36 Disney World Hacks That Will Make Your Trip Even More Magical

Reaching out to a Disney-certified travel agent will not only save you money with access to insider knowledge but working with them is absolutely free. From suggestions on where to stay, what to eat and how to make reservations.

"If minimizing wait times is your key priority, you should use a crowd calendar to see when the best times to visit are. But, summer is always going to be pretty busy. Here is a great crowd calendar: 2021 Orlando Crowd Calendar." — Quora user Ian McCullough

"Check out Mouse Savers for discounts and offers. Call the Walt Disney Travel Company for assistance with planning. If you give them your goals and budget parameters, they will absolutely work with you to help create the best stay possible. They can help you work through pros ands cons of different hotels, ticket packages, and the various rates associated with different times of year." — Quora user Ian McCullough

"Touring Plans provides day-by-day recommendations for which parks to see to minimize crowds and waits in line . . . Touring Plans is a company founded by a guy named Len Testa, whose team tracks wait times and crowd levels, and reviews restaurants, hotels, and attractions on property. Testa's staff creates touring plans, or step-by-step suggestions for where to go in the parks that are designed specifically to minimize your wait in line. On the busiest days, they claim that their plans can save you three to four hours of waiting. You can either use their pre-planned outlines or design your own, and you can re-optimize them throughout the day based on what you've experienced and what the crowds are like. Touring Plans can also walk you through Fastpass+ recommendations." — Quora user Michael Lee

"Disney evidently noted that [it was our honeymoon] in our reservation and 1) mentioned it when we checked in at the Polynesian, 2) gave us a couple of 'Just Married' buttons that every single cast member you see will acknowledge, and 3) left us a personalized, signed photo of Aladdin and Jasmine in our room when we arrived!" — Quora user Michael Lee

Get to the parks for rope drop — aka when cast members "drops" the rope that signals the park is open for visitors. Guide2WDW suggests getting to the park at least 30 minutes before opening. You can see so much with no wait at all while half of the guests on property are still asleep!

"Consider splitting up the group from time to time, especially for character interactions . . . You'll be able to pick up a 'Times Guide' with the park map at each park, and those will show character availabilities throughout the day. Don't discount when you'll see the characters out walking around, either!" — Quora user Michael Lee

"AAA members, active military and tour groups of 10+ can also get discounted tickets (through Disney)." — Quora user Tom Nikl

"During the fall, Disney offers a Free Dining promotion for certain ticket packages. This was first instituted in part to try and attract more tourists during hurricane season. Booking this package will add the Disney Dining Plan to your ticket at no extra charge." — Quora user Ian Stainbrook

"Every food establishment will give you a free cup of ice water if you ask." — Quora user Tom Nikl

"Instead, head to the beach at the Polynesian Resort, and watch from afar (with the music piped in) and with a drink in your hand!" — Quora user Michael Lee

"Examine menus online before you make dining reservations, especially at buffet-style restaurants. In some cases, the menus at lunch and dinner are (roughly) the same, but lunch may be a bit less expensive. Biergarten at Epcot is a good example of this." — Quora user Tom Nikl

"Walt Disney World is much larger than Disneyland (it's about the size of a normal American city), and travel times between these areas can be significant, especially if you are depending on Disney transportation.

When choosing where to stay, factor in the location of the hotel within the property. Also keep in mind that different hotels have different transportation options. Some are serviced only by buses, while others have monorails and boats as well." — Quora user Ian Stainbrook

"Disney resorts (typically) offer their own pizza delivery service to your room up until one AM." — Quora user Tom Nikl

"The more magic you give out, the more it will be returned to you." — Quora user Mark Flory.