Here are our 10 top tips to help you make the most out of your holiday to Walt Disney World.

Time of year

You need to balance three main factors: crowds, heat, park schedules. Don't overlook the importance of park closing times!

Pick your park according to Extra Magic Hour.

Every morning, one of the four theme parks opens early for resort guests only. Either rush to that park like a racehorse out of the gate, or avoid it completely for most of the day.

Get to the parks early

This advice is especially important for Disney's water parks (which are packed by noon) and Animal Kingdom (which closes early).

In the Magic Kingdom, Main Street opens early so people can have breakfast at Crystal Palace and Cinderella's Royal Table. Arrive early, and you can race to Splash Mountain as soon as the park officially opens.

During busy times of year, Disney sometimes opens parks early, without any formal policy or announcement. If you arrive at the park of your choice an hour early, during busy times: you'll probably be allowed to enter the park before the official opening hour.

Take a break in the afternoon.

Go early to the park of your choice; take a break and return to your resort or hotel when the day is hottest; return to the parks in the evening. Three theme parks have lots to offer after dusk.

Taking a break in the afternoon is a fine idea, for many reasons: little kids can have a nap; everyone can get a break from the heat, perhaps by jumping into a pool; and once you return refreshed to the theme parks, you can stay late and enjoy them after dark.

Use Fastpass.

It's free, it's simple, and it saves you from standing in line for the most popular rides. Get the most out of Fastpasses-- and your whole Disney World vacation-- by using them strategically.

Select the ride you want to Fastpass, collect your ticket, make a note of the time it tells you to come back, then go and enjoy the rest of the park, allowing you to see so much more! Simply go back to the ride at your designated time slot and walk right up to the front of the queue!

Fastpass Strategies: Get a new Fastpass before you ride. In the Space Mountain example, as soon as the clock reaches 1:01, you'll be permitted to acquire another Fastpass. If you want to ride Space Mountain twice, pick up a second Fastpass beforeyou enter the ride. You'll probably be able to do your second ride shortly after you complete your first one.

Comparison-shop. Suppose you like both Splash Mountain and the nearby Thunder Mountain Railroad ride. Check the "Standby Entrance" time and "Fastpass Return" time for each attraction, and figure out which one makes better use of your Fastpass privilege. Some rides have short "Standby Entrance" times, and long "Fastpass Return" times; some have the reverse. You do the math! Maybe you can stand in line for Thunder Mountain while you're waiting for your Fastpass return-time for Splash.

Think twice before taking a long-time Fastpass Some attractions are either so popular, or have such a low intake rate, that your Fastpass return-time may be hours into the future. With the Winnie the Pooh ride, for example, if you acquire your Fastpass at 1 p.m., your return-to-the-ride time might be 3:30-- and you can't get another Fastpass during all that time. You might be wiser to ride this attraction early in the morning on another day, and not squander a whole afternoon of Fastpass privileges.

Bring snacks and drinks.

These tips can save you money on hot and humid Florida days when your kids need to drink liquids all day long. Eating in restaurants takes not only money, but time!

Eat for value and fun Food is expensive in the theme parks, no question. You can scout some bargains, but sometimes spending more on a full buffet is a better option-- and more fun, if Pooh Bear or Cinderella is in attendance. A giant late breakfast buffet can serve as lunch; a giant late lunch can fuel the family right through dinner hour. Also: some a la carte restaurants specialize in fun theming, and these can be good choices, too.

Use Priority Seating for restaurant meals. It's easy, it's free, and usually entails no commitment -- yet you get seated quickly instead of waiting in line.

Priority Seating- known as PS- is, like Fastpass, a free, easy convenient service that rescues you from line-ups. Priority Seating is nota reservation system: the restaurant will not be holding a table for your arrival. Rather, you'll arrive at the restaurant about ten minutes before your appointed time, and will be fast-tracked to a table.

A nice thing about about Priority Seating is that -- with a few exceptions-- you're under no obligation to show up.

Use the Disney Transportation System

Every hour of the day, and well into the night, blessedly cool Disney buses ferry people free from one park to another and to and from the Disney resorts.

They're everywhere: and they're free; and wherever you're going, they run at least every twenty minutes; and they all have air conditioning! phew! Even theme park-visitors who aren't staying at Disney resorts are free to use the Disney buses to travel from park to park, or to the Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon waterparks, and Downtown Disney.

Keep Cool

Wear cool clothes, cool shoes, and cool-down gadgets... and by visiting the water parks.

Don't forget a hat! It'll keep the sun off your head when you are queuing.

Buy a Squeeze Breeze! You can buy the Mickey version in the park for about $15; or buy the cheaper version at Walmart(ten minutes north of the airport, or twenty minutes southeast of the parks in Kissammee).