Downtown Disney Tips

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a college student who wanted to go play for a semester. That college student was very fortunate to get to go play at Disney World for an entire semester as she participated in Disney's College Program. It was a chance to get paid a WHOPPING $5.35 per hour while paying $65 per week for rent at a Disney-owned condo and if you haven't figured it out by now, I do believe I'm still paying on the credit card debt from that little excursion.

It was worth it, though.

I got to attend classes at Disney University as I worked at Disney's highest volume store--Mickey's Character Shop. Now that same store exists in the wondrous place called Downtown Disney and is called World of Disney.

Which is all to say, I love Downtown Disney. It feels like home to me.

In short, Downtown Disney is a bunch of stores and restaurants and entertainment attractions located together, outside of the parks. It's free to go there (even the parking is free) and it's a great place to spend a few hours if you're doing the Disney vacation thing.

Here's some things worth knowing:

DD Tip #1: Parking tends to be much tighter at one end than the other. Look for the giant white tent (Cirque du Soleil) and park near-ish it for your best chance at a decent spot.

DD Tip #2: There is a (free) water taxi that stops along three points of Downtown Disney. In other words, no, you don't HAVE to walk the entire length of the place.

DD Tip #3: There isn't a single bad restaurant in the place. Not. A. One.

WAIT. I take that back. I love the Rainforest Cafe for everything except food. The food there blows.

Anyway, if you're trying to eat at Downtown Disney, make sure to get your reservation or seat before Cirque du Soleil lets out. Wait times can triple once that show is finished.

DD Tip #4: It is far less crowded in the morning than it is the evening.

DD Tip #5: If you can buy it in a Disney park, there's a good chance you can buy it at Downtown Disney. The exception is that you won't find things that are very specific to an attraction there (e.g. an Indiana Jones hat, a Splash Mountain t-shirt, etc.).  You will find hard-to-find things there, though. Team Mickey Athletic Club, for example, has lots of Disney-themed sports items that I don't often see anywhere else.

DD Tip #6: The World of Disney is the most ginormous Disney store in all the land. It's so ginormous that it's pretty much overwhelming, but you can find every little souvenir your heart desires there. It's a good idea to pick out a meet-up location in case your group gets separated. Under the spitting Stitch is my favorite.

DD Tip #7: Disney's Days of Christmas was built for me. Don't try to tell me it wasn't. It's where you can buy pretty much every Disney Christmas ornament under the sun. Personalization is also available, but be aware that sometimes items aren't ready until the next day. Plan accordingly.

DD Tip #8: There are plenty of entertainment options at Downtown Disney. Each will cost you some cash, though. There's Cirque du Soleil (we haven't seen it), Disney Quest (we've never done it), a movie theater (LOVE it, but we don't really go to Orlando to watch movies), and this thing:

The weather and various mood finally came together this year so I could ride Characters in Flight. It was less expensive than a typical hot air balloon ride because it didn't go anywhere. Just straight up and back down again. Still, I thought it was pretty fun and worth it for the view.

DD Tip #9: The Ghiradelli shop hands out free samples. You're welcome.

DD Tip #10: There is a fun little magical fountain next to Once Upon a Toy that can keep a hot kid busy for a long time. Extra clothes are a must. When you're done there, go into the Lego store and you won't see your kid for quite a while, even without spending a penny.

If there is anything you want to add, y'all know what to do!

Magic Kingdom Tips

Disney's Magical Kingdom is "Disney World." That's to say, when you think of Disney World, nearly every image that comes to mind can be found there. It's Mickey's playground, Cinderella's kingdom, and the place where magic happens every minute. Here are a few things we've figured out over the years:

MK Tip #1: Take. Your. Time. It is physically impossible to do absolutely everything in this park in one or even two days. Review a map, do a little research, figure out what your Must Do things are. Work around those Must Do things and have fun filling in the gaps. Just remember, you can't do it all, so make sure to enjoy what you do manage to do.

MK Tip #2: The Ticket and Transportation Center is your friend. It's where you'll park if you drive to the Magic Kingdom and it'll be where your bus goes if that's you mode of transportation. From the TTC, you'll either ride a boat or a monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. Truly, seriously, honestly neither way is faster than the other. Sometimes you'll time a boat ride just ride and happen to beat the monorail, and sometimes vice versa, but it really doesn't matter, so don't stress over it. Personally I prefer the boat because of the view as you cross the lake, but the monorail has fun views of a couple of resorts. (P.S. The least horrendous coffee I could find was at the little shop near the entrance to the boat. The Iced Vanilla Coffee was actually almost good.)

MK Tip #3: If you get to the park in the morning, go all the way down Main Street and turn left. The crowds tend to linger on Main Street and then turn right, so by going the opposite way, you'll enjoy some semi-peaceful time. We have managed to walk right on Aladdin's Magic Carpets several times by going that way.

MK Tip #4: Figure out what Fast Passes you want. For us, it's Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It's pretty easy to structure your day around Fast Passes, and it will save you a ton of time standing in line if you do.

MK Tip #5: If your kid is scared of the dark and/or loud noises, skip Stitch's Great Escape. I'm thinking Alexis will be grown-up enough to do it when she's about 30 years old because ZOMG would it ever freak her out. It's pretty intense and in my opinion, it's better to err on the skip it side than it is to traumatize your kid for a few hours.

MK Tip #6: Funnel Cake. Liberty Square near the Hall of Presidents. Strawberries and whip cream. DO IT.

MK Tip #7: Soon there will be Fast Passes available near the entrance of the Magic Kingdom for meeting Mickey and Minnie. When there is, it'll be pretty fantastic. For now, you can find characters in places that are logical. For example, the Winnie the Pooh characters show up outside the The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride.

MK Tip #8: There is currently a spontaneous dance party breaking out in Tomorrowland all through the day. It's a great chance for your kid to get to meet a few characters without having to wait in line. Just follow the music and you'll find it. (P.S. Look around once you find the dance party and you'll see a Meet and Greet area for Buzz Lightyear.)

MK Tip #9: The lines for Peter Pan and Snow White's Scary Adventures are often obnoxious and not worth it. If anyone can explain that whole thing to me, please do!

MK Tip #10: On the flip side, the line for the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh looks obnoxious, but there is a play area all along the line (new within the last year, btw) that makes the wait time seem less painful than it is.

MK Tip #11: Find the schedule for parades and shows. The Celebration parade is absolutely worth seeing if you have short people who like Disney characters. The show that happens in front of Cinderella's castle is perfect for princess lovers. Both have good sight lines, so while it is good to park yourself early for a great seat, it's not really necessary.

MK Tip #12: The lines for rides go down when parades are happening. During the Main Street Electrical parade, most of the park is empty. We rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin literally six times in a row, no waiting at all, during the parade this year. That said, the Main Street Electrical Parade is pretty fantastic, so you should try to see it at least once in your life. I like to grab a funnel cake and watch it from Liberty Square, but Frontier Land is also good (and slightly less crowded than Main Street).

MK Tip #13: Skip shopping while you are at the Magic Kingdom. Unless it's something that is very specific to that park (like a Splash Mountain t-shirt), it's easier to pick up souvenirs at Downtown Disney. I'll post about that magical place soon.

MK Tip #14: If you're hot, Pirates of the Caribbean is a decent place to go stand in line. A lot of the line is indoors and the ride itself is an air conditioned paradise. Another good place for a "rest" is the Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland.

MK Tip #15: Alexis' absolute favorite things in the park are Splash Mountain and Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. She would spend the entire day going back and forth between the two, over and over and over, a problem which was compounded this year when she got to be a part of the Monsters Inc show. She insisted everyone call her "Boo" for the rest of the day. If you can catch the last run of the Monsters Inc show, it's always an extra good one.

 

And, as always, please chime in with anything I might have missed!

A Disney Photography Tip

When at Disney World, look for people dressed like this:

Disney Photographers. They are your friends.

For one thing, they know a lot. Like, they can tell you how to cut across the Magic Kingdom in the middle of a parade without losing your life. They'll know where to find the funnel cake. They can answer many of life's deeper questions.

Mostly, though, they come in really handy when you want a photo. They walk around with crazy camera equipment offering to take photos of people in strategic places all over the parks. When they take your picture with their cameras, the images are linked to a card which they will give you. You can later access the images online and order any prints that you want. That's handy if you forget to charge your camera battery (Not that I've ever done that. Ahem.), don't have a good camera, or just don't want to be bothered with being the photographer.

However, if you do have a camera, any camera at all, and you want to be included in a photo, go find one of the Disney photogs. They will happily take a photo for you using your camera. For free. Totally free, no strings attached. Keep in mind that they aren't going to try to figure out how to use your camera, so you want to make sure it's all set when you hand it to them. Still, it's an easy, stress-free way to make sure you get a few family photos while roaming the House of Mouse.