The 5 Biggest Rules You Need To Know If You’re Traveling to Disney World Soon

Listen, we know you’ve probably heard it all before.

Magic Kingdom

There are plenty of tips, tricks, hacks, and more out there to help you have the best Disney World trip possible. We know — we sort of wrote the book on it. But what about rules you might need to know on your Disney World trip? What makes sense for one visit might not make sense for the next, and if you’re heading to the parks soon — we’re sharing five big rules you need to know.

Planning on visiting Disney World soon? We don’t blame you! There are new rides to experience, new restaurants to try, and even more is on the way. But, there are a few things you might want to keep in mind.

Magic Kingdom

The TRON Lightcycle / Run Virtual Queue fills up in seconds.

Chances are you’ll want to ride the newest attractions when you’re on your upcoming Disney World trip, and that means you need to learn about virtual queues. TRON Lightcycle / Run currently does not operate with a standby line — instead, there are two ways to ride. You can purchase an Individual Lightning Lane, or try to snag a spot in the virtual queue.

TRON

The thing is, though — the virtual queue for TRON fills up FAST. You’ll need to be prepared if you want to snag a spot in line.

Here’s everything you need to access the virtual queue through the My Disney Experience App:

  1. A registered account on the My Disney Experience app
  2. A Park Pass reservation (which can be reserved once you have a valid park admission) for Magic Kingdom is required for the 7AM drop.
  3. For the 1PM drop, guests are required to be INSIDE Magic Kingdom.

TRON Lightcycle / Run

You’ll want to wake up EARLY on the day you want to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run. The ride will have two Boarding Group distribution times each day: 7AM and 1PM. But you’ll want to try for that 7AM slot first. So to be on the safe, side, be awake and ready to go BEFORE 7AM. 

TRON Lightcycle / Run

If you’re on Disney property, you may be tempted to leave your phone connected to Disney Wi-Fi. But here’s the thing: Disney Wi-Fi is notoriously spotty and it could cost you a spot in the virtual queue. So turn off Wi-Fi on your phone BEFORE the boarding group distribution time.

Right on the hour, select “Join Virtual Queue.” The next screen will ask you to confirm everyone who will be joining the virtual queue. Everyone on your friends and family list should be selected — confirm that and click on “Join Virtual Queue” again. Keep in mind that you can confirm your party ahead of time!

TRON Lightcycle / Run

Be sure you have enabled push notifications on your phone so the My Disney Experience app can send you a notification when your boarding group is called. After all that work, you don’t want to miss out on it, do you?

Check Out Our Step-By-Step Guide for Snagging a Virtual Queue for TRON Here

You still need a Park Pass Reservation (most of the time).

By now, you may have heard that park passes are a thing of the past in Disney World — but that’s not quite the case in most instances just yet. Disney did share that Park Pass Reservations would no longer be needed for date-based tickets beginning on January 9th, 2024. But, if you’re heading to Disney World before that, you’ll probably still need to get park passes.

Tree of Life

The exception to this rule is Annual Passholders. In April 2023, Disney began allowing APs into the parks without park pass reservations — with a few caveats. Reservations are still needed if you’re heading to the parks before 2PM, and on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom. 

Walt Disney World Annual Passholders are also eligible for Bonus Reservations and — starting in 2024 — “Good to Go” days which will not require a Park Pass reservation, and do not count against your Park Pass reservation allotment. Disney World Cast Members will also be eligible for Good to Go days.

Cinderella Castle

But, if you’re not an Annual Passholder, you’ll still need to make reservations to visit Disney World before January 9th, 2024. 

Learn More About the Park Pass Change Coming in 2024

You need to be prepared for bad weather.

We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: the weather in Central Florida can be wildly unpredictable. It’s sunny skies one minute and a torrential downpour the next. This can impact your trip in multiple ways, but the biggest one may be that some of those iconic rides shut down completely.

Weather can come out of nowhere

It’s not unlikely that you could be waiting in line for quite a while and a ride malfunctions, causing it to temporarily close. And, if you’ve purchased Genie+ or have a Lightning Lane for that ride, it can feel both disappointing and like a waste of money. Luckily, Disney is all about keeping you happy, so they have a plan in place for this.

Stormy weather in Disney World

If you purchase Genie+ and have used it to book a time to ride an attraction and that attraction goes down, you’ll get what’s called a multi-experience redemption that’s good for other rides (although some may be excluded, unless it was the ride you’d already booked for).

So, for example, let’s say you’ve booked Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom through Genie+ and you’re just about to hop into the Lightning Lane when a Cast Member informs you that the ride is currently closed. You’ll get a multi-experience pass that you can use later at Jungle Cruise or other rides in Magic Kingdom.

Rainy Day in Hollywood Studios

However, if you’re already in a ride’s Lightning Lane and have scanned in, you’ll need to go to Guest Relations to get the multi-experience pass. As always, if you have any questions, it’s always a good idea to talk with Guest Relations, who can answer any and all your questions.

Rainy day in Magic Kingdom

If you happen to find yourself with an Individual Lighting Lane ride that closes, you’ll get an “experience redemption,” which is basically a boarding pass that lets you ride that attraction at any time of the day after it reopens.

Say the ride goes down and you’re not able to ride it during the time you were told to return. You’ll get that experience redemption and can just go back later to the ride once it opens again. But what happens if the ride doesn’t reopen at any point during that day? Then you qualify for a refund — you’ll just need to head to Guest Relations and ask for it.

What Happens When the Ride You Paid for Is CLOSED in Disney World?

Expect the Skyliner to shut down occasionally.

Remember those storms we mentioned that can shut down your favorite rides? Shockingly, they can also impact Disney World transportation — especially the Skyliner. This gondola system is not exactly foul-weather friendly, and that can seriously impact your day if you’re not prepared for it.

Look for a sign to let you know the Skyliner is closed!

We’ve seen it happen quite a few times, but especially during those summer months. Usually, Disney is prepared and has signs out that will direct you to alternate forms of transportation. If any type of Disney transportation is shut down at any given time, Disney will provide another means of travel for you.

Disney Skyliner

But, that also means you might not get to where you had planned to go on time, which is why we always recommend planning a few (or several) extra minutes of travel time to make sure you don’t miss any potential dining or other reservations. And, you can check out our ultimate guide to Disney transportation right here.

What To Do If the Skyliner Is CLOSED in Disney World

Mind the Disney World dress code.

Listen, we get it. It’s summer and it’s hot. Disney World can be brutal, and several areas of the parks offer little respite from the heat and sun. But, Disney World is a family-friendly place, after all — which means the way folks dress should also be family-friendly. You might know that guests aren’t allowed to dress up as characters (except at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!), but there are a few other rules to follow too.

It’s sunny out there!

The Disney World website says, “Proper attire, including shoes and shirts, must be worn at all times. The parks are a casual, family-oriented environment. Ensuring that the parks are family-friendly is an important part of the Disney experience. In that spirit, we ask you to use your discretion and common sense.”

Crowds

In addition to costumes, the following are also considered “Inappropriate Attire” by Disney:

  • Clothing with objectionable material, including obscene language or graphics
  • Excessively torn clothing
  • Clothing which, by nature, exposes excessive portions of the skin that may be viewed as inappropriate for a family environment
  • Clothing that touches or drags on the ground
  • Clothing with multiple layers is subject to search upon entry
  • Objectionable tattoos

Hollywood Studios Crowds

While it may not seem magical, Disney does reserve the right to ask guests to leave or deny admission if they deem clothing inappropriate. In the age of crop tops and bike shorts, use your best judgment before heading into the parks. By keeping these rules in mind, you might just be able to have the best Disney World trip possible.

Breaking These 2 Rules Could Get You Kicked Out of Disney World

Hold up for a sec! Before you plan your next trip to Disney World, check out our DFB Guide Everything Bundle here. You will get ALL of our best-selling eBooks with details on Disney World Dining, EPCOT Festivals, the BEST snacks in each park, and soooooo many tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of visiting our happy place. 

Grab the DFB Guide!

Stay tuned to DFB for all the planning info, news, and tips you need before you head to Disney World and beyond!


Are you heading to Disney World soon? Tell us in the comments.

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