Just finished umpteenth trip: Tip for new planners.

[ArwenMarie]

Just a question from a newbie...

I have seen some people say that they go back to their resort to take a nap and then come back to the park and others say that they stay in the park from open to close.

With 5 kids (three of them 6 and under), is it better to just go back to the resort and nap (but then you lose time in the park) or stay from open to close to make the most out of your time and see as much as you can?

With young kids, we found it was better to go and stay as long as we could, and then come back and chill at the resort for the rest of the day. Sometimes we would arrive later in the day if we wanted to try to do something at night. Once we made it back to the resort, we rarely got motivated to get back out!

 

[sparkylauren]

While I agree with most points, I agree with the poster that says to wear what you feel comfortable wearing. I wear flip flops because tennis shoes hurt my feet after a couple hours. In my teenage years I also wore pants no matter how hot it was because I was more comfortable not showing my legs.

For first timers I would give the advice that it's Florida, it will be hot and humid. Dress accordingly.

 

[hookedonears]

1. It will never go as planned. It will rain. You'll get stuck on a ride & it will through off your schedule. You or someone in your party will get sick. You will underestimate how exhausted your group will get. The more I go, the less I plan more than a general plan, because something always happens that wasn't "planned". The trick is to stay flexible.

2. Know you can't do everything. I never have nor ever will do everything I wanted to do. The parks are designed to keep you wanting to come back.

3. Read the warning signs before getting on a ride. Learned this the hard way.

4. Get any stroller other than a Disney stroller. I do not know why parents submit their children to those torture chairs.

5. There are a lot of other people in the parks than your party. I have told SO many people, "Disney world is like going to a big party." If you can think of it that way, or like it is a concert. I think that's the best mindset.

6. Finally, know what each ride entails and make a list of must-do's. This trip I met so many new timers who didn't have a clue what they were walking onto. I swear I always think people must be getting more savvy about wdw, but then I meet people who stand in a 60 minute line for Enchanted w/ Belle & ask why the line for the "ride" moves so slow. I was only in that long of a line to see Belle's house - & I will NEVER wait that long ever again. Not worth it - get a fastpass.

7. Look for the details. Always makes my trip worth it.

8. Wear work out clothes. It's a workout. Amazes me to see what people wear to the parks.

Have a magical day I think I've had my Disney fill for a while.

Maybe things have changed with FP+, but over the last 17 years and multiple trips, we've never been when we haven't done absolutely every thing that we planned for and or wanted to do. (multiple times) We may be in for a rude awakening on our next trip, so we better start planning now.

 

[ajwolfe]

8. Wear work out clothes. It's a workout. Amazes me to see what people wear to the parks.

I'm always amazed by this!! It's not a fashion show, it's an amusement park. You can still look good in comfy, appropriate clothes!

 

[NavyDad]

Just a question from a newbie...

I have seen some people say that they go back to their resort to take a nap and then come back to the park and others say that they stay in the park from open to close.

With 5 kids (three of them 6 and under), is it better to just go back to the resort and nap (but then you lose time in the park) or stay from open to close to make the most out of your time and see as much as you can?

We return to our room almost every day of our trip from 1-5. That is generally the busiest time of day and usually the hottest. That is also the usual time frame for T-storms.

We are also at the park well before rope drop and then once we return we stay until park closing. This works great for our family. Since we started doing this our trips have gotten a lot better. Our first trip however I'm not sure you could have pulled us out of the park.....

The time you would be losing in the park is the worst time to tour. It really depends on how long it takes to get back to your lodging and whether or not your kids would benefit from taking a nap in the air conditioning for a couple of hours and be re-charged and ready to go back to the parks.

 

[lroger01]

Just a question from a newbie...

I have seen some people say that they go back to their resort to take a nap and then come back to the park and others say that they stay in the park from open to close.

With 5 kids (three of them 6 and under), is it better to just go back to the resort and nap (but then you lose time in the park) or stay from open to close to make the most out of your time and see as much as you can?

A third option is to do 3/4 days. Assuming you have a week there, spend the first 4 days getting at each park at opening. Stay until you've had enough ( 3-6pm-ish) and spend the evening enjoying your resort, resting or doing non-theme park things. On the 4th day leave at lunchtime and take an afternoon break and then return to the same park for evening fun, staying as late as you want. The next two days sleep in and take your time getting started - even enjoy a morning swim or a water park. Hit a theme park in the afternoon and take in anything you missed the first visit or would be fun to ride at night and enjoy the firework shows.

This plan gets you a morning and evening in each park except no evening at Animal Kingdom. You also get some resort and/or water park time and a chance to rest and recharge. You also aren't shlepping the kidlets back and forth to the parks.