Florida residents who live near Walt Disney World quickly learn special strategies and tips to maximize their experience. You can make the most of your trip to Disney, armed with a few helpful tips and make your Disney vacation even more enjoyable. You'll make every part of your trip go more smoothly, from driving to the theme parks to getting in, dining, managing ride lines and even seeing the fireworks.
If you are staying at a hotel on Highway 192, you can avoid traffic by taking Black Lake Road or Sherberth Road onto Disney property. If you are on the west end of 192 and heading east, you can turn left onto Black Lake Road and then left onto Sherberth Road. If you are farther east on Highway 192, you can turn directly onto Sherberth Road. This will take you to Osceola Parkway, near the Animal Kingdom theme park. If you turn right onto Osceola Parkway, you will see signs guiding you to all the theme parks.
If there are lines at the entry turnstiles and everyone in your party has a purse, backpack or bag, have one person give his items to another member of your party. This will allow her to go through the "no bag" entry, which rarely has a line, while the rest of the party waits to go through the bag check. That person can get into a turnstile line, and everyone else can join her once they make it through the checkpoint.
Check the turnstile lines on the far right and far left before choosing one. Often the middle lines will be long, while the others will be significantly shorter.
When you get a FastPass, it gives you a specific hour during which you are supposed to return to the ride. Florida residents know that Disney World rarely enforces this. You can never use a FastPass early, but you can almost always use it after the specified time, as long as you use it on the same day it was issued. This will give you more flexibility with your scheduling.
If you do not want to use an admission ticket to go into the Magic Kingdom to see the fireworks, you can see them from the Grand Floridian's dock, the Contemporary's fourth floor observation area or the Polynesian's beach. Anyone can visit these three hotels and view the fireworks.
Have your large meal at lunch rather than dinner time. Lunch menu prices are cheaper, and lunch is often served until 3 p.m. at the Disney restaurants, allowing you to have an early dinner at a discounted price.
If you dine at a counter service location, check the lines at the far ends of the restaurant. Like the theme park entrances, the middle dining lines are often long while the ends are much shorter. Also note that many counter service restaurants have a line on both sides of each cash register. People may not notice this and line up on one side, so you can minimize your wait by going to the other.
