By When you’re new to Disney vacations, it can seem like websites and other research resources speak in a foreign language.
Much like parents of Gen Alpha wondering what “six seeeeven” or “rizzler” might mean, you’re probably equally puzzled when you hear Walt Disney World fans discussing “hidden Mickeys”, “pin trading,” or “rope drop.”
You’ll find a list of common Disney World vacation-related definitions below to help you sound like a seasoned pro, even if it’s your first visit ever!
Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR): Look, you may not know what you’re having for dinner today, but if you want to snag reservations for the best Table Service restaurants at Walt Disney World, you’re going to need an Advanced Dining Reservation. Guests with a valid Disney Resort Hotel reservation can book 60 days in advance of arrival for their entire stay. All other guests can make reservations 60 days before the date of the restaurant visit.
Annual Pass (AP): Annual Passholders have access to all four parks for a full year, along with other benefits such as standard parking, shopping and dining discounts, and other perks. Passholders must make a Park Pass Reservation to enter the parks unless they are visiting on Good to Go Days.
Arrival Day: Best Day Ever! This is the day that you arrive at Walt Disney World Resort!
Attraction: A ride or a show.
Audio-Animatronic (AA): These are mechanized puppets/figures that were created by Walt Disney Imagineering and trademarked by The Walt Disney Company for use in the parks. They will often sync up with an audio soundtrack or dialogue. You’ll see AAs on a variety of attractions, including Jack Sparrow and other buccaneers at Pirates of the Caribbean, the dwarfs at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Elsa and Anna on Frozen Ever After, and the Shaman of Songs on Na’vi River Journey.
Backstage: Backstage refers to behind-the-scenes areas of the park that are not usually accessible to regular guests. These areas are where Cast Members work to manage logistics and daily activities in the parks.
Blizzard Beach: One of Disney World’s two themed water parks. It is designed as a “melting” ski resort, with a 90-foot mountain known as Mount Gushmore taking center stage. The flagship attraction is Summit Plummet, a 120-foot-tall water slide that sends guests down the mountain at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.
Boarding Group: You will typically see Disney World use Boarding Groups for brand new attractions until they are ready to include them in the Standby Line system. Boarding Groups serve as a virtual queue, allowing you to reserve your block of time to experience an attraction at either the beginning of the day or at midday, helping to mitigate crowds and overwhelmingly long lines. At the time of publication, no attraction currently uses them. So, Disney may have phased out this particular form of virtual queuing.
Cast Member: Disney calls its employees at theme parks and stores Cast Members. These are the people who will sprinkle Pixie Dust throughout your day. Make sure to be kind to them!
Cavalcade: These mini-parades consist of just a few floats. Disney loved them during the pandemic for their safety and efficiency, but the parks have moved away from this strategy more recently.
Character: If you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World, you almost assuredly know this term, but just in case, a character is one of the fictional beings from Disney movies, shows, or even theme park rides themselves. Examples are Mickey Mouse, Stitch, Figment, and Dug.
Character Dining: When you reserve a meal where Disney characters walk around to tables and greet guests, you’re participating in Character Dining! All of these meals require Advanced Dining Reservations as they are VERY popular. You will have an absolute blast, though!
Counter Service: Also known as Quick Service. These restaurants offer food served quickly and with no reservations required. You’ll either create a Mobile Order or walk up to the counter and choose your meal. The benefit is that you can maximize park time by spending less time sitting down and waiting to order.
Dark Ride: These indoor ride experiences will guide you on special vehicles through scenes with animation, lighted scenes, animatronics, special effects, sound effects, music, or all of those combined. Examples include Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Deluxe Resort: These premier Disney resorts offer the most luxurious accommodations on the property, with larger rooms, spectacular theming, and enhanced amenities.
Departure Day: The saddest day of your trip. It’s the day you go home.
Disability Access Service (DAS): This service supports guests who are unable to wait in the Standby queue for long periods. The primary individuals covered by DAS have developmental disabilities such as autism. DAS will allow these guests and their families to return at a specified time for their desired attraction.
Disney After Hours: These paid, ticketed events give guests exclusive access to a park after the regular operating hours have ended.
Disneybound: This fashion trend, originating with Leslie Kay, sees Disney fans creating themed outfits based on their favorite characters, attractions, or even themed lands. Rather than wearing a full costume (prohibited except during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party), these style icons find a more subtle way to represent their chosen theme.
Disney Bubble: This term refers to that glorious feeling of happiness and comfort you feel the moment your Disney vacation begins. When you’re in the Disney Bubble, you can escape the “real world” for a few days and experience the magic that surrounds you at the parks and resorts. It truly is like stepping into another world!
Disney Cruise Line (DCL): Yes, this book is about Walt Disney World, but we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the awesomeness of Disney Cruise Line, especially when combining a cruise with a Disney World vacation can create the PERFECT vacation. Imagine the Disney Bubble but on a ship! You’ll meet characters, experience amazing meals, and enjoy countless amenities and activities!
Disney Dining Plan (DDP): The Disney Dining Plan is a pre-paid meal plan allowing you to budget for meals at Walt Disney World before your vacation. Guests three and over receive 1 Quick Service Meal, 1 Table Service Meal, and 1 Snack or nonalcoholic beverage for each night of their stay. A refillable mug is also included.
Disney Genie: This free service available on My Disney Experience allows you to visualize your daily park plans and plan your itinerary. For what it’s worth, this is NOT our favorite piece of technology ever created by the Walt Disney Company, as it often makes perplexing recommendations.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom (AK): This park opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1988, and is dedicated to animal conservation and the environment. Animals live in this park side-by-side with thrill rides and attractions, creating a unique experience that is beloved by children and parents alike. The primary areas to be found in the park include Pandora – The World of Avatar, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, and Asia. DinoLand U.S.A. will soon be demolished in favor of a new themed area called the Tropical Americas.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: This park debuted in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. Since that time, it has gone through a number of makeovers and updates to become more dedicated to Disney intellectual property as opposed to the classic Hollywood attractions of old. This park features Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, and other areas. Some parts of Hollywood Studios remain themed to the golden age of Hollywood, but most attractions are themed to modern Disney. The one classic ride that remains is The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Disney Springs: Located on the Walt Disney World campus, Disney Springs is an outdoor entertainment, dining, and shopping complex. This area features such shops as World of Disney, The LEGO Store, Once Upon a Toy, and many more. You’ll find both fine and casual dining, along with a movie theater, bowling, and a helium balloon adventure. When you have free time, Disney Springs is one of the best places to visit on the Disney campus.
Disney Springs Resort Area: This term refers to the seven different resorts located near Disney Springs that non-Disney, third-party companies own. These hotels offer many of the same benefits as official Walt Disney World Resorts, including Early Theme Park Entry. They’re merely lacking in logistics.
Disney’s Wide World of Sports: This state-of-the-art facility hosts athletic events for athletes of all ages and abilities, including cheerleading competitions, baseball, and track and field. It was used as a professional sports bubble for the NBA playoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disney Transportation System: This extensive system helps to transport guests between hotels, parks, and Disney Springs. Free options include buses, the Monorail, the Skyliner, and ferry boats. There’s also a paid option, Minnie Vans, which you can access via the Lyft app.
Disney Vacation Club (DVC): This is Disney’s vastly improved version of a timeshare program. Instead of purchasing a set week where you are able to stay at DVC resorts, you purchase points, which allow you to choose your week, location, and time depending upon your need and the number of points you own. Technically, you can buy Fixed Weeks as well, but the practice is extremely rare. DVC members understand that their points are more flexible.
Drinking Around the World: This phrase refers to the practice of visiting EPCOT’s World Showcase, particularly during festivals, and imbibing in an alcoholic beverage at each location. The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is particularly noteworthy for seeing this behavior.
ECV: Electrical Conveyance Vehicles (ECVs) are power-operated scooters that provide mobility for those with trouble walking, similar to those you might see at the grocery store. ECVs are available for rental at all Disney World theme parks as well as from independent vendors.
Enchanting Extras: These paid experiences in and around Disney theme parks and resorts include building droids, fishing excursions, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, golf and mini-golf, behind-the-scenes tours, and MANY more.
EPCOT: This park’s name is an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a grand, innovative community originally envisioned by Walt Disney himself. Today, EPCOT is a theme park dedicated to human achievement in technology and international culture. Its themed areas include World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature, and World Showcase.
E-ticket: This term describes the most popular rides and attractions, particularly those that are thrilling or cutting edge. It’s a legacy term that was used at Disneyland when guests purchased tickets to ride attractions. The E-ticket was always the most desirable tier of attraction.
Face Character: These characters at Disney World will not have a costume covering their face. They will speak to guests, meaning you can have a conversation with Snow White or the Evil Queen! We see their real faces. On the other hand, the dwarfs will not speak to guests but will make hand motions instead, as the character face is part of their costume.
Festival of the Arts: This EPCOT festival takes place in January and February. It celebrates fine arts alongside culinary and musical delights. Visitors to the festival can enjoy the DISNEY ON BROADWAY Concert series, participate in creating a collaborative mural, and step into famous works of art for photo opportunities.
Festival of the Holidays: This EPCOT festival takes place in late November and runs through December. The festival celebrates holidays around the world. Special activities include the Cookie Stroll, a scavenger hunt, and storytellers who share lore from countries around the World Showcase. You can even meet Santa!
Flower & Garden Festival: Typically running from early March through late May, this festival is all about the blooms. You’ll see gorgeous flowers, character-shaped topiaries, and colorful butterflies. As with other festivals, booths with delectable treats abound, while the Garden Rocks Concert Series features famous musicians like A Flock of Seagulls, Taylor Dayne, and 38 Special.
Food & Wine Festival: This festival usually runs from late August through mid-November. As the name would indicate, it’s a time to eat, drink and be merry! Kiosks around EPCOT offer a wide array of culinary and oenophilic delights. The concert series during this festival season is Eat to the Beat, including performances from bands and artists such as Ben Rector, The Fray, and Bowling for Soup.
Friend of xxxx: If you hear someone saying they are a “Friend of Mickey,” they’re indicating they actually play Mickey Mouse as a costumed character!
Fur Character: Fur characters will be completely covered with their costume, all the way up to and including their entire head. Examples include Mickey Mouse, Stitch, and Marie from the Aristocats. These characters will not speak to you, but they will certainly communicate, as they become pros at communicating through hand gestures and dancing.
Guest: Guests are visitors to Walt Disney World! That could be you!
Guest Relations: If you need help, Guest Relations is probably the place to seek it out. They can share maps, help reunite separated guests, or help with dining reservations, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. They’re especially helpful for international guests seeking guide maps in other languages or assistance with currency exchanges. Guest Relations is also your go-to in the event you experience a problem. The Cast Members here are dedicated to ensuring your trip is absolutely magical.
Hard-Ticket Event: These events require guests to have special tickets to enter. Almost all of these are paid events, such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Jollywood Nights.
Hidden Mickey: Imagineers hide subtle imprints of Mickey Mouse all around the parks. These are typically composed of three connected circles that resemble Mickey’s head and ears. Many fans are dedicated to locating all of the Hidden Mickeys across Walt Disney World, with sites, books, and discussions focused on the topic.
Hub and Spoke: This phrase refers to the design of Magic Kingdom, which is shaped like a wheel with spokes extending from the center. Cinderella Castle sits at the middle of the wheel, and the different lands extend from the various spokes.
Imagineer: These are the creative geniuses who bring you all of the amazing attractions, architecture, shows, and designs across Walt Disney World. Imagineers handle the design and construction of the theme parks and all of the elements within.
International Drive or I-Drive: This 11+ mile tourist strip runs through Orlando and features a lot of the attractions outside of Walt Disney World that vacationers enjoy. It also happens to be a VERY busy road, so when people talk about nightmare traffic in Orlando, they’ve probably experienced I-Drive.
International Gateway: Located between the France and United Kingdom pavilions at EPCOT, the International Gateway is a second entrance to EPCOT. It’s especially convenient for those staying at either Beach Club or BoardWalk resorts, and it’s also close to the Skyliner.
Key to the World Card: Although most guests use either MagicBand+ or their phone at this point, you can ask for a Key to the World Card to give you access to all the same things those items do. Key to the World Cards can open the door to your hotel room, prove admission at the parks, check in for Lightning Lanes, and more. These cards can be obtained at your hotel’s front desk or from Guest Relations inside the parks.
Lake Buena Vista: Although it’s technically a city, Lake Buena Vista is mostly known as being a mailing address for Walt Disney World.
Lightning Lane: Buckle up, because this one is complicated. First of all, Lightning Lane is the lane that allows you to enter the “express” line at an attraction. You are skipping the standby line. There are other Lightning Lane terms that we’ll outline below, along with a complete guide in this book.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Disney World guests can purchase this pass for a park to reserve Lightning Lane entry for three rides ahead of their visit. Once you have entered the queue for your first Lightning Lane of the day, you can book more. You can also continue to use your Multi Pass if you Park Hop.
Lightning Lane Single Pass: Disney World guests can purchase these passes to reserve a time for their Lightning Lane entry to a single, high-demand ride at each park. Magic Kingdom offers this option for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle/Run. EPCOT sells it for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Animal Kingdom’s attraction is Avatar Flight of Passage. Finally, Hollywood Studios offers the option for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
MagicBand/Magic Band+: This wearable can be used to gain access to your hotel room, the theme parks, and your Lightning Lanes, as well as a tap-to-pay option. For those with Magic Band+, you can also interact with items around the parks and see them light up during rides and shows.
Magic Kingdom: THE most visited theme park in the world, Magic Kingdom features Cinderella Castle, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean. The park sits on Bay Lake and has become a cultural touchstone.
MagicMobile: This product is available on the My Disney Experience app. You can use it to enter the theme parks, link your PhotoPass images to your account, check in at Lightning Lane entrances, or charge food and merchandise to the payment card on file at your Disney hotel.
Magic Shot: This feature is part of the Disney PhotoPass service. The Cast Member who takes your picture may ask you to do a pose that seems strange in the moment, but when you see the result, a character or effect will have been magically added! We’ve had photos that include balloons, snow, Tinkerbell, and Figment!
Magical Express: Although this doesn’t exist any longer, you may hear people mention it. Once upon a time, visitors to Disney World resorts who flew into Orlando International Airport could board a bus that took them directly to their hotel. Even better, their luggage was magically taken to their resort room that same day as well! Likewise, this service took guests back to the airport on their departure day, leading many to call the return trip the “Tragical Express.”
MCO: This is the airport code for Orlando International Airport.
Meet & Greet: This one is pretty self-explanatory! You meet a costumed character. The face characters, such as Ariel, Merida, Aladdin, or Moana, will talk to you. Those with costumes featuring oversized heads will interact with you by making signals or dancing.
Memory Maker: This is Disney PhotoPass Service’s all-inclusive package that allows you to download the photos and videos taken of you and your family and friends during your Walt Disney World vacation.
MickeyBlog: Your definitive guide to all things Disney! Find us at MickeyBlog.com. David writes a couple of articles here every day.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party: This is a paid after-hours event held at Magic Kingdom on specific scheduled evenings. The party nights typically run from August through October 31st (with occasional years, seeing it extend a day into November). The event features special character greetings, the Boo to You parade, and a Halloween fireworks show.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party: Similar to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the Christmas party is a paid after-hours event held at Magic Kingdom on specific scheduled evenings. These parties run from early November through around December 21st. Santa appears in the parade, while the fireworks celebrate the holidays in spectacular fashion.
MickeyTravels: One of a handful of Diamond Earmarked Authorized Disney Vacation Planners! MickeyTravels agents help families, individuals, and couples plan the vacation of a lifetime. Every MickeyTravels agent is trained by the Disney College of Knowledge to help them be well-versed in EVERYTHING Disney. Oh, and did we mention they offer their expertise for free? What a deal!
Minnie Ears: (Also Mickey Ears.) These are the headbands with ears attached that you’ll see ALL over the parks. They come in hundreds of styles, colors, and themes.
Minnie Van: You’ll see these adorable red vans or SUVs with white polka dots driving around the parks. They’re basically a perfectly themed rideshare, accessible via the Lyft app and available for trips within the Disney resort itself. Some guests can also be picked up at the airport using Minnie Vans.
Mobile Ordering: When you dine at Quick Service restaurants, the best way to order is using Mobile Ordering. You will access Mobile Ordering using My Disney Experience and select your item and a pickup time. Best of all, you can easily customize orders as needed to accommodate allergies or sensitivities.
Moderate Resort: These resorts are priced higher than Value Resorts and offer more amenities. They generally have nicer theming than the Value Resorts, as well. Our favorite is Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter.
Monorail: This mode of transportation features a train on a single-rail track and was Disney’s second theme park monorail after the first one opened in Disneyland. The monorail transports guests around Bay Lake for the Magic Kingdom resorts along with the Transportation and Ticket Center. The Magic Kingdom area stops include Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Magic Kingdom itself. Guests can also go from the Transportation and Ticket Center to EPCOT and back.
Mousekeeping: It’s housekeeping at your hotel, but with that extra magic Mickey style! Just know that if you hear this, it’s referring to the Cast Members who keep your room tidy and in order.
My Disney Experience (MDE): This app for your mobile device will be your guide while you visit Disney World. It will feature information about your hotel room (and the ability to unlock the door to your room), park and meal reservations, Lightning Lanes, photos, Mobile Ordering, and more. We have an entire chapter on MDE, as you’ll want to familiarize yourself with it!
Off-Season: Off-season is the time when the parks are least crowded and thereby the least expensive. Usually, off-season will fall in January, February, mid-August, and especially September. There are other dates as well, which you can determine by the variable ticket pricing.
Off-Site: Simply stated, off-site refers to hotels, condos, or resorts that are not part of the Disney campus. You may find some deals by staying off-site, but the opportunity cost is excessive traffic, poor logistics, and a loss of some of the benefits offered to guests who stay within the Disney bubble.
On-Site: An antonym of the phrase above this one, staying on-site means that you have reserved a Disney hotel, which grants you benefits you don’t receive when you stay off campus. Along with Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours, you also have MUCH better logistics and transportation options.
Park Hopper: When you have this type of ticket, you can jump from park to park on a single day. Depending on the type of admission tickets you purchase, there may be some rules about when and how you can park hop.
Park Hopper Plus: With this type of ticket, you can jump from park to park in a single day and ALSO access water parks, mini-golf, and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course.
Park Pass Reservation: Annual Passholders and those with tickets that are not date-based may have to make a reservation to visit their theme park of choice on a given day. It’s an arcane rule that doesn’t come up as often these days. Most tickets sold do NOT need a park pass reservation. For Annual Passholders, Disney announces Good-to-Go days where you also do not need the reservation.
Peak Season: This phrase refers to those dates on the calendar when vacationers flood Walt Disney World. Most holidays are busy, along with Spring Break season and early summer. In December, the couple of weeks before and after Christmas are the busiest on the calendar.
PhotoPass: This photography service will capture all your memories from your Disney World vacation. Stop when you see any photographer and they’ll snap your picture. Some rides also will offer photos of you at an exciting point during the action. You can purchase individual photo downloads and prints, or you can buy them all with a Memory Maker package.
Pin Trading: Collectible pins can be found for purchase throughout the Walt Disney World campus. Not only can you trade them with your friends and family, but there are several stations and stands set up in the parks. If you ask the Cast Member at the stand to trade with you, they will, as long as your pin is an official one. Additionally, you’ll want to offer them one that they do not already have on their lanyard or display. Some Cast Members not at stands will trade, too!
Pixie Dust: If you’ve ever seen Peter Pan, you know the idea behind Pixie Dust. It’s basically a little sprinkle of magic powder that allows people to fly. At Walt Disney World, Pixie Dust refers to any little extra touch of magic provided by a Cast Member to a guest. Sometimes, this might mean a room upgrade. Other times, you might see someone run to replace an ice cream cone dropped on the ground. Disney is famous for these distinguishing acts of flair.
Plaid: If you hear someone referred to as “a Plaid,” that person is a VIP Tour Guide. The reason they have this nickname is because of the distinctive plaid attire they wear while on duty. These are among Disney’s most accomplished and knowledgeable employees.
Preshow: Some of the rides and attractions at Walt Disney World feature a preshow. This “show” before the ride adds story and context to what you’re about to experience. For example, Haunted Mansion has the Stretching Room, while Avatar Flight of Passage gives you information about the form you will take during the experience and the Banshee you will ride.
Queue: This is the French word for “line,” and that’s exactly what it means. If you are standing in a queue, you are waiting in line.
Resort Guest: Cast Members call visitors to the resort “guests.” It’s pretty simple!
Resort Hopping: This one has two meanings depending who you’re talking to and how they use the phrase. You’ll most commonly hear it when people take a day to travel from resort to resort at Walt Disney World, enjoying the architecture and amenities of the various hotels. Others may use it to refer to the practice of staying at one resort and then moving to another one, which is also known as a Split Stay. People will most often do this when they want to change to a resort closer to the parks they plan to visit at that stage of the vacation.
Rider Switch: Here’s a wonderful service for parents with children. When one or more members of your party don’t meet the height requirement or do not want to experience an attraction, one or more adults can wait with those children while the other party members ride. Then, the adult(s) who waited can enter the ride with a short wait, usually through the Lightning Lane line.
Rope Drop: This practice involves going to the park before it opens and then entering just as soon as Cast Members begin allowing guests inside. When you Rope Drop, you have an opportunity to experience a high-demand attraction early and potentially with a shorter wait time.
runDisney: These are the race providers for marathons and other running events at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. In these races, ranging in length from 5K to full marathons, participants often dress up like Disney characters. These races do typically go into the parks, allowing a unique experience. Additionally, there are special character meet and greets, making runDisney events extremely popular.
SFB: This is the IATA Airport Code for Orlando Sanford International Airport, located about 45 minutes from Walt Disney World. This airport is less frequently used than Orlando International Airport, but it offers some low-cost options.
Shades of Green: This resort offers low-cost Disney World accommodations for active and retired members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Reserve and National Guard members are also eligible, along with Department of Defense employees and US Public Health officers. For those who qualify, the Shades of Green website will have the most updated pricing.
Signature Dining: These fine-dining restaurants offer world-class experiences at Disney World. They feature incredible food and a refined atmosphere. These locations have a dress code, requiring resort casual at minimum. Some of the restaurants in the Signature Dining category are California Grill, Monsieur Paul, Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Victoria & Albert’s, which holds a MICHELIN Star!
Simulator: This is a type of theme park ride where the audience is shown a movie while their seats move along with the action occurring on the screen. Many are 3D.
Single Rider: If you’re willing to ride without sitting next to the rest of your group, you’ll save time by using Single Rider on select attractions. In situations where there is an empty seat in a row, Cast Members use Single Rider to fill those spots.
Skyliner: This gondola lift system is part of the Disney transportation system. It efficiently takes guests from EPCOT and Hollywood Studios to hotels including Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.
Spinner: This ride type is often seen at carnivals, but it’s also an easy crowd-pleaser at theme parks because it’s appropriate for all ages. Riders are rotated in a spinning motion, sometimes with additional tilting elements (or more ambitious and nausea-inducing rides may spin the CARS themselves). Examples include Dumbo the Flying Elephant and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
Split Stays: This term refers to the tactic of staying at multiple hotels during your vacation. For example, on the days you plan to visit Magic Kingdom, you might choose to stay at a monorail resort like the Contemporary, the Polynesian, or the Grand Floridian. Then, when you visit Animal Kingdom, you move to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy in a dedicated section in this book. Some people use the term synonymously with Resort Hopping, which we personally usually don’t do as we find it confusing. However, we’ll do so when explaining Resort Hopping in this guide along with a detailed explanation of the differences between the two terms.
Standby: When you get in the “Standby” line for an attraction, this means you are waiting however long it takes for your turn. Some attractions, like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, will have a wait time of an hour and a half or more, while others, like Star Tours: The Adventures Continue!, will only require 10 to 20 minutes.
Table Service: These restaurants are the ones where you’ll sit down and a server will take your order and assist you at your table (as opposed to Counter Service, where you order via Mobile Ordering or at the register and then pick up your meal). Meals at Table Service restaurants are fantastic for longer breaks from extra busy days.
Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC): This hub serves Disney guests who park in this area and then take either the Monorail or a boat to their next location. The Monorail will transport them to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT, while the boat will go to Magic Kingdom only. The TTC is also right next to the Polynesian, which would allow people to take buses from that location or easily visit it as well.
Typhoon Lagoon: One of Disney World’s two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon’s theme is that a typhoon destroyed a formerly perfect tropical paradise. It has one of the world’s largest outdoor wave pools along with numerous waterslide-type attractions.
Utilidors: These secret “underground” tunnels and corridors allow Disney World Cast Members to move between themed lands and attractions. Additionally, Cast Members can perform waste removal and maintenance here. Technically, Magic Kingdom itself is on the second level, while the Utilidors are on the main floor! Keeping all of these activities in the Utilidors area allows Disney to keep guests immersed in the illusion that they are in the Disney Bubble.
Value Resort: These Disney resorts feature the least expensive rooms out of the Disney World hotel portfolio. Resorts included in this tier are the All-Star resorts, Art of Animation, and Pop Century.
VIP Tour: This one is just like it sounds! When you purchase a VIP tour, you’ll have special access to the parks. Your guide will chauffeur you from park to park, taking you to special entrances and close to the front of the line for rides. We go into greater detail in a section dedicated to this special experience.
Virtual Queue: Although no rides currently employ Virtual Queues, they may return at some point with new rides debuting or even with special, limited-edition merchandise. When you enter the Virtual Queue, you are given a number and an approximate time to return for your experience. When Disney was using Virtual Queue for rides such as Rise of the Resistance, park visitors would receive a notification when their time to enter the line was approaching. Once it was officially time to enter, the guest would then scan their phone, Magic Band, or ticket to enter the attraction queue. Sometimes, virtual queues for new attractions would book in less than 20 seconds. So, we’re glad they’re gone and hope they never return.
Walt Disney World (WDW): If you’re reading this book, I sure hope you know what this is! If not, you need to go back and start at the beginning!
Weenie: Also spelled “wienie,” this term was used by Walt Disney to describe the architectural icon that attracts people toward a location. Even though the term has fallen out of favor among Cast Members and Imagineers, you may still hear it used. At Walt Disney World, the most famous weenies are Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, the Hollywood Tower Hotel, and the Tree of Life.