When going on a Disney vacation everyone’s list of things they want to do is long. It’s highly unlikely that you will be able to do all of the things you want to do which is why saving time while in the parks is so important. I’m here to help you be able to accomplish as many of those things as possible. Here are 5 pro tips to help you get the most out of those park days.

1. Mobile order – Disney allows guests to order from their counter service locations through the My Disney Experience app. Most of the Disney quick service dining locations will offer mobile order. Using this service guests can review the menu, choose a pickup time and order their food. You can schedule this at a time when you know there is a break in your day or even when you know you will already be in that area of the park. Once you’ve placed your order, you can tell the app when you are there for pickup and they will prepare you food. To save even a few more minutes, you can tell them you’re there while you’re still walking and the food will likely be ready when you arrive.

2. Genie plus – Disney’s Genie Plus system is something that you have to pay extra for and is a little confusing at first but it can save you a TON of time. For example, say you want tot ride Slinky Dog Dash where the regular line averages around a 70 min wait. If you book a Lightning Lane for this, your time to ride is scheduled and your wait in line will likely be less than 10 minutes. You can use that other HOUR of your day to enjoy more attractions, shop or have a snack. To see all the details of how much time you can save using genie plus check out this article on how much time Genie Plus saved my crew.

3. Don’t follow the crowds – Parades and fireworks are some of the most popular things to see at Disney World and people flock to them but if you think one of these things might not be critical for your travel crew to see, this can be the perfect time to hop in line for a popular attraction. For example, my crew really doesn’t like fireworks so instead of flocking to Main Street during the fireworks we will hop in line for something popular like Pirates or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. This is also a great time to hop into those popular shopping areas like the Emporium on Main Street. While everyone else is taking in those fireworks, you can more easily see all of the merchandise and not have to wait in a long checkout line.

4. Drink Joffrey’s not Starbucks – Now I love Starbucks as much as the next coffee crazed girl but hear me out on this one. Every coffee drinker out there knows what Starbucks is and will flock to those locations in the parks. there is only one Starbucks in each park and all parks except MK have multiple Joffrey’s locations. The lines at these locations are crazy long in the morning. Joffrey’s coffee is offered at stands throughout the parks and has consistently shorter lines than Starbucks. The selection at Joffrey’s is a little more limited but I would bet you can still find something delicious. My pick in the Shaken Jamaican cold brew. It’s delightful!

5. Don’t park hop – Ok, so I know this piece of advice is going to be a little controversial, but it really can save time. The park hopper ticket allows you to jump from one park to another within the same day. This can seem like it would allow you to do more in your time at Disney but you should give some thought to the travel time that this will add. Using Disney transportation to get from one park to another will usually take you about 45 minutes. When you arrive to the next park you have to go through security and scan into the next park. This will take another 10-15 minutes out of your day especially if you have to have your bag checked. All in all you’re probably looking at park hopping taking an hour and a half out of your day. Now, maybe if you have a limited amount of days at the parks and you want to be able to see multiple parks, this will be worth it for you but just know that park hopping is no quick process.

Bonus tip – Don’t be afraid to use virtual ques or the walk-up waitlist. Disney has offered virtual ques for many different things such as rides or popular merchandise. The virtual que is where you can place yourself in the line electronically and then do other things until it is your turn. Currently one of the places you can use a virtual que is for the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind roller coaster. We used this system on our last visit. For this one I placed us in the que at 7 a.m. when it opened and we were then given a group number. Our group was called around 3:30 in the afternoon. Can you imagine waiting in line all that time?! The other option to save time is using a walk-up waitlist for dining. Through the My Disney Experience app you can look to see if any sit-down restaurants are offering a walk-up wait list. If they are you can place your group on the waitlist and then go enjoy the parks until your table is ready. When your table is ready you can head toward the restaurant and get right in.

The phrase time is money is so true for Disney vacations! You’ve probably spent a lot of money on your vacation and will only be there a short time. I hope you can use these easy tips to get the most out of your magical trip!