Your next Disney World trip could become DISASTROUS if you don’t WATCH OUT for THESE major mistakes before you go!

The DFB Team has put our heads together to compile a COMPLETE list of what WE believe are the WORST mistakes you’ll wanna avoid in Disney World to make sure YOU never have to experience them firsthand yourself. 

Ready to THROW these mistakes in the garbage and never look back? Then let’s DO this!

Assume That Disney Transportation Runs 24/7

This Disney mistake makes us cringe BIG time. During a recent trip, a DFB teammate was taking an Uber over to EPCOT, and the Uber driver — friendly and well-meaning as he intended— reminded her that Disney transportation runs “24/7.”

And her stomach just sank. Because how many OTHER people had he told this information to? As awesome as it’d be for Disney transportation to always be around and available, according to the Disney website, “bus service generally operates from 45 minutes before a theme park’s opening time until one hour after a theme park’s closing time.” 

Meanwhile, the “Resort Monorail and Express Monorail begin operating 30 minutes prior to when Magic Kingdom park opens and stop one hour after Magic Kingdom park closes,” while “the EPCOT Monorail begins operating 30 minutes prior to when EPCOT opens and stops 2 hours after EPCOT closes.”And when it comes to the Skyliner, these little gondolas are “available each day one hour before Early Theme Park Entry begins at EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and close each day 90 minutes after EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios closes.”

So, let’s say you drive to Magic Kingdom. The park is slated to close at 9PM that day, but you wind up taking a Disney bus over to BoardWalk Inn to hang out at Jellyrolls until 11:30PM. By the time you’re finished partying the night away, you might not be able to take a bus back to Magic Kingdom to get to the Transportation and Ticket Center if Disney World transportation is finished for the night. 

In this case, you might be stuck paying for a rideshare service just to return to your car. Disney World transportation can be deceiving, so don’t assume you can rely on it 24/7. Make sure to plan ahead so you know exactly where you’re going and how you’re going to get around property without all the extra stress.  

I Have Something Controversial To Say About Disney World Hotel Transportation, and You Might Be Surprised About It

Make THIS Mobile Order Mistake

When mobile ordering your meal through the My Disney Experience app, you’ll be asked to select an expected time for pick-up.  But what happens when you don’t arrive during your expected time window? Well… we had to find out the hard way.

On a recent visit to the Disney World parks, we had this very situation happen to one of our reporters! We placed an order at a quick service location, buuuuuuut time got away from us. And while we were standing around waiting for our order, we forgot to press the “I’m here” button (which let’s the kitchen know they can actually start MAKING your order fresh for ya).

During this particular occurrence, our arrival window ended at 11am and, when we went to alert the app that we were “here” just a little bit PAST time, it appeared that we were TOO LATE to tap in. Don’t worry. There’s a happy ending to this story. 

We were still able to recover our meal when we showed the cast members at the register our order number and they were able to manually fix it and went on to prepare our meal for pick up.

BUT for future reference, if you think you’re cutting it close to your own mobile order timeframe window, go into the mobile order and modify the time frame to give yourself a bit more time so this doesn’t happen to you too! It’s also a good idea to set yourself an alarm to remind you that, hey! You need to go on and head back to the quick service you mobile ordered from AND let them know you’ve arrived, as well!

Uhhhh, Disney? We’re Begging You to Add the Two BEST Things at This Disney World Hotel to Mobile Order

Get In Line During Peak Wait Times

There are a lot of Disney rides with a ton of hype around ‘em. And THAT means the wait times can get scary. Real scary. We’ve seen Rise of the Resistance, for example, have a wait time that pushed FIVE HOURS LONG. And that’s probably enough to make you go, “Um, excuse me, direct me to the nearest Individual Lightning Lane purchase, please.” Or maybe even go, “Nuh-uh, no THANK you. No ride is worth THAT.”

But here’s the truth of the matter: These attractions don’t typically stay WILDLY high all day long. You just gotta keep an eye on the wait times via your MDE app so you can know the exact moment WHEN they start to drop down. 

Lately, Rise of the Resistance seems to be getting MUCH lower wait times near the end of the park day.Yes, this is a bit of a risky plan (because you can’t guarantee that those lines will slow down later on in the day… or that it’ll even be open when you try!), but there are other ways you can lessen your wait times, too.

Like taking advantage of Early Theme Park Entry, for instance — which allows Disney Resort guests to enter the parks 30 minutes before everyone else. This is a good time to try to get on these rides before the rest of the general public can funnel on into ‘em as well.

Don’t Even TRY To Rope Drop This Ride in Disney World

Thinking the WHOLE PARK is Open During Early Entry

I know I just got done singing the praises of Early Entry, but this resort benefit can be both a blessing AND a curse, depending on where you’re using it.For instance, in Magic Kingdom, ONLY Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are open for Early Entry. If you want to ride a ride that is in Adventureland or Frontierland, you’ll still need to wait until the park opens for all guests. So don’t go racing aaaaall the way to Jungle Cruise just to find out it won’t be open for another 30 minutes.

And for the record, if you’re NOT staying at a Disney World hotel, you’ll definitely want to keep those Early Entry crowds in mind when you rope drop Magic Kingdom. 

Since Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are both open during Early Entry, there’ll already be crowds gathering in both of those areas — so your best option, instead, might be rope dropping a ride that’s not part of the Early Entry benefit (like over in Liberty Square, or Frontierland, or Adventureland) to take advantage of those lower morning crowds.

CONFIRMED: 22 Disney World Hotels Will Offer Early Entry in 2025

Overlook The Self-Serve Water Stations

Ha HA! We’re starting off today’s video with a FAVORITE summertime tip — STAY HYDRATED. BUT we’re not talking about reusable water bottles this time (though they are important) or the free quick service water cups (also important).

We’re talking about the places where you can get FREE ice water out of a self-serve dispenser (to avoid long lines AND potentially get some of the BEST-tasting water property wide)! So where are these glorious self-serve water stations hiding?

In Magic Kingdom, Casey’s Corner often has self-serve water dispensers out next to the piano during operating hours. We’ve also seen dispensers out and about in other parts of the park during the hotter season, though they aren’t guaranteed.  But in this park, you might want to avoid the really busy quick service restaurants if you’re interested in just getting water and going to a snack stand instead — because any stand with a drink machine will be able to make you a cup, and the line will likely be shorter.

At EPCOT, some of the best spots to grab a refreshing cup of H2O are at Spice Road Table, where there’s a self-serve dispenser, and at Sunshine Seasons, where the drink machine is open access. At Sunshine Seasons, you’ll need to show the people at the register that you just got a cup of water, but it’s much quicker than waiting in line for someone to serve you.

Hollywood Studios is an absolute treasure-trove of self-serve water dispensers! One of our favorites is located inside BaseLine Tap House — which is almost always filled with delicious, cold, refreshing water.  You can also get your fill at Ronto Roasters during its operating hours, and we’ve also seen water stations pop up at some other quick service spots on occasion. Hollywood Studios is also home to two Joffrey’s locations — and if their lines aren’t too long, they’re a great option for a hydration fix.

Last but not least, at Animal Kingdom the self-serve water options are a bit more limited, but the park is littered with small snack stands that make the perfect quick stop. No excuse to avoid hydrating!

IYKYK: Why EPCOT Experts Go to THIS Restaurant for the Best Free Water

Miss Out On Member Benefits

Attention all annual passholders, DVC members, and Disney Visa cardholders! Disney wants to reward you for sticking by their side. So be sure you take advantage of the discounts, private lounges, special meet and greet opportunities, exclusive merchandise, and MORE that’re constantly being offered to these specific membership programs. 

For example…

Starting April 9th, Disney Visa Cardmembers were able to apply for a FREE Disney Dining Plan for most trips running from July through September and December. This was good for a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day (or longer) Disney Vacation Package with a Park Hopper ticket option.

DVC AND AP members were able to register for early previews of new attractions BEFORE they opened to the general public. And — of course — there are LOTS of discounts constantly being offered to AP and DVC members all year round to help save money on food, merch, and hotel stays. 

And this is only scratching the surface, folks! So if you’re a member of any of these Disney programs — or you’re at least thinking about becoming a member in the future — make sure you study up and see what kinda savings and benefits you can take advantage of during your next visit. Because new ones are CONSTANTLY popping up on the website.

Also — don’t forget that OTHER Disney benefit opportunities typically exist for OTHER membership groups too. Oftentimes, Disney World’s Special Offers, Deals, and Discounts page will feature savings opportunities for US military members and Disney+ subscribers, too! It’s always worth looking to see what promotions you might stumble upon!

EVERY SINGLE Disney World Annual Passholder Perk — And How To Use Them To Your ADVANTAGE

Overlook Communicore Even If A Festival Isn’t Going On

The festival season in EPCOT this year might be shorter than usual, but that doesn’t mean you need to skip over the new HEART of festival programming, even when a festival isn’t going on. CommuniCore Hall and Plaza officially opened on June 10th, 2024, and was built to bring EPCOT’s four festivals into the heart of the park.

Communicore Plaza is an outdoor space where guests can enjoy the festival offerings, while Communicore Hall is flexible enough to host a myriad of different things — like food stalls, exhibition, mixology class, and so much more! 

But even WHEN a festival isn’t happening, that doesn’t mean CommuniCore goes dark. There’s still LOTS to see and do here in the meantime, like…

• Listen to live music
• Meet and greet with Mickey and Friends and the character spot
• Eat at a permanent Festival food spots that features “Festival Favorites” 
• Dance along with the limited time Celebracion Encanto show
• OR even take a potty break inside the new retro-looking bathrooms (which are accessible from the outside of the Communicore Hall building)

You can also just step into the area and appreciate all the sleek and BRIGHT artwork while getting some much needed AC before jumping back into the park.

We Finally Got Inside EPCOT’s NEW CommuniCore Hall: Here’s a FULL TOUR!

Purchase A Souvenir And Not Know What To Do With It

Disney Springs is a buffet of stores. What kinds of stores? ALL kinds of stores! You’ve got places that sell the classic Disney merch, you’ve got candle shops, you’ve got art stores, you’ve got the fancy jewelry places, you can even purchase things strictly for left-handed folks. 

But what if you start off your Disney Springs day purchasing something really REALLY ginormous? Do you have to leave the Springs and go aaaaaaalllll the way back to your hotel and drop it off to avoid carrying it around with ya all day long? Not necessarily. 

On the backside of Tren-D, located in Disney Springs’ Marketplace section, you’ll find a new Shipping Post!  (This is located in the former stroller rental location, by the Marketplace Co-Op.)

This small store is pretty nondescript, so it’s easy to walk right on by without seeing it, but you can head in here and talk to a Cast Member if you have something you’d like to ship home — making it a solid option for people who don’t wanna carry their purchases around all day long, or who’ve traveled a long way from home, or who won’t be able to fit a large souvenir in their luggage.

50 Things You Need To Know Before You Go To Disney World

Miss Out On Magic Kingdom’s Newest Ride

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is now open, so if you’re wanting to increase your chances of getting on this ride during your upcoming visit, here’s what you need to know:

• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will NOT have a standby line at first. Your only two options to ride this when it first releases will be to get into the virtual queue for it or snag a Lightning Lane through Disney Genie+ or through the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
• The virtual queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is accessible via the My Disney Experience app. The queue will open at 7AM each morning and again at 1PM each afternoon.
• However, beginning at 6AM, you can tap into the virtual queue early to set/confirm your party. That way, you’ll have fewer steps to worry about when boarding groups become available at 7AM or 1PM.

Note that virtual queues open at EXACTLY 7AM and 1PM, and they can fill up within SECONDS. So if you really want to be ready to jump into that queue, you’re gonna need to be in the app and ready to “join” BEFORE the clock strikes either time. 

And if you go the Genie+ route instead? Lightning Lanes also go live right at 7AM — so you’ll wanna prioritize THIS selection before all the others to make sure you’ve got your place in this particular Lightning Lane secured.

Step by Step: How To Use the Virtual Queue To Ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World

Assume ALL Hotels Have The Same Transportation Perks

When it comes to the Disney-owned resorts, some hotels get the short end of the stick when it comes to transportation. 

Like our beloved Animal Kingdom Lodge, for instance. Sure, this place is GORGEOUS and has some of the best dining options property-wide, but because it’s the closest to Animal Kingdom park, it’s pretty far away from everything else. So prepare for some rather loooooong bus rides. 

Coronado Springs Resort and each of the All Star Resorts also reside near the Animal Kingdom area and ONLY offer complimentary bus rides. Meaning no Monorail, no Skyliner, no boats, no walking paths right up to the park gates, NONE of that.

Again — these aren’t BAD resorts in other aspects. The All-Star hotels are gonna be your cheapest resort option, while Coronado Springs has that lovely Gran Destino Tower — which’ll make you feel like you’re staying in a deluxe resort even at its more moderate price point. 

However, when you stay at these locations, you’re losing out when it comes to transportation — which may be a big red flag for you. The BEST hotels for transportation tend to be the ones on the Monorail loop that’ll quickly getcha over to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT (ie: Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort), as well as the ones on the Skyliner route which’ll quickly getcha over to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios (ie: Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Disney’s Pop Century Resort).

And then there are the specific EPCOT-area resorts — like BoardWalk Inn, Yacht and Beach Club, and Swan and Dolphin — which are within walking distance to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios (AND are in close proximity to the EPCOT Skyliner station, too).

But even if you stay at one of the hotels that ONLY offers bus transportation, that doesn’t mean you absolutely 100% have to be at the mercy of the shuttle services. You can always drive yourself to the parks (since parking will be free for Disney hotel guests) OR you can save back for rideshare services (like Uber and Lyft)

Disney World Transportation Is CHANGING, and We’ve Got a NEW LOOK Inside!

Fully Trust Disney’s Boat Transportation

Hmm. Notice how we didn’t talk about the Disney Springs boat transportation in the point before this one. There’s a reason for that. Over at Port Orleans Riverside/French Quarter, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs, you can USUALLY get on a Sassagoula Steamboat and float your way on down to the shopping district instead of taking a bus over there. 

However, we’ve seen this boat transportation down for the count a lot more often lately — leaving guests pretty frustrated that they can’t use this hotel perk that SHOULD go along with their resort purchase.

But WHY have the boats been taking a shut eye? When the boat transportation isn’t running between Disney Springs and the surrounding hotels, it’s typically due to an issue with the weather or water levels affecting the ability of the boats to move. More often than not, the boats are typically running; however, we recommend tracking the Orlando weather around Disney World leading up to your trip (and keeping a close eye on the news we post) to be sure there won’t be any delays in your current transportation plans.

And, again, when the boats aren’t running, the hotels will have complimentary bus transportation still up and available — and driving/rideshares are always an option, too, for much speedier access.  Oh! And don’t forget about the Saratoga Springs Resort walkway! You can always get to Disney Springs by FOOT from this resort. (It just… might be a bit of a trek, depending on which building your room is located at).

7 Things Your Disney World Bus Driver Wants To Tell You But Won’t Cause They’re Too Nice

Don’t Speak Up!

One of our DFB reporters recently experienced a restaurant FIRST — which is pretty shocking, since we’ve been dining in Disney World for decades. But during a recent trip to Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom, our reporter sat at her table for more than an hour with NO characters stopping by. 

So here’s a quick play-by-play of what happened: As she was seated, Tigger and Piglet had just passed her table group. Her server said it’d be okay, they’d be the last characters she would see, but they’d come back around later on. Fine. Easy. This happens a lot at character meals. But by the time she’d COMPLETELY finished her meal (and even went back for seconds), she’d been there for more than an hour and hadn’t seen any characters — not ONE!

So how did she handle this? Our reporter calmly mentioned it to her server — who IMMEDIATELY reported the problem to a manager. After a quick chat with the restaurant, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore came in fairly quick succession to her table.

So ultimately, the team at Crystal Palace was very kind and accommodating. But if you ever find yourself with an issue similar to this in the future, make sure to be patient and courteous when mentioning it to your server. Sometimes the characters won’t stop at your table right away because of the way their rotation works, but if you go more than an hour without seeing them and they’re not on their way, it might be a good idea to speak up in case you were accidentally skipped.

PRO Tips for Disney World Buffets — Don’t Make the Same Mistakes We Did

Mix Up Your Mugs!

Um… Whoops? Didn’t mean to swap germs with anyone, but — seriously — which refillable mug is WHICH? For context, Disney World hotels offer Resort Refillable Mugs for you to purchase and use for FREE refills throughout your vacation (at participating Disney resort quick services only).

So, what’s the problem? Allow us to lay out a scenario for you. Say you’re traveling with a family of five, and everyone in the group wants a mug. Well, depending on the availability, you may end up buying two of the same exact mugs. Since the only real differentiating factor with these mugs is the color of the lid, it can be hard to tell them apart — especially if you have two of the same color.

Oh, and you might want to keep a close eye on your mug when you’re dining at the food court or in the parks. You are probably one of a dozen other people around you using the same mug. Like we said, they’re hard to tell apart. Especially if you set it down. The good news? We have a solution! 

Well, actually, we have two solutions. (Even better, right?). The first (more economical but also more boring) option is to pack a Sharpie and put your initials on the bottom of the cup. Simple, yet effective. But solution number two is a little more fun and “bling-worthy!”

You can purchase “wine charms” on Amazon and attach them to the handles of your refillable mugs to make them much easier to differentiate AND to make your cup THAT much cuter!

3 Reasons Why Disney World’s Refillable Mugs Aren’t the Hack Everyone Thinks They Are

Stretch Yourself Too Thin

Not to sound like a Debbie Downer, but there is really no way for you to do EVERYTHING in the parks and resorts in one trip. In fact, you may go on 100 trips to Disney World and still not be able to see and do it all. 

There are specialty tours, tons of rides, shows, experiences, SO many restaurants, and gazillions of snacks available. No matter how hard you push yourself, you won’t be able to be a completionist — especially ALL in one go. So take a deep breath, accept that there will always be more to do and see, and relax a little. Pick out the main things that are on your must-do list for your trip — and if you get in a few extra things, cool! If not, ALSO cool!

We’ve seen way too many families at the parks go non-stop from park opening to close without stopping for a break, which tends to lead to a good number of parents having a meltdown right alongside their kids. So this is my friendly reminder — from me to you — to slow down, take time to enjoy the memories you’re creating, and don’t push yourself (and your family) to their absolute limit.

49 Free Things To Do in Disney World in 2024

Follow Your Schedule And Never, Ever Deviate

Speaking of stretching yourself too thin, if you’ve got a pretty meticulous schedule for your Disney World trip — and you’re afraid that a spontaneous break or two is gonna throw the whole thing off —- then THROW THE WHOLE THING OUT.

Schedules are important. But it’s also important to factor in a little wiggle room during the day just in case you need to get off your feet before the next big chunk of the theme park experience takes place. Here, how about this….

We’ll give you some FREE Disney World Planning Worksheets to help you figure out your theme park schedules if you PROMISE me that you’ll only use them as a guideline and not straight up gospel that you can’t deviate from. Deal? Deal.

Alright — now go ahead and click on that image above to pick up your FREE Planning Worksheets today!

The ULTIMATE Guide to Planning A Walt Disney World Vacation

Wear Hats And Glasses On Cosmic Rewind

This probably could apply to any of Disney World’s thrill rides, but it seems to be happening a lot more often on EPCOT’s high-speed coaster lately. Despite warnings about removing loose articles, many guests are coming off Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind lately missing their baseball caps, sun glasses, and Minnie Ears too. 

So before you start spinning your way through the cosmos, make sure you take off all those extra accessories and secure them elsewhere. There is a small compartment that’ll be in the front of your ride seat where you should be able to tuck them safely away (or you can just stow them in your park bag for safe keeping, too).

23 Tips That Make Your Disney World Trip Easier

Assume The Festivals Are Gonna Look The Same In The Future

We still don’t have a lot of details about EPCOT’s festivals from here on out, but one thing we do know: We expect them to look VERY different.

For starters, Disney has moved the first date of the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival back to August 29th, which was around the time the festival started BEFORE 2020. And that means — unless Disney hits us with a big and out-of-the-blue SURPRISE soon — we’re not gonna have an EPCOT festival for the majority of this summer. 

But the absolute BIGGEST change coming to the festivals from here on out is all thanks to the brand new CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza — two new areas in EPCOT that have been constructed to act as additional venues for each fest.

CommuniCore Plaza is an outdoor space where you can watch live festival entertainment. And CommuniCore Hall has been built STRICTLY for festival programming, meaning we MIGHT see the return of food demonstrations and seminars, including those with celebrity chefs, for this year’s Food and Wine. (But only time will tell.)

At either rate, plan to budget back a little more moolah IF you wanna experience Food and Wine to its FULLEST this year — because if the seminars DO return, they’ll more than likely cost extra to tack onto your visit. 

Our TOP Tips for Budgeting for the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

Fail To Make A Plan B For Your Disney Hotel

Backup! BACKUP! We need BACKUP over here! Even if you’ve got a dream resort in mind for your next Disney World vacation, allow yourself to dream about a SECOND resort, too… just in case the first one doesn’t work out.

Let’s say you’ve been planning to splurge a stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge with a savanna view for YEARS. It’s a bucket list item, and you’ve finally planned the trip where you’re going to do it — but you go to book the room and there are no more available rooms for your dates.

Or how about this: you’ve been eying a specific discount on the Disney World website for a while, thinking it’s the perfect way to help you save some money at that hotel you’ve been eyeing. So you go to book it and OH, just kidding — your hotel isn’t eligible for the deal. (Looking at YOU, Polynesian Village…)

Or what about when you’ve budgeted to stay in a certain room, but when you go to book, prices are ASTRONOMICAL and not at all what you budgeted for? These are just a few of the most common heartbreaks we see and hear of happening constantly in Disney World. This is a busy vacation spot, after all, so it’s almost impossible to gauge when your preferred rooms will be available OR have a discount that you can apply to them. While nothing will be exactly like the hotel room you were looking to stay in, you can always have a Plan B in your back pocket! 

Here, we’ll give you a springboard to work with! While Art of Animation and Pop Century have different theming, both are Value resorts with larger-than-life theming — so both are GREAT alternatives for the other. They’re also both located at the same Skyliner station for easy access to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.

Can’t book at Disney’s Polynesian Resort? Check out a cabin at Disney’s Fort Wilderness or a room at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge for unique theming that’s geared toward the outdoors. And if you’re unable to book at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts are still within walking distance to EPCOT!

Just remember — if you need to stay at a different hotel than originally planned, there’s nothing stopping you from resort-hopping and checking out the other resorts you were planning to book in the first place. While you won’t be able to walk into any rooms or swim in the pools, you can still snap photos all around the hotels and take in their other offerings (like their gift shops, restaurants, and daily activities, too)!

Let’s Chat About This Uncomfortable Disney World Hotel Problem

Skip An Experience Because Of Someone Else’s Opinion

If you’re told over and over and OVER again that a certain Disney experience is, eh, not worth your time — you might wind up believing that and end up skipping out on something you could’ve really loved. 

The new Luminous nighttime spectacular at EPCOT is a good example of this. People are pretty split down the middle when it comes to this show. Some think it’s “meh” because there are no character projections like Harmonious used to have. And some think it’s beautiful because it relies on music and fireworks to solely tell the story.

But if you’re only listening to the people who think it’s “meh,” you may skip out on a show that could’ve very well become your new favorite Disney experience. Rely on your heart. Read over the reviews for these shows and restaurants, sure, but take it all with a grain of salt. YOU are the only deciding factor for YOU in the end — because YOU know what YOU actually like. And don’t YOU forget it.

8 Disney World Truths That Hit Hard and Make You Regret Your Magic Kingdom Decisions

Let Your Phone Go Toward The Light

It’s time to give your phone the jaws of life to keep it from dyin’ on ya. Even if you start your park day with 100% charge on your phone, more than likely you’re gonna DRAIN that charge pretty quickly, what with all the MDE app usage, and photos, and video recordings…

But what if you don’t have your own charger… or maybe you’ve forgotten your charging cord? WHAT THEN? Good news: There’s a fix to this problem right in the Disney World parks and Resorts… and it’s available at more locations than you might think!

FuelRods are portable chargers for your electronics. They can be purchased at kiosks around Disney World — and each purchase comes with a fully charged FuelRod with charging cables for various iPhone or micro USB Android devices and a USB C Adapter (needed for some Android devices.

The initial cost is $30 (plus tax). But once your FuelRod runs out of juice, you can swap it out for a charged one at any FuelRod station on property FOR FREE. You’ll also find FuelRod stations in airports, malls, and other theme parks, too! But these other kiosks outside the parks may have added fees for each swap out.

Oh, by the by, if you wanna SAVE money on FuelRods, you can actually purchase them on Amazon for WAY cheaper before your trip ($35 for a pack of two) and you’ll STILL be able to swap them out at any Disney kiosk for FREE. If you wanna find a FuelRod station near you while you’re in the parks, just type “FuelRod” or “Phone Charging” in the My Disney Experience search engine.

A Full List of FuelRod Locations in Disney World

Wear Costumes That Are Way Too Hot

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is one of the only times that kiddos and adults alike can get all dressed up in costumes — and people tend to go all out! We’ve seen some pretty epic outfits from folks, but there’s one thing you need to seriously think about if you’re heading to the party. Disney World is in Central Florida, and Central Florida is HOT during the summer months. Even later into October, the heat can still be unrelenting.

If you have a costume you’ve been dying to wear, consider the temperature on the date of your visit. Wearing a full princess gown and wig is absolutely a clutch move deserving of respect, but getting heatstroke when you’re trying to just have some spooky fun is not the main goal here.

We know, your costume is really just that incredible and you need to show it off — at least for a bit. Consider bringing your costume with you and changing into it instead, maybe even after the sun goes down. Try to modify your costume if at all possible to keep you a little bit cooler, and remember you can always stash your extra clothes in one of the lockers so you don’t have to carry things around with you while you trick or treat!

Or just do what I always do and wear scrubs and be a doctor. Super breathable and comfy!

The Family Halloween Costume That Blew Us Away in Disney World

Miss Out On The Most Popular Lightning Lanes

Aside from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, there are a handful of Lightning Lanes that you’ll wanna prioritize IF you’re using Disney’s Lightning Lane service — since they tend to book up FASTER than others. Some could even book up SOLID for the day before you get the chance to snag one for yourself. (Especially on busier park days.)

Remember, Lightning Lanes can be added to your experience before your visit. You can book your first three Lightning Lane attractions up to 7 days in advance if you’re staying in a Disney World hotel, or 3 days in advance if you’re not. So, which rides do you need to grab Lightning Lanes for FIRST? 

In EPCOT, Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be your top two LL options. Soarin’ can also be a good one to grab a LL for early, as well. 

In Hollywood Studios, Slinky Dog Dash needs to be your utmost priority. Then, consider booking Lightning Lanes for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Tower of Terror next. 

In Animal Kingdom, you’ll probably have an easier time getting all the Lightning Lanes you want, but it’s still a good idea to grab Navi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Kali River Rapids first.

And in Magic Kingdom, make sure to grab LLs for Peter Pan’s Flight, Jungle Cruise, Space/Big Thunder Mountain… aaaaaand Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, of course!

Disney’s New Lightning Lane System Has One HUGE Problem

Forget About this Under the Radar Transportation

DUDE. HOW can you forget about the EPCOT boat??

You can friendship boat between Canada and Morocco to get you across the World Showcase in just five minutes. Sure, the wait time for the boat alone might be a bit grueling — but IF you see one of these boats already docked and ready to take guests across the lagoon, it can save you LOTS of time (as well as ENERGY).

Once upon a time, EPCOT actually had a SECOND World Showcase friendship boat that’d take you from Germany to Mexico, but that one’s been down for the count for a good long while now. However, we’ll keep an eye on it and let you know if/when it returns! 

The 5 Best Rides at EPCOT (And the 5 Worst!)

Not Pay Attention To Park Hours

Park hours at Disney World can make or break your trip. And that’s why you’ll want to keep an eye on the park hours as your trip gets closer. Disney reserves the right to change their operating hours whenever they’d like, for whatever reason. And that can either play in your favor… or against you.  For instance, many events at Disney World throughout the year (like holiday parties or cast member appreciation nights) might be added to the park calendar after you book your trip. 

These events mean that the parks WILL close earlier to make time for them — which is AWESOME and all, but might not be so awesome if you bought full-price general admission for the day and are still expected to leave the park as early as 5-6PM.

It’s good practice to check the park hours for the date of your trip periodically. You might also wanna invest in a park hopper ticket IF you see that the park times have changed, but you don’t necessarily want to switch up your trip’s whole schedule. That way, when one park closes early, you can always hop on over to another park that stays open later!

On the other hand, Disney doesn’t just shorten park hours… it can also extend them! Sometimes, during busier seasons, Disney will change the operating hours on the calendar to extend how long you’re allowed to be in the parks -– no extra ticket needed. This could add tons of extra time to your day. If your aching feet will allow for that, that is.

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Neglect The Feet

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — think veeeeeeeery carefully about the shoes you bring to Disney World. You’ll want something comfortable, already broken into, and able to handle a lot of walking on pavement. Because Disney World is NOT the place to break in a new pair of shoes! No siree BOB.

And bring a spare pair of shoes if you can! It can be really nice to have a spare pair of super dry shoes if your sneakers get soggy during the day, so you don’t have to walk around in moist feet wear for multiple days on end. Aside from water concerns, changing your shoes can also just give your feet a bit of a change-up to help them not feel too worn out after the thousands of steps you’re gonna be taking each and every day of your trip. 

Oh gosh, and don’t forget the SOCKS! Socks can ruin your trip if they’re too tight, too small (and lead to blisters), or get soggy from rain. So bring more socks than you think you’ll need, just in case!

The Best Shoes to Wear to Disney World

Not Watching For Unexpected Closures

And since we’re on the subject of “closures,” let’s get a little more SPECIFIC. Not every restaurant, shop, and attraction closes right when the parks do. So you’re gonna wanna be eeeextra careful when you leave certain theme park experiences until the last half of your day. 

Here are just a few early attraction closures we’ve stumbled upon in the parks recently that you’ll wanna keep your eye out for.

In Magic Kingdom:

• The Friar’s Nook quick service (where you can find loaded tots and bratwursts) closes each day around 5PM
• And Big Top Souvenirs (over in Storybook Circus) closes up shop around 7PM. 

In Animal Kingdom

• Eight Spoon Cafe (the little kiosk that serves up tasty baked mac and cheese cups) closes around 5PM
• Meanwhile, Harambe Market closes as early as 3:15 PM each day
• And Kilimanjaro Safaris closes around 7PM (so the animals can start getting ready for bed) 

In Hollywood Studios

• PizzeRizzo (which serves all those puffy personal pizzas on-the-fly) closes at 5PM daily
• Ronto Roasters closes even earlier than that — around 3 PM — though you can still pick up the traditional Ronto Wraps over at Docking Bay 7 after this little quick service closes up shop. 

And across ALL the parks… Meet and greets tend to wrap up around 5PM (if not earlier). So you’ll DEFINITELY want to check the MDE app to make sure you don’t miss out on seeing one of your favorite friends.

4 Rides Disney World Pros SKIP in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Call Your Individual Lightning Lane A Loss

What happens when the A-tier ride that you PAID specifically to skip over the main line for SHUTS DOWN unexpectedly? Do you just call that $10-$20+ per person a LOSS? 

ABSOLUTELY NOT. 

If you happen to have a Lighting Lane Single Pass ride that closes, you’ll get an “experience redemption,” which is basically a boarding pass that lets you ride that attraction at any time of the day after it reopens.

For example, let’s say you pay for the Lightning Lane Single Pass option for Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios. The ride goes down, so you’re not able to ride it during the time you were told to return. (Not to scare you or anything, but… that ain’t an unrealistic “hypothetical scenario” right there).

If this happens, you’ll get something called an “experience redemption” on your My Disney Experience App — which is basically a Lightning Lane that’s good for the ENTIRE day and will let you get in the Lightning Lane for said ride once it’s back up and running again (whenever that may be).

You can also get Experience Redemption Passes for your Lightning Lanes if something similar happens, HOWEVER the Experience Redemptions you get from Multi Pass can NOT get you on an Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction.  

Got all that? Good. But let’s add ANOTHER element to all of this. Let’s say the Lightning Lane Single Pass ride never goes back online. THEN what happens? That’s when you qualify for a refund… 

Make your way to Guest Relations and ask for a refund if the ride doesn’t reopen OR if it’s announced that the ride will be closed for the rest of the day.

Skip Out On A Well-Deserved Cast Compliment

Your Disney World trip wouldn’t be possible without one group of people: the Cast Members! Even Mickey Mouse himself can’t run the parks all by his lonesome — so we’re SUPER thankful for all the people who put their heart and soul into making our vacation days that much better.

If you encounter a cast member who goes the extra mile during your trip — and you wanna make sure they’re recognized for that — you can give special, personalized recognitions to Cast Members through the My Disney Experience App!

Just tap on the three horizontal lines at the bottom of your app’s screen and scroll down to the bottom row of options until you find the “Cast Compliments” section. From there, you can enter the reason for your compliment, the location, name, hometown, and date of your interaction!

And don’t worry if you don’t remember the Cast Member’s name! You can still leave them a compliment by describing the location, and the Disney team will know who to reach out to from there! 

No One’s Talking About this NEW Magic Kingdom Cast Member Thing, But They Should Be

Get The Dreaded Minnie Ear Headache

QUESTION: How comfortable are Minnie Ears REALLY when you’re spending a WHOLE DAY wearing them in the parks? Well… that’s a toughy. Some styles might be totally fine all day long. But not all Minnie headbands are created equal. We’ve had Minnie Headbands that squeezed my temples and gave me a major headache not even an hour into the day, but I’ve also had headbands that were comfy enough that we totally forgot we were wearing them after a while.

Before purchasing that pricey pair of ears, make sure to try ‘em on first and see how they fit. While you don’t want that pair of ears to be too loose on ya, you also don’t want it pressing too tightly in the wrong places so that your $30+ purchase turns out to be a total wash. 

You also might find that while a pair of Minnie ears is fine at first, they’re NOT fine after a while (especially when you’re already hot and cranky — so EVERYTHING’s ten times more uncomfortable than it was before). If that ends up being the case, it might be a good idea to give your Minnie ears a breather for a bit and stow ‘em away in your bag during the heat of the afternoon.

If your bag is not big enough to carry your Minnie Ears, though (which tends to be the case for most Loungefly styles), you may want to look into a Minnie Headband Bag Holder before your trip.

People Always Compliment Me When I Wear This Bag to Disney World

Order Magic Kingdom Food And Find Yourself Table-less

Several Magic Kingdom quick service spots have good eats, but not nearly enough seating — which makes things challenging. Casey’s Corner, for instance, is perhaps the most famous spot with this problem — since it’s right on the corner of Main Street, U.S.A., its tables are nearly always full.

If you’re struggling to find a place to sit down and eat yo’ corn dog nugs, you can always carry your snackage over to the nearby Tomorrowland Terrace tables — since this quick service restaurant is currently closed during the day, but still offers up a whole lotta seating.

Other places that have this issue are Cheshire Cafe, Gaston’s Tavern, and The Friar’s Nook — which are all inside the Fantasyland area. If you order a snack from one of these places, you may wanna carry your food back to Storybook Circus, since there are several tables near Pete’s Silly Sideshow that’re often unoccupied (and some of them are kept in the shade, too)!

Pack The Wrong Stuff

There’s a RIGHT way to pack for Disney… and a WRONG way to pack. But we’re gonna nip the “wrong way” in the bud RIGHT NOW for ya. For starters, try to avoid packing WAY more outfits than you’re gonna need. 

At most, we suggest packing 1 extra shirt/top and 1 extra pair of bottoms. But other than that, one outfit for each day is perfect! Along with your pajamas, a light jacket just in case it’s chilly, a rain poncho/jacket (unless you’re bringing an umbrella), undergarments, and socks, you’ll have plenty to fill up your suitcase with. 

But WHAT kinda shirts are the RIGHT kinda shirts to bring? OHHHH y’know…. Something light, something comfortable, something totally cute and unique. Something like… one of our MANY shirt styles featured on the DFBstore right now. (Yeah, did you know we sold more than just guidebooks? Because we TOTALLY do.)

We’ve got styles, sizes, colors, and designs for ALL types of Disney-folk (even for the kiddos of your group, too)! So make sure to check out our wares when you get the chance! OKAY. Now that we’ve packed our outfits, let’s move onto OTHER important packing matters at hand. 

A water bottle can be an absolute necessity for a Disney park day, but it has to be a GOOD water bottle! Some water bottles can end up fighting against ya in the end — like the ones that don’t keep your cold drinks chilled for very long or the ones that end up sweating/leaking all over your bag. 

A few of our DFB reporters have been carrying around those Owala water bottles from Amazon lately, and they’ve really been digging them! They’re lightweight, stainless steel, and come in a lot of different colors, too! While it’s okay to bring your own snacks into the parks, do NOT attempt to bring snacks that will melt or go bad if they’re not refrigerated. 

Afraid you’re gonna crush your little snackies before you have the chance to eat them? Reusable Snack Bags and Bento Boxes are GREAT tools to help you preserve your snacks and meals all day long.

The BEST New Disney World Park Bag Is Online Now!

Wear… White?

No, this isn’t an “after Labor Day” rule. This is more of a “just-be-careful-what-you-pack” rule. Unless you’ve pre-treated your clothes with stain repellent the same way you’ve treated your expensive couch at home, you might be better off leaving all the white clothing back home.

From melting chocolate, to drippy popsicles, to who knows whatever that liquid was that you sat in while riding Dumbo, there are so many recipes for disaster once you’ve added white clothing into the equation. Wanna risk it anyway.

Then it might not be a bad idea to carry around a bleach pen or a Tide pen IF you end up accidentally staining a white piece of clothing during your day. You can find those for pretty cheap at your local big box store for around $3-$4.

Shortchange Your Dining

There are SO MANY PLACES to eat around Disney World. But when you’re in the middle of your park day, and everyone’s starving, you might just have to settle on the first place you see. But you don’t HAVE to settle — not when you’ve got the DFB squad to help ya out ahead of time!