I sometimes take for granted that everyone is like me and is Disney obsessed. Truth is I might be a little special in that area. :)
So I want to give a "basics of Disney World” lesson for those of you that haven't been properly sprinkled with enough pixie dust yet.
First - Disney and Universal Studios are not the same. They are, in fact, competitors. Check out my past blog post for details on universal by clicking here. In short, Universal is about a 15 minute drive from Disney. If you love Harry Potter or huge thrill rides, take a day and check it out. Again, it is NOT a Disney park so don't head that way with your Disney park hopper ticket expecting to get in.
Speaking of Park Hoppers...
There are 4 Disney World theme parks:
Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Hollywood Studios
Animal Kingdom
If you've never been before, you should for sure get the park hopper ticket. It's an added benefit (with an added cost) that allows you to go to any park - or every park - on each day that your ticket is valid. If you don't do the park hopper, you can only go to one park per day - although you can exit and enter that park as many times as you want that day for naps or breaks.
Everyone seems to have their favorite park (mine is Magic kingdom!). And the best part of the park hopper is that we can go to each park in the morning and stay until we've done all we want. Then if we decide to go to a different park for dinner or fireworks (or just hit the Magic Kingdom each night for Dole Whip), we are free to do so. Especially in the winter months, the parks have earlier closing times but there's usually at least one open late. I like knowing I'm squeezing every single moment out of my trip by staying late each night!
The four parks each have a general theme. Magic Kingdom is what most people think of when they envision Disney World. Cinderella’s castle is the focal point and the park is geared towards fantasy and adventure.
Epcot is the one with the “giant silver golf ball” which is actually called Spaceship Earth. Half of Epcot is Future World and the other half is the World Showcase which has many different countries represented.
Hollywood Studios is where some people get confused. I guess with Studios in the name, this is the one confused with Universal. It focuses on movies and glamour. It will be the site of the new Star Wars land and Toy Story land once completed.
Animal Kingdom is pretty easy to figure out - focus is on animals and the environment. The newest land of Pandora is opening THIS WEEK!
One more thing that tends to overwhelm first time visitors is the FastPass situation. In short, everyone that has a ticket to Disney World is allowed 3 FastPasses. Those allow you to basically skip the standard line and go ahead of everyone in the FastPass line. You are able to choose an hour window in which to use your pass. Once your FastPasses have been used, you’re able to get another one (based on availability) and you can continue to do that for the rest of the day.
One reason to stay on site at a Walt Disney World Resort is that you can request FastPasses 60 days in advance. If you don’t stay on site, you can request them 30 days in advance. Some of the more popular ones may be gone by that 30 day mark. If you book with me, one of the services I provide is to get up at 6am and get those FastPasses for you the moment they are available!
Dining is another area that trips some people up. Disney offers several different dining plans. I won’t go into details here since if you’re not interested you will surely doze off, but PLEASE let me know if you want more info. I have tons of it to tell you!! One thing to know, though - you can make dining reservations 180 days in advance. That’s 6 months people!! So if you want to eat at Be Our Guest or Cinderella’s Royal Table, don’t wait to book until the month of travel. It still might be possible but will be easy to get for sure at 6 months out.
I know that’s a lot of info in a short space so if you have questions, please give me a shout. Most of you know that I can talk Disney all day, every day, and I love it.
An update to this post!! You’ve probably heard, but all of the lands I mentioned previously in this post are now open! Pandora is amazing, Toy Story Land is so fun and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is truly out of this world.