You might not want to hear it, but Disney World is lying to you.

They’re not doing it explicitly, but there are definitely some implied “facts” that Disney wants you to believe. You don’t have to believe them though, and knowing the truth could actually save you some money (or maybe prevent a little heartache). That’s why we’re exposing a few of the biggest lies now!

Disney World can be a wonderful and happy place, and Disney wants you to have a magical time while you’re there! But a company like Disney doesn’t get as big as it is without some serious marketing know-how, so they’ve got a few subconscious stories going on to preserve the magic and pump up the profits. Some of these stories might not be the whole truth, so let’s pull back the curtain to see what’s REALLY going on.

Lie #1: Staying more days at the parks is going to cost you less in the long run.

Disney uses several strategies to incentivize guests to stay longer in the parks. One of the strategies they use is the lowering of the price of a park ticket per day for longer stays. Allow us to explain.

A standard one-day park ticket (without the Park Hopper option) for Disney World starts at $109 (mind you, the actual price will vary depending on what day you visit). Change that to a 5-day pass and the cost goes down to around $91 per day. If you’re willing to book a super-long vacation and get a 10-day ticket for Disney World, it’s around $55 per day. Way cheaper, right?

Well…not really. The math doesn’t lie — $54 is less than $109. But remember that $109 would be the total cost (minus other fees) for that 1-day ticket. The $54 for the 10-day ticket would have to be multiplied against 10 days — meaning you’d be spending $540. You’d still be spending less PER DAY, but overall you’re spending more.

AND remember that you’ll need a hotel room for each night of your vacation as well. It will come as no shocker to you that a 10-night stay is going to be much more expensive than a 1-night stay. Even Disney’s Value Resorts are usually $100+/night, so your “savings” are already starting to disappear.

While you’re enjoying Disney World for a few extra days, you’ll also need to eat (duh!). That means you’ll have to pay for meals every day — whether that’s quick service (fast meals), table service (sit down restaurants), snack stands, or even just groceries for meals you’ll pack yourself and bring into the parks. More days = more food = more moneyyy. You see where we’re going with this?

It can also get more and more difficult to resist souvenirs when you’re walking around the parks for so long! (Trust us — we know how it feels to have our self-control worn down by Disney bucket hats and Mickey plushes.)

In general, you might pay less for park tickets per day, but you’ll spend a whole lot of money in other ways while you stay for a longer period of time.

Also, keep in mind with many Disney World package deals, the promotion will say that the deal is for a week-long trip (at least 6 nights) when in reality you could likely apply that same discount to shorter vacations. Don’t fall for this trick! Be sure to ask whether the discount or package deal applies to your vacation, even if you won’t be going for that many days.

So what’s the lesson here? Make sure you’re looking at what is really best for your group and your budget, and don’t let Disney pressure you into staying for longer than you want to! Do we all want to live at Disney World for a full month? Sure! Is it going to be viable for our budget anytime soon? Probably not, no.

Click here to learn how to get the MOST discounts during your Disney World trip.

Lie #2: You are trapped in the “Disney Bubble.”

If you’re not familiar with the term “Disney Bubble,” this one might sound kind of terrifying. But don’t worry — it’s not an actual physical thing! By “Disney Bubble,” we mean staying on Disney World property. If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, you can enter the property and theoretically never set foot outside of Disney World until your vacation is over.

And it’s kind of nice to be inside this “bubble” since all the transportation is free and there’s Disney magic everywhere you go! It’s like entering a separate, more magical world, which is exactly what Disney is trying to create with their parks. They’ve expanded on the magic of the parks with more shopping and dining locations in Disney Springs and at the hotels as well.

Since Disney’s transportation doesn’t go outside of Disney World itself (it doesn’t even go to the airport anymore since the Magical Express has been discontinued — RIP — and the Minnie Vans aren’t available), it can be a little tricky or feel more complicated to get out of Disney property if you didn’t bring your own car.

But despite what Disney wants you to believe, it’s not impossible to leave the bubble during your vacation. Leave Disney World?! YES, you can! In fact, it’s not difficult at all. And it might be seriously worth it to see some of Orlando’s other offerings!

If you did bring your car, it’s easy enough to just drive to another location in Orlando. And if you don’t have your own set of wheels you can always order an Uber or Lyft (or another rideshare service) to get you where you want to go. You could also use a taxi.

What exactly is worth breaking free of the Disney Bubble? There are other theme parks in Orlando like Sea World or Universal. And Universal has the amazing Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is definitely worth a visit if you’re a big HP fan.

If you don’t want to pay for another theme park, you can also check out Universal Studios’ City Walk, which is essentially their version of Disney Springs. There are some unique options for dining and shopping there which you might really enjoy.

You can also head to other attractions in the Orlando area (like the Orlando Eye), check out celebrity-run restaurants, and more. And if you’re a big shopper, you could visit Orlando’s various outlet malls to shop ’til you drop!

Also, knowing how to leave property during your stay might save you a lot of money if you forgot a few vacation essentials. Didn’t see the rain forecast for your trip? Buy a cheap poncho at a convenience store instead of getting an overpriced one in the parks! Looks like Orlando is going to go through a cold spell? Grab a cheaper but still cozy sweater from outside the parks.

You can also order food from outside places and have them delivered to your Disney World hotel! You can get groceries from services like Amazon Fresh or Walmart, or order through Uber Eats and Postmates for a late-night snack. Generally, Disney World hotel stores will have some snacks and essentials there, but they’ll usually be MUCH more expensive than what you’d find at a local grocery store. So either taking a trip to buy these goodies at the local store or getting them delivered to your hotel can save you some money!

Basically, you don’t necessarily have to leave the rest of the world behind when you arrive at Disney World. This would also apply to staying at a hotel in the Orlando area that is not a Disney World hotel! Many offer their own transportation to and from the parks and staying at one of these spots could save you big money.
Yes, you should leave the stress and work at home and in the office. But you can also embrace more fun and excitement at other Orlando locations, or save some cash by ordering groceries.

Learn what items from Amazon you can get delivered to your Disney hotel.

Lie #3: Disney transportation is efficient and comfortable all the time.

Okay, so let’s say you ARE inside the Disney Bubble and are taking advantage of that free Disney World transportation — it’s all going to be smooth sailing, right? Well…probably not.

For this one, it really depends on each situation. Sometimes Disney World transportation is wonderful. Riding the Disney Skyliner for the first time? It can be an awesome experience to see Disney World from that unique view. Walk up to an empty bus stop right as the bus you need pulls up? Disney magic is real. Watching Magic Kingdom appear as you speed by on the Monorail? Simply beautiful.

We wish it were like this all the time. But to be perfectly honest, it’s not.

Lines to wait for Disney transportation can be absolute nightmares, especially early in the morning or late at night after a fireworks show. And when it’s finally your turn to board the bus or Monorail, you might be packed in with tons of other guests, which isn’t exactly a zen experience.

Disney transportation is usually less busy in the afternoons, but the buses tend to run less frequently at those times as well, which could mean that your wait for the next bus will be loooong.

And what about when the transportation isn’t running at all? For example, the Skyliner generally stops running during storms or heavy rain. If that happens to you, you’ll have to find another way home (don’t worry — the buses or other Disney transportation will generally be available if that occurs!).

There are also some more scary possibilities, like when the Skyliner or Monorail breaks down with guests inside. These problems have happened before and Disney does address them, but it’s still a stressful experience.

Most of the time we love Disney transportation, but the idea that it’s perfect or infallible is just not true. There are some ways you can plan to make your experience a little bit better, though!

To avoid the evening rush on buses or Monorails, think about waiting around in the park for a little while after closing and waiting until those transportation lines go down. You can also take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours if you qualify for those perks as well. These allow you to get into the parks early or stay in them a bit longer with lower crowds. That can give you some more time in the parks with potentially fewer crowds.

You’ll also want to give yourself PLENTY of time to get around Disney World if you’re relying on their transportation (we’re talking an hour+). Don’t leave just 5 minutes between the moment you hop on the bus and your dining reservation time, for example. Mentally prepare for longer waits and give yourself lots of wiggle room to play with in case transportation lines are long or you hit other delays.

Also check out some alternative transportation options like the friendship boats or even walking paths that might get you back to your hotel with a smaller crowd.

Click here to learn all about Disney World transportation.

Lie #4: Disney Genie+ is a NEED.

Disney Genie+ is a HOT topic when it comes to Disney World vacations. This is the paid replacement to FastPass+. Through Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Service, you can pay extra to skip the lines at some attractions in the parks. There’s honestly so much more to it, so make sure to check out our full guide to Genie+ here.

Click here to learn everything you need to know about Genie+.

In a nutshell, Disney Genie+ costs $15 per person, per day. With it, you can look at the return times when you could visit certain attractions and skip the standby lines for those rides. If you pay for Genie+, you can then select the return time for the ride you want. When that return time comes, you get to use the Lightning Lane to skip the standby line. You can then continue to select 1 Genie+ return time at a time throughout the day.

Individual Attraction Selection is another level of this program. Some of the most popular rides in each park are NOT available through Genie+. Instead, if you want to skip the standby lines for those specific rides, you’ll need to pay a separate, individual fee if you want to skip the line. This fee is usually between $7 and $15 per person per ride. A maximum of 2 of these selections can be bought per day.

In early 2022, during Disney’s first-quarter earnings call for fiscal year 2022 Disney shared that more than a third of domestic guests are buying Genie+, Individual Attraction Selection, or both, and over 50% of guests bought it over the holiday season. But is it really a NEED?

Genie+ can be useful, especially during the busiest times in Disney World. If paying extra also gets you more time in the parks (since you won’t have to wait in those long lines) or just helps you get on the rides on your must-do list, it might be worth it!

But you can also still have a great vacation without paying for these services. And you can also get on those popular rides without paying extra if you know how to do it!

If you get to the parks for rope-drop (be there before the opening time) and take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry when possible, you can usually get on the popular rides with a pretty short wait by going to them first thing in the morning. Another trick is to stay until park closing time because the wait times will often go down again near the end of the day. Or you can take advantage of things like Extended Evening Hours to spend more time in the parks at night with less crowds (if you qualify).

Especially in Disney’s slower seasons (generally January, February, and September — though things have been surprisingly busy this year), you may not need Genie+ because wait times will likely be shorter.

You can also decide with your group what your priorities are and then make a plan for getting to the top attractions. Are the rides you really want to get on part of Individual Attraction Selection? Then you might be able to skip paying for Genie+ and just pay for those popular rides you want to get on.

Although Genie+ is nice to have, it’s not quite as essential as it might sometimes seem. To determine if Genie+ is right for you, take a look at the rides you want to do, the time of year you’ll be visiting, how much time you have in the parks, and see whether you think the service will prove useful. Remember you don’t have to buy it in advance — you can buy it just for some days of your trip if you don’t want to buy it for the whole vacation!

Click here for a step-by-step guide of how to use Disney Genie+

Lie #5: You should be thrilled about ALL the changes going on.

The Disney parks are changing all the time. New programs, new attractions, new restaurants…it seems there’s always something in the works!

Does that mean you have to be excited or even happy about all of those changes? Absolutely not! If you really hate a certain new feature, it’s completely within your right to feel that way. You can still be a big Disney fan and disagree with some of the things they’re doing right now.

Most healthy relationships involve some disagreements and differences. It doesn’t mean the relationship can’t work, and those differences can even make the bond stronger. This can be the same with Disney! We can learn from the changes and communicate our feelings in a constructive way, which helps both the company and the guests.

Some changes might bring mixed feelings, which is totally okay. For example, many guests were sad to see the Great Movie Ride close in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, even though some of those guests also enjoy Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (its replacement).

So even though the commercials and announcements from Disney usually show super happy and excited guests, you don’t have to feel that way.

All of us over at DFB can totally empathize with your mixed feelings about some Disney changes. Of course, we love Disney World! But we’re not always 100% on board with the latest updates. We think our relationship with Disney is pretty healthy, with a good mix of happy, magical feelings and some real criticism as well. And that drives our mission to bring you honest and well-rounded reports from the parks. That’s why we’re here. To give you our honest reviews and thoughts to help you plan your trip!

Please remember that your opinions are totally valid, but you shouldn’t discount other people’s feelings. Just because you dislike a certain change doesn’t mean someone else can’t love it and it doesn’t mean you should ruin the experience for someone else. Some of us would give anything to have Horizons back in EPCOT, while others think Disney Enchantment is the bee’s knees. Different strokes for different folks!

Click here to see 6 Disney World changes that fans kinda…sorta like

Well, looks like the cat’s out of the bag! We’ll keep bringing you the latest news and honest updates from Disney World, so stay tuned with DFB for more. Want to learn more about other lies Disney World needs you to believe? Check out our video below!

And don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel to learn more tips and tricks to make your next trip to Disney World the best one yet!

Click here to learn more about how you’re being fooled by Disney World!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Did you know about these Disney World lies? Let us know in the comments.

The post 5 Lies Disney World Needs You to Believe first appeared on the disney food blog.