Top 5 Tips To Manage Disney & Universal During The Holidays

A few months ago we had a great idea of enjoying Disney and Universal Studios for Christmas. I  planned the journey and my lovely wife planned the theme park logistics.

We braved the crowds at Universal Studios on Monday December 24th and Tuesday December 25th and the endless mass of people at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on December 27th.

A few facts:

• Universal Studios is visited by over 10.1mm people each year
• Walt Disney World (all parks) is visited by over 150mm people each year
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom  is visited by over 12.5 mm people each year
• The average daily attendance at both parks is 4-5x greater than an average week…sooo be ready.

A Few Tips To Help You & Your Family Survive.

1-Invest in a Fast Pass (Disney) or Express Pass (Universal). In order to maximize your day you will need a little bit of help via an extra ticket. Based upon my experience…if the normal “wait-time” was a third of my actual wait time (20-minutes vs the posted 60-minutes). 

2-Arrive early and knock off your wish list rides early in the day. At Animal Kingdom we wanted to ride the Avatar Ride so we were one of the 1st ones in line when the park opened. Once the park opened we all made a “B” line to the front of the Avatar ride…by the time that we walked through the HUGE people cue we were able to walk on the ride. To be fair the people cue for this ride is almost a mile long (slight exaggeration). When we walked by later in the day the wait time for Avatar was 4 hours.

3-Eat at odd hours. Everyone wants to eat between 12 and 1! So the lines will be long. If you can hold off on feeding your family until after 2 you will save a few valuable minutes. 

4-Be friendly to EVERYONE! All of the employees have name badges talk to all of them, treat all of them the way that you want to be treated. You never know one of these employees might be able to offer you a valuable tip that will enhance your stay.

5-Plan ahead and pack your patience. If you decide to go during the busy time just know that the lines for EVERYTHING will be longer. Both Disney and Universal have apps that will provide you an interactive map of the  park along with ride or attraction.

Have Fun :-)