TRAVEL
a winter wonderland of splash fun , and Typhoon Lagoon , where you can wash up on tropical shores , ride the roaring rapids , lazy rivers and delve into Florida ’ s largest inland surging lagoon ! We found that half a day here was the perfect time for us .
So how do you make the most of your time ?
Start with choosing one main park per day . Wear sensible shoes ( we walked about 10-15 km a day !) and pack plenty of water , suncream , hats , ponchos etc . depending on the weather .
Hopper tickets are fab ; you start by allocating a park to each day of your hopper pass , but once it hits the afternoon you can then ‘ hop ’ to another park , which is great for revisiting rides with less wait times , shopping and simply meandering the parks at a slower pace .
Each park has its own journey , a key thrillcoaster or two , an iconic show , unique food , exclusive shopping and its own aweinspiring closing fireworks / show or parade . The main draw rides for each park will be massively popular so the key is to spread out your day , booking slots for these through Genie + and then mixing this up by going on rides or watching shows that have smaller wait times .
The best trick is to utilise Genie +!
All guests to the resort have access to the complimentary Disney Genie service , a digital friend in the form of an easyto-navigate app that guides you around the parks , can make recommendations for dining and helps you personalise your itinerary for the day . However , upgrading to Genie + is my number one Disney World recommendation !
Available for more than 40 of the parks ’ attractions and experiences , you are able to make one reserved slot from 7am ( which is before the parks even open ) to ride / watch / visit from the next available ‘ Lightning Lane ’ slot . You can then make your next reservation either as soon as you have gone on that attraction or two hours after you made your reservation if your reserved slot is later in the day . When it is your time to ride / visit , you even have a separate ‘ Lightning Lane ’ queue to enter which whisks you straight to the front of the actual queue !
As well as the virtual queue solution freeing you up loads of time to go on other rides and attractions and to shop and eat - which was particularly helpful in keeping the littlest Readys from the dire depths of queue boredom ( although there is a handy Disney Resort games app for that too !) - the app also gives you access to Disney PhotoPass Lenses to explore the park in augmented reality and Audio Tales to listen to fascinating fun facts .
We began by picking out each of our park ‘ must-dos ’ for each day . We then allocated one ‘ big ticket ’ ride to be our first Genie + selection at 7am and one to be our first ride of the day , joining the gate-opening dash to join the physical queue with a coffee and doughnut in hand for breakfast . This meant that even if the wait time was long ( in some cases 90-120 mins ), we had snacks , a chance to wake up , already had the next big ride time slot secured and could select another Lightning Lane pick midmorning , too .
Virtual queues are a great addition , giving you a set return time to ride without having to physically queue for your time slot ( particularly useful for planning eating and snack times ), while paid Lighting Lanes , although adding an extra cost , are an absolute must for securing sought-after spaces on the most popular rides and avoiding disappointment - especially if only visiting each park for a day .
Plan your parade viewing spots ! Most people flock to watch parades by Cinderella ’ s Castle in the main park , but to beat the crush you can pre-book this as one of your Lightning Lane Genie + picks to gain access to a designated viewing area . Or , better yet , head to where the parades start , usually at the end of Adventure or Frontier Land , here you ’ ll have less crowds and can often benefit from shorter queue times at close by rides while everyone else is still awaiting the main parade to arrive in the crowded parade finale areas !
And then you simply need to have the time of your lives …
Meet Mickey , ride the paddle steamer , eat the Minnie-Mouse-shaped toffee apples ( they are bigger than you realise though !) and Mickey-shaped brownies , wave to Donald in the parade , meet a princess or two , laugh and shriek on the rides ( just watch your language on Tower of Terror - especially now the seatbelts are removed !), get wet , get dry , bask in the Florida sunshine , ride the lazy river , definitely go to Disney Springs for dinner ( pre-book though , popular restaurants get very booked up !) and shopping , buy the numerous souvenirs ( just ensure you have a space suitcase to bring them all home again !), take numerous pictures , and make memories to last a lifetime , all assured that you have found a perfect holiday for the whole family !
And then do it all over again . We did and it was just as magical !
Just don ’ t forget your Mickey ears ! www . disneyworld . co . uk
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