A few tips and some lessons learned...

williamscm3 · May 24, 2015

I'm just gonna go ahead and edit this post...these are my personal experiences. I do not expect everyone to agree with these statements nor do I expect everyone to follow them.

We are just finishing up our third Disney vacation of recent years. Although I have our park touring style down...a few other details were still left to be learned. Here are a few of those and some other tips I have to share. Anyone traveling over the summer months may benefit from a few of these things:

1. Flip Flops are NOT your friend! Neither are your cute croc flats that are comfortable everywhere else you may go in life. I know many of you are probably just as hard headed as I, and are probably telling yourself right now how comfy your flip flops are and how you are use to them. If so, at least bring a pair of tennis shoes with you so your poor husbands will be spared trips to downtown Disney to find you something that you can actually be comfortable in. After 10 hours in MK yesterday...I will take that as a lesson learned. Edit: My point is...flip flops don't work for me! And that was all I brought. So don't make my mistake and bring something extra just in case

2. Rope drop IS your friend! Seriously folks...we have gotten soooo much done in the early cool mornings this weekend. It's worth it to wake up early!

3. Mid day breaks are a must for every age! If you are staying close you really must do this. It doesn't matter how your feeling at the moment you decide to change the game plan and stay all day...it is NEVER worth it when it's this hot and busy. Your children and your feet will thank you and you will be able to retain your sanity.

4. If you are a newbie to FP+...please check out the FP tips thread by @mesaboy2 . It is a huge help! It is never necessary to FP Magic Carpets of Aladdin at 9 am people...if someone can think of a good reason to please fill me in. On our first trip in 2013 we got a FP for tea cups...I now look back and just want to laugh at myself.

5. Lastly, wear lots of sunblock and stay hydrated!

If anyone reading this is at POFQ or is checking in tomorrow I have a 12 pack of bottled water I can give you that we never opened...I just ordered way too much for our weekend trip

Despite my aching feet due to my poor shoe choices, we have had an amazing trip! Any Star Wars fans reading need to plan a trip to SWW...it was amazing!

Jeafl · May 24, 2015

Thanks for the tips! I agree with you about the shoes. I have sandals that are extremely comfortable on a daily basis, but when I wore them to the Animal Kingdom I was practically in tears from the blisters and pain. I bought some Skechers Go Walk slip ons and hope that they will work better. Fingers crossed!

lauradis · May 24, 2015

I wear cute sundress and pretty hats and running tennis to Disney, every time I want to wear my pretty shoes, I just talk myself out of it.

williamscm3 · May 24, 2015

I will ONLY wear running shoes to the parks from now on! I have even worn the crocs that nearly killed me to Disney before, but the added heat and sweat made a huge difference. I should have trusted my gut but i was trying to look nice for pictures instead of being practical.

LaurenT · May 24, 2015

FP for teacups!!! Too funny!

I have two pair of walking sandals, one Teva and one Abeo. I put baby powder in them before I put them on and I can walk forever without blisters. I'm usually sore at the end of day one, but after that my feet get used to all the walking. I don't like sneakers when it's so hot because my feet feel suffocated .... And the sandals are quick dry so I don't worry about getting them wet.

DisneyHoosier · May 24, 2015

Rope drop and midday breaks were the single most important thing anyone ever told me. We're to the point that for most trips we do the parks in the morning and simply refuse to step foot in a line between noon and dinner. We use our fastpass+ reservations for evenings (we forego worries about getting #4) and then just pick short lines or watch the people until the fireworks. We enjoy our resort pools, etc. during the daytime hours.

larryz · May 24, 2015

I've found that good leather/nylon sandals with arch support will do quite nicely for me, but be sure you've broken them in and have them adjusted just right before you try to spend a whole day walking 8 - 15 miles in them.

Parker Clan · May 24, 2015

Reading this thread has inspired me to search for better shoes for my night time's at the parks! I always do sneakers in the morning.. But it's august and hate when it downpours soaking my sneaks. No biggie. But I always wear flip flops at night and wonder why my feet hurt so much lol on the search for water resistant sandals / flip flop with more support than my $2 old navy ones

TwinPrincessMermaids · May 24, 2015

Yep. I LOVE a siesta. I live here now and I get my day started most days with a run at 6:30, get some work and then around 2-3 , I lay down for a bit, then we get up and head out if its not a church night and head out to the parks around 4-4:30. Rope drop IS your friend if you will siesta during the day!

mi*vida*loca · May 24, 2015

I wore croc Athens on my 2011 trip and they worked wonderfully. This was after having crappy sneakers in 2009. Never again. I swear by those Croc flip flops now. I didn't have any pain in 2011. I also bring two pairs of much better sneakers and change it up everyday.

Midday breaks by the pool are life savers for us.

Capang · May 24, 2015

I agree with all those tips! However last trip my tennis shoes went rogue and cut and blistered my feet. :scared:

My Nike flip flops actually saved me. Bought another pair for this coming trip and I realize now it must have been a total fluke to have comfy flip flops. Never did the mid day break so this year we are staying close to MK just for that reason.

hamilkm · May 24, 2015

I learned the flip flop lesson when I did 14 hours in Disneyland this past March. On our Disney World trip this April I took 2 pairs of Teva's with great arch support and swapped in between them every day. Never wore the same shoe two days in a row and it worked great!

sleepymouse · May 24, 2015

I can wear the yoga zen sanuks in the parks for days. So comfortable. These are the only flip flops I attempt to wear.

jrt1176 · May 25, 2015

I wore Croc flip flops a few years ago and they held up well, but they have more cushion than your standard flip flop...

Of course, my feet still hurt after a few days, but I wore tennis shoes some days and I think it had more to do with me doing nothing to get ready for walking so much! It was my first trip taking my niece and I wanted to get in as much as we could! Obviously, WDW with kids is an entirely different "vacation."

AllieBoo · May 25, 2015

I guess the shoe thing is different for everyone. I wear Teva mush flip flops in the parks and love them! I also sometimes wear my croc flip flops and have no issues with blisters or sore feet in those either. I used to only wear tennis shoes and my feet would be killing me at the end of the day!

Planogirl · May 25, 2015

I switch shoes regularly and that seems to help a lot. I do wear Teva flip flops usually in the evening when we aren't running from ride to ride any more. I otherwise prefer my tennis shoes and my cushy Nike flip flops.

jthornton94 · May 25, 2015

Just like shoes, I think it depends on the person. We never take midday breaks, and we almost always go in May or June. We are there at rope drop and leave after fireworks. The last time we took a midday break was when my kid first kid was 2. Kids are now 14 and 10.

pmaurer74 · May 25, 2015

I have a pair of shoes I honestly use only for Disney. However, sometimes in the evenings I will change into a sundress and wear flip flops to give my feet a change but I am only in them a few hours. Blisters are no fun and my DD got a nasty infection from a blister one year.

librarymom2007 · May 25, 2015

I wear Reef flip flops to the parks. They have a lot of cushion and are comfy all day. We have never taken midday breaks either. We have been going since my daughter was 4 too. I think it all depends on the kid. She's a trooper and never complained. Once we leave the parks I am done and don't want to go back. Our style is to go at RD and leave around 3 or 4, then swim the rest of the evening and grab dinner at the resort.

Different strokes for different folks!

wdw4rfam · May 25, 2015

jthornton94 said:
Just like shoes, I think it depends on the person. We never take midday breaks, and we almost always go in May or June. We are there at rope drop and leave after fireworks. The last time we took a midday break was when my kid first kid was 2. Kids are now 14 and 10.

I second this :thumbsup2

we never take breaks, wastes time, and it just seems pointless to me. We tried it once. Said we were going to take a swim break. Left MK at 12:00, it took almost an hour to get from the exit to our room. Then we changed and went to food court to eat (another hour) went swimming for 2 hours, everyone back to he room to shower (5 of us so another hour and a half). It's now time for dinner, over an hour later it's almost 7:30, everyone votes it's not worth going back to MK for 2 hours, so we stay at the resort. Never again....I have no idea how people pull off the swim break.

A few tips and some lessons learned...

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