My husband, Daniel, is a former Walt Disney World Cast Member. After he did the Disney College Program he went back two more times as a seasonal employee. Being a Cast Member allowed him to experience Walt Disney World more than most people.

Often he reacalls popping into Hollywood Studios after his shift to ride Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster once and then head home. 

His Disney vacation style is much more laid back than most. Likely due to his easy (and seemingly unlimited) access to the parks during his time as a cast member. Unlike me, he doesn’t feel the need to “do it all.” Honestly, he kind of already has. 

You can argue he is very experienced in all things Disney parks. As a dad, there are a few things he thinks are worth the extra expense (and convenience) that he says he won’t do Disney without.  

Genie+ 

For those unfamiliar, Genie+ is a paid reservation system. This system allows you to reserve times to bypass the regular standby line for various attractions. It significantly decreases wait times allowing you to do more at the parks rather than spend 30+ minutes waiting in line. 

Any parents knows that most children max out at 20-30 minutes of waiting. 

This was initially a hard one for him to swallow because the system that pre-dates Genie+, called Fastpass, was free. 

However, entertaining two kids for 30+ minutes in line seems much less enjoyable to him rather than paying for convenience.

Without fail, the Florida heat and overstimulation of a busy Disney World park can lead to any kid melting down. Parents included.  Genie+ allows us to take a little bit more time between rides rather than rushing from ride to ride just to wait. It also decreases tensions because he doesn’t have to answer for the 58032853923 time how much longer. 

Prices vary based on demand, but start at $15 per ticket holder per day.

Magic Kingdom Dessert Parties

The Magic Kingdom Fireworks are one of my favorite attractions to experience. I tear up a lot. It’s essentially what made me Disney obsessed. You can read more about that here. 

We did our first Dessert Party in May 2022. After, Daniel said he would never watch the fireworks without it again. 

Magic Kingdom is the only Walt Disney World park that alcohol is restricted to Table Service restaurants and select other reservations, like a dessert party. 

As I mentioned, Daniel’s Disney style is much more laid back than mine. He also prefers to enjoy a beer or two throughout his park day. Since alcohol is restricted at Magic Kingdom, if we choose to forego a dining reservation, the only other opportunity he would get to have an alcoholic beverage is at a dessert party. 

Why he loves it: The parties allow for all you care to enjoy desserts and beverages for a period of time either before or after the fireworks depending on what party you attend and access to view the fireworks from the hub grass. 

This is great if you have little kids for a couple reasons. First, you don’t have to stake out a spot hours in advance to watch the fireworks. Second, the hub grass allows them space to move around.

During our dessert party my daughter was able to ride Barnstormer 7 times within an hour and a half. Daniel and I took turns enjoying the dessert party, while the other went over to Storybook Circus and rode with her. While all the other families were trying to find a spot and waiting for the fireworks to begin, we had more fun.

Prices for dessert parties are $99 for those 3 and older.

Topolino’s Terrace Breakfast

Daniel finds most character meals not worth the price. They tend to be very large restaurants with very little interaction with the characters and mediocre buffet food. However, Topolino’s Terrace checks all his boxes. 

For one, the size the restaurant is much smaller than restaurants with a character meal. This leads to difficulty securing reservations. But if you are lucky enough to grab a reservation I have a hard time believing you’ll regret it. 

The smaller size of the restaurant has many benefits. Including, the characters come around to your table several times. Even if they are not at your table theres a very good chance the are still within view. 

My kids are generally nervous to interact with characters but are not afraid. Encouraging our daughter to spin and show off her Minnie Mouse inspired dress led to super cute photos. Bonus: the character’s reactions were priceless. 

If we had eaten at a larger restaurant like Chef Mickey’s and characters had to get to all the tables within a set period of time, I don’t feel like the interaction we had would have been the same because it would have been rushed. By the time she got past the nervousness they would have been already on to the family next to us. But the size of Topolino’s allows for plenty of time to pose with the characters. 

The food is also not a buffet. Even though I know Disney does their best to maintain the highest standards, the idea of a buffet on a mass scale still weirds me out. Knowing there is a smaller number of people interacting with my food fits better within my comfort level.

Prices are $45 for an adult compared to $51 an adult for Chef Mickey’s. 

So in our opinion, this is a much better value.

Preferred parking at Magic Kingdom

If you are staying at a Walt Disney Resort and plan on taking the free transportation, this doesn’t apply to you. However, if you are planning on driving a car to the parks then this is another splurge worth considering. 

Parking at Magic Kingdom is different than the three other Walt Disney World parks. Rather than parking and walking right up to the gate to enter, you must first park and then take either the monorail or the ferry to the main gates. 

If parked far away, you may take the tram, but this can be less than ideal with a stroller. Strollers are required to be folded on trams. This means needing to take everything out of your stroller for the tram ride.

One way to bypass this is paying the extra $20-25 on top of the $25 cost of standard parking to park in preferred parking. 

Preferred parking guarantees guests a spot within the first few rows of the lot. Meaning no need to ride the tram to or from the car saving the need to fold up your stroller. 

With young kids after a lot hot day at a Disney park, we like to get back to our car as soon as possible to offset the chance of a meltdown and this is another convenience we can’t do without especially at Magic Kingdom. 

I want to acknowledge Disney vacations are already expensive as it is. So doing all of these things, especially within one trip may not be financially possible for most people. But I hope by sharing our experiences and why we think these things are worth it, it helps you better plan your own Disney trip and determine what areas you want to budget for appropriately.

xo,

CoCo