Here are my top insider tips for making the most of your time at Disney. By setting a detailed schedule well in advance, based on knowing exactly what you want, you’ll get the most out of every expensive minute. RELATED: How to Plan the Best Vacation Off-season lines are shorter, and parks and hotels are less crowded and less expensive than in peak season. And you can usually attend the same special events—like the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and the Epcot Flower and Garden show—without the crowds. Some of the my best animal encounters as a safari driver were in the pouring rain: baby elephants cannon-balling into a watering hole, and rhinos rolling around in the mud. Too bad there were so few guests on my truck—they missed out on phenomenal sights that just didn’t happen on sunny days. Here’s how it works: Many guests cancel their reservations at the last minute or just don’t show up. Go in the morning or early afternoon and ask about a table that day, and the host will likely take your name and number and let you know if something becomes available. This doesn’t always work, but you have nothing to lose. Be Our Guest tip: Go to the host’s booth in front of the restaurant—it’s shaped like a castle tower—just before the restaurant opens for lunch to ask about dinner reservations. Most guests don’t know that you can inquire about a table that day, or where the hostess booth even is, so you’ll be at the top of the list. Another great time to hit popular rides like Frozen Ever After and Soarin’ is during the fireworks and parades. If you’ve got kids, this strategy may be a hard sell; but if you’re lucky enough to visit a park more than once, spend one day seeing the shows and one day skipping them in favor of the big rides. Know how to close up your stroller fast: Handing your stroller parking attendant an already closed stroller gets your family on the ride faster and avoids the awkwardness of wrestling with the darn thing while people stampede around you. Also, put your family name on your stroller, because you may think you know what it looks like, but when you walk into a stroller parking area and see a sea of black Bugaboo Cameleons all in a row, you’re going to wish you labeled yours. The parks also have first aid stations where you can speak to someone if you’re feeling ill or get medicine for a headache. Knowing where they are, even if you never need them, can bring you peace of mind. Download this app right now and start using it to plan your trip, because it’s helpful even when you’re nowhere near the parks. Use it often throughout your visit to the park, but bring a portable phone charger with you, because it eats up quite a bit of battery. How to determine wait times without referring to the app? For many rides, there is an indoor queue and an outdoor queue: If the line ends outside and wraps around the attraction but the sign above the entrance says 20 minutes, chances are it’s wrong, and you can expect to wait more like 45 minutes to an hour. And when you’re just not sure, ask a cast member to confirm the wait time if something doesn’t look right. Most people who work for Disney love what they do, and love interacting with guests and helping them have a magical day in the parks. So if you ever need anything at all, just ask!
