Making the most of your Disney World Vacation as a lot to do with timing and time management.
Disney is NOT the most relaxing vacation you will ever have, often it can be exhausting, but with a little timing you can maximize your memories and ultimately have one of the BEST vacations you have ever had!
The first decision you need to make is, WHEN will you travel to Disney. You can expect larger crowds during the Holidays, Summer months and during Disney special events. If you are able to visit the parks during the school year, you will find that it is not as crowded.
The longer you are able to stay the more you will be able to do. Also the longer you stay the cheaper your park admissions will be. This is one of those situations where quality trumps quantity. If you are only able to stay for three nights, you could still visit Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom with a two day Park Hopper Pass, but you won't be able to do much in the parks because your time will be limited. If you stay 4 nights and do one park each day you'll see more, enjoy more and save money in the process.
Traveling to each of the parks takes time. Depending on where you are staying and what type of transportation you are using will determine how much time you are spending to get to the parks. If you stay at The Contemporary, The Grand Floridian, or The Polynesian, you will be closer to the parks and spend less time traveling to them. If you stay at any of the All-Star Resorts you're going to have a longer drive to the parks. If you use the Disney bus transportation you will have to wait for the bus to pick you up, but the bus will drop you off at the gate of the park you are visiting or at your Walt Disney World Resort. If you drive to the parks you will have to find a parking spot and most likely board the tram to have it take you to the park entrance.
I remember one night we were leaving Hollywood Studios and the line for The Art of Animation (AOA) Resort bus was incredibly long. I looked over and saw that the line for Pop Century's bus was incredibly short. You can only fit so many people on a bus! Even though we were staying at AOA I knew we could take the Pop bus and walk across the bridge over Hourglass Lake to get to AOA easily enough. While others were still waiting to board the AOA bus I was putting my kids to bed.
When you know wh
When you know where you are and where you are going you can save yourself a great deal of time. Familiarize yourself with the park maps in advance and plan a daily itinerary. This will keep you from aimlessly wondering around the parks looking for the next thing you want to see or do. This is particularly important when traveling with family members who may all have different agendas. It's also important to make smart choices when choosing your fast pass options. I know that if I don't use a fast pass for Soarin I'm going to spend a lot of time waiting in line. This isn't really an issue when I have an adult to talk to or a book to read, but when I have two active little girls at my side, waiting in line can be frustrating for all.
Another thing I can not stress enough is that when you make a dining reservation you must BE ON TIME! If your reservation is at a restaurant in one of the parks you should give yourself 1.5 hours travel time in order to arrive before your reservation. Again, it takes time to get to restaurants from other parks or resorts, it takes time to have your bags checked, it takes time to walk to the restaurant. If you are in the park you can enjoy a few shows or some rides before your reservation, but watch your time. You will not have time to wait in line for 60 minutes and go on a ride when your reservation is in 45 minutes. If you are going to a restaurant at another resort, transportation is an important factor in the timing of your arrival. You may have to wait for a bus or two. Always arrive EARLY for your reservations, plan ahead to save time and maximize your memories!
Let us know if you have any time saving tips for Disney!
