The theme parks at Walt Disney World are open year round. The parks usually open daily at 9:00 am and close anywhere from 6:00 p.m. to midnight depending on what part of the season it is. Animal Kingdom usually opens at 7 or 8 am every day. Disney changes its hours of operation throughout the year, but there are many places to find the hours of operation including calling Disney World and certain web pages.

The busiest periods at Disney World are from mid-February to August and from Christmas Day to New Years Day. The slowest months are January, September, October and November. The busiest day of the week seems to be Tuesday with Friday and Sunday being the least crowded.

Hurricane season is roughly from August to October. This is probably why these months are less crowded. Though it may rain every day during this season, the showers are often short and sometimes very light. Having a plastic rain parka can make this a very minor inconvenience.

The theme parks are generally less crowded after 4:00 p.m., especially Magic Kingdom and MGM Studios. Epcot seems to be the opposite, it is least crowed early in the morning.

Attraction boards are located in all of the theme parks. It is a large board that lists all the attractions in the park and approximate waiting times for that attraction. This can be helpful in choosing what to see based on the length of the line. There is also a Disney staff member stationed at each board to give you directions to attractions.

Find out when parades are taking place at the park you are visiting. If you have already seen the parade or are not interested in seeing it, this is a good time to see one of the more popular attractions, as lines are generally shorter.

Discounts

The Magic Kingdom Club is a Disney sponsored program, which may save you money. There are two ways to get a MKC card. The first is to purchase one which costs $65 for 2 years ($20 additional fee if you are outside of the US). The second way is to get it free through your company, union, credit union or other large organization. Whether you pay for the card or get it free, the benefits are about the same. You do get a few extra gifts if you buy the membership. The card provides you with discounts throughout the Disney resort. Whether the card is worth the money or not depends on what you plan on doing on your trip. Although the lodging discount alone could save you the cost of the card, beware many lodging discounts are not to be used in conjunction with other discounts. At the least though, if you buy the card you get a free tote bag, vacation planning video and 2-year subscription to "Disney Magazine".

The Sunshine Getaway or the Fall Fantasy packages are two package options that can save you some money. They both include free breakfast daily and a coupon book. This may not seem like a big deal but just the free breakfast daily can save you a lot of money if you take advantage of it everyday. Both require at least a three night stay at a Disney Hotel and include unlimited park access but The Sunshine Getaway has only limited availability from Jan. 1st to Feb. 12th and the Fall Fantasy has only limited availability from Aug. 23rd to Nov. 18th. If you plan on traveling during those times anyway look into one of these packages.

Disney Flex Feature plans are a way to save a little money and customize your vacation. If you purchase a vacation plan that includes any flex features, you may use the flex features to purchase from a number of options which include among other things tours, meals, merchandise and golf outings.

Attraction Tips

The "Richard Petty Driving Experience" is not actually a Disney attraction but it is held at, among other places, the Walt Disney World Speedway. This is not a ride, but an actual Nascar driving experience. You attend a class and then get to ride in or drive an actual Nascar racecar depending on the class you enrolled in. The "Richard Petty Driving Experience" can be somewhat pricey but remember this is an actual racecar with 600 hp, and everyone who's ever done it, without exception, seems to love it.

The Disney Institute is another alternative to the traditional Disney Vacation activities. They offer classes in various categories that are designed to be as fun as they are educational. Emphasis is on participation and hands-on activities. Most classes last only a few hours so you can try one or two in only a day. For a change of pace check out this option, Disney has a good section about it on their Official Home Page.

"Illuminations" is a laser and fireworks show that is done nightly at Epcot. It is always held around closing time and takes place every night at the World Showcase Lagoon. It has become quite a popular attraction and should be seen at least once.

The Disney SpectroMagic Parade is a definite must see parade. It is held in the Magic Kingdom usually later at night. Unfortunately it is only held during peak times so it is recommended that you check if and when it will be held during your stay.

There are several behind-the-scenes tours available at Disney World. They usually cost extra and in some cases involve a lot of walking but if you have the time and the money they are great. You get a chance to see the hidden technology behind Disney World that no one ever sees. http://carhire4lower.com/usa/usa_airports_orlando_airport.htm