Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA makes an incredible Australian family holiday destination.

Many Aussies make the pilgrimage to WDW every year – but what is it that attracts so many people from around the globe to this most “Magical Place On Earth?” Let’s take a deep dive into Walt Disney World for Australian families!

Walt Disney World tickets promocode

Firstly, we have a Walt Disney World tickets promocode for purchases – a huge up to 10% off! To buy tickets click on the following link (essential for the code to work) and enter the promocode at checkout:

Book tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando for the first time on Klook using our LETSGOMUMKLOOK promocode

This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!

How many theme parks are there at Walt Disney World?

Made up of four major theme parks plus two water parks, Walt Disney World (also known as WDW for short) offers Disney magic galore.

Each WDW park is very different from the other. They all offer amazing rides and experiences that shouldn’t be missed if you plan on enjoying the big attractions that Walt Disney World has to offer.

We decided to hit the four major parks on our first visit and leave the two water parks and golf sport activities for a later visit.

We’ll concentrate on the big 4 Walt Disney World theme parks in this guide.

What are the four Walt Disney World theme parks?

We spent one day at each of the four big Walt Disney World parks in Orlando.

You can read a more in-depth review of each theme park by clicking on their linked names below, but here is a basic summary of each park and their biggest attractions:

Magic Kingdom – the most popular of the four theme parks, this is the classic Disneyland experience in Florida. Here you’ll find the Cinderella Castle, parades, fireworks and traditional rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railway, unique rides like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the exciting newest Walt Disney World ride (2023) the Tron Lightcycle Run.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – some really fun rides, attractions and movie-themed shows can be found here. Home of the incredible Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge area, Toy Story Land plus the awesome new-ish (2020) Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride and a fun movie stunt show.

EPCOT – a massive park, EPCOT is home to several internationally themed areas and experiences – all mixed with some great rides like Ratatouille, Test Track, Frozen Ever After and the breathtaking new (2022) Guardians Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – the largest Disney park in the world! If Disney had a zoo, this would be it with a fun (real!) animal safari truck tour, bird flight shows plus several thrill rides too including Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. This is also the home of the amazing Pandora area with the outstanding (2017) Avatar Flight of Passage and the Na’vi River Journey rides.

Disney Hotels

In addition to the theme parks at Walt Disney World Orlando there are several great Disney hotels which are experiences in themselves to stay in. We stayed in the super-fun budget Disney’s Pop Century hotel.

Disney Springs

Don’t miss the massive Disney shopping precinct mecca, Disney Springs – another area within the Walt Disney World and well-worth a visit with its massive Disney store (the biggest in the world!) and awesome Rainforest and Dinosaur Cafes.

Do I still need to make park reservations for Walt Disney World?

Yes and no.

You do still need to make park reservations if you buy standard One Park tickets until January 2024.

You don’t need to make park reservations if you buy Klook’s new 4-Park Magic Ticket!

How do I buy Walt Disney World tickets online?

Purchase your Walt Disney World tickets on Klook. Klook is a registered Walt Disney World ticket reseller who offer discounted WDW tickets.

Quick, easy and cheap, Klook is the best way to buy Walt Disney World tickets online, and you can do it all from your armchair at home or work!

Is there a Walt Disney World promo code for 2026?

Yes! Australian and New Zealand purchases get up to 10% off Walt Disney World tickets if you’re new to Klook by using our promocode: LETSGOMUMKLOOK at checkout! 

Book tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando

How do I buy Walt Disney World tickets using Klook?

There are 5 basic steps to buying Walt Disney World Resort tickets in 2023.

1 – If park reservations are required (dependent upon your ticket type), check your desired Walt Disney World dates are available on the official website here (if you are booking more than 120 days ahead – you can do this step later, after your ticket purchase when your dates show on the Disney website)

2 – Purchase your Walt Disney World tickets online on the Klook website

3 – Create a Disney account on the official Disney website

4 – Link your tickets to the Disney website. You can watch our Klook Disneyland Tickets YouTube video here for step-by-step instructions. The process is the same.

5 – Reserve your desired dates on the Disney website if required (dependent upon your ticket type). You can watch the step-by-step instructions on our Klook Disneyland Tickets YouTube video here . It’s the same process.

6 – Download the Walt Disney World app and sign in with your Disney website account login – you will find your tickets in the menu item “Tickets and Passes”

Which Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida tickets should I choose?

When you go to Klook to purchase your Walt Disney World tickets you’ll be met with a few different selections.

Before you choose anything, read any terms, condition and notes thoroughly to be sure to understand how they work.

What kind of Klook Walt Disney World tickets are available?

There are several different types of Walt Disney World Resort tickets available to choose from on Klook.

In addition there are add-ons for the Disney Water Parks, Sports such as Mini Golf and also special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Disney After Hours at EPCOT.

Here I will cover the basic main tickets…

The new Walt Disney World Resort 4 Park Magic Ticket

The 4-Park Magic Ticket is a great choice if you have four days available to visit the parks. The four park Magic Ticket gives you access to one park per day for all four parks. Best of all, no further park reservation steps are required!

You have seven days to use your Magic Ticket from the day you visit your first park, and some block out dates do apply.

The Walt Disney World Single Park Ticket

If you only have one day to visit, or decide you want to add an extra day on to your visit, this is your ticket!

The Single Park Ticket is good for one day at a specific Walt Disney World Resort park of your choosing. It does have some restrictions. You can only buy these tickets singly, plus you can’t change parks during the day like you can with a Park Hopper ticket – you only get access to the one park for that one day.

The Walt Disney World 1-Park-Per-Day Ticket

If you would like to visit more than one day for the cheapest price, the 1-Park-Per-Day Ticket is the ticket for you.

Perfect for days at Walt Disney World Resort when you want to stay within one park each day without crossing over to another park, the One Park Per Day Ticket from Klook is a good choice. You can’t change parks during the day like you can with the Park Hopper ticket. You get access only to the one park each day.

You can choose how many days you’d like to visit with the 1-Park-Per-Day Ticket – from 2 up to 10 days.

Note that with this ticket, there is a minimum order of 2 days.

The Walt Disney World Park Hopper Ticket

Can’t decide which of the four major WDW theme parks park to visit on any particular day? Do more than one with a Park Hopper ticket!

Purchase the Walt Disney World Resort Park Hopper ticket for theme park flexibility.

With a Park Hopper Ticket, you can visit any of the four parks on the same day after a certain time.

This means you have the freedom to visit your favourite rides by changing theme parks later the same day, no matter where they are at Walt Disney World!

Although Park Hopper tickets cost you a little more, they’re a great way to optimise your time and preferences at Walt Disney World.

All that said, it is wise to note that Park Hopping usually isn’t accessible until early afternoon, and not all the parks are located close together. If you decide to change parks during the day you may need to take into account possible transit time between them. There is an efficient free gondola and/or bus service between parks.

You can choose how many days you’d like to visit with a Park Hopper Ticket – from 1 up to 10 days.

Disney Genie Plus Fast Passes

To skip the ride queues, Walt Disney World’s fast pass Genie+ is available for an additional cost to your valid park admission ticket.

Genie plus can be purchased on the My Disney Experience App while you are at Walt Disney World.

How much does Genie+ cost?

Genie plus cost around USD$30 per person per park when we were there in February 2023.

Genie Plus allows you to access what’s called Lightning Lanes in Walt Disney Resort parks for a large range of rides.

Lightning Lanes are a fast way to avoid the queue and get to the head of the ride line. This can potentially save you hours of wait time.

In addition to Genie+ there is also a paid one ride Lightning Lane access option available for a few select, popular rides on the WDW App.

We did not purchase Genie+ whilst we were at WDW, which did impact the number of rides we were able to experience.

We were gifted a Lightning Lane pass when one of our other Disney rides broke down and found that it worked very well in getting us to the head of the queue quickly.

How does Genie+ work?

Genie+ works using a QR code system. On the My Disney Experience App you access the Genie+ list and select a ride and time slot. You then go to that ride within the hour time limit allotted to you and scan in at a special entrance with your Genie+ QR code.

There are some Genie+ booking rules to keep the system fair, such as you need to book Genie+ time slots two hours apart, or alternatively after your last Genie+ booking has been scanned into – whichever comes first.

Walt Disney World ride strategy using Lightning Lane

You can only use Genie+ for certain rides, plus you can only use it once per ride.

Ride slots can fill up during the day so it’s best to book your first ride as the most popular ride you want to go on (with the longest wait time) as soon as possible after entering the park.

Proceed as soon as possible to each Lighting Lane booking as they become available- you’ll receive a notification and barcode on your app.

Keep using Genie+ throughout the day until no more ride time slots are available, booking a new ride either immediately after scanning in to each Lightning Lane or two hours since your last Genie+ Lightning Lane booking.

Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind special ride reservations

Rides like Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind are so new and popular that you only have limited options to ride them.

You can either buy an individual Lightning Lane access ticket, or you try to reserve a free “boarding group” spot first thing in the morning at 7am or 1pm in the afternoon.

We managed to get on both rides using the free reservation system, but even being ready to book right away we ended up in a later boarding group in the middle of the day.

It’s important to have your finger on that booking button the second the clock ticks over the morning of your park visit like we did, or during the afternoon booking period – or you may miss out!

Even when you are booked into a boarding group time slot, you do still need to wait in the ride queue for around an hour to actually board the ride (unless you used the paid Lightning Lane option).

The paid spots also fill up fairly quickly (they were full by lunchtime the day we were there), but both rides are simply amazing, hence their popularity.

Make the extra booking effort, because it would be a shame to miss out on either of these two exhilarating thrill rides!

Download the Walt Disney World App

To have your digital tickets on hand, and in preparation for your visit to Walt Disney World, download the Walt Disney World App My Disney Experience before you go at the App Store and Google Play.

You can use the App to navigate around the theme parks, book restaurants, check for event times, reserve Lightning Lane spots and buy paid Lightning Lane access.
You can also check ride wait times and much more.

How do I link my tickets to the Disneyland App?

To link your Klook Disneyland tickets to the Disneyland App, you’ll need to create a Disney account and then copy your Klook ticket numbers onto your account.

You can watch our Klook Disneyland Tickets YouTube video here for step-by-step instructions – it’s the same process.

How do I make a Disneyland park reservation?

To make a Disney Resort park reservation, first you’ll need to link your Klook Walt Disney World tickets to the My Disney Experience App, then you can choose the dates you’d like to visit Walt Disney World.

You can watch the step-by-step instructions on our Klook Disneyland Tickets YouTube video here . It’s the same process.

Do I need to make Disneyland reservations for all parks with a Park Hopper Ticket?

No, you only need to have a park reservation for the first park you want to visit.

Buy your discounted Walt Disney World tickets here and use our discount code LETSGOMUMKLOOK at checkout!

Buy your Walt Disney World tickets online here

You may also like to read these other Walt Disney World blogs:

3 Walt Disney World theme park hacks for your Australian family holiday
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Magic Kingdom

If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider giving it a Facebook “Like”, share or we’d love to hear about your own Disney experiences in the comments below!

Disclaimers: Let’s Go Mum may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you with bookings made with Klook.
The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Klook for this Walt Disney World visit.  As always, all opinions are our own.
All prices and times quoted were correct at September 2023, the time of publishing this article, but can change frequently. Please always re-check for current prices.

Share one of our images to Pinterest…

The post How to buy Walt Disney World tickets from Australia appeared first on Let's go Mum.

We recently explored all four of the major Walt Disney World theme parks in Florida for the very first time.

Our first theme park was the stunning Magic Kingdom , then Disney’s Hollywood Studios and later Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In this article we’ll be focusing on our third park choice of the trip – the massive EPCOT theme park.

Where can I buy discounted Walt Disney World tickets online?

Firstly, if you’re planning your own Aussie family holiday trip to Walt Disney World, we have a tickets discount promocode for you!

Australia and New Zealand new Klook purchases booking tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando can use our LETSGOMUMKLOOK promocode at checkout and save up to 10% off (you must click on the following link for the promocode to work!):

Go to Klook to buy discounted Walt Disney World tickets online

This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!

What is EPCOT?

Disney’s EPCOT is a massive, globally themed Disney ride and attractions park in Orlando, Florida.

EPCOT was the second park to be opened at Walt Disney World in 1982. It’s a massive theme park, covering area of 305 acres. With a huge lake in its centre surrounded by different world country areas, EPCOT feels like a fabulous international world travel expo or fair – but with really amazing Disney rides and shows added!

Get your free Wise travel money card!

Take advantage of our free Wise travel money card offer to save the AUD$10 card fee here.

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We set out to do all the rides at EPCOT on our one day visit and found that whilst it was possible to squeeze them all in, it left precious little time to really enjoy all the international exhibits and shows on offer. Still, we gave it a really solid try! Here’s how our day at EPCOT went…

What are the best rides in EPCOT?

Everyone has their favourite Disney rides but as this was our first visit to EPCOT, we could hit them all for the first time in one day! Our four top EPCOT rides were:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

We go into more detail about this ride later but trust us – if you are okay with flashing lights, spinning and whirling through the galaxy at top speed whilst upbeat music plays, then you’re going to LOVE this ride. Hugely popular, you need to PLAN AHEAD to ride it (more info below).

2. Test Track

Now updated in 2025, design a car on a computer and then go for a speedy real-world ride in it – what’s not to love? Test Track is so fun! It definitely lived up to the hype. I also like to think that we did prove the point that even if your car design is terrible (we accidentally bumped the screen and nearly cut the car design in half!) you can still win everything except for efficiency! Awesome fun that goes super fast at 104kms (that’s 64 miles) per hour.

3. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

A top family-friendly ride, we really only just edged this ride out of second place. I usually find 3D rides less immersive because it means a high-screen content, but although Ratatouille has screens, they are massive and the props are all huge too – the ride is designed to made to make you actually feel like you are rat-sized, and it does a fantastic job of it.

4. Spaceship Earth

Have you ever wondered if there is anything inside the big EPCOT golf ball? Okay, so EPCOT don’t actually call it a golf ball, it’s the iconic “Geosphere” that you see when you first enter the main gates. It also just so happens to have a very cool ride inside of it! Spaceship Earth is a family friendly, slow paced ride that features a fascinating trip through time. You haven’t been to EPCOT if you haven’t been inside the ball!

Which is the newest ride at Disney’s EPCOT?

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. EPCOT is home to Walt Disney World’s second newest ride and EPCOT’s newest ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which opened in May 2022.

A reverse launch roller coaster that rotates 360 degrees, one of the most amazing things about the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride is that it is a dark ride – an inside ride that is one of the biggest fully enclosed roller coasters in the world!

How do I ride Guardians of the Galaxy at EPCOT?

A ride on the Marvel-themed Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind no longer requires a free virtual queue reservation so you can queue for it now, or pay for Lightning Lane (a fast pass).

Make the effort to take a ride on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind a priority if you love fast-paced thrill rides. With its exciting music background and cool special effects as you are spun through the universe, this is one of our favourite Disney rides of all time!

EPCOT Genie+ & Lightning Lane pass

What are Genie+ and Lightning Lane passes?

These extra-cost digital fast passes use a separate ride entry with a shorter path to by-pass the normal stand-by lines. This will fast-track you to the head of the standby ride queue. Download the My Disney Experience app for free in the Apple Store or on Google Play to buy fast passes.

How early can I buy Disney EPCOT fast passes?

Genie+ passes – All guests can buy Genie+ on the Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app from 7am on the morning of your visit. You don’t have to be at the actual parks to buy it.

Lightning Lane pay to ride (only currently available for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind) – If you are a Disney hotel guest then you get early access from 7am on the morning of your visit to buy Lightning Lane on the Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app.  Other guests must wait until the park opens to buy them. Be quick! These will also sell out during the morning.

How much is EPCOT’s Genie+?

EPCOT’s Genie+ was USD$25 per person the day we visited – a Thursday on the 1st of June 2023.

How much is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lane?

It costs about USD$20 per person to buy Lightning Lane access for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is currently the only pay-to-ride ride at EPCOT.

Can you do all the rides at EPCOT in one day?

Yes you can, because we did! Here are all the rides at EPCOT in the order that we did them.

Full Disney EPCOT ride list

8:21am – Arrive at EPCOT via the International Gate

Ride 1 – (Enter Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure queue at:8:30am)

8:51am-8:56am – Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Ride 2 – (Enter Journey Into Imagination With Figment queue 10:51am)

11:00am-11:10am – Journey Into Imagination With Figment

Ride 3 – (Enter Soarin’ queue 11:52am)

12:14am-12:19 Soarin’

Ride 4 – (Enter Living With the Land queue 12:23pm)

12:40pm-12:58pm – Living With the Land

Ride 5 – (Enter The Seas With Nemo and Friends queue 2:11pm)

2:16pm-2:20 The Seas With Nemo and Friends

Ride 6 – (Enter Spaceship Earth queue 4:16pm)

4:18pm-4:37pm – Spaceship Earth

Ride 7 – (Enter Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind queue 4:51pm)

5:40pm-5:44pm – Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Ride 8 – (Enter Mission: SPACE queue 5:50pm)

5:57pm-6:08 – Mission: SPACE

Ride 9 – (Enter Test Track queue 6:14pm)

6:54pm-7:12pm – Test Track

Ride 10 – (Enter Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros queue 7:25pm)

7:27pm-7:35pm – Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros

Ride 11 – (Enter Frozen Ever After queue 7:52pm)

8:15pm-8:20pm – Frozen Ever After

9pm – watch the Fireworks

Leave EPCOT at 9:30pm

What ride should I do first at Disney’s EPCOT?

During early entry, it’s best to get a popular ride or two done first, as they will be even busier later on.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is one of the most popular rides at EPCOT. As it was close to the Skyliner gondola park International Gateway entrance, we decided that this should be our first ride.

Although, very popular rides with standby lines like Test Track which is closer to the EPCOT main entrance or Frozen are also great first ride choices. We prioritised Ratatouille as more of a geographical popular ride choice for us – it would have taken us another ten or fifteen minutes to navigate the crowds to get to Test Track or Frozen Ever After, and by then the queue would be even longer.

Does EPCOT have fireworks?

Yes, EPCOT has it’s own fireworks show. We finished our last ride in time to watch the whole EPCOT Forever fireworks show just before closing time. The fireworks show is held over the central lake in the center of EPCOT, so it’s relatively easy to get a good spot if you sit down 30 minutes before.

How do I buy Walt Disney World tickets online?

Purchase your Walt Disney World tickets on Klook. Klook is a registered Walt Disney World ticket reseller who offer discounted tickets.

Quick, easy and cheap, Klook is the best way to buy Walt Disney World tickets online, and you can do it all from your armchair at home or work!

Is there a Walt Disney World promo code?

Yes – get 10% off Walt Disney World tickets if you’re new to Klook by using our promocode: LETSGOMUMKLOOK at checkout!

Book tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando

We felt like we really just scratched the surface of Disney’s EPCOT – it’s a huge, fun Orlando theme park with a lot to see and do. Luckily, not exploring absolutely everything we wanted to gives us a great excuse to return to this wonderful theme park again in the future!

EPCOT is an essential part of any Walt Disney World Florida visit. Don’t miss it!

If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider giving it a Facebook “Like”, share or we’d love to hear about your own Disney experiences in the comments below!

You may also like to read these other Walt Disney World blogs:

How buy Walt Disney World tickets from Australia
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Magic Kingdom
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Disney’s Animal Kingdom
3 Walt Disney World theme park hacks for your Australian family holiday

Disclaimers: Let’s Go Mum may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you with bookings made with Klook
The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Disney & Klook for this Walt Disney World trip.  As always, all opinions are our own.
All prices and times quoted were correct at September 2023, the time of publishing this article, but can change frequently. Please always re-check for current prices.

Share one of our images to Pinterest…

The post Every EPCOT ride in one day on our first Walt Disney World visit! appeared first on Let's go Mum.

We recently explored all four of the major Walt Disney World theme parks in Florida for the very first time.

Our first theme park was the stunning Magic Kingdom , then Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. In this article we’ll be turning our attention to our fourth Walt Disney World park choice of our USA trip – the totally wild Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park!

Where can I buy discounted Walt Disney World tickets online?

Firstly, if you’re planning your own Aussie family holiday trip to Walt Disney World, we have a tickets discount promocode for you!

New Klook account purchases booking tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando can use our LETSGOMUMKLOOK promocode at checkout and save 10% off (you must click on the following link for the promocode to work!):

Get your free Wise travel money card!

Take advantage of our free Wise travel money card offer to save the AUD$10 card fee here.

Get your free Wise Card

Go to Klook to buy discounted Walt Disney World tickets online

This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!

What is Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a zoological Disney theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It features animal-themed displays, rides and attractions. Part amusement park, part zoo, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a special focus on Asia and Africa, plus the movie themed Pandora – the World of Avatar and DinoLand USA.

Whilst there isn’t as many rides as you will find in the other Walt Disney World parks, the quality animal attractions more than make up for it. Plus several of the rides they have are pretty amazing! Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a really unique and fun Disney park to include in your Walt Disney World vacation plans!

Which is the biggest Disney Park in the world?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the biggest Disney park in the world. Indeed, Disney’s Animal Kingdom also takes the title of the largest theme park in the world too! Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park covers a massive 580 acres. It was the fourth park to be opened at Walt Disney World in 1998, and is the most recent of the four big Walt Disney World theme parks.

What are the best rides in Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

Everyone has their favourite Disney rides but as this was our first visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom so we tried them all for the very first time! Our pick for the four top Disney’s Animal Kingdom rides were:

1. Avatar Flight of Passage

Avatar Flight of Passage has to be one of my personal top Disney ride favourites of all time – climb aboard your very own breathing Banshee and soar across the land of Pandora.

This flight ride is as realistic as it gets, and is stunningly beautiful to boot! With the breeze in your face and the seemingly endless Pandora landscape stretching out in front of you, it’s hard not to want to just continue on and explore more with your diving, dodging Banshee.

Avoid the long queues in the middle of the day as this is the most popular ride at Animal Kingdom. You can buy a Lightning Lane pass if you’re short on time, but whatever you do, don’t miss the Avatar Flight of Passage ride.

2. Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is a steep, fast roller coaster that kind of got me by surprise. It had broken down and we almost missed it, but luckily decided to circle back just as it came back online (I may or may not have noticed them sending a test carriage run through!). We got to board straight away, letting the first ride go so that we could sit in the front row – it didn’t disappoint!

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is a really fun, strongly themed thrill ride. Your runaway train is high up on a mountain dodging a massive Yeti – will you escape?! With a few fun surprises along the way including a big drop to scream down, this top Disney roller coaster experience is easy to fall in love with. That said, it’s certainly not for the little ones – or the faint hearted!

3. Dinosaur (now closed – being replaced)

If you love the Disney Indiana Jones Adventure ride then you’ll love Dinosaur – because it’s a similar ride with a different theme! The Dinosaur ride originally opened with the park in 1998. I was sorry to hear rumours that it is to be replaced soon because it really is an epic ride with a fun story plot, if a little more dated than your average ride. **Sadly, Dinosaur has now closed and will be replaced with Indianna Jones which is basically the same track with a different theme.

The Dinosaur ride theme is an engaging one – you’re a paleontologist trying to save a dinosaur before the big meteor hits – hang on tight to your jeep because it’s going to be a bumpy, sometimes scary, dark ride!

4. Na’vi River Journey

A completely different pace to all of the other rides, Na’vi River Journey is a gentle drift down a river that feels like a scene straight out of Avatar – the peaceful scenes, that is! Surrounded by floating neon spores and bioluminescent rainforest, it’s a lovely experience. Unfortunately on the day we rode it the main attraction, the animatronic Shaman of Songs near the end, was broken down. It was replaced with the Plan B video screen version – but you can’t win them all! This is a lovely family-friendly ride that everyone will enjoy.

Special Mention…

An extra mention here goes to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Not exactly a ride so much as a safari tour, I love the way Disney has themed this real animal tour to feel like an adventure expedition into Africa.

You’ll get to see lots of different wild animals as your large truck conveys you along a dirt track. It’s an exciting, if a little bumpy tour of the African Savannah that’s really enjoyable.

I’m not still not quite sure how they got the two rhinos to have a face off in front of our truck though! We recommend Kilimanjaro Safaris as a must-do at Animal Kingdom.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Genie+ & Lightning Lane pass

What are Genie+ and Lightning Lane passes?

These extra-cost digital fast passes use a separate ride entry with a shorter path to by-pass the normal stand-by lines. This will fast-track you to the head of the standby ride queue. Download the My Disney Experience app for free in the Apple Store or on Google Play to buy fast passes.

How early can I buy Disney’s Animal Kingdom fast passes?

Genie+ passes – All guests can buy Genie+ on the Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app from 7am on the morning of your visit. You don’t have to be at the actual parks to buy it.

Lightning Lane pay to ride (only currently available for Avatar Flight of Passage) – If you are a Disney hotel guest then you get early access from 7am on the morning of your visit to buy individual Lightning Lane Entrance on the Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app.  Other guests must wait until the park opens to buy them.

How much is Animal Kingdom’s Genie+?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Genie+ was USD$25 per person the day we visited – a Friday on the 2nd of June 2023.

How much is Avatar Flight of Passage Lightning Lane?

It costs about USD$20 per person to buy Lightning Lane access for Avatar Flight of Passage which is currently the only pay-to-ride ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Is there a fireworks show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

No, there is not a fireworks show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom so as not to frighten the animals. There was a Tree of Life Awakenings projection show however that seems to have closed around February of 2023. There is currently no night show listed on the Disney Website for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, however you can view the beautifully lit, colourful Pandora area, and the Tree of Life is also lit at night.

How do I buy Walt Disney World tickets online?

Purchase your Walt Disney World tickets on Klook. Klook is a registered Walt Disney World ticket reseller who offer discounted tickets.

Quick, easy and cheap, Klook is the best way to buy Walt Disney World tickets online, and you can do it all from your armchair at home or work!

Is there a Walt Disney World promo code?

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We really enjoyed visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There was so much to do we actually ran out of time doing all the fun activities there! Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a fantastic Disney theme park that is totally unique and well-worth a visit.

If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider giving it a Facebook “Like”, share or we’d love to hear about your own Disney experiences in the comments below!

You may also like to read these other Walt Disney World blogs:

How buy Walt Disney World tickets from Australia
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Magic Kingdom
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – EPCOT
3 Walt Disney World theme park hacks for your Australian family holiday

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The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Disney & Klook for this Walt Disney World trip.  As always, all opinions are our own.
All prices and times quoted were correct at September 2023, the time of publishing this article, but can change frequently. Please always re-check for current prices.

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We recently explored all four of the major Walt Disney World theme parks in Florida for the very first time.

Our first theme park was the stunning  Magic Kingdom , and later we also visited EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

In this article we’ll focus on our second park choice of the trip – the amazing Hollywood Studios theme park. We did each Walt Disney World Park without purchasing Genie+ and still got everything great done – here’s how!

Where can I buy discounted Walt Disney World tickets online?

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Australia and New Zealand new Klook purchases booking tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando can use our LETSGOMUMKLOOK promocode at checkout and save 10% (you must click on the following link for the promocode to work!):

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What is Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

Disney Hollywood Studios was the third park to be opened at Walt Disney World and covers an area of 135 acres – that’s 102 football fields! Best of all, it’s packed full of amazing Disney rides and shows.

Opened in 1989, Hollywood Studios is one of the more recent USA Disney Park openings. It’s here you’ll find the movie-themed Disney and Pixar rides and shows. It’s a bit like the Disney California Adventure Park of Florida!

What are the best rides at Hollywood Studios?

Everyone has their favourite Disney rides but as this was our first visit to Hollywood Studios, so we had a clean slate to choose from. Our stand-out top four Hollywood Studios rides were:

1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Also found At Disneyland in California, this ride is an absolute marvel of story-telling-meets-technology with its trackless operation, exciting battle scenes and life-like animatronics.

2. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

This unique Twilight Zone version of the classic Tower of Terror rides has a different forward-travelling start before the characteristic plunging up and down in darkness – it’s a really fun version that we loved.

3. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

This comically chaotic family ride is full of Disney-charm. Another trackless technology triumph now also at Disneyland, this first-ever Mickey dark ride also features Minnie, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto, and is a fun ride for all ages.

4. Slinky Dog Dash

This rollicking roller coaster ride is another family favourite with the endearing Slinky Dog of Toy Story taking you for a fun joyride. Definitely a don’t-miss for the kids.

Hollywood Studios Genie+ & Lightning Lane pass

What are Genie+ and Lightning Lane passes?

These extra-cost digital fast passes use a separate ride entry with a shorter path to by-pass the normal stand-by lines. This will fast-track you to the head of the ride queue. Download the My Disney Experience app for free in the Apple Store or on Google Play to buy fast passes.

How early can I buy Hollywood Studios fast passes?

Genie+ passes – All guests can buy Genie+ on the Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app from 7am on the morning of your visit. You don’t have to be at the actual parks to buy it.

Lightning Lane pay to ride (only currently available for Rise of the Resistance) – If you are a Disney hotel guest then you get early access from 7am on the morning of your visit to buy Lightning Lane on the Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app.  Other guests must wait until the park opens to buy them.

How much is Disney’s Hollywood Studios Genie+?

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Genie+ was USD$25 per person the day we visited – a Wednesday on the 31st of May.

How much is Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane?

It costs about USD$20 per person to buy Lightning Lane access for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which is currently the only pay-to-ride ride at Hollywood Studios.

Should I buy Genie+ at Walt Disney World?

Yes, I would recommend that you do. This will potentially get you three or four ride queue short cuts and save you hours of wait time. Not buying Genie+ means you are short on time if you want to get a lot done, and you still usually end up missing out on one or two lesser rides which could have also been fun.

We were determined to get the top rides and experiences done, and we ticked off every single one we wanted to. That said, although it’s still really fun, it can be exhausting, as you are on the run all day. With two teenagers this was fine, but if you have younger kids this wouldn’t be as easy.

My recommendation – if you can afford to add on Genie+ at each Walt Disney World Park then do it and enjoy your precious holiday time more at Disney.

Disney Hollywood Studios ride strategy – without Lightning Lane

Can you do all the main Disney rides without Genie+?

Yes, you can ride all the main Walt Disney World top rides done without purchasing Genie+ or Lightning Lane passes.

We decided not to buy the Genie+ or Lightning Lane add-ons at all four of Walt Disney World theme parks. So we needed to hit the parks hard and use some Disney ride strategy to be able to fit in all the top rides in one day!

Should you arrive at WDW early for Disney hotel entry early?

As we were staying at Pop Century Disney Hotel we received early entry to each of the four Walt Dis

ney World parks.

Even though Disney Park early entry is a great advantage, there are a lot of people that also get it. So it’s best to arrive at the park gates around 30 minutes early. That way you will be ready to line up for your first ride for the day as soon as possible.

What ride should I do first at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

During early entry, it’s best to get a popular ride or two done first, as they will be even busier later on. Slinky Dog Dash is one of the most popular rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As it had the longest ride queue, we decided that this should be our first ride. Although Rise of the Resistance is also a great first ride choice we had already ridden it several times in Disneyland California. So we prioritised Slinky Dog Dash as a new ride experience for us.

How do you do all the rides at Hollywood Studios without using the Lightning Lane?

Here are our main Walt Disney World do-all-ride strategy tips (for families without young children):

• Start your day at Walt Disney World as early as possible – preferably with early entry.
• Do the most popular rides early – in the first hour preferably (see how our day went in the following itinerary to work out which would be your top Disney rides).
• Prepare for a day of long ride queue waits – download some fun ride queue game apps like Disney Play and Heads-Up and have water and snacks.
• Get quick snacks on the go from food stands and eat meals at off-peak times at Disney restaurants.
• Ride right up until and beyond park close time.

Can you ride Disney rides after the park closes?

Yes you can. It’s possible to extend your Disney day out to be even longer by riding after hours.

Walt Disney World parks don’t usually close the ride queues until right on park close time, so you can enter your last ride queue right before close time. Often, ride queues have also shortened by that time as well, because families with small children leave the park right after the fireworks. So even after the park has closed you can stay in the queue and ride your ride as normal when it’s your turn. The ride doesn’t stop until the queue is empty.

How late are the Hollywood Studios Disney shops open?

Something else to take into account is that if you do want to do some Disney merchandise or gift shopping, you’ll need to do it earlier if you join a ride queue at closing time. By the time you have completed your last Disney ride the gift shops, snack vendors and even your hotel dinner restaurant may be closed! It can all be a big balancing act. Don’t go back to your hotel hungry!

Our Disney Hollywood Studios one-day itinerary

7:45am – Arrive at Disney Hollywood Studios

8:02am – Join queue for Slinky Dog Dash ride, Toy Story World

8:40am – 8:42am – Slinky Dog Dash ride

8:45am – 9:09am – Breakfast at Woody’s Lunch Box opposite Slinky Dog Dash

9:10am – Leave Toy Story Land

9:21am – Arrive and explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

9:38am – Join queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride, Galaxy’s Edge

10:10am – 10:30am – Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride

11:02am – Stop for a character meet and greet with Goofy at Toy Story Land

11:15am – Stop for a character meet and greet with Donald and Daisy Duck at Animation Courtyard

11:47am – 12:27 – Indianna Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular live stunt show

12:30pm – 1:35pm ABC Commissary restaurant for lunch

2:36pm – Join queue Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride

3:02pm -3:18pm – Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride

4:42pm – Stop for a character meet and greet with Buzz Lightyear at Toy Story Land

4:51pm – Join queue Alien Swirling Saucers ride, Toy Story Land

5:32pm – 5:35pm – Alien Swirling Saucers ride

5:50pm – Join queue Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Hollywood Boulevard

6:42pm – 6:50pm – Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

7:20pm – Join queue Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

7:52pm – 8:05pm – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

8:06 – 8:27pm – Shopping at Galaxy’s Edge

9pm – 9:30pm Fantasmic show at Hollywood Hills Amphitheater

9:30pm – 9:50pm Disney store shopping

9:50pm – Leave Disney’s Hollywood Studios

What rides are missing from this itinerary?

• Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster (closed for th