I've gotten several questions about how to best meet Anna and Elsa of "Frozen" fame in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World.  These characters are incredibly popular, and waits have regularly exceeded three to four hours from the second the Magic Kingdom is open.  Because the characters can only meet a handful of people at a time, the lines get extremely long with just a few hundred people in line, and Fastpass times go very quickly.  Eventually the craziness should die down, but if you're visiting Disney World in the next year or so, these tips may help.  You have several options:

Option 1: If your trip is more than 60 days out and you're staying at a Disney Resort - using Fastpass+


The obvious first solution is to get a Fastpass (see this post for how Fastpass+ works at Disney World).  Unfortunately, with the crazy demand, it's not easy - Fastpasses go very quickly.

You can make Fastpass reservations up to 60 days in advance of your arrival day he resort for your entire trip.  So here's what you want to do - figure out the 60-day mark, and on that day, make your Anna/Elsa Fastpass reservations for one of the later days of your trip - the later in your trip, the better.  Most people won't be able to make reservations yet since you're more than 60 days out, so you should be able to succeed.  Note that the window opens at midnight eastern time - if you're particularly concerned then try making reservations at midnight 60 days prior to your arrival day!

Option 2: If it's less than 60 days out or you're not staying at a Disney resort - using Fastpass+

Non-Disney-resort guests can only get Fastpasses 30 days in advance - you're not likely going to be able to get Anna/Elsa Fastpasses for your entire group at that point.  However, it may still be possible to get Fastpasses, though it takes work.  Here's how - make your Fastpass reservations one-at-a-time.  So make a Fastpass reservation for Mom, then one for Dad, and then one for your first kid, then one for your second kid, and so on.  Often "single" Fastpasses are available for times where more than one isn't available.

The one important thing to do - make sure all your Fastpass times overlap.  So if your first Fastpass time is 1:00-2:00 and your second is 1:50-2:50 you're okay. You'll have less of a time window to get there, but it's doable.

Also, don't forget you can be 5 minutes early or 15 minutes late for a Fastpass so that should give you a little more flexibility in scheduling times.  So if the only times available are 1:00-2:00 and 2:00-3:00 you can arrive with your entire group between 1:55 and 2:15 and all Fastpasses should work.

Option 3: Waiting in line:

Do not - I repeat, do not go to Anna/Elsa first thing.  Everyone else is doing the same thing.  It's chaos, it's crazy, and the wait instantly hits 3 hoursy.  And even if you get there super quickly, get lucky, and the wait is "only" 45 minutes or so, that means you've wasted the shortest-line part of the day, so the rest of your waits will be much longer the rest of the day.

So what to do?  Believe it or not, your best bet (and it's still not a good one) is to get in line in the mid afternoon.  The wait will probably be posted as 3-4 hours, but that's partially to dissuade people from getting in line - Anna and Elsa are only there until 5:00.  The actual wait will likely be closer to "only" 2 hours or so.  Sounds dreadful (and it is), but if you must meet them, this is the time to wait - the other lines in the park are long anyway at this point!

I don't really recommend this option, but if the Fastpass strategies are a no-go and Anna and Elsa are a must-do, mid-afternoon is the least-bad bet.

Option 4: Don't visit the Frozen characters!


The Anna/Elsa thing is insane.  There's a weird mob mentality going on that they are a "must see."  But honestly, it's just a character meet.  Your kids won't have a ruined vacation if you don't see them.  The 3 hours you wait in line are better spent doing other things - it'll lead to a better vacation overall.  If your kids are dead-set on meeting characters and Fastpasses are not an option, you can suggest they pick between two options, both of which take about three hours:

Option 1 for three hours:

• Wait in line to meet Anna and Elsa

Option 2 for three hours:

• Meet Belle (and act in a mini-play with her)
• Meet Ariel
• Meet Cinderella
• Meet Rapunzel
• Meet Mickey Mouse
• Meet Minnie Mouse
• Meet Donald
• Meet Goofy
• Meet Daisy
• In addition, ride several rides (including all the Fantasyland favorites)

(Yes, you can do all that in three hours with a proper strategy!)

Present it that way, and most kids would take option 2!

Summary:

If Anna and Elsa are a must-do for your "Frozen" fan kids, your best bet is trying to get Fastpasses in advance using the strategies outlined above.  If it's not possible, I strongly recommend not trying to visit them.  If you simply must visit them, head there in the mid-afternoon.  The wait will still be insanely long, but it won't screw up the rest of your day.

If you're planning a Disney World trip, you've probably heard a lot of conflicting information about the new Fastpass+ service.  This "line-skipping" service has been changing rapidly since it replaced the old Fastpass system in the end of 2013. The great news is with all the recent changes, the new Fastpass+ system has become a terrific way to skip lines all day!

This post has general information on how Fastpass+ works.  I will also soon be adding a post on how to best use Fastpass+.

Fastpass+ is simply a reservation system allowing you to skip the regular line for Disney attractions.  After you've bought Disney park tickets or a Disney package, you can use their website or smartphone app to make reservations for 3 rides per day in advance. Here are some basics to remember:

Fastpass+ is free
Unlike similar services from other parks, Disney does not charge for Fastpass+ usage.  

You can make Fastpass+ reservations starting either 30 or 60 days in advance.

• If you're staying at a Disney hotel, you can make your reservations 60 days before the start of your trip.
• If you're not staying at a Disney hotel, you can make reservations up to 30 days in advance.  

You can make three Fastpass+ reservations per day in advance
At the park you are able to make more reservations (see below for details), but in advance, you are limited to three a day.

Your reservations are for one-hour windows, and they can't overlap
For example, you may make a reservation for Peter Pan for 10:00-11:00, and then a reservation for Winnie the Pooh for 11:00-12:00.  Overlapping is not allowed.

Your ticket contains your Fastpass info
You may have a regular looking ticket, or maybe a "Magicband" (basically a wristband that acts as your ticket).  When approaching a ride where you have a Fastpass, head to the Fastpass entrance and tap your ticket or wristband against the Fastpass "pole".  Mickey's head on the pole will turn green and you're in!

You can change your mind
Decide you don't want to ride Peter Pan but prefer Dumbo?  No problem - you can change it either on your smartphone or at one of the many Fastpass kiosks scattered throughout the park.

You can't schedule more than one Fastpass for an attraction with your three pre-scheduled Fastpasses.
Even if you want to ride Space Mountain three times, you can't make your three Fastpass+ rides all for Space Mountain.

Your three pre-scheduled Fastpasses for a day must all be at one park.
You can't schedule two at one park and one at another park.

At Epcot and Hollywood Studios, you can only select one of a group of "top-tier" attractions with your three pre-scheduled Fastpasses.

At Epcot, those attractions are:

• Soarin'
• Test Track
• Maelstrom
• Epcot Character Spot

• Illuminations

At Hollywood Studios, the supposed "top-tier" attractions are:

• Toy Story Mania
• Rock 'n Roller Coaster
• Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage
• Fantasmic!

NEW - You are able to schedule additional Fastpass+ times after you've used your first three Fastpasses
As of Monday, April 28, Disney allows you to schedule additional Fastpasses, one-at-a-time. This is great news for in-the-know people to help you skip out on more lines.  A few things to note about this.

• You can't schedule additional Fastpasses until you have used your first three (or the time window for them has passed).
• You must schedule your additional Fastpasses at a kiosk in the park, not on your smartphone.
• You can schedule these Fastpasses for any ride that has Fastpass availability.  There are no restrictions such as "you rode it before", "you're in a different park now", or "you already chose a top-tier attraction".  If there's availability, it's yours!
• Once you've used your fourth Fastpass, you can return to a kiosk and schedule a fifth.  Once you've used the fifth you can go schedule a sixth.  And so on, and so on...

That's about it on how Fastpass+ works.  It's really not much more difficult than making restaurant reservations.

The big question, of course, is how to use Fastpass+ properly to skip out on the most lines possible!  With the new ability to schedule additional Fastpasses, it has gotten very complex to figure out the "optimal" way to use Fastpass to skip as many lines as possible.  I plan on writing another blog post on how to accomplish this!  In the meantime, if you have any questions or you're trying to figure out the best Fastpass+ scheduling for your upcoming vacation, please feel free to contact me or post a question in the comments!

Disney has now fully rolled out its Fastpass+ system at Walt Disney World.  With the new system, you make three Fastpass reservations in advance for each day for set times.  When you visit a Fastpass attraction for which you have a reservation, you go in a separate entrance and skip the main line.

The system has gotten mixed reviews.  While people like the ability to reserve several ride times at once, the limit of three Fastpasses has really put a crimp into planning for many.  For example, at the Magic Kingdom, there are a good ten or more attractions that regularly have long lines - it's extremely challenging to avoid all the lines with only three Fastpass+ opportunities.  (It can be done - it just takes some heavy-duty planning).

Good news - in a blog post today, Disney announced they will allow people to get additional Fastpass reservations in a day.  Here's how it apparently will work:

• You'll still make your 3 Fastpass+ reservations in advance (up to 30 days in advance for non-Disney-hotel guests, and 60 days for Disney hotel guests).
• After you've used your three Fastpass+ reservations, you'll be able to make an additional reservation for an attraction at one of the Fastpass kiosks in the park.
• After you've used that reservation, you will be able to make another reservation!
• This will continue on and on, for as many reservations as you'd like to make!

In essence, this will be a hybrid of the "old" Fastpass system and the new Fastpass+ system.  You can make reservations in advance, but after using them, you can get more Fastpasses as before (only one at at time, just like before). And one nice advantage over the "old" system - no trekking to an attraction to pick up a paper Fastpass - just head to the nearest kiosk.

Once again, for the third time in six months, Disney has completely changed the optimal planning strategies (they don't make it easy on people like me, do they?)  Since the Fastpass+ system has come into exclusive use, the best strategy has been to schedule your three Fastpass+ attractions for the busiest time of the day you plan to be in the park (late morning or early afternoon usually for Optimal Magic clients).  Then you can use the non-busy early morning times for the other long-line attractions.

When this change comes into existence, this strategy will likely get thrown out the window. I'll need to analyze things more, but the new strategy will likely be to schedule your first three Fastpasses as early as possible (likely 9:00-10:00am, 10:00-11:00am, 11:00am-noon).  As soon as these Fastpasses are used, then schedule another Fastpass time!  You'll be able to get far more Fastpasses this way, and wait in even fewer long lines.

This is all work-in-progress.  Things are changing every week with the Fastpass+ system.  If you're planning a trip in the next few months, it is absolutely crucial to have the most up-to-date information if you want to avoid the lines and have the most fun on your trip. You can do it yourself, but not with a guidebook - even a brand new guidebook is out of date at this point.

Rest assured that Optimal Magic always keeps completely on top of all the changes occurring at both Disney parks, and any plans we create are 100% up-to-date for the days you'll be at the park.  As always, please contact me if you'd like more details either for Optimal Magic helping plan your trip, or for how to do it yourself!

Walt Disney World is going through a major transition now.  They are introducing their new "MyMagic+" program. They are currently "beta testing" the entire program, and more and more guests are being invited to "beta test" the program on their Disney trips.  If invited, should you join in?  There's no easy answer, but this blog post should help you decide what's best for your group.

It's mostly not a big deal

There are many sites online that discuss exactly what MyMagic+ is, but here it is in a nutshell: Disney is replacing park tickets, hotel keys, credit cards, and Fastpasses with a band you wear on your wrist that has RFID technology.  Want to enter your room?  Wave your band at it. Want to pay for a Mickey ice cream?  Wave your band.  Want to enter a park?  Wave your band.

Most of this will offer a minor bit of additional convenience for guests.  Despite all of Disney's marketing mumbo-jumbo, it mostly isn't a big deal.

Fastpass changes, however, are a big deal

However, there is one huge change to all of this - Fastpass is being changed dramatically. The current system is simple - at a Fastpass-enabled attraction, insert your park tickets into a Fastpass machine, and get a slip of paper with a return time for the attraction.  Come back at that time, and you can skip the line.  It's a great system, and if you know how to exploit it (like all Optimal Magic customers do), you can get many more rides on the big-ticket attractions without waiting in the lines.

Under the new Fastpass+ system being beta-tested, several changes are afoot:
-No more "regular" Fastpasses.  If you are using the new Fastpass+ system, you are no longer eligible to use "regular" Fastpasses.
-There are many more Fastpass+ enabled attractions.  The number of Fastpass-enabled attractions has more than doubled.  This could be considered good, though many of these added attractions rarely have a wait anyway.
-You can reserve Fastpasses on your smartphone.  You can also change Fastpasses on the fly.  Some people love this idea.  I'm not a fan - I don't want my nose buried in my phone while at a Disney park.
-You have more flexibility in choosing the time of day you want a Fastpass for.  This is good - more flexibility isn't a bad thing at all.
-You are limited to only 3 (possibly 4) Fastpasses in a day!  Uh oh - this isn't good.  For some parks (Animal Kingdom), three Fastpasses may suffice.  For the Magic Kingdom, it's not nearly enough!
-You can't get two sets of Fastpasses for one attraction.  Want to ride Space Mountain five times with no long waits?  Easy to do, using Fastpass. With the new system - it can't be done.
-You can reserve your Fastpass times up to 60 days in advance.  Yes, really.  Disney expects you to know where you plan to be up to 60 days in advance!
-You can't have Fastpasses in more than one park in a single day.  Like to spend the morning at Animal Kingdom and evening at Epcot?  You won't be able to get Fastpasses for both parks!

Needless to say, these changes to the Fastpass program will change touring strategies dramatically.

As I mentioned before, it depends.  For some people, it makes sense.  For others, it would be a disaster.

People who definitely should not join the beta test:
Serial Planners: If you plan to be at the park in the morning before opening, you have a plan of attack, and you are an expert at the current Fastpass strategy, do not join the test.  You will avoid more lines using the "old fashioned" Fastpass strategies.
Technophobes: If you don't have a smart phone, don't join (it's more difficult to change Fastpass times without one).  If you don't want your nose in a smartphone, don't join. If you don't have patience for potential screwups (it is a beta test after all), don't join.

People who may want to consider the beta test:
Late arrivers: Can't get to the park at opening?  Being able to get a Fastpass for mid-day say, Toy Story Mania will be wonderful.  It may more than offset the negatives. And because the number of people beta-testing is still relatively small, the availability of Fastpass+ times is still very good (this will change in the future, by the way...)
People who love technology: If the idea of playing with your smartphone to change Fastpasses is exciting to you, by all means join.
Annual Passholders: There is currently a bug where people with annual passes can still get "regular" Fastpasses while doing the MyMagic+ beta test.  In that case, by all means join!  You'll get the "Fastpass+" benefits but still be able to use regular Fastpass - you'll be able to double-dip!

Once everyone is rolled over to the new system, the old "regular" Fastpasses will be phased out.  At this point, despite all of Disney's marketing materials saying otherwise, you're going to have to plan even more (sigh...).  Want a Fastpass for a hard-to-get attraction?  You better be ready to reserve your time months in advance before the timeslots fill up!  (Ridiculous, I know...)

The good news is that Optimal Magic is keeping up with everything going on with the MyMagic+ rollout - we'll ensure that you have a great time and best skip out on the lines regardless of the current system at Disney! If you're using Fastpass+ we'll help you select the absolute optimal attractions (and times) for your group - if you're using regular Fastpass we'll help you get the most out of it, as well!

As always, drop me a line with any questions you may have!

It's summertime!  At Walt Disney World, that means things are a bit different and your planning needs to be a bit different.  The big things to remember at Disney in the summer:

• It's crowded
• It's super hot and sticky
• It's going to rain
• The nighttime shows are late

This post will discuss how to handle these issues and have a terrific time at Disney World in the summer!

Simplest rule of Disney - the more people have off from school and/or work, the busier it'll be.  So yes, the summer is busy.  Fourth of July week is busiest, but the entire summer is one of the busier times of year.

But the good news is it's still "beatable" - you can avoid the big lines with proper planning!  So be sure to do so!

If you're from the south, you know what I'm talking about.  If you're a northerner, you have no clue how hot it is.  You may say "it's 90 degrees - we get 90 degree days all the time in Chicago/New York/Pittsburgh/Detroit/whereever".  But it's a different kind of 90 degrees in Orlando:

• The sun is much higher in the sky than you're used to.  It just burns.  (Speaking of burns - wear suncreen, hats, and sunglasses).
• The humidity.  Oh my goodness, the humidity.  You are just dripping in sweat.

So how do you adjust?

First, I know you hear this a lot, but arrive before the park opens.  Even more so this time of year.  You not only avoid the crowds, but you avoid the worst of the heat.

Second, if you're staying on Disney property, consider using the morning Extra Magic Hours - I'm usually not a huge fan of Extra Magic Hours (you have to get up an hour earlier for them, and eventually it means larger crowds at that park), but I like them more in the summer - it means another cooler, morning hour of park time instead of a hot mid-day hour.

Third, leave in the afternoon.  Take that time that's wiping everyone else out, and either go cool off at the pool or take a mid-day nap.

It's the rainy season in central Florida.  At least half the days you're there, you'll get rain.  The good news is that most rains in the summer months in Florida are short.  Usually you'll see an intense thunderstorm in the early-mid afternoon.

Even better news, it cools things off briefly!  The 30 minutes or so after a rain feels like a blast of air conditioning.

So what should you do during the thunderstorms?  Good news is that all Disney parks have many great indoor attractions - in fact, most attractions are indoors at most of the parks (except Animal Kingdom, though even it has some great indoor shows).  So don't run for the exits - run for the indoor attractions!

In addition, since the storms usually hit in the afternoon, there's a good chance, if you follow advice to arrive early, that it'll be naptime.  So who cares if it rains!

Nighttime shows, like the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Magic Kingdom Fireworks, and Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios are often highlights of a Disney trip. One issue in the summer, however, is the late sunset means these occur much later than in the winter.  The Main Street Electrical Parade is usually around 9:00pm and the Fireworks an hour later.

Unfortunately, these late nights, along with early mornings, lead to exhaustion.  How can you manage?

• Take that afternoon break.  There is no need to be sitting in huge lines in 90 degree humid heat in the afternoons.  Instead, take a nap.  You'll feel much better for the evenings.
• Consider timing your "big evenings out" with a slow day the next day.  Want a day at Downtown Disney for shopping?  Schedule it for the day after a late night event.

While heat, storms, and crowds may sound like a turnoff, with the proper planning, you can have a great time at Disney in the summer.  You can avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds, and have a terrific trip!

That being said, if you don't plan, then summer is a terrible time to be at Disney World.  The heat and crowds can wear you down like you wouldn't believe.  So if you're going to go in the summer, make sure you plan accordingly!

An article is making the rounds today online about a service that provides a disabled person as your "tour guide" for Disney World.  See articles here, here, and here.  Apparently this company has a disabled person come as your "tour guide" for Disney World - this person will help you skip lines by using alternate entrances for people with disabilities, skipping the lines, for the cost of $130/hour, or over $1,000 a day!  I wanted to make a few comments about this so-called service.

Ethical comments
I'm going to focus mostly on how useful this service would be, but first I wanted to make a comment about the ethics.  One thing that Disney is absolutely terrific about is helping people with disabilities have an incredible day at their parks.  They do everything they can to accommodate any and all disabilities. It's makes many a vacation more magical, and is something Disney should be commended for.

Unfortunately, there are always some people who try to game the system, even going so far as to "fake" a disability to try to skip lines.  It's really unfortunate that this occurs.  This tour-guide service is another system-gamer, essentially taking something very wonderful that Disney does for people who truly need the assistance, and "stealing" it for people who do not.  It's appalling and hugely unethical.  And, frankly, it's abusers like this that make it more difficult for Disney to provide assistance for those who truly need it.

How well this service would work
Putting aside the ethical issues, how well would this service work?  If you're truly clueless, this service might hold some appeal.  However, it's not as much help as you would think.

First, it's important to note that only a handful of older attractions have separate entrances for people in wheelchairs - generally the older attractions such as It's a Small World or Peter Pan.  Those are the attractions where having a disabled person as your escort would help you skip lines.  However, newer attractions (including most of Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios, plus several in the Magic Kingdom) generally have queues designed to be accessible to people in wheelchairs and motorized vehicles.  For those attractions, having a disabled tour guide offers no real advantage.  So you're basically just paying for their tour guide services for those attractions, and no magical "line skipping."

Fact of the matter is this - if you are willing to spend $1000/day or more on a tour guide, there are much better ways to spend that money than on an unethical service.  In fact, you can spend 1/10th as much and wait in fewer lines!  Here are some options at each price level:

If price is truly no object.  Go ahead and hire an official Disney tour guide.  They charge between $315-$380/hour, so we're talking thousands per day.  However, you essentially get unlimited Fastpasses and will have your waits reduced dramatically.  Plus, you get a Disney tour guide in a spiffy Disney uniform!

If price is mostly no object. Use an outside Disney touring company.  There are a handful out there that are reputable and have very knowledgeable tour guides.  You generally won't wait in any long lines and will see everything you want.  Cost is generally around $1000-$1500/day.  I'm happy to provide you with some reputable companies if you drop me a line.

If you want to skip the lines but at 1/10th (or less) the cost: Hire Optimal Magic!  (You knew I'd put in a plug for me somewhere!)  I provide personalized plans that are incredibly easy to follow and fully customized to your group and the days of your visit.  Just like the services above, you will never wait in long lines, and your plans will be personalized and customized to your needs and desires.  My services for an entire Disney trip cost less than two hours of a Disney tour guide and less than 1/2 a day of an outside touring company (including the unethical scammer ones).

The only difference between me and the on-site tour guides - I won't be there with you.  (Some people consider this a good thing.) But no worries - everything will be planned out to skip out on all the lines.

If you want to spend almost nothing - Plan for yourself!  If you're willing to put in a significant amount of time (we're talking 30-40 hours for a trip) and are good at identifying the good vs. bad advice, you can plan a trip on your own.  But it can't be stressed enough - you really need to hunker down and do your research.  A few "tips" from friends or reviewing a few websites for a couple of hours won't cut it - you'll end up in many, many 1-2 hour lines.  However, if you want to plan it yourself, go ahead and give it a go!  Email me and I'm happy to direct you to the best resources to plan for yourself.

There is truly no need to use a scammer service that is abusing Disney's wonderful assistance for people with disabilities.  There are better options at every price point that will help you skip the lines, but without the ethical issues.  Whether you want to spend $2000+/day on a Disney guide, $1000/day for a non-Disney tour guide, around $100/day on Optimal Magic planning, or plan for yourself, it is possible to skip the lines and get the VIP treatment without any ethical violations!

Most people heading to Walt Disney World go during a busier time period (that's why they're busy times - more people are there).  If you want to avoid the lines and have a great vacation during a busy time period, you absolutely need a plan.

But what about the less busy times of year?  Say you're willing to pull the kids out of school and visit Disney World in May or October?  Do you still need a plan or can you wing it?

Uncrowded days are less common than you think
First, let's talk a little about what times are less busy.  There is confusion about it here.  I've heard people say, for example, "we're going in the middle of summer - nobody goes to Florida in the summer so I don't think it'll be crowded!" But summer is when school is out, so it's one of the busiest times of year!

In addition, the old standby, "go when school is in session" isn't as foolproof as before.  First, the secret is out - the "quiet" times aren't as quiet as they used to be.  Second, Disney holds major events during less-busy times of the year to bring people out - things like the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot in the fall, Halloween parties in September and October, the Marathon and Half Marathon in January, Pop Warner football in December, and Star Wars Weekends in May. Because of these events, crowds are generally higher throughout the year than in the past.

What if I manage to pick a quiet time?

Okay, but suppose you manage to avoid those landmines and find a rare quiet week at Disney World.  If so, you're still not entirely out of the woods.  Here's what you'll see:

• Big ticket attractions will still have long lines.  No, you won't see 4 hour waits like you would on December 27.  But the big ticket attractions (Peter Pan, Toy Story Mania, Soarin', Space Mountain, among several others) will still have peak waits of 45-90 minutes.
• Second-tier attractions may have tolerable waits most of the day.  Attractions like Pirates of the Carribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion are where you'll see a significant improvement in wait times.  Instead of 20-60 minute peak wait times, expect to see them closer to 15-25 minute peak waits.
• Fastpass acquisition will be a bit easier.  Return times for Fastpasses will generally be a bit earlier.  (This is not true for absolute top tier attractions like Toy Story Mania).

So do I need a plan if visiting during a quiet time?

I've heard from people who have visited Disney parks on non-busy days, and, without a plan, ended up waiting 30-60 minutes for several attractions, and saying "I can't believe how crowded it is!"  At the same time, I have sent many families into Disney parks during the busiest times of year who told me the park essentially felt empty due to using optimal touring strategies.  Having the right approach to visiting the park is far more important than picking the least busy day.

That being said, you have a bit more leeway visiting on a less crowded day.  My suggestions if you are lucky enough to visit on a non-busy day.

• Still get to the park early.  The great thing about the parks on quiet days is the morning is a ton of fun.  The big rides will still have lines, and still need a touring strategy to avoid the lines.  But once you visit those big-line attractions, the rest of the park will be gloriously empty!  It's so much fun to run between Fantasyland attractions and have them mostly to yourself!
• You can relax a bit more. While the big-ticket items still have long lines, you can have a more relaxed touring strategy beyond them.  I often help my clients plan their mornings, and then give suggestions for "no-line" things to do in the afternoon.  And there are more "no-line" things to do during less busy times!
• Using Fastpasses becomes even more valuable.  Because Fastpasses will have (generally) earlier return times, you'll be able to get more of them.  This means more rides!  Just be sure to use Fastpasses as optimally as possible.

Conclusion
It is definitely better to visit Disney World on a less-busy day.  When I visited all four Disney World theme parks in a single day, and visited every major attraction (37 in all), I went on a relatively quiet day.  That was not a coincidence.

That being said, going during a non-busy time is not an excuse for not planning.  No, you won't be waiting in four-hour lines.  But you could easily end up in several hour lines - waits that you could avoid with a plan!  As always, please contact me if you want more information on how to plan a Disney vacation to do everything you want without any long waits!

Spring break is still going full force at Disney World.  Last week, as predicted, was extremely busy, with "phase 3" closings of the Magic Kingdom several days (meaning many people were not admitted to the park due to crowds).  And the crowds are continuing this week as well.  Waits of 60 minutes are common for many attractions, and the big-ticket attractions are seeing lines of 120 minutes or more! These crowd levels are reminiscent of the busiest of the post-Christmas rush.

I had many families at Disney over the break - dozens of people using Optimal Magic planning for their Disney World and Disneyland trips.  Busy at Disney means busy for Optimal Magic, as well!  Happily, my customers had a 100% success rate over the break (I've added several testimonials from them to my website).  No long lines, and a lot of happy memories. In fact, I think, even with the crazy long lines, things worked out better for my customers than they expected!  How so? It all comes down to the other visitors to Disney parks at the same time (the "competition" so to speak).

Seen this chart before?  I've got it on my "Free Disney Tips" section of the website. It shows the different types of Disney visitors.  Most are "clueless masses" and are no competition for Optimal Magic customers - they don't use Fastpass well (or at all), they don't arrive early, they don't know the best way to tour the parks.  The "know it alls" aren't much competition either - they know a handful of tips but will fall way behind relatively quickly.  The people Optimal Magic customers have to worry about are the "Hard Core Researchers" - they're the people who will drive Fastpass times out further, and be competing for the best times to visit attractions.

I have a theory - at Christmas, in addition to having tons of people, you have more "Hard Core Researchers" than usual.  Why?   I think it's because a large number of Christmastime tourers are repeat visitors for that time frame - it may be the only time they can get off, or it's a family tradition, or whatever.  If you visit during an extremely busy time over and over, you're more likely to want to learn strategies to cope with the huge crowds.  More "Hard Core Researchers" means we have to work even harder to stay at the top of the pyramid and avoid the lines.

Compare this with Spring Break.  You still have a ton of people, but, because the busiest weeks of Spring Break vary from year to year, it won't be the same people year after year.  That means more clueless masses, and fewer hard-core researchers.

What does this mean for Optimal Magic customers?  Less competition for the "smart" strategies!  Which means much easier touring!  Some examples:

• Crowd levels in the morning grow quickly at Christmas Break.  It's slower over Spring Break, so the early morning lines aren't as bad.
• Crowd levels in the evening stay high over Christmas Break.  They die down a bit more over Spring Break.
• Fastpass return times aren't as far out in the future over Spring Break.  An attraction that may have a 3 hour return time for Spring Break during the busiest time of day (say "Under the Sea") would have a six hour return time over Christmas

So what does this all mean?

Most importantly, if you HAVE to visit during a peak touring time (and if you have kids in school, you may well have to), pick Spring Break over Christmas!  The crowds (and prices, unfortunately) are similarly huge, but the experience for smart tourers is so much better!  You'll be able to do everything you want and then some, and have a terrific time doing it!

Also, the huge success of Optimal Magic clients during Spring Break 2013 reaffirms my statement I've made in the past that it doesn't really matter when you visit Disney - if you have the proper plan, you can skip the long lines, do everything you want to do, and have a terrific time!  You may not be able to visit every major attraction at all four Disney World parks in one day during Spring Break, but you'll have a terrific time and do everything you want to do without the waits!

And finally - as you probably know, summer is also extremely crowded at Disney World.  If you're visiting over the summer, please let me know!  Many of the plans and tips for Spring Break apply for summer, but not all of them. The makeup of people visiting over the summer is once again different from Christmas or Spring Break

Spring Break is coming up soon!  With kids out of school, Spring Break means big crowds at Disney World.  While the crowds are usually big, they usually aren't quite as huge as the infamous Christmas-to-New-Year's crowds.

This year, however, is going to be a bigger challenge than usual.  Easter falls on March 31st.  This is a problem, because the two most common weeks for spring break are the last week in March, and the week before Easter.  In 2013, those are the same week!  That means that a much larger portion of school spring breaks will be condensed into the March 23-March 31 time frame.

What does this mean for you, if you're traveling Spring Break?  It depends on when you're going:

If you're going any week other than March 23-March 31: This is good news!  You will have lighter crowds any other week in March or April than most years, with so many Spring Breakers stuck in one week. Don't get me wrong - you still need to plan to avoid the infamous lines - the big attractions will still have 45-75 minute waits without the right strategies, but at least there will be some breathing room.

If you're going the week of March 23-March 31: This is not so good news.  As you probably already noticed, hotel availability is low and prices are high.  And you may be having difficulty getting dining reservations.

With so many people having the same spring break, I anticipate March 23-March 31 to be, at the very least, the second-busiest week of the year at Disney World.  And it may even be worse - I would not be surprised to see crowds rivaling the busiest days of the year!

What can be done about it?

I have written several blog posts in the past about holiday crowds at Walt Disney World, and how to handle these large crowds. (See here and here for examples.)  My focus on these posts has been on the Christmas-to-New-Year's timeframe.  However, the tips are generally equally valid for Spring Break 2013.   Please review those posts for full thoughts, but the general ideas are:

• Get to the parks early.  The Magic Kingdom opens at 8am, with Extra Magic Hours at 7am, during this week.  If you are staying on Disney property and can rally to be at the park before the 7am opening, you'll have a great time before the crowds build up!  If you want to sleep in, you'll be waiting in lines.
• Avoid the parks mid-day.  The crowds will be huge from about noon to 8pm.  It's good to get away for that portion of the day.  One great thing about March is the weather is terrific - use it to your advantage and go enjoy the pool at your hotel! Come back in the evening when the crowds die down.
• Use Fastpass as best as possible. Fastpass times will start going through the roof later in the day.  So try to get your Fastpass-enabled attractions visited earlier in the day.  One other tip - if you're going to leave the park for a break mid-day (a good idea), get a Fastpass for something like Space Mountain just before leaving.  The return time will be far out (3-5 hours, or more), but no big deal.  When you return, you'll have an attraction all lined up to enjoy without a wait!
• Planning is absolutely necessary.  This is not the time to "wing it" - if you decide to arrive at the Magic Kingdom at 10am, you're going to be in hour-plus waits for nearly everything (possibly even the monorail to get to the park).  If that sounds fun, please go ahead - I and my customers will enjoy 10 or more attractions while you're waiting in line!

Conclusion
If you're heading to Disney World the last week of March 2013, I wish you luck!  You can avoid the worst of the lines and do everything you would like, but it takes even more planning than usual.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like help in planning your Disney vacation!

One of the somewhat unfortunate aspects of planning a Disney vacation revolves around making dining reservations.  Unlike 99.9% of all restaurants in the rest of the world, it can be a challenge to make reservations at popular Disney restaurants.  At some locations, reservations can fill up months in advance!

The good news, however, is there is almost always a great place to eat.  I've worked with families that are heading to Disney in just two days time, and we've always been able to find good reservation times at nice restaurants for each day of their trip. While the most popular restaurants may not be available at that point, there are still very nice options.

But what if you want to dine at one of the most popular restaurants?  You need to plan in advance. How far in advance? Read on for suggestions:

Is it two, three, or even six months until your Disney trip?  If so, great!  You can get into most Disney dining locations. Here are some tips if you're this far in advance:

Tip 1: Get to know Disney's online reservation system
It's helpful to become familiar with Disney's online dining reservation system.  They have dramatically improved their online system - it is easy now to check specific dates, times, and restaurants for availability.  Go on and head to https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/ and check it out!

Tip 2: Know when you can call or go online to make reservations
At Disney World, you can make reservations up to 180 days in advance.  At some restaurants (for example, Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast), the closer to 180 days, the better.  The most absurd example is if you want an 8am reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table - if so, you need to go online at EXACTLY 6am Eastern 180 days in advance to get it (and you may still not succeed).

How far out is 180 days?  You can count manually, but there are several sites on the web that give you the exact date.  Here is one.


Tip 3: Know which are the most difficult reservations to obtain
There are certain reservations that are very difficult to get - you likely need to call three or more months in advance, especially if you are traveling during a busy time of year.  These popular restaurants include:

• Be Our Guest
• Cinderella's Royal Table (especially breakfast)
• Chef Mickey's (especially breakfast)
• California Grill
• Victoria and Albert's (especially the chef's table)

At each of these restaurants, as soon as you know your dates for your trip, try to make your reservations. Be Our Guest, in particular, has been a challenge (and please take my advice from this previous post, and make a reservation as early in the night as possible to avoid delays).

There's also a "next tier" of restaurants that, the earlier you make a reservation, the better.  You can probably get into these restaurants no problem if you're calling two months in advance. Some of these restaurants include

• Crystal Palace
• 1900 Park Fare
• Le Cellier
• Coral Reef
• Fantasmic Dining Package
• Hoop De Doo Revue

All of these restaurants will potentially have availability even just a month in advance of a trip, but the times may start to get odd (dinners at 4:00pm or 9:00pm, for example).

Tip 4: You can get reservations MORE than 180 days out - here's how!
If you're staying at a Disney resort hotel and have a confirmed reservation, you can make all your reservations for your trip 180 days before the start of your trip.  That means you can book the really tough-to-get reservations for a few days into your trip, and make those reservations a few days before everyone else!

At the one-week point, lots of people are making reservations, and spots are filling up.  However, you still can get some decent reservations.  Once again, use Disney's Disney's online dining reservation system and plug in each date/time you want to eat - you'll see what's available.  If you do so, you'll notice three things.

1) The most popular restaurants will likely have no times available

You're probably out of luck if you want to eat at Chef Mickey's or dinner at Be Our Guest, for example.  If your heart is set on these experiences, we'll have to find "next best alternatives" - for example, you can try Be Our Guest for lunch (when it is a quick service place) instead of dinner.  Or if you want to meet the classic Disney characters at a meal, you can try Tusker House at Animal Kingdom instead of Chef Mickey's. 

Note that some of these "next best alternatives" are actually as good (or better) experiences than the "popular" restaurant, so you're not giving up much.

2) The "next tier" of tough-to-get restaurants may have times available, but they will likely be for odd times of day

Unless it's a particularly busy time of year, you can likely get in to restaurants like the Crystal Palace even just a week or two in advance.  However, available reservation times may be odd.  For example, checking today (February 13) for one week out (February 20), I see availability at the Crystal Palace, but only at 3:25 and 8:40pm - strange times to eat!

Note that during busy times (like Christmas), these restaurants will likely be completely booked as well.  Hopefully if you're traveling during the super-busy times of year, you're planning ahead!

3) You should still have plenty of availability for other restaurants in all areas of Disney World

Even if you can't get into any of these top choices, you will be able to find a good place to eat no matter where you are at Disney. At one week out, there are usually many, many excellent choices still availabile.

Are you at Disney and you need a reservation for tonight? Either because you're a serial procrastinator, or because you've changed your mind on where you want to be? Most times of year, this is not a problem.

First, you are likely not going to be able to visit any of the restaurants listed above (and several others, as well).  However, there are some great "hidden gems" throughout Disney World where you can have a great meal on short notice.  Some of my favorites include:

• The Wave at the Contemporary Resort.  "Sustainable" American food.  At the Contemporary Resort - a great choice prior to heading to the Magic Kingdom for the Main Street Electrical Parade and fireworks.
• Grand Floridian Cafe. The "casual" sit-down restaurant at the Grand Floridian, but still a very nice setting.  Once again a great choice before the Magic Kingdom nighttime events.
• Most of the Epcot restaurants.  No, you won't get into Le Cellier or Coral Reef.  But there are several interesting restaurants all around World Showcase.  Try something different like Biergarten in Germany!

I've been known to call Disney dining reservations on my cell from inside the park (on a busy day, no less), making a reservation for three hours later, because we changed our mind on which park we were going to spend our evening.  And I've never had a problem finding something good!

If your heart is set on a particular restaurant, it's a good idea to make your reservations as soon as possible.  And I always work with Optimal Magic clients to get reservations squared away as soon as we have the day-by-day high-level plans set.

However, if your trip is coming up soon and you haven't made reservations yet, that doesn't mean you're resigned to burgers and fries for every meal!  You'll see that there are still good options available!

As always, if you're looking for more suggestions on best dining for your group (or anything else Disney-related), please don't hesitate to contact me!