If you knew then.....

[piscesmama]

Hello! Hard to believe it was 11 months ago when I was posting asking for suggestions on where to stay. We are 4 sleeps away from getting to POFQ. cannot wait.

So I thought, if there were any helpful hints for a first timer to WDW that you would consider sharing. I wasn't sure where this belonged, so if it needs to be moved, so be it.

What 1 tip you wish you had known about for your first visit?

Thanks!

 

[MagicKingdomDarling]

One thing I wish I had paid more attention to on our first trip was the whole "make your 3 fastpasses early so you can make more later" thing. I knew about the concept, but when I made ours I spread them out throughout the day, not really thinking about it. We ended up chomping at the bit every day to finish our third ride so we could try for another one! It definitely does pay off to make them early enough to have time to do some more attractions. It matters more than I realized it would!

 

[piscesmama]

One thing I wish I had paid more attention to on our first trip was the whole "make your 3 fastpasses early so you can make more later" thing. I knew about the concept, but when I made ours I spread them out throughout the day, not really thinking about it. We ended up chomping at the bit every day to finish our third ride so we could try for another one! It definitely does pay off to make them early enough to have time to do some more attractions. It matters more than I realized it would!

Thankfully our travel agent suggest the FP times and at first I wondered...why are theyvright after each other...then when I understood the ability to get more....i understood. Thanks for the tip!

 

[goopysolelady]

Use Disney transportation. I have family and friends that insist on driving ; it's SO much more relaxing and easy to do Disney transportation. Yes...there are lines at the bus stop and sometime you end up standing on the bus but still, IMO, not as stressful as fighting the traffic and making sure you're in the correct lane for the exit you need. I'd also suggest that you do not try to do EVERYTHING on your first trip. You want to experience all you can but you NEED to take time to enjoy it. Make a list of "must do's"; another list of "want to do's" and hope there's still time left in your trip to try other things to. Have fun and good luck!

 

[Euby]

Don't feel like you have to wait in line for 2 hours for ANY attraction. Most of the rides only last less than 10 minutes. Use the fastpass system and keep in mind that you will come back someday. The most I will wait in line is 30 minutes and I still get on the rides that I wanted and more than the person that spent 2 hours waiting in line for 1 ride.

 

[piscesmama]

Use Disney transportation. I have family and friends that insist on driving ; it's SO much more relaxing and easy to do Disney transportation. Yes...there are lines at the bus stop and sometime you end up standing on the bus but still, IMO, not as stressful as fighting the traffic and making sure you're in the corrgect lane for the exit you need. I'd also suggest that you do not try to do EVERYTHING on your first trip. You want to experience all you can but you NEED to take time to enjoy it. Make a list of "must do's"; another list of "want to do's" and hope there's still time left in your trip to try other things to. Have fun and good luck!

I can't imagine NOT using the transportation. We're not even renting a car. So I suppose we're at the mercy of Amazon delivery for any5hing we forget lol.

Thanks for the tips! I have a feeling we'll be back for sure already! LOL

 

[piscesmama]

Don't feel like you have to wait in line for 2 hours for ANY attraction. Most of the rides only last less than 10 minutes. Use the fastpass system and keep in mind that you will come back someday. The most I will wait in line is 30 minutes and I still get on the rides that I wanted and more than the person that spent 2 hours waiting in line for 1 ride.

Sage advice! Thanks!

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Refreshing for desired FPs or more preferable FP times.

FP availabilty changes by the second. While searching for a 4th, 5th, etc. FP, it pays to refresh if, at first, you’re not seeing the desired attraction and/or time that you’re looking for. It’s not guaranteed that what you’re searching for will pop up, but I’ve always had success refreshing for a more desirable option.

Also, the “Modify” function for FPs in MDE can be very helpful too. If you’re running a little bit early (or late) you can try to modify an existing FP to better-suit your itinerary.

Finally, you can book your 4th FP as soon as you “tap in” for your 3rd. No need to wait until your finished riding your 3rd. I find it helpful to know ahead of time where we’re going next. For us, it avoids the need to stop after exiting an attraction to figure out where we’re going next.

 

[OhThePain]

Understand you are going the busiest time of year. You will not get to see and do everything you want. Plans change, go with it. Don't be afraid to take mid-day breaks to get away from the crowds and regroup. Keep your expectations realistic and don't spend you're whole vacation looking at your watch. Live in the moment and enjoy it. ​

Don't feel like you have to wait in line for 2 hours for ANY attraction. Most of the rides only last less than 10 minutes. Use the fastpass system and keep in mind that you will come back someday. The most I will wait in line is 30 minutes and I still get on the rides that I wanted and more than the person that spent 2 hours waiting in line for 1 ride.

I'm going to kind of disagree with this for a couple of reasons. First, you are going the busiest time of year, most dark rides will be 60+ minutes and the headliners will be 90+ minutes, and often you can tack another 30 minutes on to those. Park hours tend to run much longer this time of year (a few years ago we pulled a 7AM-3AM day (MK to DHS back to MK) and were back in the parks at 9AM, granted that was without kids), so waiting on some of those 2 hour lines isn't the end of the world. Using FP+ will help, but you may not have a ton of options left over for those 4th and 5th FP+ you get. Also, who's to say when and if you will return. If there is something you want to ride and you don't have a FP+ for it, don't let the wait time deter you from going on it, because you never know.

 

[wgeo]

Just enjoy what you are able to do. It would be impossible to do everything - so have fun with what you can do and don't worry about the rest. Soak in the atmosphere and take lots of pictures.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hello! Hard to believe it was 11 months ago when I was posting asking for suggestions on where to stay. We are 4 sleeps away from getting to POFQ. cannot wait.

So I thought, if there were any helpful hints for a first timer to WDW that you would consider sharing. I wasn't sure where this belonged, so if it needs to be moved, so be it.

What 1 tip you wish you had known about for your first visit?

Thanks!

bring a couple of power strips so you have enough outlets to recharge everything at night. granted this is not park related but we found this very useful to us

 

[BalooFan]

I wish I had known to plan, while leaving opportunities for flexibility and spontaneity. Even before fastpasses, with no plans we had a chaotic trip that left us with absolutely no desire to ever return to WDW. On our second trip, we made a few plans and it made all the difference. It sounds like your TA has helped you with this. Some people will tell you total spontaneity is not only possible at WDW, but enjoyable. This may be true for people who are familiar with the parks and how they operate, but not so much for those who are unfamiliar with WDW.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

What you (or your family - for me it was kids) don’t know, you won’t miss. With all the planning and research you know what all the must do rides or shows are for veteran park goers, and feel like you (or your kids) are going to be horribly disappointed if you don’t get to them. We missed our PP FP the first year and couldn’t get another. SIL (a veteran) was very concerned about it and kept trying to help us by suggesting times with lower waits to go. Kids didn’t care. I felt vaguely sad that there was a good ride we missed but really not a big deal. It’s hard to miss something you’ve never experienced. Ditto for Star Wars fireworks which I still haven’t seen after 3 trips and won’t after our 4th either (this is what I get for letting the kids participate in planning ).

 

[IndianaRRT]

Our first trip didn't happen until our kids were "older" (9 & 7), and due to family circumstances, we weren't sure if we would ever get another. So, I over-planned on top of being a WDW rookie. What I learned was to pick 3 objectives in each park day--do those and everything else is extra.

We've been blessed to be able to continue going to WDW, but we still use the same philosophy. It helps us enjoy each day.

 

[Miffy]

If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can use Amazon Prime Now to order groceries and incidentals to be delivered to your resort. You can order from home and schedule the delivery to coincide with your arrival. Bell Services will hold it if you're not there yet. We just used this last week and it was great. Especially useful for things like bottled water and snacks.

You probably know about this already, but, just in case . . . there's a boat that goes from your resort to Disney Springs. Nice way to get there.

There are storage lockers at the front of all the parks. Useful if you're going to be out all day and into the evening, since the weather can change and you might not want to lug around your sweatshirts all day.

If there's a ride you really want to do again and you've used up your 3 FP+s, keep refreshing the app. On three different days last week I was able to score day-of FP+s for FoP, including one I scored only an hour before the FP+ time. All 3 of these FP+s were procured on days when the standby queue was between 3 and 4 hours long. In fact, one of the FP+s was gotten when the posted standby time was 5 hours. My point is that you never know. Keep trying. And, BTW, FoP is amazing.

If you're doing Soarin'--one of my faves, although FoP blows it away--ask to be seated in B1. That's where the best and least-distorted view is. Tell the CM who's directing people into the lines that you want B1 and that you're willing to wait for it. Never a problem and the CMs are always accommodating.

Remember to enjoy one of the most fun things at WDW: people-watching! And just strolling around and admiring the pretty landscaping and cool architecture. All 4 parks excel in these areas.

Have a great trip!

 

[marshallabney]

If you're using these boards, you're already ahead of the curve! However, I would echo the FP+ refresh. Over Thanksgiving week we were able to score same day FoP, 7DMT, TSMM and many others while just standing in line for other attractions.

The other piece of advice (as you appear to also be the primary planner), roll with it once you are there. If everyone is tired, take a break. If kids need to sleep in, do it. Pushing everyone too hard isn't worth it, and they'll really never know what they missed. Our best day was a day I had to completely replan because our kids needed to sleep in. I refreshed during a late unplanned breakfast, put the day back together, and everyone was in a really good place.

Have a fantastic trip!

 

[King of Naboombu]

Biggest issue we had our first time is waiting to long to eat quick service meals and not knowing ahead of time what quick service restaurants appealed to us. It is no fun when you're already hangry and wandering around a park trying to figure out where to eat. We were getting caught up in visiting all the attractions and trying to figure out food only when we could not hold off any longer. So we ended up losing time and eating whatever was close by and weren't excited about. Now we make sure we have a general idea where we will be during mealtimes and what quick service restaurants we would prefer.

 

[cmarsh31]

If you know this isn't a one-and-done (and if you're on these boards, chances are, you already know you want to go back before you even go!), remember you don't have to do everything! If something is too much or you really need a break, you can always make it a priority next time!

And definitely, eat before you think you have to eat! Hangry is BAD!

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

Hello! Hard to believe it was 11 months ago when I was posting asking for suggestions on where to stay. We are 4 sleeps away from getting to POFQ. cannot wait.

So I thought, if there were any helpful hints for a first timer to WDW that you would consider sharing. I wasn't sure where this belonged, so if it needs to be moved, so be it.

What 1 tip you wish you had known about for your first visit?

Thanks!

If you are prone to blisters, take moleskin and protect yourself before you get one. It can really ruin an entire trip.

Don't skip meals because you are having fun.

Take your own medicine cabinet with you, just in case. Better to over-pack than pay Disney for NyQuil. Pack things like ibuprofen, NyQuil, Tylenol, nasal spray, cough drops, hand wipes, hand sanitizer, etc. it just might save your trip and help you feel better faster so you can get back to the parks.

 

[spumonisowner]

Bring a disposable poncho! I can't tell you how many times we have been so thankful we brought one, especially this time of year. Nothing is worse than being cold and wet all day. Rain, Splash Mountain, Fantasmic, etc. - having a poncho is essential! They are expensive at the parks, so I get mine at Target for $2 and bring them along.