Tips

Great view of the Magic Kingdom Fireworks: Make a reservation at Cinderella's Castle for as close a time to the fireworks as you can. Ask for a table near the windows. When the show starts, the lights are dimmed and music is piped in. No fighting for a spot, air-conditioned comfort, and great food! It's also very romantic.

California Grill (top of the Contemporary Resort) - When the fireworks start, everyone runs to the windows, so don't worry if you don't get a window seat. You'll still see the show.

O'hana's, Polynesian Resort - Fireworks can be seen from the window seats. Also from the lounge and the beach.

View the fireworks from behind the castle on the pathway between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

From the Plaza Pavilion Restaurant.

On the hub facing the castle (provides a quick getaway too).

View Spots for Illuminations at Epcot: Make an advanced reservation arrangement for the Rose & Crown Pub at least an hour before Illuminations, and ask for outdoor seating.

A great viewing spot is in Italy, on the piece that jutties out into the water.

From a Pontoon boat.

General Tips:

Wear shoes that are already broken in. You will do more walking and standing than you expect.
If you are staying in a Disney Resort, read any material they leave in your room. During one of my stays, there was a piece of paper saying that due to expected crowds that Saturday, they were opening Disney-MGM Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom at 7:30 a.m. to Disney Resort Guests. If I hadn't read it, I never would have known.
Also if staying in a Disney Resort, open all the drawers. There are several free things for you to use, such as postcards and stationery.
Bring lots of one dollar bills with you. Everyone who touches your luggage expects a tip (about $1 per bag).
Buy Guest of Honor Badges for the kids in one of the parks. They have names on them and look similar to the badges worn by Cast Members (CM's). The CM's notice them and will often call your children by their names.
When our family was at Disney in March, our 6 year old got to ride every ride in all the parks 2 times when we did the parent switch-off plan. He thought it was the coolest thing ever that his 4 year old brother didn't want to ride anything and therefore he got to ride everything twice. Another thing that we did that enabled our son to ride even more, was to get fast passes for all four of us even though we knew our 4 year old wouldn't ride. I would take our 6 year old, (with 2 of the passes) on the ride while my husband waited at a nearby beverage stand with the 4 year old. We would get off the ride and there was still enough time on the fast passes for my husband and our 6 year old to ride again with the other 2 passes. Between the parent switch-off and the fast passes, our 6 year old got more than his moneys worth. - Deno (6/00).
See the Trip Planning page for lots of tips on getting ready for your trip.
FastPass - you can receive a second FastPass after a two-hour period - even if the time of your previous FastPass window hasn't opened up yet.
FastPass - You can receive another FastPass at the start of your FastPass window.
Buy park tickets in advance (The Disney Store, your hotel, travel agent, AAA) so you don't have to stand in line when you get there (and waste your precious vacation time).
Go on rides during the parades.
Make advanced dining reservations prior to leaving home. You have a better chance of getting hard-to-get restaurants).
Book the Hoop-Dee-Doo Dinner Show. It's a hoot! I was able to get seats for this show 3 weeks before my August trip - and there were still more seats open at the show.
Test Track - ride the singles line if you don't mind not sitting with your group. You'll save A LOT of time.
When staying in a Disney resort, have the resort operator place local phone calls for you, including calls to other Disney resorts. This will save you about .75 per call on your room charge.
Start a "trip-planning" notebook. Put section dividers in it. Print Disney restaurant menu's, information about resorts, attractions, tickets prices and options, etc.
Ask for a late check out at your resort. It usually does not cost extra (it does not cost extra at a Disney Resort) and you may get to keep your room up to 2 hours longer.
If you rent a stroller or wheelchair at the Disney parks, save your receipt. If you go to another Disney park that same day, just present your receipt to get another one at no additional charge.
Don't assume that a reservationist knows more than you do. I called to make a reservation for one of the resort restaurants 120 days ahead. The operator told me that I had to call back when it was 60 days ahead. I almost hung up, but then asked if she was sure because I'd read that online. She said she'd try to put the reservation in the computer and see if it would go through, which it did. I caught the last table for that seating! submitted by reader Andrea
Try to do the outdoor attractions in the morning, & save the indoor attractions & shows until the afternoon when it's hotter. This saves the kids complaining about not doing rides they want and how hot it is!
Planning a trip to Disney World with others? Have a WDW party! Select a theme, such as Epcot, and have everyone bring a dish representing one of the countries in Epcot. Is it near Halloween? Have everyone dress as their favorite Disney character. That will give everyone going on your trip an opportunity to talk about the things they would like to do and see during the trip, and it will give you an opportunity to plan which priority seating arrangements you need to make.
Buy the kids the tubes of mini m and m's. Save the tubes - the pennies and quarters will fit into these tubes so you always have change for the penny press machines. The change can also be saved in the containers for your film.
Save your old Disney World guide books. Cut the characters and pictures out of the book and use them for decorating your scrapbook pages from your trip to Disney World.