Planning your first trip to Disney, Universal? Here's what every first-timer should know

‘We’re going to Disney World!”

They’re words most kids dream of hearing, but as an adult, planning a trip to Walt Disney World or other Orlando theme parks can be a daunting task.

For those who have never visited the parks before, planning the trip can be a monumental task, but there are a few things every first-time visitor (or park newbie) should know to make the process a little bit easier.

Kids under 3 are free

My family took my nephew to Disney for his second birthday, and one of the most frequent comments we heard when we told people about the trip is that they wanted to bring their toddler to the parks, but couldn’t justify the cost for a trip they likely wouldn’t remember.

What most people didn’t know, however, is that children under the age of three can enter all Disney and Universal parks for free.

When visiting for several days, bringing your child before their third birthday can save several hundred dollars.

The trip will give them the opportunity to visit with Mickey and Minnie before they’re old enough to realize they’re just cast members in costumes and, since a majority of the rides in the park have no height restriction, you won’t have to worry about always finding an adult willing to sit on the sidelines while everyone else rides.

Since Universal Orlando has more roller coasters and thrill rides, I wouldn’t recommend visiting with only small children, but the free admission for children under 3 could save some cash if you also have an older child who wants to visit.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on food

Theme parks are notorious for having over-priced, poor quality food, but while there are some genuinely good places to eat within Disney and Universal, you can save some cash by bringing food from home.

All parks prohibit coolers, but visitors are allowed to bring any food or drinks (aside from alcohol) that can fit in a backpack and don’t require heating.

I suggest bringing a large quantity of snacks to eat throughout the day and splurging on one big meal, because carrying around a heavy bag of food can be cumbersome, not to mention uncomfortable in the Florida heat, but a family would absolutely be able to bring several sandwiches to skip paying for lunch in the park.

Bonus tip: Most people don’t know that if you approach any restaurant or food cart with a soda fountain in Disney, they will give you a cup of filtered water for free. You don’t need to keep purchasing water bottles to stay hydrated.

You’ll need two tickets to visit both Wizarding World of Harry Potter parks

For the past several years, one of the biggest draws to Universal Orlando has been the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and in my opinion, it’s the only reason to even visit Universal instead of just spending the whole trip at Disney World).

The park consists of two sides- the original Hogsmead section and the Diagon Alley section, which opened in 2014. Visitors can take a ride on the Hogwarts express to get from one section to another, but just like in the real world, you can’t board the train without a ticket.

In what I’m sure was a (fairly effective) marketing ploy to increase ticket sales, the Hogsmead section of the Wizarding World was built in the Islands of Adventure park while Diagon Alley is in the original Universal Studios park. This means visitors need a park-to-park pass (which lets you visit two parks in the same day) to get to both.

Attendants stand at the entrance of the Hogwarts Express to check tickets, so that people don’t waste time standing in line only to get to the front and realize they can’t ride, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen frustrated groups realizing they would either need to spend money they hadn’t budgeted for their trip or skip that portion of the park because they purchased the wrong ticket.

You can’t wait until you get there to decide what to ride and where to eat

If you’ve never been to Disney World before, you likely have never heard of a FastPass.

FastPasses are a system that allow visitors to wait in shorter lines by having them arrive at popular rides at a preselected time. They’re essential if you want to ride all the major attractions without spending hours in line, but if you want the chance to hop right on Splash Mountain, you’ll have to plan ahead.

You’ll be able to book your FastPasses 30 days before your trip (60 days if you’re staying at an on-site Disney resort) so plan in advance which rides are most important for you and your group to experience.

The booking window for FastPasses opens at 7 a.m., so when it’s time to book I recommend setting an alarm to make sure you get in early before the ride you want runs is booked for the day (newer rides like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are notorious for getting scooped up by resort guests during the earlier booking window, leaving none left for those booking 30 days in advance).

Similarly, Disney World lets you make dining reservations up to 180 days in advance. While there are plenty of places within the park to just walk in and grab a meal, these reservations are essential if you want to have a character breakfast, as the likelihood of getting a same-day reservation at any of those restaurants is slim (especially during peak seasons).

Download the My Disney Experience app

You’ve spent several hundred dollars on a Disney vacation, so spending time on your smartphone is probably the last thing you want to do, but the app not only keeps track of your FastPasses and reservations for you, it serves as a park map and shows you the wait time for every ride and character experience.

Monitoring the app throughout the day can help get you on and off rides while they have shorter lines so you get to experience more of the park while you’re there.

The app is free and available for iOS and Android phones.

Theme park veterans, what advice to you have to first time park visitors?