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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Next year is the perfect time for a Disney trip! If you’re planning for Disneyland in 2021, there’s so much to look forward to. The second phase of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge will finally open on January 17 – the new attraction, Rise of the Resistance is going to be an epic ride!

In addition to making time for Galaxy’s Edge, here’s a Disneyland 2021 guide to help you plan your next vacation correctly.

Park Guide

Disneyland has two entrances. Besides the main entrance, you can get in from Downtown Disney via the monorail, which will have you entering the park at Tomorrowland. Since Disneyland has a hub and spoke layout, it’s easy to get to any side of the park through the Main Street Plaza.

There are also pathways around the park that you can use to avoid doubling back on previously visited territory (you want to see it all, of course). Although it used to be that you had to turn around at Critter Country and walk back, you can now continue into Resistance Forest in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and come out on the other end. That layout loops Frontierland/Fantasyland with Critter Country.

The Train, which has stations at Tomorrowland, Main Street USA, New Orleans Square and Mickey’s Toontown is another means of traveling the park. Don’t miss the leg from Tomorrowland to Main Street for dioramas of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World.

Hotel Stay

The hotel rooms you can choose between when visiting the Disneyland Resort don’t have to be extraordinarily expensive. Although the three official Disney hotels are costly every night, there are plenty of good neighbor hotels that partner with Disney.

These hotels are family-friendly and most are within walking distance from the resort (some even right across the entrance street!). When you look for a hotel that isn’t Disney, be sure to get the location and route to Disneyland park.

Hotels located on Harbor Blvd. between Katella and Disney Way are the best. Another option is renting a house – this one we stayed in nearby was incredible, even had a lazy river!

Dining

There are some excellent places to dine in the parks, hotels, and Downtown Disney. In Disneyland park, The Blue Bayou is the best table service restaurant (we always try to eat here), followed by Cafe Orleans, which features an old Espresso machine (for you coffee drinkers) used by Walt Disney himself.

Carthay Circle Theater in Disney’s California Adventure is a luxurious restaurant and lounge themed to Walt Disney’s early days as a Hollywood producer with a focus on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel, Napa Rose at the Grand Californian and Naples in Downtown Disney are all excellent restaurants to make reservations for.

When it comes to dining, you want to structure your day around a reservation or choose your quick service restaurant based on your location and navigation.

If you want lunch on the Rivers of America, plan to be near Critter Country in the middle of the day and stop at the Hungry Bear Restaurant – that way you don’t waste valuable time walking from one end of the park to the other. There’s excellent themed dining in all areas of the park, but if there’s one land to be avoided for food, it’s Tomorrowland (in my opinion).

Characters

If you’re visiting Disneyland for the characters, there are some key places to go and some other characters you might find along the way. Town Square typically has some classic characters running around, as does Toontown, which uses more fixed photo locations.

Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore can be found in the back of Critter Country. Star Wars Characters, such as Vader and Chewie, still entertain at Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland. In the Main Street Plaza, on the westside of Sleeping Beauty Castle is where you’ll meet with Disney princesses.

Character Dining is available at each of the Disney hotels and at the Plaza Inn. These restaurants include buffet service and character interaction for breakfast only. The exception is Goofy’s Kitchen, which is also open for dinner service – this one is our absolute must-visit every time!

Top Disney Attractions 2021

Although Galaxy’s Edge will be completed in January of 2021, the new Marvel Land in Disney’s California Adventure will be just beginning it’s phase one.

That means much of the land will be open, just as Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge was back in May. The major attractions to look forward to in 2021 are Rise of the Resistance in Disneyland and the Spider-Man ride in Disney’s California Adventure.

What are you most excited about for Disneyland 2021?

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So you’re on vacation at Disney World and you find yourself stuck in a long Disney queue without a Fastpass. Relax – it’s not the worst thing that can happen! As a matter of fact, long waits at Disney attractions have gotten better, not worse, since the invention of the Fastpass. Even though the technology lets you skip the majority of lines in most big attractions, Imagineers have increased their efforts to make the standby lines as fun and engaging as possible. Here are some really fun Walt Disney World Activities to do While in Line and make the wait for your favorite attractions more enjoyable.

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Spot Hidden Mickeys

This is an oldie but a goodie. It’s so much fun to look around and see what you can find hidden in the Disney queues. Some hidden Mickeys are more elaborate than others, like the Steamboat Willie hidden mickey made out of rock formations in the Little Mermaid queue in Magic Kingdom. Some ‘Hidden Mickeys’ are questionable, which can raise some fun discussion and lively debate while you fight off boredom.

‘Unofficial’ Disney Autograph & Activity Book

Of course we have to mention our popular ‘unofficial’ book that’s chock full of not just incredibly designed autograph pages, but also several fun activities – from connect the dots and mazes, to designing your own superhero or jokes!

Find a Game

There are all kinds of games you can play to keep yourself – and your group – entertained. Think about road trip games like eye spy. This can be very fun to play in a Disney park! Paying attention to the details around you also has its rewards. As I mentioned before, Imagineers put extra effort into their queues. They often include key story elements and exposition to prepare you for the story of the attraction (Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest). Other queues literally include games you can play and interactive features Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train).

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Use the Disney Play App

If you don’t already have the Disney Play app downloaded, you’ve really got to! The Disney Play app is a totally new way to experience the parks on your phone. It specifically has play features that are designed to keep you entertained while waiting in line. It’s a lot of fun, so if you’ve taken in enough of the details around you, this is a great way to submit to your electronics while still keeping it Disney. With the opening of Star Wars land, it has a special mode for this area alone to REALLY bring you into the story of Batuu!

Get Fastpasses

For a more practical – yet fun – use of your time, you can try snagging those elusive Fastpasses for other popular attractions. That way you don’t have to wait so long at the next ride! If the attraction you want is unavailable for Fastpass, this is the perfect opportunity to keep refreshing until a Fastpass opens up – you never know what you may be able to get.

Picture Time!

While you’re on your phone, why don’t you take some fun selfies, or pictures of the queue? Many times these environments make for a really unique backdrop for your pictures. Snap a shot of those hidden mickeys, or any other really cool scenes you would like to capture. Edit your photos and air drop them to your friends; or post your photos online and add to your Instagram Story. Go through your favorite photos from your trip and share some laughs. Bonus points if a cast member photobombs your selfie!

What are your favorite Disney World activities to do while in line?

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?

It’s so exciting to plan for Walt Disney World, though it can be a little overwhelming if you’re going for the first time, because there’s just so much. When you feel overloaded, it’s tempting to take a step back and just leave it to fate. You may even think of planning your trip as too rigid. That’s totally understandable; but at Disney World, the more you plan, the more freedom it gets you. If everything is riding on this one vacation, then it’s even more important to plan it out ahead of time. The good news is that it’s really simple and stretched out over months – so it can be really fun. One of the most important things you have to decide early on is your Disney World park days. You’ll need this as the foundation for making dining and Fastpass+ reservations down the road – so here’s our thoughts on the best day to visit each park!

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Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom offers extra magic hours in the evening on Wednesday and in the morning before the park opens on Friday. These are great opportunities to get some extra time in the parks if you’re a Disney Resort hotel guest or staying at a participating hotel in Disney World. Although there’s usually more people in the parks that have extra magic hours, with proper planning, the extra time outweighs the increase in attendance. Remember, whenever Disney introduces an incentive, it’s meant to level things out, so the other parks will likely be busy as well.

Park Hopping

I know people say the best day to visit each park is NOT when they  have Morning Extra Magic hours, but if you plan correctly they’re a great way to beat the crowds – because many guests find it difficult to hurry over to the parks so early. If you’re park hopping, starting at Magic Kingdom on Friday and hopping to Epcot for the Evening is a convenient way to spend the day, because you have monorail transportation between the parks. If you’re hopping to Magic Kingdom on a Wednesday, Epcot is still a good choice as the first park, but you may consider hopping from Animal Kingdom on Wednesdays, as well.

Epcot

Epcot has Extra Magic Hours on Tuesday and Thursday. It’s open later on Tuesday and earlier on Thursday. The same concepts apply to Epcot during Extra Magic hours as they do to Magic Kingdom. The only notable difference is that Epcot has two parts. One that traditionally opens at 9:00 am and one that opens at 11:00 am. Therefore the night time Extra Magic Hours are more beneficial if you want more time in the World Showcase (all the tasty food during Food & Wine festival!). However, the extra hour in the morning can really help if you’re intent to do everything in Future World.

Park Hopping

When hopping to or from Epcot, the two best parks are Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. Hollywood Studios is just a short trip from Epcot, which you can take by boat, walking trail, or (soon) Skyliner. However, I recommend Epcot as a park to hop to rather than from, because once you get there, there is so much to do. Hollywood Studios has morning Extra Magic Hours on Sundays. This is a great time to get an early start on the attractions and you can duck out a little earlier if park hopping – or you can enjoy a more leisurely pace for the rest of the day.

Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios has morning Extra Magic Hours on Sundays – though it seems that once Galaxy’s Edge opens, it’s EVERY day at 6am for awhile! This is a great time to get an early start on the attractions and you can duck out a little earlier if park hopping, or you can enjoy a more leisurely pace for the rest of the day. While I’m not sure how things will go once Galaxy’s Edge is available, I think it’s safe to say that at least the first while, the weekends are NOT the best day to visit this park!

Park Hopping

Epcot is the number one place you should hop to from Hollywood Studios on an Extra Magic Hours day, or any day for that matter. Even if you’ve already been to Epcot during your stay, it warrants the extra time. It’s a good partner for Hollywood Studios because they’re relatively close to each other and Epcot can take multiple days, whereas Hollywood Studios can be done to satisfaction in less than a day – though this can vary once Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opens! Don’t miss out on our tips for trading with Jawas!

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Animal Kingdom

There’s two Extra Magic Hours during the week for Animal Kingdom – however, they’re both only in the morning time. These days are Monday and Saturday, which puts the order of what parks to visit and when at Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom. I honestly don’t think there’s too much of a wrong time to visit this land as it’s seemed to mellow since the Pandora Land opening, but these are our picks for the best day to visit.

Park Hopping

Always start at Animal Kingdom since the extra hours are only offered in the morning. Animal Kingdom isn’t well connected to the other parks, but by default I recommend heading to Magic Kingdom if you plan to park hop. If you purchased park hopper plus tickets, these days are great to use on Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon.

What’s your absolute favorite Disney World park?

When you go on a big trip, especially to a place like Walt Disney World, it’s easy to overpack. It’s a terrible feeling when you’re away from home and you don’t have some of the things you might take for granted – it’s even worse when you have to pay for essentials at way more than what they’re worth. When it comes to spending a day in one of the Disney Parks, you might also be tempted to pack too much, then regret it when your shoulders start complaining. In this circumstance, it’s way better to travel light. There aren’t many things you actually need to pack for Disney. Here’s a short list of top essentials to pack for a Disney trip. Beyond your normal clothes, of course 😉

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If someone asked me for 5 essentials items to pack for Disney that many people seem to either forget or just not deem important, these are my top picks. If you want a bit more substantial/specific of a list, check our other list here.

Sunglasses

Whether you always have them on your head, or always forgetting them someplace, it’s very important to remember to bring these along when you pack for Disney. Florida is frequently sunny, and even overcast has a reflective nature that will glare in your eyes and make you feel uncomfortable. Even if you’re not used to sunglasses, wearing them in the parks will make you happier. Constantly squinting and fighting the glare takes a toll, even if it’s not top of mind. Just don’t forget to keep a hand on them on rides, or remember to nab them out of the bag when it’s done!

Refillable Water Bottle

Another thing to keep in mind is that it’s important to stay hydrated. Since Disney charges quite a bit for bottled water, just take a reliable refillable water bottle (especially if it’s collapsable for easy storage and transport!). Since you can get free water at quick service locations, just use that to refill it for some refreshing hydration without the cost. We’ve used these ones for a few years now and they’re still working fantastic!

Portable Battery

If you use your phone for camera and video while in the parks – or that constant social media – include a portable battery. Especially since using the My Disney Experience app and the Disney Play app (particularly with it’s new Galaxy’s Edge functions when that opens!) will be keeping your phone’s battery busy. It’s always good to have a backup since you don’t want your phone out of commission in case of emergencies. This one has been super reliable (and charges fast) for 3-4 years now for us and it is one of the first things we pack for a Disney trip!

Poncho

One thing I learned about vacationing in Florida is always pack a poncho. It’s important to be aware of the weather, but you should also be prepared for the forecast to change. When you pack for Disney, adding a cheap poncho won’t take up much room and it can potentially save you a big chunk of cash. Not to mention, by the time you buy a poncho in the parks, you’re most likely already wet.

Fun Shirts

I know we all sometimes tease about the crazy ‘matching’ shirts at Disney – but let’s be honest, it’s way fun and my family totally does it! Not every day, since they each have other Disney/Marvel/Star Wars shirts they want to wear, but we do designate a few days for awesome matching shirts. Not only can it help you find your family in a crowd – but cast members notice! Last year my family went on ahead to the Star Wars Launch Bay and I was several minutes behind (can’t remember why – probably a snack, knowing me). I get to the front and the cast member was like ‘looking for your party? they went to the right!’ – just because he recognized the matching shirts 🙂

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Bonus: Light Jacket

Again, weather. Although for much of the year the night stays hot, the best times to go to Disney World are when the weather is more mild (when people are in school). On those occasions, it’s good to have a jacket handy as the sun sets. It’s also a good tool for feeling more comfortable in air conditioned environments for long periods of time, like some of the restaurants. The initial blast of cold air on a hot day may be welcome – but over a period of time, it’s favorable to add another layer so you can stay longer.

Have you ever forgotten something important to pack for a Disney trip?