Planning for a trip to Walt Disney World can be a daunting task. There’s just so much you can (and should do). But if you try to cram too much into one day, you’re going to a) never get it all done and b) exhaust yourself. And if you think you can do multiple days in a row of park visits, think again. We try to do no more than 2 days in a row with at least 1 recovery day between where we just relax by the pool or go shopping and just chill.
All that said there are a few apps you must have to help you plan your perfect Disney vacation. Some of them are free, some of them provide a basic access plan for free, and some require subscriptions or a one-time fee (business models are ever changing so fees listed are accurate as of the publication of this article). Pro Tip: Download these apps weeks or months before you go and conquer Disney World with a plan!
My Disney Experience App – FREE
This is the official Disney World app. Be careful which app you try to download as each park has their own app. I have 3 different Disney Park apps (Walt Disney World, Disneyland California, and Disneyland Paris). Pay attention and make sure you get the right one.
You can do so much from the My Disney Experience app including checking wait times, finding restrooms in the park, viewing maps of the park, booking dining reservations, using Genie+ and Lightning Lane, getting virtual queues, mobile ordering quick service food and so much more. The app even links your tickets so you can have mobile tickets on your phone, or Apple Watch (series 3 or newer – learned this one the hard way) so you can quickly and easily enter the parks. Your phone/watch even works as your room key if you’re staying on Disney Property!
Shameless plug: Our book, which comes out in Summer 2023 will go into tons of detail, with screenshots and step-by-step instructions for using the My Disney Experience app.
WDW Lines – FREE / $17.99 per year
The My Disney Experience app has ride wait times, and they are great for a general understanding of how many people are in line. But we’ve found that ride times are often over-estimated. Coming from 2 people who spent a combined 30 years working at Kings Island, ride operators estimating wait times is notoriously challenging.
WDW Lines (or search for Lines WDW in the Google Play or Apple App Store) allows users to actually start a timer within the app when they get in line for a ride, and end the timer when the board the ride. They take this real-time data, combine it with historical data and pump it through algorithms to provide a much, much more accurate estimate of the wait time.
If you’re on the paid plan, you can unlock even more features. One of my favorites is being able to set dining alerts for restaurants we want to try. People are constantly adding and dropping dining reservations and this app will let you set parameters like what time you want to eat (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and alert you when a reservation becomes available.
However you have to jump on these quickly. They go fast! Make sure you have push notifications turned on and act quickly if something comes up that fits your schedule!
Play Disney – FREE
This one is primarily for the younger audience but there are signs through out the park, particularly in ride lines that allow you to play games on your phone and compete against other guests. The games are super basic, but they are Disney-themed and occasionally my pre-teen/teenagers enjoy passing time while waiting in line by playing on the Play Disney app.
BONUS: Websites You Should Check Out!
The 2 bonus ideas aren’t apps but popular websites that help you get dining reservations. If you’ve been to Disney World, you know how quickly your favorite restaurant can book up. And if you’re planning your first trip, trust us, they go fast! These two websites have similar but a bit more in-depth features to the WDW Lines app which provides you with notifications any time a reservations comes up that’s within your requirements.
The websites are:
- Mousewatcher.com
- $5 per alert of $19 per month
- Mousedining.com
- FREE for up to 6 alerts, $9 per month, or $90 per year
Personally, we’ve only used Mousewatcher.com so that’s our recommendation but depending on your needs and budget Mousedining.com might be a better fit.
Trust us, these apps are worth the nominal subscription or one-time fees. They will help you plan your day(s) at Walt Disney World parks and maximize your time. I promise you won’t have time to do everything you and the family want, but these apps can help make sure you get as many items checked off your list as possible.
For other great Disney World tips and tricks be sure to checkout:
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June 11, 2023 at 10:11 am[…] STOP! Don’t Go to Disney World Without these Apps […]