Walt Disney World Guide for 2026

Welcome, we're glad you stopped by to explore the magic of Walt Disney World with us. We're here to guide you on everything you need to know to get your set on your way to planning your magical trip to Walt Disney World.

Take a read of the full our post or skip down to a specific item from the section below.

Disney World Theme Park Tickets

You have a couple of options when it comes to Walt Disney World Theme Park tickets. There are four main parks - Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Then you have the Water Parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. The options you have for tickets are below. It's worth noting that if you are likely to visit more than one park, then it may be more economical for you to purchase a 4 Park Magic ticket which lowers the average park cost per day.

You have the following options:

• It's as easy as selecting the date you want to start your visit and the number of days from the links and choose the type of ticket you want.
• 1 Park Per Day ticket. Visit one park per day on each of your ticket days; I.e. no park hopping
• 4 Park Magic Ticket. This allows admission to each one of the parks within a time period.
• Ticket with Park Hopper Option. This allows you to visit one or more of the four theme parks on any single day
• Ticket with Park Hopper Plus Option. The same as Park Hopper and includes access to the two Disney water parks and golf courses as described below
• Ticket with Water Park & Sports Option. The same as one park per day plus a number of visits to certain water and sports venues

For more detailed ticket information, read our 4 Park Magic Ticket post or our Single Day Ticket post.

Disney World History

Walt Disney first opened Disneyland in California in 1955. The later development of Walt Disney World in Florida gave Disney room to build a much larger multi-park destination resort.

The Disney company therefore bought up 27,500 acres of swamp and rough bush land near Orlando as the home of the second Disney theme park, the Walt Disney World Resort.

The first Walt Disney World park in Orlando, Magic Kingdom opened in 1971. Expansions have been going on ever since.

Some 60 years after that first park, Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando is the largest tourist attraction in the world covering some 47 square miles (121 sq. km) and including:

• four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• two water parks — Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon
• Disney Springs with shops and restaurants
• a sports complex - ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
• over 20 Walt Disney World Resort hotels
• golf courses and a campground - Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
• and even a cruise line

Today there are other Disney parks at:

• Disneyland at Anaheim in California
• Tokyo Disney
• Disneyland Paris
• Hong Kong Disneyland
• Shanghai Disney Resort (opened in June 2016)

Walt Disney World remains one of the most-visited holiday destinations in the world, although older annual attendance rankings are best treated as historical context rather than current planning guidance.

1. Magic Kingdom — 20.4 million (–0.5%, down from 20.5 million)
2. Disneyland at Anaheim in California — 18.0 million (–1.8%, down from 18.3 million)
3. Epcot — 11.7 million (–0.7%, down from 11.8 million)
4. Disney’s Animal Kingdom — 10.8 million (–0.7%, down from 10.9 million)
5. Disney’s Hollywood Studios— 10.8 million, (–0.5%, down from 10.9 million)

Disney Residents

If you are staying in a Disney resort hotel, you can use Disney transport options such as buses, boats, the Monorail, or the Skyliner where relevant. If you plan to drive, always check the current resort and park parking rules before you travel.

Many off-site hotels also offer transport to the parks, but schedules and convenience can vary a lot, so always check the details before you rely on them.

Small children

Do not underestimate how tiring it can be for small children. Strollers (push chairs/buggies) can be hired in all the parks. Be aware that they are often ‘borrowed’ by other guests when you leave them in the parking areas outside attractions.

Try tying something distinctive to it to help identify it (the dirtier the better !!). If your stroller does disappear just ask a Disney cast member to help you (hang onto your receipt).

Disney World General Information

Walt Disney World tickets are not cheap. You could easily expect to pay hundreds of dollars for a family just for one day. It makes sense to do your homework and find out as much as possible before you visit.

The resort has introduced a number of new features as part of Disney’s “NextGen” initiative. In particular making use of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

Ticket Tag

Like all theme parks today, Disney tickets are non transferable. Disney installed the Ticket Tag system at the four main theme parks. To enter the park you have to place your middle and index fingers into a special scanner which takes a digital scan of your fingers.

You would also find that you no longer have to get your hand stamped if you park hopped. You just present your ticket and used the finger scanner to gain re-admission on the same day. Children under 10 did not have to use the scanners.

This has now been replaced by the RFID scanners in conjunction with new card style tickets and MagicBands.

Stroller Rental

When you rent a stroller, wheelchair or electric convenience vehicle (ECV), you rent it for the whole day. If you park hop you cannot take your rental out of the park so remember to keep your receipt to avoid having to pay again. A security deposit is required for ECVs.

Note if you hire strollers or ECVs at Disney Springs then you will have to leave a substantial deposit using your credit card.

If you are planning on visiting for more than one day then consider buying a “Length of Stay” rental ticket which will make it quicker to pick up a rental on each visit and has a cheaper daily rate.

Note that there are limited supplies of wheelchairs and ECVs so it may make more sense to rent one for the duration of your vacation from an outside company.

Disney Resort Residents

RFID technology has been rolled out at the Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Originally you had a “Key to the World” Card but this has now been replaced by MagicBands.

To access your room you just have to place your MagicBand in front of the lock instead of sliding it into the mechanism. You can also use your MagicBand to pay for merchandise.

The same technology has been introduced at the park turnstiles speeding up access into the parks and to reserve FastPass+ time slots.

If you are staying in a Disney resort hotel, you can use Disney transport options such as buses, boats, the Monorail, and the Skyliner where relevant.

Many offsite hotels also offer complimentary shuttle buses to the parks.

Disney resort guests should always check the latest Disney Dining Plan availability and terms before assuming it will be part of their holiday, because Disney has changed this product more than once over the years.

Disney Skip-the-Line Planning

Disney's skip-the-line systems have changed several times over the years, so older FastPass and FastPass+ advice should be treated as historical background rather than current planning guidance.

For a current trip, the important thing is to check Disney's latest ride-reservation and Lightning Lane rules in the official app before you travel, because availability, pricing, and booking rules can change.

MagicBands are still useful for convenience around the resort, but they are no longer the centrepiece of the old FastPass+ system described in many older Walt Disney World guides.

Guests With Special Needs

If you need a wheelchair to get around and have not brought one with you, then you can hire them at the parks.

On some rides there are special ‘cars’ that can accommodate a wheelchair, on others you will have to get out of the chair. Also you and your party can bypass the lines for most rides and get special seating at the shows.

Service Animals and Pets

If you have a service animal or intend to bring your pet on holiday with you, there are some restrictions at Walt Disney World.

Read more about service animals and pets at Walt Disney World.

My Disney Experience Mobile App

Disney Mobile Ordering allows you to pre-order meals and snacks from a number of quick service restaurants throughout Walt Disney World without the need to stand in line. All you need is the official Disney My Disney Experience mobile app linked to a credit card.

Whilst in the park you can place and pay for your order from a growing number of quick service restaurants.

From the mobile app, click the “Order Food” button from the “My Plans” menu, select the restaurant, review the menu and add meals and snacks to your order. Finally, confirm your order (payment is not taken until you actually arrive at the restaurant and confirm again).

When you arrive at the restaurant you press a “Prepare my order” button in the app to signal you are at the restaurant at which point payment is taken. The restaurant staff then prepare your food which means if you arrive when the restaurant is busy you may still have to wait a few minutes for your food to be prepared.

Where your order is ready you receive a notification in the app and then you go to a special dedicated pick-up window to pick-up your order, bypassing the regular lines and the registers.

Note if you have any special dietary requirements, need to ask questions or wish to use any discounts, then you cannot do that using Mobile Ordering, you need to continue to use the regular lines.