Looking back at 2016, what is the best park tip you can offer?

[tessio]

Take some time to enjoy the "streetmosphere." Disney is cutting so much lately that it won't be long before a lot of them are gone. I have great pictures of my kids with, among many others, the Notorious Banjo Brothers and Scoop Sanderson...who have been cut this year. It will be nice to look back at the pictures when they are older and remember the days when the Magic Kingdom used to have it's own roving reporter and banjo players.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

I learned this year that it's ok to have a shorter trip. For years we've done 7-10 night packages with dining. This year we just spent a few nights after a non-Disney cruise, no park hoppers no dining plan. We had a great time and got very creative with sharing meals.

We also learned that it's ok to take a break from Disney. We had to cancel a long trip in September, but we already had airfare that we couldn't cancel. We opted to give Universal a try for 3 nights--WOW that place is really awesome! We were so impressed that we will be splitting our March trip between Disney and Universal-best of both!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I have a few...
1st Echo everything everyone before me has said about slowing down.
2. If you can afford it go to either a MNSSHP or MVMCP, so worth every penny to us!
3. Also, in the if you can afford it category, and love 7DMT, do a MK EMM! We had so much fun riding it over and over, front and back. Great breakfast as well!
4. Take tiny bites of Epcot. For me its such an overwhelming large park, that we did it in 3 visits. Much better than trying to rush from FW at 10:45 to try and hit WS and each country in 1 day!
5. If you're there during Candlelight Processional time, don't miss it!
These really are more than a few, hope you don't mind!

 

[jlnten17]

1) Get off your phone/camera. Enjoy the moment through your eyes. Live each moment like you are paying thousands of dollars to see it. Pictures are great and wonderful, but pure memories are worth so much more to the individual who experienced it.

2) Going with tiny humans (cute infants), utilize the child care centers. God send, nice break, quiet atmosphere a place to relax and push the reset button on babies.

Yes and Yes. Our son was 4 1/2 months our first trip and baby care centers are amazing. Also first aid gave me a Sudafed free of charge when I came down with a raging headcold.
And put down the phones and pick up your young kids so they can see the shows and parades. They are only little once.

 

[HairyChest]

-go during a "busy" time of year when the parks are opened for extended hours. We are late risers and stay up late but still love to have a break at our hotel in between the day. its very hard to do when the parks close early because its "slow season" or because there is special events going on (mvmcp mnsshp etc).
-stay at a universal hotel 1 or 2 nights. Portofino bay is wonderful and so are the rides at universal. Non Harry Potter fans will even love the wizarding world.
-Explore the hotels and downtown Disney towards the beginning of the trip because later on you will have a hard time not wanting to to the best e tickets/parks "one more time"

 

[Tia1977]

Def agree with slowing down and just enjoying family time. That said, the #1 thing I learned in 2016 with squeezing in 2 trips (1 being a surprise bday trip for a teenage DD) is you can't force those special moments. Enjoy them as they spontaneously happen, but expecting it to be 24/7 is unrealistic. It's ok if you envisioned that Wishes family "moment" and when it comes your DH is annoyed by the camera guy who appeared in front of you out of nowhere and your DD is texting on her phone instead. What comes next when the "magic" hits might be special moments later on in a deserted Main Street. Or maybe back at the resort when you're strolling along the lake side & realize all 3 of you are hand in hand Point is while we love Mickey, the majority of us love our Disney vacations due to craving special family time away from the "real world". And it'll happen too, just maybe not in the ways/times we envisioned when we OCD planned for 12 months in advance. Enjoy your family for who they are. Give space for being "human" and watch for/appreciate how the "magic" happens all on it's own

 

[Dr.Mickey]

One "hangry" family member can spoil a few hours, so eat! Eat early. Eat late. Eat often. You are walking 10k steps a day, so it is ok. Better to gain a pound than to endure the food related grumpies

 

[DWillowBay]

My best park tip? Be nice. I am so tired of having to accommodate ill-mannered, rude or arrogant guests who feel entitled to ....something. Can we just enjoy the experience and each other's company? Let's face it...if we are in Disney World together, it's because both of us are uncommonly blessed. Can we be happy about that? ...and treat each other with kindness rather than like we are in a fight for our very lives!!

 

[hamilkm]

I learned this year that you can have an amazing day at Disney without riding a ride! On our last trip my mom and I were at Magic Kingdom and realized we had been in the park 4 hours and had yet to ride a ride. We had such an amazing morning taking in the atmosphere, watching shows, and shopping! It was one of our best days in Magic Kingdom yet!

 

[LadyLion4life]

Can you guys believe 2016 is over?

I can't. This is the year I became an annual pass holder, and I can not WAIT to see what 2017 brings us.

What did you guys learn this year that might help people out in the future or in 2017?

My favorite tip was try to take in more of the ambiance. I use to RUN from ride to ride to ride...but Disney truly is about the small details, and the amazing theming. I think by getting tunnel vision, and becoming a drone to My Disney Experience you do kinda take out the leisure part of Disney.

So my personal advice that I learned in 2016 - take it easy, and do more sightseeing than commando style...you might actually enjoy more seeing the smaller things!

A few things. The last time we had been to WDW as a family was January 2007. We were attending a wedding in July 2016 in Orlando and decided to make a last mini vacation for the six of us at WDW. I read these boards religiously while planning our trip. We had 4 nights and 4 1/2 days that included a wedding so I knew we had to get in as much as possible since we hadn't been in 9 years and would never again be there as "just the 6 of us" since I knew one of my daughter's was getting engaged. I knew my kids would be commando style but also knew that I wanted to enjoy the resort (CR) and down time with my husband. I planned according and he and I skipped the day at Universal with them. They only did the HP areas and were back at the CR by 3:30 and napped then went commando again, lol. I made sure I had pool, bar time for 4 of the days with either my husband or a couple of my kids (ages 18-25).

Anyway, I made all our FP+ and ADRs and scheduled just about every minute of our trip (including down time). We were also flexible.

So my advice for those who don't go often and have mostly adult kids: Plan, be flexible, and enjoy every second that you are together as a family. 5 1/2 months later we are still talking about what a wonderful time we all had together and in pairs or split up 3 and 3.

 

[crostorfer]

These aren't just 2016 tips, these are every year tips:

If one member of your party isn't having fun, its ok to scrap everything and leave the park. Yes, you paid a lot of money for that ticket. Yes, the parks are only open for so many hours a day, but if one member of your party is just over it, if they are tired, cranky, hungry, over-stimulated, or whatever, (*side eyes to my husband*), its much better in the long run for everyone to call it a day, rather than push them any farther. I've seen so many families walking around that just look miserable, (sorry Gentlemen, but it's usually Dads that are barking at their wives and children). It IS an expensive vacation, but its way too much money to just walk around and be miserable. Know when to say "when". And parents, recognize when your kids have had enough, please. I've sat through dinners next to families with multiple children where one child may be good to go, but the other, (usually the toddler/pre-schooler), is just DONE, and everyone around them can see it....and hear it. Split up if you have to, but don't push your little ones past their capacity. You will suffer for it, and in turn, the people around you suffer for it as well. Don't ruin my dinner too, please.

Along with the above, there are other things that you can do to save your sanity if things are going south. Take a cab. Or an Uber. Seriously, your day can go from bad to worse very quickly if Disney is having transportation hiccups. Quite frankly, transportation can be so bad on a regular basis it can turn a positive day into a negative any day of the week, or time of year. If you are in a hurry to get somewhere, take a cab. If someone in your group is having a meltdown, take a cab. Sometimes the only way to salvage a day is to remove yourself from crowds and lines and noise as quickly and efficiently as possible.

To echo what everyone else is saying about slowing down, I couldn't agree more. Take some time to just hang out at your resort while you are at it! Let's be real, unless you are staying at a value resort you are likely paying a small fortune to be there, you may as well take advantage of what they have to offer! One afternoon a couple of trips ago we skipped the parks and rented bikes at Fort Wilderness. We spent the whole afternoon just riding all over the property. We stopped and sat on the beach, we got some treats, we stopped in the Mercantile shops, and we said hello to everyone we passed. My 13 year old still says that was one of the best times that she's ever had at Disney. She talks about it all of the time, two years later. I'm looking forward to doing that again.

 

[skuttle]

Don't feel like you have to follow crowd calendars or base your meals on the opinions of others. If you can only go to WDW during thanksgiving week, GO! If you want to go to MK on a Saturday, GO! If your Epcot day is rated a "9", who cares, if that day works best for you, GO! If you want to try a certain restaurant, GO and make your own opinion if the food! Everyone has different expectations and tastes. Take the advice you get with a grain of salt. Do what you think will work best for you and your family. Keep an open mind and you'll have a great time!

 

[wrighteous]

Comparing my Sept 2015 trip to my Sept 2016 trip, I definitely learned a few things:

1) Definitely put the phone/camera down and enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and atmosphere of where you are! In 2015, I took SOOO many pictures, and I was repeatedly using my external charger to recharge my phone. In 2016, I took just a fraction of those pictures, and never used my charger once! Pictures are great, especially when they are of you and your family. But do you need 20 pics of an attraction, when it looks the same every time you go? Capture funny moments when you're eating a Mickey bar, or cruising on the People Mover! Those are the best photos!

2) If you are planning to spend multiple days in a park, space them out instead of doing them all together. In 2015, we stayed at Caribbean Beach, and hopped around from park to park, going somewhere different each day. In 2016, we did a split stay, 5 nights at Pop and 4 nights at the Contemporary. Because we would be able to walk/monorail to MK from the Contemporary, I figured we'd split the first half of our trip between Epcot, AK and DHS. The rest of the time we would be spend at MK. Seemed good in theory, but after 2 days in a row at MK, we probably should have gone back to another park. I felt like we started repeating rides a lot, and kept saying "what should we do now?" instead of being excited for something different. I could have used another ride on Everest and Soarin' lol. We are going back this May to celebrate my 30th birthday, staying at Pop for the week. And we are definitely spacing out our time at each park

 

[Northernlites]

We have been four times at different times of the year over the last four years. Our best experience was going to the Christmas party at MK. Shorter ride times and smaller crowd made a big difference than prior trips with FPs.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Donald Duck can wander around without pants. You cannot.

Also, if your kid is going to be obsessed with the Casey Junior Splash Station, dress them in fibers that dry quickly.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

This was my goal this past trip. Here is my tip related to this.

If your little ones haven't seen the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration at HS, be ready to record them towards the end of it with the snow. I remember being a bit curious why the dad in front of me had his camera pointed at his kids at this point in the show. Then when it started I was enjoying watching my kids reactions so much I didn't realize I should be recording. I got about 10 seconds recorded before it finished. Kids were having a blast, would have been nice to catch the whole thing.

I second this one - my wife captured a picture of my oldest daughter basically in pure joy dancing in the snowflakes - one of my favorite pictures from our entire trip

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Take some time to enjoy the "streetmosphere." Disney is cutting so much lately that it won't be long before a lot of them are gone. I have great pictures of my kids with, among many others, the Notorious Banjo Brothers and Scoop Sanderson...who have been cut this year. It will be nice to look back at the pictures when they are older and remember the days when the Magic Kingdom used to have it's own roving reporter and banjo players.

agree with this and specifically want to mention the Citizens of Hollywood at Hollywood Studios - watching them is always a highlight of the trip and then utilize guests in their performances and it's always a bit ad-libed, etc. - it's great!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

To add a specific tip from our trip last year:

Book a pre-park opening ADR at Akershus, pay your bill as soon as you sit down, and plan to leave 10-15 minutes before park opens. We did this, met every princess, did the parade, had 2nds of the cheesy potatoes, then went out and got in the standby line for Frozen Ever After, they opened the ride 5 minutes before park opened (at 9am), and we were off the ride at 9:02 - at which point the line was 2 hours long.

(also the one time my wife gave me the "ok, I guess all your crazy planning it worth it" look)

 

[thingwithwings]

• Eat. Being hungry will completely ruin your experience, and you may not even realize that's why your experience is so miserable. Even if it means just grabbing some quick little snack somewhere, eat. Get food in your belly.
  
• Prioritize. It's okay if you're not really excited about the "must-do" stuff (she says, lightly unimpressed with FEA); it's ultimately your vacation and it should be about what you want to do, whether that's hitting all the E-ticket rides, eating amazing meals, or just strolling through the parks with the rest of your party. As long as you've got a grip on your priorities, it won't be the end of the world if you can't snag that hard-to-get ADR or FP.
  
• Eat WELL. Maybe it's just because I love eating, but my favorite thing about any Disney trip is eating food that's otherwise too expensive and fancy for me to get. Even if you're not someone who goes gaga over the latest food crazes, take advantage of the Dining Plan and have at least one Really Nice Meal during your trip.

 

[Satchmo128]

Try a new restaurant or experience (tour, maybe?) every trip to keep things fresh. During our December trip we had dinner at The Wave...of American Flavors and I think it is was one of the best meals we have ever had on property. We also ate at Nine Dragons on a whim (made an ADR about an hour ahead of time) and really enjoyed it. I have paid too much attention to restaurant reviews in the past (which has caused us to steer clear of a few places) and on this trip we decided to throw caution to the wind with food. And it was one of the best dining trips we have had so far!