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These tips can be applied to most anywhere at Walt Disney World. This should be a good leap-off point into the more park and situation specific tips later in the list.

1. Have fun – You’re in the Happiest Place on Earth. Act like it. I know your family can get tiresome at times and sometimes people around you will do things that irritate you (see my Without Annoying or Offending Others section to find out how not to be one of those people), but find a way to laugh about it and press on. No one wants to spend lots of money to go to Disney World and have their vacation ruined by some little thing.
   
2. Follow directions, written or verbal – Rules are made for a reason, and contrary to popular belief, it is not to be broken. Disney does what they can to lay down certain rules in a positive, unimposing manner, but sometimes they’re too subtle. Just remember, if a Cast Member approaches you and informs you that you are violating a rule, they are doing it for a reason. One thing to remember is a lot of Cast Members are college students and are sometimes afraid of confrontation, so you may get away with something for a few hours before someone calls you on it. Just because you got away with it for a while doesn’t mean there’s not a rule against it.
   
3. Use your Guidemap/Walt Disney World app – Disney prints Guidemaps for all of their parks, resorts and Downtown Disney, as well as provide interactive maps via the Walt Disney World mobile app, and yet people still manage to get lost. Most people pick up a map and carry it with them, pulling it out only to show the nearest Cast Member where they would like to be. Use your map, study it, read it, and keep track of where you are on it. If you’re lost, here’s a tip: look at what is directly in front of you, find it on the map, then turn the map so that it is towards the top of the map. That way you’ll be looking at the map as if you were looking at yourself from above (or, as silly as this may sound, you could bring a compass and compare it to the one on the map). You can also use satellite-based services like Google Earth or Apple Maps to help locate and orient yourself.

   As a bonus, the maps and app also provide useful and important information. They will tell you about every attraction, including height and health requirements, and a brief description of what you can expect. They also lists all of the restaurants and what kinds of food they serve, as well as a ballpark of per-person prices on the maps, and actual prices on the app. Major merchandise locations are listed as well.

   One thing you will not find on the maps are operating times for the attractions, restaurants, character greets, etc. These are all listed on a separate sheet of paper called a Times Guide. You can pick up one of these Times Guides wherever you find the Guidemaps.
   

4. Learn and use proper names of things – The maps and app aren’t just good for finding where you are. You can also use the maps to learn the names of the attractions, shops and restaurants. This will be very helpful if you’re asking a Cast Member for directions to somewhere. If you’re looking for Expedition Everest, don’t ask for the “Arctic Adventure” (yes, I have heard it called that). The Cast Member is probably not going to have any idea what you’re talking about.
   
5. Visit the Magic Kingdom last – Most people plan to visit the parks in the order in which they opened: Magic Kingdom (’71), Epcot (’82), Disney-MGM Studios (’89), Disney’s Animal Kingdom (’98). I’ve found that if you visit the parks in the opposite order, or in an order that saves Magic Kingdom until the end, your vacation will be a little more interesting. This is for three reasons:
   1. Because most families do it the other way, the parks tend to have certain days of the week when they are most congested. Assuming they start their vacation on Sunday, as most families do, that makes Sunday and Monday the busiest days for Magic Kingdom. If you’re in Animal Kingdom that day, you’ll have a slightly smaller crowd to deal with.
   2. Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are more laid-back and relaxing, whereas Epcot and Magic Kingdom are generally busier and more demanding. If you do Magic Kingdom and Epcot first, you may be too tired and/or stressed out to fully enjoy the other parks.
   3. It builds up excitement. The Magic Kingdom is the seminal park of any Disney Resort. It has the highest number of attractions, and many of the classics, not to mention Cinderella’s Castle, the most photographed man-made structure in the world. If you save Magic Kingdom until last, you’ll find each park gets bigger (in scope, not necessarily geographically) and better, building up anticipation until you finally reach the epitome of Disney magic.

      Obviously you can visit the parks in whatever order you prefer, but I recommend either reverse opening order (Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom) or what I call the From-Discovery-To-Magic order (Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Studios, Magic Kingdom), taking a day to relax in the middle. Whichever way you do it, saving the Magic Kingdom until last makes for a magical ending to your Disney vacation.

      Bear in mind if you plan on taking advantage of Disney’s Extra Magic Hours (see my On a Tight Schedule section for more information) you may find that their days do not coincide with your itinerary. Also, Extra Magic Hours tend to increase attendance at that particular park for that particular day, so if you’re not staying for Extra Magic Hours you may want to avoid the park that has them on that day.
      

6. Don’t leave in a hurry – If you happen to still be in a park within an hour before it closes, you’re probably best off waiting a while before leaving. Typically after the last parade/fireworks show most people pour out en masse causing bottleneck traffic at the turnstiles and long lines for the transportation systems and parking lot. If you do happen to get caught in this, find a place to sit, get some ice cream or popcorn, relax for a while and let the crowds disperse, or you can do some last minute shopping. Security and management usually won’t start chasing people out of the park for a half-hour or hour after the park closes, leaving plenty of time for people to clear out. If you wait long enough (but not too long, because the trams and certain busses stop running an hour or two after the park closes), you won’t have to wait to get out or where you need to go next.

   NOTE: If there is a special after hours event in the park like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, or convention activity, the park will go into what’s called “hard close” mode where they will encourage people to leave as soon as possible so they can prepare for the upcoming event.
   

7. Listen to your children – As strange as it may seem, children seem to know exactly where they are going in the Disney parks. Perhaps it is because they are actually paying more attention than the parents, but whatever the reason, don’t dismiss the idea of asking your child where to go next. (Children are also more likely to use the correct name of an attraction, oddly enough, assisting Cast Member in giving directions.)

   Also, if your child truly does not want to go to an attraction, there may be a good reason. Before you try and force your child onto a ride they are afraid of, first find out what kind of a ride it is, how fast it goes, how dark it is, how loud it is, and anything else you think may frighten your child. Sometimes children are irrationally afraid of something, then after it’s over realize there was no reason to be afraid. Other times the child has a very good reason to be afraid, and forcing them to do something they don’t want to do will only make matters worse. (As a parent, I have firsthand experience with this.)
   

8. Choose your FastPasses wisely – Disney’s FastPass is system that helps reduce the amount of vacation time you spend waiting in line. (See my On a Tight Schedule section for more information on how to attain and use FastPasses.) Many of the most popular attractions in Disney World offer FastPass, but you can only hold so many FastPasses per day and the attractions operate on a tier system, so you’re not likely to get a FastPass for everything you want. Most people tend to gravitate towards the newest, biggest, fastest, or most eye-catching attractions when choosing their FastPasses, but this is not always wise. There are other factors to consider when choosing a FastPass. For one, the ultimate satisfaction of the ride. Both Peter Pan’s Flight and Space Mountain offer FastPass, but for which one would you rather wait in line for an hour?

   Another factor would be how much time would you rather spend outside? About half of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror’s queue (before FastPass is collected) is outside and uncovered, whereas half of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s queue is either outdoors under a canopy, or indoors in the air-conditioning. If you pick up a FastPass for Tower of Terror and stand in line for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster you’ll potentially end up spending less time waiting outside than if you did it the other way around.

   Last, but certainly not least in my mind, is theming. In recent years Disney has tried to make their queues as interesting as possible so as to make wait times more tolerable. This is done a few ways, not the least of which is introducing the story of the attraction. Many of the bigger attractions like Avatar: Flight of Passage and Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run use the time you’re waiting in line to draw you into the story and make you feel like you’re a part of it. If you take the FastPass route, you may end up bypassing the story entirely, which gives you only half of the experience.

   For a list of all the attractions in the parks, the conditions of their queues, which ones offer Disney’s FastPass, and other useful information, check out my Guide to Attraction Queues.
   

9. Choose a “lost and found” location – The Disney parks, as safe as they are, can be a scary place if you get lost, especially for small children. Even for adults, it can be frustrating when you don’t know where the rest of your family is. If you don’t have a way to directly contact the missing member (like a cell phone), you can help solve this problem by picking a spot in the park (usually the center, near the park icon, or a “weenie” is a good place) where you can meet up if someone gets lost. Allow for about 10-20 minutes to check the area for your family, then head over to your location. It might be wise for every member of your family to have their own map with the location marked on it in case you need to ask for directions.

   Also, in the case of a lost child, Disney has certain procedures they go through to help reunite the child with his or her parents. Many Cast Members carry radios that they can use to communicate information such as physical descriptions of the child and/or parent and the location found or last location seen over their entire department and even across the park. If all else fails, within a half-hour (accounting for about 10-15 minutes of searching and 10-15 minutes of walking) of finding a lost child, they will be taken to a central Lost Children location in the park. In the case of a lost adult, a message can be left at Guest Relations for the person to inform him or her of your location.
   

10. Split up – Ironically, losing your group may be exactly what you want. Everyone knows what happens when a family spends too much time together, so don’t make them. When you sense the stress level rising, split up and do different things. Plan ahead to determine what attractions everyone wants to see together, then separate into groups of two or three (with a responsible adult in each group). Choose a default location (probably your lost and found location) and a time window of about 20-30 minutes to regroup after your hour or two away from each other.
    
11. Pay attention to signs – This applies everywhere: in the parks, at the resorts, on the road, and anywhere else on property. Signs can tell you where you can go and where you can’t go (if you see a sign that says “Cast Members Only,” “Service and Authorized Vehicles Only,” or anything else with the word “only” or “Do Not Enter,” you are about to enter a restricted area), how to get to your next attraction or land (all of the parks have signs posted at various intersections pointing you in the direction of nearby attractions and lands), or find your way while driving around the Resort (Disney roads are marked like any highway. Nearly every intersection has a sign pointing you in the direction of the parks, Downtown Disney and nearby resorts). Before you stop and ask for directions, look around you for a sign that may point you in the direction you want to go.
    
12. Take a rest once in a while – A Disney vacation can be very tiring. Instead of always pressing on, stop every couple of hours or so and find a bench or a seating area and just relax for a few minutes. You can even take this downtime to discuss everyone’s feelings on the vacation and where you’re going next. The Disney parks are known for having cozy sitting areas out of the way of the hustle and bustle of mad-dashing guests. Use them to your advantage. Don’t forget, you’re on vacation.

    If you have small children, each park has a Baby Care station (it can be found along with Lost Children) which has some toys and a TV that is usually playing classic Disney movies. This is a good place to take the young’uns for an extended break (it’s a good place for parents to rest as well). Don’t forget, for every step you take, it’s two or more steps for them, so they’ll probably tire long before you do.
    

13. Don’t ignore the shows or Streetmosphere – Disney World has some amazing rides, but don’t forget that the Walt Disney Company is first and foremost an entertainment company. Disney World has many shows featuring some of the most amazing puppetry, special effects, Audio-Animatronics and live performers (human and animal) in the world. Instead of standing in line for an hour waiting for the next “E ticket,” duck into an air conditioned theater and enjoy a show. None of them last more than 30 minutes (with the notable exception of Finding Nemo: The Musical, which has a runtime of approximately 40 mintues), and if nothing else, it’s a place to sit down.

    Now, you may be asking “what is ‘Streetmosphere?'” Streetmosphere is Disney’s word (they have a lot of them) for street performers who add a deeper element of atmosphere to their locations. A perfect example would be the Dapper Dans, Main Street U.S.A.’s resident barbershop quartet. But not all Streetmosphere puts on a show. Sometimes Streetmosphere can just be the characters walking around interacting with guests and each other and completing the illusion that Disney World is a place where fantasy lives, like Main Street’s Mayor, or the various “actors” and “actresses” found on Hollywood Studios’ Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards.
    

14. Bring or buy ponchos, rain coats, or a change of clothes – If there’s one thing predictable about Florida’s weather, it’s its unpredictability. One thing you can count on however: during the months of June through November, Florida’s Hurricane season, it will rain at least once almost every day. Florida rain tends not to stay for long, at least in the summer, but it will come in heavy doses. Even if it does not rain, you may want them for attractions like Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids where it is not uncommon to get wet, sometimes very wet. Once you’ve used your poncho, dry it off as best you can and put it away for later use. That way you won’t have to buy another when it rains again the next day.
    
15. Don’t come expecting a lot of thrill rides/roller coasters – Walt Disney World is a family entertainment resort, so what you will find here are a lot of attractions geared towards the entire family. That’s not to say that Disney World has no thrill rides or roller coasters, they just don’t build their parks around them, and the ones they do have may be considered tame by enthusiasts. The key to enjoying a Disney coaster is not to compare it to other roller coasters. Disney does not simply make roller coasters, they make adventures. Big Thunder Mountain is a “runaway train adventure,” as is Expedition Everest. Space Mountain is a “roller coaster-type adventure through space.” You get the idea.

    Bottom line: If all you’re looking for are thrills and heart-stopping excitement, there are plenty of other great amusement parks across the United States and the world that cater to your needs.
    

16. Plan a “Park-Hopping Day” – If you have a free day left in your vacation, and have sprung for the Park-Hopper option on your tickets, your last day is a good time to Hop from park to park, seeing all of your favorite attractions, or some you may have missed, one last time before departing. Sort of a Walt Disney World greatest hits collection.
    
17. Stop at Guest Relations – Most people who go to Guest Relations do so either to look for a lost item, or make a complaint. While both of these are legitimate reasons to visit, few people think to stop at Guest Relations to pay compliments. Disney appreciates feedback, both positive and negative, and will sometimes even consider guest-made suggestions. Take notes on your vacation. Any time something happens that strikes you as important, record it with as many details as you can, especially names and roles or locations in the case of Cast Members.

    Was the person in line in front of you wearing an offensive T-shirt? Make a note (and tell the nearest Cast Member, they’ll make the guest change their shirt or turn it inside out; see also Without Annoying or Offending Others). Was there a Cast Member who really made your day more magical? Make a note. Do you have an idea for an attraction you’d like to see? Make a note. At the end of your day, stop at Guest Relations. Give them the rundown on your experience and what you liked and disliked. You’ll have all the time you need to express your feelings (just remember there may be others also waiting to express theirs), and in the end you’ll feel better knowing your opinion was heard. Plus, if enough people feel the same way you do, Disney has been known to make major changes to accommodate the masses. (That is how the Magic Kingdom got its own version of Pirates of the Caribbean, and why the “Green Team” less intense version of Mission: Space was put in.) If someone in your family is celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or a wedding/honeymoon, you can also pick up a special button to display your special day from Guest Relations. You’ll receive extra special attention, including some unexpected surprises.

The Magic Kingdom is the flagship park of Walt Disney World. Modelled after Disneyland in Anaheim, California, it took the original concept and improved on it with more space and many new ideas. The Magic Kingdom is favored by the young, the young-at-heart, and anyone who appreciates the beauty in charm and simplicity. You’ll find very few thrills here, save for the park’s “Mountain Range,” but what you will find are some of the Resort’s most memorable attractions and surroundings.

1. See the Hall of Presidents – (See also “The American Adventure” in Epcot) I don’t usually tell people what attractions to see, I leave that up to them to decide, but I feel that this attraction gets a bad rep because some people say it’s boring. I suppose to those people it can be, but to me it is an amazing execution of Audio-Animatronics technology. The first half of the show is a large-format movie about the importance of the phrase “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence, introducing Abraham Lincoln and leading into the Civil War, ending in modern day America (though the movie’s purpose is to promote the idea of equality of race, race is never specifically brought up, which adds subtlety to its integrity); but it’s the second half of the show that attracts most people. After the final scene of the movie, the screens slide out of the way, revealing a stage populated with every U.S. president in our nation’s history, including our current president, George W. Bush. Every president looks positively life-like.

   Though the main focus of this segment is Bush and Lincoln who each give a speech, the most amazing part is watching the other presidents. They are constantly in motion: fidgeting, whispering to each other, nodding in approval…If you can handle a little bit of well presented American history on your vacation, the Hall of Presidents is not to be missed.

2. Don’t be afraid of “it’s a small world” – IASW has garnered sort of a bad reputation due to its infectious melody &mdash which is a shame, because it is a charming spectacle for the senses.