Miscellaneous Tips from My Trip Last Week

[ZoZo]

Just back from a week at WDW and wanted to share some miscellaneous tips. Here we go . . .

What I'd do differently next time
* Drink more water. I drastically underestimated the amount of water I needed to drink, and got very dehydrated before I realized it. It took me a few days to "catch up" on my hydration, and in the meantime, I had to live with puffy ankles!
* I'd do a lot more walking in the months before the trip, to get in better condition to walk around the parks. Ended up with a nasty case of shin-splints in both legs - very painful.
* I'd go during a cooler time of year. I didn't think that October could be so hot and humid - wrong! It was about 90 degrees and very humid every day, plus it rained a lot more than I anticipated. I think I'd go in mid-November instead of October.
* Didn't need the following items: bug spray, aqua socks at the water parks.

What I'd do the same next time:
* The Adventurer's Club - it's so much fun! We went three times in a week, and I got pulled up on stage to be part of the radio show the last night. It was so great - very clever show and great acting. Kungaloosh!
* Water park - went to Typhoon Lagoon for the first time and had a great time. Wish we'd scheduled another water park day so that we could try Blizzard Beach. It was a great way to spend a day, and a wonderful opportunity to cool off during the hot weather!
* Keys to the Kingdom Tour - this was one of the highlights of the trip. Our tour guide, Matthew, was absolutely fabulous. So fun, entertaining, and sweet - very enthusiastic about WDW. I learned so much, and though I was worried that taking the tour would spoil some of the magic, that wasn't the case at all.
* Taking an afternoon break every day . This saved me from getting really grumpy. I went back to the room every afternoon to take a quick shower and change my clothes. The weather was so hot and sweaty, I needed this break every day.
* Doing laundry mid-week. I'm so glad I did this. I packed pretty well, but didn't realize how many pairs of shorts I would go through in the hot, sweaty weather. Was glad to be able to do a load of laundry and have some fresh clothes to change into.
* Renting an ECV (electric scooter) if needed. As I mentioned above, I got terrible shin-splints midway through the trip. I rented a scooter the last three days of the trip -- I think the only other option would have been to cut my vacation short, since there's no way I could have walked around the parks in that much pain. This really saved my trip, and was well worth the $40 per day it cost me.
* I was so glad to have the following items:

* Mini mister fans
* Kleenex "splash and go" wet wipes - very refreshing on a humid day
* Coppertone spray sunscreen - truly waterproof, great at water park
* Visor with a velcro strap; attach to backpack strap when not wearing
* Champion "moisture wicking" underwear; way better than cotton
* Extra shoes, especially flip flops, in case the rain soaks shoes
* Emergency ponchos

And, even though this isn't the restaurants board, we had the following great meals/snacks:

* Lettuce wraps at the bar at the Poly (yummy!)
* Prime rib sandwich at Le Cellier
* Chicken caesar salad at Sunshine Seasons
* Rotisserie chicken/carrots/mashed potatoes at Sunshine Seasons
* Chocolate chip muffins at Sunshine Seasons
* Fish and chips - CS at England
* Tuna sandwich at Columbia HH
* Popcorn at any of the carts at the parks - surprisingly good!
* Chilaquilles (sp?) at Mexico booth at F&W Festival
* Filet mignon at California Grill - I practically licked my plate!
* Tomato soup at Earl of Sandwich

And only one bad meal: fish and chips at Raglan Road at Pleasure Island. Soggy and cold, not good at all.

That's all I can think of for now. Hope these tips help someone in their planning!

 

[mjh8955]

I'm just back (10/2 - 10/7) and can add a few observations:

Loved Typhoon Lagoon and am so glad we did the free snorkeling with the fish and sharks. I figured I would never get the hang of breathing with a snorkel and was grateful for the opportunity to try it (and master it) for free!! The 68 degree water was...well... bracing, to say the least.

Used a mini-photopass cd on wristband that a photographer at the water park gave me to collect each days photos, then had the photo shop at each park transfer them all to the regular card. I shared a photopass cd (the $99 special) with 5 other people. This worked out GREAT!!

Refillable mugs at POP were a great deal for us, and since the YOAMD is going to continue we should be able sell our 3 mugs on eBay without any problem. No milk is available at the refill station though, only lemonade, apple juice, soda, hot chocolate, frozen coke or slushies and coffee (Nescafe, which doesn't really count as coffee in my book).

I did a refrigerator swap and coffee maker swap and that worked out great. We had cold water bottles every day and I had REAL coffee every morning.

I traveled light in the parks and did not carry make up or hair brush. Got drenched before Splash Mountain barely started and spent the rest of the day with eye make-up running down my face and my hair looking pathetic. Would re-think what I carry in my purse/backpack. Several days at the parks I used a neck pouch for my tickets, fastpasses, credit card, cash and room key. The other days I utilized shorts and pants with lots of pockets. I had too much stuff arond my neck!

Our Mickey ponchos did not quite fit in my purse/backpack so on the 3rd day I finally figured out I could use my kid's NIKE soft sling backpack and put the ponchos only in there and just leave it on my back. My purse/backpack I mostly just carried over one shoulder so it worked great. I didn't have to take the poncho backpack off for any rides. And as long as I carried our good ponchos, the rain held off!!

Disposable cameras fog up when you take them in and out of AC and humidity; many of our pictures are cloudy. I won't carry a disposable again.

Tried School Bread at the Norweigan bakery in Epcot for the first time. One of the best desserts I've had in all my life. Try it!!

Did ME without any trouble at all. When they say the bus leaves for the airport at 6:15 they mean 6:15 on the button. We pulled up to the Airtran terminal at exactly 6:45, only us and one other family on the bus.

I brought a collapsable soft-side cooler to use at Typhoon Lagoon and we could have gotten along without it.

I brought bottled water (wrapped in packages of 3 in sturdy ziplocks) in my checked luggage. I used air-puffed plastic packing material around them, and also around 10 packages of mini-muffins. Worked out perfectly and I had more room in my suitcases on the trip home.

 

[alleymaxx]

Thanks so much for the tips. Me & my dd have a trip planned the week of Thanksgiving. This will be our 2nd trip to WDW so every bit of xtra knowledge helps. We are so very excited !

 

[Debi]

What great tips!! Thanks for posting.

 

[Boss]

* Filet mignon at California Grill - I practically licked my plate!

I loved all your tips, but this one made me snort!