I worked at Disney World and Disneyland. Here are 9 things I wish tourists knew before visiting the parks.

I have always considered myself one of the luckiest Disney fans in the world because I had the opportunity to work at both Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California.

My journey with the Walt Disney Company started in January 2015 when I moved across the country for the Disney College Program at Disney World. I worked in Magic Kingdom, where I got to roam the park selling glow toys and bubble wands — and watching the daily parades and fireworks shows.

After that program ended, in August 2016, I moved to California to participate in another College Program at Disneyland, where I worked at the Emporium and Candy Palace on Main Street.

Although I no longer work at the parks, I still live five minutes from Disneyland and visit as often as possible. Here are the top things I wish tourists knew before visiting the Disney parks.

Park reservations became mandatory when Disney World and Disneyland reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic. Because this is still a fairly new policy, many guests may not be aware that they need a park reservation in addition to their park ticket when visiting.

I've seen so many frustrated guests at the ticket gate who were denied entry for not having an advanced reservation.

Disney World is currently accepting park reservations through at least the end of 2023, and Disneyland allows you to make reservations up to 120 days in advance.

Disney replaced its old free FastPass system with Genie+, a paid service available on the Disney World and Disneyland app.

I think the Genie+ user experience can be difficult to navigate, but it's awesome if you're trying to get on as many rides as possible.

Genie+ allows you to book Lightning Lane reservations for specific attractions throughout the day. When it's your reservation time, you simply scan your ticket or Magic Band at the Lightening Lane entrance and skip the majority of the line.

If it's your first time using it, I recommend watching a few videos about Genie+ ahead of time so you can make the most of your day.

If you're looking to order food from a quick-service dining location, mobile-ordering might be your best bet to save time.

Disney seems to be prioritizing mobile orders over ordering directly at the counter by eliminating many of their registers and replacing them with mobile-order pickup windows.

You can place a mobile order on the My Disney Experience app. But pay attention to the pickup times — certain popular restaurants schedule orders several hours in advance.

This may not be helpful for those with small children, but if you can stay until the park closes, do it.

Most guests leave after the fireworks or the first nighttime show depending on what park you're at, which leaves the parks pretty empty. I can usually get on more rides during the last hour of the park being open than I can the entire rest of the day combined.

After you've ridden all the rides, take advantage of the park being empty and get some photos.

Between taking photos, keeping yourself occupied in line, mobile-ordering food, and using Genie+, you'll be on your phone all day long. Unfortunately, if you're trying to maximize your time at the Disney theme parks, there's no way around it.

External phone batteries are my lifeline — without one, my phone would be dead halfway through the day.

Disney also has several FuelRod dispensers throughout the parks. For $30 you're given a FuelRod (external battery) that you can swap out at any location when it dies.

Disney World doesn't stop at its four theme parks. It's also home to Disney Springs, two water parks, one 18-hole golf course, two miniature golf courses, several spas, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports.

I always recommend taking a day in the middle of your trip to explore at least one of these spots. It's a nice break from the chaos of the parks, and there's something for everyone.

Something I personally live and die by is if there are two showtimes, I always pick the later time, if possible.

Most people start waiting an hour or longer for seating for the first parade or nighttime show. It's very hard to just waltz in 15 minutes beforehand and find a good spot.

This isn't usually a problem at the second showtime. Plus you can take advantage of everyone watching the first show by getting on some rides while the lines thin out.

If you've purchased Genie+ for the day at Disneyland, PhotoPass is included. You'll be able to download all your ride photos and any photos taken by PhotoPass photographers.

There are Disney photographers located all throughout the parks, so take advantage and get all the photos.

Only PhotoPass "lenses" are included with Genie+ at Disney World, which allow guests to take fun photos on their own devices.

Memory Maker, which allows you to download professional Disney photos, costs around $70 a day.

This should be self-explanatory, but please remember to be nice to cast members, what Disney calls its park employees.

I know we all go to Disney and want to have the most magical experience, and it can be frustrating when things don't go according to plan. But most things that go wrong are beyond the cast members' control.

If you can, give those hardworking employees a "compliment" on the Disney app — a little kindness can go a long way for them.