Going to Walt Disney World or Disneyland is not just a show-up, get tickets, go in and ride experience. In fact, it may take more planning and organization than a wedding! That’s not to scare you, simply advise you that the families who “get their money’s worth” are the ones with a plan. Thankfully, there is an app on your mobile devices that will be your own personal guide. Let’s talk the My Disney Experience/DisneyWorld App.
Welcome to Believe Vacations’ Weekly Post where today, we are going to go pretty in-depth and give you a tour of the My Disney Experience or Disney World App. For this article, it’ll be best for you to download the app to your mobile device and open it. You’ll also have an easier time following along if you have a current account and even better, a future reservation. So let’s just start from the beginning. Our first tip – when you get to Walt Disney World (either in parks, resorts, etc), turn on your Wi-Fi and the app will become interactive for you.
Sign In – If you already have an account with an email and password, go ahead and click the Sign In button and enter your information. Believe Vacation agents like to advise you to pick an easy password to remember. Something like Mickey123! would be perfect.
Search – (click the magnifying glass) – When in doubt when you can not find what you need or our directions are confusing, hit the glass, type in what you’re looking for and you’ll probably find it.
My Profile (click the triple lines in the bottom right) – This is where you can personalize everything you would need for Disney to know about you. You can put in your name and birthday, sign up for membership and passes, activate magicbands, set up contact and payment information, get mobile device notifications, etc. Take your time and provide as much as you feel you would need to make sure all communication from Disney comes directly to you and then, pick a character that you feel best represents you!
My Plans (click the triple lines in the bottom right) – If at any point you need to know the plan or what’s next on the agenda, click here and plan it out. This portion of the app is your daily agenda that holds the biggest reservations for your party – mostly FastPass times and Dining Reservations.
Family and Friends (click next to My Profile) – If you have 4 members of your family going on your next trip, this is the area to put in the information for them and enable the option to manage their plans. Also a good idea when you want to link your account with any other families you might be traveling with during the trip.
Make Fast Pass Selections (type into search) – Beginning at 7:00AM Eastern 60 days before arrival, you can make up to 3 Fast Pass selections per person for each day in the parks. Click get started, select the people in your party you want for a selection, choose the park, choose the date, find an attraction and time and book! Once you make your initial selections, use the app the day you are in the park for additional fast pass selections.
Park Hours and Info (scroll halfway down the main page) – Use this section of the app to look up the park hours for that day and for days into the future. Very handy when you have park hopper tickets and taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours.
Maps (click the map at the top of the main page) – Looking for an attraction, restaurant, restroom or location in the parks and resorts? The app is your GPS. Check out the “Get Directions” feature that will provide a literal step-by-step instruction guide by foot, bus, monorail or boat. If you choose by foot, it’s turn-by-turn and every method gives you arrival times.
Wait Times (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – To be honest, I look at this even when I’m NOT at Disney. I love seeing how busy the parks are and how insane people must be to wait in stand-by lines for over 2 hours. In the parks, this is very important as you much look at the live times before you decide where to go next.
Attractions (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – So you’re curious about doing an attraction but need to know some information first. Click this section to learn height restrictions, what ages it is for, the thrill type, hours of operation and a brief description.
Characters (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – Need to know what time and where your favorite Disney character is making an appearance at? This feature will help you find them in no time!
Dining (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – The easiest way to make Disney Dining reservations is through your device. Select the party size number, select the desired date, search by time, scroll until you see a desired location (if available). Along those lines, if you’re enjoying quick-service locations, click the 3 lines and click Mobile Food Orders. Create a new order, find your location, pick your selections and time to pick up the order and enjoy!
Entertainment (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – Following our 5 part series on entertainment options, this feature will allow you to search for entertainment options and learn show times, the age group it is for, the entertainment type and other information.
Restrooms (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – Self-explanatory, much appreciated and a very popular feature of the app for sure.
Events and Tours (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – Curious to see if there are special events going on in the parks and at the resorts? Click this feature to see if there are ticketed events and what the tours require in terms of time and dollars.
PhotoPass – (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – Did you purchase a memory maker package and want to know where you can get your picture taken? This feature shows where the photographers are stationed and also what attractions feature on-ride photos and sometimes, videos. And once you start building those photos, go to the main screen of the app and scroll down until you see the library of photos with your smiling faces!
Guest Services – (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – Looking for information or have questions? The parks and resorts are full of spots to ask.
Shops – (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – You may not know this, but every park, resort and Disney Springs really like to sell you merchandise. Not only will the map show you where the shops are, but you can search and browse products and still buy without stopping by!
Resort Hotels – (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – You may have to pinch the map slightly to see the entire property but this will 1) show you how MASSIVE WDW truly is and 2) show you where all the resorts are located just in case you wanted to do some hopping on a non-park day.
Transportation – (click on the map, hit the drop down arrow) – Round, Round, Get Around, how will you get around the World? Looking for which resorts or parks have boat transportation? How about where you should park for Disney Springs? This portion of the map is a time-saver in more ways than one.
Play Disney Parks (click the triple lines in the bottom right) – Tired of waiting in the queues with the same people and the same conversations? Entertain yourself and your group with this interactive game and trivia questions. Unlock achievements, play the classic sounds of the Disney parks, pass the time, Disney-style!
