Expert-Approved Disney World Hacks That Really Work (2025)

As anyone who’s been to Walt Disney World can attest, planning a trip to the happiest place on Earth is never easy.

More often than not, mapping out a Disney vacation can prove incredibly stressful, filled with financial heartaches, and more than a few practical headaches (such as figuring out where to park, where to stay, and what meals to pack with you on your trip).

Fortunately, there are also quite a few useful tools vacationers can use to remedy these vacationer stressors — including the insightful travel book Walt Disney World Hacks by Susan Veness and Samantha Davis-Friedman.

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More recently, we contacted Veness to discuss effective strategies for navigating Walt Disney World. A dedicated Disney aficionado, Veness has utilized years of experiences inside the park to formulate her list of Disney hacks–making them all incredibly valuable when visiting the parks themselves.

Disney World Hacks: Don’t Try To Do It All in One Day

According to Veness, the most avoidable mistake people make during their Disney vacation is a simple one: trying to do too much at one time. “The biggest mistake is trying to cram too much into each day or even into the whole vacation,” says Veness. Visiting Walt Disney World is an expensive proposition, so guests try to squeeze as much out of each day as they can.

To address this problem, Veness advises guests to be realistic and realize that Disney parks are too large and expansive to be completed in one day. In your initial planning stages, it’s helpful to start small, perhaps with a more limited itinerary of things you’d like to do or see.

By doing so, you’ll be able to slow down and savor your day at Disney rather than having it pass by in a whimsical blur. As Veness herself points out, “There is no point paying all that money and then returning home exhausted and unable to remember what you did because it was all packed in so tight.”

Make an Itinerary

As most people know, Disney World is packed with numerous world-famous attractions, from fast-paced thrill rides like Space Mountain to classic water-based attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean.

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With so many rides lining the parks, it’s beneficial for you and your party to sit down ahead of time and create a set itinerary, complete with a list of attractions you don’t want to miss.

“Prioritizing your group’s top 10 attractions, or each person’s top three or four attractions, helps keep things focused without trying to do it all,” Veness says. “Prioritizing attractions well in advance also has the benefit of highlighting differences in touring styles, so that part of the plan might be to split up sometimes. That way, thrill-seekers aren’t bored with scenic rides, and scenic riders aren’t pressured to do the more aggressive attractions. Everyone wins, and you all go home as friends.”

Disney World Hacks: Be Smart With Your Meals – And Your Money

It’s no secret that Disney has plenty of delicious dining options around its property, whether discussing Disney Springs or any of the various parks.

As tempting as it might be to schedule a dining reservation at any one of these venues, Veness says visitors should take a more conservative approach to their in-park meals. This will allow you to save more time for rides and, most importantly, leavemore money safely stored in your wallet.

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“Eating three meals in the parks and resorts takes a lot of cash, so planning at least one meal out of the parks is a good idea,” says Veness. “Stop at the local Winn-Dixie or Publix grocery store and get some breakfast items, have dinner offsite, or eat a large breakfast, skip lunch, and have an early dinner. It’s also okay to split meals, which tend to be huge or order a kid’s meal if you have a smaller appetite. And all dining locations will give you a cup of water just by asking.”

Don’t Buy Every Little Souvenir and Keepsake

In addition to meals, another big financial pitfall most people experience in Disney World comes with souvenirs. Yes, Disney does tote plenty of adorable mementos you can buy as a way to remember your magical trip, but it’s paramount that you remember to carefully pick and choose which keepsakes to purchase rather than simply splurging on them all.

When it comes to saving on souvenirs, Veness recommends that adults have a set budget in mind for their mementos. For anyone traveling with younger children, Veness has a unique strategy to minimize needless spending.

“Take a photo of everything [your younger kids] say they can’t live without each day, and at the end of the day, or near the end of the vacation, they can look at the photos and choose which item or items they still want, up to whatever limit you’ve set. Just bear in mind, the item they finally settle on may only be found in one of the parks, so be sure you can return to wherever that item is sold.”

Disney World Hacks: Plan Your Trip for the Optimal Time

On paper, the idea of visiting Disney during a specific holiday (like Christmas or Halloween) might sound fantastic, but it’s also worth pointing out how unusually busy these times of the year are for Disney. If you’re interested in avoiding large crowds, Veness states that you should try to plan your trip for quieter times of the year, specifically May or early December, when kids are still in school.

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“May is wonderful in Orlando, avoiding any holidays, for the slightly lower crowds and the fabulous weather,” Veness says. “The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, before the crowds show up, are just magical. During that time of year, you miss the worst of the crush but get all the wonderful holiday decorations and events. Weekends and holidays are always busiest, but it’s also worth checking to see if there is a major event going on during your stay, such as a Disney Marathon, which will add to the crowds.”

Get Familiar With the Apps

One helpful step Disney visitors can take ahead of their trip involves getting to know the Disney App, specifically, the Genie+ feature on their phones. Replacing Disney’s FastPass+ service, Genie+ allows guests to skip ahead of busier wait times.

While doing so comes with a fee, it’s a great option for maximizing your day at Disney.

“Getting familiar with Genie+, including when to use it and when not to use it, is important,” says Veness. “If you’re visiting in, say, February, you probably won’t need it. If you’re visiting in summer or at Christmas and it fits well with your budget, both Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane will be helpful. You don’t need to use it every day, though. Take a look at the attractions your group will be most interested in, and maybe plan to use Genie+ for just one or two parks.”

Use Careful Strategies To Avoid Long Lines

There’s no easy way to put it: waiting in extraordinarily long lines has the potential to ruin your entire day at Disney. Rather than finding themselves locked into lengthy queues, visitors can always use meticulous strategies to avoid said crowds, like resorting to the Single Rider line or carefully timing when they hop into the line for an attraction.

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“The tried-and-true method of using the left-hand Standby lane, when it’s available, still works most of the time. Splitting up and using Single Rider, when it’s appropriate for your group, also helps a lot,” says Veness. “And the most popular attractions generally have lower wait times just before a park’s major night-time show starts.”

“Wait times can be inflated just before park closing, but if you can’t see the end of the queue at a popular attraction, and it’s still open, line up. You may have a much shorter wait. Haunted Mansion and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror each have a wonderful themed hint that there is no wait. If you see the number 13 as the wait time, it really means the attraction is a walk-on, so go for it!”

Disney World Hacks: Bring the Proper Gear

Like any momentous trip, there are certain things you should always have on hand at Walt Disney World, including, most importantly, a fully charged cell phone with the Disney App downloaded onto it.

Veness highlights a few other handy tools you’ll want to keep with you at all times, including a mobile charger for your phone and a healthy supply of Ziplock bags.

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“Ziplock bags are a lightweight but extremely useful addition to your backpack. You can use them for everything from keeping small items together to putting wet clothing in after a water ride or keeping your cell phone dry during water rides or rain storms,” says Veness.

“But beyond that, unless you’re truly ‘winging it,’ you’ll need a cell phone and a mobile charger, a refillable water bottle, sunblock, and lots of patience. Especially lots of patience!”

Bring Plenty of Snacks

As previously mentioned, it’s preferable to err on the side of caution when scheduling Disney dining experiences, limiting them to a more sustainable number in lieu of nonstop meals and restaurants.

Additionally, one easy way to curtail any hunger pangs you or your group experience is to pack a decent supply of snacks and break them out whenever you feel your stomach growl.

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“It helps a lot to bring small snacks along when you’re visiting with young children, who often won’t be patient enough to sit down and eat a meal, and are usually so overwhelmed they don’t have their normal appetite, as well as being off their regular dining schedule,” says Veness.“ But anyone can bring small snacks, and that may help tide you over so you can skip lunch and have an early dinner.”

Disney World Hacks: Use the Weather to Your Advantage

Like any place in Florida, Disney World is subject to incredibly unpredictable weather, alternating between intense heat and pounding thunderstorms year-round. While many people might let the chaotic Florida weather ruin their vacation, Veness advises visitors to use such weather to their advantage, explicitly tailoring their day to suit the outdoor conditions.

In particular, Veness recommends saving all of the indoor, sit-down attractions for later in the afternoon, the halfway point in the day that’s either the hottest or typically sees a summer rainstorm roll in.

The author also points out that parks are typically quieter on a day when rain is forecasted, meaning thinner lines and easier access around the parks.

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“For all-day rain, go anyway. Crowds tend to be lighter, making wait times lower,” says Veness. “When you arrive in Orlando, pick up some inexpensive rain ponchos at an offsite store rather than buying them in the parks. They work well for covering strollers, too.”

One of the Best Disney World Hacks: Above All, Don’t Stress–Enjoy!

In theory, it’s easy to get lost in the stressful whirlwind of scheduling meals or navigating through Genie+. Rather than turning your vacation into a panic-filled nightmare, though, it's important to relax and remember to have fun!

Even if you skip a few rides that you really want to go on, you can always go on them the next time you visit the park.

As Veness says, “The place is enormous and complicated, and you’re not going to see it all in a week, or even in two weeks, but even those who believe it’ll be their one-and-only trip of a lifetime will probably be back. Walt Disney World has a way of drawing you in again and again, so don’t stress about the things you miss the first time around.”

Expert-Approved Disney World Hacks That Really Work (2025)
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