If you had just one tip to give, what would it be?

One tip would be get ps to where you want to eat ahead of time! Also READ THESE BOARDS!
 
**Spray your feet with antipersperant before putting on your socks and shoes. It may sound a little odd, but I guarantee you won't get blisters.

**If using a stroller, tie a bandanna or balloon to it so you'll be able to differentiate it from the hundreds of others you'll be parking alongside.

**Buy more film than you think you'll need, but don't spend your entire vacation behind the lens.

**Eat at Chef Mickey's at least once, especially if you've got little ones.

**Slow down and enjoy the magic. It's everywhere!
 

Wow!..all great suggestions. Here's one I would never do without...always, always, always, rent a car especially with a company that has airport pickup. For little more than a family of 4 would pay for airport to resort transportation, you can avoid those frustrating waits for buses and also have the freedom to drive somewhere 'off-grounds' whenever you'd like.
 
DO do the MGM Hollywood and Vine Character Breakfast!! It's Minnie's Cafe[go girl power!!!]and she puts on a great spread[the food was AWSOME!!] and show!!!
 
Good shoes! Just got back yesterday from a week stay - that was the most walking I have done in a long time. The Teva Circuits were the best pre-Disney trip purchase I made.
 
Don't "over plan". Leave at least one day wide open, then take a vote and do what everyone most wants. It may very well be the most fun day of your trip.

Don't be park commandos! Savor the moments. You'll never do it all in one trip, so don't try.

Plan your days well, but be flexible - things change.

Don't feel that taking a break or a nap is a waste of valuable vacation time. Nobody can enjoy themselves if they're burned out. RELAX!


Use some unique colored ribbons and tie some onto your luggage. All luggage looks the same when it's going around on the carousel at the airport, but when mine comes around with obnoxious lime-green ribbons all over it, there's no mistaking it! :)

Tip the Mousekeepers. They work hard for peanuts and they appreciate the tips. The level of service and attention goes up when you do!

If you have young kids, get them "Guest of Honor" badges before you go. CM's will call them by their first names all the time, and it really makes the kids feel special.

Take a video camera, just don't have it attached to your face the whole trip! These tapes provide priceless memories. Just think of how much fun they'll be to watch in 20 years...


Final Tip: Never ask DIS'ers to give only ONE tip! We have too much to say ;)





'Beano'
 
I actually have 2 tips:

Take the time to ride the WDW railroad around the entire perimeter of the park.

Do the trolley down Main Street!!

Tape these adventures...they are memories that will last forever!!

Oh...sorry 3 tips............HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!:p
 
These are great tips! :D Keep them coming!
 
....And the Antacid too!


If you plan on taking crystal and/or glass home with you, ship them home from your hotel or pack them in your suitcase really well. Don't put it in your plane carry-on. There is something in crystal and some glass that the x-rays will not go through and they may search your carry-ons.

:(
 
I totally agree with BeanoC:

Don't over-plan, don't commando and fit in some down-time to relax. Great tips!

Pre-planning is fine, just don't freak out if the plan goes wrong. Some of the best times we've had at Walt Disney World happened after the original plan fell apart.

Biggest tip - Have Fun!

CanadaKid
 
I agree with all these great tips! My only addition would be:

Go to character meals rather than chasing them down in the parks!

The character breakfasts were a magical start to the day and a great opportunity for the kids to spend one-on-one time with favorites! And we didn't have to worry about the long lines to meet characters inside the park - we'd already met most of them!
 
I would say the most important thing would be to research and plan ahead. I've known people to go for the first time with 0 planning and get angry because they had to wait forever to get into a restaurant. WDW can be quite overwhelming if you don't know the "lay of the lands" (to steal a phrase from Birnbaum). Call and get a vacation planning video, buy the Birnbaum guide, and of course visit these boards and plan ahead.

My second piece of advice would be to definitely stay in a Disney Resort. You'll save time and you'll be totally immersed in Disney. You can't beat it.

PamNC
11 days and counting!
 
Don't fight about food !!!!
Most of the unhappy children I've seen at WDW were arguing with their parents about something to do with food. It's a vacation for parents, too. So maybe the little guy didn't eat when you were at breakfast, but now he wants popcorn. Just get the popcorn. If your daughter really wants a hamburger, don't lecture here about not finishing yesterday's hamburger. Get her a hamburger.
Stop for your meals before "normal" times. Eat early - avoid the restaurant crowds - while everyone else is in line to eat, you'll already be riding Dumbo or Small World.
Yes, children need to develop good eating habits. But who wants to remember a WDW vacation as a constant argument about when, where, and what you ate?
 
Eat a good breakfast, take snacks, freeze gatorade, and remember family is where it is at. Set the mind early that there will be no angry words from anybody! Remind the kids it is up to all of you how much fun you all will have...memories or misseries is based on everybody's behavior... we have one child that likes to stir the I'm unhappies... so we early in the trip teased her by telling her she was the officail party pooper and was suppose to disagree just for fun... guess what when she complained we cheared and when she agreed we told her she was not doing her job... she is 13 and this took the fun out of being on the out of every conversation!:p
 
Plan to stay 7 days, get 4 day park hopper passes and relax!
Visit the other resorts and have a drink--check things out. This is especially great if you're visiting just after Thanksgiving when the Christmas decorations are up. There is usually a CM at the the entrance of the resorts who will talk to the kids or entertain them--more true of Poly. Although we love to stay at BC, our budget doesn't always allow this. We still feel part of BC or Poly by dropping in.
We also love to stop at the check-in desk to see if someone is available to show us a room at a resort we haven't stayed in yet. It's especially eye opening to see the suites.
Visit downtown disney on a day off. There is so much for the kids to see that it's like a free day of entertainment.
 
These are great tips, everyone! :D Thanks for sharing! Keep them coming!
 












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