You’re going to Walt Disney World during spring break – yay! With the fun that comes along with taking a break from the daily grind, there’s so much going on in the parks that your head will be in a happy spin. Flowers will be in bloom, temps will be decent, and, when spring hits the parks, the fun is amped up – and that includes crowds. From where to eat to when to hit the parks, here’s six important Disney World Spring Break do’s and don’ts.
- Create a My Disney Experience Account
- Take Peak Crowd Times into Consideration
- Take Advantage of Extra Magic Hours
- Make FP+ Selections as Soon as You Can
- Lock Down Accommodations Early
- Don’t Wait to Reserve Table Service Dining
Visiting Walt Disney World is something my family likes to do at least twice a year. We try our best to visit during off-season, but sometimes it’s just not possible. Sometimes the crowds are crazy busy and we just have to deal with them, especially when it’s Spring Break. But there are easier ways to deal : with these six easy to follow Disney World Spring Break do’s and don’ts.
#1. DO Create a My Disney Experience Account – Now!
You can create a My Disney Experience Account even without having vacation dates locked down. So, even if you’re only thinking about a visit, create one for you and your family members. Adults in your traveling party will have to create their own but children under the age of 18 are able to be on your account. Do it now to save yourself from scurrying at the last moment to create it.
#2. Don’t Forget to Take Crowd Peak Times into Consideration
If you visit the park enough you’ll soon learn that there’s an ebb and flow to Disney World theme park crowds. In general, crowds are the lowest at park opening, peak mid-afternoon, and recede after dinner time. Knowing this will help you plan your days out much better. If you weren’t able to score a Fastpass for a popular ride, hit the park at rope drop and make a beeline for it – or wait until the park’s almost closed.
If you do have flexibility for your visit, a really good idea is to start checking out Disney World crowd calendars. If you can visit during an off-peak time, it’s good for both your sanity and your wallet.
#3. Do Take Advantage of Extra Magic Hours
Extra Magic Hours are another special bonus for staying on-property at WDW. At least one park everyday will have either one hour early opening or one hour after the official end of day for resort guests.
Disney World Spring Break tip: If you’re staying on property, Extra Magic Hours are your friend. Take advantage of them as much as possible to minimize attraction queue wait times.
#4. DO Make Your FastPass+ Selections As Soon As You’re Able
Here’s the condensed version of how FastPass+ (FP+) works at Walt Disney World. You’re able to select up to three ahead of time for each day of your visit. After those three are used, you may select an additional one at a time. Staying on property? You may begin selecting at 60 days out plus a 10-day grace period. You’ll be able to schedule your entire traveling party’s Fastpasses at once, omit party members, and switch them around or cancel as soon as you lock them down.
On-property guests will have all of their FP+ selections loaded onto their MagicBands as well. An easy tip to keep track of Fastpasses is to take a screenshot of them on the My Disney Experience app and use it for your phone’s wallpaper.
Staying Offsite? You can begin scheduling at 30 days out. You may use the My Disney Experience (MDE) app or head to the WDW website to choose. Once you’re in the parks and have used your FP+ selections, you may select additionals via in-park kiosks or the MDS app.
#5. DO Lock Down Accommodations Early
We visit WDW every April. Sometimes it’s after the spring break crowds have passed and sometimes it’s not. If it’s during spring break, aka a peak time to visit the parks, I lock down my resort reservations as soon as I have the visiting dates. This goes for whether we’re staying on-property or off, too.
If you’re all about staying onsite, you can reserve your resort reservations by either calling the WDW reservation line or making them online via the official website (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ Click on “Things to Do” and then Dining.). I’m an Annual Passholder so I make resort-only reservations at this point. It’s really easy (WDW has a VERY user-friendly site) to go through the steps and add/subtract Disney Dining Plans and tickets, too.
If you are staying onsite, take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. Each day in the parks, at least one has them. It’s then you’ll be able to hit the attractions with less wait.
Having written that, book far enough in advance and you’ll be paying rack rates for resort rooms. Disney World Spring Break tip: keep an eye out for deals and specials. If you see one in your time frame, call the resort reservation line and ask if yours is able to be swapped over to a better price. Honestly, if you call as soon as they come out, you’ll have a decent chance of getting a discounted rate.
#6. Don’t Wait to Reserve Table Service Dining Until the Last Minute
If you and the kids (or your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend) are adamant about character dining or scoring table service reservations, you’ll need to start checking for openings ASAP. Character meals are super popular and are generally the first one’s to book up.
Disney World Spring Break tip: Staying onsite? Starting 180 days in advance of your arrival date, you can book advanced dining reservations for the entire length of your Resort stay—up to 10 days. If you’ll be at an off-property resort or hotel you’ll need to hop online at 180 days out from each day of your trip to lock them down.
Advanced Dining Reservations need to be cancelled at least 24 hours in advance, so if you don’t find the reservations you’re looking for, keep hopping online about two weeks before your vacation to check the WDW website’s reservation openings. I’ve scored some really good ones this way!
Like this post? There’s more Walt Disney World planning tips and tricks where it came from:
Five things NOT to do with Magicbands
Four things to do BEFORE rope drop at Magic Kingdom
18 Magical reasons to visit WDW in 2018
Is a 2018 Disney World Annual Pass worth it? Seven discounts to consider.
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