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6. Buy a “Tables in Wonderland” Card The “Tables in Wonderland” membership is one of those things that doesn’t seem to get brought up nearly as often as the Disney Dining Plan does. Which is strange, because it can be a pretty good value if you play your cards right. Open only to Annual Passholders, Florida residents, and Disney Vacation ...

5. Early Breakfast in Magic Kingdom One of our favorite things to do is reserve an 8am slot for Crystal Palace’s character breakfast buffet. Since the park often opens at 9am, you will get into Magic Kingdom before most people even show up at the gates. It should be noted that the point of this isn’t necessarily to beat the ...

4. Animal Kingdom’s “Secret” Entrance Ever notice how long the wait to get into Animal Kingdom can become at times? You don’t necessarily have to wait in those lines. As you approach the entrance, take a detour to the left instead, through the Rainforest Cafe restaurant. Exit the gift shop on the other side, and you’ll find a secret entrance ...

3. Great (and Sometimes Free) Experiences Outside the Parks Who says you have to go into the Disney World parks to experience the magic? There’s plenty of fun things to do outside of the four parks, if you’re willing to look for it. For example, you can do a little “resort hopping” by riding the resort monorail around the Seven ...

2. Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long Speaking of free experiences outside the parks, a hidden gem worth checking out—and one of the best family activities around—is Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long at the Fort Wilderness Campground. Take the boat over there from Magic Kingdom, and once ashore, make your way to the bus pickup area to be taken to the ...

9. Backpack Before you can worry about which valuables to bring, you need something to carry all that stuff in. A backpack is the most convenient way to keep everything you need on your person at all times, and it can be taken with you on most rides so you can always keep tabs on it. If you’re willing to ...

8. Ponchos Florida is notorious for its sudden rainstorms. Pick up a few cheap ponchos from a dollar store before the trip; they don’t take up much room in your bag and you’ll be glad you had them when the rain starts coming down out of nowhere. By a similar token, if you’re going to be bringing a stroller along ...

7. Snacks and/or Meals Meals in the parks can get pretty expensive, even at the quick-service restaurants. For this reason, you may prefer to bring your own snacks and/or meals to munch on as you traverse the parks. It’ll save you some money and any picky eaters in your group may feel more comfortable eating the same things they would ...

6. Sunscreen No matter what time of year you visit, you’ll likely be treated to lots of gorgeous Florida sunshine. Be prepared for this by keeping some sunscreen in your bag. You don’t want something like a sunburn to ruin an otherwise fun time. Note: I don’t recommend the spray-on stuff, because I don’t like inhaling the chemicals and the ...

5. Ziploc Bags These are useful for holding any valuables you wouldn’t want to get wet. A few rides that aren’t explicitly water rides can still end up splashing you a bit — I’m looking at you, Pirates of the Caribbean — so it’s good to be prepared. You can also use these bags to hold deodorant (or other such ...