After spending this past weekend at Disney World, I realized that there were a few things people should know before heading into the parks.

1) Hack the monorail system.

When you arrive at the transportation and ticket center, you have two options of getting to Magic Kingdom. The express monorail and the ferry boat, nine times out of ten, both lines are ridiculous. Instead of waiting in those lines, you can actually take the resort monorail to the Magic Kingdom and get off at what will be the third stop. This usually takes a lot less time than either the boat or the express monorail.

2) Free water.

Say what? Nothing is free at Disney! Right? Wrong! You can go to any restaurant or snack counter that has a fountain soda machine and they have to give you a cup of ice water for free if that is what you request. This is amazing if you want water and don't want to spend $3.50 for one. And you can even get a large one.

3) Free parking.

Again, more free things. This one is a little time consuming though. If you want to go to the park and don't want to pay the outrageous amount of money they charge these days, park at Disney Springs (formerly known as Downtown Disney). From there, take a bus to a resort and transfer to the park you desire. Or, if you pay for parking and want to transfer parks, you only have to pay once, your parking pass is good at any park.

4) Stay on property.

If you are staying for extended periods of time, it can get pricey but, in the end, it is worth it! You get free transportation the whole time you are on property, and you can get a shuttle (Disney's Magical Express) to and from the Orlando International Airport. Another amazing perk of staying on property is that whatever you buy in the parks you can have sent to your room. (This is good until you forget all you bought that you now have to travel home with)

5) Buses to Disney Springs.

Buses run to Disney Springs from resorts all day. If you want to go to Disney Springs from the parks, those buses do not start running until 4 p.m. These buses only run one way so you cannot take a bus back to the park from Disney Springs.