Planning a Trip to Disney World Orlando? 5 Things to Know

The gigantic Walt Disney World is one of the top tourist attractions in the world. Covering over 47 square miles and containing a huge variety of resorts, theme parks, water parks, golf courses, dining, shopping, and entertainment, the park is the most magical place on Earth. In fact, when planning a trip to Disney theme parts, one of the most important things to be aware of is that you're probably not going to be able to do everything. There's so much to do at Disney that it's best to narrow down your options beforehand. Get together with your family and decide which attractions are most important to you.

Once you have that sorted out, here are five other things you should know about this theme park and the Orlando area.

1. Disney World seasons Disney World is open year-round, but there are better and worse times to go. If you don't like huge crowds, then you might want to avoid visiting during the Christmas season and the Spring Break season (late February through mid-April). For a less crowded experience, the best times to go include late autumn, January through early February, and the early weeks of May. The summer months are not too bad in terms of crowds, but the Orlando weather can get hot and quite humid.

2. Other Orlando things to do When planning your Disney World trip, keep in mind that you will be right in the middle of the Central Florida region and amidst the Orlando metropolitan area. In Orlando there are tons of other things to see, including Universal Studios, Sea World, a few other theme parks, and several museums. Plus, if you're willing to drive a little more, the area has some very interesting lakes, parks, and wildlife preserves.

3. Non-Disney accommodations While the Disney World resort itself is a great place to stay, with many fun hotels, guests often complain about the high prices of these accommodations. If you're looking to save a little money on your trip, you might want to look into non-Disney hotels. The hotels around the lively International Drive area tend to be a little cheaper, and there are other, more off-the-beaten-path options where you can find incredible deals.

4. Ticket prices When buying tickets and passes to Disney World attractions, consider your options carefully. A common complaint about Disney World is that its ticketing system is complicated and overexpensive, but you can save some money by doing your research beforehand, rather than making your buying decisions on the spot. In the lead-up to your trip, do some reading on the official Disney World website to get clear idea about how the ticket prices work. Otherwise, you may end up spending more than you need to.

5. Transportation Since Disney World is so huge, and because there are lots of other things to do in the Orlando area, you may want to rent a car on your trip. However, it's not completely necessary. There are airport shuttles to get you to and from Orlando International, there are city buses that you can use to get to other spots, Disney World has its own Magical Express shuttle service, and there are also taxis you can call if you get stuck somewhere.

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