WITH four theme parks and two water parks, Disney World offers a huge range of activities for kids and adults.
But if it’s your first time, you’ll want to make sure that you’re prepared.
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Fortunately, there are lots of tips out there to help you make the most of the experience, and maybe even save some money.
They include everything from where to go to what to have with you.
So before you plan your first trip, make sure you’re prepared with these tips.
1. How to get cheap tickets
As it happens, Brits get some of the best deals on tickets to the Disney parks but you can still save by booking at the right time of the year.
Retailers like Attraction Tickets Direct and Floridatx often have offers on tickets, including adult tickets at kids’ prices.
Disney launched their “Mid-Day Magic” tickets earlier this year, which means you can get discounted entry if you go in after 12pm.
2. Get badges
One of the simplest ways to make the most out of your trip is to get badges.
There are different ones available and you can pick them up from Disney resorts, guest relations in any of the parks or in Disney Springs.
There’s a 1st visit badge and having one on you alerts Cast Members (the staff working in the parks) that you’re new to the parks.
They will often come over and check if you need anything, and point out places that you won’t want to miss.
There are also badges for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries as well – and you can get lots of freebies in the parks if you have them with you.
Plus, they make great souvenirs for kids.
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3. Best ways to skip the jumps
You should always plan what you want to see before you go as the parks are enormous and they can get very busy.
Once you know what you don’t want to miss, make sure you get FastPasses for the most popular rides to skip the queues.
Don’t worry if you find that there aren’t any FastPasses left for the ride you want to go on – insiders have come up with a “pounding the app” technique to get passes throughout the day.
Make sure you check the Disney World app as well – it will show you waiting times of different rides, and you can reserve entry to the new Rise of the Resistance ride.
With some planning, you can get on just about every ride in the park in just one day.
If you have a bigger budget, it might be worth getting FastPass+ tickets to queue jump.
And for the ultimate escape, Disney has VIP guides who will help you queue jump and plan your trips for you.
4. Where to see the characters
While there will always be different characters around the park, the best way to meet and get autographs from Disney characters is to book a character meal.
As Sun Online Travel previously revealed, some of the characters are only found in these special events.
The Beast from Beauty and the Beast for example can only be found in the Be Our Guest restaurant.
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However, a little known fact is that you can actually meet some of the characters without spending a penny.
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground hosts Chip and Dale’s camp sing-along, which is free for everyone – not just guests.
5. Getting the cheapest souvenirs
It’s tempting to pick up souvenirs in the parks – but most will be quite expensive.
There’s actually an official Disney shop that’s just down the road from the Orlando parks where souvenirs are as much as 90 per cent cheaper than in the parks.
According to insiders, the stock is constantly refreshed and you can even sometimes find items that are still being sold in the parks available in the shop, but with a big discount.
Sun Online Travel previously revealed that there’s a Disney jail for guests who misbehave.
There’s also an exclusive hotel just for military families and it’s way cheaper than any other resort.
There’s also a Disney members’ club that’s the only place where you can get booze in the parks.
