First time to WDW any last minute advice?

[Crazy4Disney06]

We leave for Pop on Monday. This will our first family trip to WDW. ( I visited once when I was 16, so .... 11 years ago ) I've been planning this trip for so long and have hit last minute panic mode. Any last minute advice for us?

 

[travelbug]

I'm a big believer in taking a mid-day break away from the parks. Head back to the resort for a swim, a nap, or just to cool off in the A/C for a while. Then you'll feel rested and ready to head back to a park for the evening.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[bab31]

take me with you

 

[AllyGirl_79]

Make sure you allow some time to relax - if you're overtired, you won't enjoy anything. Remember that you can't possibly see everything, so hit your favorites and enjoy the atmosphere. Don't get worked up if the family doesn't want to stick to the schedule. There is always room for changes. Remember you can cancel and ADR, play in a playground, spend a little more time at the pool, or ride Peter Pan twice and you will still have fun. You've done all the planning you need to do in order to have a great trip.

Make sure you enjoy the hotel. Service issues, mousekeeping problems and all the other things you read about are unlikely. Even if they happen, there's no place like a Disney resort. Don't panic if transportation takes a little longer than expected, just think of all of the rest of us who wish we were on a Disney bus and enjoy the sights and sounds around you. There is no such thing as a perfect vacation, but, if you don't worry yourself to death about the details, you'll have a very Disney vacation, which is the next best thing.

Don't nickel and dime yourself. You can't possibly squeeze every penny out of the DDP or take advantage of every discount. Your time is worth more than the effort to figure out every detail.

Enjoy every family memory, take lots of pictures, let the someone else lead the way for a while, and take breaks from the heat. Watch the faces of your loved ones as they see things for the first time instead of looking around to figure out what's next. Hug a mouse, eat a Dole whip/Mickey bar/tonga toast/something sweet, see the castle at night, use fast pass, watch some of the live entertainment at World Showcase, watch a parade, hum along with the music, stand clear of the monorail doors, and have a wonderful, amazing trip.

 

[restful urchin]

Take a deep breath when someting is annoying or not going your way and say to yourself. "I'm in Disney. Not at work and not at home. It doesnt' matter what happens because I'm on holiday and will roll with the punches!" Then take a look around you at the Magical setting.. Enjoy!!!

works for me.

I see you're from Oregon. I lived there for many years in Scio, Albany, and Tigard!!!
Have a wonderful vacation!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Make sure you allow some time to relax - if you're overtired, you won't enjoy anything. Remember that you can't possibly see everything, so hit your favorites and enjoy the atmosphere. Don't get worked up if the family doesn't want to stick to the schedule. There is always room for changes. Remember you can cancel and ADR, play in a playground, spend a little more time at the pool, or ride Peter Pan twice and you will still have fun. You've done all the planning you need to do in order to have a great trip.

Make sure you enjoy the hotel. Service issues, mousekeeping problems and all the other things you read about are unlikely. Even if they happen, there's no place like a Disney resort. Don't panic if transportation takes a little longer than expected, just think of all of the rest of us who wish we were on a Disney bus and enjoy the sights and sounds around you. There is no such thing as a perfect vacation, but, if you don't worry yourself to death about the details, you'll have a very Disney vacation, which is the next best thing.

Don't nickel and dime yourself. You can't possibly squeeze every penny out of the DDP or take advantage of every discount. Your time is worth more than the effort to figure out every detail.

Enjoy every family memory, take lots of pictures, let the someone else lead the way for a while, and take breaks from the heat. Watch the faces of your loved ones as they see things for the first time instead of looking around to figure out what's next. Hug a mouse, eat a Dole whip/Mickey bar/tonga toast/something sweet, see the castle at night, use fast pass, watch some of the live entertainment at World Showcase, watch a parade, hum along with the music, stand clear of the monorail doors, and have a wonderful, amazing trip.

Thank you!!! Just the perfect responce I needed!!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Take a deep breath when someting is annoying or not going your way and say to yourself. "I'm in Disney. Not at work and not at home. It doesnt' matter what happens because I'm on holiday and will roll with the punches!" Then take a look around you at the Magical setting.. Enjoy!!!

works for me.

I see you're from Oregon. I lived there for many years in Scio, Albany, and Tigard!!!
Have a wonderful vacation!

Wow small world. I grew up in Stayton just outside of Scio. Moved to Albany when I got married and now like in the very small town of Sheridan.

 

[kikiq]

We just got back last night...miss my dole whips already<G>

I echo all the precious posters...take your time and take that mid day break to sit in the pool. It was amazing how that 2/3 hour break gave us renewed energy. If you don't already have the water misters, either get them from Walmart or budget $12/child to get one..pricey yes BUT well worth the peace and quiet it bought...that was according to a dad who bought 4 of them for his kids<G> The kids that had one seem to handle the heat, crowds and waits a lot better than the kids without one. Decide which shows/rides are must see...everything else is extra...although we found if you can just get to the parks by opening or shortly after you will find as you leave at 1sh to go back to your pool, hordes of people are showing up to the parks. Disers said that would happen and it's true. We went to Disney Studios early two mornings to see the shows and left around 12:30 and the lines were incredibly long to get in!

If you're on the DDP, do your homework now and not while you're in line<G> I think most of the holdups in line at CS were people trying to figure out what was a snack and what they could get for CS. IF you're not on the DDP, I found that the kids meal for lunch was just right for me. I know, it says kid's meal but I would be wasting food if I got a full meal or salad. The chicken and ribs at Flame Tree BBQ in AK can easily be shared by 2 adults and the chicken could be shared by 3 small kids. AND the biggest thing to remember...CS will give you a large cup of ice water if you ask for it. We always asked for cups of water and then refilled our water bottle with ice water. Saves you from spending $2/water. We carried a water bottle that we filled with ice and water before we left the room, wrapped in a wash cloth. As the ice melted the bottle "sweated", the cloth absorbed the water, which we used to wipe down our arms and back of our necks...especially in AK.

Should you be near American Adventures during the heat of the day, go to the restrooms to the left of the resturant, there's a covered hallway that is so much cooler than the shade of the trees...some of the ac from the restrooms comes out to the hallway. My dh said to make a mental note of that place for next summer when we come with our 6 yr old niece.

Have a great time...wish we were going back sooner!!

 

[kikiq]

Forgot one thing...Use photopass!!! You can usually find some kind person to take one of all you but if you can't, let the photographer take one of you and then hand him your camera. They were very happy to take pics with your camera.

 

[mcco5543]

I agree about the misting fans, I reccomend the ones at disney, although pricey, they are powerful, have a strap for easy carrying and are cute. And not only will the kids do better, the adults will too..WE just got back 7/22 and it was hotter than jalepeno peppers times a million!

 

[leonger]

I totally agree about relaxing at midday when it's hottest and getting the mister fans. We purchased 3 from Costco and BJs, and they were a nice quickfix to the heat. Drop ice cubes into the cold water you put into the fans, and you'll get a nice cool mist!

If possible, try to get to the parks and the (major) attractions you want to see/ride as soon as the park opens. We were able to do Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger spin 3 times by getting there as soon as the park opened ... it was awesome!

If you don't want to go back to your hotel to rest during the afternoon heat, you can a little bit of time checking out the shops and/or visiting the indoor attractions. Epcot and MGM have a good number of indoor things to visit. Animal Kingdom does not!

HTH!

 

[stitchrulz]

Everyone else has given such great advice!

The only thing I would emphasize is to stay hydrated! This means drinking (preferably water) even when you don't feel thirsty because you lose more fluid than you think. My DH is really good about making sure we stay hydrated, and it does make a big differnce (IMHO!)!

Have fun!!!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have bought some of the mister fans from Walmart to take with us already. Glad to know they will come in great use. I also got the water park tickets to help with the heat

 

[leonger]

BTW, the Disney misters have a neat strap to carry them around your neck/shoulder. I made my own strap for the mister we purchased at Costco. I wrapped a black zip tie around the neck of the bottle (it had indentations/curves there) and then I attached a thick (1/2" wide) lanyard to the zip tie. It beats having to hold it the entire time.

PS. Have fun there!!!

 

[grumpy.uncle]

1.Be sure to apply plenty of sunscreen and reapply as needed since you will be sweating. I like the new continuous spray sunscreens. A little pricier, but so much easier to apply. 2.As previous posters have stated, take advantage of all that your resort has to offer. Always take a mid-day break to go back to your resort for a swim, relax, or nap. Then shower and change clothes to head out for some evening fun and fireworks. 3. Our usual plan is to get up early, eat breakfast in our room and be out the door well before the park we are going to opens. We have found that we get so much done in those morning hours when so many others are sitting down for their 1 to 2 hour breakfast reservation. I can sleep in or eat breakfast out when I get home. I've spent lots of money to be at WDW and I want to see as much as I can without waiting in any more lines than I have to. 4. We really don't wait in any line that has more than a 20 to 30 minute wait. You can always come back on another day or another trip to hit the things you missed. Waiting in long lines, in the sun, in the heat equals a bad vacation experience. 5. If the weather is hot, you want to be out of those parks and out of the sun during the 1 to 4 timeframe. Even w/ sunscreen, it's just not healthy for you or your family. 6. Even if you have planned every day to the minute, please be flexible when things don't go as planned. 7.We always take a bottled water for each of us w/ our names on them. We partially freeze our bottles so that they stayed cool throughout the day. You have to keep hydrated. 8.At least 2 pairs of comfy shoes so you can trade off and a pair of flip flops to wear around your resort and pool when you aren't hiking thru parks. Some moleskin or bandaids in case you do get blisters. 9.Don't forget your medications if you have prescription meds. Also some aspirin or other painkiller and some aloe vera gel in case you do get a little sunburn. 10.Sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun. And finally, remember to enjoy yourself.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

We leave for Pop on Monday. This will our first family trip to WDW. ( I visited once when I was 16, so .... 11 years ago ) I've been planning this trip for so long and have hit last minute panic mode. Any last minute advice for us?

ADRs for meals, Mid-day break/nap, ask for directions If you need them, put ziplock bags in backpack, take extra clothes for little ones, EXTRA SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR IN SUITCASE, band-aids can be obtained from first aid station, have autograph books and pens ready (they cost more at the park), no makeup necessary, also no perfume necessary, ponytail holders for the girls, stop by barbershop at MK for free pixie dust in kids hair, go to early EMH at Epcot to ride Soarin Ride, use fastpasses....more, but ran out of time!!! Most of all, ENJOY!!!!!!

 

[Quinn222]

• Echoing a previous poster, use photopass! If you don't you end up with one person who is never in the pictures. The photopass people are great and more than willing to use your camera as well as theirs.
  
• Take breaks
  
• Have a plan but be willing to deviate from it if you want to.
  
• Don't start every day with sugary foods, you'll run out of much needed energy.
  
• Try not to spend your vacation viewing it through a viewfinder. I found my first trip I was taking so many pictures that I didn't spend enough time just watching and enjoying.
  
• Drink water constantly and make sure your kids do too. Not soda, not coffee, water. It's very hot here and you do not want to deal with dehydration or heat illness.
  
• Watch your feet and your kids feet. Deal with any hot spots or blisters before they become a problem. Bring moleskin and body glide with you.
  
• Pack a small towel in the bag you take to the park to wipe off any wet seats before you sit down. You can put it in a zipper bag and that will come in useful as well.
  
• Wear sunscreen and reapply often. Wear hats.
  
• Have fun, know you will get stressed but just work through it and have fun.

 

[eliza61]

I've heard that it has been viciously hot in Florida this summer. Keep that in mind. Heat stress can quickly ruin a vacation.

Oh, Have a great vacation!!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Thanks again everyone for all the great advice. Can anyone tell me how much rain we can expect?

 

[DBFLUKE]

Bring your own water.. pack a few cases into a suitcase or duffle bag. & check it. You will be glad you did. At $$ a bottle you could save big. You could also pack gatorade or juice boxes. Bring a cooler bag from home along with some big zip lock bags. You can get free ice @ the hotel, put it in the zip locks to keep everything cold durring the day. On our first trip we didn't know any better & must have spent over 100.00 on just water in 3 days. We don't rent a car while were there so we bring our drinks from home. Have a great time, we'll be right behind you..