frequently asked questions

When is the best time to go to Disney World?

What are Magic Bands, and should I get one?

What should I budget for, other than my package?

Which is the best park for little kids?

What do I do if my child isn't tall enough to ride?

Can I rent a stroller?

Do I need a Park Hopper ticket?

Can you help with airport transportation?

What kind of transportation is offered?

Does Disney allow payment plans?

Can I bring my own food?

What should I bring into the parks?

Which hotel should I choose?

Why should I stay on Disney property?

Why should I stay on Disney property?

There are lots of great benefits to staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel during your Disney World vacation. Some of these benefits include:
  • Early theme park entry: Enter into the parks 30 minutes before the park opens
  • Free transportation around property: Disney World offers multiple transportation options all for free--buses, boats, the Monorail, and the Skyliner.
  • Free parking at your hotel
  • Get first access to Individual Lightning Lanes, Boarding Groups, and dining reservations
  • Complimentary Magical Extras: See my a full list here.

Which hotel should I choose?

This is where using a Disney travel planner comes in handy! I can help you decide which hotel is best for your family's needs and budget. See my full breakdown of the different types of resort hotels here.

What should I bring into the parks

I recommend to pack your necessities in the lightest way possible (easier said that done, I know!) My recommendations for park bag essentials include:
  • A neck fan
  • A cooling towel
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Sunscreen
  • Band-aids
  • Reusable straws (if paper straws bother you)
  • Rain ponchos
  • Portable phone charger
  • Water bottle

See my What's in my Park Bag Amazon Storefront for my fave products.

Can I bring my own food?

Yes! Many guests do not know that Disney World allows you to bring your own food and drinks in the parks. This is a great way to save money during your vacation.
There are only a few stipulations:
  • Your cooler/lunchbox  cannot exceed 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high
  • You cannot bring dry/loose ice; use ice packs to keep cold items instead
  • You cannot bring alcohol into the parks
  • You cannot package food in glass containers

Does Disney allow payment plans?

Yes! When booking a Disney World vacation package, you only need to put down $200 to secure your dates, hotel, and tickets. The rest can be paid however you would like to, as long as the balance is paid in full 30 days before your check-in date.

What kind of transportation is offered?

Disney World has 4 different transportation methods, which are all free to use! The transportation options are:
  • Buses: Available at each resort, park, and Disney Springs
  • The Monorail
  • The Skyliner
  • Boats

Check out the transportation maps

Can you help with airport transportation?

Absolutely! I always include multiple airport transportation options in your Disney World Vacation proposal.

Do I need a Park Hopper ticket?

You can absolutely have a fantastic Disney World vacation without a Park Hopper ticket; however, depending on what all you want to do, a Park Hopper ticket may be necessary. Here's some reasons why you may want a Park Hopper ticket:
  • You want to have the flexibility to go to any other park after 2 PM
  • You have a dining reservation another park
  • You want to see the night time spectacular (fireworks) at a different park

Can I rent a stroller?

Renting strollers is great for those that want to travel lightly! There are a couple different options for stroller rentals:

PARK RENTALS

SCOOTERBUG

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Your stroller cannot exceed 31” (79cm) wide and 52” (132cm) long, and wagons/stroller wagons are not allowed.

You will need to park your stroller before entering attractions. There is usually stroller parking near most entrances.

Bring a stroller cover (or rent one from ScooterBug) to ensure you don't come back to a soggy stroller (yuck!)

Be prepared to collapse your stroller before boarding a Disney bus or boat. You can usually keep it upright in the Monorail and Skyliner.

Bring something, like a ribbon or sign, to distinguish your stroller from a sea of black strollers

Can I rent a stroller?

Renting strollers is great for those that want to travel lightly! There are a couple different options for stroller rentals:

PARK RENTALS

SCOOTERBUG

You can rent strollers directly in the parks. These come in both a single and double stroller option and can carry up to 100 pounds. You can rent them for the entire day, but you cannot take them out of the park. They don’t have a ton of storage— just some storage pockets on the back. 

Read more about renting strollers in the park here.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Your stroller cannot exceed 31” (79cm) wide and 52” (132cm) long, and wagons/stroller wagons are not allowed.

You will need to park your stroller before entering attractions. There is usually stroller parking near most entrances.

Bring a stroller cover (or rent one from ScooterBug) to ensure you don't come back to a soggy stroller (yuck!)

Be prepared to collapse your stroller before boarding a Disney bus or boat. You can usually keep it upright in the Monorail and Skyliner.

Bring something, like a ribbon or sign, to distinguish your stroller from a sea of black strollers

Can I rent a stroller?

Renting strollers is great for those that want to travel lightly! There are a couple different options for stroller rentals:

PARK RENTALS

SCOOTERBUG

The next option is to rent from a stroller rental company. My personal recommendation is Scooter Bug rentals. They do have a partnership with Disney, so they will actually deliver and pick up the stroller at your Disney World hotel, which is super convenient. They also have tons of different stroller options, and pricing varies on whichever option you rent. 

I can take care of booking these stroller rentals for you.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Your stroller cannot exceed 31” (79cm) wide and 52” (132cm) long, and wagons/stroller wagons are not allowed.

You will need to park your stroller before entering attractions. There is usually stroller parking near most entrances.

Bring a stroller cover (or rent one from ScooterBug) to ensure you don't come back to a soggy stroller (yuck!)

Be prepared to collapse your stroller before boarding a Disney bus or boat. You can usually keep it upright in the Monorail and Skyliner.

Bring something, like a ribbon or sign, to distinguish your stroller from a sea of black strollers

What do I do if my child isn't tall enough to ride?

If your child is not tall enough to ride an attraction that you want to ride, Disney has a FREE program, called Rider Switch, available to use.  Here's how it works:

  1. Go to the front of the attraction with the entire party (including the ones that can't ride)
  2. Determine with your party who will be riding during the first round and who will be riding in the 2nd round
  3. The Cast Member at the attraction will scan the ticket or Magic Band of the non-riding adult and issue a Ride Switch entitlement.
  4. The first round of riders will enter the attraction through the Lightning Lane to ride, while the non-riders wait outside of the attraction
  5. Now, the riders switch (get it?) The adult that just rode will stay behind with the non-riders, while the adult that didn't ride in the first round (and another rider) enter in through the Lightning Lane to ride the attraction.

Which is the best park for little kids?

Walt Disney created Disneyland (and later Disney World) to be a place where parents and kids could have fun together. Therefore, there is so much for kids to do at each Disney World park!

  • Magic Kingdom is the park with the most attractions without a height restriction
  • Epcot is the park withe most character meet and greets
  • Hollywood Studios is home to Toy Story Land and attractions like Disney Junior Dance Party
  • Animal Kingdom is great for kids that love animals. I personally recommend visiting the Affection Station, which is the Disney version of a petting zoo.
Each of my clients receive a guide to visiting each park with littles.

What should I budget for, other than my package?

Your park tickets and your hotel are just a portion of your overall Disney World budget. Here are some items that you may want to think about when creating your ideal Disney budget:
  • Food: Assuming you do not purchase a dining plan (coming Jan 2024), a family of 4 can expect to pay around $200-$300 per day on food
  • Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes: Prices vary for these per day, park, and attraction, with the minimum being around $15 per person per day, and the highest being $30 per person per day. If waiting in lines is not your thing, then you will want to budget for paying for these each park day.
  • Transportation: While all Disney transportation is free (yay!), you may want to take a ride share, like a Minnie Van, or Uber/Lyft to get around property, as Disney transportation is notoriously slow. 
  • Souvenirs: Pin trading, bubble wands, and t-shirts oh my! Disney strategically places gift shops at the exits of most attractions (I see what you did there, Walt), so you have plenty of opportunities to buy your Disney memorabilia.

What are Magic Bands, and should I get one?

Magic Bands are the Disney-branded plastic bands that have a RFID chip in the center. This chip connects to the Disney system, and is scanned to mainly get into the park and into Lightning Lanes. You can also use them to make payments, get into your Disney World Resort Hotel room, and interact with the night time spectaculars.
Now that Magic Bands are no longer free for guests staying on property, I personally believe that you do not need Magic Bands for your Disney World vacation. While, it does make things easier, there are other free options that you can utilize with the same basic functions:
  1. Use your ticket card to enter into the park and Lightning Lanes
  2. Use Magic Mobile on your phone and/or smart watch to enter into the park and Lightning Lanes

When is the best time to go to Disney World?

Deciding when is the best time for your family depends on several different factors. See my list here.