We hope you’ve got a pen and paper — you’ll want to take notes!

We visit Disney World EVERY DAY and, over the past 15 years, we’ve really learned a thing or two about how to win a Disney World vacation. From knowing where to dine to which rides you might want to avoid, we’ve come up with plenty of useful tips that continue to evolve and strengthen over the years. If you’ve got an upcoming trip, have Disney World on the brain, or just want to know some simple tips that’ll help you make the most out of your Disney World vacation, you’ve come to the right place!

Whether it’s your first trip or your 100th, these nine DFB rules will help you have the best possible Disney World trip!

DFB RULE #1: Escape

Listen. Sometimes the parks get a little too hectic even for us. And that’s saying a LOT — because our team is in Disney World every single day. So it’s good to track down little pockets of peace inside the parks that’ll help you get away from the crowds when you need a quick breather and a reset.

Some of our FAVORITE places to escape to when things feel a little TOO hectic are:

• Chill indoor attractions (like Carousel of Progress in Magic Kingdom and The American Adventure in EPCOT)
• Hidden areas off the beaten path (like the little side street off Main Street, U.S.A. between Crystal Arts and Uptown Jewelers in Magic Kingdom and the tucked away seating areas along Discovery River in Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
• And underrated table service restaurants that usually have last-minute reservations (like Nine Dragons in EPCOT and Jungle Navigation Co. Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom)

DFB RULE #2: STAY HYDRATED

Naw, this isn’t just a DFB rule — this should REALLY be the LAW. As in… if WE don’t see you staying hydrated throughout the day, we should be able to pull a citizen’s arrest for your OWN SAFETY.

If you’re going to the parks at ANY time of the year — winter, spring, summer, or fall — then you’ve GOTTA make sure you know the best way to keep yourself (and your fellow group members) all stocked up on H20 and electrolytes all trip long.

Maybe that means bringing a refillable water bottle everywhere you go. Or maybe that means grabbing FREE water cups around the quick service locations as often as possible. Honestly, even if it means having to purchase the overpriced water bottles inside the park, have at it. Just as long as you’re staying hydrated and keeping away the horrible implications of dehydration (like headaches, irritability, nausea, blackouts, you name it), then we’re on YOUR side with however you wanna keep the water flowing.

DFB RULE #3: Ride PeopleMover

Welcome, fellow PeopleMover Fan Club members! AJ is the self-proclaimed president of this PeopleMover Fan Club and we’re all very active members! Today’s meeting centers around the ONE RULE of the PeopleMover Fan Club: You’ve GOTTA ride this one when you’re in Magic Kingdom.

But — honestly — there IS something so soothing about riding those low-key, b-tier rides in the parks (especially if you’re tired of waiting in long lines for things). Along with PeopleMover, you might also be interested in checking out other super chill attractions that DON’T usually have too high of waits, such as:

• “it’s a small world” and Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom
• Living with the Land, Grand Fiesta Tour: Starring the Three Caballeros, AND Spaceship Earth in EPCOT

DFB RULE #4: Know The Best Bathrooms

When you gotta go, you GOTTA GO. But you don’t wanna GO and have to wait in a long line just for a free stall — OR feel like you’re all cramped up with everyone and their mother inside the same bathroom.

SO, here are a few of our favorite private porcelain retreats that we sure hope serve you as well as they’ve served us:

• The bathrooms at this Caribbean Beach Skyliner station are rarely ever busy, they’re super clean, and they’re QUIET.
• In Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, head over to the right of the Space Mountain entrance and find the restrooms behind the Rockettower Plaza Stage. These have quite a few stalls and are usually a lot calmer and cleaner than other Tomorrowland pit stops.
• In Town Center at Disney Springs — inside the little alleyway leading up to the Disney bus stop — you’ll find some private restrooms tucked away, outta sight outta mind.
• AND over by Imagination Pavilion in EPCOT, head over to the right side of the ride’s building to find some secret restrooms tucked away and off the beaten path.

DFB RULE #5: Don’t ALWAYS Listen To Aunt Susan

Bless Dear Aunt Susan. We love her and all, but — by golly — she sure does lead us astray sometimes. Especially when she’s under the impression that all Disney restaurants are basically the same, so it doesn’t really matter which one you decide to eat at.

YES IT DOES MATTER, AUNT SUSAN. IT MATTERS A LOT.

Ordering a regular burger at, say, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Magic Kingdom is gonna be a whole DIFFERENT experience versus ordering a BBQ burger at Regal Eagle Smokehouse in EPCOT. And churros from a vendor cart around the parks might be disappointing, but churros from Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom are gonna be possibly the BEST churros you’ve ever chowed down on!

Dear Aunt Susan may not realize it, but there are ENDLESS possibilities and dining varieties all around Disney World — which is why we recently revamped our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining to really ILLUSTRATE just how vibrantly DIFFERENT each Disney dining experience can be! If you wanna check out our new guide (just to prove Aunt Susan wrong), go ahead and check out the DFBstore website — and make sure to type in the code YOUTUBE to save some money on your total purchase!

DFB RULE #6: Beware Barf Alley

It’s a dangerous world out there, friends — so we need to watch each other’s backs. And friends don’t let friends simply ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind AND Mission: SPACE in EPCOT back-to-back… not without WARNING them of the barf alley implications, at least.

Mission: SPACE and Cosmic Rewind are both neighboring rides inside World Discovery that rely on a SPINNING mechanic to make their rides all the more THRILLING. And you know what? It works. A little TOO well sometimes. So if you’re someone who’s prone to motion sickness (or even if you’re someone who can usually handle rides okay, but your body DOES reach a limit where enough is enough), be sure to pack your preferred over-the-counter tummy soothers (OR swing by EPCOT’s first aid center for a free sample-size of medication IF you forget yours back home).

DFB RULE #7: Plastic Cheese Is A MUST

That gooey, golden, nacho-cheese-like sauce has been a DFB staple dipping sauce for years and years and YEARS now — and we’re not planning on abandoning it anytime soon! Plastic cheese is MOST prominent over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios (where you can find it at places like Backlot Express, as well as several of the food stands along Sunset Boulevard), BUT Magic Kingdom also keeps hold of this cheesy goodness at quick services like Casey’s Corner.

Typically, plastic cheese will cost ya about $1 extra (but that $1 extra means ENHANCED flavor for your fries, corn dog nuggets, onion rings, tater tots, or whatever other savory snack you think needs a little perking up!

DFB RULE #8: Appreciate The Miniature Stuff

If you know AJ Wolfe at all, then you KNOW how much she LOVES normal things that’ve been shrunken down into TINY things.

But Disney likes to miniaturize things, too. So IF you wanna track down the tiny stuff and go “awwwww it’s so CUTE” like we do every time we’re hanging around the parks, here are just a few of the places where you need to go:

• In Magic Kingdom, Disney has hidden several tiny doors throughout the lands. We’ve found tiny doors…
  • In the wall surrounding Cinderella Castle
  • Next to the bathrooms by Gaston’s Tavern
  • On the second floor of the Frontierland train station
  • Outside the Critter Co-op Gift Shop
  • And at the bottom of the ticket booth in front of Big Top Treats.
• In Hollywood Studios, the Walt Disney Presents self-guided tour has several models illustrating the parks’ early years and development phases. (There’s just something about seeing a teeny-weeny Jungle Cruise boat that makes my heart all happy)
• AND — of course — let’s not forget about TINY TRAIN TOWN right outside the Germany Pavilion in EPCOT. (Those little villagers are always up to SOME sort of mischief…)

DFB RULE #9: Ziploc Baggies Are A MUST

We don’t wanna be dramatic or anything, but Ziploc baggies have saved our lives on more than one occasion. They saved us when we stepped in a puddle and needed to switch out out wet socks for a dry pair. They saved us when a sudden Orlando rainstorm hit and we realized a BACKPACK was still open (but the phone and charger had already been tucked safely away in a baggie). And they saved us when we purchased a carrot cake whoopie pie and could only take a few bites before we were already snacked out (so we got to save it for later and eat it for breakfast the next day)!

So anytime we’re packing for Disney World trips, we make it a RULE that we pack MULTIPLE ziploc baggies — because there’s a HIGH chance we’re gonna use all of them before we head back home.

And there you have it! Hopefully our rules help you have your best Disney World trip yet! In the meantime, stay tuned right here at DFB for all kinds of Disney World tips and tricks!

DFB Video: 50 New Disney World Tips for 2025

What are some of your Disney World rules? Let us know in the comments!