Doing Disney World the Right Way: Walt Disney World Vacation Tips from a Disney Insider

You've thought about it, saved for it, and now, after all of your hard work you finally find yourself standing in front of Cinderella castle in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom... and you're overwhelmed! And you should be; Walt Disney World is huge! At over 43 square miles, it's twice the size of Manhattan. And in those 30,000 acres are Walt Disney World's four theme parks: The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom.

With a limited amount of time, often just a few days, most people struggle with what to do and how to do it all within the time they have at Walt Disney World. As someone who has worked at Walt Disney World and written many articles about Walt Disney World, here are some invaluable tips to help you get the most of your time at Walt Disney World's four theme parks.

Realize that you can't do it all!

This may sound like a no brainier, but there's so much to do that you'll never be able to do it all in one trip so don't knock yourself out trying to! Decide what absolutely want to see and do and do those things first. (For some suggestions on what your should see and do, see my article 7 Things that Every Walt Disney World Vacation Must Include at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2111845/7_things_that_every_walt_disney_world.html).

Use Disney's FastPass

The FastPass system allows you to "reserve" a place in line at a major attraction and return to ride at a predetermined time with little or no wait. When you arrive at the park, check the guide map to see which attractions offer FastPass. Then head to the attraction you want to reserve a ride time. At the front of the attraction will be FastPass machine, simply insert your park admission ticket (or hotel room keycard if you're staying at a Walt Disney World hotel) and you'll be issued a ticket with a time to return to the attraction. Return at the time printed on the FastPass ticket and you'll enter the attraction through a FastPass line which will have a wait of no more than a few minutes. The downside is that you can only have one FastPass at a time. So as soon as you ride an attraction using the FastPass, head to the next attraction you want to experience and get a FastPass for that attraction.

Start at the back of the parks

When the gates to the Disney theme parks open each day, most people start exploring rides and attractions as they come across them. You can avoid large crowds by heading to the back of the parks and working your way toward the front. For example at Epcot while most people are waiting in line for Spaceship Earth (the first ride you'll encounter after the main gate), head toward Test Track or Soarin' in the back of Future World and ride Spaceship Earth later in the day; Usually with a much smaller line at that point).

Take a break in the middle of the day

You're on vacation so enjoy yourself! The theme parks can be crowded and with the Central Florida weather most months of the year, hot. If you're staying at a Walt Disney World hotel, skip the midday heat and crowds (midday is usually the busiest time of day) by hopping on the monorail and going back to your hotel for a few hours after a morning in the theme parks. Not only will you avoid the midday crowd, you can take a swim the hotel's pool to cool off. When you return to the theme parks in the late afternoon, not only will you be refreshed, the crowds will be smaller and it won't be so hot. And with most of the parks open late (often midnight or later during times of peak attendance), you'll still have plenty of time left in the parks.