Mistake you will not repeat next time...

[Srbright]

We set off on a surprise WDW trip once by putting our kids in the car and telling them we were going bowling...then we drove to the airport instead.

My middle son still refers to that trip as "The time we didn't get to go bowling."

Ours is "The time we didn't get to go to Frankenmuth."

Stacy

 

[cajmom]

This is a great thread for first timers like myself! Thanks for all your comments

 

[Caboosey]

Never ever will I ever...

Go to the Halloween Party without a solid dinner plan!

 

[eeyoresmom]

We set off on a surprise WDW trip once by putting our kids in the car and telling them we were going bowling...then we drove to the airport instead.

My middle son still refers to that trip as "The time we didn't get to go bowling."

We supprised our 5 year old by picking her up from kindergarten just before lunch. She is now 25 and still remembers that she missed "making Leprecaun Soup" that day Just goes to show you with kids the little things are just as important as the big things. One of the older travel guides interviewed 4 or 5 year olds and their most common response to what their favorite attraction was at Disney was the resort pools and the Disney buses!

 

[Jessica14]

We set off on a surprise WDW trip once by putting our kids in the car and telling them we were going bowling...then we drove to the airport instead.

My middle son still refers to that trip as "The time we didn't get to go bowling."

We still kid my DS who was 7 at the time about what he said at the airport that morning, "We're missing Good Morning America! Oh, who cares? We're going to Disney World!"

Jessica

 

[Donna M]

I have seen several people list the extended family and friends as a mistake. I will definitely keep this in mind, because I was considering this type of trip. I think I will take everyone's advice and reconsider.

We love taking extended family and friends and having them stay in the villas with us. Don't rule them out just from what other people say. If you all get along, you could have wonderful memories.

 

[tjmj9801]

We love taking extended family and friends and having them stay in the villas with us. Don't rule them out just from what other people say. If you all get along, you could have wonderful memories.

So true. As one of the posters who said I wouldn't do it again, I'll elaborate. I would take my dad in a heartbeat. There are several relatives and friends who I'd like to go with who could respect our plans and goals for the trip. There are some family members who can't do that, even at home, and have to control everything. Bottom line: If you get along great at home, give it a whirl. If theres any doubt, I'd really think twice about it.

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

We supprised our 5 year old by picking her up from kindergarten just before lunch. She is now 25 and still remembers that she missed "making Leprecaun Soup" that day Just goes to show you with kids the little things are just as important as the big things. One of the older travel guides interviewed 4 or 5 year olds and their most common response to what their favorite attraction was at Disney was the resort pools and the Disney buses!

Yes, and to a kindergartener, 100 Day is a big-deal-little-thing!

 

[kksmom92]

Was it noisier back there? I'm thinking it might be .......

One thing we never plan on doing again is switching resorts ...... We settled in for a few days and enjoy a resort then we switched and had a headache at another resort .... Just not worth it to us.

I didn't think it was... what I liked is we could actually hear the music with the fireworks. By the boats we couldn't... we just saw the fireworks. There was one time though they let the boat take off during the fireworks and that was cool watching them from the water.

 

[Aidensmommy22]

Yes, and to a kindergartener, 100 Day is a big-deal-little-thing!

Yes, day 100 is a big deal for him! It would break his heart if he missed it.

We supprised our 5 year old by picking her up from kindergarten just before lunch. She is now 25 and still remembers that she missed "making Leprecaun Soup" that day Just goes to show you with kids the little things are just as important as the big things. One of the older travel guides interviewed 4 or 5 year olds and their most common response to what their favorite attraction was at Disney was the resort pools and the Disney buses!

My boys have been twice before & when I asked them what they are most looking forward to this time, they said riding the carousel & the monorail!

 

[MrsNesbet]

Things I would never do again:

take the later flight! (thought my DS would have football in the morning and didn't want him to miss it, turns out the game was an evening game...grrr) definitely want to maximize our first day!

and in the same token, never take the early flight on our leave day. we nearly missed the bus!

schedule resort time. I figured it would just happen, but all we got was one night and it rained! boo!

Things I WILL do:
dining plan (it just works for us), staying on site, renting a City Mini (the perfect stroller for Disney) making sure I use all my credits (that app would be a godsend if they made one!)

 

[1stvisit0909]

Never ever again will I try to get from AK to EPCOT thinking grabbing a bus to the Contemporary to get on the monorail to EPCOT would be a good idea. We wanted to get back to the WS to do pick a pearl in Japan, but by the time we found out the resort monorail was down, we were so hungry we just hopped a bus at the Poly to DTD - MISTAKE #2. From the time we left AK to the time we actually got to DTD and got some food, it had been almost THREE hours. Needless to say, there was no way were going to make it to EPCOT before the WS closed, so we did pick a pearl in DTD. The girls didnt know about what they did in Japan, so they still had fun, but I was disappointed.

We should have just taken our bus back to POFQ, then over to EPCOT. No issues to/from POFQ all week. We could have taken the boat from POFQ and been to DTD in 15 mins, as opposed to the FORTY FIVE It took from the Poly. And those buses were super crowded! If I were staying deluxe and dealt with that every day I would have been ticked!

 

[mesaboy2]

Never ever again will I try to get from AK to EPCOT thinking grabbing a bus to the Contemporary to get on the monorail to EPCOT would be a good idea. We wanted to get back to the WS to do pick a pearl in Japan, but by the time we found out the resort monorail was down, we were so hungry we just hopped a bus at the Poly to DTD - MISTAKE #2. From the time we left AK to the time we actually got to DTD and got some food, it had been almost THREE hours. Needless to say, there was no way were going to make it to EPCOT before the WS closed, so we did pick a pearl in DTD. The girls didnt know about what they did in Japan, so they still had fun, but I was disappointed.

We should have just taken our bus back to POFQ, then over to EPCOT. No issues to/from POFQ all week. We could have taken the boat from POFQ and been to DTD in 15 mins, as opposed to the FORTY FIVE It took from the Poly. And those buses were super crowded! If I were staying deluxe and dealt with that every day I would have been ticked!

Next time may I recommend taking the direct bus from AK to Epcot?

 

[Holly&Joesmommy]

Is there a direct bus from AK to Epcot???

 

[Disney Mom Lisa]

Yes, there is.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Great thread! Our biggest mistake was going to WDW so many times ( Dvc members ) and saying 'I wonder why there is such a long line at Earl of Sandwich' can the sandwiches really be that good?

Tried one on our last day. The line does not lie. We will never doubt fellow vacationers again...where you line we will follow...

 

[cc-atl]

Our boys are now ages 5, 12 and 13, but when our oldest was a toddler, I thought it was essential to take him back to the resort for a nap. So I took our toddler back to CSR on my own while everyone else stayed at MK. He was way too worked up to nap, but I spent the afternoon in our room trying to get him to fall asleep. It was frustrating. Hours later, I gave up and walked around the resort - he fell asleep in the stroller. So the next day, we just let him nap in the stroller and all was well. He was happy and the stroller nap worked wonders for him. Same for our two younger boys. So I don't think going back to the resort is a mistake for everyone - for some it works really well and IS essential. But I needed to let go of the idea that it was necessary for our kids.

Now we're entirely out of the nap stage, but we take a swim break at our resort just to have some down time away from the parks. I think the moral of the story is to give something a try, but be willing to change it (and continue changing it!) if it doesn't work for you.

Ours was similar. When my children were 3 and 5 we tried to force them to take naps at the resort the first day. They were way too worked up and it made everyone tense trying to get them to go to sleep. The next day rather than trying to force them to nap I took them to the pool. That worked much better. Getting out of the crowds and the heat by hanging out in the resort pool refreshed them and made our afternoon/evening in the parks enjoyable for everyone.

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

Yes, I'd say "instant happy kid: just add to water. For best results, seep 30 minutes, longer if desired"

 

[bopper]

I have seen several people list the extended family and friends as a mistake. I will definitely keep this in mind, because I was considering this type of trip. I think I will take everyone's advice and reconsider.

I have gone with Family before (giant group for the Millenium)...the thing is to not assume you will do everything together all the time. Find those who work well with your plan. Or just tell them "We are going over at 8:30am...when were you planning to go?" Then you say "Great we will meet you at the bus stop" or "Call us when you are at the park". Make plans for some, but not all meals to gether.

 

[bopper]

Our mistake that we finally got sorted was "Don't take an evening flight back home". We would usually do a 6:00pm flight to maximize time on the last day, only to forget about those late afternoon summer thunderstorms that happen EVERY DAY and delay the flights. Last time we took a noon flight...much better!