It’s Disney World, Revel In It.

My sister turned 21 earlier this week and wanted to celebrate it at Disney World; a great plan but I’ll admit, I’m biased. I love the place. I’ve been coming to Disney World with family and friends since I was 5 years old and I think I appreciate it even more than I did as a kid. All the love goes to my parents for introducing me to somewhere that is now one of my top 10 favorite places in the U.S. 

If there’s one thing I like about Disney, it’s the attention to detail. You can tell that each park results from a carefully thought-out plan to make you feel as if you stepped into another world, and I’m absolutely here for it.

For my sister’s birthday, we visited the home of Cinderella and all her other make-believe friends – Magic Kingdom. 

Speaking of Cinderella, her castle is easily my favorite thing at Magic Kingdom. Can I move in there? I wonder what the rent is like, and if I’d get a live-in fairy godmother. I have my dresses packed.

At 9 pm, almost everyone gathers on Main Street for the Happily Ever After fireworks show. One word for this 18-minute piece: spectacular. The castle walls displayed projected scenes from Disney movies, and their soundtracks played alongside. My siblings and I spent the entire show singing and guessing which movies were playing.

It was the highlight of this Magic Kingdom experience for me. Have any of you seen it?

My family and I had a fantastic time at the park despite weather problems (it rained), and here’s how you can too!

It’s Disney World, Revel in It.

1. Hydrate – There are misting stations and fans all over the parks to prevent casualties from heat -welcome to Florida- but you should still drink water. Don’t wait till you feel thirsty to drink too. Take a bottle with you to refill at the fountains or buy water from the many kiosks littered around the park.

2. Eat beforehand – Food can get expensive at Disney World, so unless you’re sampling items from different countries at EPCOT, or you really want the turkey legs the park is famous for, eat before you get there. Alternatively, I suggest having a budget for food (~$50-$60 for the day).3. Book your tickets and get Lightning Lane – Purchase your park tickets through the Disney App (My Disney Experience), and purchase Genie+. Genie+ lets you take advantage of Lightning Lane to significantly reduce wait times for rides. 4. Don’t fret too much about rain – It’s likely to stop just as quickly as it started. The one issue with rain is that all the outdoor rides are temporarily closed for “weather”. So you may have to wait longer to enjoy a specific ride. 5. Visit the parks EARLY (and wear comfortable shoes) – During peak periods, wait times for rides can be up to 2hrs long. If you think that’s not worth it for any ride, I’m right there with you. So if you can, try to visit the park as close to when it opens as possible. Some people won’t come out of their hotels till later in the day, especially families with kids, which is pretty much everybody. You’ll also want to wear your most comfortable shoes; there will be a lot of walking.6. Plan your visit around Disney’s fare calendar – In the “My Disney Experience App”, under “Tickets and Passes” you’ll be able to view a fare calendar and compare ticket prices on different days. For example, in August, 1-day tickets range from $109 to $149. For Florida Residents: Be careful when you purchase tickets at reduced fares. These tickets have blackout days, meaning there are specific days in the summer when you cannot use tickets purchased as a Florida resident. I learned this the hard way.

7. See all the parks or just one – Disney’s Park Hopper option allows you to visit more than one park on a single ticket. It is more expensive than a single ticket option but it’s good value for your money. If you’re not about the multi-park life, look on Disney’s website for each park’s details and choose which one you’d like to visit.

8. The “My Disney Experience” app is essential – Download this before you visit the park(s), and use it throughout your stay. There is Wi-Fi in the parks as well, so don’t worry if you don’t have data or your data is slow. You can use the app to book and view your tickets, access a map of the park, join virtual queues for rides, place mobile food orders, view photos from your ride experience, and so much more.

9. Go with a friend or friends, or make new ones – It’s just more fun when you’re with someone – see what I did there? I’m lame, ignore me and keep reading. Haha.

10. Enjoy it. I mean really enjoy it – You’re already there, you might as well lean into the fun, whimsical world that is Disney. Is it bold of me to say you won’t regret it?

Have any of you been to Disney World or any of the Disney parks around the world? What are some of your tips for a hassle-free trip? If you haven’t been, would you like to visit?

This post was originally published on August 18, 2017, and updated on August 4, 2023 to provide more accurate info about visiting Disney World.

As always,

thank you for reading.

All photos shot and edited on iPhone 6S+

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Same footprints, different sands