Worst advice you got

[Madteaparty001]

And, no, the kids don't really remember the trips they go on at 1 or 2 or 3 years old. They remember through story telling, through pictures and videos, through people reminiscing, etc. You may say that doesn't matter to you, and that's perfectly fine. But you certainly can't argue that your now 12 year old remembers the trip they took when they were 2. They "remember" because you've talked about it and looked at pictures of it for the past 10 years!

I have to disagree with this. While most kids won't remember most things from their childhood, that doesn't mean a child can't remember something from that age. I have a very random and very vivid memory of running down the hall of my childhood house in my over sized little mermaid pj shirt at 2 years old to grab a diaper out of the nursery for my little sister. It was a very ordinary thing and my parents didn't remember it because I must have done it dozens of times, so there was no false memory there.

Another example, I saw a very bad home video of the only time we stayed on property when I was a kid (I was maybe 6?) and it triggered memories that weren't in the film that my parents confirmed. We went to Florida almost every year in my childhood, do I remember most of it? Nope, but there are bits and pieces, and that's enough to convince me that a child that young can definitely make great memories just like their parents.

 

[SimonSez]

From my travel agent friend: You've BEEN to WDW; you need to go someplace else.

Sounds like something my family would say when we plan a trip to WDW, course we never listen hehe. We're going someplace different this year and well...it's not Disney

 

[Veggie]

You are taking too many pictures! BAD ADVICE! You can never have too many pictures of your WDW vacation.

 

[crostorfer]

I didn't say that popular rides weren't open. If you will read my post, you'll note that I said "For us." My kids wanted to go to Jungle Cruise, Carousel, and Hall of Presidents. We didn't think the lines at other "popular" rides were shorter, either, on that particular night. We also don't watch the parades, so for us it didn't matter that it was better. Really, it's all a matter of opinion. I'm glad you enjoy the Halloween Party. Many people do. It just wasn't our thing. Not trying to debate, just answering the OP's question about the advice we took. It probably works for other people, just not for us.

REALLY???

I will agree about the lines being shorter, but your kids REALLY wanted to go on the CoP and visit the HoP? Like, for real?

 

[Texas Barbie]

From my travel agent friend: You've BEEN to WDW; you need to go someplace else.

Oh, heck no!

 

[polineedyan]

"try to Luau"
"maybe try a split stay?"

Neither..ever..ever..again.

 

[honeybunches]

REALLY???

I will agree about the lines being shorter, but your kids REALLY wanted to go on the CoP and visit the HoP? Like, for real?

Yeah.

 

[DVC4FUN]

We'll probably worst advice was my own. Thinking I wouldn't need a jacket in June because it's going to be hot the whole time. WRONG!

Restaurants and shops get so cold sometimes. There were times I was down right shivering! Even the evenings outdoors sometimes called for a light cover up. I don't care how hot it is I always have a jacket tied around my waist.

The bus rides are so cold! Brrr.... When I've gone with my mom in the warm months she gets freezing shivering on those rides so takes a zip up sweatshirt. I just deal with it cause don't want to lug the sweatshirt around all day.

Hummm maybe thats where they got the idea for Frozen? Lol...

A friend was asking me for advise a few days ago and said that someone told her to skip EPCOT. I was shocked!

I think the worst advise I have heard recently is to wait to take kids until they are older. I have heard so many times that DS (2.5, almost 3) will not remember this trip so what is the point? The magic is so real for little kids and I can't imagine waiting to take him. We will have the pictures and memories to share with him. Plus, we will go again.

A matter of opinion for sure, but the advise to stay off-site to save money. With the extra cost of gas, parking, and lost time, we will never do it again.

Yea I don't know what my youngest sister (9 years younger than me... in her mid twenties) has against Epcot but always gives a bit of a attitude not wanting to go there. I understand there is less rides there (she also only likes slow rides) but theres other things to do and see to spend a day there. IDK I like it, and has some of the best food choices of the parks.

I have no kids of my own but enjoy taking my family (parents, siblings, niece, nephews....ok still waiting to take the newest one) along on my DVC. Couldn't wait to take my niece but my sister wanted to wait until she was 3 (potty trained and all that). Still an early age and so glad we took her. She had a great time and that's what it is about to me. They don't have to remember it for the rest of their lives. Funny though but for the first year after, the thing she remembered the most was watching the cattle from our AKV savannah balcony um having bodily functions. Lol....

Heck I started going to WDW 15 years ago as a young adult and I don't remember most of it but that doesn't matter because I had fun in the moment. I know the parks & rides like the back of my hand, but the specific personal memories with my family & friends unfortunately don't remember much. And after so many trips some memories/trips seem to smudge together.

This is exactly what I was going to say. My DS was the same age as yours when we took our first family Disney trip (2 months away from 3). Lots of people told me I should wait until he is older, that he wouldn't remember it and wouldn't really enjoy it. Guess what? He had the time of his life. Fell in love with the rides and characters, came home singing the songs. The look in his eyes when he met THE Mickey Mouse made it worth every penny. And he remembers plenty. He will still reference things that happened on that first trip and they are stories he didn't get from a photo or from us telling him. BONUS: His admission and meals were free! Enjoy your trip!

Totally agree! If I have a kid I'd definitely be taking them 1,2,3+ times before they turned 3!

1) Its always been our experience that the second parade is less crowded than the first. Note that this is different than saying that the second parade isn't crowded though.


We refer to the granite monoliths in front of Epcot as the tomb of the unknown tourist.

An ex bf & I are on there. I call them something similar.......

I agree, but be prepared. My boys have been every year of their lives from infancy and they do not remember their first 7 or 8 trips to WDW at all. We have the pictures and show them, but they have no recollection. They did when they were younger, but those memories have faded for them. Thankfully, they have not faded for me or my wife. Those trips were amazing.

Totally agree..... just wish I had more memory.... lol

My DD was so disappointed that we didn't really get wet on Splash last year. She'd watched the boats going down the hill before we got on and was expecting to get soaked, but we were in the 2nd row and the two adults in the front row completely blocked the wave.


Same here. We took our older DD for the first time right after she turned 2, and I think everyone we told about the trip (including our parents who came with us) thought we were crazy. But we all had a great time. She loved the characters - Donald was her favorite and we have the most adorable pictures of her giving him big hugs and them playing peek-a-boo. Our younger DD was 16 months old on her first trip last year, and she definitely got just carted around more to things that DD5 wanted to do, but she enjoyed herself too. I'm really excited to take her back this year; she'll be 27 months and now knows/LOVES Mickey & Pooh. She wouldn't really get near the characters last year (just Stitch on our last day - go figure) but I'm hoping now that she's older & more familiar with them she'll be willing to meet them.


Funny story - I was talking with my mom about the plans I've made for our trip next month, and I told her that I decided to book the Hoop de Doo Review dinner show. Her response - "Oh we saw that once, it was a lot of fun." I have absolutely no recollection of ever seeing HDDR, so I asked her when. Her response - "When we stayed at the cabin there." I was floored - I was 8 years old on the trip when we stayed at the Ft Wilderness cabin! I remember other things from that trip, including that cabin, but didn't even know that I'd ever been to HDDR. Memory is a funny thing.

Memory definitely is!

I have very little memory of my visits to DL between ages 7-10. Or for that matter DL when I was 16-17! Wish I could remember it more. But have been back since in the last few years a few times and have a better memory of that. I also think the multitude of digital pictures I take now helps hold onto some of those memories.

"DIsney Vacation Club is a waste of money", and "All timeshares lose value and are difficult to resell".

I bought DVC at $72/point. It is currently $165/point. We have gone every year for over 10 years - it has paid for itself. And I could sell it now and make a profit.

I heard that from a few people when I first bought 10 years ago. Glad to say they were quite wrong. And as many DVCers say.... Wish I had bought sooner!

Not advice but....

"It's a once in a lifetime trip!"

Not for us! Hoping we can make it a yearly thing, maybe every other at the most! I would be sad if it was once in a lifetime..... I'm only 29!! I have the whole rest of my life ahead of me, and I want WDW to be a big part of it!

I also found the kitchen sink containing park bag to not get much use. Though I DO love the $1 ponchos- we didn't get rained on but we wore on splash....didn't need it there but wished we wore them on Kali a few days before! Lol!! Next time, I'll take a backpack probably.

I always pack the $1 ponchos in my park purse everyday. They are
small enough to not take up much room and keep me dry from rain & water rides. Hate walking around in wet clothes.

You are taking too many pictures! BAD ADVICE! You can never have too many pictures of your WDW vacation.

With the rate my memory lets things slip it may be the only way I'll remember the trip!

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I went to WDW for the first time when I was three. I definitely have memories from that trip that are not in pictures, or from stories of my parents. In particular, I had this memory of a "talking" tiki statue from the Polynesian Village. Point in fact, my parents told me I had imagined it, because they never saw it. I held fast to my belief in the scary talking statue for decades, before I visited the hotel again as an adult.

It exists. It's got a speaker to play music. I am vindicated.

Also, your toddlers will remember the trip. Not a lot of it, mind you, but they will remember. Regardless, that was the only trip we ever took with my grandparents, who are now deceased. Do my parents remember the trip and them fondly? You better believe they do. At my grandmother's funeral one of the photos we displayed was of her and me (wearing Mickey ears) sitting on some random bench, just taking it all in. Take your kids while they're young, and take your parents while they're alive.

 

[Jfsag123]

REALLY???

I will agree about the lines being shorter, but your kids REALLY wanted to go on the CoP and visit the HoP? Like, for real?

Judgy much? Not the poster you quoted, but my kids also REALLY want to do CoP and HoP. They both love CoP. When DS experienced it for the first time, he immediately said "can we do that again?!" A child belting out "there's a great big beautiful tomorrow!" is a pretty common occurrence at my house. Due to bad luck and unforeseen circumstances, we have not been able to experience HoP yet. Made it as far as the waiting area last trip when we had to walk out due to a sudden potty emergency. DD was really sad to miss it, as she had been asking about it and looking forward to seeing it. She has insisted that we make it happen on our next trip no matter what.

 

[101Pongo]

Before our first trip, I did a lot of research here on DIS, and other places as well. Prevailing thought seemed to be you absolutely HAD to have park hoppers or you'd never see everything you wanted. If you weren't hopping, you were wasting your time. No way could you stick to one park a day. So I bought them. Never used them! Wasted over $200 for our family. We've never bought them since and have done just fine on all five trips! I know this is personal preference. There's no one right answer--but it certainly seemed that way at the time!

Since it doesn't cost more to add Park Hopper or Water Parks to your tickets at the last minute, why wouldn't anyone just stop at the concierge at the hotel on the way to the bus to have it added on (if/when you need it)? That's what we do!

Also, worst advice: Watch Wishes from the TTC... we really didn't like the view from there.

 

[missbrooke06]

REALLY???

I will agree about the lines being shorter, but your kids REALLY wanted to go on the CoP and visit the HoP? Like, for real?

CoP has been my brother's favorite ride since he was 4. I'm excited to see him try and get my 4 year old on it this year.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Since it doesn't cost more to add Park Hopper or Water Parks to your tickets at the last minute, why wouldn't anyone just stop at the concierge at the hotel on the way to the bus to have it added on (if/when you need it)? That's what we do!

Also, worst advice: Watch Wishes from the TTC... we really didn't like the view from there.

Yes, I know that now and that's exactly what I advise people to do. HOWEVER, at the time--and this is where the bad advice comes in--the general thought here seemed to be you can't possibly go without. You will use it without a doubt. You're wasting your whole vacation if you don't have it. You won't survive without it. Should I go on? So as a first timer I listened to that and bought it ahead of time. Big mistake.

 

[GaryDis]

FWIW: I went to DL when I was 5. I don't really remember it. I remember being told about it later, especially the part about my mother being concerned by my being in front at the Matterhorn, and the CM saying it was the safest place.

But it must have happened, because I still feel nostalgic about the Matterhorn the rare times I make it back to DL.

Of course, we didn't go because my parents ignored any advice about me being too young. We went because I had my grandfather twisted around my little finger, and I asked him to take us. At that point, my parents had no choice.

 

[tony609]

worst advice was don't go to Disney go somewhere else for a change lol

 

[kmoore7]

Would it make more sense if it were phrased this way: Suppose you only had one chance to go to WDW between the kids being born and the kids going off to college. At what age would you choose to take them?

WOW! I don't think I can answer that. When we went with 4 children,our youngest was 2. She doesn't remember much.
When we went with 5 children, our youngest was 4. He remembers some.

So, our trips were based on other factors,not necessarily age. The older siblings would have gone sooner, but life gets complicated. We talked seriously about a trip when our oldest two were 6 & 4.

My mind wont comprehend only one trip though. Too dreadful of a thought.

 

[101Pongo]

Yes, I know that now and that's exactly what I advise people to do. HOWEVER, at the time--and this is where the bad advice comes in--the general thought here seemed to be you can't possibly go without. You will use it without a doubt. You're wasting your whole vacation if you don't have it. You won't survive without it. Should I go on? So as a first timer I listened to that and bought it ahead of time. Big mistake.

We buy it ahead of time but only because we know we will use it. We always Park Hop back to MK at the end of the night for that extra hour or 2 (we close out the parks every night). Water Parks, we add on the way out of the hotel going there since we never know what the weather will be like or if we'll even feel like going.

 

[trololo]

Don't pool hop... really? The other pools are better.
Don't line jump... but I don't want to wait.
Make ADR's... I just complain loud enough about the fact that there are no tables, and I get seated.

 

[siskaren]

Don't pool hop... really? The other pools are better.
Don't line jump... but I don't want to wait.
Make ADR's... I just complain loud enough about the fact that there are no tables, and I get seated.

Please tell me you're joking.

 

[kbelle8995]

The person who told somebody at my grocery store that they should go to WDW on Christmas week because no one will be there and they can walk on rides.

But that one was not geared towards me.

I personally love the Tiki room but I realized that it's not everybody's cup of tea.