Random DisneyWorld advice

[ShelliRenee]

Pin trading to talk to Cast Members. I think they love to trade as much as the traders! Get your pins before you go (I found Facebook has the best deals on non-scrapers).

 

[joyjoy]

I prefer this freaking virus to be gone by May 10th. Just agree with me, I'm not saying it will be.

 

[Spencer Wright]

You will see more and do more if you are there very early, Rope Drop or even earlier.
Take a midday break---go back to your room, rest, swim, cool off---then return later in the day and stay til closing.
Plan table service restaurants ahead of time, get what is called an ADR---and advanced dining reservation---ahead of time, walk ups are virtually never available, of course depending on time of year, etc.

I %100 agree with this. But to piggyback, I always recommend doing things early. Rope Drope, Lunch at 11am, Dinner at 4:30-5:00pm.

I understand that doesn't work for everyone, but it gets you in the Park early. Waits for food and tables are almost none, and it allows you to enjoy your day at a relaxing pace.

 

[Wild4Walt]

Even before all this, I always bring hand sanitizer with me to the parks. It's ( or at least it was ) easy to get a travel size bottle that you could find in a small bag/fanny pack/pocket.

 

[savemycamera]

1. You can get free ice water at any of the quick service restaurants/anywhere that has a Coke fountain, i.e. most of the popcorn carts do not, but most of the snack stands do. You can walk into any Starbucks and order a venti ice water and it's free.
2. Don't forget to eat! If my friend and I go to the parks especially early, we usually stop for a fruit or a pastry before getting on the buses. But by 10 or 11, we're feeling drained, sometimes get a little irritated. Once we sit down and eat a meal/get a glass of water, we're completely different people. When you're at a park, it's like you're just trying to fit in as much as you can. I'm sure we've all been there. That's actually why we try to make as many restaurant reservations as possible. That way, if we're getting to that point of exhaustion but don't realize it, we still have something on the horizon. Lol.

 

[Gordon Gekko]

1. Stay on property
2. Plan a Disney Springs day and resort day to break up the park days/rest
3. Stay at a resort that makes sense for your itinerary; Ex.: staying at GF/Poly/Contempo for MK access
4. Research grocery delivery; saves us $$$ every trip
5. Leave flexibility in your planning; for us we don't like every second planned for
6. Early/Late gets you maximum return in the parks
7. HAVE FUN!!!

 

[tobikaye]

My random advise is to research and plan, but do not over plan. Leave some time for making decisions and discover new shows or restaurants.

 

[WDWTRAVELLER]

Go to a store and buy a case of water. Dont pay the $4.00 a bottle at the resort or parks. Waste of a snack credit if you are on the dinning plan.

 

[A-Rose788]

If possible, get a case of water delivered to your room if staying on property. It’ll save you so much money not having to buy water in the parks or put fl tap in your water bottle.
bring a couple pairs of shoes! Your feet will thank you not wearing the same ones everyday.
don’t try to cram everything in. There’s so much to do you will burn yourself out.

The most important thing I do every trip is to look up and around at everything. Take in all the little details imagineers have placed throughout the parks and resorts. There is always something new I find on a trip. It’s what makes each trip so exciting for me and really appreciate the magic.

 

[WDWTRAVELLER]

Disney Springs is very nice to spend an evening, Christmas time they have the Christmas Tree trail which is very nice to see. it also gives you unlimited places to eat.

 

[WDWTRAVELLER]

I prefer this freaking virus to be gone by May 10th. Just agree with me, I'm not saying it will be.

I am with you on that. We are very lucky where i live that there is along 50 active cases and we are seeing on average only 1 new case per day. We are starting to re-open.

 

[WDWTRAVELLER]

Anyone have any little personal preferences for Disney world they want to share?

Do your research on busy times of the year, also research hotels that will best fit your family needs.

 

[Skippyboo]

Walk the extra steps in Epcot to use the big restrooms in the American Pavilion instead of waiting in line for restrooms in nearby countries.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

A few tips from a large family: Sometimes the FP kiosks have more availability then the app. Multiple hard to get ADRs will open up the day before or day of. Use mobile ordering!!! Take time to slow down and enjoy the atmosphere. Rope drop!! We Always bring ziplock bags, of multiple sizes (we save uneaten snacks etc in them and they’re good for wet clothes or shoes) wipes for sticky hands, obviously hand sanitizer, comfy shoes, flip flops for wet rides (we have a stroller to carry all this). Also, target has cheap light up/spinner Disney toys for cheap that we buy pre trip and bring for the night time shows. Each kid gets their own GC with souvenir money and when it’s gone it’s gone. Also found that one of those hanging shoe organizers work well on the stroller to hold multiple drinks and other things. Just a few random ideas.

 

[Boopuff]

Another big group thing we do... plan one meal a day to meet up and make ADR for it ahead of time. The rest of the time we just do our thing. Sometimes we stick together, but most of the time we travel in pairs/quads. Another vote here for the dining plan. Love to order what I want and not stress about cost!

 

[HannaBelle]

Tip for big groups in the parks together, everyone goes to the bathroom when the group stops even if you don't have to go. If you stop after every ride for 3 people out of the 12 to go, you are stopping all of the freakin' time. Don't try to spend the whole day together, I agree with Boopuff, just have 1 meal a day together. Brunch or an early dinner.

Arrive at the park 20 minutes before it opens, get your pics, get yourselves pumped and get through the dang bag check line!

Have a plan of your "must dos" and be prepared to wing it if things are going badly. If y'all aren't have fun, you are doing it wrong.

 

[BobbyDukes]

Animal Kingdom no matter what time of the year is the hottest surface on the earth at that moment.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Don't go in Jan. and expect it to be hot. Jan is the coldest month in Florida so pack accordingly. Going during the holiday can be a mad house. Not sure what it will be like this year if they have to reduce the number of guest in the park for social distancing

 

[BarbLynnM]

Think twice about renting a tent/cot from Disney at Ft. Wilderness. On a lark, we decided to fly down; we usually camp in our T@g). Instead of flying down with a small tent, etc, we decided to rent a larger one from Disney, and two cots at a charge of about $60 per day (we weren't going to stay in a resort).

The tent was up when we arrived at our site, and put up right and tight. The problem was, it had a pretty bad mildew smell, and the cots were so stained and filthy that we ended up having to put garbage bags over it so we could put our sheets down.

Why didn't we complain? I ask myself that same question-but we were only there for a couple of days to experience Galaxy's Edge, and didn't want to take the time at the Fort to sit around waiting for them to change things. If they even could. And if they did, would a new set up be as bad or worse?

As always, a caveat is that others may have had a better or more tolerable experience; just be aware that you may not have a totally magical experience renting tents/cots at the Fort.