Time-Saving Secrets for Walt Disney World: Maximize Your Magic Without Breaking the Bank

Time-Saving Secrets for Walt Disney World: Maximize Your Magic Without Breaking the Bank

Episode Description
Learn insider tips and strategies to make the most of your time at Walt Disney World! Travel advisors Ryan and Julie share both free and paid options to minimize wait times and maximize magical moments. From early park entry to VIP tours, discover how to optimize your Disney vacation experience.

Key Topics Covered:
- **Free Time-Saving Perks**
  - Early Theme Park Entry (30 minutes before opening)
  - Extended Evening Hours for Deluxe Resort guests
  - Strategic use of Disney transportation
  - Best practices for "rope drop" at each park

Rope Drop Recommendations by Park:
- Magic Kingdom: Space Mountain or Peter Pan's Flight
- Epcot: 
  - International Gateway entrance: Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
  - Front entrance: Frozen Ever After
- Hollywood Studios: Slinky Dog Dash or Rise of the Resistance
- Animal Kingdom: Avatar Flight of Passage, followed by Kilimanjaro Safaris

 Paid Time-Saving Options:
1. Lightning Lane system (single pass and multi pass)
2. After Hours events
3. VIP Tours (most expensive option)
   - Up to 10 people
   - Minimum 7 hours
   - Backdoor access to attractions
   - Private transportation between parks

Pro Tips:
- Arrive 45+ minutes before park opening for rope drop
- Consider portable breakfast options to maximize morning park time
- Stay at resorts with multiple transportation options (Skyliner, Monorail, walking paths)

 Featured Location:
Falmouth, Maine - A water lover's paradise in the Portland area

Connect With Us:
- Julie: julie@creatingmagicvacations.com
- Ryan: ryan@creatingmagicvacations.com

*For personalized Disney vacation planning and to make the most of these time-saving strategies, reach out to our expert travel advisors!*

#DisneyWorld #DisneyTips #DisneyPlanning #TravelTips #WaltDisneyWorld #DisneyVacation

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Transcript

Ryan: 0:00

Hello and welcome to all things travel. Planning your trip to Walt Disney world is a big deal. There's so much to consider resorts, dining reservations, lightning lanes. How do you fit it all in? We know you likely won't experience it all, but today we're going to talk about how to maximize your time so you can create the most magic with your family. Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts, Ryan and Julie. I'm your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and she's a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel. Hey, Julie, how you doing?

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 0:56

I'm doing well. How are you, Ryan? It's been a

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 0:58

It has been a while and, and not based on when this comes out, but based on our recording, you are getting ready for your out Lonnie and Disneyland trip. How is the, household, feeling about this big endeavor this next week?

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 1:14

The kids are very excited. Like, can't contain themselves excited. I have not started packing in the least. So I'm kind of freaking out a little bit, but it'll be fine.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 1:27

I think it's going to be great. I think you know what you're doing. I think going to Disneyland, packing wise, is going to feel a lot like Walt Disney World. And I will tell you,

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 1:36

Yeah.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 1:37

people pack too much for Aulani. Remember,

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 1:41

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 1:43

majority of your time is going to be in a swimsuit at the resort. You don't need a lot of clothes.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 1:50

and we have the washer and dryer. Hopefully I can pack light. But remember there's five of us and three of us are tiny humans and they just require a lot of things. So, but anyways, this topic is really fun. We're transitioning from Disneyland back to Walt Disney World for this podcast. You know, planning for Disney is, is, is pretty in depth, right? Like, when we are working with clients, we, work with them to pick the best resort and educate them on landing lanes and talk to them about transportation and so many ways that helps them to make the most of their trip. I know in our agency, we like to use the term, we're like their sidekick, right? making making the best of their trip. We also talk a lot about saving time because Time is

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 2:37

Time is money at Walt Disney. I think time is money for any type of vacation, but definitely at Walt Disney World, the less time you spend waiting in line or using transportation the more experiences you can enjoy. To give you an example, one of the things you always like to say is, staying in those deluxe resorts gives you access to those extra magic hours in the evening. Time is money or money in that sense is time, right? You're paying a little bit extra, but you have. access to these attractions that nobody else does. and there are times with lightning lanes tours character dining meet and greets where spending a little extra money to make sure you have the experience you want does make sense.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 3:22

Absolutely. we are going to get into some perks that are included to help you save time and also some you can add to your trip, to maximize your time. Before we do that, I'm going to do a quick call out to our Facebook page if you haven't gone over and visited yet. Search for All Things Travel Podcast. Make sure you're following us, liking us, and watching out for all our content that comes out throughout the week.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 3:46

let's start with time saving tips that you don't have to pay extra for. And I do think with Disney, there's a lot of things you don't have to pay extra for to have a great time No matter what's available with dining, no matter what's available, as far as lightning lanes go, you're not going to have a terrible vacation. Disney is set up to enjoy yourself they include a lot of free perks that help you have that type of vacation. So all of these perks we're going to talk about right now are things that are included with your Disney package that help you be around fewer crowds and experience lower wait times so you can maximize that time and experience in the parks. And the first is early entry. So every Disney Resort guest can take advantage of entering any theme park 30 minutes earlier than regular opening so that you can get in and at least have one or two experiences before the park even opens. So you want to arrive about 45 minutes prior to the posted opening time so you can make the most of rope drop. I would even say Julie, maybe a little bit earlier than that. If you have a big group or you have some stragglers, right? If you've got

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 5:02

Right.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 5:03

can get in line and stay focused, I think that 45 minutes makes sense because a lot of the parks do open their main drag, even before that half hour time I'm thinking of Hollywood studios. You walk down the main drag. And you can go to the right and head down to Tower of Terror or peel off to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, or you can go to Toy Story Land, or to Mickey and Minnie's. people position themselves for that half hour mark, a half hour doesn't sound like a lot, but it can really make a difference when it comes to Walt Disney World.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 5:37

It does, especially when you think about, there's not a lot of people waiting in line at that point. So if your wait time is five minutes or just walking through the queue and you get 30 minutes of that time, you could easily do three attractions, depending on what your plan is for that day. I do want to elaborate a little bit on rope drop, because this is something that whenever I say the term rope drop, people either know exactly what I'm talking about or look at me. So it's a very disney term, right? rope drop means you are waiting to get into the park before it opens You're there before early entry and you want to have a plan to go directly to an attraction To be one of the first on the ride the term rope drop came from years ago when they would have a physical rope that would be walking you towards the attraction when it was time for it to open. This is just, to me, the really, the best way to save time at Disney without paying any extra money. All you have to do is get up early and make it there on time. And the way that this really helps you save time is that you don't have to wait in that 85 minute, Peter Pan flight line later in the day. You don't have to wait in the, you know, 100 minute slinky dog dash wait time later in the day. You go and you get these big heavy hitter rides out of the way. Maybe you've got the other really headliner attraction on a lightning lane and You've saved so much time already, and that time can be spent just enjoying your family, maybe taking a break at your resort, enjoying some snacks, you know, things like that. Let's run through, the list, of where you go when you rope drop. Ryan, yours might be different, but this is what I typically recommend. So Magic Kingdom, you can either go to Fantasyland or Tomorrowland at Rope Drop. So I say either Space Mountain or Peter Pan's Flight. I don't like Seven Dwarfs because it's always breaking down

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 7:34

you know I was gonna say Seven Dwarfs, but now that you mentioned that, that's happened to me several times. I agree with you. Peter Pan is always up there for me.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 7:43

Because I like the queue at Peter Pan. I really like

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 7:45

Yes, if you're using the lightning lane, you're not seeing that. I agree with this list. I think it's great.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 7:51

Epcot, if you're coming in International Gateway, go to Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. if you're coming in the front entrance, go to Frozen Ever After.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 7:58

with both magic kingdom and Epcot, the reason we did not mention, Tiana's Bayou adventure or guarding to the galaxy is at this time, those are still working off of the either lightning lane system or virtual queue. obviously, when those become standby, they need to be on the list too.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 8:16

So Tron just switched try that, go ahead. But I will tell you that right now, everybody is going to be running there at rope drop. So I would still just get your lightning

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 8:25

I still think That's the best approach.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 8:27

Yeah. That, that line doesn't really move great when you're in the actual line. Okay. So Hollywood studios is one that like, there's, there's so much at Hollywood studios, it's hard to pick. I like to say Slinky Dog Dash because with my luck, the lightning lanes I get for Slinky are always very late in the day, so I prefer to rope drop it. Sometimes I tell people get Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. But also, if you don't want to pay for Rise of the Resistance, go there first. You know, it's really, what's most important

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 8:53

I agree with that list with Hollywood Studios.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 8:55

And Animal Kingdom is obviously Flight of Passage. you can avoid paying for that one

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 9:01

Yes, absolutely. Do that first. But then what I say to folks is go to the safari right after this because the animals are out more in the morning. And so this needs to be a Earlier in the morning activity. So to me, this is usually I ride, fly to passage, and then I head straight over to the safari.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 9:23

Same. Agree. Ryan, tell us about the next perk that's included. You don't have to pay anything extra. Technically.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 9:31

I alluded to this earlier and I love this perk and have used it quite a bit. And my clients have as well. This is the extended evening hours. So it's not entirely free because it does apply to guests that are staying at the deluxe Disney resorts. So as a deluxe Disney resort guest, you can enjoy extended evening hours that occur on select nights at select parks. And I've done this. At multiple parks on my last trip, my kids and I were staying at Boardwalk, which is a deluxe resort. we had extended magic hours at Magic Kingdom. we stayed for the fireworks and then we stayed and played as long as we could because There was a big rainstorm like all week, and it was literally downpouring, which was kind of fun, to be in the parks and have that adventure, I've done this multiple times. You and I were together doing this in January. These please take advantage of these. if it fits where you're staying in your family situation

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 10:28

Yeah. And again, going to these extended evening hours, the only guests that can be there are guests staying at Deluxe Resorts. So the crowds are so much lower that you don't, you could spend more time at your resort during the day and spend more time relaxing during the day. You don't have to wait in those very long lines during the day because you can enjoy the attraction at night with a low wait

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 10:51

these are usually two hours in length and it's best to use them at magic kingdom, because that's where the most things are. from my experience, We did end up getting an extended evening hour virtual queue for Tron, but that line was so long we would have waited almost our entire two hours for just that ride. So we opted to move on to other things.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 11:15

Yeah. I feel like that was probably good

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 11:17

we had ridden it before, so they weren't feeling like they had to ride it again necessarily, at least on this trip.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 11:24

Oh, good. I feel like at Magic Kingdom, you could pretty much ride almost every ride in those two hours

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 11:30

the first time I did this, we were in Magic Kingdom and we rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train I looked at my watch when we walked in the queue and six minutes later I was off the ride.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 11:45

Dang,

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 11:45

it was literally just walked right on. I could have walked right on as much as I wanted.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 11:51

it's so crazy how different it is during those hours than it is during the day.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 11:55

this next one, Julie is a tide maximizer. overall it is, but sometimes I've been bitten by the schedule of this, talk about this next one.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 12:04

I agree. So, Disney transportation. every Disney resort has Disney transportation that goes to all the parks and Disney Springs. I say that this can be a time saver because if you're staying at deluxe resorts or, even a couple of the moderate and values that have that additional transportation option, you can really save time getting to and from

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 12:28

Thank you, Skyliner.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 12:29

So the Skyliner resorts, which are value resorts and moderate resorts, can get you to Epcot and Hollywood Studios in about 10 minutes. You might have a little wait in line, but once you're on the Skyliner, you go. Monorail resorts will get you to Magic Kingdom in less than 10 minutes easily. Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk, and Contemporary, all allow you to walk to a park quickly. if you come out of the Magic Kingdom after fireworks in the evening, you're going to be waiting in a long line for a bus.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 13:00

and I will say, coming out and getting on the Skyliner, the line is super long, but always keep in mind that line is continuously moving.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 13:09

Yeah, it's a little different with the monorail because you have to wait for the next line. I do feel like the Skyliner boards a lot quicker, but either way, it's still going to be a time saver than waiting for the buses.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 13:21

for me, Julie, my favorite place to stay is the Epcot Resorts because I can control my transportation, I can walk in the morning, we usually walk to Hollywood Studios or Epcot and then the afternoon when we're tired then we'll do the Skyliner a bus to another park or we'll do, the boat, but I can really control. Hey, I want to get there. I don't have to wait for a boat. I don't have to do this. That'd be the other thing.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 13:49

Have you stayed at the Contemporary yet?

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 13:51

I have stayed at the contemporary, but it's been super long ago.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 13:55

Okay, so that's where we'll be for our Agentpalooza conference in January and we'll be able to walk right over to Magic Kingdom, maybe you'll get a good comparison

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 14:04

before we talk about some add ons that will help you maximize your time, Julie, we're going to talk about where in the world is all things travel. Falmouth, Maine. and it's a northern suburb of Portland, and It is known for the water. So when I'm looking at things to do in Falmouth, I'm looking at fishing. sailing. I'm looking at a guided cover bridge kayak tour. I'm looking at exploring different islands. This is a water and nature lovers dream. And so That's what I want to do with my, listener and Falmouth come up there. I'm going to eat some lobster. enjoy the Rocky beach and I'm going to get on the water in some way.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 14:51

Yeah, that sounds

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 14:52

Hey, thank you so much Falmouth for being a listener. Do us a favor, reach out to Julie or myself. via email or on the Facebook page. I've got a nice little thank you gift for being on the show today.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 15:05

Okay, so, as for most travel destinations, the more you pay, the better. the more perks you get and Walt Disney is not excluded from that. So there are a couple experiences at Walt Disney World that you can pay extra for and these will really maximize your time and reduce your time waiting in line and you know all those great things that allow you to have more experiences.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 15:29

the most complicated one is the lightning lane, single pass and multi pass system. It feels a lot like genie plus in the sense that once you start playing around with it, it is very intuitive. It's just hard

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 15:45

It is,

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 15:47

kind of explain it without you seeing it. So it's not very podcast friendly, I guess. So we're not going to dive into the specifics, but you should know the main thing that's going on here. That's different than before. Is you can pre purchase lightning lanes with attraction reservations prior to your trip. So when you do this, you'll reserve that one hour time window to enter that attraction. And you can either do a single pass for one of the, I call them heavy hitters, right? The ones that Disney pays for a la carte. Or you could do the multi pass for multiple ones throughout the day. Pricing is variable. And if you want more information on how to make the most of this system, we've got tips and are happy to share those with you. So reach out to us separately or comment on our Facebook page, and we will point you in the right direction.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 16:40

So the lightning lanes are going to help you save just so much time skipping the crazy.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 16:46

when you're using Lightning Lane. I have clients that will go and say, you know, I'm just going to see what happens. I'm going to take my day as I take it. And I don't have anything I have to do. I just want to be there and experience it. Save yourself some money, save yourself some headache and just enjoy the parks. There's nothing wrong with that.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 17:05

not at

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 17:06

tell people, I, I'm thinking of a family That's going to Disney for their first time. the parents are like, we don't want to use this time to wait in lines with our little kiddo. Like we're willing to pay in order to, to have the, the expedited wait time. I think they're smart for doing that because you don't want the memory of Disney to be standing in the hot lines. Right.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 17:31

Absolutely not. So the next time saver that we're going to talk about is probably one of the more expensive ones. There is one more most expensive one after this, but this one is the after hours events. Disney after hours events are paid for events and they occur after the park closes. So it's a separate ticketed event. You can't use your regular park ticket to go. These are different than the extended evening hours. The price for these can be hefty. It's usually like a 3 ish hour time frame, 3 or 4 hour time frame. So we can really add up and. costs, especially if you're a larger family. But because of that higher cost, the crowds are very, very low. Plus you get some snacks and beverages included. So if you think you might want to add something like that onto your next trip, reach out to us. Disney rotates throughout the year, which parks offer after hours events. And they did just release the schedule for 2025. if you want to add that on, let us know and we can start working on it. Ryan, do you know what I'm thinking of that is the most expensive way to save time Disney?

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 18:36

I do. I was thinking of the ABD, Parks Around the World trip, but you're probably going to talk about something a little more manageable.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 18:45

Slightly more manageable, maybe. Yeah, so VIP tours are an option at Disneyland, Disney World, pretty much anything, but at Walt Disney World you can do a VIP tour where you will get a personalized tour guide for the day. You want to book these in advance. You can have up to 10 people in your group. There's a minimum of 7 hours, but the really awesome thing is once you pay for those 7 hours, you get that tour guide and they take you back door to all the attractions that you want to do. You don't need to book lightning lanes. You don't need to reserve anything, nothing like that. They just walk you around the park. You get your own transportation to go between the parks. You basically get to do whatever you want to do. It's a hefty price tag. But if it's something you're interested in, we can certainly talk to you about adding that onto a trip for you. Just wanted to throw it out there option if you are looking to save

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 19:36

I think it has to be on this list. And I've certainly had clients who have benefited from it. And, once they do it, they're like, this is how we want to do it. Cause it is the way to maximize your time at Disney.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 19:48

I know I had some clients do it a couple of years ago, and I want to say they rode upwards of 30 rides in a day. Just crazy,

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 19:56

All right, so as we wrap up here, Julie, what is a time saving option either on the list or things we haven't talked about that you really try to either use personally or talk to your clients about?

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 20:10

For me, it's always that early entry and rope drop, especially with little kids. Kids do the best in the morning, usually. So for me, it's just getting out to the parks as early as we can and taking advantage of that

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 20:22

it's the same for me. I will extend it a little bit. So my time saving tip is have a portable breakfast. So have something where you can just grab it, take it with you so that you're not having to eat right when you get to the park. it's kind of like have a breakfast snack to get you in the parks and then a couple hours later, have a morning snack I don't like taking time first thing in the morning because I am a rope drop person. I would rather get stuff done early and then go back to the pool than take extra time in the morning and stay later.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 20:55

right. Especially, even trying to go to the quick service at your resort can be hectic and a lot going on, and then you're already exhausted

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 21:02

So my kids know when we go to Disney, I'm either going to Instacart stuff or the boxes of granola bars and apples and all that stuff is going to start showing up in the suitcase.

julieeeeee_1_09-22-2024_201219: 21:13

Yep, I do that, or I tell people, go grab some muffins from the quick service the night before. you want to plan a trip to an amazing destination like Walt Disney World, but don't know how to get started? As your travel advisors, we will work with you to create a customized itinerary for your vacation and take the stress of planning away so you can focus on the fun and creating memories. You can reach me at Julie at creatingmagicvacations.

ryan_1_09-22-2024_201219: 21:37

and you can reach out to me at Ryan at creating magic vacations calm look forward to talking to you next week on all things travel when we give you some tips on how to plan your trip to Europe.