PREFACE

How Has Walt Disney World Changed?

The simple answer is, it’s gotten bigger. And they’re still building.

In the 24 years since I first began researching this guide, Disney has added one major park, three minor ones, eight hotels, a cruise line, and more attractions and restaurants than I can count. It was once possible for a fleet-footed and well-prepared family to see most of Walt Disney World during a four-day stay. But that’s no longer true. As the Disney complex expands, it’s more vital than ever that you target what you want to see, work these priorities into your schedule, and then relax. Anything beyond that is pure gravy.

Sometimes I’m asked if the prevalence of travel guides makes them less useful to their readers. After all, if everyone knows about a “secret tip,” is it still a secret?

Good question, but even with all those books on the market, a relatively small number of WDW visitors actually make advance preparations. Most people still show up late and wander around aimlessly, so anyone with any sort of touring plan at all is automatically a step ahead of the crowd.

It’s tempting to treat Orlando as if it were a kiddie version of Las Vegas—you go there to play the numbers, and a family that hits 24 attractions in a day must, by definition, be having twice as much fun as a family that sees 12. Not so. You’ll find a lot of crying kids and exasperated parents by mid-afternoon, largely because everyone is frantic with the idea that this trip is so expensive they darn well better squeeze the most out of every minute. Actually, the most successful touring plans boil down to a few simple guidelines:

  1. Plan your trip for those times of year when the parks are less crowded. When people write to me about having had bad experiences at Disney World, it seems that about 90% of the disasters happen either over spring break or in July.
  2. Buy tickets and arrange all hotel and dining reservations well in advance. Every phone call you make from home is a line you won’t have to stand in later.
  3. Read up on attractions and let each family member choose three or four must-see attractions per park. An amazing number of parents plan this trip for their kids without really consulting them about what they’d most like to do.
  4. Accept your differences and be willing to split up occasionally. Forcing a sullen 13-year-old onto “it’s a small world” or strapping a terrified 5-year-old into Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in the interest of family togetherness will guarantee at least one tantrum per hour.
  5. Arrive at the parks early, rest in the afternoon, and return to the parks at night. Walt Disney World can be very tiring and regular rest stops are key.

Those five tips are always in fashion, but in the past three years there have been five other changes worth noting:

  1. The popularity of the Disney Dining Plan has changed the face of Disney restaurants—even for families who don’t opt to purchase the plan. The reason? Families who once would never have considered herding the kids into top on-site restaurants are now deciding it’s cost-effective to give fine dining a try. So suddenly you’re seeing even toddlers in restaurants like the Brown Derby, Citricos, Flying Fish, or California Grill. Although they’re still great places to eat, the Dining Plan is indirectly taking a little of the adult feel and glamour out of these top restaurants. And the fact that so many more visitors are vying for seats inside the restaurants means that making reservations before you leave home is more important than ever. I’ve gotten tons of mail from families who waited until they got to Orlando to make dining reservations and found themselves closed out of the restaurants they most wanted to visit.
  2. Similarly, the introduction of more preplanning tools, such the app called “My Disney Experience,” means that families willing to arrange not just dining reservations but even to reserve Fastpasses in advance will get a bigger-than-ever jump on families who just show up and “wing it.” In some ways it’s regrettable that you can no longer approach a vacation in a spontaneous fashion, but in other ways it means that guests who are willing to plan—including you, we presume, since you’re reading this book—will have a wider array of options for customizing and streamlining their Disney visit.
  3. Spring and fall are becoming slightly more crowded, especially during the two weeks flanking Easter and the fall weekends in which the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween parties are offered. Disney has figured out that festivals and parties scattered throughout the year are a great way to tempt people to vacation at times when they would normally stay home and has been adding these special events at a steady clip. Bottom line? The off-season is still a better choice than visiting in summer or at Christmas, but be aware that it’s not quite as “off” as it used to be.
  4. Princess power continues to reign supreme. The character breakfasts have always been popular, but those featuring the princess characters are so hot that they require more planning than a NASA launch. Little girls can also get styled like their favorite princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiques, and you see more little girls than ever walking around the parks in full princess regalia. (Even more tiaras and wands will come into the mix when Princess Fairytale Hall opens in late 2013 or early 2014.) There’s some effort to counterbalance this girl-power invasion with activities that boys will enjoy, such as the Jedi Training Academy at Hollywood, the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise that leaves from the Contemporary Resort, the Pirates League, and Captain Jack’s Pirate Tutorial at Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. But for now, at least, the prevalence of the princesses is undeniable and most little girls come under its spell. Bring costumes from home if you have them. If not, prepare to purchase.
  5. And the big trend in attractions is toward more interactive experiences. In existing attractions, more and more queues have games and entertainment to help you pass the time. And, based on the popularity of shows such as the Jedi Training Academy at Hollywood Studios and Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure at Epcot, Disney is introducing participation-oriented activities geared towards kids in every park. New offerings include the Wilderness Explorer in the Animal Kingdom and A Pirate’s Adventure in the Magic Kingdom. Rather than merely riding a ride or sitting passively in a show, these activities get kids up and moving, thinking, solving a puzzle, or mastering a skill.

What hasn’t changed in 23 years is my belief that Walt Disney World is the best family travel destination on the planet. There’s truly something for everyone within these gates, and the spectacular, awe-inspiring rides are juxtaposed with sweet, small moments of joy. As one father shared: “My best-of-all moment was my 23-month-old daughter standing on the seat of Disney’s Magical Express as we entered the gates of Walt Disney World yelling ‘Mickey … don’t worry … I coming!’ That made it worth all the trouble and expense before we’d even arrived.”

Throughout this book I’ve included such comments as the one above from Disney visitors who’ve written to me to share their best tales, tips, and “never again” stories. I’d love to hear how your trip went and any feedback you have about this book. If you’d like to share your travel experiences with me, please take a few minutes to respond to my survey online at www.fodors.com/disneysurvey, email me at kwwiley@fodors.com, or write to me at Fodor’s, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Thanks for your time, and have a great trip!

—Kim