Plan Ahead and Know Before You Go
Never just show up. There is a lot that goes into having a great day at Disney World and it is genuinely in your best interest to do some research. The pitfalls of not planning ahead are real and expensive. Before any trip, know your park hours (some parks open and close earlier than others, Animal Kingdom is an early riser), check for separately ticketed events in the second half of the year that can cut your park day short, watch for early closures for private events, and look up attraction refurbishment closures. All of this lives on the Disney World website and in the My Disney Experience app under park hours. Scroll down on any park day to see what's closed.
Use Disney Gift Cards to Budget and Save
Disney gift cards can be used for essentially everything Disney-related, and buying them strategically saves money. Sam's Club and Costco occasionally offer them at a discount. Target RedCard holders can buy them at 5% off online or in-store. Register your cards at disneygiftcard.com so you can move balances between cards and, in the event of a lost card, transfer the balance immediately before it's gone. These small savings add up over a full trip budget.
Train for the Walking and Wear the Right Shoes
Do not underestimate the walking. On my last week-long trip I walked 74 miles. My go-to shoes are a well-broken-in pair of Adidas Ultraboost or my Haunted Mansion Crocs, and I alternate between them day to day to cut down on leg fatigue. The most important rule: do not buy new shoes to break in at Disney World. Also: prepare for chafing. Biker shorts under skirts and a stick of Body Glide in your bag are not optional in Florida heat.
Get Familiar with My Disney Experience Before You Leave Home
The app is a necessary part of any Disney World trip. The more time you spend learning it before you go, the less time you'll spend staring at your phone in the parks. Things worth practicing at home: scanning into parks and Lightning Lanes, checking wait times and show times, making and modifying dining reservations, ordering Quick Service dining, adding yourself to walk-up waitlists at lounges, merchandise checkout, virtual queue for select attractions, and purchasing and managing Lightning Lane passes.
Know the Rides Before You Arrive
Especially important with kids. Check height requirements in advance so no one gets excited about an attraction they can't ride. Know that even rides themed for younger children can be dark or intense inside in ways the exterior doesn't suggest. For adults with kids who can't ride everything, look up rider switch in the My Disney Experience app, it lets adults take turns on bigger rides without waiting in line twice.
Weigh the Lightning Lane Decision Carefully
Lightning Lane can have real value, but it's not automatically worth it for every group. The multipass system rewards people who are in the parks early, ride a first attraction, and then work the system to stack bookings. If you like to roll in midday, the value drops. If you're in a large group, the cost adds up fast. Factor in the park you're visiting (Magic Kingdom crowds thin in the afternoon, making Lightning Lane less necessary then), how you like to spend your park days, and your actual budget for upgrades before committing.
Rent a Stroller from a Third-Party Company
If you're traveling with little ones, third-party stroller rental companies are worth considering over in-park rentals. The strollers are more comfortable, you have extra storage, you skip the pickup and return process each day, and you have the stroller available at your resort and at Disney Springs too. A quick search for "Disney World stroller rental companies" will bring up several options. They deliver to your resort and pick up from Bell Services when you leave.
Plan for Rain
It's Florida. It's tropical. It is going to rain. Some times of year are worse than others, but I do not remember a trip where we didn't experience some kind of rain. It may be torrential or it may just be briefly misty, but the weather changes fast. Pack a rain jacket, poncho, or small umbrella for easy access. Wear clothing that dries quickly. And consider having a backup pair of Crocs or sandals in your bag, because soggy socks for the rest of the day is its own particular misery.
Plan Your Dining, But Don't Over-Schedule It
Hangry kids with no dining plan is an experience I've had and do not recommend. If you're planning table service meals on property, book at least one sit-down per day at the 60-day mark before your trip. You can modify or cancel most reservations up to two hours in advance, so book what you want and release what you don't need. That said, I never book more than one sit-down per day. Portions are large and I don't want to give up that much time. We typically do either a brunch or a dinner and wing the rest with Quick Service and lounge bites.
Bonus tip within the tip: not all character dining is equal. Some large venues take 90 minutes for characters to cycle through once. Others, we met all the characters three times before finishing our meal. Read reviews before booking character dining specifically.
Look for Dining Outside the Parks
This is something I learned in recent years and it changed how I plan trips. Disney's resort restaurants and Disney Springs have genuinely excellent dining options, and when you're building your dining reservations, looking outside the parks is almost always worth it. You'll likely save money, find better food, and get a real break from the park environment. Less noise, slower pace, a chance to sit down properly before heading back for evening shows.
If you're at Magic Kingdom, look at the monorail loop resorts. Animal Kingdom Lodge has outstanding dining for adventurous eaters. For EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, explore the Skyliner resorts, the Boardwalk area, or Riviera Resort.
Plan ahead and know your park hours. Buy Disney gift cards strategically. Break in your shoes before you arrive. Learn My Disney Experience at home. Know the rides and rider switch before you need them. Think carefully about Lightning Lane value for your group. Third-party stroller rentals are worth it. Pack for rain. Book one sit-down meal per day at 60 days out but don't over-schedule. Look outside the parks for dining.
EPCOT 101: Everything You Need Before Your First Visit.
If you want the full park-by-park planning treatment, start with the EPCOT guide. It covers the layout, the best lounges, World Showcase strategy, and the things first-timers consistently miss.