Planning a Walt Disney World vacation in 2026? Want a head start on the parks, resorts, dining and updates? Here is everything you need to know to make the most of your dream Disney adventure in Orlando, Florida!
There is a LOT to unpack here… use the contents list below to navigate, or scroll to your heart’s content!
1. Disney Essentials: When to Visit, MagicBands and Ears!
Bookings for 2026 vacations are well and truly open! The Walt Disney World resort website has released hotel stays, park tickets and vacation packages for the majority of the year. Aim to book your stay as soon as possible to ensure you get your desired dates!
The busiest times at the resort include:
- Spring Break (particularly around the beginning of April)
- US Summer (June – July)
- Halloween and Thanksgiving (End October and End November)
- Christmas Holiday (20th – early January 2027)
Some of the the recommended dates for expected lower crowds include:
- Mid-end January 2026
- May 2026
- August 2026 (be warned – August can be HOT!)
- September 2026
If you have not visited Disney World since the COVID pandemic’s changes, it is worth knowing that you do NOT need to make a separate Park Pass reservation for date-based tickets (this INCLUDES if you have a 7- or 14-day park hopper ticket from the UK – you’ll be able to enter the parks freely with this type of ticket).
MagicBand and MagicBand+
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Disney’s MagicBand is a fun, wearable device that stores your park tickets, PhotoPass, Dining credits, and Lightning Lane reservations in an easily accessible place – you simply scan your MagicBand at the attraction/kiosk, rather than having to get your mobile or physical park ticket out.
The difference between the original MagicBand, MagicBand 2 and MagicBand+ is… not a lot. They mostly do the exact same thing – the MagicBand+ is the latest version of the product (and probably the only new ones you’ll be able to buy now). However, the good thing with the MagicBand+ is that they are rechargeable and, to make them more interactive than previous models, they light up alongside various events around the park (particularly the nighttime spectaculars!).
Whilst the MagicBand looks cool, comes in a HUGE variety of Disney designs, and makes your park day slightly more streamlined – you don’t really NEED one; it is more of an accessory than a necessity, much like the range of Mickey and Minnie ears on sale too (we don’t NEED them… do we?!).
© Theme Park Utopia
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2. Where to stay on Disney property?
The Disney resort area hosts a large range of hotels, including both Disney-owned and ‘Good Neighbor’ hotels – the Good Neighbor hotels are recognised and recommended by Disney for your Orlando trip – some of these hotels include additional perks for your stay, but we personally feel that you cannot beat the true Disney resort hotel experience!
The Walt Disney World Resort hotels are separated into three categories:
Deluxe Resort Hotels – these are the ‘highest level’ hotels Walt Disney World have to offer, offering the best amenities, most convenient locations and more sophisticated room offerings, but they often come with a much higher price tag!
Moderate Resort Hotels – the moderate resorts are a slightly different situation. Some of them are highly regarded (reviewers often liken some to their Deluxe counterparts!), whereas others come with the high price tag, but don’t actually offer much more than the Value resorts do. I would highly recommend doing your research into what you WANT from your stay, before booking a Moderate (or even Deluxe) resort hotel.
Value Resort Hotels – ‘Cheap’ (LOL – it’s Disney.) and cheerful – you cannot go wrong with the Value resorts. Whilst some guests would absolutely not enjoy the more ‘outdoorsy’ feel to these resorts, others really love the bigger, bolder designs and functional simplicity that these resorts can offer. Not to mention the much lower price, allowing for your hard-earned money to be spent elsewhere on your trip!
Here are all of the current Walt Disney World Resort Hotels listed below, as of December 2025. The ‘$’ symbols indicate roughly how expensive each hotel is compared to each other:
Deluxe Resort Hotels:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge $$$$
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort $$$$
- Disney’s Boardwalk Inn $$$$
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort $$$$
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa $$$$$
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort $$$$
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge $$$$
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort $$$$
Moderate Resort Hotels:
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort $$$
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort $$$
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter $$$
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside $$$
Value Resort Hotels:
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort $
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort $
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort $
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort $$
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort $$
Resort Guest Perks:
If you are staying in a Disney Resort Hotel, you will have access to a range of perks, including (but not limited to):
- Early Theme Park Entry: All four of the Disney theme parks open 30 minutes before the general public.
- Extended Evening Hours: These take place on select nights at a specified park for guests of Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts. Check Walt Disney World’s website for the most up-to-date list of participating hotels.
- Early access to lightning lane bookings – this includes both ‘multi pass’ and ‘single pass’ bookings, 7 days before your trip.
- Free parking at your hotel and the option to pay for a single parking pass per day for all four parks (no need to pay for parking each time you park-hop on that day!).
- Free transportation – more information on Walt Disney World Resort Transportation below!
- Early access to dining reservations – the booking window for these reservations begins 60 days before the day of your check in, and 10 days ahead throughout your hotel stay.
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3. Transportation: How to navigate Walt Disney World Resort
The Walt Disney World Resort area has a wide range of FREE TO USE transportation to shuttle you and your family between the theme parks, water parks, resort hotels, miniature golf courses, and the Disney Springs shopping complex. See more information about the transportation options available below:
Bus Transportation
The iconic Disney buses are the most popular method of transportation across Walt Disney World, and, depending on your hotel, may form a large part of your Disney vacation! The buses are very reliable in our experience, though we strongly recommend aiming to get ahead of the queues where possible (mostly in the mornings for rope-drop!).
For the early birds, the bus services begin 45 minutes before the four Disney theme parks open (check the Disney World App or website for opening times), and the final bus will from one hour after park close.
To travel from your Resort Hotel to Disney Springs shopping complex (and back), the bus service will be regularly available during the opening hours of Disney Springs. The services generally end one hour after Disney Springs closes.
To find out more about the bus services available, visit Walt Disney World’s site here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/guest-services/bus-transportation/.
Disney Skyliner
Disney’s Skyliner is one of the newest methods of transportation, serving select Resort Hotels and connecting both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT (NOTE: You cannot take the Skyliner to Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom!).
For Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Disney Skyliner station is outside the park entrance. For EPCOT, the station is located at International Gateway – this is NOT the main park entrance, and will allow you to enter EPCOT directly into the World Showcase area, between the France and United Kingdom pavilions.
The Resort Hotels served by the Disney Skyliner are:
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- The below resorts are a short walk from EPCOT’s International Gateway:
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn (and Disney’s BoardWalk entertainment district)
Monorail Transportation
Beginning as one of Walt Disney‘s passion projects at the original Disneyland in California, monorail transport has become a main-stay at Disney parks and resorts around the world, and this 1971 iteration is one of the largest!
The Walt Disney World Monorail system serves both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT theme parks, the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), as well as the three ‘monorail loop’ Resort Hotels (Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary).
There are three monorail tracks:
- The ‘monorail loop’, serving Magic Kingdom Park, the three Resort Hotels listed above, and the TTC.
- Express service between the TTC and Magic Kingdom Park only.
- Express service between the TTC and EPCOT only.
If you cannot find a ‘need’ for using the monorail service on your Disney vacation, I would still recommend riding them for fun for two reasons – riding the loop around Spaceship Earth in EPCOT, and passing THROUGH the Contemporary Resort‘s A-Frame building. Both of these are cool experiences in themselves!
Water Transportation
There are a range of water-based transportation options around the Walt Disney World Resort area, with Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Disney Springs and Disney’s BoardWalk all having this method to connect to various Resort Hotels (NOTE – not all of these parks and areas are directly linked).
The different boats and connected areas are:
- Ferryboats (Magic Kingdom and select Resort Hotels)
- Friendship Boats (EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s BoardWalk)
- Sassagoula River Cruise (Disney Springs and select Resort Hotels)
For the full list of information and boat connections, see the Walt Disney World Resort website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/guest-services/water-transportation/.
Minnie Van Service
For an additional cost, Disney has teamed up with the rideshare app Lyft to provide an exclusive taxi-style service around the resort. This is by far one of the most efficient and convenient methods of transportation (it can take you closer to some park entrances than other methods too!), though it is the only official Disney transportation service that requires an additional charge – this is through the Lyft app on your mobile.
For further information on arranging the Minnie Van service, and for information on accessible vehicles, visit the Walt Disney World Resort website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/minnie-van/.
As above, other than the Minnie Van Service, the Walt Disney World Transportation options are complementary. Other non-Disney options are available (and can be convenient!), such as taxis, rideshare (Uber/Lyft) and self-parking, but the costs of these will depend on the service you use.
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4. Maximising your park day: Rope Drop, Park Hopping and After Hours
Rope Drop
Named after the traditional physical rope that would be dropped to allow entry to the Disney theme parks each morning, ‘rope dropping’ is the term you’ll hear to refer to getting to a theme park early ahead of opening and being able to maximise your ride time.
Rope dropping the Walt Disney World theme parks almost has two stages. You can rope drop the parks at their main opening time (see the Walt Disney World app or website for details!), or you could technically rope drop BEFORE this if you have early entry access with your Resort Hotel – think of this as a ‘pre-rope drop rope drop’. Wild.
If you are planning on rope dropping a park and being first in line for some of that park’s top attractions, we’d recommend getting to the park entrance around 45-30 minutes before the park opens to get ahead of the crowds! Arriving AT the park opening time will put you right to the back of the queue – you may as well spend more time in your hotel and have a leisurely morning instead of joining THAT queue!
Which rides you decide to rope drop are completely up to you. There is NO ‘right way’ to work your Disney vacation! If you want to rope drop Living with the Land in EPCOT or the Peoplemover in Magic Kingdom, then you do you!
Here are our recommended rides to consider rope dropping in each of the four parks:
Magic Kingdom
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (if you have early entry!)
- Tron Lightcycle/Run
- Space Mountain
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Jungle Cruise (If you don’t have early entry – do this first!)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (if you have early entry!)
- Slinky Dog Dash (if you have early entry!)
- The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
EPCOT
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (if you use EPCOT’s Main Entrance)
- Test Track (if you use EPCOT’s Main Entrance)
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (if you use the International Gateway Entrance)
- Frozen Ever After
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Avatar Flight of Passage (if you have early entry!)
- Na’vi River Journey
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
Park Hopping
‘Park hopping’ refers to the ability to move between the four Disney theme parks as many times as you’d like during the day. Not all tickets have this included, so double check it when you buy them if this is something you would like to do. If you are travelling from the UK, the 7- and 14- day tickets should have this included automatically for the whole duration of your ticket validity. Always double check this with your ticket vendor.
Want to start your day on Test Track in EPCOT and end up with the Magic Kingdom fireworks later on? Park hopping has got your back! This is a very popular way of maximising time in each of the parks, and the free transportation around Disney property makes this super easy to do!
When thinking about which parks to ‘hop’ to, consider their individual opening times. Not all parks are open for the same length of time, so you can use this to your advantage! Disney’s Animal Kingdom usually opens 30 minutes to an hour earlier than the three other parks, so rope dropping Animal Kingdom is a great way of getting on the big hitters there, before relocating to a park that stays open much later!
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PRO TIP – you can also use the park opening times to your advantage, but not in the way other guests would expect. If Disney’s Animal Kingdom closes EARLIER than the other parks, why not consider visiting THERE for the second part of your day? Why? Because a lot of other people will probably also leave Animal Kingdom to hop to a later park. Crowd levels for Animal Kingdom can drop dramatically after around 2pm! Always check the app for the most up-to-date queue times and ride closures to work out if this is worth it for you.
After Hours and Special Events
This final part of how to maximise your park day will involve paying for an additional ticket – while these can be expensive, trust us – they are usually worth it! The After Hours events and seasonal parties are limited-ticket events that give around 3-5 hours of additional park time AFTER the park closes to everyone else; this means low wait times, guaranteed night rides, and some exclusive shows and character meets!
The confirmed events running throughout 2026 are:
Magic Kingdom
Disney After Hours – Magic Kingdom
An exclusive, three-hour after party! Enjoy unlimited snacks and drinks included in the cost of the ticket, alongside low wait times, exclusive character meets and the return of the Disney Enchantment nighttime spectacular! The current dates for this event are below:
- January 12 and 19
- February 2, 9 and 23
- March 2 and 9
- April 13 and 20
- May 4, 11, 18 and 25
- June 1, 22, and 29
- July 13 and 27
- Event times: 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM (You can enter the park from 7pm!).
- Tickets cost: $175 to $199 per ticket, plus tax (prices vary based on date).
Find out more on the Walt Disney World website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/events-tours/magic-kingdom/magic-kingdom-after-hours/
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
This after-hours event turns Magic Kingdom into a Halloween paradise – with short ride wait times, exclusive Halloween-themed shows and firework displays and, best of all, unlimited trick-or-treating around the whole park! You WILL leave with a LOT of candy!
Dates have not yet been confirmed for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026. In previous years, tickets have gone on sale roughly around May/June. The event usually begins around the middle of August, up until the end of October.
Find out more on the Walt Disney World website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Similar to its Halloween equivalent, expect exclusive shows, characters and night rides in a Christmas wonderland! Dates have not yet been released for 2026.
Find out more on the Walt Disney World website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-very-merry-christmas-party/
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney After Hours – Hollywood Studios
An exclusive, three-hour after party! Enjoy unlimited snacks and drinks included in the cost of the ticket, alongside low wait times, exclusive character meets and you will have time to watch Fantasmic! before riding attractions into the night! The current dates for this event are below:
- January 14 and 28
- February 4, 11, 21 and 25
- April 29
- May 6, 14, 30
- June 3, 10, 17 and 24
- July 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29
- August 5, 12, 19 and 26
- September 2 and 12
- Event times: 9:30 PM to 12:30 AM (You can enter the park from 7pm!).
- Tickets cost: $155 to $189 per ticket, plus tax (prices vary based on date).
The dates below have slightly different event times:
- May 30, 2026 – 10:30 PM to 1:30 AM
- September 12, 2026 – 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Find out more on the Walt Disney World website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/events-tours/hollywood-studios/hollywood-studios-after-hours/
Disney Jollywood Nights
Whilst Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Disney’s Hollywood Studios brings a different take with its own Christmas event. Jollywood Nights is a 5-hour event that brings its own exclusive characters, food, drinks and – as always – night rides! The park also features a range of Christmas decorations and projection shows to brighten up the night sky.
Find out more on the Walt Disney World website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/events-tours/hollywood-studios/jollywood-nights/
EPCOT
Disney After Hours – EPCOT
An exclusive, three-hour after party! Enjoy unlimited snacks and drinks included in the cost of the ticket, alongside low wait times, exclusive character meets and you can kick this all off with watching Luminous The Symphony of Us at the World Showcase Lagoon! The current dates for this event are below:
- January 22 and 29
- February 19
- March 5 and 12
- April 2, 9, 15, 23 and 30
- May 21
- June 11 and 18
- July 9 and 23
- August 6 and 13
- September 16 and 24
- Event times: 9:30 PM to 12:30 AM (You can enter the park from 7pm!).
- Tickets cost: $155 to $179 per ticket, plus tax (prices vary based on date).
Find out more on the Walt Disney World website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/events-tours/epcot/epcot-after-hours/
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon
One of two waterparks at Walt Disney World, Typhoon Lagoon hosts a nighttime party each year, where the pools are lit up, there is a disco on the beach and the slides are open until late! The added benefit of attending the H2O Glow After Hours event is that you do not have the Florida sun beaming down on you!
Alongside the music and lights, there are a range of characters that come out to dance (mostly Chip and Dale!) and specialty food and drink items are available throughout the party. In similarity to most of the theme park-based events, free snacks and fountain beverages are included in the cost of your ticket.
One thing that is not quite the same as the theme park events is that we found the queue times for most of the slides were not much lower (and sometimes a bit longer!) than during the day time; perhaps just more people are willing to wait in those exposed queue lines when the sun is down! The lazy river and giant wave pool practically empty out, so the general crowd level is definitely lower across the park.
As of December 2025, Disney have not yet released dates for their H2O Glow After Hours party. You can find further details about this event on the Walt Disney World website here: https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/events-tours/typhoon-lagoon/h2o-glow-after-hours/
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5. Skip the lines – Lightning Lanes
Lightning Lanes are Walt Disney World’s current skip-the-queue option. Gone are the days of free fastpasses (RIP), so read below to find out about how you can reduce your wait times. All three of these methods will require the Walt Disney World mobile app, so be sure to download this ahead of your trip!
BEFORE YOU READ ON: Whilst Walt Disney World is home to some of the highest-attended theme parks in the world, we recommend doing your research before you commit to purchasing Lightning Lanes. Not all days are worth spending the extra money, and not all parks are worth it either (we’re looking at YOU, Animal Kingdom!). Unless you are visiting at a peak season, you will probably do just fine without it. See our suggested busiest and quietest seasons by clicking here!
ADDITIONAL PERK – If you book the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Premier Pass, you will have access to Disney PhotoPass for that day, which includes your attraction photos! (This does not include photographs taken by in-park PhotoPass photographers).
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Lightning Lane Multi Pass
This option is the revised-version of Genie+ from a few years ago. You can select arrival windows for up to THREE ‘multi pass experiences’ (rides and attractions). The ‘arrival windows’ are time slots for riding your ride – when you have secured your arrival window, simply head to the attraction at that time and scan your MagicBand or mobile app.
When booking your multi pass rides, you can book ONE ‘Tier 1’ attraction and TWO ‘Tier 2’ attractions –these are listed below. You can select all three attractions from Tier 2 if you wish. The Tier 1 rides are the more popular rides in the park – get online early to secure your top rides! (Note – you must be in the U.S. to book your Lightning Lanes in advance – up to 7 days for Disney hotel guests).
Some of the most popular rides and attractions are not available with Lightning Lane Multi Pass. These attractions are listed under the‘Lightning Lane Single Pass’ heading below!
As soon as you have scanned in to your first attraction on the day of your park visit, you will then be able to start booking your next attraction. If you have the park-hop ticket, you will be able to select rides from multiple parks after scanning your first ride of the day.
Prices for the Lightning Lane Multi Pass depend on the day/park. All information and purchases are via the Walt Disney World app (‘My Disney Experience App’).
All Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions and Tiers
Magic Kingdom
Tier 1
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
Tier 2
- Haunted Mansion
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (reopening Spring 2026)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- “it’s a small world”
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- The Barnstormer
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Tier 1
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (CLOSING March 1st 2026)
Tier 2
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
- Toy Story Mania!
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure
EPCOT
Tier 1
- Test Track
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Frozen Ever After
Tier 2
- Spaceship Earth
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Tier 1
- N/A
Tier 2
- DINOSAUR (CLOSING Feb 2, 2026)
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Naʻvi River Journey
- Kali River Rapids
- Festival of the Lion King
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
Lightning Lane Single Pass
The most popular attractions in the four theme parks are not available on the Lightning Lane Multi Pass; you will need to purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass to fast track your experience on the rides below.
You can purchase up to TWO Lightning Lane Single Passes for attractions per day.
When booking a Lightning Lane Single Pass, you must book a one-hour arrival window. You must return to the attraction within this specified time slot to use your Single Pass.
Prices for the Lightning Lane Single Pass depend on the day/park. All information and purchases are via the Walt Disney World app (‘My Disney Experience App’).
Magic Kingdom
Lightning Lane Single Pass
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Lightning Lane Single Pass
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
EPCOT
Lightning Lane Single Pass
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Lightning Lane Single Pass
- Avatar Flight of Passage
Lightning Lane Premier Pass
Significantly more convenient, though significantly more expensive, than the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass options, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass will have you covered for a ride on EVERY Lightning Lane attraction in a park.
NO need to book arrival windows for Lightning Lane Premier pass – you are able to just show up and ‘tap in’ to any participating attraction.
You can only use your Lightning Lane Premier Pass ONCE per participating attraction.
You can only book a Lightning Lane Premier Pass for ONE park each. This means you can only use your pass in that single park, and you would need to purchase an additional Lightning Lane Premier Pass for use in subsequent parks.
Prices for the Lightning Lane Premier Pass depend on the day/park. All information and purchases are via the Walt Disney World app (‘My Disney Experience App’).
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6. Disney Dining
There is not enough time left in 2025 to cover everything there is to say about every dining location at Walt Disney World. The food scene here is HUGE, and for good reason – there are so many incredible things to eat and drink across the whole Resort area. We are going to stick to the basics for now – the Disney Dining Plan, making reservations, and finally where to go to get a good cocktail!
Disney Dining Plan
There are two main Dining Plan options you can book for your Walt Disney World stay:
Disney Quick Service Dining Plan
- 2 Quick-Service Meals per night
- 1 non-alcoholic/alcoholic drink per meal, per night
- 1 selected snack or drink per night
- Resort-Refillable Drink Mug for the duration of your stay – up to 14 days.
Disney Dining Plan
- 1 Quick-Service Meal per night
- 1 Table-Service meal per night
- 1 non-alcoholic/alcoholic drink per meal, per night
- 1 selected snack or drink per night
- Resort-Refillable Drink Mug for the duration of your stay – up to 14 days.
The Dining Plans can be good value for money, but can also be expensive. If you are booking from the UK, and if the Dining Plan is included for free, then go for it! Otherwise, we have managed just fine for two weeks without it in the past. Quite often, people comment on how they are unable to spend ALL of their remaining credits before the end of their trip, so you should look into how much this would cost you to add on and considerif you feel like it would be worth it to you.
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Another thing to consider – if you book the full Dining Plan, you then begin to tie yourself down to table-service meals. Whilst almost every single table-service restaurant on Disney property is great, they can take quite a chunk of time out of your park day. Alongside this, table-service meals often require reservations too, so you could find that your trip becomes a bit more stressful than it needs to be than if you DIDN’T have multiple bookings and timings to rigidly stick to…
TL;DR – the Quick-Service Dining Plan would be worth it if it is included in your vacation package. I probably wouldn’t be too worried otherwise…
For full guidance and information on the Disney Dining Plan options, visit the Walt Disney World Website here: https://www.disneyholidays.co.uk/walt-disney-world/dining-plans/
Making Dining Reservations
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If you are a Disney Resort Hotel guest, you are able to make your dining reservations from 60 days before your check-in date. This is excellent for giving you a better chance of grabbing one of the more difficult-to-book restaurants. The toughest reservations to book are generally for:
- California Grill – Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Chef Mickey’s – Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Cinderella’s Royal Table – Magic Kingdom
- Oga’s Cantina – Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- ‘Ohana – Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Space 220 Restaurant and Lounge – EPCOT
- Victoria and Albert’s – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
If you ABSOLUTELY want to visit one of these iconic dining locations, then it’s worth taking advantage of the 60-day booking window if possible.
Being honest? We don’t usually bother with booking too many table service restaurants – perhaps only maybe one or two of them. The added stress of having to be somewhere at a specific time, followed by the time it takes out of your day, is just not worth it to us. Plus, if you are in a smaller group, you can find walk-up tables aren’t too bad of a wait! The food isn’t always that great in some of the busier locations too (Cinderella’s Royal Table and Chef Mickey’s have to be mentioned here, unfortunately) – they look cool and provide the atmosphere, but are a bit of a ‘one and done’.
California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort gets the special shout-out from us. The food is of a very high standard, as are the cocktails they make. You also cannot beat the view from the top of the Contemporary hotel, looking out over the Magic Kingdom park – if you eat here, you are then allowed to come back in the evening to watch the fireworks from the top of the hotel too! It’s pricey there, but honestly really good.
Where to get a decent cocktail…
We’re going to keep this quick and simple. Where should you go to get a cocktail? Here are some of our favourite places to grab a drink across the whole of Walt Disney World (we have avoided restaurants and just focused on lounges and bars):
- All Star Music Resort – Singing Spirits Bar (this is a personal one for us – a simple yet effective pool bar!)
- Animal Kingdom – Nomad Lounge
- Animal Kingdom – Dawa Bar
- Disney Springs – The Edison
- Disney Springs – Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar
- EPCOT – Les Vins des Chefs de France
- EPCOT – Geo-82 Bar and Lounge
- EPCOT – Mexico Pavilion (any location here!)
- EPCOT – Space 220 Lounge
- Hollywood Studios – Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge
- Hollywood Studios – Oasis Canteen
- Hollywood Studios – Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
- Magic Kingdom – The Beak and Barrel
- Polynesian Village Resort – Tambu Lounge
- Polynesian Village Resort – Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto / Tiki Terrace
There are LOADS of other great places to get cocktails – these are just the ones that came to mind for us!
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7. Disney Springs: Shopping, Dining and Entertainment
Disney Springs is Walt Disney World’s extensive shopping and dining complex, and is well worth a visit on your trip! Featuring the huge World of Disney store, fantastic restaurants and bars, a large AMC Cinema, and so much more, Disney Springs is the ideal place to visit in between those busy theme park days.
For the most chilled-out experience, aim to visit Disney Springs in the morning when it opens – particularly on a week day. If you are looking for a more lively atmosphere, then visiting later on any evening, after the sun goes down, brings a lot more people to the area for post-park shopping, dining and even nightlife!
Parking in the garages is free. The Lime garage would be slightly closer towards the Town Centre and Marketplace areas, whilst the Orange garage puts you nearer to the Landing and West Side areas (where you will find the AMC Cinema, Splitsville Luxury Lanes bowling and Cirque du Soleil circus).
Using the Walt Disney World mobile app, you are able to make reservations and order quick service food, using the Mobile Order feature. You can also join virtual queues for popular locations like Gideon’s Bakehouse (trust us – the lines there can be LONG!).
You can get some unique food items across Disney Springs – some iconic locations include Salt and Straw for their VERY unique ice cream flavours, Swirls on the Water for Dole Whip combinations you cannot find in the parks, and high quality quick service locations such as Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza and D-Luxe Burger.
Alongside the various dining locations, there are well-known shops aplenty – big names like Uniqlo, Pandora, Sephora, Lululemon, M&Ms, Lego and SO much more! Lots of these stores also feature unique Disney-themed items that are well worth a look.
Finally, there is more to do than simply shopping and dining! Alongside the AMC Theatre, bowling alley and various photo opportunities, there are the following:
- Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life – a world-class circus performance featuring some of our favourite Disney characters and artistry.
- Aerophile – The World Leader in Balloon Flight – a tethered air balloon experience, taking you 400 feet above Walt Disney World (weather dependent).
- Vintage Amphicar Tours – drive a car into the… water? Literally! You can sail/drive around alongside Disney Springs in a retro Amphicar!
PRO TIP – If you have spent the day off Disney property and visited somewhere like Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, either getting an Uber/taxi or driving to/from these places is the easiest way. When you head back to Walt Disney World later that evening, Disney Springs can be a great place to be dropped off by your taxi so you can get some food, before getting the FREE Disney transport back to your Disney Resort Hotel – this will save you a few $$!
Visit the Disney Springs website here for their full offering: https://www.disneysprings.com/.
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8. What’s new? Here are the updates and closures in the parks for 2026!
At the time of writing in December 2025, here are the confirmed changes you can expect to see across the four Walt Disney World theme parks for the 2026 season:
Magic Kingdom 2026 Updates
- Two of the latest rides to join this park are Tron Lightcycle / Run and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Both are must-ride attractions if you haven’t visited in a few years!
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is undergoing a refurbishment and will reopen in Spring 2026.
- Debuting in July 2025, the new ‘Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away’ parade will be a must-see for 2026 too, lighting up Mainstreet U.S.A with colour and music!
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is set to reopen in Spring 2026. This beloved, classic ‘runaway mine train’ rollercoaster takes riders on the wildest ride in the wilderness!
- The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island areas are officially closed and are in the process of being transformed into the new Cars-themed ‘Piston Peak’ area, complete with a new headline attraction themed to the 2006 Pixar film! This new land is set to open around 2028-2030, depending on speed of construction.
- The Beak and Barrel lounge opened in 2025, located near Pirates of the Caribbean; this quirky bar is a must-visit in 2026!
- Something evil is brewing behind the Magic Kingdom – whilst not opening in 2026, initial construction of the new Disney Villains-themed area is expected to begin!
© Theme Park Utopia
EPCOT 2026 Updates
- Test Track reopened in 2025, being the third iteration of the classic attraction, fusing the style of previous versions with the atmosphere of the original World of Motion ride. If you have not visited in 2025, then it will still be new for you in 2026 and beyond!
- Frozen Ever After will be closed from January 26th, until sometime in February 2026. This is to give much needed upgrades to the audio-animatronics in the ride, to bring them in line with the quality of other Frozen areas across the world, including Disneyland Paris’ new World of Frozen.
- Soarin’ will be receiving an update to ‘Soarin’ Across America’, to celebrate the U.S.A’s 250th anniversary. At time of writing, it is not exactly known when the attraction will open, but it is expected by early July.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios 2026 Updates
- Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith will be closing on March 1st 2026 to receive an overhaul by Summer 2026. Aerosmith are out and The Muppets will be moving in, fronted by the Electric Mayhem band; we are excited to see what this will look like when it reopens, as our last ride on the original version of the attraction did feel a bit dated (much like the pre-closing period for the Walt Disney Studios equivalent in Paris).
- The Muppets Courtyard is closed and the new Monstropolis area is under construction. This new Monsters Inc. land will feature iconic buildings from the franchise, as well as a new indoor rollercoaster themed to the door-rail scene (finally!).
- Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Play and Dance! are now closed permanently. This will be replaced by late Summer 2026; “The Magic of Disney Animation” attraction will allow visitors to gain an insight to the world of Disney animation, and there will be a new playground themed to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and modelled off Mary Blair’s original concept art (for reference, Mary Blair also designed the “it’s a small world” art style, and worked closely with Walt Disney on some feature films too!).
- Beginning on the 22nd May 2026, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will feature a new Mandalorian and Grogu-inspired mission. Be sure to check it out!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom 2026 Updates
- We’re not gonna make it! DINOSAUR IS CLOSING! You have until February 2nd to ride the classic DINOSAUR attraction one final time, before it is converted to a new Indiana Jones adventure.
- The rest of DinoLand U.S.A is also in the process of being cleared out, as the new Tropical Americas area is being constructed with the fictional village of Pueblo Esperanza – featuring a brand new Encanto ride! This new land is anticipated to open sometime in 2027.
- It’s the end of an era underneath the Tree of Life; “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” is no more! Zootopia: Better Zoogether has replaced the Bugs’ Life crew in November 2025.
Waterparks
- Exciting news for the waterpark lovers out there! In 2026, BOTH Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach waterparks will be open throughout the Summer season. Both will be available from May 26th through to September 8th 2026. This is much-welcomed news, as, in most recent years, only one or the other waterpark had been available at a time. Freedom!
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If you made is this far and read everything – thank you! I hope this guide will be helpful to you when planning your 2026 Walt Disney World trip; have a great time!
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