Skip The Lines
Save Time At The Theme Parks
Orlando's theme parks are the best in the world and attract tens of millions of visitors from throughout the world each year, this means that at certain times of the year, the parks can get vey busy and with so much to see and do, a little help from us at GGO can go a huge way to saving you hours of precious time, allowing for a more enjoyable experience, creating the most memorable vacation ever!
Pick The Best Time To Visit
If you can choose when to visit Central Florida, we would say that September is the very best month of the year to visit, because the kids have just returned to school and the parks are much less crowded around this time.
Do keep in mind that September is the height of Orlando's rainy season though, and you should prepare for afternoon thunderstorms every day, but these clear quickly, so not too inconvienient!
The days after Thanksgiving leading up to the week of Christmas are also a good time to visit Disney, and the bonus is you get to experience the resort dressed in it's holiday decor without the crowds.
Our favorite time to visit the parks are most days in January, and some in February, which are usually a great time to visit, although the downsite is reduced park hours, less entertainment and ride refurbs. While there isn't much rain, it is winter and it can be chilly but still pretty warm by most standards to he honest, just remember to pack some sweaters and a jacket for thoose cooler days and even cooler evenings.
The Best Times To Visit Walt Disney World
The beginning of January to mid February.
The second half of April.
Weekdays in the first half of May.
The second half of August.
Most days in September.
Most weekdays in October and November.
(minus the week of Thanksgiving)
Weekdays in December.
(minus the weeks of Christmas and New Years Eve)
The Worst Times To Visit Walt Disney World
The first few days in January.
The week around Valentine's Day.
The week of Easter.
Every weekend in May.
June, July and the first half of August.
The week of Thanksgiving.
The week of Christmas through New Years Eve
The Best Times To Visit Universal Orlando
Unlike Walt Disney World, there's never really a bad time to visit Universal Orlando, and that's great news! Yes, Universal can get busy, but you'll still be able to navigate the crowds, even at the busiest of times.
Plan on arriving at the parks just before opening, take breaks in the afternoon when the parks are at their busiest, and consider making use of Universal Express.
Buy Your Tickets In Advance
You can save time waiting in line by buying your theme park and attraction tickets online. Purchasing in advance means you can choose the best ticket combination for you, and you save money by not paying gate prices!
You can purchase your discounted tickets here.
Advance Dining Reservations
To ensure that you're eating at your favorite theme park restaurant or character dining location, you have to make sure you book your dining reservations in advance of your visit.
We highly recommend making advance dining reservations (ADR's) at Walt Disney World as soon as the booking window opens, which is currently 180 days in advance. Trust us on ths one, for the most popular character meals and restaurants, this is virtually the only way to get in.
At Universal Orlando, it's usually not as difficult to make dining reservations at the parks and resorts, so we recommend booking around 30 days ahead here.
Quick Service Mobile Ordering
Mobile ordering is available at quick service restaurants throughout Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort theme parks too. This is becoming more popular now, and especially on crazy, busy days this saves you a lot of time, we use quick service all the time now, just order, let them know you are there and pick up your food!
Theme Park Resort Hotels
Staying on property at Walt Disney World Resort or Universal Orlando Resort costs more than staying at a resort area hotels, but you should consider staying at an on site hotel for the convenience and benefits.
Guests who stay at select Universal Orlando hotels can skip the regular lines on most rides.
At Walt Disney World, on site guests can make reservations 60 days before check in and can book for the entire length of stay. Non resort guests have a 30 day booking window.
Both Disney and Universal offer exclusive hours for guests staying at their on site hotels, usually in the morning.
At Walt Disney World Resort offers Extra Theme Park Entry, with on site guests enjoying 30 minutes early admission to all theme parks within the resort.
The main time saving benefit of staying onsite at Universal Orlando Resort is that ot it offers one hour early entry to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park daily.
Skip The Line
The theme parks offer various ways to skip the regular lines, for example, if you’re visiting Walt Disney World, you can pay to use the Genie+ system, which will let you skip the lines and use the Lightning Lane at attractions.
You can also pay extra to skip the lines at Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando and remember to make use of child swap and single rider lines (where available) to help skip the lines at busy times.
Plan Ahead
This is really important for an Orlando theme park trip and with our help you can save time and do so much more on your entire Central Florida vacation by knowing what you want to see and do in advance.
Check out our own Gotta Go Guide to Orlando, you'll be able to discover all the theme parks, attractions and more. that you want to experience on your next visit to Central Florida..
Arrive At The Parks Early
The first few hours are the least busy times in all of Central Florida's theme parks and arriving early really does give you a head start on the crowds, and allows you to experience much more in your day.
This is when you should do the most popular rides with the shortest waits in line, plus, many of the area's theme parks open ahead of their listed “official” opening times.
Plan to be at the gate at least 30 minutes early, oh and most of all... relax, have fun and don't stress it!
