WDW Strategy Guide

Casey’s Walt Disney World Strategy Guide

Updated 6/26/2024

With over 40 square miles of endless entertainment, Walt Disney World is the vacation-destination! But, you are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed with so much to do. Not to worry! That’s why I put together this strategy guide which leans on my YEARS of EXPERTISE and over 2 dozen trips I have taken in the last 15 years.

Let’s start with a basic essentials check. If you haven’t done the following, you should do this immediately:

  • Create your My Disney ID at http://www.mydisneyexperience.com OR use your ID that is already connected to your Disney+, ESPN, or Hulu account.
  • Download the My Disney Experience (Disney World) app to your phone and log in.
  • Connect the reservation # that Casey gave you when you booked to your account. Once you’re done, you’ll see the outline of your trip appear right in Future Plans.
  • You can begin exploring all that awaits you at Walt Disney World like attractions, events, or other fun you want to take part in.
  • If you are within 60 days, you need to take action on dining reservations NOW. Review my dining guide here for more information.

Now, let’s make sure we have your trip covered from end to end. Have you considered:

  • Ground Transportation. How are you getting to and from the airport to Disney? Casey can arrange shared shuttles through Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine or private transportation through Happy Limo. He can also help arrange a rental car that you can use for your trip. Please let him know.
  • Travel Insurance. While we would like to assume that everything will go as planned – the reality is things happen. For a minimal cost, we can protect you against not being able to attend your trip due to a covered reason, or even if something happens during your trip. We can add this right up to final payment and it is provided through AIG Travel Guard.
  • Want to Add Additional Days? No problem! If you want to add more fun, remember that Disney does “the more you play, the less you pay” model, so it may not be as costly as you think. And if you think you’ll be jumping from park to park, we can change that too!
  • Dining. Remember that your dining can be booked beginning at 60 days out. Review my dining guide here for more information.
  • Final Payment. Remember that final payment is due 30 days before check-in for all packages or at check-in for room-only reservations.
  • Lightning Lane Reservations. At 7 days (for on-site guests) or 3 days (for off-site guests), before arrival, you can prepurchase Lightning Lane Multi-Pass or Single-Pass reservations, giving you the ability to skip the line. You can read more about that process here.

Casey’s Top Picks at Magic Kingdom Park

Attractions:

Food:

For more information about dining at Disney, review my dining guide.

  • Table Service Options which require a reservation 60 days in advance:
    • Be Our Guest Restaurant inside Beast’s Castle where, if you dine for dinner, you’ll get to meet Beast and Belle!
    • The Crystal Palace where you can dine with Winnie the Pooh and friends, which also offers some of the best views of Cinderella Castle while you eat. If you time your dining reservation to about 30 to 45 minutes before Happily Ever After, you’ll be able to eat and enjoy the fireworks (with music pumped into the restaurant)!
    • Cinderella’s Royal Table where you can dine inside the castle in the middle of the park with Cinderella and other princesses. If you time your reservation towards the end of the night, you can even enjoy the fireworks show from within the castle itself and then exit to a virtually empty park.
    • Liberty Tree Tavern – if you love Thanksgiving, you’ll love this unlimited family-style meal.
  • Quick Service – think, fast food that don’t require a reservation. Most locations you can mobile order for quick pick-up:
    • Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland
    • Pecos Bills in Frontierland
    • Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland
    • Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square

Other Experiences:

  • The Dole Whip – iconic pineapple soft serve located in Adventureland.
  • Cheshire Cat Tail – a chocolate-filled croissant drizzled with pink and purple icing found in Fantasyland across from the teacups.
  • Windows on Main Street USA – each of the windows that lines Main Street USA features a Disney Legend important to the company history.
  • Happily Ever After – Walt believed in what he called the “kiss goodnight.” This is Disney’s way of wrapping the day up with a spectacular and Happily Ever After cannot be missed.
  • Shopping – Main Street USA is home to the Emporium, a multi-storefront shopping experience to get everything Disney you desire. A great rule of thumb: if you see something you like, buy it! There’s a good chance it won’t be there when you return!

Casey’s Top Picks at EPCOT

Attractions

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind – the newest attraction to Walt Disney World, this roller coaster takes you out of this world and uses state of the art projection technology. Not for those who get motion sickness easily. Remember that this ride requires a virtual queue to ride. To learn more about lining up for rides and attractions, including using standby, virtual queue, lightning lane, or DAS Pass, check out this article.
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – shrink down to the size of a mouse and go on an adventure with Remy and friends as you scurry about the kitchen and dining room. Be sure not to get cooked or shopped in this 3D adventure. Quick Hint – this ride is quite popular so get there early or purchase Lightning Lane Multi-Pass.
  • Soarin’ Over the World – an absolute must attraction where you will take flight in a hang-glider and fly over some of the world’s most iconic places!
  • Frozen Ever After – recount the telling of Frozen in this dark ride attraction and meet some of your favorite Frozen characters like Anna, Olaf, Marshmallow, and the Ice Queen herself – Elsa!

Food:

For more information about dining at Disney, review my dining guide.

  • Table Service Options which require a reservation 60 days in advance:
    • Garden Grill – located in the land pavilion, find amazing down-home favorites and meet Farmer Mickey, Chip, Dale, and Farmer Pluto on the rotating platform that overlooks the Living with the Land attraction. FUN FACT: much of the fresh vegetables that you eat are grown right at EPCOT!
    • Space 220 – located high above the earth’s atmosphere, you can take an elevator to get to this location where you will then be treated with breathtaking views of the earth from space! Not only great food, but also an amazing experience too!
    • World Showcase is home to so many table service options that it’s hard to pick just one. Whether it’s the intimate setting of the San Angel Inn in Mexico or the Chefs De France in France, you’re in for a treat!
  • Quick Service – think, fast food that don’t require a reservation. Most locations you can mobile order for quick pick-up:
    • The Tangerine Cafe is one of my personal favorites. Portion sizes are huge and can easily be shared by two people.
    • Festival Eating – if you’re visiting during any of the EPCOT Festivals, all EPCOT countries will have food booths with tapas style dishes so you can explore your culinary options along with alcohol choices. In addition, other types of food will be placed along World Showcase from countries that are not part of EPCOT on a regular basis.
    • Le Creperie de Paris – located in the France Pavilion near the Ratatouille attraction, you can enjoy authentic savory and sweet crepes. You can order these through their to-go window or make reservations to sit on the inside.

Other Experiences:

  • Funnel Cakes – from the American Adventure Pavilion, satisfy your sweet tooth with a massive funnel cake with varying toppings.
  • Festivals – EPCOT is home to 4 festivals per year. In fact, it’s rare to visit when there isn’t a festival going on. Whether the original Food and Wine Festival in the fall, or the Flower and Garden Festival in the spring, or the Festival of the Holidays which takes place in late fall through the end of the year, or the Festival of the Arts which takes place from January until about March – there’s always something fun to explore beyond attractions at EPCOT.
  • Luminous, the Symphony of Us – Delight in a dramatic show designed to bring us all together. Marvel at a dazzling pageant of fireworks, fountains, music, and lights set to an original composition of music. New music, along with evocative selections from the Disney songbook, come together to remind us that we are more alike than we are different.
  • Moana: The Journey of Water – is a new, walkthrough attraction that allows you to experience the wonder of water in all its forms with a little Moana infusion. Together, with a group of people, you can watch streams turn into monstrous waves with a ton of interactive elements. Be warned, you will get a little (or a lot) wet – but it’s your choice!
  • Shopping – Shopping is unique at EPCOT because you can experience the culture differences of each country. In fact, most of the country’s shops are staffed with cast members from those authentic locations. You can also delight in Disney favorites at the massive complex: CREATIONS in Future World.

Casey’s Top Picks at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Note: Disney’s Animal Kingdom does close earlier than the other parks, usually at 7 or 8pm. Because of this, it’s a great park to visit after a longer visit to a park the day before, as you can get an evening of rest and relaxation after visiting.

Attractions

  • Pandora, Flight of Passage is found in the Pandora area of Animal Kingdom and is hands down the best attraction at Animal Kingdom and likely the second best on property (behind Guardians of the Galaxy). You will actually feel like you are flying. While you can ride this attraction via standby, it is also available to be purchased as an Individual Lightning Lane. To learn more about lining up for rides and attractions, including using standby, virtual queue, lightning lane, or DAS Pass, check out this article.
  • Kilimanjaro Safari is the largest attraction ever constructed. You can take a safari ride with your entire family to find DOZENS of REAL animals. This was always a dream of Walt himself, and has made Animal Kingdom a true unique place to visit. Be aware that this attraction does run about 30 minutes.

Food:

For more information about dining at Disney, review my dining guide.

  • Table Service Options which require a reservation 60 days in advance:
    • Tusker House – in my personal opinion, Tusker House is the best character meal on property. With African-inspired cuisine, you can dine with Safari Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Minnie! And, for the littles who may be less adventurous, the kid’s menu is standard American fare. Want to know more? Check out my podcast on Tusker House.
  • Quick Service – think, fast food that don’t require a reservation. Most locations you can mobile order for quick pick-up:
    • Flame Tree Barbeque
    • Harambe Marketplace
    • Pizzafari
    • Satu’li Canteen – found in Pandora, you can get amazing “out of this world” protein bowls and other options!

Other Experiences:

  • Pongu Pongu Specialized Drinks – found in Pandora, Pongu Pongu offers special, non-alcoholic drinks that are favorites of those wonderful tall blue Na’vi!
  • The Tree of Life – take some time to explore the Tree of Life in the Center of the Park. You’ll find hand carved dozens of various animals that make for a pretty spectacular scavenger hunt!
  • As dusk and evening set in, Animal Kingdom looks completely different at night. Definitely be sure to put Pandora: the World of Avatar on your list to experience the bioluminescence for yourself!
  • Festival of the Lion King – while Animal Kingdom doesn’t have a nighttime show, it does offer a ton of unique show opportunities, including fan-favorite, Festival of the Lion King! Think Lion King on Broadway, but with a special storyline including Simba, Timone, Pumba, and all their friends! The show runs hourly from park opening until about 5pm each each day!
  • Shopping – shopping is unique in Animal Kingdom. Not only can you find traditional Disney products at the Island Mercantile, but you can find off planet gifts and collectibles on the moon of Pandora! You can even adopt your own Ikran (Banshee) for a pet!

Casey’s Top Picks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Attractions

  • Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – step into a galaxy far, far away and experience 2 amazing attractions PLUS a world craft to envelope you in the Star Wars Universe. Whether you’re piloting the Millennium Falcon in Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run OR you go up against the First Order in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the Force will be with you!
  • Hollywood Tower of Terror is an iconic attraction that was once a Hollywood landmark. Take the service elevators up to your floor, but beware that you may be dropping in unexpectedly.
  • Toy Story Land has guests shrink down to the size of a toy in Andy’s backyard. You can then experience 3 iconic attractions: Toy Story Midway Mania, Alien Swirling Sauces, or one of the greatest coasters on property: Slinky Dog Dash. While you can wait standby queue for Slinky Dog Dash, if you plan to use Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, be sure to snag a reservation immediately on your reservation day as this sells out within minutes. To learn more about lining up for rides and attractions, including using standby, virtual queue, lightning lane, or DAS Pass, check out this article.

Food:

For more information about dining at Disney, review my dining guide.

  • Table Service Options which require a reservation 60 days in advance:
    • Hollywood and Vine is a buffet-style restaurant which, depending on what time of day you go, you can visit with Disney Junior characters or with Minnie Mouse and her friends. Features American-style fare.
    • 50’s Prime Time Cafe is a 50’s style cafe where, if you misbehave, you may be called out by the waitstaff and made to sing “I’m a little teapot.” Try the meatloaf and the fried chicken! It’s amazing!
    • Woody’s Round Up BBQ – If you’re a fan of the Toy Story franchise, this is a must-do. Dine in Andy’s backyard with amazing BBQ food selections that are all you can eat and served family style! While this is NOT a character meal, you may just hear the famous “Andy’s coming” where everyone in the restaurant freezes!
  • Quick Service – think, fast food that don’t require a reservation. Most locations you can mobile order for quick pick-up:
    • Ronto Rosters on Batuu
    • Woody’s Lunch Box in Toy Story Land

Other Experiences:

  • Green and Blue Milk – if you’ve ever wondered what Luke and Rey drink in their respective Star Wars films, now is your chance to experience both! A cool, refreshing sweet snack is sure to quench any thirst!
  • Shows! As you would expect, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is home to amazing shows including Beauty and the Beast Live! on stage, the Frozen Singalong, the Indiana Jones Stunt Show Spectacular. And for littles you have the Disney Junior Dance Party and the Lightning McQueen Race Academy where you can get up close and personal with Lighting McQueen himself!
  • Fantasmic! Hands down, in my opinion, the best nighttime show on property is Fantasmic! Travel along with Mickey as he imagines a world of fantasy and imagination as you relive some of your favorite Disney stories. You may even see a villain or two and you’ll definitely catch glimpses of Disney characters that you can’t see anywhere else on property (I’m looking at you Steamboat Willie)!
  • Build Your Own Lightsaber or Droid in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. These immersive experiences require advanced reservations starting at 60 days out.

Non-Theme Park Entertainment

While much of the fun happens in the theme parks, there are amazing things to do and places to eat all around property that don’t require theme park tickets. And, the best part is you can use Disney transportation, free of charge, to do any of it! Here are some of my favorite places to visit and things to do, which is perfect on a rest day or arrival day:

On Arrival Day: beginning in 2025, Disney will offer free admission to one of their waterparks for guests saying on property. But, even if you don’t take advantage of this, you can enjoy the amenities of your own resort. Bell Services will hold your luggage while you enjoy the pool or other fun things to do around your resort!

Disney Transportation: Disney transportation is a ride in and of itself. In fact, you can get around property by bus, by Monorail, by Skyliner (seen to the left) or by boat. In fact, it’s a fun challenge to try to use all four forms of Disney transportation in one day!

Resort Hopping: with dozens of themed resorts on property, resort hopping is a fun way to get a taste of the Disney magic without visiting the parks. You can shop the various gift shops, eat at the dining locations, or take in the grandeur of each property.

Other Fun: take advantage of staying on property and visit the two miniature golf courses (Winter/Summer Land and Fantasia Gardens), visit the water parks, or check out Disney’s massive shopping, dining, and entertainment complex on property called Disney Springs!

Food: Food isn’t just in the theme parks. Resorts have some of the best restaurants on property. A few personal favorites include:

  • Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge
  • Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge
  • Ohana at the Polynesian
  • Yachtsman at Disney’s Yacht Club
  • Steakhouse 71 at the Contemporary
  • Narcoosee’s at the Grand Floridian