Things I Learned From my First Trip

[purplefern]

Well, I got back from my first trip to Disney World (well, my first trip that I have ever planned on my own) a few months ago, and I've been sitting on an idea ever since. I thought I'd share some things I learned for myself. So here are:
Things I Learned From Planning My First Trip
1. Character meetings are really fun, so make time for them.
This might sound dumb, but as a total newb I hadn't even thought about doing character meetings. I was thinking I'd be busy enough just doing rides. Then when I actually went on the trip, my sister and I had more fun meeting characters and getting signatures than anything else, and wished we had planned more time for it.

2. You don't have to fastpass everything like months ahead of time, make use of the FP stations in the park.
Even if this sounds counterinuitive to everything every other Disney-goer has said, for my sister and I, we would have been better off just using the fastpass stations in the park while we were there. This was probably because we were doing a more on the fly style of planning, and we ended up just changing all the fastpasses we had made before, because we changed our plans while we were there. (Of course, we went during the relatively chiller season--crowds-wise-- of September, so that could affect stuff).

3. Some rides and attractions, no matter how classic, are a waste of time.
Even if it is a classic, blah blah blah, and made for a world fair, blah blah blah, It's A Small World really is a waste of time. Like, I know that's the point of the thing, it's annoying cheesyness, but that doesn't change the fact that it is obnoxiously cheesy. Other things in this category are the Tiki Room, and the Country Bears. (If you like these, that's cool. For my sister and I, we just wasted our time there.) Another one that goes into this category that others will probably disagree with me on is the
Under the Sea Little Mermaid ride. The animatronics aren't even as good as the rides from the 60's, they make no effort to hide the fact your in a building like the other more awesome Disney rides, and the whole thing is LITERALLY just a ride-through of the movie! Plus, it's popular, so the the lines are long. Unless you're a mega-fan of Little Mermaid, seriously, SKIP THIS RIDE.

4. Animal Kingdom is still super awesome without seeing any animals.
Maybe this is yet another obvious point, but as a newbie planning this trip, I was actually worried that since I didn't care much about animals, I wouldn't enjoy Animal Kingdom. Boy was I wrong! My sister and I completely skipped the animal stuff (yes, even the Kilimanjaro Safari) and we saved time and still had an awesome day! So, yeah, if you don't really have an interest in animals, there's still a lot to do. (We personally spent the time we didn't use at the Safari to ride Expedition Everest like five times. That thing is awesome!)

5. The Be Our Guest restaurant is worth whatever pain, suffering, and planning it takes you to get in there
(A totally biased opinion) Yeah, this restaurant is amazing and everything I hoped for. Others will undoubtedly disagree, but Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie ever, so I can't help but love this place. My sister and I just had breakfast there, but the atmosphere was great. We sat in the West Wing, and it was everything I had expected. I can only imagine how wonderful the dinners are, since I've heard that Beast shows up at those. *dreamy sigh* Next time...

6. Get good spots for the Festival of Fantasy parade and the ending fireworks at MK
Another stupid newbie mistake, I was focused on enjoying spontaneity in my day that my sister and I ended up with terrible views of the ending fireworks. We were even there at the castle like an hour early, but for some reason we didn't sit there. Yeah, sit near the castle at the ending fireworks if you actually want to watch them. Whoops.


So, yeah, those are some of the big things I learned from my first trip, that I'll probably use on my next trips. A totally subjective list, but I thought it would be fun to share.

 

[pitpat]

why do you prefer the FP machines to just using the MDE app?

 

[purplefern]

why do you prefer the FP machines to just using the MDE app?

I think I'm just not a techy person. Whenever I tried to do FP on the app, it wouldn't work for me. Also, the machines had people standing next to them that can help with all your silly questions, so that helped.

 

[rwdavis2]

I agree with #3.

 

[Klayfish]

Hope you had a wonderful time on the trip. And I think it's a great illustration that there are so many different ways to "do Disney", which is a wonderful thing. For me, I'd agree with about half of what you said, and would disagree with the other half.

1. Yep, character meets are fun.

2. Yep, completely agree you don't need to FP+ far ahead of time. We're wing it type people too. Yes, we will book FP+ 30 days out (we stay offsite, so that's our window), but we change plans very often and pick up FP+ on the fly all the time. However, I'd disagree with the kiosk part. Glad they're there, but the app is much better. And this is coming from a non-techy person too...I've literally never sent a text, tweet, Instagram, etc...in my life. Ever. But I learned how to use the MDE app and find it invaluable to our trip. It's phenomenal.

3. Ride are subjective. We love Small World...cheesy-ness and all. Agree on Country Bears, Tiki is so-so.

4. I agree AK can be awesome without seeing animals. We like the animals, so we try to see them, but I can definitely see enjoying the park without it.

5. We don't eat in the restaurants, so no real comment there...we were in BoG once, years ago. It was OK.

6. Yep, get a good spot.

And I wouldn't say anything you did was a "mistake". WDW is huge, there are so many different things to see and do and so many different ways to accomplish it. You learn things as you go, no matter how much you read, but as long as you're having a good time while you're there then nothing is a true "mistake" in my eyes.

 

[NurseNoa]

Thanks for posting this

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

I always skip meeting characters unless I have my little niece with me because it feels SO AWKWARD! Any tips for making character meets fun? Or is it just not for a shy person like me?

 

[LSUmiss]

I agree with #3.

I disagree with number 3 & to each his/her own, of course. I think it’s that nostalgia that makes WDW. Otherwise, IMO, it’s just Universal. And, also a lot of little kids still
like those attractions. However, I agree we skip them if we are pressed for time but wouldn’t call them a waste of time.

 

[Klayfish]

I always skip meeting characters unless I have my little niece with me because it feels SO AWKWARD! Any tips for making character meets fun? Or is it just not for a shy person like me?

They are awkward if you're an adult doing it alone, but you have to just "let go" and enjoy the moment. You know it's a person in a costume, they know you know....you know they know that you know.... Just enjoy it, smile and have fun with it.

 

[Mome Rath]

Yeah, I agree with others that point out there are so many different ways of doing Disney... so the OP perspective may be a more general subjective view rather than to newbies specifically. I think it also matters on some of this (like #3 above) if you are a fan of Walt Disney, or if you are just there for a theme park experience. Small World has so much history and ties to Walt that I'd never think of skipping it, I love the stories that go along with the ride, and I love the ride with my family, we ride it usually multiple times a trip and wouldn't want to skip it.

 

[BalooFan]

I don’t think these are necessarily newbie mistakes, but simply your “education” in what works for you when touring WDW. I’m not a newbie and I personally disagree with almost everything you listed! That isn’t a criticism, just an observation that we are all unique individuals and have to learn what works for us through our own experiences. Opinions shared on the boards can be useful - I certainly read them - but personal experience is what really counts. I hope you had a wonderful trip.

 

[purplefern]

I always skip meeting characters unless I have my little niece with me because it feels SO AWKWARD! Any tips for making character meets fun? Or is it just not for a shy person like me?

haha, not really. I'm shy, too, so I mostly stayed behind the camera and took pictures of my sister and characters. Of course, once I was up there, most of the time the characters themselves pretty much forced interaction from me (in a good way). Freaking Tigger and Pooh just completely glomped me when I tried to stay hidden behind the camera. XD That was a very memorable moment. I'd say have an autograph book with you (not necessarily a Disney one specifically), then you can tell yourself that you have an excuse to be there. Plus, getting autographs is fun!

 

[jpeterson]

3. Some rides and attractions, no matter how classic, are a waste of time.
Even if it is a classic, blah blah blah, and made for a world fair, blah blah blah, It's A Small World really is a waste of time. Like, I know that's the point of the thing, it's annoying cheesyness, but that doesn't change the fact that it is obnoxiously cheesy. Other things in this category are the Tiki Room, and the Country Bears. (If you like these, that's cool. For my sister and I, we just wasted our time there.) Another one that goes into this category that others will probably disagree with me on is the
Under the Sea Little Mermaid ride. The animatronics aren't even as good as the rides from the 60's, they make no effort to hide the fact your in a building like the other more awesome Disney rides, and the whole thing is LITERALLY just a ride-through of the movie! Plus, it's popular, so the the lines are long. Unless you're a mega-fan of Little Mermaid, seriously, SKIP THIS RIDE.

To each their own, but I totally disagree. We do all those attractions every visit, but I also have young children and that likely affects my view. Likewise, we never skip Flights of Wonder at Animal Kingdom, but I'm sure many people walk right by the "bird show"

Glad you found what works for you!

 

[purplefern]

Yeah, I agree with others that point out there are so many different ways of doing Disney... so the OP perspective may be a more general subjective view rather than to newbies specifically. I think it also matters on some of this (like #3 above) if you are a fan of Walt Disney, or if you are just there for a theme park experience. Small World has so much history and ties to Walt that I'd never think of skipping it, I love the stories that go along with the ride, and I love the ride with my family, we ride it usually multiple times a trip and wouldn't want to skip it.

Yup. It's really more of a "Things I (specifically) learned on my trip". The newbie part was just to add a bit more context to where I was coming from.

 

[AngiTN]

Some comments/questions

1. Agree. Even for adults. Characters are a blast to interact with. Suspend belief for a few minutes. It's fun, I promise. You can forget that's a 20 something in a costume
2. Have said this many times. Sometimes we stick to plans, sometimes we don't. I don't agree with the machines though. I prefer my phone
3. Disagree for a first trip most of all. Not sure how on earth you can know till you try them out. Don't like them, fine. No problem with that but I can never suggest someone skip something. You gotta try it out at least once to know if you like it, or not. Even Country Bears or Tiki Room. I mean, how would you know had you not tried?
5. Goes back to #4 really. I think your biased based on the movie you liked, not the attractions themselves. Which is fine but again, it goes back to having to try something to know.

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

haha, not really. I'm shy, too, so I mostly stayed behind the camera and took pictures of my sister and characters. Of course, once I was up there, most of the time the characters themselves pretty much forced interaction from me (in a good way). Freaking Tigger and Pooh just completely glomped me when I tried to stay hidden behind the camera. XD That was a very memorable moment. I'd say have an autograph book with you (not necessarily a Disney one specifically), then you can tell yourself that you have an excuse to be there. Plus, getting autographs is fun!

An autograph book sounds like a good plan. At least it gives me something to do with my hands! lol!

They are awkward if you're an adult doing it alone, but you have to just "let go" and enjoy the moment. You know it's a person in a costume, they know you know....you know they know that you know.... Just enjoy it, smile and have fun with it.

Thanks! I think the hardest part for me to get over is feeling ridiculous.. but I guess the characters are used to it and probably think nothing of an adult wanting to meet them, as many meets as they do all day.

 

[purplefern]

Some comments/questions

1. Agree. Even for adults. Characters are a blast to interact with. Suspend belief for a few minutes. It's fun, I promise. You can forget that's a 20 something in a costume
2. Have said this many times. Sometimes we stick to plans, sometimes we don't. I don't agree with the machines though. I prefer my phone
3. Disagree for a first trip most of all. Not sure how on earth you can know till you try them out. Don't like them, fine. No problem with that but I can never suggest someone skip something. You gotta try it out at least once to know if you like it, or not. Even Country Bears or Tiki Room. I mean, how would you know had you not tried?
5. Goes back to #4 really. I think your biased based on the movie you liked, not the attractions themselves. Which is fine but again, it goes back to having to try something to know.

Haha, I really have to go back and edit my original post, I think. I just meant for this to be fun list of stuff I learned. Also, I DID say my opinion on BOG was completely biased.

 

[DisneyFive]

Glad you had a great trip and were able to adjust your vacationing style to suit!

Regarding #3, I personally wouldn't tell anyone to skip an attraction (unless it was for obvious reasons like fear of heights or motion sickness, etc).

Instead, I would tell everyone to try everything once, and then determine what you do from there. My big caveat to that though... is don't do days of the less popular/classic attractions all in a row. I've mentioned this before on the Dis, but we did this on our second WDW vacation. At the beginning of our trip, we tried to do all the rides we missed the first year. After a few days of this, we weren't having very much fun. We found out that we had missed those rides for a reason, they just weren't as good. Once we went back to doing the headliners, and sprinkling in the less poplular/classic rides, we had a magical time again.

Dan

 

[AngiTN]

Haha, I really have to go back and edit my original post, I think. I just meant for this to be fun list of stuff I learned. Also, I DID say my opinion on BOG was completely biased.

Yes, you did, and I acknowledged that part.
And yes, I do get that you meant it what you learned.
And learning what you didn't like is good for future trips.
It is important though, for first timers, there are no rides that are a waste of time. Not the first time. Since you have no way of knowing if you like something, or not, till you try it once. In most cases at least. There are some obvious exceptions like if someone if afraid of coasters then skipping those would make sense.
I mean, I get your point, there are a number of things we've done once and never again. But there is nothing we've never tried

 

[purplefern]

Yes, you did, and I acknowledged that part.
And yes, I do get that you meant it what you learned.
And learning what you didn't like is good for future trips.
It is important though, for first timers, there are no rides that are a waste of time. Not the first time. Since you have no way of knowing if you like something, or not, till you try it once. In most cases at least. There are some obvious exceptions like if someone if afraid of coasters then skipping those would make sense.
I mean, I get your point, there are a number of things we've done once and never again. But there is nothing we've never tried

I've just changed my post since then. Eh, sometimes you mean one thing in your head, but when you write it, it doesn't say what you mean it to.