When you wait over an hour to finally experience a Disney attraction, you want the experience to be an incredible one. In most cases, the experience is more or less the same no matter where you sit, or what you do. However, sometimes you need to make a request in order to have the most fun. In some cases, it’s essential to avoiding disappointment. Here are five of the Best Disney World Ride Hacks for an even better attraction experience.

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Top Center– Soarin’ Soarin around the world is an exhilarating attraction full of breathtaking sights… for about 1/3 of the passengers. Unfortunately, the film’s focus on towering structures often undermines the intended illusion. The curvature of the images get more distorted the further you are from center. Given how long the wait can sometimes be, make sure you ask to be seated in the center. Ask for Row B1 (top center), or B2 (dead center) for the best view. Front of the Train — Expedition Everest In most cases, Roller coasters are best experienced from the back of the train. Disney has a few exceptions to this rule and Expedition Everest is one of them. Spoiler alert, if you’ve never been on the ride or seen it in action– it goes backwards. Besides the backwards motion, the show elements leading up to the reversal are way more impressive from the front of the train. Cast members are very accommodating if you request to wait for a front row seat. Do this on Space Mountain as well, as the ride is even more thrilling when nothing is in front of you. Back of the Train — Big Thunder Mountain Big Thunder is a classic coaster and it definitely works best from the back of the train. It’s more fun the way you get whipped around, particularly when you get pulled down over the inclines. The front of the train gets far less out of the drops and the view is obstructed by the engine. Read the Warnings — Mission Space Mission Space is a controversial ride. It’s a lot of fun, for some people, but others get sick. It’s important that you take the cautions seriously and consider taking the less intense version of the ride, or not riding at all. Personally, I think this is a great ride overall and don’t want to put it down, but I can’t ride it anymore due to the motion sickness and head vertigo it gives me. It’s so important that you don’t have a negative experience on this intense simulator attraction, so make the best choice for you.

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Galactic Hero — Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin This is one of the best ride hacks, and I learned it from my friends at Michael’s VIPs! It’s up to you if you want to share this trick with your friends and family, or just let them marvel at your Galactic Hero stature. All you have to do to max out your score on this ride is hit three targets. They aren’t even difficult targets – you just have to hit them hard when they come around! The first target is the inside of the orange robot’s right arm. Hit it with everything you’ve got and then wait for target two to come around. Target two is the volcano. There are two volcano targets, so aim at the top one. Finally, you will confront Emperor Zurg. On this stage, fire as much as possible on the target at the bottom of Zurg’s rocket. These three targets are the highest scoring and if you really go after it, you will have no trouble reaching the scoring threshold.

Do you know any Disney World Ride Hacks?

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We’re definitely not Disney newbies anymore – that ship sailed long ago, and we consider ourselves veterans at this point. With our many visits to the parks, we’ve learned well what items are truly useful to bother bringing, but also items that should be left at home or in the hotel. There’s many times when I’ve been going through security and saw a frazzled family being stopped because what they thought would be a wise packing choice ended up being a big regret. Save yourself the hassle, and avoid these 7 Things to NEVER Bring to Disney World, plus 10 You MUST!

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I previously shared about what you should pack for Disney trips, and even one that’s specific to Disney World packing ideas, but after so many people loved our 7 things to never bring on a cruise plus 10 you must – and asked us to do a Disney park version, we couldn’t resist! You don’t want to get to security – excited for all the rides, foods, parades, characters and fireworks – just to be told you have to either throw something away or even take it back to your hotel room. Keep in mind, Disney has an extensive list HERE that tells more specifically what isn’t allowed in the parks. Security is thorough, so don’t try to be sneaky and dishonest – this causes risks for everyone, and you don’t want to be responsible for ruining anyones magical vacation, especially yours!

Things to NEVER Bring to Disney World:

• Selfie Stick – not only can this be annoying to others on a ride or trying to walk through the already-crowded streets, but it can be a hazard on rides
• Glass – bottles, containers, even glass make-up things can be declined. One year they almost emptied my bag because I had a square lip balm in there, and the clear plastic looked like glass. They ended up letting it through once they realize it wasn’t glass, but wow
• Hard-Sided Coolers – you can bring in smaller soft-sided ones, but leave the hard outsides either at your hotel, rent a locker, or just leave them home. This is probably to avoid theft, or the risk of someone bringing in items they shouldn’t
• Drones – while it’s fun to get cool aerial shots, I’m sure you can see the chaos and danger with bringing these, so just leave them home
• Shoes with built-in wheels – while this may seem a good idea for the kiddos to ‘roll’ along instead of walk, they’re not allowed at Disney because it could cause too many bumps, bruises, falls or plain chaos. Imagine everyone running around – that’s about the crazy of kids rolling around
• Bags with Wheels – I’ve seen people trying to bring in their rolly-bags, only to be stopped and given a firm NO. Totally understand not wanting to carry a bag on your back all day, but it’s such a tripping hazard in the crowds
• Folding Chairs – I know, long lines make you want to rest, but then you’re a bit SOL on the ride, huh? Also may seem smart for parades, but just bring a blanket (that you don’t mind getting dirty) and planning ahead

BONUS:  Wrapped Presents – a birthday party or other celebration at a Disney park sounds amazing, but they have to be able to inspect everything you bring in, so sadly if you bring a wrapped present, they’ll have to open it up. Just do a cute gift bag instead! FUNNY BONUS: Cremated Remains – yes, I’m serious. Plenty of people have been caught trying to bring in vases or other vessels holding remains of their loved ones (either to ‘enjoy the park with us’ or to try and spread them around, especially at the Haunted Mansion). They’ll catch you, you’ll get in trouble – so just don’t

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Things you MUST Bring to Disney World (or at least really should):

• Lip Balm – between the sun, lots of food (and hopefully plenty of hydrating) and rides, your lips are definitely going to be needing it
• Sunscreen – I understand some people burn easier than others, but wouldn’t you rather be extra safe just in case, instead of risking all the pain of a sunburn for the rest of your trip?
• Blister Prevention – If you haven’t been to a Disney park before, you may not understand when people say a LOT of walking – it’s a whole new level of LOT! Your toes, heels and pads of your feet will be screaming by the end of the day, so be sure to have moleskin and blister bandaids in case
• Flexible Bag – you know you need a bag to carry things (tickets, phone, etc) but make sure it’s not TOO big or TOO rigid, or you’ll have a hard time stowing it on the rides
• Ziploc Baggies – several sizes; you’ll need them for putting things in you don’t want wet (on water rides or in the rain), store leftover snacks, or even if someone gets sick and you just can’t get to a garbage or bathroom in time (yes, I’ve seen this happen at the parks plenty)
• Battery Backup – we all love our phones, especially for those awesome photos of the kiddos, but make sure you have enough spare juice to last you the entire day
• Sanitizer/Wipes – with that many people, I don’t even want to think about how many germs are there. Wash your hands often, and bring sanitizer for those random moments (a sticky handrail isn’t a nice surprise) and nab a pack of wet wipes like this one for the many messes!
• Sunglasses – it’s bright, the wind blows in your face (even on fast indoor rides), so give your peeps some protection
• Tissues – the last thing you need is getting a runny nose, watery eyes (totally happens to me on the fast indoor rides!) or whatever that you need a tissue fast, but aren’t close to a bathroom
• Collapsible Water Bottle – it’s super important to stay hydrated, but you can’t (and don’t want to) take a full water bottle on the rides. These water bottles have been amazing for all of our trips, hold enough water for awhile, then we just finish it off and fold them up for the rides. Love it!

BONUS: Rubber Bands/Hair Bands – if you get a caricature like us, or the kiddos make a drawing at one of the kid stations in Epcot, you need to be able to roll it up to safely transport it home, so secure it with a rubber band or hair tie!

Enjoy some Disney-themed trip planning printables in our ‘busy family pack‘ – and don’t forget our Autograph & Activity book!

Tour guides for couples – is it worth it?

Tour guides for families – what you need to know

How to avoid lines at Walt Disney World

7 things to NEVER bring to Disney World – and 10 you MUST!

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I was provided tour guide services to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are mine alone and I will only promote services I truly enjoy and recommend.

Since I don’t want to overwhelm y’all with a zillion posts from my incredible trip to Florida, I’ll be spreading them out over the next couple months because there’s SO MUCH to share with you! For now, I’m thrilled to let you Meet Michael’s VIPs, the amazing private tour guide company that I had the privilege of working with and trying out their services. Guys, they were PHENOMENAL, and made the trip a million times less stressful – plus we got to experience a lot more – than if we’d tackled the parks by ourselves.

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So what exactly is Michael’s VIPs? They’re a private tour guide company in Central Florida you can hire for your trip to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World – or even other locations in the area! They’ve learned the ins and outs of all these parks, and I was astonished all the knowledge they have of the history, operations and happenings. So why choose Michael’s VIPs?

Michael’s was founded by a former Walt Disney World VIP Tour Guide in 1999, and they’ve grown like crazy from the amazing recommendations they receive from happy clients. Once people experience the parks with such a valuable guide, they learn that it’s the best way to vacation! Now, normally they try to put you with the same guide for the duration of your trip, but since we wanted to get to know a few of their guides and see what each of them had to offer, we were joined by a new guide each day for a different park. Without further ado, let me introduce you to the great staff we got to enjoy for our trip!

Renee – Magic Kingdom

You know those people that are so sweet, full of sunshine and energy, and you can’t help but absolutely adore? That would be Renee! She was so much fun, and her bubbly personality made the Magic Kingdom that much more magical – it was almost contagious. We loved hearing about her previous jobs at Disney, and got to ride everything we wanted that day. When our Jungle Cruise fast passes were going to make us late for our reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table for lunch, she worked some magic and fit it in afterwards without much of a wait. She knew where all the fun play areas for kids were around the park, as well as some entertaining cue lines.

She talked about the families she’s worked with before (many repeats, because you can’t help but love Renee!) with such fondness, you could tell she really loves her job. We called her our ‘walking, talking guide map‘ because she knew exactly where to go, including some shortcuts, so we didn’t waste time wandering lost. Since she’d worked for Disney before, she was able to tell us a lot about the changes made in the past, how certain things are done, how the shows and entertainment has evolved, and much more. Oh, and we had a great time chatting everything Star Wars!!!

With her excitement for all the magic of Disney, plus how much she got into the spirit of it and totally adored the kids all around, I highly recommend her for families with kids. Or just a girls day – since it was just my mom and I, it was a great start to the trip! She even checked in on us later in the week to make sure we were having a great time. Thank you Renee!

Jason – Universal Studios

While there’s rules in Disney that their employees can’t also do an outside guide service, Universal doesn’t – so Jason does Michael’s VIPS AND works in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Needless to say, this made him super knowledgeable and perfect for these parks. I lost count of how many people working said ‘hi’ to him as we were there. Like all the guides, Jason knew exactly where to go, the best order/ways to do rides, and when shows were happening. He was also full of information so we could learn more about the history and operations of Universal.

Jason was sure to show us all the kid areas, too, since Universal does lean more towards older kids. I hadn’t realized there were some really fun places for the younger group, too! He was great to not tell us if a ride was ‘good’ or not beforehand, letting us judge for ourselves. And since my mom was worried about getting sick on Forbidden Journey – the ride he actually works as Lead on – he had tips to help keep the motion sickness at bay. When Hogwarts Express was down for the day for repairs, he smoothly adjusted our plans and schedule without missing a beat. Amazing!

It was such a fun day, and we had a blast talking with Jason! It’s one thing to look around the parks and ride the rides, but it was even better because we were learning about it all, as well. I think Jason’s the perfect guide for Universal & the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and think he’d do great with a family with teens – they’d love chatting with him and going on the bigger rides! Oh, and he was such a gentleman, helping us carry our ridiculous amount of bags 😀 Thank you Jason!

Chris – Animal Kingdom

Chris is a former entertainer/stuntman for Disney, and you can tell he has the entertainer personality! Just super friendly, easy to chat with, and as with all of Michael’s VIPs he knows all the ins and outs of the parks. He joined us for breakfast to start off the day, and helped us take photos with characters and throughout the park (the Tree of Life was incredible, y’all!). He talked with us throughout the day on how WE wanted to spend out time, when we were ready to call it a day, and what we thought of the rides and shows we did. He even knew the best spots for each of the shows, so we had a great view.

He was even prepared with ponchos for Kali River Rapids – check out how ‘cute’ my mom and I are in this picture he snapped for us from the bridge…

Chris is the perfect private tour guide for a high-energy group looking for an exciting, stress-free, fun-filled time with lots of entertainment and stories! Thanks Chris!

Rob – Hollywood Studios

You know those people who can spout out amazing facts about pretty much everything? Yup, that’s Rob when it comes to Disney World things, including Walt Disney himself! We learned so much, and had a great time touring Hollywood Studios. When we went longer than expected at lunch, Rob took care of switching fast passes (during lunch, without anyone noticing – these guys have such a knowledge of the My Disney Experience App and can fix things on the go!) so our afternoon wasn’t thrown completely off. We got to try every ride and show we wanted, and even though the layout of this particular park is wacky, he knew right where to go.

He knew I was a Star Wars fan, just like him, so he made sure to wear his Millennium Falcon shirt for our day together! Kylo Ren wasn’t too fond of it though – haha! Rob would be especially great for those groups looking to not only have a super fun time in the parks, but also learn more about their history AND future plans (Toy Story Land & Star Wars Land – can’t wait!). Oh, and he takes GREAT ride photos 😉 Thanks Rob!

Adam – Manager of Michael’s VIPs

For the past 7-8 months of planning (remember, you  have to do dining 180 days prior, and fast passes 30-60 days), I’ve been in contact with Adam, the head guy now over at Michael’s VIPs. He was super helpful when we were deciding plans, recommending things and answering my million and one questions with ease. Once we agreed on a plan, he took care of the fast passes and meal reservations for me so I didn’t have to figure out the system or wake up super early for those hard-to-get dining times!

He stopped in a couple of times during our visit to check on things, and was ‘That Guy’ in the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor show, which was hilarious for us. Not only was Adam professional and helpful with all the planning – and patiently dealt with any changes I needed – but also is just a downright friendly and easy to talk to guy. The guides had nothing but amazing things to say about him – and you know someone’s a great person if their employees think that highly of them! You rock, Adam!

Thank you so much Adam & the rest of the team at Michael’s VIPs for an unforgettable trip! Hopefully we’ll see you again soon!

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