If you’re looking for Disney tips and tricks, you’ve come to the right place!

Whether you’re looking for specific theme park hacks or just general Disney advice, we’ve got you covered. If you’ve ever wondered about Disney World ride hacks — and how they’ll affect your wallet — we’ve got the answers to that as well!

When it comes to Disney World or any vacation, time is money. And, on the surface, it’s safe to say you will spend a lot of time waiting in Disney World, whether that be for rides, transportation, restaurants — you name it. But do you have to wait? Not necessarily. Let us explain…

VIP Tours

The Disney Parks offer several different kinds of tours, such as the Walt Disney World Private VIP Tour! These tours offer guests the opportunity to skip to the front of the line on most park attractions in addition to being accompanied by a personal Guest Services Cast Member on a customizable trip around the parks full of fun facts and insider knowledge. These tours even allow up to a party of 10.

The perks of a Private VIP Tour include:

• Pre-arrival planning including a start time chosen by the guest
• The ability to visit more than one theme park (in one day or more)
• Front-of-the-line attraction access
• Information shared by your personal VIP Tour Guide
• Private transportation

Does the prospect of skipping all the ride lines make you ready to sign up for a tour? Hold your horses! You should only use this ride hack if you’re really, truly desperate. Let us explain.

A Disney World trip is already likely to set you back thousands upon thousands of dollars depending on the length of your stay and itinerary. But a tour is a whole other beast. Private VIP Tours are expensive. Like, crazy expensive.

Tours are booked at a 7-hour minimum and range from $450 to $900 per hour depending on the date. That means the cheapest you’ll ever pay is a whopping $3,150. That doesn’t even include park admission, which is also required and not included in the price of the tour.

So when do Private VIP Tours make sense? A couple of scenarios come to mind.

The first is obviously if you have the budget. If you’ve come to Disney World with the intention to spend and spend big, then these tours are likely to be enriching and a fun expenditure. After all, a private tour guide, the VIP treatment, and front-of-the-line access to attractions that can have multiple-hour waits do sound like a fantastic time.

Another time signing up for a VIP tour makes sense is if you’re really pressed for time, more so than the average guest. If you’re already spending money on a Disney World vacation but time is making it impossible to really enjoy the parks, a VIP tour will undoubtedly save you hours and could make your trip worthwhile. Booking is available for dates 60 days out, but you can still get pricing information for future months outside the booking window.

Another good excuse to spend on a Private VIP Tour is if you are part of a large party and can divide the cost effectively to minimize expenses. Dividing a few thousand dollars among 10 participants doesn’t sound as scary as the alternative!

You can learn more about Walt Disney World Private VIP Tours HERE

If the price still scares you off (and we definitely don’t blame you if that’s the case), there are cheaper alternative hacks that will save you time when it comes to riding rides!

Genie+ / Lightning Lanes

If you’re put off by the VIP tours’ prices but are still willing to drop some cash if that means you can skip the ride waits, look no further than Genie+ or Lightning Lanes!

An Individual Lightning Lane is a paid FastPass that lets you skip the general queue. This pay-per-ride service’s price fluctuates based on demand for each ride and covers each rider individually, not the party as a whole.

Genie+ may be a cheaper alternative, ultimately. While it usually doesn’t cover each park’s most popular attraction, this service includes most Lightning Lanes for a price of about $15 to $40 per person, per day depending on surge pricing. You’re still at the whim of hangups like booking windows, demand cutting off Lightning Lanes, and the inability to use a Lightning Lane more than once, but it is still very wallet-friendly and time-saving.

To learn more about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, CLICK HERE

Don’t want to spend any extra money? Follow this next piece of advice!

Rope Drop

Rope dropping is the process of showing up to the park early and being one of the first people inside when it does open.

A lot of Disney Adults swear rope drop is the best and cheapest way to guarantee you’ll get to ride your favorite rides. Generally, you can beat the afternoon crowds and if, you’re lucky, be the first in line at a major E-ticket attraction.

However, rope dropping isn’t much of a secret anymore, and now the issue of everyone running to the same ride (such as Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom) is prevalent. There’s still a chance you’ll be waiting a long time, the only difference is you’ll be waiting early in the morning.

Still, there’s no harm in rope dropping as it won’t cost you anything extra, just like our next tip…

Single rider lines

What’s the next best thing to Lightning Lanes? Single rider lines, of course!

If you’re traveling solo, you’re the only person in your party who wants to ride an attraction, or you don’t mind splitting the party up if it means saving time, single-rider lines may be the best option for you! These lines are used to fill empty seats so you will ride with a stranger, but it’s free and could save you from a long wait.

The downside is that these lines aren’t always guaranteed to be faster. You’re at the mercy of numbers — how many parties have even and odd numbers, the number of seats per ride vehicle, how many vehicles get loaded per minute, etc. If you’re looking for something more concrete, we recommend the next tip…

Visit during the cheapest times of the year

Disney World may not have true offseasons (The Most Magical Place on Earth is pretty popular — who woulda thunk?), but that doesn’t mean all days at Disney World are equal.

Some parts of the year are cheaper when it comes to visiting Disney World and can indicate lower crowd levels. Times like back-to-school season, when park hours are cut short due to special events, and some weekdays, are ones to circle. They might not only make regular park visits cheaper but can minimize wait times as well.

You can see the best times to visit Disney World in 2024 by CLICKING HERE!

Planning a Disney World trip can be stressful, regardless of budget or time. That’s why we’re here to help! Follow us here at DFB for more Disney World Parks tips as well as all the latest Disney World news, reviews, and more!

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What are some of your favorite Disney World ride hacks? Let us know in the comments!

The post Only Use This Extreme Disney World Ride Hack if You’re Really, Truly Desperate first appeared on the disney food blog.