You’ve heard that old commercial, “you’ve just (insert spectacular accomplishment), what are you going to do now? I’m going to Disney World!” It’s said in a way that makes it sound like it’s one destination without elaboration on how massive it really is. I haven’t won a super bowl, and apart from my honeymoon, most of my Disney trips have been an escape, a break from reality. So the real question is, how will it distract you?

Disney World is technically made up of over 20 hotels (which they call resorts) 6 theme parks requiring paid ticket admission, and an additional shopping area that does not require a ticket. Two of the parks needing tickets are water parks, with Disney World alternating between them through the year so only one water park is open at a time. This brings it down to 5 ticketed parks open during any given time. All the parks have different hours, different offerings, and different locations, so let’s break it down.

Disney Springs is the shopping area and there are buses or boats to get there from a Disney resort or you can drive and park in a garage. Anyone can visit so it can get as crowded as any outdoor mall with a variety of renowned restaurants but this one has heavy Disney theming.

The water parks are Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Neither are markedly different from a standard water park but they have their perks and Disney may have a deal to entice you during your visit. For example in 2025, if you are staying at a disney resort, you can get into the water park for free on your check in day. The ticket is less costly than a standard park ticket and you cannot use your standard ticket for access to the water park, it’s a separate booking. If you’re staying at a Disney resort, you take a bus to Disney Springs and then transfer to another bus for the water park. All stars resort might have a direct bus to the water park, but Disney changes things often. Hours are shortened compared to theme parks and the water park will close in bad weather. Typhoon Lagoon has the biggest wave pool in North America, which means choose your own adventure, but prepare for scrapes if you aren’t ready for it. Watch your kids, listen for the warning that a wave is coming, and sit on the edge if you’re there to relax.

This leaves the big 4 parks. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. They all require a ticket, and you cannot visit more than one park in one day without a park hopper addition, at an extra cost. There is plenty to do at each park, and it takes a decent chunk of time to travel from place to place even with the free disney transportation, so it is not my opinion to plan on multiple parks in one day. The recommendation is usually to allow an hour to get anywhere. In my opinion, the essential 2 biggest parks are Magic Kingdom and Epcot. They have more than enough shows and attractions to take up over 1-2 days. While amazing in their own right, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom have less attractions, can be accomplished in 1 day each, and appeal to certain populations more than others. I previously wrote that the water parks feel like a standard water park, so why are these parks not like standard theme parks? For me, it’s nostalgia. It’s the music at every point, whether it’s a classic Cinderella theme while walking through Magic Kingdom, or hearing Hannah Montana on a shuttle bus. It’s a live performer in the street, playing an old Newsies tune on a piano, or an artist drawing Pluto in water on the pavement. The rides and the snacks can be found in other theme parks, but it is the environment of imagination, memories, and magic that has us returning. We search for the perfect trip, or attempt to succeed as much as possible, but the trick is to let go and float through Disney World as if on a breeze. Disney World is always changing, always evolving, and while I have gotten upset as anyone about change, what matters is perception and remembering that there is an elusive, massive, unknown quality to Disney World. I’ve noticed that someone I know takes return trips to New York City at the holidays and I can’t help but see similarities to her experiences as with mine at Disney World.. The planning for reservations or Broadway shows, the immense walking to get around, the confusion of public transportation, and the unexpected magic and energy of the environment. There are a number of live street performers, as well as a great number of tourists who have excitement for the exploration. I researched a New York city trip as a relaxing, or less expensive alternative to our usual Orlando trips, and my findings contributed to this knowledge that it was not relaxing or much less expensive. I haven’t been to New York yet but I’m sure I will someday. My point is that Disney World is its own city in a way, and it’s not up to Disney to cradle you and make the magic, but it is there if you aren’t looking for perfection or the need to see everything. You will find something new every trip, just as you could in any shifting landscape.

Animal Kingdom is the most relaxing park. There are animals but there are also rides, shows and some of the best restaurants in a Disney theme park. Must do’s include the safari ride, the lion king show and a visit to Pandora to eat and marvel at the scenery. The park opens early and closes early but it’s also spread out so plan on walking a great deal and being too tired for an additional stop on the same night. The animals take priority here so there are no loud night time activities, but recently there was a holiday night time projection show at the tree, so always check when you’ll be attending. There are excellent restaurants and animal attractions including the safari ride, trails and shows will close by 5:00-7:00pm, even if the park is open until 8:00pm. The hours vary depending on the season, usually 8:00am to 6:00-8:00pm.

Hollywood Studios is for the sci-fi and adventure movie lover. It has something for everyone, but not everyone will love everything. The most popular areas (and the newest) are Galaxy’s Edge, the immersive Star Wars land, and Toy Story land. Hollywood Studios offers perhaps the best night time show for the sole reason that there are bleachers! You can have a seat and see the show (not the case at the big 2), with the option to bring in food or buy food and beverages from the concession stand. The show is Fantasmic and it’s amazing in that it offers live action characters, a water show, light projections and fireworks. Kids may want noise canceling headphones. There is a villain portion that may scare children, but it’s not long and suppressing the sound of maniacal laughing helps. They are Disney villains so seeing the classic movies may help you be prepared on how your children respond. Also, you may get a little wet if you sit in the front.

There are many bars and the most thrilling rides so it’s a great park for adults, however kids will find entertainment as well like a Frozen themed live show, Beauty and the Beast live show, a Disney Junior area and of course, a wide variety of rides in Toy Story land. Our family favorite ride is Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Galaxy’s Edge feels like another world and while not everyone may appreciate the darker, other worldly aesthetic, the majority of people would report Rise of the Resistance as the best ride in all of Disney World. Reservations are needed to make a lightsaber or droid to bring home, but there are many souvenirs apart from these experiences.
Hours are typically predictable at 9:00am to 9:00pm, with the time of Fantasmic varying depending on the season, with either one show or two shows offered.

Magic Kingdom is the original Disney theme park, based off of Disneyland, designed by Walt himself. It has the highest attendance and the smallest square footage of land within Disney World. It’s the home of the castle, the monorail, the parades and the magic.
It’s the most expensive park to enter, has the highest prices for skip the line service, has the most rides, the worst food and doesn’t serve alcoholic beverages (except in the few full service table restaurants.) I think they don’t serve alcohol at walk up bars (like they do in all the other parks) to lessen the absolute chaos that is the Main Street Hub at and after the night time fireworks show.
The night time show deserves its own section. There are fireworks, projections on the castle and music. It’s important to have a plan and mental preparation for the night time events. Whether you plan to be near the castle or not, there will be areas surrounding the castle that will be roped off or shut down, for your safety and also for crowd control. You can go on rides and watch the fireworks from outdoor attractions if that is of interest to you. It is louder than you think, so consider the comfort of children if they haven’t been close to fireworks and bring noise cancelling headphones. We paid for the fireworks dessert party once and a lovely family with young children near us were not prepared with headphones with rather unfortunate results. The fireworks are very close, and the music is piped all over the park. The party was nice, and I didn’t feel jostled, but I also didn’t feel the cost was equal to the experience. We had poles within our view and still had to arrive early to check in to the party. It is not Disney World’s fault that we had a crying baby in front of us during the show, but it did affect my comfort and reminded me that we could’ve arrived early to stake a spot with an open view, and not felt as though we should have had a perfect experience at the steep cost of the event, which is on top of your ticket to get in. There are too many people in too small of an area on Main Street and in front of the castle, which causes stress among everyone and many people proceed to run in every direction at the end of the show. Maybe you held your spot for a long time and needed a bathroom, or want to head to rides that are still open in various directions. Many people want to head for their way home, which can be quite time consuming and contribute to their anxiety of wanting to depart as quickly as possible. Magic Kingdom does have the most rides with no height requirements, perfect for a family. It also comes with the iconic picture with the castle and amazing parades. The characters are classic, however, not all the characters including princesses can be found here so check the my disney experience app if you or your child has a favorite you intend to meet. You will not be able to eat at Cinderella’s Royal Table without a reservation. There is another castle, the home of Beast with a very overpriced prix fixe meal where you will not meet any characters. It’s a beautiful interior, but I’m afraid I’ll never be in that building again, because my children will be over 10 at our next visit and I’m not paying the adult price for a meal they won’t eat. I think both places take a great deal of time away from your park time, so better to avoid these long, overpriced meals, and look to character meals outside of magic kingdom (at a disney resort) on a non park day if one is desired. It’s a lot of money for park tickets and you still will have difficulty doing everything in one day. I know people say to prioritize your favorites, but I find it challenging with a family because we all have varied must do’s. Another hard to book reservation here is Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, which is a princess or prince makeover experience for children under age 12. We’ve never done it, but know it’s expensive and involves a lot of glitter. If any experience, show, or ride is important to anyone in the family, I would make sure you are aware if it requires joining a virtual queue, reservation or what time it is offered. You can look online or ask a cast member before you attend the park, but also never promise a child any particular thing, as rides close down and some experiences fill up very quickly. There is so much more to discover about this park, but most notably are ways to get to it. There is no parking lot near it, you have to park at the TTC (ticket and transportation center) if you drive and then take a monorail or ferry to the main gate. There are three resorts on the monorail loop close to the theme park, as well as a couple others you can catch a boat from. Other resorts will provide a bus to get here. Only the Disney World affiliated ride share service, a Minnie van, can drop you off near the entrance. Other rideshare cars must park at the TTC. Hours vary from 8-9am opening, then to 10-11pm closing, depending on the season.

EPCOT stands for the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow. It is constantly evolving and changing but the World Showcase has been more constant. Epcot is a combination of celebrating cultures from around the world, with another area with a focus on imagination and the future. It’s a very large park but it’s also the only theme park with two entrances. If you arrive by bus or monorail, you’ll enter at the main entrance. The main entrance is near SpaceShip Earth(the large spherical icon) and some newer attractions such as the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster and a brand new Moana Way of Water splash pad/educational walk through attraction. There are many family favorite rides in this area that often end in something educational like an aquarium, space exploration or a greenhouse. If you don’t want to go on a ride, sometimes you can still enter the exit and play the games or explore the shops and play areas (highly recommended for mission space, this ride is nauseating).

The second entrance is near France on the other side of the park. Those who are staying in an Epcot area resort can walk or take a boat, and those arriving by skyliner enter through this entrance. There are resorts on the skyliner, and you can also take the skyliner from Hollywood Studios. There aren’t as many rides in the World Showcase, but they can be very popular, especially Frozen Ever After and Ratatouille. There is often cultural live music and characters, not to mention a shop, restaurants and impressive buildings for each country. Cast members who work in the World Showcase are often from the countries represented and their hometown is always on their name badge if you’re curious. I’ve visited many times and still find new places to explore. The food offerings at EPCOT are some of the best, and you really don’t need to make a reservation to find delicious food. Some people “drink around the world” with a drink at each country surrounding the lake at the world showcase. There are also four festivals a year, with booths for specialty drinks and food, as well as themed entertainment.

Hours are typically predictable at 9:00am to 9:00pm and the show is the last thing of the night, only canceled in bad weather. There are night time fireworks and anyone can see it from anywhere around the lake so you can get a snack and pick a spot wherever you’d like. Spaceship Earth also lights up at night and often has music to synchronize with the lights.

What is required?

A phone with the My Disney Experience App. You have your tickets, maps, times, menus, and plans. You can unlock your hotel room and most importantly, mobile order food. This will save you so much time to order food and skip the lines. You can also make reservations for table service restaurants and check wait times for rides. This is also what you will use for the skip the line service for rides.

What is Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass?

This requires an entire class to learn, but in summary, this is paid skip the line service, requiring strategy and bookings on your phone, both in advance and on the day of. Prices vary, and Disney also released a significantly more expensive, simpler version called Premier Multi Pass. Disney also has a skip the line offering, called Disability Access Service (DAS) for those requesting to skip the line due to an individualized need, for example, autism, however it was recently fully overhauled to make it stricter. The disability must make you unable to stand in line, and while people having diabetes or chronic pain used to apply and be approved, they are no longer. Wheelchairs have their own process for rides and they also cannot use DAS.

What is a magic band?

While not required, it is simply a band to wear to link with your disney experience app, to grant access into the parks, into your room, you can link a credit card to it, and if paying for skip the line service, to grant access into lightning lanes of rides. Magic Band+ lights up on select rides and during night shows but it’s the newest version and it can fall off easily, avoided by adding a small band at the clasp.

Strollers

There is designated parking for strollers in all parks, and if you don’t use it, your stroller will be moved into it by a cast member (Disney employee, all are called cast members) Your stroller may also be moved to make room within the parking area, so it’s very important to have your name on it and distinguishing characteristics. Also, squirrels will eat food left in it so keep it organized and closed up, with a rain cover, and have valuables ready to take with you for rides. Strollers also have to be folded up on Disney transportation so make sure it’s easy to unload and fold up quickly. I carried a large bag to throw everything from the stroller into while my husband folded and carried the stroller.

Rain Gear

Always expect rain in central Florida. It might not rain all day, but getting your shoes soaked through on day one of your vacation doesn’t set a good vibe for the rest of your vacation. Decide what rain gear means to you and consider having ponchos, stroller cover, an umbrella, protection for electronic devices, and water resistant shoes or a spare pair of shoes packed.