To the CM's on the board: what is the one "tip" you can give us?

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I've seen many people come back from Disney disappointed because it was so expensive. At some point someone [guys] realizes they are spending more than expected, and quit having a good time and start obsessing about money. They get in such a tizzy that nobody can have a good time.

Soooo, last year some friends were going on a first trip with 2 young princesses. They were staying off-property and would not be on the dining plan. I suggested that they go online and look at the menus and food prices before they left home.

I said, "Make peace with the money before you go."

I also told them that they wouldn't see it all, but to relax and remember that the rest of it will be there when they come back.

They came back and thanked me, went again this year, and are going back in the Fall.

[gatrbait]

I have to agree with the folks stating to take your time...I have been a passholder since 92 (FL Resident since birth)and go at least once a month, usually more. My family wonders why I am not sick of the parks and all I can say is everytime I go I see something new or do something different...I am lucky enough that I can go for a few hours and not feel bad but if you just take your time and not be so commando it will all come to you and you will enjoy it much more!
Also there is sooo much to do other than the parks on property...Make sure you visit all the resorts at Christmas time it really get's you in the spirit!!! The putt putt is a blast...they have "sleigh rides" at WL for not alot of $$...they have marshmallow roasts as well...you can go to "legoland" in DTD and have a blast making your own creations!!! Lot's of photo opps too!
Enjoy life!
Micky

[marielynn724]

i have to second the tip that someone mentioned earlier about paying attention if you are a single rider - on my last trip i went with my grandma and my mom (i was still in hs at the time). they were not interested at all in rides like space mountain, ToT, RnR, M:S etc, so I was often on lines by myself for major rides and more often than not I would get asked to fill in uneven parties ahead of me (say a party of 3 or 5). pay attention to the CMs!!!

[marielynn724]

i think that if you ask at any CS, they will give you a cup of ice water for free. does anyone know if the snack carts do this as well? it's so important to stay hydrated in the heat when you spend so much energy walking around.

[pianoronni37]

Originally Posted by TinkerBelle_325

OMG!!! That was me!! That is so cool! Based on your avatar pic I gave you the dream fast passes. Oct 2008 right? I'm sorry you couldn't use too many of them but I'm glad you remember the gesture!

OMG!!! That is SO crazy!!!!! Thank you soooo much!!!

My DH and I took a picture of the dream fastpasses because it meant a LOT to us!! We have it in our scrapbook of our honeymoon!! You really did make our day better, it was great because he could ride rides right away that I can't do - inner ear problems suck, but we got some good use out of them!

Also, the couple that we gave them to afterward was just as grateful - you and your friend were SOOO NICE to have passed those on!! It really is one of our best memories - people being genuinely kind and thoughtful and nice!

Thank you thank you thank you!!

[AbbyPan]

Originally Posted by skier_pete

Not a CM, but a couple of tips, some of which were already covered:


2) In most theatre shows, don't be in a hurry to get into the theatres, especially on crowded days. When you enter, you are supposed to move all the way to the end of your row. If you wait and let some people through first, you can get a more central seat.


SkierPete

This can be true, unfortunately it doesn't work most of the time for me. I always let a few folks go ahead of me but more than half the time they stop and sit right in the middle, so I end up at the end anyway...lol oh well

[gingerfeathers]

Originally Posted by pianoronni37

OMG!!! That is SO crazy!!!!! Thank you soooo much!!!

My DH and I took a picture of the dream fastpasses because it meant a LOT to us!! We have it in our scrapbook of our honeymoon!! You really did make our day better, it was great because he could ride rides right away that I can't do - inner ear problems suck, but we got some good use out of them!

Also, the couple that we gave them to afterward was just as grateful - you and your friend were SOOO NICE to have passed those on!! It really is one of our best memories - people being genuinely kind and thoughtful and nice!

Thank you thank you thank you!!

Y'all made me smile with this one. What a great story!

[dogodisney]

Originally Posted by pianoronni37

OMG!!! That is SO crazy!!!!! Thank you soooo much!!!

My DH and I took a picture of the dream fastpasses because it meant a LOT to us!! We have it in our scrapbook of our honeymoon!! You really did make our day better, it was great because he could ride rides right away that I can't do - inner ear problems suck, but we got some good use out of them!

Also, the couple that we gave them to afterward was just as grateful - you and your friend were SOOO NICE to have passed those on!! It really is one of our best memories - people being genuinely kind and thoughtful and nice!

Thank you thank you thank you!!

Originally Posted by gingerfeathers

Y'all made me smile with this one. What a great story!

This is awesome! I got chills reading it!

[DisDreaminMom]

Another tip is to know and understand how the dining plan works and then keep track of things. CM's were so happy I had it all worked out. One CM even gave me churros because I told him how many snack credits I had left. He was just shocked that I wasn't totally confused. Maybe I was nice, too.

I second the thing about being nice to the CM's. It's important to understand who your "friends" are at WDW, and besides the smiling, super nice people you meet standing in lines or on the bus, the CM's are your best shot at having a good time. 99% will go out of their way to help you if they can. How cool is that???

Does anyone notice how "infectious" nice people are at WDW? I think a lot of us try to be that gracious in real life, but somehow it's more "real" at WDW.

[wear_your_baby]

Originally Posted by mass02703

I'm wondering about the sharing of table services. We are going with a group of 10. Some of those 10 are visiting friends for a few days so there will certainly be TS's left over. I didn't think that you can share them. Are the really strict about this at the restaurants? Obviously CS's are alot easier to share.

We've never been able to get them to allow us to share TS credits. One time, we even asked them to deliver our dessert to another table and they wouldn't do it. We thought the people would think we were crazy if we gave them the dessert from our table, but we really didn't need it.

[sawyert]

[QUOTE=DisDreaminMom;31225255]Another tip is to know and understand how the dining plan works and then keep track of things. CM's were so happy I had it all worked out. One CM even gave me churros because I told him how many snack credits I had left. He was just shocked that I wasn't totally confused. Maybe I was nice, too.


I'm just planning our first tip to wdw and considering everything. We are hoping to stay somewhere with a kitchenette or at least a fridge to pack our own lunches/snacks. I know disneyland was expensive but not to bad is it really worthwhile to have the dining plan i'm thinking we'd use it for supper mostly I'm just not sure what about the plan is so great does it cost less or something?

[maddiesmom0116]

Originally Posted by splashmtnfan

How do you share your TS meals. If you have 5 on your plan is that not all they allow you to use in one sitting?

You just tell the server to use your dining credits for their meal. They don't mind it at all once you tell them why. They get a big tip out of it from the non paying table. i have never had them turn me down, not did they turn down the people that did this for us the first time at Sci Fi.:

[dansamy]

Originally Posted by sawyert

I'm just planning our first tip to wdw and considering everything. We are hoping to stay somewhere with a kitchenette or at least a fridge to pack our own lunches/snacks. I know disneyland was expensive but not to bad is it really worthwhile to have the dining plan i'm thinking we'd use it for supper mostly I'm just not sure what about the plan is so great does it cost less or something?

If you want to eat at a sit-down restaurant (aka Table Service @ WDW) for at least one meal every day, the DDP makes sense. If you are more "fast food" (aka Counter Service @ WDW) type people, then paying out-of-pocket is more frugal. Of course, WDW now offers a Quick-Service Dining plan, which include TWO CS meals per person per day. If you don't think you want any sit-down meals or maybe only on one or two nights, the QSDP might work well for you. I know my family was able to split CS meals pretty often because they are just too big. My 3 kids and I would split 2 adult combo meals and I'd just use my refillable mugs for the "extra" drinks I needed. (We usually ate lunch back at our resort as part of our break. We used our TS for dinners or breakfasts.) Also, if you have several children aged 3-9, the DDP makes very good economic sense. They only cost $10 per day for the DDP, and I'd wager it would be a real challenge to feed a kid 1CS, 1TS and 1 snack each day with $10.

[Berlioz70]

Originally Posted by d1gitman

unless you are like our family. we are water snobs and can't stand tap water. since my wife got me on bottled spring water, tap water or fountain drinks taste aweful to me.

I should have clarified... it's water from the soda fountain machine... not from the tap. But if you order a water they'll give you a bottle. If you order tap water they give you the water from the machine and that's free!

I'm not a big fan of the water from the fountains (but when I'm thirsty anything works), however, the stuff from the machines seems to taste much better to me; I'm not sure where it comes from (as in, whether it's tap or filtered).

[BradyBz12]

Originally Posted by Mickey'sApprentice

...They were staying off-property and would not be on the dining plan. I suggested that they go online and look at the menus and food prices before they left home.

I said, "Make peace with the money before you go."

Excellent advice!

(And we always peruse the menus online before we go to plan our food budget.)

Originally Posted by marielynn724

i think that if you ask at any CS, they will give you a cup of ice water for free. does anyone know if the snack carts do this as well? it's so important to stay hydrated in the heat when you spend so much energy walking around.

As long as it's a snack cart with fountain soda, they should be able to. If they're just selling bottled drinks from a cooler it won't be possible.