There are great Disney World hacks, and then there are some that leave us scratching our heads.
Cinderella Castle
Simply put, Disney World tips vary in their usefulness. Unfortunately, we’ve come across some “hacks” online that have become viral to the detriment of people who discover them. Sometimes we even come across tips that used to actually work, but are now outdated. The next time you visit Magic Kingdom, don’t fall for these overused and misguided Disney World hacks.
Reserving Quick Service Tables
We know that it can be challenging to find a table at quick service locations, especially during the noon lunch rush. It can be tempting to snag a table before you even have your food, but we highly suggest not doing this.
Cosmic Ray’s Seating
This can cause the flow of people dining to get even more backed up. Instead, wait until you have your food before rushing to save a table.
Upstairs dining area at Columbia Harbour House
We know how strong the temptation to camp out at a table can be. Instead, if you can, place a mobile order before you even get to the restaurant, so you can streamline the process of grabbing your food and then grabbing a seat.
Why Eating Lunch in Magic Kingdom Is a HUGE Mistake
Rope Dropping Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Rope dropping can be a great strategy to help you squeeze in a ride or two before the park gets crowded. Many people will rush to popular rides like TRON Lightcycle / Run, Space Mountain, or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
We don’t want to burst your bubble, but instead of rushing to Fantasyland to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at rope drop, we recommend saving it towards the end of the night. It can be really crazy in the morning when everyone is trying to rope drop, and chances are you will still get stuck in a long line.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Obviously, to each their own, but we’ve saved ourselves several headaches (and time) waiting on this one. As a part of Lightning Lane Single Pass, you do get some more flexibility when it comes to time, so definitely take advantage of that!
You May Want to CHANGE Your Rope Drop Strategy at Magic Kingdom
Purchasing Fake Pins Online
We know that pins can get expensive, so as a hack, people might accidentally purchase fake Disney pins in bulk online. This can be done innocently, as some pins are marketed as real, even when they are not.
Pin trading
In order to pin trade at Disney World, pins must be officially licensed by Disney. If you want to buy pins in bulk, we recommend going for the Mystery Pin packs or starter kits, as they often come with four or five pins, which will allow you to use them as your traders.
Birthday Mickey and Friends pin trading starter set
If you’ve been scammed in the past, don’t overthink it. It could happen to anyone, but now you know better and are aware of what to look out for.
Reserving a Spot for the Parade or Fireworks Early
Some people like to stake out a spot for the parade or fireworks hours before showtime, and while there is nothing wrong with wanting the best spot, you could be spending this time enjoying the park.
Festival of Fantasy Parade
In some cases, you can find a spot just a few minutes before the show starts, but to be safe, we would say that 20 to 30 minutes prior to showtime is ample time to find a decent spot. You paid so much to visit the park, so why not enjoy the time that you are there?
Disney Starlight
Magic Kingdom’s newest nighttime parade — Disney Starlight — can present challenges when finding a spot. The illuminating nighttime spectacle runs along Main Street to Frontierland twice a night, and it can garner some pretty big crowds.
Disney Starlight
We’ve found that it’s best to arrive an hour early and try standing in the middle area of Main Street — the hub — for views looking down towards the train station. You can also stand and face the castle, which will provide great views of the floats as they pass by!
It’s Official: This is The BEST Place To Watch Disney’s New Nighttime Parade!
The Free T-shirt Hack
It was shared online that Disney would give you a voucher for a free t-shirt if the clothes that you wore into the park did not match the dress code.
Disney Shirts
While this was true at the time, Disney used these vouchers as a way to avoid inconveniencing the guest by making them go back to their resort and change. Unfortunately, this hack was shared and started to be abused to the point that Cast Members rarely issue these vouchers.
Disney shirts
To avoid any sort of dress code violations, check the Disney World website for rules and regulations BEFORE your trip. Trust us, with Disney evolving as often as it does, this is something even we have to frequently do. It’s better to be overprepared than run into disaster before you day even starts.
Emporium
We are constantly in the parks to find the latest tips and tricks, but unfortunately, if you were hoping to use some of these hacks, we would say they are not worth your time.
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50 Tricks to Make Magic Kingdom SO MUCH EASIER
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We got in the line for minetrain at 7:20 last night. The posted wait was 70 minutes, but it was the lowest all day so we decided to try. We were on the ride in 40 minutes. We came up the first climb just as the fireworks started at 8pm. It was MAGICAL!! And completely unplanned. And once off the rides we stood and watched the rest of the show. I had no idea how great the fireworks were from the back of the castle. They were going off in every direction around us! You do miss out on the projections on the castle but still get the narration and music!
We are Disneylanders, this was our first trip to Disney World and that will likely be one of the highlights of our trip!!
I agree with ALL of these! However, every SINGLE time we wait for a table until we have our food, there are NO tables available. So, unfortunately, until everyone stops doing this, we will continue to grab a table when one opens up. Usually it is a matter of TWO minutes for us since anyway since we mobile order.
Great ideas to make trip more enjoyable
Yeah, sorry, but I’m not going to stop grabbing a table if I see one while someone else.in lime.gets food. Nothing is worse than leaving the line holding a fried chicken dinner requiring forks and knives to eat and then having nowhere to sit to eat it, having to hold it who knows how long before a place opens up.
Most of the things that people calls hacks are just examples of being a bad person. Don’t be that guy. Be a patient and good citizen, so everyone can have a great time; not just you.
Not snagging a table if you have “legs” is fine but those of us that have to travel in wheelchairs we only have the fringe table to get. So I’ll keep getting a table on the edge while my family get the mobile order. It would help a lot if when your done eating you discuss the rest of your day away from the table instead of sitting there with 2 sips of a drink left in cup and people holding a tray full of 2 or 3 meal and drinks looking for a table.