The Worst Disney Advice We’ve Received — And What to Do Instead

Have you ever received some especially bad Disney World advice? Bad Disney advice at its best can make you try a gross snack, but at its worst, it can ruin your trip.

We do NOT like seeing that happen around here! That’s why we try to give you the best Disney World advice as possible so that you can have the trip of your dreams.

Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for everyone else. We recently saw an article from CNBC talking about how complicated Disney World trips are nowadays, and while that in itself could be considered true, most things said in the article were…not.

So, let’s go over some of the worst advice we read in the post, and talk about why you shouldn’t listen to it.

The Happiest Place on Earth

The actual first line of the article is “It’s said to be “the happiest place on earth.” Uh, what now? Let us remind you, they are talking about Disney World here, not Disneyland.

This is an important distinction because Disneyland Resort (you know, the one out in California) is The Happiest Place on Earth. Disney World is The Most Magical Place on Earth.

This might seem like nitpicking, but we just needed to point that out, because it is incorrect, plain and simple. That first line really sets the tone for the rest of this article, so buckle up, folks!

We also wanted to mention that for this specific Disney World trip segment, CNBC used pictures of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty castle TWICE. They are two entirely different places with very different castles.

To non-Disney fans, this might be like “who cares, what’s the difference” but, to Disney fans, this is like talking about the Eiffel Tower but showing Big Ben. They are two different things.

Trip Planning

CNBC interviewed a person in the travel industry who said “It’s insane how much work has to go into planning a Disney vacation. I would need a vacation just from planning my vacation.”

Now, I’m going to say something that might be a little bit controversial, but it should also be pretty obvious — Disney World is NOT your typical vacation. It is a trip. Trips and vacations aren’t necessarily the same thing.

People imply that vacations should be relaxing, but some vacations can be adventures (that’s what I would consider more of a trip than a vacation). And, to some people, adventures ARE relaxing. They’re a way of blowing off steam and escaping reality!

Don’t get me wrong, Disney World trips can absolutely be relaxing if you want them to be. It’s all about your expectations. Nothing is stopping you from hanging out by the pool all day and just going into the parks to watch fireworks.

BUT if you want to try and get as much done as possible, of course it takes more planning and isn’t as relaxing, that would be true on other vacations as well. Trying to see 10 historical sites in one day on a trip to Europe is definitely fun, but we wouldn’t consider it relaxing either!

In this CNBC article, the advice given by a CEO of a travel company is that “There are those that understand the system and those that just go” continuing on to say that the first group approach planning like “it’s a science,” and the second “get very little out of their day.”

They say that the latter group can still have a great time, but they will spend a lot of it waiting in lines. We disagree with this!

Getting “very little out of your day” is measured entirely based on personal preference. Maybe someone considers their perfect day in Disney to be a chill one, not one where you’re running to get on 15 rides in 12 hours.

It also doesn’t mean you’re going to spend a lot of time waiting in lines…remember, this all depends on what time of year you visit and what you want to do. You are not being forced to wait in a long line for a ride you don’t want to go on. And, there are times of the day when a line is shorter than during peak hours.

Also, you don’t have to wait in a bunch of long lines if you don’t want to! You could pick rides and restaurants with shorter lines.

The article goes on to recommend that if all of the planning for a Disney World trip “sounds like too much” you can book a private VIP tour, which allows you to get on to whichever rides you want.

VIP tours cost $450 to $900 an hour, and they have a seven-hour minimum. They say they know this is too much for a lot of people, but “if you are financially able to do it…it is worth every single cent.”

Disney is expensive enough, it can ABSOLUTELY be successfully and enjoyably done without paying for a VIP tour. I know, I’ve done it regularly since all of these new systems were put into place.

Of course if you can afford a top dollar experience like this you’re going to think it’s worth it. But, it’s totally not necessary. We’re talking thousands of dollars here just for the convenience of not having to wait in any lines or plan.

You know what you CAN do instead that will help alleviate a lot of stress? Get a travel agent! They will take care of all of the hard parts for you for FREE!

Length of Stay

The advice given is that “A great Disney trip, if it’s your first time, is seven to nine days. Don’t rush it.” They go on to say that “travelers need at least four days to visit the parks, but staying beyond this allows visitors to see them at a more leisurely pace.”

Okay, sure, the longer you’re at Disney World, the more you can accomplish at a slower pace. But, Disney is EXPENSIVE. A seven to nine day trip is a very, very big chunk of change.

Not everyone can afford that, and that shouldn’t discourage people from visiting. You can still have a great trip with less time!

They’re also saying don’t rush it, but that you won’t get anything out of your trip if you don’t plan literally everything, apparently.

The Lingo

The article mentions how confusing the lingo at Disney World can be, saying “To avoid lines, FastPasses are out, and Lightning Lanes are in. There’s also Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ (the latter costs extra), Individual Lightning Lanes (not to be confused with regular Lightning Lanes) and photography services like PhotoPass and Memory Makers.”

Yes, Disney World is a theme park, meaning it has specific lingo. Just like Universal. Just like any other theme park you visit. This is just the way the world works, everything has specific lingo!

New lingo can seem intimidating, but I promise you can adjust after getting used to it, and then it makes sense and it really won’t seem that bad. 

It probably seems more complicated right now too because there are a lot of recent changes. When FastPass was first introduced, it was confusing to people, too! Give it time, people. Give it time.

We also want to point out that you don’t HAVE to use any of these things mentioned, they are all optional and can be added on to your experience if you WANT. You can literally never mess with Genie or Genie+ or Lightning Lanes if you don’t want to.

Do they have benefits? Yes! But, that doesn’t mean you have to use them. You can absolutely just go into a Disney World park and wait in whichever ride line you want (unless it’s one that requires a virtual queue, but there are only two of those).

As for the photo services, I personally have NEVER paid to use PhotoPass or Memory Maker and I’ve had amazing Disney memories. You can simply take pictures on your own phone!

Cast members will use your phone to take your picture for free if you ask them. And, even if you don’t pay for PhotoPass, you can still see your on-ride pictures through your My Disney Experience app, you just can save them without the water mark (unless you have Genie+ for the day!).

Hotel Recommendations

The travel company CEO recommends some hotels in the article — “Disney’s Boardwalk or Beach Club Resort, because of their proximity to the parks. They aren’t the most luxurious resorts, he said, but that doesn’t matter because logistics are more important.” He goes on to say “At Disney World, your feet are your best transportation.”

Uh, what? BoardWalk and Beach Club are both Deluxe Resorts. They are in the highest tier of resorts at Disney World!

These resorts are hundreds of dollars per night. I just looked at how much a room would cost at the BoardWalk in September of this year (not considered the busy season!) and a Standard View room is $637 per night. This is the base level room here, everything else is something with better accommodations like a villa, a club level, or has a better view for more money.

Same with Disney’s Beach Club — a standard view room for is $618 per night. I was looking for 2 people (do note this room DOES technically sleep 5, though). For a week, that’s $4,176.03 after tax. That’s NOT even including park tickets!

These rooms are some of the most expensive at Disney World. And, we can absolutely promise you that these resorts are luxurious. This advice is simply flat out wrong.

Let’s address the reasoning for these recommendations — that the BoardWalk and Beach Club are great “because of their proximity to the parks.” They say that your feet are your best transportation, after all.

The Boardwalk and Beach Club are very close to EPCOT, and accessible by a (longer) walking path to Hollywood Studios, but that’s it. Those are the only parks you can walk to — there is transportation to the other parks like buses and boats, but there is a reason these are called EPCOT resorts.

Feet being your best transportation really only applies if you want to go to EPCOT. Even walking to Hollywood Studios will take a while. And, you’re going to be walking a LOT during the day anyway, do you really want to add about a mile walk on to start and end your day?

You are much better off taking a boat to Hollywood Studios, which comes to these resorts. As for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, you gotta get on a bus! Walking is not an option.

To spend less on a hotel while still being on property near the parks (which let’s you take advantage of their free transportation options), check out the various Moderate or Value resorts. You don’t always get as close to the parks as you would at many Deluxe resorts, but that’s part of why they cost more.

They also call Disney World an “amazing spa destination.” Uh, there are two hotel spas at Disney World. I would not consider it a spa destination by any means whatsoever.

Disney World Dining

The article goes on to talk about dining in several places, so we’ll group them all together for you. The first thing mentioned as a problem in Disney World is that “Top restaurants can be booked solid months in advance.”

This can definitely be true, but there ARE reservations that open up periodically as your trip draws closer, you just have to keep checking (or find a service that will let you know when a reservation becomes available again).

But more importantly, this statement is true of many, MANY different vacation destinations. For example, I was planning a bachelorette trip to Savannah, Georgia recently and it was very difficult to find lunch and dinner reservations, even when looking months in advance.

The same can be said for any major city or vacation spot. These trips take planning! With social media especially, people find out about popular spots way easier than they used to, so they can get booked up quick wherever they are.

It’s also mentioned that “Before COVID, restaurant bookings opened six months before a visit. Now it’s two months, which has made reservations harder to get.”

“People just weren’t very good at planning six months in advance. Two months out is a different game. Almost everyone is like … I’ve got to be on this.” We’ve gotta disagree with this!

A lot of people planning Disney World vacations knew when these dining windows opened up, (many times thanks to travel agents or blogs like ours). Alarms were set, people got their options ready, and people booked them. I had just as hard of a time getting reservations six months out compared to two.

Also, just FYI — a lot of restaurants have walk up wait lists. There are few that absolutely require reservations. And, it never hurts to check closer to your trip to see what’s opened up!

It is mentioned again in the article that “Amazing restaurants fill up super fast.” True, but there are also amazing restaurant that DON’T fill up super fast, like Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom or Jaleo in Disney Springs.

A better way to put this is that very popular restaurants fill up fast, which — like we said before — is true of most vacation destinations.

The Best Disney World Hotel Restaurants

Okay, this is where it gets kind of wild. There is advice give on the top restaurant recommendations at the hotels in Disney World. 

The first one recommended is — drumroll please — Victoria & Albert’s in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. YEP! They recommend the most expensive restaurant in all of Disney World.

Victoria & Albert’s is the fanciest restaurant on Disney World property, and probably one of the fanciest in all of Orlando. It’s a AAA Five Diamond restaurant with a chef’s tasting menu. Children under 10 are not allowed to dine here. There is a strict dress code of semi-formal/formal attire. 

The price right now for the prix-fixe menu STARTS at $295 per person. You can also pair wine for an additional $150 (starting) per person or have some zero-proof pairings that start at $110 per person.

It is, without a doubt, the top restaurant on Disney World property. It’s $600 for two people, without any alcohol, and without including the tip or tax! Recommending this to people for their trips is absolutely outlandish. 

This is more of an experience than a casual dinner. It’s considered a once-in-a-lifetime meal for a lot of people (unless you can afford multiple trips, we suppose). This is not a recommendation we would give for a family who just spent the majority of the day in Magic Kingdom!

Moving on, they also recommend California Grill in Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This is on the top floor of the hotel, and it’s definitely a better option, but it’s still not a great option to recommend to casual Disney World guests.

Cali Grill is also very expensive and fancy. We wouldn’t say this should be on your list as a typical Disney meal with your little ones. It’s more of a special occasion meal, or a meal that you have on an important business trip. It’s not super kid friendly.

It is delicious, that’s for sure, and the view is awesome. However, it’s also a prix-fixe meal that starts at $89 per adult and $39 per child (ages 3-9). Not to mention, it’s pretty hard to get a reservation here.

Finally, they recommend Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort. Again, this is a bit of a better option than the two previously mentioned. It’s on the top floor of the hotel and you can step outside to see some fireworks at night.

However, if you’re going here with little kids, we’d recommend going for breakfast (it’s a character meal!) over dinner. Dinner is still fancy — the entrees are around $50 each (except for the $36 vegetarian option).

There are way better and more accessible options available at the Disney World hotels! You could try out ‘Ohana, which isn’t cheap, but it’s more kid-friendly. There are also options like Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue with more familiar food AND a dinner show.

The Best Disney World Theme Park Restaurants

The travel company CEO also mentions some of his favorite restaurants in the parks for dinner — Takumi-Tei and Monsieur Paul in EPCOT. We are taking a *very* deep breath at this point.

Listen, Monsieur Paul is another prix-fixe meal with several courses that costs $195 per person. It has a dress code and fancy French standards and kids have to be 10 or older to dine here. So, again, not a spot for the kids or the whole family, unless you’re the family from Succession.

And, oh look, he did it again — Takumi-Tei is one of the nicest restaurants in the parks with another prix-fixe menu (from $150-$250 per adult, $100 per child). There’s a dress code and kids under 8 aren’t allowed.

These are both fine dining experiences that definitely should be checked out if that’s what you’re into, but these are very odd and inaccessible options for most people. There are SOOOO many other delicious and affordable spots in the parks and resorts! You don’t have to budget $10,000 for your meals in Disney World — we promise!

Lunch in the Parks

It’s also recommended that you should book sit down (table service) lunches in the parks because “I think the quick-serve thing is a terrible idea. That air-conditioned, sit-down break is what keeps your stamina up.”

Oh, where to begin. First of all, there are SEVERAL quick service restaurants that are indoors with air conditioning, so we’re not really sure why there’s hate toward quick-service spots in that regard.

Next, not everyone can afford to eat a table service meal for every meal in Disney World. And, you honestly shouldn’t do this even if you CAN afford it, because it wastes so much valuable park time.

Unless you really want to eat at a table service spot, we would suggest quick service every time for lunch. It’s way faster, more affordable, and you can still eat some delicious food. Satu’li Canteen? Columbia Harbour House? ABC Commissary? These all have air conditioning and are delicious. We rest our case.

Instead, they go on to recommend the following “sit down” (table service) spots for casual meals in the parks:

• Magic Kingdom: The Diamond Horseshoe, Liberty Tree Tavern or Tony’s Town Square
• Epcot: Garden Grill Restaurant, Connections Cafe
• Hollywood Studios: The Hollywood Brown Derby, 50′s Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine-In
• Animal Kingdom: Tiffins, Yak & Yeti

Casual would imply not fancy, right? Then why is Tiffins being recommended? This is a pretty nice (and pricy) restaurant in Animal Kingdom.

Also almost all of these “casual” restaurants he’s recommending take reservations, meaning they can be booked up, meaning you have to plan in advance, meaning it’s not super casual, huh? (Most do have walk up waiting lists though!).

We’ll break this down quickly — The Diamond Horseshoe and Liberty Tree Tavern have the same menu, and it’s pretty heavy. Tony’s Town Square is known for being bad.

Garden Grill is a character prix-fixe meal (the opposite of casual) and Connections Cafe is literally the main Starbucks location in EPCOT. They probably meant to write Connections Eatery, but this is weird too, because it’s A QUICK SERVICE restaurant (also air conditioned, by the way).

The Hollywood Brown Derby is on the more expensive side in Hollywood Studios and probably isn’t the best for little kids compared to other places in the park. 50s Prime Time Cafe and Sci-Fi Dine-In usually need reservations as well.

Finally, Yak and Yeti is a great option for food, but it gets busy and will take up a good chunk of your time, as will most table service options.

These are all okay options for some people, but again, we would not recommend sitting down for a table service meal for lunch in the parks (unless you’re planning on quick service for dinner, or don’t care about wasting some major park time).

Disney World Food in General

The article says that people who don’t know how to plan for these trips may leave thinking food at Disney World is a “cheeseburger and a hot dog … which could not be farther from the truth.” Yes, it’s true that Disney has a lot of different food, however…

You have to research food before you go on a trip to literally anywhere if you want to see everything that a place has to offer. Disney is no different. How are you going to find the best pasta in Florence, Italy if you don’t do a little research first? It’s the same in Disney World.

Touting this as a major negative to Disney World planning is a bit puzzling, because you need to research food wherever you take a trip if you want to find the best options without a trial and error period!

Rides and Attractions

New Rides

One major criticism was that “Timeslots for new attractions can go within seconds of coming online at 7AM.” This is true, but it’s literally only for two rides in ALL of Disney World. And, before now, it was only one attraction because TRON just opened up.

All of the other rides are fair game — you do NOT need a time slot to get on the ride.

Also, keep in mind that these virtual queues to get time slots are put into place because these brand new attractions are so popular that you would see very VERY long lines without them. Even Flight of Passage and Rise of the Resistance (who use normal standby lines) can see 4+ hour wait times occasionally during the busy season.

Virtual Queues alleviate this issue because you don’t have to physically stand in line. You can hold your place virtually and go do other things until it’s your time to ride.

And, if you don’t get your time slot at 7AM, you can try again at 1PM! Or, even at 6PM if you have access to Extended Evening Hours.

AND if you aren’t able to book with these, you can buy an Individual Lightning Lane. Those do sell out, but usually not as quickly as the virtual queues. 

There have also been less busy periods in the parks when the virtual queue for rides like Guardians of the Galaxy has been available past 7AM. It’s all about demand. Obviously popular things are going to be harder to do the busier the parks are.

Is this complicated? At first glance yes, but once you understand the system, it’s truly not that bad. And it’s not like an “all hope is lost” situation, there are options.

Genie+

The travel company CEO said on his last visit to Disney World he spent about 80% of the day on the My Disney Experience app trying to get “shorter lines for his family on their favorite rides.” I’m assuming this means he was just trying to find more Lightning Lane reservations, or look at wait times, because that’s the only thing that makes sense here.

He said “The only time you’re not on your phone is when you’re on a ride or shopping.” Yeah, nope. We’ve gotta majorly disagree here.

This is completely up to the individual. I have utilized Genie+ to its full extent and wasn’t on my phone the whole time I was in the parks, not even close. I booked my Lightning Lane, looked at the time it was reserved for, then went on with my day shopping, eating, and riding things I didn’t need a Lightning Lane for.

Then, I booked another Lightning Lane when my next window of availability opened up. It doesn’t take a huge amount of time out of your day, I promise. It only does if you feel you need to keep compulsively searching for better Lightning Lane reservations, which is not completely necessary unless you have some goal you’re trying to reach with the number of rides you get on.

Personally, I just try to get reservations for my must-do rides, and anything else is icing on the cake. And, I don’t waste time looking for a Lightning Lane reservation for rides that typically have shorter waits.

Also, I’m going to let you in on a little secret — the wait times posted at the front of rides are not always accurate. There have been many times where I get in a line that’s posted at 45 minutes and it takes 30 instead.

Now, this doesn’t mean that every 45 minute line is actually 30 minutes, but you can usually deduce from looking at the line or what time of day it is to see if it’s actually accurate.

For example, when everyone rushes to Frozen Ever After in EPCOT in the morning, the wait time posted is *usually* a lot higher than what it actually is. This is for Disney’s own benefit — saying a wait time is longer than it actually is works out better for them than if they were to lower it and have the wait time end up being longer than what’s posted.

It’s like when you go to a restaurant and get put on the wait list — the host will tell you an hour when it’s probably more like 45 minutes, because if they say 45 minutes, they don’t want you to come yell at them when it possibly ends up taking 50. There’s some cushion there.

You can’t rely on lines being shorter than the posted time always, but just know that there will probably be some lines you wait in that end up being shorter than what’s posted.

Final Thoughts

Disney is absolutely more complicated than it ever has been, but I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding of what Disney World is and how it’s supposed to be. A lot of people have some romanticized ideas about the Disney of their childhoods, and we’ve got news for ya — almost everything seems simpler and easier as a child.

This is just part of the nostalgia, and also…you probably weren’t in charge of the vacation as a kid, so of course it seemed less stressful! I had a more relaxing time going to Disney as a kid too when my parents did all of the driving, planning, and paying — DUH!

I’m not trying to diminish the fact that Disney IS more expensive and more complex now, but let’s just keep that idea in mind, because it is important.

If Disney planning seems way too complicated for you — get a travel agent! That is what they’re there for! And they are FREE! People use them for Disney as well as trips to Europe, the Caribbean, cruises, and more. This is not much different!

We’re not entirely sure what happened in this article — if it was just bad advice, or if the author misunderstood the information being given to them.

All this to say, sure Disney World planning can sometimes be intimidating and complicated, but if that’s the case for you, that’s why travel agents exist. Also, you can absolutely just show up and go about your day if you want to! It’s all about what you want to get out of your trip.

Disney World doesn’t have to be this incredibly intimidating and negative planning experience. We promise!

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