Travel Guide: Tips for Disney World and Universal

Photo by Sapsoriginals

I am so excited to be in Orlando, Florida to kick off the summer! Its my third time down here and I am super hyped. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a Disney fanatic and I love Harry Potter. So I really love when we head to Disney World and Universal. I will say that it took a couple times for me to pack everything, and to pack the proper things. Thirds a charm right? Since I am going to Orlando, and packed more cautiously this time I thought I would share my tips from my past experiences travelling to Disney and Universal. 

Packing Tips 
-Clothing 
Most important tip would be to bring shorts that will dry quickly. There are quite a few water rides in Disney World, and Universal and it can be really uncomfortable waiting for jean shorts to dry. You get absolutely soaked on some rides so if you get uncomfortable in jean shorts when they are wet like I do then investing in some shorts that dry quickly is really important. 

-Carry ons and check in luggage
One tip that I found to be really helpful is to pack a carry on for yourself and share a check in luggage with whomever your going with to put items such as toiletries and shoes. This saves money by only spending a check in fee for one luggage instead of one for every traveler. This is best if your travelling with 2-3 people. 

- Your carry-on can fit more than you think 
I managed to pack for a ten day trip with a carry on luggage. Some people may think its impossible but your luggage can carry a lot more than you think. The trick is knowing how to pack to fit more in. Rolling your clothes is a classic trick that makes a lot more room. Also, planning outfits ahead is helpful so that your not overpacking. Pinterest and Youtube are where I found neat ways to pack more stuff in a smaller space. Down below is a link to what I found to be the best packing technique for myself. There are so many more ways to pack if this way does not work for you, but I did manage to bring a lot of clothes with this packing method. 
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​https://www.pinterest.com/pin/333618284882770598/ 

-Backpack for the parks 
Ensure that you are bringing some kind of bag to the Disney and Universal parks to carry things such as water, snacks, cameras, etc. Some of my essentials to carry in the backpack include a rain jacket (especially if you go in the summer during the rainy months) even though it does not rain for the whole day there can be some heavy downpours. Other items include water bottles (Tip: investing in a good water bottle such as a Swell bottle will be beneficial as regular water bottles will get warm real fast), Granola bars because sometimes having food from the parks all the time can get quite expensive, flip flops for water rides so that its not uncomfortable afterwards walking in wet runners, and an emergency pack that includes other necessities. 
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*Check out what I carry in my emergency pack

DIY Emergency Pack

​​Transportation Tips
-WDW transportation system
The benefit of staying in a Disney Resort is the transportation system in the Walt Disney World area. There are three types of transportation: Bus, monorail, and fairy. In addition, they also have shuttles that go to universal and the beach. One tip to know about the buses is that they come usually every 20 minutes, so plan ahead if you want to get to the parks at a certain time. 

​-Shuttle service 
Its important that if you are not staying in the Walt Disney World area or in one of the Universal Resorts that you find a hotel that provides shuttle service to each of the parks. This way, you will save some money on cab/Uber fees. 

​Food Tips
-Reservations/Park food  
Book a reservation about 3 to 6 months before your trip to make sure seats are available. Restaurants get booked up fast especially ones in high demand such as Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom. The food in the parks although quite good can get pretty expensive. My tip for this is to pack granola bars and little snacks so that your not buying food the whole time throughout the day. In addition, stick to having one big meal a day from the parks. For instance, If we have a big dinner at Be Our Guest, then will have something small for breakfast and lunch. 
-Garden Grocer 
Garden Grocer was a great thing to do , especially for families who are staying in a Disney hotel. Basically,Garden Grocer is an online grocery store. You order whatever you like whether its breakfast foods or snacks like granola bars and its delivered to your room by the time you arrive at your hotel. This helps a lot with not spending all your money on the food in the parks. 
*For more information on Garden Grocer click the link below

Garden Grocer

My last tip would be to download the Disney World and Universal apps during your stay in Orlando. The apps notify you when there are ride closures, hotel information, what places are close by, and what the wait times for rides are. These tips have been very beneficial for me to know the third time around. Although, I always learn better ways to travel and save money here every time I come. However, I hope that this helps you guys get it right the first time. Therefore, If you are heading to Disney World or Universal Orlando or planning to in the future then I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and found it helpful. If anyone has any different travel tips that have worked for them whether its for a Disney and Universal trip or any other trip I would love to know so leave a comment below. I am now going to go ride Splash Mountain a couple more times, but I hope you guys have a good rest of your week!