Top 20 Photos You Don’t Want to Miss On Your Walt Disney World Vacation

An oldie but a goodie - take a look back at the Top 20 Photos You Don't Want to Miss On Your Walt Disney World Vacation!! It was our most popular post of 2015.

Taking photos during a Walt Disney World vacation is always on our 'must-do' list. Whether you're taking candid pics of the kids with the characters or if you're taking scenery shots, there are so many great photo opportunities around the parks and hotels.

To that end we've compiled a list of our "top 20" photographs for your next Disney vacation. These are some of our favorite spots and we'd love to hear your favorites, so be sure to leave us a comment at the end.


Top 20 Photos You Don't Want to Miss On Your Walt Disney World VacationBe Sure To Pin The Top 20 Photos You Don't Want to Miss


You always need a picture of the castleYou always need a picture of the castle

1. Perhaps the most iconic symbol at Walt Disney World is Cinderella's castle. Great photos can be taken during the day from various angles, but some of the best photos happen at night when the castle is bathed in different colors of light. Want to know more? Read more on Cinderella Castle Photography Tips.

2. As much as we love the castle, we also have to give props to Spaceship Earth at Epcot. During the day the giant sphere is stunning, but don't forget to get a photo at night.

3. Since the Sorcerer Mickey hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios is gone, make sure to get a picture in front of the replica of the Chinese Theater.

4. And if we're talking about park icons, you can't forget to snap a photo of the Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom. There are a few great places at the park to get different angles of the tree too.

5. If you happen to be visiting Epcot during the Flower and Garden Festival, hang out near Showcase Plaza where you'll have the Monorail track and Spaceship Earth in your sights. Frame your shot with the flowers, the Monorail as it glides by, and Spaceship Earth in the background.

Epcot during the Flower and Garden FestivalEpcot during the Flower and Garden Festival

6. As you're touring Future World at Epcot, be sure to stop by the fountain near Journey Into Imagination with Figment.. The dancing fountain used to be marked as a Kodak picture spot when Kodak had a partnership with Disney. It's still a great place to take a picture.

7. Nighttime is a great time to take some fantastic pictures at Walt Disney World. And we especially love taking photos during Wishes at the Magic Kingdom and IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot.

8. Her time may be limited, so make sure to stop and snap a pic with Dinosaur Gertie on the side of Echo Lake. Don't forget to get some ice cream too!

Ready to ride Tower of TerrorReady to ride Tower of Terror

9. One of our favorite pictures from the Studios has to be of The Hollywood Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. You can get a great shot of the Hotel from the end of the street or up close.

10. Another spooky location that just begs for a photo is of course the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom. While the daytime pictures are scary fun, the nighttime photos are great.

11. Located around the bend from the Haunted Mansion is the Rapunzel-themed restroom area, home to Rapunzel's tower. We love taking photos of this at night, it's just so pretty.

12. When visiting the Japan Pavilion at Epcot take a peek out at the lagoon through the red torii gate that welcomes visitors to the pavilion.

13. And, as you tour World Showcase make sure you give some photo love to the Canada Pavilion, home to some of the most beautiful gardens on property.

Canada pavilion's beautiful gardensCanada pavilion's beautiful gardens

14. Over at the Animal Kingdom make sure you have your camera ready on Kilimanjaro Safaris. You never know what the animals will be doing during the tour and there are always great photo opportunities. In fact there's so much to capture at this beautiful Park, we wrote an article just for it! 5 Popular Photos to Get at Disney's Animal Kingdom

15. Our favorite photo to take at Disney's Animal Kingdom has to be Expedition Everest. There are several great locations to get good pictures but our favorite is with the temple positioned in front of the mountain.

Expedition Everest and the temple at the Animal KingdomExpedition Everest and the temple at the Animal Kingdom

16. Back in Epcot we love the Fountain of Nations. It makes a great place to take a family photo with Spaceship Earth in the background. Make sure you take a picture at night also as the fountain is quite pretty when it's lit up.

17. Speaking of water, when you're at the Magic Kingdom don't forget to take a photo of Splash Mountain. There's a great walkway where guests can stand and watch the logs splash down and this is a great place to take pictures too.

18. Another favorite spot to snap a picture is as you're coming into Tomorrowland from the Hub. Just stop, look up, and take it all in. It's an unexpected photo op.

Tomorrowland at the Magic KingdomTomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom

19. As you're walking through Cinderella's castle, stop and take a moment to look at the mosaics on the walls. Many guests breeze right by these but they're beautiful works of art and you don't want to miss them.

20. And finally, if you happen to be at Disney Springs don't forget to look up and snap a picture of the Aerophile Balloon (formerly Characters in Flight) as it soars above you. Or better yet, go for a ride and snap some bird's eye view pictures of Walt Disney World.

Love this post? Be sure to pin it! These are just some of our favorite spots to snap photos while we're visiting Walt Disney World. We'd love to hear your favorite so leave us a comment!

Kristen K. wrote on Tue, 08/05/2014 - 14:07:

Kristen K.'s picture

This is a fun list Traci. I have many of these :-)

Melinda wrote on Wed, 08/06/2014 - 00:03:

Melinda's picture

Nice list! Our favorites are the main garden with the train station behind it at magic kingdoms entrance or looking down Main Street when it is all lit up, at Animal Kingdom, near the waterfall in the pathways at the beginning of the park, Hollywood Studios would be in front of the Rockin Rollercoaster guitar, and Epcot is my favorite park to photograph!! Love the garden festival, the fountain near France, and the waterfall near Soarin. But one of our most favorite at Epcot is through the Japanese arch facing the Epcot ball. Our family stands there every trip for a picture.

Judy M wrote on Sun, 01/03/2016 - 19:43:

Judy M's picture

This article really needed to be updated before reposting! Many of the items are not there any more i.e backlot tour is gone as well as the hat in Hollywood Studios. EO has been replaced as well. I would have loved to seen an updated article with some fresh ideas!

Kristen K. wrote on Tue, 01/05/2016 - 00:25:

Kristen K.'s picture

So noted and updated Judy!!

Terri Stinson Daugherty wrote on Mon, 07/11/2016 - 12:23:

Terri Stinson Daugherty's picture

I love to see a list like this and then be able to go through it saying "Got that one!" I'm only missing one and you can bet I will be making sure I have a good shot of Rapunzel's tower at night the next time I'm there! Great list!

midge wrote on Wed, 08/31/2016 - 10:38:

midge's picture

My personal choice is to have at least one person in our group in the picture. You can download many WDW pictures on many sites, but personalizing it makes it unique.

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