaccinating over 92.9 million people or 29% of the total U.S. population (42% are at least partially vaccinated). The United States is now averaging 3 million vaccines per day in the last week. We’re among the best countries in the world for vaccine rollout, on par with the United Kingdom and well ahead of the rest of Europe and Asia.

The fruits of these improved numbers are starting to impact policy. After months of cautionary messaging that has been slow to evolve, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release new recommendations this week. This is expected to include a lifting of outdoor face mask guidance.

Per multiple news outlets, President Biden will announce several changes on April 27, as part of remarks on the state of the pandemic. The will likely include more rule relaxations for fully vaccinated people, though the final language of the announcement is unclear, as is to whom the outdoor mask rules will apply.

This comes after prominent publications like Slate and The Atlantic proposed an end to outdoor mask mandates. Israel, which offers a potential preview into what the U.S. numbers will look like in another month if vaccination rates hold, lifted its outdoor mask mandate .

There has also been a growing chorus for ending outdoor mask rules among experts. Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC: “People could choose to wear a mask if they want to. I think there shouldn’t be requirements that they have to wear masks outdoors…We know activities outside are lower risk than things done indoors.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci essentially said the same thing on ABC with regard to outdoor mask rules: “The CDC is a science-based organization. They don’t want to make any guidelines unless they look at the data and the data backs it up. But when you look around at the common sense situation, obviously the risk is really very low, particularly if you’re vaccinated.”

As we reported last week, Orange County is weighing a timeline to phase out some restrictions , including face masks and physical distancing. New CDC guidance could preempt that, and be a potential game-changer for Walt Disney World. However, that’s likely only going to be the case if dropping masks outdoors encompasses both the vaccinated and unvaccinated.

If you’re wondering why Walt Disney World probably won’t change its mask rules if that relaxation applies only to the fully vaccinated, it comes down to logistics. Theme parks, airlines, hotels, and various other businesses cannot have two classes of people. That would be a nightmare scenario for enforcement, and overly burdensome to frontline Cast Members and other employees of the aforementioned businesses. As we’ve reported previously, vaccine passports could sidestep this issue, but will not be allowed in Florida .

Prior to this, the CDC released new travel guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals. This is a big step that reflects a shift in messaging and better balance, which is necessary if the CDC wants its advice to remain relevant to real world behavior.

For domestic travel, people who are two weeks past their final shot (first dose of Johnson & Johnson; second dose of Moderna or Pfizer) do not need to get a test before or after trips and do not need to self-quarantine after travel. That means, for example, fully-vaccinated grandparents can fly to visit their grandchildren without testing or self-quarantining, provided they follow the other recommended public health measures, such as wearing masks on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation.

For international travel, the CDC guidance indicates that fully vaccinated people do not need to be tested before their trips unless it is required by the destination. When returning to the United States, fully vaccinated people should get tested and have a negative result before boarding an international flight back to the United States.

Of course, this international travel guidance is somewhat meaningless for most countries that have barred travel. However, that could change in the coming months. The U.S. Travel Association has pushed the government to lift travel restrictions on international visitors. As many of these are reciprocal in nature, this is first likely to occur with other countries–like the United Kingdom and Israel–that are also vaccinating at high rates. (Vaccine passports remain likely for international travel, with the European Union and many other countries working on implementing such systems.)

In tandem with this travel guidance, the CDC also stated that “if grandparents have been vaccinated, they can visit their daughter and her family, even if they have not been vaccinated so long as the daughter and her family are not at risk for severe disease.”

Extrapolating from that quote, this could be a precursor to how the CDC will handle bigger picture guidance given that most kids likely will not be vaccinated in 2021. That’s very relevant to Walt Disney World’s rules given its core demographics. With all adults now eligible to be vaccinated and ample availability throughout most of the country, it’s entirely possible that things are closer to normal and public health measures can be further relaxed by Memorial Day.

We’re already seeing some states ditch their rules, and more will undoubtedly follow suit as the early-movers are “vindicated” by numbers that continue to decline. Based solely on seasonality, current trajectory, and vaccination rates, that seems likely. Moreover, public tolerance of face masks, especially once vaccines are widely available, is going to plummet.

Being fully vaccinated is effectively the end of this for most people, and they’ll want to behave accordingly. No matter how people might feel about masks right now, the vast majority won’t want to continue having to wear them long after they’ve been vaccinated, especially on vacation.

We’ve been predicting precisely this for months. (See When Will Walt Disney World Stop Requiring Face Masks? among many other posts.) Even late last year as the holiday surge started, we stressed that there was light at the end of the tunnel and numbers would start to come down as the season of family gatherings ended (contact tracing has shown over 70% of cases are a result of “ living room spread “) and vaccines rolled out.

On the last earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently stated that Walt Disney World could have some level of physical distancing and mask-wearing for the remainder of 2021 but called vaccine availability a game-changer. Most other sites emphasized the “remainder of 2021” part of that, saying it meant face masks until 2022.

We disagreed, emphasizing the some level and game-changer parts. In parsing Chapek’s words, it appears to us that Disney is laying the groundwork for changing its approach to health safety protocol so rules can be relaxed on an earlier timeline. (Just reiterating all of that here to double-down on our past predictions, which have been criticized for being too bold and optimistic.)

Even with variants posing some cause for concern and making it premature to declare mission accomplished , our view is that “cautious optimism” is still the appropriate perspective. In Europe there has been a plateauing of numbers or even spikes in some countries, but the United States’ vaccine rollout has been markedly better. Again, we’re on par with the United Kingdom, which is still seeing cases and deaths drop despite their variant.

Obviously, things could still go wrong–as has happened several times throughout this–but hopefully the U.S. can outrun the variants with vaccinations. Anyway, let’s move along to the travel restrictions and quarantine recommendations & rules…

Domestic Travel Restrictions & Quarantine Rules

Now let’s turn to the state-by-state quarantine rules. For its part, Florida does not have any quarantine requirements, travel bans, or restrictions in place for those arriving from other states. Governor Ron DeStantis issued a series of executive orders rescinding all of those in fall of last year, and Florida Fully Reopened in September.

In short, there is no quarantine rule that will impact you going to Walt Disney World. However, returning from Walt Disney World is another story entirely. Many states have quarantine rules in effect for residents returning from Florida or visiting from out of state. Here’s a rundown of quarantine rules for various states and cities. ( Note: the aforementioned CDC travel guidance for vaccinated people was just released on April 2, 2021 and many states haven’t yet had a chance to update their rules accordingly–within a few days, all will align with the CDC guidance.)

New York has announced that domestic travelers will no longer be required to quarantine after entering New York from another U.S. State or U.S. Territory. It’s still recommended as an added precaution, and completing a health form is still necessary.

New Jersey has already shifted from a mandatory to a voluntary quarantine, as has Connecticut . This is significant, and the Tri-State Area is all lumped together up top, because this trio has had some of the more stringent rules in the contiguous United States.

California ‘s travel advisory has been relaxed for the fully vaccinated. If you are unvaccinated, avoid non-essential travel. If you must travel, get tested 1-3 days before travel and 3-5 days after travel. After travel, self-quarantine for 7 days, no matter what your test results were. If you didn’t get tested, self-quarantine for 10 days.

Maryland ‘s emergency order to limit all travel to essential purposes only still appears to be in place. All Marylanders who do travel outside of Maryland or any individuals who do travel to Maryland must either obtain a negative test result or self-quarantine for 10 days upon return home.

Kentucky ‘s travel advisory now discourages all out-of-state leisure travel until further notice. Those who do travel out-of-state for leisure travel are urged to voluntarily self-quarantine upon return to Kentucky or follow CDC guidance for alternate options to shorten the quarantine period.

Minnesota highly discourages out of state travel for non-essential purposes. Incoming visitors and Minnesotans who travel out-of-state are asked to stay home and quarantine for 14 days. Consistent with CDC guidance, a shortened quarantine period may be possible.

Rhode Island ‘s rule is that those arriving will need to quarantine for 10 days or provide proof of a negative test result taken within 72 hours prior to arrival. Quarantines can be shortened with post-arrival testing. Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine if asymptomatic.

Both Maine and Massachusetts have nearly identical rules in place, right down to the exception for fully vaccinated individuals.

Pennsylvania has rescinded its quarantine rules. Now, travelers are simply advised to practice appropriate public health measures to slow the spread.

New Mexico also rescinded its mandatory quarantine rule. Visitors from anywhere outside of the state will instead by strongly advised to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days.

Vermont no longer requires quarantine for those who are fully vaccinated (it has been 14 days since your final vaccine dose). Anyone else traveling to Vermont must quarantine for 10 days.

New Hampshire requires a 10-day quarantine upon arrival, except for fully vaccinated people. If you have not had any symptoms, you have the option to get a PCR test and end your quarantine with a negative test result. You must continue to monitor yourself for symptoms for the full 14 days.

Kansas no longer has a quarantine requirement for Florida. However, it does have one for mass gatherings of more than 500 where you did not socially distance and wear a mask. Walt Disney World has such rules, so this arguably does not apply.

Both Alaska and Hawaii have very similar mandatory 10-day traveler quarantine and passenger verification process for anyone traveling to those states. This has nothing to do with Florida, specifically.

Out-of-state travelers have the option to get tested via a trusted travel provider prior to their arrival, and show proof of a negative result, to avoid the quarantine.

Washington DC requires anyone engaging in non-essential travel to or from Florida and other states to self-quarantine for 14 days when they come to the District.

Same deal with Chicago’s Emergency Travel Order , which directs travelers entering or returning to Chicago from Florida and other surging states to self-quarantine for a 10-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state.

If your state has a test-out option, there are numerous diagnostic testing sites within a short drive of Walt Disney World. The closest is unquestionably the Disney Maingate Complex, which is near Animal Kingdom (and actually on-property). The Florida Division of Emergency Management operates this walk-up testing site daily from 8 am to 5 pm, and appointments are not required at this location.

The Disney Maingate Complex offers rapid testing, with results available in about 15 minutes. We’ve used this site and have had great experiences–never a wait, quick & easy, and friendly staff. Highly recommended!

Two alternatives with less convenient locations are the no-contact rapid tests at Walgreens or CVS . Walgreens has two locations: one in Kissimmee east of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (2274 Fortune Rd) or near Universal Orlando (5280 S John Young Pkwy).

CVS has two Orlando locations (13454 South Orange Blossom Trail & 7001 Old Winter Garden Road). Both have eligibility and appointment requirements right now, but are in the process of scaling up testing so it should become easier in the next month or two.

(If your state or city has a Florida quarantine order or advisory, we’d greatly appreciate it if you’d leave a comment letting us know. There is no nationwide database with this information, and searching state-by-state is a tough task. Thanks!)

International Travel

The CDC is expanding the requirement for a negative test to all international air passengers entering the United States. A test will be required before departure to the United States, and that will be combined with the CDC recommendations to get tested again 3-5 days after arrival and quarantine for 7 days post-travel.

The new administration issued an executive order reaffirming this rule, which is now in effect. It also requested that these policies be reviewed by the State Department, Homeland Security, Transportation Department, HHS, FAA, TSA, and CDC leadership.

Canada and the United States issued a mutual ban on non-essential travel across the land border last spring, and have extended that order each month since. People driving into Canada must provide proof of a negative PCR test taken in the United States within 72 hours or proof of a positive test result between 14 and 90 days before arrival, which is long enough for the illness to have passed, but not so long that immunity might have waned.

Travelers arriving at Canada’s land border points will also be required to take tests upon arrival. That is also the date that air travelers will be forced into a mandatory three-day hotel quarantine at their own expense and required to take multiple tests.

United Kingdom citizens are currently barred from entering the United States, with some exceptions–including those with close family members in the US, and certain other limited categories of visas holders such as diplomats. The limited categories of people who are allowed entry to the US must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.

Previously, were some flickers of hope about a New York to London “air bridge” that would restore flight routes between those two cities without a quarantine, thanks to rapid testing. We would caution against too much hope about this–there had been rumors of a travel bridge between the UK and US, but those have been quiet for months.

The same proclamation that bans travel to the United States from the United Kingdom and Ireland also applies to the European Schengen area. That means no one will be completing any Chateau to Castle challenges anytime soon.

This ban includes Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

It is presently unclear when and how this travel ban will be lifted–it could occur on a country-by-country basis, or a blanket proclamation. At this point, it is not expected to occur until Summer 2021 at the earliest.

In addition to United States-issued travel bans regarding arrival, Australians are restricted from traveling overseas. Exceptions exist for New Zealand and other countries that have the pandemic under control; the United States is not one such exception.

With vaccine distribution likely to take several months, there are concerns that these non-essential travel bans could last until 2022 if nations don’t come up with ways for people to safely cross borders. One such possibility is a rapid polymerase chain reaction test prior to travel. Airport testing is a viable option with results possible within 10 minutes, but the degree to which such a system could scale is debatable. (Although lack of demand for international travel may render that concern a moot point.)

In summary, a variety of international travel bans remain in place–by both the United States and other countries–that will make visiting Walt Disney World a non-starter for at least the next few months, if not the remainder of the year. Past estimates have pegged international tourists as accounting for 18-22% of all guests to Walt Disney World, so this could be a big blow for park attendance.

With regard to domestic travel restrictions, visitors from all 50 states are now welcomed to Walt Disney World without restriction upon arrival. When returning home, it’s a different story, as over one-dozen states have mandatory quarantine requirements or recommendations. Unfortunately, after some of these were rescinded, we’re now likely to see more quarantine rules reinstated or implemented due to Florida’s upward trends. If you have a 2021 trip to Walt Disney World and are visiting from out of state, plan accordingly, as a quarantine could be required when you return home.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews . To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Are you located in a state that has quarantines on travelers from Florida? How far into 2021 do you expect the travel restrictions to be extended? Do you have plans to visit Walt Disney World this spring or summer? If you’re an international reader, what’s your expectation regarding travel between your country and the United States? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

Written by Tom Bricker

Any updates of where PCR tests can be taken near Disney, as I see Maingate testing is now closed. And with Canada now making plans for allowing fully vaccinated ppl to travel a test will still be required 72 prior to crossing border by Land or Air. And can Canadians use this test facilities, and what are the fees?

This has been an interesting year with all the changes. Thanks for making a post with rules.

I think it’s awesome that the CDC is saying that vaccinated people don’t need masks in public. It means more and more vaccinated people (and unvaccinated ones) are going to skip the masks outdoors where it’s not crowded, whether Disney allows it or not. And it will get harder and harder for Disney to pull back the tide. On the other hand, if infections start to increase in the US for some reason, then people will go back to being careful. Hopefully, that won’t happen.

To Brad and Turena (and others who have had covid) – it’s entirely possible – that SARS-CoV-2 virus will be more like seasonal influenza – i.e. getting infected does not provide long-lasting immunity – we don’t know yet. The numbers of patients who had covid 9-12 months ago (even as little as 6 months) and who are immunocompetent, yet get reinfected are rising (still very low overall….but not zero). Most people are probably immune for longer – or at least won’t get seriously ill if reinfected – but we can’t predict who those people are. You definitely do have immunity after infection – but it varies from person to person. The data is not clear on whether “natural” immunity from infection is stronger than that from the vaccines. There are common vaccines that provide much stronger immunity than a natural infection (pneumococcal).

frank and becky s, totally agree with you both.

@Becky_S what evidence is there that new variants are susceptible to the existing inoculations? The three current ones are all based on mRNA attacks on a very specific spike protein, and mutations can easily be different enough to evade them. That’s actually how natural selection works. I’ve had two family members die with Covid in the last year, but neither could be blamed specifically on it as they were both in very bad shape to begin with. One needed a lung transplant 3 years ago, and the other was undergoing experimental cancer treatment for over a year before. Reported numbers are far too nebulous to be trusted even now. And treatments are better and much more effective. Policy needs to be based on multiple factors, and the bottom line is that far fewer hospitalizations are occurring nationwide.

Many outdoor queues have fans blowing air down, which will greatly suppress any aerosol transmission possibilities. Some don’t, but that’s not reason enough to continue subjecting children and elderly folks to masks in the heat.

@Dave Disney is not going to put their cast members in a position to argue with guests about any of this. That is one of the primary considerations in decisions of theme park operations. Arguments between CMs and guests are high visibility and detract from the experience for other guests in a huge way. Show is one of the Four Keys for a reason.

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Rules for Disney Trivia Board Game

If you love all things Disney and trivia games are your idea of a good time, you probably would have a blast playing the Wonderful World of Disney Trivia game. The Disney trivia rules are pretty straightforward (especially if you've played similar trivia board games before, such as Trivial Pursuit) and can be adapted to your own interests. Time to put all those times you've watched your favorite Disney movie to good use!

Rules for Disney Trivia Board Game, Wonderful World of Disney Trivia

The Wonderful World of Disney Trivia board game is easy to set up and even easier to play, especially if you watch Disney movies or follow Disney lore even a little. With 1,600 trivia questions geared toward adults, and another 800 questions just for kids, this game is perfect for players age 6 and up, though younger ones could definitely play as well, especially if teamed up with an older player.

• 13 Easy Card Games for Kids That'll Keep Them Interested
• 150+ Trivia Team Names to Help You Rule on Quiz Night
• Ultimate List of 275 Fun Trivia Questions for the Whole Family

You need at least 2 players (and up to 6) and the game takes around 45 minutes to finish playing.

• Unfold the game board and separate the kids' questions from the grown-up questions.
• Each player picks a token to represent them on the board.
• The youngest player goes first and rolls the die, moving their token that many spaces. The person to the player's left selects a card and reads the question that corresponds to the color the player landed on. The categories are Animation, Personalities, Song, Film, and Mousellaneous .
• If the question is answered correctly, then that player gets a mouse-ear (as opposed to a wedge like in Trivial Pursuit .)
• If the question is answered incorrectly, then play goes to the next person.
• When a player fills the token, then they must get to the end and answer one last question.

As you can see, the rules are basically the same as Trivial Pursuit, just with a Disney spin.

What About Your Own Disney Trivia Rules?

Sometimes, Disney Trivia board games can get monotonous. What about coming up with your own rules that still relate to the original mechanics of the game? Try some of the variations to change up the gameplay:

• For the game that adds mouse ears for each correct answer, start with your token full and work backwards. You have to answer correctly to keep the mouse ear. For each incorrect answer, one is taken away. As players whittle down to zero mouse ears, they are eliminated. The last person with mouse ears left wins the game.
• For the same trivia game, everyone gets to answer the question, no matter who landed on it. Whoever answers correctly gets the mouse ear. Make sure you have some kind of noisemaker or buzzer-type device to determine who chimed in first.
• Play a game similar to "make it-take it" in basketball. This works best if you play a Disney trivia game where you must get from start to finish first. Players attempt to answer questions. If they get it right, they move their piece ahead and continue to answer questions until they get one wrong. Then, play moves to the next person.

Easy to Learn

Most Disney Trivia board games have rules that are easy to pick up and play. But if you happen to lose to rules and it's been a while since you've played the game, these instructions should help. Of course, you can always come up with your own rules, too. Who knows, your version could be better!

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Sorcerers of the magic kingdom, disney world's secret interactive game, do battle with famous disney villains in this interactive game that spans the magic kingdom park..

By VISIT FLORIDA staff

Andrew Phelps has been to Walt Disney World 's Magic Kingdom three times in three months – not unusual for an annual passholder. 

Except Phelps isn’t bringing his kids for a fun day at the park. The 43-year-old is hopping over to the Disney theme park for a few hours after work. 

An interactive game that began in 2012 is what brings Phelps to the park so often. Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom , which is free with your park ticket, allows players to battle the likes of Cruella, Jafar, Ursula and Scar with special, collectible spell cards.

Briefly, here’s how Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom works : 

• Park guests pick up a free pack of spell cards, a key card and a map at either the Firehouse on Main Street or behind the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square . 
• Guests begin by watching a short movie, in which Merlin asks the sorcerer recruit to help defeat villains that threaten the park. 
• The map leads players to secret, hidden portals strategically placed throughout the park. 
• The goal is to use the spell cards to overcome the villains, who have been enlisted by Hades to cause mischief in the Magic Kingdom. 

Each time he visits, Phelps brings a brown binder holding a highly coveted complete pack of Sorcerers cards. 

Although the game started out appealing to young families, it has grown to include players of all genders and ages. 

What Sorcerers offers is something extra for repeat guests and those who have aged out of Magic Kingdom. 

“My friend and I come a lot,” said Becky Brooks, 35, of Eustis. “It’s something to do. I’m trying to collect all the cards.” 

From left, Eliza Beauchemin, 4, Evelyn Beauchemin, 13, Gareth Bell, 11, and Finley Bell, 7, cast a spell while playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

- Scott Audette for VISIT FLORIDA

Guests cast a spell in Liberty Square while playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, where a mission involves a visit to four portals, at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

The cards – 70 in all – are a big draw, which is exactly what Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Director Jonathan Ackley said he was hoping would happen. 

“We knew that if we created really beautiful cards, guests would have a great reaction to those cards,” Ackley said. 

The card mania has yielded meet-ups, blogs, Facebook pages and apps that tell who's in the park with what cards at any given moment. On one particular night at the Tortuga Tavern near the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, an older gentleman had filled a tabletop with his duplicate cards, awaiting passersby who might want to trade cards on their way to the fireplace portal. 

The cards prompted Florida Institute of Technology juniors Michael Lindnemayer and Casey Santilli to create the iSorcerers app, which has been downloaded by about 400 people so far. The app allows players to keep track of what cards they already have and which ones they need to acquire. 

“We would see people with big, old lists of cards, so we thought it would be a good idea to make an app to keep track of the cards,” Santilli said. 

For Phelps, the card collecting – he has three binders with full collections, one for his niece, one for his nephew and one for himself – is only part of the fun. 

“The stories are funny. They make me laugh. I like the different spells they came up with,” he said.

Three levels (easy, medium, hard) keep active players intrigued. 

“For guests who come often to the park, the game just gets more and more interesting,” Imagineer Ackley said, noting the rules changed for the harder levels in late 2013. 

“What’s cool about Sorcerers is we’re able to update it and make the game better. There’s nothing like it in the entire world.” 

What also keeps the game interesting is the combinations of spells players can cast. 

“You can play it as a family. It’s not just one person standing at a portal,” Ackley said. 

One mission usually involves a visit to four portals, which takes about 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the line. 

“Guests can play as little or as much as they like,” Ackley said. “They always run the risk that they love it so much that they spend a good portion of the day going around trying to save the park.”

Find out more about Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom here .

Guests cast a spell while playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom -- which has yielded meet-ups, blogs and apps that tell who is in the park with what cards -- at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Gareth Bell, 11 unlocks a portal to play Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, an interactive card game at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista.

Hidden in plain site are the portals to play Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, something extra for repeat guests and those who have aged out of other entertainment at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

A guest casts a spell with a Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card during an interactive game that allows players to battle the likes of Cruella, Jafar, Ursula and Scar at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

DISNEY WORLD GUIDES

Your Guide to Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

Hollywood Studios

Disney Springs

Places to remember.

Lake Buena Vista

Winter Park

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Top 10 Games You Can Play at Disney World

When people visit Disney World , they try their best to make the most out of it. There are plenty of unique things to do, and among them, Disney World Games is high up on the list. These are super entertaining, and you can play whenever you feel like you need to kill time. Especially when you’re waiting in line for a ride, these games are great at keeping you and your children busy.  Everyone always thinks of the Hidden Mickey hunt. While that is always fun there are other games that you should check out!

There are several free and fun games in the parks of Disney World. You have the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and Hidden Pascals at Magic Kingdom, Wilderness Explorers in Animal Kingdom, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Interactive Game in Hollywood Studios , Ducktales World Showcase at Epcot , and so many more.

These games are perfect to kill some time when you and your family are waiting in line for a ride. Especially, it’s a great way to keep the children busy. So, buckle up because I will unpack everything you need to know about the top Disney games to play in the parks .

*Some of these games may be unavailable or closed due to Covid

The Top 10 Interactive Adventure Games to Play in Disney World

The interactive games offer you a bucket load of fun, and you’ll undoubtedly have a great time with your friends and family when you’re playing. You have several games to choose from, so here are my top ten.

1. Hidden Pascals at Magic Kingdom

This game is one of the free Disney games you can play in the park. If you loved the movie Tangled, you’d remember the green chameleon, Pascal. The game stands at the charging station area by the Tangled Restrooms at Magic Kingdom. If you head to the stroller parking around the “It’s a Small World ” ride, you can find it there.

Pascal is super sneaky and intelligent. So, this little guy is tough to find. He’ll be hiding in ten different places near the restroom. Your goal is to locate all the ten hidden Pascals. As he’s a chameleon, he’ll blend with the environment well, and honestly, and it’s a lot more challenging than it sounds!

It might take you over an hour to find all the Pascals. If you have kids, they’ll enjoy this game a lot. Meanwhile, you’ll also have time to charge your phones and other essentials. It’s a good idea to enjoy this game early in the morning rather than in the evening because it might get a little crowded.

2. Wilderness Explorers in Animal Kingdom

For the lovers of “Up,” this game is no less of a treat. You’ll be following Russell from that movie and explore the Animal Kingdom. You’ll have over thirty activities to complete with this interactive game. The tasks are primarily geared towards children from ages seven to twelve, but it’s enjoyable for adults in the family.

It stands near the bridge from Oasis to Discovery Land. You’ll have to register there and pick their handbook from the Wilderness Explorers Headquarters. You’ll have to collect the badges as you finish each task. You’ll find these stickers I’m the handbook or Field Guide. As there are so many activities, you might need more than a day to complete the entire game.

But you can complete as many challenges as you’d like and stop. The badges and activity locations are spread across the entire park. You’ll have to find them with your map in your Guide. A Troop Leader wearing the wilderness explorer uniform will hand you the badge once you complete the activities in each location.

3. Star Wars Galaxy Edge Interactive Game in Hollywood Studios

This game is a mobile app that’s incredible for Star Wars fans. You can access this game through the Disney Play application. Besides, you can download the application on your android or iPhone from the play store or AppStore. You can scan codes, hack door panels, and solve puzzles that’ll give you points, and unlock gears for avatars.

After downloading the app, you have to select your park from Disneyland or Disney World. Then, you’ll have to choose Hollywood Studios at Disney World. When the app opens, the GPS will locate where you’re at, so it will only work when you’re in the park.

Each player has to have a personal profile. Five players can play the game at a time. With the tackle of different missions, you can win stuff to boost your avatar and take the baddies down. Several elements in this interactive game make it very interesting.

4. The Mirror De Los Muertos in Epcot

Head down to the Mexico Pavilion if you’re a fan of Disney’s “Coco.” This interactive element features a digital game with characters from Coco. The Mirror De Los Muerto will let you personalize a skeleton, which will take you to the Land of Dead from the movie.

Hector will show on the screen for a short while and give you categories to customize your skeleton. Then, there will be a quick photoshoot, and there will be three photos of you as the skeleton, which you can download later.

This game is ideal for several players. You can make the skeleton dance, and by the end of the game, it’ll also ask you to dance. Though you won’t be walking out with any souvenirs , the game is so cute, and a sweet Floridian treat.

5. DuckTales World Showcase Adventure at Epcot

DuckTales World Showcase Adventure is an interactive game for Epcot’s World Showcase. It’s centered on the Ducktales reboot series. It’s not yet open to the visitors of the park. But it looks so promising that I had to include it in my top ten.

You’ll have to sign up to Epcot’s WiFi once you arrive at the pavilion, and then you’re set on a mission that you will choose between seven World Showcase pavilions. Once you’re there, you’ll have to solve many puzzles with your phone with each client.

The game is entirely free. Besides, it’s amicable for kids and interactive. The adventures are very straightforward, easy to keep up with, and gives you amazing rewards.

6. Sorcerers of Magic Kingdom at Magic Kingdom (now closed)

This one is an interactive role-playing game featuring the Disney Villains. Guests will explore the Magic Kingdom and have to use their powers to defeat the villains. Your first stop would be the Firehouse on Main Street. You can also look for the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square. You’ll get all the tools you need from there.

The God of Underworld Hades wants to make the Magic Kingdom Park his summer home. But he has to collect all the Crystal of the Magic Kingdom first to do so. Four shades of these crystals are spread out through the location. But before you get there, Cruella De Vil, Scar, Ursula, Jafar, and other villains will be your competition.

You’ll have to complete the missions using the map you got from the beginning. In the process, you’ll also explore the entire park. You can unlock Magic Portals with your Sorcery Card and defeat Hades using the Spell Cards. Each mission will take about thirty to sixty minutes to finish.

7. Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure at Epcot (now closed)

In this game, you’ll be joining Phineas and Ferb’s pet/secret agent in disguise platypus Agent P in his mission to stop and defeat Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s evil ideas. The DuckTales World Showcase Adventure might replace this game, but because it was so popular, it features my top ten list.

You’ll be adventuring as recruits and have to visit the recruitment center that’s near the International Gateway or Odyssey Bridge. You’ll receive your assignment there and get an interactive device that will be your guide throughout the missions. It works best when you share it with other agents.

Guests can choose their high-tech device, which is a smartphone, and maneuver through the mission. Each mission lasts less than an hour for thirty to forty-five minutes each. You can continue to play or end your game for the day at the end of every mission.

You’ll get many short puzzles to solve through in the missions, and it’ll take you around the pavilion. It’s entertaining, and you’ll get to explore a lot. After every successful mission, you’ll have a surprise waiting.

8. Finding Dory’s Friends Scavenger Hunt in Epcot

If you love a scavenger hunt, you can try Finding Dory’s Friends. It stands at the Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion. You’ll have to pick a scavenger hunt booklet to start. It should be on the pavilion’s first floor, close to the exit.

The guests will have to solve puzzles, which are rhyming, and lets you meet Dory’s friends. You’ll learn about clues and the pavilion’s marine life. You’ll also collect stickers while exploring the exhibits.

9. Kidcot Fun Stops in Epcot

These aren’t technically games, but attraction sites you can find in Walt Disney World’s Epcot. These have ten out of ten ratings, and I believe you shouldn’t miss out on them if you’re there. The Kidcot Fun Stops have many stations, one in the pavilion’s eleven countries.

A station member will give you a suitcase and a traveler’s card. Your kids can take a break, relax, and color. The kids can also talk to cast members who stand at booths. They’ll learn more about the countries that your station represents. You can also stop and resume your activities whenever you want.

10. A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven at Magic Kingdom

You’ll be joining Captain Jack Sparrow on a search for treasure in Adventure Island. There are five missions, and each takes about twenty minutes. You’ll need a special card that you’ll get at the Crow’s Nest for each task.

Besides, you can also choose which map you want to start. Your MagicBand will activate the game for you and keep track of all the activities you complete. Throughout the park, there are hidden treasures, which you’ll get instructions to unlock. It’ll take you to hidden areas of the Magic Kingdom you hadn’t noticed before.

How These Games Can Make Your Disney World Trip More Fun

When families plan their trip to Disney World , they are focused on having fun on the rides but often forget the long lines they will be forced to wait through.

And that can be especially frustrating when you have children with you. These Disney interactive games are the best solution for that.

You see with these free mini-games you can keep yourself and your family busy while you wait in line. This will not only make the wait more bearable but it will also make your trip to Disney World much more fun and memorable as well. 

The people who designed Disney World knew how frustrating it would be for visitors to wait for minutes in line for getting on a single ride. And considering the popularity of Disney, long lines were inevitable. So, they came up with an ingenious plan to create these short interactive Disney games to play in the parks.

After learning about the 10 Disney world games I’ve listed here, I’m sure your next trip to Disney World will be a blast. Thanks for reading and best of luck while planning your next trip to Disney World .

Heather Noyes, the visionary behind this website and a former Disney travel agent, has woven her lifelong passion for Disney into the fabric of her daily life. Nestled just 3 miles away through the enchanting trees lies Cinderella's Castle, a magical neighbor to Heather's everyday adventures. From her earliest days, Disney has captured her heart, and this enduring love has translated into the meticulous planning of numerous trips for her family, friends, and cherished clients, all destined for the enchanting realm of Walt Disney World.

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How To Play Wonderful World of Disney Trivia

Wonderful world of disney trivia game rules ( pdf instructions ).

• The Wonderful World Of Disney Trivia Game Includes Game Board
• 1 Box Of Cards (containing 2 Decks: 400 Adult Trivia Cards And 100 Kids' Trivia Cards)
• 4 Mickey Mouse Movers (gold
• White "posts")
• 20 Colored Mickey Mouse Tokens (4 Each: Red
• 4 Category Reference Cards
• The Wonderful World Of Disney Trivia Rules And Instructions

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Iconic tourist attraction makes major change affecting thousands of visitors

The iconic theme parks of Walt Disney World in Florida and California attract about 58 million tourists each year.

But a major change to the parks’ accessibility rules for rides comes into effect in May.

While long lines for rides are a fixture of most theme parks, Disney’s disabled access has allowed it to be very inclusive for all visitors.

The park has a fast track line for disabled guests which allows them to take six members of their group with them.

The company’s Disability Access Service programme (DAS) was launched in 2013 and, under the current system, guests with a ‘developmental disability such as autism or similar’ can apply for the DAS and wait for it to be approved.

If approved, disabled visitors can access the attraction without having to wait in line, and take their loved ones with them.

However, Disney is now cracking down the number of people it lets people join this queue, taking the figure down to just four people who can accompany someone with a disability.

A spokesperson for the company suggested on Friday that the DAS service was being used by those who it wasn’t intended for, implying those who don’t have a disability may be taking advantage of the fast-track queues.

Guests revisiting the attraction will also wait longer to get their DAS approved as Disney has doubled the waiting time.

Now, visitors will have to wait 120 days before they can reapply to the DAS, double the current 60 days.

According to a Disney spokesperson, DAS applications are the most requested among Disney World in Florida and California, with applications trebling in the last five years.

The company feels some people are taking advantage of the provision.

Len Testa, president of itinerary planning website Touring Plans and co-author of the Unofficial Guides to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, told The Washington Post : ‘The system has always had some level of questionable use, if not abuse.’

Currently DAS applicants are required to meet with a Disney staff member before their visit to ascertain their eligibility.

Disney says it works with healthcare professionals where necessary to ‘determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations and ensure that these accommodations are provided only for the guests for whom they are intended’.

However, it says there is no requirement for guests to provide documentation for proof of disability, with no plans to introduce this in future.

Anyone who is found to be lying about their needs will be banned from the parks, without their tickets being reimbursed.

The rules are expected to come into effect in Disney World California on June 18, and in Florida on May 20. There are no reports of the changes coming into effect for Disneyland Paris.

A Disney official told NBC : ‘Disney is dedicated to providing a great experience for all guests, including those with disabilities, which is why we are so committed to delivering a wide range of innovative support services aimed at helping our guests with disabilities have a wonderful time when visiting our theme parks.’

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First Time Beginner’s Guide to Disney World (15 minute crash course)

Save this post for later

With so many Rides, Shows, and Attractions, it can be hard to know where to start at Disney World in Orlando Florida (Disneyland is in California, and offers different things!).

This is a comprehensive guide that covers all the basics about Disney World. If you’re familiar with Walt Disney World, this information is probably unnecessary. If your new to Disney, then this is the place to be.

Disney is a vacation packed full of so many options, from great rides at the four Theme Parks, to water fun at the Water Parks and Resorts, to Character Memories, fun Entertainment and Nighttime Fireworks Celebrations.

Refer to the Table of Contents below to jump around to areas you’d like to learn more about.

Does Disney World do anything Special for First Time Visitors?

Yes! Disney World offers a ‘1st Visit’ button that you can wear to celebrate that occasion and let Cast Members (the Disney Employees) know that it’s your first time.

So let’s jump into some quick tips for first time Disney World visitors and then you can pick where you want to get started with all this information! If this is too much, simply save or share this page for later.

This post may contain affiliate links, read my full disclosure here.

Table of Contents for Disney World Guide

• Your Frequently Asked Questions Answered

The Best Times to go to Disney World

• How many days do you need at Disney
• What do you need to bring to your Disney World Vacation?
• Overview of the Parks
• Overview of Entertainment in the Parks
• All about Disney Resorts

Quick FAQs for Disney World

What should you do on your first visit to disney world.

You should make a Bucket List/ Cant Miss list!

Disney World is intense… there’s so much more to do and see (maybe that’s why we have so many websites and vlogs and content creators sharing the Disney fun!)

Creating a list of things you want to do will make planning much easier and make the vacation more fun . Here’s a list of Can’t Miss fun for most families , and a Can’t Miss list for little kids !

How Much does it cost to go to Disney World?

The average vacation in 2024 is going to cost around $5000 dollars for a Family of Four to go for 5 days (this includes tickets, lodging, a food budget and souvenirs but not travel costs to get to the parks) See the full breakdown for the costs (with examples!) on how to do Disney World on a tight (yet realistic!) budget.

Having a dollar sign in mind is a good way to make sure that you stay on track with your Disney World Vacation. This is such an exciting time and you want to make sure that you make the most of it. There are many money saving tips that can help with your magical vacation.

The Best Time to go to Disney World is the time that fits with your schedule!

Disney World is ‘always’ busy now on the weekends and many times throughout the week. There is no ‘slow’ season, though the months of January and September are typically slower months than others.

Walt Disney World is such a popular resort that it can get a little crowded.  

I’ve been on some of the busiest days of the year, and while it is still magical, it’s not very fun waiting in a two hour line ! What you can do is check the best weeks to go and pick the week that works best for your family! 

Some of the Best Months to go for lower crowds are:

• The beginning of May
• The second week in December

Some of the best times to enjoy the Parks for lower crowds are:

• In the Evenings- especially if they park is closing in a few hours or staying open very late
• In the Early Morning- especially if you have early morning hours available to you when you stay on Disney World property
• During the Week Days- it helps to look at the MyDisneyExperience App and check the wait times. While these are often inflated, they are a good predictor of crowd levels during your vacation.
• Magic Kingdom on days that a party is planned, and the regular park closes at 6. Many people skip this day because it doesn’t include fireworks, but it’s a great option if you have a park hopper or want to get up early and spend a good 10 hours at Magic Kingdom.

⭐ What is a Touring Plan, and why is it recommended to know the crowd level when planning a touring plan?

Touring Plans are detailed lists that tell you where to go for rides and attractions at what time. These rely heavily on park hours, expected crowd levels, and what rides/attractions your party wants to do. A common Touring Plan example is to rope drop Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom as the wait time is high during the day (or to make it your last ride of the night).

What do you need to pack for your Disney vacation?

Whether it’s your first time to Disney World or your hundredth, it pays to be prepared.

But what you need for your Disney vacation really depends on each person and family (and reason for the trip!) I do recommend getting a packing list together- at least a month ahead of time, so that way you can get everything you need.

This should include the following items:

• Number of Outfits x your vacation days + one opposite weather outfit (so a sweater if you come in the summer, or shorts if you come in the winter)
• Two pairs of Comfortable Walking Shoes
• Sun Protection including Hat, Sunglasses and Sunscreen
• A Park Bag or Park FannyPack, for you to bring into the parks with you
• Comfort Care items like lotion, lip balm, and first aid kits
• Toiletries and Cosmetics
• Disney Items like Mouse Ears, Signature Books, Pin Collections, Penny Collections

⭐ Does Disney World offer personal care items, clothing, or other commonly forgot items? Yes. Lots of these items are found inside the Parks. But for a full selection, head to the resorts. If you are at a Value resort and can’t find what you are looking for (And have talked to a Cast Member to confirm it’s not hiding somewhere), head to one of the Deluxe Resorts to check out there selections.

The top 3 items I recommend to everyone:

1. Portable Phone Charger – you phone WILL go dead using the MyDisney App, and some of the rides will drain your battery as your phone looks for signal. The alternative is good ole pencil and paper- just make sure you can access your plans and reservations for the day! You can also use the swappable batteries, see more about where to find those swappable battery locations at Disney here .

2. Insulated Water Bottle – It gets HOT at Disney. Even in the winter you are dealing with the sun, the wind and way too much walking. Animal Kingdom also doesn’t do straws or lids- so you need a water bottle to prevent spillage. 

3. Body Glide- This stuff is phenomenal. I use it for anywhere my skin might get irritation (like shoes in sneakers or thighs in shorts). Its only a few bucks, so better to have it and not need it- then need it and not have it!

And if your headed to Disney World for a Birthday Celebration , consider what you want to pack, versus what you want to buy when you get there.

How many days should you plan for your Disney World Trip?

Most people will find that a First Time Disney Vacation is exciting and exhausting! There’s so much to see and do, and you cannot possibly get it all done in one trip (or even two!)

Most families will benefit from 3-5 days inside the Parks.

But there’s a lot of ways to do Disney! You could do two days inside Magic Kingdom, and one day at EPCOT. You could just do two days at Magic Kingdom and make it a long weekend. You could hit up all four parks, or two days at Disney and two days at Universal.

Tips for Disney World Tickets

If you are visiting for the first time, a standard ticket would be the most appropriate versus an annual pass- you can pick how many base days you’d like to have.

Recommended time at the resort is 6 days 5 nights . This gives you 4 days in the parks, and then your arrival and departure day. Some families will benefit from a ‘no park’ day in the middle of their week to relax, and take in the amenities at the hotel (and possibly recover from sunburn or dehydration that is so prone to Disney trips!)

There are some pros and cons to only doing Magic Kingdom in one day , but most people will find that with a bucket list, their one day trip is enough!

➡️ You will need a Park Reservation for some tickets and passes. To schedule a park ticket, head over to Disney World here and secure your dates (its better to have a date/park secured and change later than not have one at all!)

What’s not recommended:

-Having a Ticket for Arrival or Departure day (there is plenty to do that doesn’t require a ticket!) Unless you are going for something specific. Most people will benefit from resting on Arrival and Departure day.

-Park Hopper Tickets if you are staying for more than 4 days. If you plan to go to all the parks anyways, there’s no need to add the Park Hopper. I would recommend this if you are doing less than 3 days. Keep in mind that hopping parks can take some time (between 45-90 minutes) that may be better spent in the parks.

-Not getting the Park Hopper if you can only come for 1-3 days. The Park Hopper here will help you take advantage of all the staggered opening and closing times to get the most out of your ticket.

-Purchasing from somewhere like eBay- I would hate for your ticket not to work when you arrived

Overview of the Disney Parks

There’s no Harry Potter, Charizard or Daffy Ducks at Disney World my friends. But we do have 6 Theme Parks (4 Main Ones and 2 Water Parks). Disney World is the size of San Francisco, or double the size of Manhattan. And its also located in Florida, in Orlando. There’s a lot going on here!

Disney also has an amazing amount of themed resorts and restaurants that I also recommend you check out! You can peek around the resorts as a guest and eat at any of the locations on property – most require a reservation but they aren’t hard to get. 

Quick Note about Transportation at Disney World

Or said better, How to get where you need to go on Vacation!

⭐ Is Disney Transportation available to all guests, including those not staying on property? Yes! Respectfully of course, but you can hop on the Skyliner, or take the Monorail, or catch a boat without needing to stay on property. This is a fun option on your ‘no-park-ticket’ day, and here’s everything you can do at Disney World without a Park Ticket.

⭐How long does Disney Transportation take? Maybe the most important question of this entire post! Transportation can be quick, kinda slow, or completely closed. You might miss reservations or get stuck for an hour waiting for a bus. While most of it is free to use, it’s a gamble on the time requirements, so plan to give yourself extra time.

Complimentary Transportation Options:

• The Buses (available at most Disney Resorts, and will pop up if there is severe weather and you can’t take the Skyliner, Boats or Monorail)
• The Monorail. Three lines operate at Disney World. One takes you to and from EPCOT to the Ticket and Transportation Center. One takes you straight from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Magic Kingdom and back again. The Last Line makes 5 stops. The Transportation and Ticket Center, The Contemporary Resort, Magic Kingdom, The Grand Floridian Resort, The Polynesian Resort.
• The Ferry Boat takes you from Magic Kingdom to the Transportation and Ticket Center and back.
• The Friendship Boats operate for the Hollywood Studios/EPCOT water front resorts, Between Disney Springs and Port Orleans Resort, and for the Magic Kingdom Seven Seas Lagoon Resorts.
• The Skyliner has three lines. One line goes from the Depot to Hollywood Studios and back (Caribbean Beach is where the depot is located). One line goes from the EPCOT Boardwalk (it’s the second EPCOT entrance called the International Gateway), to Riveria Resort to the Depot. The third line runs from Art of Animation/POP Century Resort to the Skyliner Depot.
• Parking at Disney Springs or the Water Parks and Mini Golf locations.

Paid Transportation Options:

• Parking at Disney World Parks. This is included if you have paid to park at a Disney World resort. There is a tram at several of the parking lots that takes you to the front.
• Minnie Vans, which are a partnership between Lyft Rideshare and Disney World. These are Disney employees who pick you up in a red and black polka dot ‘van’.

The Parks at Disney World

Disney World has four Major Parks, two Water Parks, and then Disney Springs.

Magic Kingdom

The Iconic Cinderella Castle and Main Street U.S.A. are just two of the notable landmarks at Magic Kingdom. This is the Number One Park at Disney World and at full capacity (so really busy with lots of long lines!) it can take a Visitor almost 20 hours to complete the rides and attractions.

Magic Kingdom hosts lots of other amazing attractions like Space Mountain, Fantasy Land and Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Not to mention, Magic Kingdom is also home to lots of character meet and greets and the amazing fireworks display at the end of the night. Seeing the Castle lit up is a magical experience that the whole family can enjoy, and one of the highlights of any Disney trip. 

Hollywood Studios 

Hollywood studios used to be considered among us Disney Goers as the ‘one day park’ because it was something that we could just hit up our favorite attractions and then catch dinner somewhere else on the resort. This is certainly not the case anymore though! 

If you follow Disney news at all, you’ll see that Hollywood Studios has been revamped lately to include Star Wars, Toy Story Land, Beauty and the Beast and the Disney Junior Characters.

This is exciting news because it takes this park and gives it a much needed update. If you’ve never been (or it’s been a reallyyyyy long time) don’t bypass Hollywood Studios because of old reviews. This is definitely a park you want to visit for all your movie and TV needs!

Epcot is the infamous park that houses all the other countries. The park actually has two sections, Worlds Celebration, Nature and Discovery at the Front of the Park and World Showcase around the lake (it’s a giant circle). 

The World Showcase is where you’ll find many scenic views, easy going rides and of course, the eleven countries with authentic gifts and cuisine. I love to go on Date nights to “Britain” or “Japan”-  it’s so amazing that we can step into another country without leaving Disney! 

With few exceptions, the World Showcase doesn’t open up till 11 for shops and drinks, but you can catch the Shops, Attractions and Food at the front of the park when the park opens. Options like the Soarin’ ride, Finding Nemo, Mission: Space and Test Track are great ways to start the day (and Frozen in Norway plus Ratatouille in France open when the park does!)

Epcot is also home to Festivals throughout the year. We have the Festival of the Arts to start the year, followed by the Flower and Garden Festival in the Spring and Early Summer. Then Food and Wine Festival in the Fall and The Festival of the Holidays to round out the year.

Animal Kingdom 

Animal Kingdom is where the animals are, seriously. With more than 500 acres and 1700 animals, it’s considered to be the largest theme park in the world! This makes for quite the adventure when it comes to planning your day as you won’t be able to see everything in one go. 

There’s several sections to Animal Kingdom, the newest of which is the Pandora land based off the movie Avatar. Some of the other sections, which are called ‘lands’ include Asia, Africa, Dinoland, Rafiki’s Planet Watch and Discovery Island.

Since Animal Kingdom is so large, it’s good to plan for exactly one day here and still pick your ‘must see’ items! The Thrill rides here tend to fill up quickly, just like at the other parks (namely Avatar Flight of Passage and Everest, plus sometimes slower Family Fun rides like Navi River Journey and the Animal Safari)

Animal Kingdom generally opens earlier than most of the parks, and it’s a great park to ‘Rope Drop’ (or show up before it opens!). Then you can leave around Dinner time to another park, Disney Springs or eat at the Resort.

The Water Parks

Disney has two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Both of these have lots of fun water activities with their own unique themes. 

Typhoon Lagoon is a tropical getaway filled with water rides the whole family can enjoy! It also features a kiddy play area and thrill rides for the older kids! 

Blizzard Beach takes a different spin on theming, think ski resort that has melted into summer water fun! Blizzard beach also has several options for everyone in the family, from kid sized water slides to one of the world’s tallest and fastest water rides!

Disney Springs 

Disney Springs was previously called Downtown Disney and if you look at old reviews or message boards it’s easy to get confused about where Downtown Disney went! 

It did get a major facelift and a new name. Most notably, it received lots of new parking, a slew of new stores (many of which are designer names) and several new restaurants.

Disney Springs is:

• Free to Park at
• Free to Enter
• Normally low crowd, but crowded on Weekends, Holidays and High Crowd Park Days

Notable Entertainment Offerings at Disney World

I get this question from Disney Vacationers all the time- “What is there to do at Disney?”

There is SO MUCH to do at Disney World that you simply can’t do it all! What I wanted to do was break down the basics for you!

There’s lots of Characters at Disney

You can meet the characters a few different ways. 

• 1.By going to the Character Meet and Greets inside the Parks, these are marked on the Map
• 2.By Scheduling a Character Dining Experience.
• 3. By purchasing a Special Event Ticket
• 4. By stumbling upon an unmarked Character Meet and Greet
• 5. By meeting Characters at the Resorts as they tour around to different locations daily

Some of the Characters you can meet in the parks are:

• Mickey Mouse
• Joy (Inside Out)
• Donald Duck
• Winnie the Pooh and Tiger
• Tinker Bell
• And SOOOO many more!

Character Dining is a great way to meet your favorite Pals! If you’re interested in how to meet characters without a ticket check out this helpful guide! 

Disney LOVES parades. They have a parade for everything it seems like! They even have one when it RAINS!

Don’t forget that Disney World also has seasonal parades for Halloween and Christmas. They go all out with these, as typically they are only shown for a separate ticketed event (like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas)

Here’s some of the memorable ones you can expect at Magic Kingdom:

Main Street Trolley Show

This happens in the mornings at Magic Kingdom, kind of like their welcoming act to bring you into the park! It’s a very “Mary Poppins” themed show, and oh so cute! 

Disney Festival Of Fantasy Parade

Featured so many Favorites, catch this show on Main Street USA during the day. Typically you’ll find this show at 12 pm and 3 pm, but check the app for updated times during your trip.

FireWork and Nighttime Shows

You can find FireWorks Displays at three Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT!

At Magic Kingdom, you’ll get to see Happily Ever After, typically at 9pm. You can best see this is you can see the Castle, but I also enjoy the Fireworks without the Castle Display by hanging out in FantasyLand.

At Hollywood Studios, line up for Fantasmic, with shows typically starting at 9pm nightly. This is in a Theater, so you’ll need to head down Sunset Blvd and join the crowd to see this performance. There’s minor Fireworks during the Visual Display broadcasted on the Chinese Theater.

At EPCOT, gather around World Showcase for a fun Visual and Auditory Show that you can see all around the lake. It’s an easy watch, and generally low crowd.

Nightlife and Nighttime Activities at Disney

Some would say that I saved the best for last- and that is probably the case! If we were going to cover ALL of the options for entertainment after dark at Disney we would be here awhile. Let’s look at some of the favorites! 

Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs)

Disney is not just for kids! Especially Downtown Disney, which was built more with the adult in mind. You can shop and enjoy Dinner, then grab drinks on the water. 

You’ve got several options to choose from. One of the newest additions is The Edison, which has flapper style dancers, a DJ and music floor. The Hangar Bar has lots of games to play over drinks, and Paradiso 37 will have you dancing to Latin Music all night long! Bar hopping is another favorite, with almost 10 places to choose from it can be a fun weekend night! 

The BoardWalk

If you want to stay near the resorts, definitely check out the Disney BoardWalk. Not only is it absolutely picturesque in the evenings with live musicians and plenty of restaurants, but it also hosts some 21 and up venues. 

Jellyrolls is famous for their dueling piano competitions- truly a must see experience. Then you have a Dance Venue featuring hits from the 80s and 90s. 

Disney World Resorts

Now, let’s talk about the resorts. Disney World has 36 resort hotels on the grounds, 26 of which are owned and operated by Disney.

The Resorts are set up in a tier system. What this means is that each resort falls under one of three categories. The categories for the Walt Disney World Resorts are Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, and Deluxe. These tiers are based on the resorts sizes, amenities, transportation options and price. 

Value Resorts 

We’ll start with the Value Resorts. These are the least expensive of the Walt Disney Resorts but they don’t lack in magical experience!

They all have a dining area, stocked with various goodies (and yes, they accommodate allergies!) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the gift area sections they have the standard souvenirs like coffee cups and towels while they also have snacks and drinks. 

All of the Disney Value resorts have the usual conveniences you would expect at a Disney hotel. Mail, laundry, dry-cleaning, complimentary wi-fi, airline check-in, designated smoking areas, and ATMs. 

The Value Resorts also have some other amenities like the pools and a jogging trail. While the pools don’t have slides, they do have poolside activities that happen throughout the day. Other cool options for the value resorts are the indoor arcades and the playgrounds.

The two best perks of the Walt Disney World Resorts are the free transportation and the Extra Magic Hours. 

The transportation and extra magic hours are the main reason we stay at Disney so often even though we live right up the road! Because you really can’t go wrong with the list of amenities, the adorable themes and the perks of transportation and extra magic hours that you get by staying on-site at  the Disney World Value Resort hotels.

Moderate Resorts 

The next tier up is the Moderate Resorts and these are some of my favorites! The moderate resorts at Walt Disney World Resort provide some of the best options for the price. Plus the blend of affordability and amenities make Moderate Resorts a great options for most families.

While the Value Resorts focus more on cartoonish theming- The Moderate Resorts focus more on cultural themes. They offer all the amenities of the Value resorts with some nice additions! 

Disney’s Port Orleans offers horse-drawn carriage rides, bike rentals and catch-and-release fishing. Disney’s Caribbean Beach offers a pirates adventure cruise, bike rentals, sand volleyball and catch-and-release fishing. Disney’s Coronado Springs offers bike rentals and sand volleyball. They also have nicer themed room with queen sized beds (value resorts have the full sized beds). 

Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas

Staying at a Deluxe Resort is similar to the name, its where Disney goes above and beyond! These rooms tend to be a little bigger than most other rooms on the grounds, and they have more amenities. 

So you get all of the perks of the other tiers, with some nice additions like valet parking, higher quality dining on site and more recreation choices at the resort. This takes your Disney vacation from regular to extraordinary! 

My favorite part about staying at the Deluxe resorts is how much closer they are to the parks, and transportation also seems to move a lot faster from these resorts (maybe its in my head… but I do feel that way!). We tend to save the Deluxe Resorts for special occasions, like honeymoons, but we’ve taken the kids before and their were lots of other kids there too! 

The Deluxe Villas are similar to the resorts, but they sleep way more people! Most of these are also at a different location than the other Deluxe properties, but still full of the same amenities. 

Disney Resort Features 

So now that you have a general understanding of the what and where, let’s compare some of the basic features of all the resorts. 

The value resorts have double beds that sleep four, whereas the Moderate and Deluxe resorts have queen beds. King Sized beds can be found sprinkled throughout the resorts, you just have to hunt to find them! 

Food Options

The value and moderate resorts have food court style options- which is great for a large family of picky eaters, but the Deluxe resorts only have one quick service option that can be limiting on food choices. Both the Moderate and Deluxe have Table Dining options that help to add to the ambience of finer vacationing. Deluxe resorts also offer Signature and Character dining as part of their 5 star service.

Transportation 

For the most part, the value and moderate resorts only options are the buses. There are three moderate resorts that have the Water Taxi boat service and those are Ports Orleans Riverside, French Quarter and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. The Deluxe Resorts have several more transportation options, like the monorail, boat taxis and walking. You can also call a ‘Minnie Van’ from any of the resorts (and they come with two car seats!) You’ve got options! 

Every resort on Disney property has a pool (thank goodness, because Florida is hot!) but the types of pools differ across the tiers. 

The value pools are, well, value based (but your kids won’t mind, I promise!). They don’t have anything fancy besides some theming and poolside activities that Disney Cast members run. 

The moderate pools are absolutely a step up. Here the theming is top quality and you’ve got water slides!! 

So how can the Deluxe pools beat water slides? With even bigger water slides, of course! They also have more pool options to choose from, which limits the amount of loud rowdy teenagers you might run into on your afternoon swim. 

How far in advance should you book a Disney World trip?

As soon as possible! Disney Rooms can normally be book over a year in advance, and park reservations can be book 365 days in advance!

Is it cheaper to stay on Disney Property?

Honestly, most of the time, not really–though you can get some good deals with the value resorts, what you’re really paying for is convenience and the experience. There are definite perks, the biggest of which is being so close to the parks. You’ll have to decide what’s right for you and your family!

How much money should I bring to Disney World?

It kinda depends on your budget and how much you plan on eating at the Parks. A single person can easily spend 100 dollars on food and drink for one day at Disney World. Budgeting 150+ per person, per day for food, drinks plus a souvenir budget (like 100 per person for the trip) is reasonable.

So there you have it, folks, just about everything a beginner needs to know (and then some!) about planning their first trip to Disney World!

If you’re a first time Disney World visitor, I know it can be a little overwhelming, but remember that priority number one is to have fun! You’re not going to be able to do and see everything, so make a plan and let the good times roll!

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Celebrate your family's fairytale memories of Walt Disney World with this customizable t-shirt. Available in a choice of colors, it features a line drawing of Cinderella Castle and the Park's distinctive logo. Personalize it with the name of your choice and lend a familial flair to your trips to The Most Magical Place on Earth!

Drink in happy memories of 100 years of Disney magic with this commemorative tumbler and straw by Starbucks®. Featuring an allover raised geometric platinum colored design and the Walt Disney World logo with Mickey Mouse, this celebratory cup makes a wonderful souvenir of the anniversary.

A very special toast is always at hand with this Walt Disney World geometric Starbucks® tumbler featuring a dramatic allover raised geometric design. Cinderella Castle and the Walt Disney World Resort logo are on one side. The Starbucks® logo is in bas relief on the other. It's the perfect way to savor the most magical of memories with every sip.

Mickey and Minnie will brighten your day with this colorful backpack from Lilly Pulitzer. Featuring an allover fluorescent floral print incorporating Cinderella Castle , this sturdy, spacious and stylish bag will make you feel like you're on vacation everywhere you go!

MagicBand+ lets you engage in Disney experiences like never before as it reacts to select park interactions with lighting effects and gesture recognition. This design features an allover Olive Green coloring including the coordinating tappable icon with its Mickey icon.

• Olive Green strap

Your leading man will enjoy sharing warm memories of Walt Disney World when he drinks from this mug from The Most Magical Place on Earth. Our own leading man, Mickey, and ''Dad'' are pictured on one side of this dark green cup while the other side features Cinderella Castle with the pirate galleon from Peter Pan's Flight soaring overhead.

MagicBand+ lets you engage in Disney experiences like never before as it reacts to select park interactions with lighting effects and gesture recognition. Make your trips to the Parks even more fun when you wear this MagicBand+ featuring a Mickey Mouse ''Play in the Park'' design inspired by Walt Disney World Resort.

• Strap features Walt Disney World Resort icons and logo and ''Play in the Park'' text
• Tappable icon features Mickey Mouse
• Part of the Play in the Park Collection

Minnie, Mickey and the gang set out to play in the park in this soft zip hoodie with character art, Cinderella Castle and Walt Disney World logo on back. An embroidered Minnie Mouse with balloon frolics above the chest pocket.

Orange Bird provides a refreshingly original combination mug and citrus juicer. Created in celebration of the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival 2024, the ceramic cup resembles Orange Bird's smiling face, complete with dimpled surface. It is topped with a ceramic lid that also serves as citrus juicer, so you can enjoy some fruit juice alongside your morning brew.

Walt Disney World Merchandise

Enhance your Disney World experience with our captivating range of merchandise. From Disney World outfits and timeless Mouse Ears to delightful Disney World souvenirs and enchanting Walt Disney World home decor , we have everything you need to make your visit to the happiest place on Earth even more magical. Explore our curated collection now and bring home the enchantment of Disney World with our stylish and unforgettable items.

Please review our Terms of Use , which changed on May 24, 2024.

Walt Disney World® Resort

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Discover Frosty Fun for the Whole Family

Splash into action, summit plummet.

Plummet down Mount Gushmore on one of the tallest, fastest free-fall body slides in the world.

Tike’s Peak

Little ones love this polar-themed play area with pint-sized slides and aquatic activities aplenty.

Runoff Rapids

Discover 3 times the thrills as you take the plunge on this trio of distinctly different inner-tube waterslides.

Toboggan Racers

Sleigh the competition as you race your way to the finish line on this exhilarating 8-lane waterslide.

Plan Your Visit

1-day water park tickets.

• 1-Day Water Park Ticket – $74 per adult or $68 per child (ages 3 to 9)
• 1-Day Water Park Tickets with Blockout Dates – $64 per adult or $58 per child (age 3 to 9)

Ready to make a splash? View additional details about 1-Day Water Park Tickets and choose the option that is right for you.

Park Hopper Plus Option

How It Works Theme park tickets with the Park Hopper Plus option provide admission to more than one theme park on the same day, plus a certain number of visits* to your choice of the following:

• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park
• Disney's Blizzard Beach water park – Currently unavailable
• ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex  
• Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course
• FootGolf at Disney's Oak Trail
• Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course (one round; prior to 4:00 PM)
• Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course (one round; prior to 4:00 PM)

No matter how you choose to play, there’s no “wetter” way to beat the heat and have some fun in sunny Florida!

* Number of visits based on the number of ticket days purchased. Ticket valid for admission beginning on the date you select as start date—and must be used within a limited number of days, depending on ticket length and type. For more information, please visit DisneyWorld.com/usage . Flexible-date tickets and options expire 14 days from date of first use. All tickets and options are nontransferable and exclude activities/events, separately priced or not open to the general public. Parks, attractions and other offerings are subject to availability, closures and change or cancellation without notice or liability. Water parks are subject to extended rehabilitation, as well as seasonal, capacity and weather closures, and may close for other reasons. On certain dates, a water park may only be open for special events or to limited groups. FootGolf is available every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday after 2:30 PM, subject to availability. Miniature golf valid for one round; only one miniature golf course visit per day before 4:00 PM. ESPN Wide World of Sports admission valid only on event days. Some events require an additional admission charge. There are no events on certain days. Days and hours of operation of concessions, venues and attractions vary. Visit www.espnwwos.com for more information.

Water Park and Sports Option

For each day of your theme park tickets , adding the Water Park and Sports option lets you visit one theme park and gives you one admission to select Walt Disney World experiences including:

• Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park

Come share the magic of our theme parks, make a splash in our water parks and get your game on—as you score the perfect family vacation!

All tickets and options are nontransferable and exclude activities/events, separately priced or not open to the general public. Parks, attractions and other offerings are subject to availability, closures and change or cancellation without notice or liability. Water parks are subject to extended rehabilitation, as well as seasonal, capacity and weather closures, and may close for other reasons. On certain dates, a water park may only be open for special events or to limited groups. Tee times are required for Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course and are subject to availability. FootGolf is available every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday after 2:30 PM, subject to availability. Miniature golf valid for one round. Round must start prior to 4:00 PM. Only one miniature golf visit per Guest per day. ESPN Wide World of Sports admission valid only on event days; some events require an additional admission charge; there are no events on certain days; days and hours of operation of concessions, venues and attractions vary. Visit www.espnwwos.com for more information.

Know Before You Go

Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park is currently closed for refurbishment. However, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park is open!

At this time, a park reservation is not required to visit a water park; however, reservation requirements are subject to change. Learn more about daily water park operating hours.

• Swim attire must be appropriate for a family environment.
• Inappropriate swim attire, swim attire with buckles, rivets, zippers or exposed metal, and other sharp objects are not allowed on any of the attractions.
• Jeans (denim) and wetsuits (neoprene) are not permitted on Slush Gusher and Summit Plummet at Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park.
• For safety, diaper-age children must wear plastic pants or swim diapers in pool areas.

Parking Complimentary standard parking is available for all Guests visiting Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park.

Car Locator Car locator is a complimentary feature in the My Disney Experience mobile app. It uses Location Services to find and save your parking details at select Walt Disney World Resort parking locations, including Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park.

Mobile Food and Beverage Ordering Order ahead at select dining locations with mobile order service. It's simple and saves time! Just be sure to install the My Disney Experience app before you arrive at the park, so you can start using the service right away.

Towel & Locker Rentals Show your Key to the World card or MagicBand at the following locations to pick up complimentary towels:

• Snowless Joe's

Coolers If you plan to bring a cooler into the park, you will be asked to show the contents to a Cast Member who will inspect it for prohibited items. Loose or dry ice, glass and alcoholic beverages may not be brought into the water park. Reusable ice packs are an acceptable method for chilling items. View additional details about prohibited items and property rules.

Life Jackets Complimentary life jacket rentals are available at Frostbite Freddy's Frozen Freshments .

Dive Into Flavor

Savor specialty hot dogs, snacks, draft beer and soft drinks.

Lottawatta Lodge

Satisfy your appetite with a selection of quick bites, including cheeseburgers and flatbread.

Chill out at a full-service beach bar serving beer, wine and cocktails.

Mobile Order

Use the My Disney Experience app to order in advance at select locations.

Enhance Your Visit

Polar patios.

Unwind in the privacy and comfort of your own shaded deck.

Lodge Umbrellas

You’ll have it made in the shade with this convenient upgrade.

Theme Park Announces New Rules After Attempted Kidnapping by Wild Animal

in Featured , Theme Parks

A popular family theme park in Texas has announced new rules for visitors following the attempted kidnapping of a toddler by a wild animal in the park.

Related:  Disney Strategist Unveils Plans for Massive New Theme Park Opening in 2026

A video of a giraffe grabbing a toddler from the back of a pickup truck at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas went viral this week.

Please Feed the Animals

Jason Toten and his wife took their two-year-old daughter Paisley to the wildlife center, located in Glen Rose, Texas, located approximately 55 miles southwest of Fort Worth, Texas, and 76 miles from Dallas, Texas. The wildlife-themed park features a drive-through attraction that allows visitors to view wildlife from their vehicles.

Related: New Developments in Texas May Signal Disney’s Plans to Open a New Theme Park Near Dallas

No “Don’t Feed the Animals” signs here–in fact, visitors are encouraged to feed the animals. But for the Toten family, the activity took a terrifying turn as little Paisley was seated in the bed of her father’s truck alongside her mother. When the pair stopped to feed one of the giraffes, the animal grabbed the toddler by her shirt, lifting her into the air before dropping her.

“My heart stopped,” the child’s father said. “My stomach dropped; it scared me.

Visitors in the vehicle behind the Toten family caught the scary incident on video .

Toten says that what happened was just an accident–that the animal was grabbing food and accidentally grabbed onto his daughter.

He further said that he and his family were following all of the rules at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, which included keeping all the doors on the vehicle closed, staying 50 feet away from gates, and feeding the animals with cups rather than their hands.

Related:  Phase One Underway at Massive Midwest Theme Park Being Built By Walt Disney Imagineers

Regardless, the wildlife-themed park has implemented a new rule in an effort to decrease the chances of a similar situation happening again.

New Measure Taken to Ensure This Doesn’t Happen Again

“We were recently made aware of an incident involving one of our giraffes that occurred this past weekend,” said a representative for Fossil Rim via email to CBS News. “The incident was first reported to us on Monday, June 3. The safety of our guests and animals is always of utmost importance to us.”

According to the representative, there has never been an incident like this one at Fossil Rim.

“Effective immediately, Fossil Rim will no longer be allowing guests to ride through the park in truck beds,” the representative said. “Fossil Rim offers a variety of experiences guided by knowledgeable staff so guests can continue to have up-close and memorable animal encounters and support our mission to save threatened and endangered species.”

The incident didn’t change the Toten family’s feelings toward the safari park. In fact, Jason Toten says they look forward to visiting again. And interestingly enough, little Paisley got to take home a stuffed giraffe from the park’s gift shop following the otherwise “rough ride.”