Walt Disney World Florida

This Guide contains all the information you need to make the most of your trip and plan the perfect Disney® visit, saving you both time and money along the way! It is packed with tips tailored to this age group, including making the most of staying up later and enjoying leisurely mornings. We also offer some fun ideas to make your holiday feel a little more grown-up, and plenty of snack and dining suggestions!

Not only do you get the all-important countdown, which details essential tasks and a clear timeline, but you also get insider hacks for mastering Lightning Lanes and Virtual Queues (including when you may not need them), a suggested packing list and details of any rides or attractions that are scheduled to be closed during your visit.

Each Park Guide includes comprehensive maps and in-depth information about the attractions this age group typically loves, along with a suggested tour route and smart suggestions to enhance your Park experience. Additionally, we provide tips to help you maximise your experience while staying off-site, including recommended arrival times at each Park, everything you need to know about parking and travel, and some Disney secrets you will definitely want to take advantage of! We also highlight the best days of the week to visit, helping you create a schedule that works perfectly for your family. 

And there’s much more besides!

For the best experience, we recommend viewing our website on a laptop, desktop PC or iPad. 

Disney uses its own shorthand and words, which you will see in any literature you read. Here is a list of the most common ones:

ADR: Advanced Dining Reservation.

Attraction: ride or show.

Boarding Group (BG): used as a label for the number you are assigned after you have successfully joined a Virtual Queue.

Cast Member: employee.

Character: Disney Character impersonated by an employee.

Disability Access Service (DAS): this service is designed by Disney to assist guests with developmental disabilities visiting the Walt Disney World Resort. For more information about this service, please refer to our free guide.

DHS: Disney Hollywood Studios.

Disney Genie Service: a free digital tool built into the My Disney Experience® (MDE) mobile app, which is useful for tracking reservations and wait times.  

DTS: Disney Transport System.

EETPH: Extended Evening Theme Park Hours (this only applies to a few hotels).

ETPE: Early Theme Park Entry (referred to as EE for Early Entry in this Guide); this is a perk for guests staying at Disney Resorts and a few select hotels who are allowed to enter all four Walt Disney World® (WDW) Theme Parks at least 30 minutes earlier than other guests. Not all rides participate in EE though, so check our Guides for details and MDE App for any on the day changes.

To help you prepare for this magical trip, we’ve put together a list of things to do to help you get the very most from it. We recommend reading through the countdown in full before focusing on what is relevant for you and your family.

As soon as you can

Buy tickets

If you still need to purchase your Park tickets (for example, if they’re not included in your package), you can find exclusive tickets available to people travelling from the UK and Ireland. These tickets provide entrance to all four Theme Parks, Park Hopper®, Memory Maker and PhotoPass, Water Park access and often other perks. Don’t limit yourself to buying from Disney. It’s worth shopping around to find the best price. It is important to note that Disney classifies children aged 10 and over as adults for the purposes of entrance tickets, restaurants, tours, etc. Read our blog post about how to purchase tickets to both Disney and Universal from the UK and Ireland.

And we recommend looking at the following approved third-party sites:

Florida Tix

Orlando Attractions

Attraction Tickets

For families from Eire, Attraction Tickets also has an Irish site, where you can buy tickets in Euros.

Check your family’s passports

Ensure each one is valid for six months beyond your return travel date. Anyone travelling from outside the US will also need an electronic visa known as an ESTA (available via the ESTA website). Although you can apply for ESTAs as late as 72 hours before your trip and they are often processed instantly, it is recommended to apply before finalising the booking of your trip to avoid potential delays. Check the ESTA website to ensure you can comply with the visa requirements. ESTAs cost $40 per person and are valid for two years or until your passport expires. See further details in the ’60 days before’ section and in our blog post.

Purchase travel insurance

Ensure you are covered for hurricanes if you are visiting Disney during the hurricane season which is anytime from June to November.

Create a My Disney account

To start planning your Disney trip, visit Disney World to set up an account, unless you already have a Disney+ account, in which case use this to log in.

• Once you have created an account, click on the ‘My Disney Experience’ link at the top right of the webpage. Note that once you have a Disney login, you can also set up all of the following on the MDE app. 
• From there, click on ‘Profile’ underneath your name (or from the ‘Burger Stack’ on the app, scroll down to ‘Account’), and this will take you to your ‘Account Settings’; here, add your communication preferences.
• Once done, if you know you have a card that won’t be charged if used in the US (otherwise, do this later), click on ‘Payment Methods’ and add your card details. A payment method is required to make Restaurant Reservations, place Mobile Food orders and pay for Lightning Lanes. 
• Finally, on this page, go to ‘Family and Friends’ and add the details of anyone you will be going with, noting you must ‘manage the plans’ for anyone under 13. Anyone older can have their own My Disney Experience account and can manage their plans. Let them know to use their Disney+ login if they have one. As you enter guests’ details, you will be able to invite them to create an MDE account by sending them an email.
• Lastly, add your tickets by clicking on ‘Park Tickets’ (you can also do this in the MDE app, click the ‘burger stack’ and go to ‘My Tickets & Passes‘, where you can use your camera to scan a barcode or QR Code).
• Note that this is also where you can make restaurant reservations. The date you can start doing this is listed under ‘Dining’.

Download the MDE (My Disney Experience) app to your phone

Log in with the same username and password you use for your online Disney account and create a Magic Mobile Pass, which adds the tickets to your digital wallet; go to the ‘Burger Stack’, under ‘Account’, select ‘Set Up MagicMobile Entry’ and follow the prompts. From here, you can create digital passes for everyone, which you can either share or keep on your device including phones and Apple watches. In the lead up to the holiday, take some time to get familiar with the app, for example, check out where to find the Park opening hours, ride wait times, the Lightning Lane Multi and Single Pass info, how to order food, and so on. Share this with anyone else using the app and ensure your accounts are linked; you’ll likely find that your teens will soon master this technology!

Transfer Arrangements

Look at how to get from the airport to your accommodation and back again at the end of the holiday if this isn’t included as part of your holiday package. Compare prices and timings before you decide which method to book. Options include:

• Hiring a car (make sure your driver’s licence permits you to drive in the US and take your licence with you). National® and Alamo® rank highly for car hire. This will give you more freedom during your holiday, particularly if you are planning other days out.
• Taking a taxi (either pre-booked or from the airport taxi rank).
• Using a ride-hailing app such as Uber® or Lyft® (usually cheaper than a taxi) upon your arrival/departure.
• Or consider a private car service such as Quick Silver, FL Tours or MCO2. They will meet you and help with luggage. You can also include an option to stop and buy groceries (snacks, etc.) on the way to your accommodation.
• Your hotel may offer a free shuttle service to and from the airport, and to the Parks.

Driving and Parking

If you decide to hire a car, keep in mind that parking can be a significant expense with a daily rate of $35 at WDW for standard car parking (remember to keep your ticket if you plan to Park hop). However, Disney Springs and the Water Parks offer free Parking.

Over years of visiting and through our research, we have gathered some helpful hints and tips along the way, which, of course, we wanted to share with you!

• Did you know the attractions don’t close when the Parks do? You can join a 90 minute queue (which never lasts for 90 minutes as the times are inflated to discourage you from joining!) one minute before the Park closes and be in the Park well past closing. This strategy works best for the following rides:

Rise of Resistance at DHS
Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille at EPCOT
Avatar® Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom

• Be realistic about what you can see and do when visiting Disney. It’s not possible to experience everything in just one trip. Use our Guides to prioritise what’s most important to your family.
• Did you know Starbucks® in WDW is unlike your regular Starbucks? Yes you’ll get your coffee hit, but you’ll also get lots of unique snacks that you won’t find anywhere outside of Disney World!
• Fit in short wait, fun-for-all-ages rides, too.
• Things may not go as planned. Rides might break down, the weather could change, or someone in your group may not be in the best mood. The key is to be flexible and adapt your plans accordingly.
• Remember Disney resort guests can enter all four Parks 30 minutes earlier than day visitors, so Parks may already be busy when you arrive.

Over the years, Walt Disney World® has offered various line-skipping services. In the good old days, there was the free Fast-Pass service; more recently, we’ve had the paid Genie+ service. As of July 2024, new options known as Lightning Lane Single, Multi and Premier Pass services were introduced. Additionally, there is an alternative way to queue called the Virtual Queue. As with so many things in Disney, the rules on how to use these services can be a little complicated so, here in this Guide, we will aim to explain the differences between each one and, more importantly, how to use them. We’ll also include lots of helpful hints and tips along the way! 

Lightning Lane Passes are constantly evolving, so the details below may change but we’ll work hard to keep this Guide up to date with the latest information and advice. 

The first thing to say about Lightning Lanes Passes is that you may not need them! In Animal Kingdom and Epcot, for example, we think they are beneficial, only in certain circumstances, which we have detailed in our Park Guides. One advantage that international visitors have is that they tend to visit for longer so, as a member of this Group, you can book Lightning Lane Passes later in your trip if the queues are long and the crowd levels are high. This also gives you the chance to see how our other strategies for exploring the Parks work for your family before you spend money on potential Passes. However, we understand the pressure guests feel to make this expensive trip as perfect as possible, so you may want to take advantage of this service. If you do plan to use them, build the cost into your budget.

Let’s start with the basics before we go into more detail (below). We recommend reading through the overview initially of the different types of Lightning Lane Passes, and then delving into the details closer to the time that you’ll actually be using them, and then use it in conjunction with the MDE app:

Virtual Queues

Currently Not in Use

These can replace the regular Standby Lane on new and sometimes less reliable rides. Instead of waiting in a physical queue, guests join a Virtual Queue via the MDE app at one of two specific times of the day (7am or 1pm). The good news is that joining a Virtual Queue is free, and it is available to anyone with a valid ticket. If successful, guests will be assigned a Boarding Group number, which indicates their place in the line. We have included detailed guidance on joining a Virtual Queue later in this Guide.

Lightning Lane Passes – what are they and should you buy them?

These allow guests to line-skip in different ways, as detailed below. They enable guests to enter a ride through the Lightning Lane at an allotted time rather than queue in the (free) Standby Lane.

Guests staying in a Disney Resort hotel or select third-party hotels, including WDW Dolphin, WDW Swan, WDW Swan Reserve and Shades of Green, are eligible to purchase Passes seven days in advance of the date on their valid Theme Park ticket, from 7am Eastern Time (usually 12pm UK time, but check as it varies depending on the time of year), for their entire stay, up to 14 days. Off-site guests can only purchase up to three days in advance, and if you have a date-based ticket* (most UK ones will be), for the total number of valid admission days on your ticket.

*If you don’t have a date-based ticket, you will be able to purchase Lightning Lane passes three days in advance of each day of your visit (you may be required to make a Park reservation before purchasing).

We have included detailed guidance on how to purchase and use a Lightning Lane Pass further on in this Guide.

Prices vary depending on the Park and the time of year (Disney use dynamic pricing), with more popular Parks such as Magic Kingdom® and Disney Hollywood Studios® being the most expensive. Park hopping is also included in the cost. 

A separate pass must be purchased for each guest, though children under three are free. 

Lightning Lanes are not available during Early Entry, when resort guests can enter the Theme Parks 30 minutes before official Park opening.

Walt Disney World is constantly evolving and recent months have brought some significant announcements.

At the latest Destination D23 event, held at Walt Disney World in August 2025, exciting news was revealed for Magic Kingdom:

The iconic Carousel of Progress will soon receive an update, featuring a brand-new opening scene that will include an audio-animatronic of the legendary Walt Disney himself! No specific timescales have been announced, but we’ll keep you posted.

Disney also revealed more information about Villains Land, part of the Beyond Thunder Mountain expansion, which will be the largest in Magic Kingdom’s history. Villains Land promises to be ‘a place where happily ever after may feel like a distant dream!’ This area will be home to two major attractions, as well as dining and shopping.

Although Villains Land is still in its early stages and several years away, we now have a clearer idea of its overall ambience. It will be influenced “by big personalities, bold visuals and rich backgrounds”.

Imagineers have conducted research trips to Paris and Barcelona to study the architecture in these cities, focussing specifically on Art Nouveau, which will serve as the main design inspiration for the land. The team has even coined a new term to describe the style: ‘Conjured Architecture’. This refers to the ‘blend of historical components and fantastical worlds that have merged to ultimately create some wicked!’ We can’t wait to see what they have in mind!  

Other News

In the same area of Magic Kingdom, work is already underway in Frontierland to create the new Car’s-themed Mini-Land, Piston Peak National Park. This new Land will feature two new rides: one will be a thrilling rally race through the mountains, while the other will be geared towards the smaller racers in the family.

To make way for these new Lands, Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America (including the Liberty Belle) were permanently closed on July 7th 2025. Work is likely to take three or four years; therefore, when visiting during this time, expect construction walls in this area of the Park.

For summer 2026, Disney has announced the return of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER, a no-extra-ticket program of events across all the theme parks and some resort hotels, designed to give families with younger children more to do. This will include pop-up character meet-and-greets, themed crafts, and interactive games. This will run from May 26th until September 8th 2026.

Throughout the year, WDW refurbishes or reimagines existing rides; this can be because they are older and need maintenance, a refresh, or are being replaced altogether. Below is a list of current rides and attractions scheduled to undergo some major planned work, along with their closing dates and approximate reopening dates if announced by Disney. 

*Rides may be closed on an ad-hoc basis due to weather conditions, breakdowns or emergencies; unfortunately, these closures cannot be predicted and are subject to conditions within the Parks.

Disney has a calendar of annual and special events that run for a limited period, which can add some extra magic to your trip or can indicate when the Parks will be busier. As we learn about these events, we will add them to this page but won’t include them in our detailed Guides, so if something appeals to you and is happening on the dates you are visiting, make a note of it.

January 2026

7th – 11th Walt Disney World Marathon: this annual event covers all four Disney Theme Parks. It also features a half marathon, a 10k, a 5k, a children’s race and a five-day health expo. Resorts and the Parks will be busier as a result.

January 16th – February 23rd EPCOT International Festival of Arts; celebrates visual, performing and culinary arts from around the world. 

NEW Disney After Hours Events: Magic Kingdom January 12th & 19th, DHS 14th & 28th and EPCOT 22nd & 29th. Check the MDE app for details.

NEW Disney Extended Evening Hours (for Deluxe Resort Guests): Magic Kingdom January 7th, 14th & 21st, DHS 26th, EPCOT 5th, 12th, 19th, Animal Kingdom 1st. 

Martin Luther King. Jr. Weekend is 17th – 18th January: this weekend is typically busy, with larger-than-normal crowds.

The Skyliner will be closed for annual maintenance from January 25th, reopening February 1st. In 2027, maintenance is scheduled for January 24th, reopening on the 31st. Buses will be provided as an alternative for resorts affected by the closure (Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Riviera Resort).

From January to March, several youth group competitions and exhibitions take place and can generate large youth bookings at some resorts, especially the All-Star. These events may also prompt the closure of some event venues within the Theme Parks, such as Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.  

February 2026

EPCOT International Festival of Arts continues until the 23rd.

NEW Disney After Hours Events: Magic Kingdom February 2nd, 9th & 23rd, DHS 4th, 11th, 21st & 25th and EPCOT 19th. Check the MDE app for details.  

NEW Disney Extended Evening Hours (for Deluxe Resort Guests): Magic Kingdom 4th, 18th & 25th and EPCOT 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd.  

President’s Weekend, 13th – 16th February: traditionally the start of spring break season. Expect all the Theme Parks and resorts to be busier over this weekend.

26th – 2nd March Disney Princess Half Marathon: this event brings together women of all ages to participate in different events inspired by the Disney Princesses. Events typically include a half marathon, a 10k, a 5k and a three-day runDisney Health and Fitness Expo and take place across EPCOT, Magic Kingdom and the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. Resorts and the Parks will be busier as a result.

March 2026

2nd March End of Princess Marathon (see February for details).

NEW Disney After Hours Events: Magic Kingdom March 2nd & 9th and EPCOT 5th & 12th. Check the MDE app for details.   

NEW Disney Extended Evening Hours (for Deluxe Resort Guests): Every Wednesday at Magic Kingdom 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th, and every Monday at EPCOT 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th. 

March 4th – June 1st EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival: Walt Disney World’s most beautiful annual event. Over 30 million blooms transform EPCOT into a kaleidoscope of colour and there are workshops with gardening experts and interactive garden activities for children. Other highlights include Marketplace food kiosks and the Garden Rocks Concerts, which take place in the American Gardens Theatre. These concerts are included with EPCOT admission. Check the MDE App for performance details.

17th March St Patrick’s Day: celebrations take place over multiple weekends at Disney Springs.

Mid-March – Mid-April is Spring Break time! This is when US public schools have Spring Break and Easter holidays. This is always a peak time of year at WDW!

Likewise, UK schools will be having their long Easter holiday, so this is a popular time for families from the UK to visit WDW. 

Over the next few pages, you will find your Fabulous Park Day Guides for each of the WDW Theme Parks.

Each Guide has been tailored to make the most of your time and includes a map showing an efficient route that takes in the attractions most popular with this age group (and their parents!), useful descriptions, fun things to look out for along the way and hints and tips for each Park.

We’ve detailed the most useful Lightning Lane Passes to get (if you need them). There are suggestions for Snacks, Quick-Serve and Table-Service restaurants to try and, if the Park has fireworks, how best to view them.

Print and complete the Minnie Guides to take with you to the Parks, or fill them in and take a photo on your phone. We also recommend taking screenshots of particularly relevant sections of the Guides, such as ride descriptions, for easy reference while in the Parks. This way, you won’t have to log on to the website while you’re there.