My parents are taking my sisters family and mine to Disney the first week in June. There will be 10 of us total, four being children from 4-14. This will the first time for all of us, and I would like to hear your do's and don'ts when visiting Disney.
Do's and Don'ts
- Thread starter bssvoboda
- Start date
jewelsangel
Disney Bound
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2009
- Messages
- 55
1. DO do your research before going to Disney. There are plenty of resources you can check out including many many posts on this forum.
2. DO plan for rain. Get everyone a poncho.
3. DO visit the Guest Relations area of the parks. Tell them it's your first visit and they will give you all a button!
4. DO study the maps and plan out where you want to go first.
5. DON'T be afraid to ask cast members questions.
6. DON'T miss WISHES or ILLUMINATIONS
7. DO see at least parade. I suggest SPECTROMAGIC
8. DO plan a meetup location in case anyone gets lost.
9. DO have lots of fun. DON'T get stressed out over anything. It's not worth it.
2. DO plan for rain. Get everyone a poncho.
3. DO visit the Guest Relations area of the parks. Tell them it's your first visit and they will give you all a button!
4. DO study the maps and plan out where you want to go first.
5. DON'T be afraid to ask cast members questions.
6. DON'T miss WISHES or ILLUMINATIONS
7. DO see at least parade. I suggest SPECTROMAGIC
8. DO plan a meetup location in case anyone gets lost.
9. DO have lots of fun. DON'T get stressed out over anything. It's not worth it.
NJ Goofy
DVC Member - SSR & BWV
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2008
- Messages
- 976
1) Don't try to all stay together all the time or someone will always be unhappy. Break up into groups that want to do the same things.
2) Do make dinner or lunch reservations. If you don't want to use them, you can cancel them that day.
3) Do get to the parks early !! You can go on twice as many attractions in the morning than the afternoon.
4) Do take advantage of FastPass.
5) Do take a break in the middle of the day. Either go back to your resort for swimming or a quick nap, or have a long sit down late lunch or early dinner.
6) Don't stress, it's supposed to be fun.
2) Do make dinner or lunch reservations. If you don't want to use them, you can cancel them that day.
3) Do get to the parks early !! You can go on twice as many attractions in the morning than the afternoon.
4) Do take advantage of FastPass.
5) Do take a break in the middle of the day. Either go back to your resort for swimming or a quick nap, or have a long sit down late lunch or early dinner.
6) Don't stress, it's supposed to be fun.
WizardLarz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2009
- Messages
- 1,200
1) Do allow your teen or tween the freedom to roam alone. The parks are safe and cell phones allow you to stay intouch!
2) Don't over plan: no ride this ,see this , ride this planning(camando style) you'll wear everyone out!
3) Don't over do ADR's: all Character Meals will eat into your time!
4) If you are on the buy4get3 plan you have 6 full days!
a) 1 day for Animal Kingdom
b) 1 day for Disney Hollywood Studio
c) 1-1/2 days for EPCOT
d) 1-1/2 days for Magic Kingdom
e) 1/2 day for a Water Park
f) 1/2 day for Downtown Disney (shopping)
FYI: I'm doing a-b-f-e-c-d!
5) Relaxe, take your time! Remember this is a vacation! Besides if you miss something then you'll have an excusse to come back!
2) Don't over plan: no ride this ,see this , ride this planning(camando style) you'll wear everyone out!
3) Don't over do ADR's: all Character Meals will eat into your time!
4) If you are on the buy4get3 plan you have 6 full days!
a) 1 day for Animal Kingdom
b) 1 day for Disney Hollywood Studio
c) 1-1/2 days for EPCOT
d) 1-1/2 days for Magic Kingdom
e) 1/2 day for a Water Park
f) 1/2 day for Downtown Disney (shopping)
FYI: I'm doing a-b-f-e-c-d!
5) Relaxe, take your time! Remember this is a vacation! Besides if you miss something then you'll have an excusse to come back!
disneyorvegas
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2004
- Messages
- 372
DON'T try do it all! You can't see/do everything in one trip.
DO remember to ask the kids what they want to see/do. My (then) 4yo had some of the best ideas!
DO start with a general plan, but
DON'T be afraid to deviate from it.
Most of all, enjoy!
DO remember to ask the kids what they want to see/do. My (then) 4yo had some of the best ideas!
DO start with a general plan, but
DON'T be afraid to deviate from it.
Most of all, enjoy!
Luv2Diz
We love the Wonder and Magic of Disney cruising!
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2005
- Messages
- 1,243
DO wear the most comfortable shoes you have. I always take at least 2 pairs and switch them when we go back to the room for our mid-day break. People underestimate how large the parks are and how much walking they will be doing. We average 7 - 8 miles a day! 
Moeluv4u7
Luv2CUSmile
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,172
This is our first trip coming up as well but we have found in general these things are very important when traveling away from home-
Oh! & This only works really well if you are driving...
Don't forget your "everyday must haves"
>i.e. if you are a Pepsi product person- buy your sodas and load them in the vehicle- no telling how much they will be in the WDW area let alone- not getting Pepsi products at WDW at all...
>When will "Aunt Flo" be visiting... Plan accordingly- enough said...
>Toiletries... if you have particulars or really will need a certain something- Bring it! (lotions, meds, razers, hair supplies, etc)
>glasses, sunglasses, back up pair... contact, solution, etc
>toothbrushes and such... we pack last since we use them before leaving and they have been left more often than not- Too expensive if you can't get to a local "regular" store
>water- water bottles, holder or carabiner clip-, capri-sonnes, package drinks of sorts... much cheaper to buy and bring with ya
>if you want beer, cigs, etc- bring your own from your local stores unless you KNOW it will be cheaper at the "House of the Mouse"- (usually not)
>stamps- gotta send yourself a postcard from WDW and maybe a few more to the fam that didn't get to come...
>sunscreen, bugspray, etc
>batteries, chargers, etc for any and all electronics
>extra SD cards and battery pack or whatever format you will need for camera
>extra change (preferrably quarters and shiny pennies for the pressed penny machines
>extra shoes- just in case one pair gets wet, or tears, etc- much less expensive and better on feet to have that already comfy pair with you
Many other things that would normally be "planned" for- The above items are just things we have noticed we somehow always used to forget about and need -
Also good to have- a couple trash bags, band aids & neosporin, aspirin, and all kids over 10 having their own bag to carry in the parks helps too- They don't have to carry it but it is their choice and if something they specifically want gets left, they had a choice...
Oh! & This only works really well if you are driving...
Don't forget your "everyday must haves"
>i.e. if you are a Pepsi product person- buy your sodas and load them in the vehicle- no telling how much they will be in the WDW area let alone- not getting Pepsi products at WDW at all...
>When will "Aunt Flo" be visiting... Plan accordingly- enough said...
>Toiletries... if you have particulars or really will need a certain something- Bring it! (lotions, meds, razers, hair supplies, etc)
>glasses, sunglasses, back up pair... contact, solution, etc
>toothbrushes and such... we pack last since we use them before leaving and they have been left more often than not- Too expensive if you can't get to a local "regular" store
>water- water bottles, holder or carabiner clip-, capri-sonnes, package drinks of sorts... much cheaper to buy and bring with ya
>if you want beer, cigs, etc- bring your own from your local stores unless you KNOW it will be cheaper at the "House of the Mouse"- (usually not)
>stamps- gotta send yourself a postcard from WDW and maybe a few more to the fam that didn't get to come...
>sunscreen, bugspray, etc
>batteries, chargers, etc for any and all electronics
>extra SD cards and battery pack or whatever format you will need for camera
>extra change (preferrably quarters and shiny pennies for the pressed penny machines
>extra shoes- just in case one pair gets wet, or tears, etc- much less expensive and better on feet to have that already comfy pair with you
Many other things that would normally be "planned" for- The above items are just things we have noticed we somehow always used to forget about and need -
Also good to have- a couple trash bags, band aids & neosporin, aspirin, and all kids over 10 having their own bag to carry in the parks helps too- They don't have to carry it but it is their choice and if something they specifically want gets left, they had a choice...
/
tassma
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2008
- Messages
- 311
There are a lot of great suggestions already, but with such a large group you are eligible for Grand Gatherings. Those can be fun. Also, you should have a strategy for eating. It can be challenging to figure that out. With such a large group you may want to come up with a tentative plan and get some reservations before you go.
Have fun - and don't be afraid to split up first thing in the am. We always get there early and some of our group where later risers. After a couple of frustrating mornings for all of us, we just started splitting up and meeting later. This philosophy works well if you have cell phones. You can meet up throughout the day and regroup.
Enjoy!
Have fun - and don't be afraid to split up first thing in the am. We always get there early and some of our group where later risers. After a couple of frustrating mornings for all of us, we just started splitting up and meeting later. This philosophy works well if you have cell phones. You can meet up throughout the day and regroup.
Enjoy!
TENIA66
<font color=red>Does the tag fairy post things you
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2005
- Messages
- 3,596
Sit down with family, and take a set of park maps and have each person pick their top 3 must sees/dos in each park. Don't plan to leave together for the parks, and don't plan to stay every minute together. Early risers resent sleep inners for not getting up early and going, so don't.....Just go, keep in touch on cell phones and try to meet up throughout the day. Schedule your meet ups in areas with photopass photographers and get those family photos, you can share a photopass cd to reduce costs.....
About day 3 if you are commando type touring folks, plan on hitting "the wall"....Can't get up and go, nothing sounds fun, etc. Just rest. The best park we think for hitting the wall is Disney Studios, where there are quite a few shows, smaller area and it's easier to navigate.
Have ton's of fun. We've gone with a total of nine before. It was a blast.
About day 3 if you are commando type touring folks, plan on hitting "the wall"....Can't get up and go, nothing sounds fun, etc. Just rest. The best park we think for hitting the wall is Disney Studios, where there are quite a few shows, smaller area and it's easier to navigate.
Have ton's of fun. We've gone with a total of nine before. It was a blast.
missfigment
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
- Messages
- 462
DONT forget your sunscreen. Florida heat is brutal.
DO wear light colored clothing for the same reason.
DONT forget to drink lots of water while you are in the park
DO take lots of pictures so you have lasting memories
DONT forget cell phone chargers
DO take time to visit Downtown Disney
DONT waste your time on parades (thats my opinion) sometimes its the best time to hit the rides because they arent as crowded
DO go on the Safari ride at AK
DONT forget about old favorite rides like Small World and Carasol of Progress
DO buy some momentos (ie: stuffed toy, magnet, keychain, t-shirt) to remember the trip buy
DO consider wearing all the same color since you are a large group (easy to spot your other family members)
DONT sweat it if you cant dp anything and just remember this is a vacation and you are supposed to have fun
DONT Overplan but DO have some plans
DO wear light colored clothing for the same reason.
DONT forget to drink lots of water while you are in the park
DO take lots of pictures so you have lasting memories
DONT forget cell phone chargers
DO take time to visit Downtown Disney
DONT waste your time on parades (thats my opinion) sometimes its the best time to hit the rides because they arent as crowded
DO go on the Safari ride at AK
DONT forget about old favorite rides like Small World and Carasol of Progress
DO buy some momentos (ie: stuffed toy, magnet, keychain, t-shirt) to remember the trip buy
DO consider wearing all the same color since you are a large group (easy to spot your other family members)
DONT sweat it if you cant dp anything and just remember this is a vacation and you are supposed to have fun
DONT Overplan but DO have some plans
When we take extended family, I make one ADR per day.
I ask each person for their 3 must-do things and make a plan for the week.
I give each adult and older child a copy of the intinerary which also includes everyone's cell number.
This piece of paper makes it so easy for groups to split up and get back together again. There is no wasted time discussing which park we are going to today. Everyone is more patient because they know they have had input into the schedule and their preference of activities will come around for them.
I ask each person for their 3 must-do things and make a plan for the week.
I give each adult and older child a copy of the intinerary which also includes everyone's cell number.
This piece of paper makes it so easy for groups to split up and get back together again. There is no wasted time discussing which park we are going to today. Everyone is more patient because they know they have had input into the schedule and their preference of activities will come around for them.
JamesF408
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 14, 2004
- Messages
- 172
DO plan where you will go each day before you arrive. That way you can wake up and not have to figure out where to go that day.
DO make reservations NOW to restaurants in WDW to guarantee you will get in
DO get a Disney Dining Plan for the family unless you are planning on preparing meals yourself. The DDP is about $37 a day for adults and you get 2 meals a day, 2 snacks, and 2 drinks, and gratuities are included. You can also save points and rollover the next day, but you must use all of them before your checkout date. The plan is put on your key to the world card.
DO arrive 2 hours early to Illuminations at Epcot and sit at La Cantina De San Angel eatery in Mexico at the World Showcase, it is one of the best views for the show. (eat slow so you don't feel obligated to move after you eat)
DO take into consideration that there are 4 major parks, 2 water parks, and downtown disney. So again, plan plan plan.
DON'T forget to take sunblock
DO arrive early to the parks for the opening shows
DO use fast pass (you can get one every hour and you don't have to use them on the given time on the card, so you can save a couple fast passes at the end of the day and you will only have to stand in line at certain rides for no more than 10 minutes at a time)
DO take advantage of rides while fireworks shows are going on...everyone is watching them and the lines for rides are quite small around those times
I think I gave away enough of my little disney secrets, I'm sure the disneyers on this board also know
Anyway lastly, don't forget to have fun, no stress, no worries, enjoy the magic!
DO make reservations NOW to restaurants in WDW to guarantee you will get in
DO get a Disney Dining Plan for the family unless you are planning on preparing meals yourself. The DDP is about $37 a day for adults and you get 2 meals a day, 2 snacks, and 2 drinks, and gratuities are included. You can also save points and rollover the next day, but you must use all of them before your checkout date. The plan is put on your key to the world card.
DO arrive 2 hours early to Illuminations at Epcot and sit at La Cantina De San Angel eatery in Mexico at the World Showcase, it is one of the best views for the show. (eat slow so you don't feel obligated to move after you eat)
DO take into consideration that there are 4 major parks, 2 water parks, and downtown disney. So again, plan plan plan.
DON'T forget to take sunblock
DO arrive early to the parks for the opening shows
DO use fast pass (you can get one every hour and you don't have to use them on the given time on the card, so you can save a couple fast passes at the end of the day and you will only have to stand in line at certain rides for no more than 10 minutes at a time)
DO take advantage of rides while fireworks shows are going on...everyone is watching them and the lines for rides are quite small around those times
I think I gave away enough of my little disney secrets, I'm sure the disneyers on this board also know
Anyway lastly, don't forget to have fun, no stress, no worries, enjoy the magic!
Princessclab
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2007
- Messages
- 792
Hello!
Congrats that you are able to coordinate a group to go on this great vacation.
We were a grand gathering of 17. Oldest was 54 years old; youngest was 6 years years old. We had a blast. No issues (if you can believe that). We stayed at the POFQ and our rooms were all next to each other.
We planned a few things together; Hoop Dee Doo Revue, Typhoon Lagoon and the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The rest, we agreed, everyone could go on their own. We still ended up doing alot together. I believe it helped if things weren't to structured.
The best advice came from my 7 year old niece "Just have a good time. We can't do everything and it just means we will have to come back!" She was a first time WDW attendee.
Have fun!!!
Congrats that you are able to coordinate a group to go on this great vacation.
We were a grand gathering of 17. Oldest was 54 years old; youngest was 6 years years old. We had a blast. No issues (if you can believe that). We stayed at the POFQ and our rooms were all next to each other.
We planned a few things together; Hoop Dee Doo Revue, Typhoon Lagoon and the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The rest, we agreed, everyone could go on their own. We still ended up doing alot together. I believe it helped if things weren't to structured.
The best advice came from my 7 year old niece "Just have a good time. We can't do everything and it just means we will have to come back!" She was a first time WDW attendee.
Have fun!!!
GRUMPY D
DVC Member SSRS
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 368
the big dos
1) have everybody bring id (OK at least the adults ) if you are flying you need it to get past security and if you use a credit card you will need to show it
2) make shore you have all of you documents ( tickets , adr conformation # ) with you before you leave home
3) bring extra batteries and film or memory cards
4) bring a small flashlight to read park maps at night
5) try new things
6) go and look and explore the other resorts
the dont's
1) rush threw the parks take your time and look around
1) have everybody bring id (OK at least the adults ) if you are flying you need it to get past security and if you use a credit card you will need to show it
2) make shore you have all of you documents ( tickets , adr conformation # ) with you before you leave home
3) bring extra batteries and film or memory cards
4) bring a small flashlight to read park maps at night
5) try new things
6) go and look and explore the other resorts
the dont's
1) rush threw the parks take your time and look around
starrysky
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,615
DONT forget your sunscreen. Florida heat is brutal.
DO wear light colored clothing for the same reason.
DONT forget to drink lots of water while you are in the park
DO take lots of pictures so you have lasting memories
DONT forget cell phone chargers
DO take time to visit Downtown Disney
DONT waste your time on parades (thats my opinion) sometimes its the best time to hit the rides because they arent as crowded
DO go on the Safari ride at AK
DONT forget about old favorite rides like Small World and Carasol of Progress
DO buy some momentos (ie: stuffed toy, magnet, keychain, t-shirt) to remember the trip buy
DO consider wearing all the same color since you are a large group (easy to spot your other family members)
DONT sweat it if you cant dp anything and just remember this is a vacation and you are supposed to have fun
DONT Overplan but DO have some plans
As above but make sure that you go over some of the rides etc with the youngest. The last thing you want is to get there and find out that they are freaked out by it all. Even for an adult it can be very overwhelming ao plan accordingly and start off easy as others have said ENJOY YOURSELF and if some of the group are not do not make it your fault you are going to get some people you will not please all the time.
And I say try and see at least one parade its fun to see them and they are a nice chance to have an excuse to sit down and rest.
DO take Body Glide. This is a miracle for all of our family members. It prevents chaffing and helps preven blisters as well. We all apply in the am and again after our afternoon break. We put it on our feet and on our inner thighs.
Do drink lots of water.
Do take a dollar store laundry bag - helps keep your clean and dirty clothes separated.
Do take afternoon breaks!
Do buy an extra camera battery and SD card.
Do purchase the photopass - we ended up with 114 pictures last summer and they are great. If you pre-purchase it is $100.
Do use fastpasses.
Do drink lots of water.
Do take a dollar store laundry bag - helps keep your clean and dirty clothes separated.
Do take afternoon breaks!
Do buy an extra camera battery and SD card.
Do purchase the photopass - we ended up with 114 pictures last summer and they are great. If you pre-purchase it is $100.
Do use fastpasses.
This one can kind of work to your advantage at times too though. If you are traveling with children that are going to want to meet many of the characters and get autographs/pictures - then sometimes the character meals can save you some time. I would much rather spend an hour eating at Chef Mickey's to get Mickey, Goofy, Chip and Dale's autograph, than stand in line for an hour at MK to get Mickey's autograph. To me, character meals kind of kill two birds with one stone - eating and seeing some of the characters that are not often just out and about.
As for a do/don't:
DO be sure notice the tired/stressed out families yelling at their kids and trying to make it to see everything and do everything on your first trip. You will see them when you first get to WDW and think "Wow, don't these peope realize they are at WDW?!?!?"
DON'T be like us and discover by the end of your trip that you had turned into one of those families without even realizing it was happening.
Take your time, enjoy yourself, let the kids have fun, realize you are not going to see everything, and don't let yourself get so worn down that you get stressed out over little things that, in hindsight, are really no big deal at all. If the kids don't want to get out of the stroller to get Jasmine's autograph, don't worry about. If you want to take 10 minutes to sit on a bench and watch a water fountain, do it.
noahdove
Noahdove
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2007
- Messages
- 7,255
Don't forget to get id bracelets or tags for the kids, not with their names but YOURS and your cell phone # just in case you get misplaced. Be sure to point out CM's and let them know those are the people they can go to if you should get misplaced...if you are a gum chewer, take it as they don't sell it in the World. Have a fantastic magical trip
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