36 Disney World Hacks That Will Make Your Trip Even More Magical

Disney's dining system is based on Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs). The window for ADRs opens 180 days prior to the beginning of your trip, so if you're going this spring or summer, you may have a hard time getting into the most popular meals (Cinderella's Royal Table, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Akershus breakfast with the princesses), but there's still plenty to eat there even if you can't get ADRs. — Quora user Michael Lee

If you have a Target Red card, go to Target and buy up a bunch of Disney gift cards — you'll get 5 percent off with your Red Card since Target classifies these as entertainment cards, not gift cards. Thus, if you can afford to stock up on Disney gift cards, you can save 5 percent on as much as you'd want. — Quora user Tom Nikl

Disney's resorts come in several tiers/price points, so you can stay there for reasonable prices (Value), decent but not great prices (Moderate), or somewhat obscene prices (Deluxe). It's worth splurging on a nicer hotel if you can afford it, but you'll still get Disney magic at a Value resort!  With small children, you're likely to spend a decent amount of time at the Magic Kingdom, so consider the Polynesian Resort. — Quora user Michael Lee

Any essentials that aren't easy to pack and will cost a fortune on-site? Buy it on Amazon before your trip and ship it to your hotel. It'll all be waiting there for you, without having to lug it through the airport, check a bag, or pay a fortune for it on-site. — Quora user Tom Nikl

Buy The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World . . . The Guide will answer all of your questions about the World. — Quora user Michael Lee

Disney will take your checked bags to your resort for you, and you'll be shuttled there on a comfortably-air conditioned bus. If you arrive during the day, you're likely to experience minimal waiting time for the bus, too. — Quora user Michael Lee

If you're trying to see a specific character, the attendants at information booths have tablets they can use to look up where specific characters will be and when they will be there. — Quora user Ian McCullough

If for whatever reason you need to move down Main Street quickly, you can beat the crowds by going through the shops. This is especially nice when it is raining or extremely hot, as the buildings are air-conditioned. — Quora user Ian Stainbrook

Knowing which rides at each park usually have short waits to get on, and also somewhat lengthy duration are a great way to give you and your feet a break: 
Magic Kingdom: Carousel of Progress, People Mover, 
Epcot: Ellen's Energy Adventure, Living with the Land boat ride,
 Hollywood Studios: Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Lights Camera Action Stunt Show, 
Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Express Train. — Quora user Tom Nikl

Airport rentals are expensive, and you can probably get better rates from the on-site agencies. Renting a car gives you flexibility, and with small children, that's a good thing. — Quora user Michael Lee

Make dining reservations for kind of weird times (early or late lunch, not at noon, for example). You'll be able to eat without waiting (you have a reservation), and you can ride things while everyone else is waiting in long dining lines. — Quora user Tom Nikl

Once you've made a reservation, when you are 60 days away from your first day, you can start making FastPass+ reservations online: Walt Disney World FastPass+.

This is also where your "top list" comes in handy, so you can pick the things that matter most to you, which include character visits which you can get a FP+ for. Also, general tip for FP+: if you can get to the parks when they open (you should!), then avoid making FP+ reservations before 1pm. Ride lines are short up until about noon or 1pm, anyway, so save FP+ for 1pm —7pm which are always ride peak hours. — Quora user Ian McCullough

Florida's hot and humid, so either eat lunch in the park and head out for a nap, or head back to the hotel and find something to eat there. Then hit the pool, relax, and head back to the parks around sunset. You'll be refreshed and ready while you see hundreds of hot, tired families heading for the exits. — Quora user Michael Lee

When you go to the parks, you're not always limited to just the bus system or the monorail. Some resorts have water taxis (boats) that will shuttle you from your hotel to some of the parks or Downtown Disney. — Quora user Tom Nikl

Some of the hotels have the best restaurants and some even have awesome "attractions", like the live roaming animals at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. If you schedule a rest and relaxation day, check out the surrounding resorts for all their hidden gems. — Quora user Tom Nikl

There are two targets that’ll help you win. In the first room, find the left arm of the left robot and hit it for 100,000 points. When you’re on Planet Z and you finally see evil Zurg, aim for the target at the bottom of his space scooter for another 100,000 points. — Quora user Tom Nikl

Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach . . . Downtown Disney is also a great place to spend an evening perusing the shops and getting dinner. Just be sure you're prepared for a long walk! — Quora user Michael Lee

This one involves some careful timing, but one of my favourite hacks is timing a ride with the fireworks, particularly Jungle Cruise. It's a lot of fun being on the Jungle Cruise and looking up and seeing the fireworks in parallel. — Quora user Tom Nikl

In Epcot and thirsty? Coca-Cola hosts a shop where you can all the free samples you can handle of different Coke beverages from around the world. — Quora user Steven Buehler