The Cast Member’s Guide to Walt Disney World: An Insider's Look at The Ultimate Disney Vacation (Updated for 2014)

This guide was written by a Walt Disney World cast member and shares planning tips and hints for Disney guests who want the ultimate Disney vacation. This guide, and www.castmembersecrets.com is written, published and maintained by an operating participant at Walt Disney World who is simply passionate about Disney. The owner/author has no direct affiliation with Walt Disney World or The Disney Company. This guide does not expose or share any of the inner workings of business at Walt Disney World or The Disney Company. Most of the information in this guide is common knowledge amongst cast members, Florida residents and WDW fans who frequent the resort area multiple times per year.

UPDATED: My Magic+, FastPass+, Memory Maker, Story Maker and more NOW included in this new update!

This guide is intended to provide potential Walt Disney World Resort guests with vacation planning information, theme park, dining, ticketing and resort recommendations, and additional services and experiences available at Walt Disney World. Since there is so much information available to the public, and to Disney guests, we have compiled our suggestions for creating the experience of a lifetime, especially if it’s your first visit to Walt Disney World.

My name is John. I am a cast member. I work at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL. And I love what I do!
Every day, cast members get to perform magic, assist guests, and be a part of the best vacation experience of someone’s life. Unfortunately we also get to be a witness to vacations gone bad…sometimes very bad.
Most families and couples who have a great experience while visiting Walt Disney World do so because of secrets. The kind of secrets your will find on this website. They’ve visited over and over again and have learned the secrets that cast members know:
How to plan their Disney vacation
How to skip the long lines
How to Get the MOST out of their vacation
How to plan their day at the park
Where the best places to eat are

The secret to the Disney World vacation of a lifetime is planning. Not just planning your flights, or travel, tickets, hotel, etc. It’s planning your day. Planning your meals. Planning your experiences. Knowing what to do and how to do it. There’s also other secrets like how to communicate with cast members and receiving that little bit of extra magic. There are upgrades, and dining locations that without a good recommendation you could miss out on.
Think about this concept. Whenever you visit a new city, if you want to find the best places to eat, watch a sporting event, go out for drinks, shop, etc, you might ask the locals. You would ask the people who live there. The people who live and work in those cities have had the time to experience just about everything. So who at Walt Disney World has done just about everything?
Cast members.
Cast members know the best places to eat. they know how to avoid long lines. They know how to travel to and from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World Resort. They know know the area. They know the best ways to book your vacation. They know the how to have the most fun. They know where the best experiences are.
Cast members can tell you things like:
Where to dine
What are the best shows
How to avoid long lines
When the slow season is, how to avoid the big crowds
Which attractions are great for children and adults
How to save money in the parks
How to plan your entire day so not one moment is wasted
How to plan for the weather
Attractions that most guests miss out on
How to stay cool and dry in the hot summer months
The best viewing spots for fireworks
How to visit multiple theme parks in one day
What you should spend your time doing
How to find time to relax
Which resort is best for you
How to travel with children
How to navigate the Disney property
and much much more
NOTE: BOOK REVISED 07/02/14