Walt Disney World vacations are full of magic, and they cost a pretty penny. However, there are ways to get extra magic through free Disney World upgrades. While some upgrades are worth the added expense to make your time at Disney even more exceptional, you should never neglect to try and get a little extra pixie dust for free. These are some of the best ways to get Free Disney World Upgrades for Extra Magic!

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My Disney Experience

The first thing you need to do is download the official app – do this before any other planning of your Walt Disney World vacation. It’s a free download, so no added expense! Plus, it lets you do everything from access your room to order quick service meals in advance (great feature with kiddos, saves time in line when they’re hungry). The My Disney Experience app manages your itinerary, holds your Fastpasses and reservations, and provides real time information in interactive park maps, so you’re never in the dark about what’s happening in the parks. This app alone enhances your Walt Disney World experience with every aspect of your vacation it touches.

Register in Person

Mobile check-in is a My Disney Experience feature that can be wonderful. However, the best chance you get at free Disney World upgrades is to talk with an actual person. Check-in at your hotel and ask if there are any upgrades available for your room. Disney Cast Members are looking to enhance guest experiences and add extra magic, so they will usually be happy to help if they can. If you are celebrating anything special, make sure they know about it and ask about a celebration button. Those buttons clue in other Cast Members and they will try to make your experience more enjoyable, too.

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Make Reservations on the phone

As with your hotel check-in, it’s always better to deal with a Disney Castmember than an automated service. Cast Members will go the extra mile to try and service your requests and can often arrange things that a computer can’t. Doing this is helpful for last-minute reservations, as well as special seating requests such as fireworks viewing. Once again, it helps if you are celebrating something, so be sure to note that in your reservation and request as well.

Free Resort Activities

You can easily enhance your resort experience by taking advantage of the several free activities that are offered. Each resort has different opportunities, but you can have free experiences that range from culinary tours at Animal Kingdom Lodge to drawing classes at Art of Animation. Guided tours, scavenger hunts, and more are excellent ways to get more value out of your stay at a Disney resort hotel. S’mores around a camfire or movies by the pool? Yes, please!

Free Dining and other Promotions

Another straightforward way to enhance your vacation without paying a dime is to look for special deals and promotions, which you can do when you book your stay. If a promotion is announced after you’ve booked, you can call to have your trip rebooked to use the promotion (we’ve done this with free dining twice now). One of the most popular promotions is free Disney Dining, which occurs during the off-season and is usually announced in March or April (thought this past year was in January). Other promotions may save you even more money on your room, but the Free Dining Plan is an excellent enhancement that lets you get even more value from Disney Dining credits.

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Before you book your resort, make sure you check the bottom of Disney World’s website and click the link for deals and promotions. If you book a stay and find out later on your dates, qualify for a promotional discount, call and have your trip canceled and rebooked under the promotion.

Picking Your Hotel

Your choice in a hotel will be based on a variety of factors, including theming and price. Consider the value your choice resort presents and whether it makes sense to downgrade. For us, saving the money staying somewhere like All-Star Movies is worth it to help us afford a longer trip. Moderate Resorts often present a much better value than deluxe resorts. However, most deluxe resorts offer convenience and proximity to parks.

Stay for More Than Four Days

There are four theme parks and a lot more to do, so give yourself time.

Avoid Park Hopper Tickets

For the most part, there is quite a bit of distance between parks. It rarely makes sense to park hop, and when you buy multi-day tickets, you are paying a premium on each day, just for the option.

Take Advantage of Extra Magic Hours

As you plan which parks to visit each day, consider what days each park has Extra Magic Hours. Prioritize Morning Howers to take advantage of the parks before they get busy.

Plan a Day Off

You walk a lot at Walt Disney World, and there is usually quite a bit of heat to contend with. So, work some time to relax into your vacation schedule.

Make Time For Disney Springs

Disney Springs has some of the best food in Walt Disney World and a whole lot of entertainment. Don’t just squeeze in one visit. Give yourself a chance to go on two or three nights during your trip.

Mark Your Calendar for Dining Reservations

You can make reservations at 7:00 AM EST (4:00 AM PST) 180 days in advance of check-in. Be prepared to act fast for popular restaurants during peak season.

Call for Reservations

If booking online doesn’t work out try calling and speaking to a Cast Member. Dealing with a person is sometimes helpful as they might be inclined to go the extra mile for you, whereas a machine will not.

Celebrate Something

You can enjoy various perks throughout your stay if Cast Members know you are celebrating something. Ask for a button at registration or any Guest Relations booth. Note it in dining and room reservations as well.

Study Wait Times in MDE

Download My Disney Experience as soon as you can and learn it features. Study the park maps and get an idea of all of the wait times by checking regularly.

Schedule Late Morning Fastpasses

Don’t make Fastpasses for too early in the morning. That is when you can walk on. Schedule for a little later when the park is filling in more.

Bring Your Own Bottled Water

Stay hydrated without paying too much for a bottle of water. You can bring your water. Twenty-four bottles of Dasani costs roughly what one bottle costs inside a Disney park.

Pack Convenience Items

OTC remedies, sunscreen, and other conveniences are way overpriced at the hotels. Pack what you need, so you don’t have to pay the price out of desperation.

Wear comfortable Shoes

Break in a pair of walking or running shoes a couple of weeks before your trip.

Don’t Use Mobile Check-In

You can use the My Disney Experience app to check into your room remotely. While this is a convenient feature and your phone can also act as a room key, Checking in with a live Cast Member is always best if you have any special requests or want to ask for an upgrade.

Use Uber for expediency

Lyft is the app behind the official Disney Minnie Van, but Uber usually has very good promotions that can save you a lot and get you around much quicker than the Disney buses.

Fastpass Opportunities

To get a Fastpass for a popular ride, refresh your screen often until you find availability and snag it.

Take a Midday Break

Use the busiest time of day to have dining reservations so you can take a breather and cool down during peak hours.

What’s your best Disney World tips?

The Disney Dining Plan is a way to enjoy meals during your vacation without having to think about price. Instead of paying the dollar amount each time you eat, you use meal credits which you purchase in advance – or get with free dining. We got to try out the dining plan on our trip last year, and learned some very important tips that will help us do better next time – and today I’m sharing with you those Disney Dining Plan Tips.

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Basics

The plan you get is based on the resort in which you stay, or you can pay to upgrade to a higher tier. So, if you stay in a deluxe resort your plan will be the deluxe plan. There is also a value plan (Quick Service), and of course, the regular plan. We stayed at an All-Star Resort so for the free promotion got the Quick Service, but paid the difference to upgrade to the regular Disney Dining Plan so we could enjoy some table service meals.

The plans reflect the dining opportunities at your resort. Since value resorts have no table service, meal credits are only good for quick service. However – all guests, on all dining plans are allowed to use their credits almost anywhere on property.

Value Quick Service Plan: 2 quick service meals (QS) + 2 snacks per hotel night, plus resort mug

Regular Dining Plan: 1 table service (TS), 1 quick service + 2 snacks per hotel night, plus resort mug

Deluxe Plan: 3 meals of any type (QS or TS) + 2 snacks per hotel night, plus resort mug

What’s Included in The Disney Dining Plan

Snacks are a big part of sweetening the Disney Dining Plan deal. You get two snack credits per day which are good for use at vending carts and kiosks as well as select quick service locations. They’re valued at roughly $5, so to get the most value for your dollar pick snacks that are at least that cost. You can also use snack credits on candy store items, or bagged candy in your hotel convenience store.

Meals are obviously included in the plan, but be aware that not every meal is accounted for under the plan. The number of credits you buy with the plan amounts to two meals per night of your stay (or 3 with the deluxe). The quick service dining plan covers an entree and a beverage with each meal credit. Table service credits include entree, dessert and beverage, including alcohol – or a full buffet. There are some restaurants/meals that are ‘fine dining’ or ‘signature dining’ that actually require 2 meal credits, so keep an eye out for that.

Another perk of the Disney Dining Plan is the refillable resort mug. Normally you have to pay for this, but with the plan it’s included. There’s a time limit prohibiting you from getting too many refills at once, but there’s technically no limit on how many times you can get a refill with your cup. Just keep in mind it only works for refills at resorts.

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Disney Dining Plan Secret Tips

Stay away from 2 credit restaurants if you want to make your meal credits last throughout your trip. Some restaurants are worth the extra credit, but they are not the best use of the dining plan – especially with so many wonderful, 1-credit table service options.

Use your snack credits each day to spread them out and seek out best values. Don’t leave money on the table or settle for cheap bags of candy just to recoup some of the value at the last moment. Or save a bunch for the Epcot Festivals and enjoy many high-value snacks at the food booths!

You can use your credits all at once, if you choose. They’re not doled out nightly – you and your party get access to all credits at once on the day you check in until midnight the day you check out. This means more freedom, but you also have to be careful that nobody in your group is over using credits. Along with that, don’t save them until the very end or you may end up with a bunch of extra and just waste them on packaged candy to take home.

Stretch your credits with buffets. The best way to make sure you don’t use up your credits too fast is to load up at buffets, especially for breakfast. Then you may get by on snack credits until dinner time. My favorite is doing a late breakfast/early lunch buffet, then snacking until a later dinner.

You can trade one Quick Service credit for three Snack Credits, as long as it’s in the same transaction. At some places/meals you can exchange your drink for another side or dessert – but not every place allows that.

Bonus Thought: If you have a bunch of picky eaters, I recommend Sunshine Seasons near Soarin’ in Epcot. They have several different stations with a large variety of meals, snacks, drinks and desserts!

What are your best Disney Dining Plan tips?