What's the best WDW secret you know?

irishmom58

Member
to save a bit of money.. when we were at Pop Century.. I just bought the grits or just the oatmeal.. instead of the whole breakfest.. more of a tip instead of a secret..
Bring your own instant Quaker Oats, disposable bowls and use the hot water from your in-room coffee maker. Save more money! Also, if you stay at All Star Sports, Mc Donald's is within walking distance, or hop an All Star Sports bus from park and pick up food there, and ride back to your resort!
 

Donniej1227

New Member
Didn't know the quiz one. I'll have to remember that!

The one I knew was that the line on the left is shorter for Pirates of the Carrib, but it seems that it's that way for all the rides (or so I read).

I also found out about Transportation Cards. The drivers for buses, boats, and monorails have free cards to give out to those that ask. Not everyone has them and they are first come first serve, but they have a whole collection.
What dk
Didn't know the quiz one. I'll have to remember that!

The one I knew was that the line on the left is shorter for Pirates of the Carrib, but it seems that it's that way for all the rides (or so I read).

I also found out about Transportation Cards. The drivers for buses, boats, and monorails have free cards to give out to those that ask. Not everyone has them and they are first come first serve, but they have a whole collection.
whar are the cards for?
 

Driver

Well-Known Member
What dk

whar are the cards for?
The cards are just a collectable there are 4 for busses 12 for monorails and the rest for the most part are watercraft. There are a total of 27 in the current series. They all have a picture on one side with the bus or boat etc. that also has a hidden Mickey, the flip side has interesting fun facts/trivia . Not all transportation cast members have them it is optional, much like how some cast members choose to have pins. I do carry cards with me all the time the kids get a kick out of them. Another item I carry is the lesser known safety cards.
 

selbymic

New Member
I've racked up 300 plus days over 15 or so years. Most of the secrets don't stay secrets long. 15 years ago before social media, it took a while for the latest book to come out, but now things that are discovered are instantly known. If you don't like crowds, you have to go in the winter. BTW unless you are from the Artic, DW is cold in the winter and it's no fun riding the water rides. They run the merchandise down until spring if that matters to you. All those other secret times - between spring break and school getting out, after labor day, after thanksgiving and the first 2 weeks of December are not secrets anymore and crowded. I avoid weekends and don't go on Friday or Saturday. If I go on Sunday, I go later when people are typically leaving Orlando. If you go in the fall and don't want to see Mickey's not so scary Halloween party or the Christmas Party, don't go to MK on that day; you'll get kicked out of the park. They won't even let you buy stuff. There are a few good places to eat at every park, but there are several excellent places to eat at Epcot World Showcase. There is one watch out - there are parents there with strollers the size of Hummers who push them like they are serial killers looking for a victim. I am not kidding; I have been knocked down more than once and been yelled at for getting in the way. I rarely look at my phone anymore; I try to stay out of these angry peoples' way. I haven't yet figured out why there are so many angry parents at Disney. It isn't the happiest place in the earth if you cross one of them. I try not to let these things spoil my vacation because I love going to Disney, but it is getting harder and harder to have a good time.
 

daviddnv

New Member
I have one that I didn't see. For those who refill the bottled water, the best water fountain is at the bathrooms at the exit of splash mountain. Maybe because it's under the roof all day, but it's ice cold and does not taste like pool water. I make a point to refill at the fountain.
 

clarabellej

Well-Known Member
Well not so secret, but here are my tips. Water is free in the parks. Don’t pay for the overpriced Dasani. I really guzzle the free water (available by the cup full at any quick service place) and live in fear that one day, they’ll decide not to hand it out. I asked for a free cup of water at DL once and they were actually rude about it. A simple “no” would have sufficed. The cups/sizes have gotten smaller thru the years. Do not haul a bunch of stuff into the parks. No need to bring water or containers. Try it. You’ll thank me!

You can get Lady & the Tramps paw prints stamped in your autograph book at Tony’s on Main Street in MK. You need to ask politely at the front desk. A CM will take your book back for you. No reservation needed.

Here is a really great one, although not a secret any longer (and again, not sure how long this will last): you can get a Disney gift card that is the equivalent of $10 per night of your stay just for opting not to use Mousekeeping services. We did this last March (2018). We had actually done online checkin and since we bypassed the front desk at Pop and headed straight to our room, I gave them a call. They sent the ecard to me via my email/iPhone and I used it to purchase a $60 Pandora charm at Uptown Jewelers in MK!! Not shabby. Hope they don’t begin to apply exclusions to what you can use gift card for. This made for a fantastic souvenir and I didn’t have to feel so guilty about it. You can still ask front desk to send someone to empty your waste bins and bring you clean towels.

Please don’t put your trash bins outside your door or pile your dirty towels up outside.

I have more, but can’t think of them all.

Good restrooms...sssshhhh! The one to the right of Figment ride is big and usually empty.
The new ones in Norway are massive and nicely themed.

Ride the boat from Epcot International Gateway to HS. Not sure how the whole new Skyway thing will interfere with this. That back entry to Epcot has always been nice and low key. Not truly a secret, but we never have a long wait, or many people riding. We sit outside at the back of the boat. Beautiful, relaxing ride.

Les Halles (Epcot France)makes fabulous ham and cheese baguettes. They’ll Warm them for you and you can take them to go.

Go do the Chip N Dale campire sing a long. It is fun and it is free.

Do Pandora/AK both day and night. If you wait to ride either Na’vi before park closing, the lines are not bad.

Take the train over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch at AK.

Love Disney 😍😍😍
 

Snake

Active Member
This is an old one, if you got in right after rope drop im MK there were always vehicles w/ drivers waiting to take you to the Castle faster than the crowds can walk there. Most people ignored these vehicles because they did not know what they were there for. We were usually the 1st ones getting in then the crowds of people followed suit into the other vehicles. Sometimes it was a car, horse drawn trolley, double decker bus. The vehicles used to run for most the day, years later they only ran at the start of the day.
 

clarabellej

Well-Known Member
This is an old one, if you got in right after rope drop im MK there were always vehicles w/ drivers waiting to take you to the Castle faster than the crowds can walk there. Most people ignored these vehicles because they did not know what they were there for. We were usually the 1st ones getting in then the crowds of people followed suit into the other vehicles. Sometimes it was a car, horse drawn trolley, double decker bus. The vehicles used to run for most the day, years later they only ran at the start of the day.
We did this one morning on our way to our Crystal Palace breakfast. So much fun. This was back when the older Good Morning show still took place above the train station. We rode up Main Street and I got great video of it all!
 

Driver

Well-Known Member
This is an old one, if you got in right after rope drop im MK there were always vehicles w/ drivers waiting to take you to the Castle faster than the crowds can walk there. Most people ignored these vehicles because they did not know what they were there for. We were usually the 1st ones getting in then the crowds of people followed suit into the other vehicles. Sometimes it was a car, horse drawn trolley, double decker bus. The vehicles used to run for most the day, years later they only ran at the start of the day.
You are correct! And they still run them in the mornings at opening
 

tpmcmaho

New Member
I've racked up 300 plus days over 15 or so years. Most of the secrets don't stay secrets long. 15 years ago before social media, it took a while for the latest book to come out, but now things that are discovered are instantly known. If you don't like crowds, you have to go in the winter. BTW unless you are from the Artic, DW is cold in the winter and it's no fun riding the water rides. They run the merchandise down until spring if that matters to you. All those other secret times - between spring break and school getting out, after labor day, after thanksgiving and the first 2 weeks of December are not secrets anymore and crowded. I avoid weekends and don't go on Friday or Saturday. If I go on Sunday, I go later when people are typically leaving Orlando. If you go in the fall and don't want to see Mickey's not so scary Halloween party or the Christmas Party, don't go to MK on that day; you'll get kicked out of the park. They won't even let you buy stuff. There are a few good places to eat at every park, but there are several excellent places to eat at Epcot World Showcase. There is one watch out - there are parents there with strollers the size of Hummers who push them like they are serial killers looking for a victim. I am not kidding; I have been knocked down more than once and been yelled at for getting in the way. I rarely look at my phone anymore; I try to stay out of these angry peoples' way. I haven't yet figured out why there are so many angry parents at Disney. It isn't the happiest place in the earth if you cross one of them. I try not to let these things spoil my vacation because I love going to Disney, but it is getting harder and harder to have a good time.
I think it would be great if a few days a year they had stroller free days. If your kid can't walk, maybe you should wait until next year.
 

clarabellej

Well-Known Member
My best WDW secret is how to learn far more secrets than I could ever explain here: go on the tours like Backstage Magic and Keys to the Kingdom.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/#/park-tours/
Marceline to Magic Kingdom was a great tour too! It was suggested when my daughter was too young for the Keys tour. I think she was 15? Anyway, fantastic Haunted Mansion info. Just beware, once seen it cannot be unseen. This tour is also less pricey.
 

Trackmaster

Well-Known Member
Well not so secret, but here are my tips. Water is free in the parks. Don’t pay for the overpriced Dasani. I really guzzle the free water (available by the cup full at any quick service place) and live in fear that one day, they’ll decide not to hand it out. I asked for a free cup of water at DL once and they were actually rude about it. A simple “no” would have sufficed. The cups/sizes have gotten smaller thru the years. Do not haul a bunch of stuff into the parks. No need to bring water or containers. Try it. You’ll thank me!

You can get Lady & the Tramps paw prints stamped in your autograph book at Tony’s on Main Street in MK. You need to ask politely at the front desk. A CM will take your book back for you. No reservation needed.

Here is a really great one, although not a secret any longer (and again, not sure how long this will last): you can get a Disney gift card that is the equivalent of $10 per night of your stay just for opting not to use Mousekeeping services. We did this last March (2018). We had actually done online checkin and since we bypassed the front desk at Pop and headed straight to our room, I gave them a call. They sent the ecard to me via my email/iPhone and I used it to purchase a $60 Pandora charm at Uptown Jewelers in MK!! Not shabby. Hope they don’t begin to apply exclusions to what you can use gift card for. This made for a fantastic souvenir and I didn’t have to feel so guilty about it. You can still ask front desk to send someone to empty your waste bins and bring you clean towels.

Please don’t put your trash bins outside your door or pile your dirty towels up outside.

I have more, but can’t think of them all.

Good restrooms...sssshhhh! The one to the right of Figment ride is big and usually empty.
The new ones in Norway are massive and nicely themed.

Ride the boat from Epcot International Gateway to HS. Not sure how the whole new Skyway thing will interfere with this. That back entry to Epcot has always been nice and low key. Not truly a secret, but we never have a long wait, or many people riding. We sit outside at the back of the boat. Beautiful, relaxing ride.

Les Halles (Epcot France)makes fabulous ham and cheese baguettes. They’ll Warm them for you and you can take them to go.

Go do the Chip N Dale campire sing a long. It is fun and it is free.

Do Pandora/AK both day and night. If you wait to ride either Na’vi before park closing, the lines are not bad.

Take the train over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch at AK.

Love Disney 😍😍😍

I think its a law that parks have to offer you free ice water if you ask. I've never heard of a park charging for tap water. Its the same water that you can get from water fountains, bathroom sinks, or just the toilet. Even if its not an explicit law, if somebody died or got sick from a heat stroke and they didn't offer water, they'd lose millions and it wouldn't even go to trial -- cheaper to just give the water out. But that being said, you can certainly taste the metal and the yuckiness at most park's water fountains (especially Disney), so I highly prioritize the quality of bottled water.

And if you want to save money on lodging, instead of living like a savage without room service, just stay off site at hotels that are just as good or better for 1/5th the price. Its also easier to get to the park (other then MK) by car anyway. And if you're worried about parking, the off-site hotels all have busses.
 

Trackmaster

Well-Known Member
Lets see... my best known Disney Secrets (Not the Vacation Club!)

Magic Kingdom: A amazing restaurant is hidden in Main Street USA called the Plaza Restaurant - It's a Sandwich place that has really high quality food. They take reservations, but a lot of people don't know about it, so walk ins are usual available. To get to it you take a right immediately past the bakery, as if you were cutting through to Tomorrowland and there it is.

EPCOT: One of the best places to get rare pins is here. Of course it depends on who is working the PIN Station near the Fountain, but the cast members there always have amazing or rare pins on their lanyards.

Another helpful hit - There are only 3-4 visible public bathrooms in Future World, but there are way more than that.
Bathrooms that are always busy:
East and West Blocks in Future world - East Block is that locations ONLY bathroom. No really. Only one bathroom for Test Track, Missions: Space, and Universe of Energy.
West Block used to be never used much, but Soarin' came and changed that.
The two bathrooms near Spaceship Earth - Always busy due to traffic walking through.

Some unused bathrooms:
Behind Journey into Imagination - There's one sign, just one showing it's back there. No
Electric Umbrella (This isn't used very much, trust me.)
The Living Seas Bathroom (Not used much either, people don't even know they have some inside either.)
The Corel Reef - This is a public restroom that anyone can get to as it's in the lobby.

Hollywood Studios:
To be honest - I don't know much about this park. It's been changing so much and it's the park I visit the least.


Animal Kingdom:
A lot of people don't know that there is a Single Rider line for Expedition: Everest. If you don't mind sitting away from your friends, it cuts the wait in line by 90% in my opinion.

This will allow people to get on Kilimanjaro's Safari early in the morning and not have to worry about using a fast pass on EE as well. :D

Keep in mind though, sometimes the Single Rider line is not open however.

I'm a single rider line hawk. I got seven rides in a row on EE a few weeks ago. I casually chatted what a greeter for the ride, and she dropped the secret behind when it operates:

It generally runs, but they have a rule that it closes one hour before the park closes or earlier. There's no set rule as to how much earlier it has to be than one hour, but it has to be more than one hour, it has to be secret, and its arbitrary. So usually the ballpark is about 90 minutes before close. I'm not entirely sure of the logic behind this, but it probably has to do with either staffing levels (wanting more staff to help people around the park maybe) or wanting to kill the line so it doesn't bottleneck and force them to have to stay open satisfying them... and this could be why its a secret when they close it -- they don't want single riders planning to get in at 6:58 PM and causing a bottleneck.
 

TongaToast21

Active Member
Im sure this has been covered many times- but if you know how to work the fastpass+ system after your initial 3 attractions, you can really get some great top tier attractions. In a span of a minute I'll switch time frames dozens of times just by clicking between 1:30 PM and 2 PM ( on the app of course) and consistently get at least one top attraction (except pandora). It's amazing how these things just pop up within seconds, then you refresh and its gone
 

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