Even the quickest internet search on Walt Disney World Holidays will bombard you with a wealth of information. However, one of the most confusing aspects can be the disney language. From terminology to acronyms, Disney holiday pros can sometimes seem to speak an entirely different language. While getting to grips with this Disney language isn’t always necessary, it can be useful to understand it, particularly if you are doing a lot of holiday research online.
On/Off Property
On Property Refers to anything located within Walt Disney World. Staying ‘On-Property’ refers to one of the many Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. Eating ‘on property’ means youve chosen a restaurant within the Theme Parks, or at a Resort. Off Property, therefore refers to anything outside Walt Disney World. Eating ‘off property’ means leaving Disney to choose a restaurant elsewhere, International Drive for example.
ADRs
ADRs is one of the most popular acronyms of the Disney Language. It stands for Advance Dining Reservations. These are the reservations you made for Table Service Restaurants within Disney World. ADRs can be made at any stage, even during your stay, but open 180 days in advance. If you are looking to book a particualr restaurant, or dining time, it is adviseable to book these as soon as you can, at the 180 day mark.
MDE
Another common acronym, MDE is the shortened My Disney Experience. This is the app, or website which allows you to keep track of your entire holiday. All your bookings and reservations will show here, along with attraction wait times, maps of the park, photopass picutres, dining plan allocations etc…If you have booked a Walt Disney World Holiday, I highly recommned downloading the app and creating an MDE account – it is one of the most valubale tools you can have for your holiday!
FP+
Fastpass+ refers to the new Disney World Fastpass booking service. FP+ allows you to book up to 3 Fastpasses in advance, per day. This can be done 60 days in advance if you are a Walt Disney World Resort guest, or 30 days in advance for off-property guests. While there are certain conditions for booking fastpasses (they all must be at the same park, for example), they are an amazing way to cut the queues at some of the most popular attractions.
EMH
The crown jewel of on-property guests benefits, EMH is a disney language acronym for Extra Magic Hours. Availble to select Walt Disney World Resort guests only, Extra Magic Hours allow these guests access to the Theme Parks up to 1 hour before opening, or 2 hours after park close. While EMH vary depending on theme park, time of year and general park hours, they are a huge benefit to Resort Guests. A quieter park means shorter attraction queues, allowing you to fit a little more into your day! Used properly, EMH can even allow you to have a break from the parks in the afternoon and still get everything done!
Park Hours
A simple bit of Disney language, Park Hours refers to the hours the Walt Disney World Theme Parks are open. Varying depending on Theme Park and Time of Year, knowing Park Hours for your trip ahead of arriving in Disney can help your planning. From simple things like which park to go to each day, to planning your dining around Fireworks times, Park Hours can have a big imapct on your holiday. They are subject to change however, to make sure you check online, or your MDE app to keep up to speed with the hours for your trip.
Disney Resorts
Most commonly used on Forums, one piece of pro Disney language is the acronyms that refer to Disney Resorts. Once you are familiar with the Resorts, these acronyms can be fairly easy to work out. AKL is short for Animal Kingdom Lodge, for example, while WL stands for Wilderness Lodge and OKW is the acronym for Old Key West. AoA is Art of Animation and CBR is Caribbean Beach Resort. A quick hotel search should help you distinguish which Resort acronym corresponds to which resort.
Hard-Ticket Events
This refers to any event within a Walt Disney World Theme Park which requires purchase of an extra ticket, on top of general Theme Park Admission. Typically seasonal offerings, there are many of these premium hard-ticket events throughout the year. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party are two of the most popular and well-know hard ticket events. However, you will find many events on offer during Epcots Food & Wine Festival. Various other events have been offered in past, such as a Villians Party at Holywood Studios, extra premium hours in Magic Kingdom and dinner parties at Animal Kingdom. If you are interested in a premium event, check the Disney World website to see what is on offer during your trip.
