7 Tips to Save Time at Disney

A lot has changed at Walt Disney World—celebrating its 40th anniversary this month—but what hasn’t is its popularity. Kids think of rides, characters, and parades while parents contemplate crowds, lines, and exhaustion. While it can be challenging, these tips will help you zip-a-dee-do-dah your way through the park.

1. Master Fastpass

2. Enjoy extra Magic Hours

Extra Magic Hours are available only to Disney-owned hotel guests. Each day parks open an hour early or stay open three hours later.

3. Visit Off-Season

Parks are far more crowded during summers and holidays when school isn’t in session. See more and stress less by coming in January, May, or September.

4. Stay On-site

Staying at Disney-owned hotels means free, no-hassle transportation—and at the Magic Kingdom off-site guests park remotely, take a tram, and then a ferry or monorail. The added bonus? Convenience for a midday nap or swim.

5. Plan in Advance

Decide which attractions are must- sees to use Fastpass to its full advantage. Make dining reservations and buy tickets in advance. Everything you prearrange from home is a line you don’t have to stand on later.

6. Split Up

It’s unlikely everyone will always want to see things at the same. Let older kids occasionally break off on their own to explore, or take one child to meet the princesses while another adult escorts the rest to ride Space Mountain for the third time.

7. Consider a VIP Tour

If time is a big issue and money isn’t, hire a VIP tour guide (407-560-4033). Prices vary by the season and can be steep, but these Disney employees pick you up at your hotel and have the power to bypass lines at every ride—that’s right—all of them.

Photo Credits: Fastpass and Monorail courtesy The Walt Disney Company, VIP tour courtesy Gene Duncan / The Walt Disney Company