Things I Learned From my First Trip

[cgattis]

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?

If you're too shy to get a conversation going with a character (especially maybe a fur character), if you are wearing something with them on it, or looks like something they wear, etc, they will usually comment on that to get the ball rolling.

 

[mamamelody2]

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.

True! DH and I are leaving in 6 days. We will be doing many character meets. I will be letting my inner child out and refusing to let it be awkward!!

 

[mamamelody2]

I do find this post very interesting as I think it showcases how so much of WDW is subjective. One person's favorite attraction, is the next person's least favorite.

 

[KenHutch]

The very first thing you need to take from your first trip is to begin planning your 2nd trip to the World. As to some rides being a waster of time I am a big believer that everyone should try all of the attractions at least once to base their feeling on. For example you didn't like Small World or Bears Jamboree. I could take or leave them but at 8 and 17 my girls insist on riding them (and SW several times)
As to M&G's we love them and plan a lot of meals around M&G buffets. And as to AK my girls love the animal park so much we are staying at AKL next June (I fought hard for the Contemp but I was out voted) Either way I hope you had a fabulous time.

 

[bladiator]

Other things in this category are the Tiki Room, and the Country Bears.

Let's fight.

My sister and I completely skipped the animal stuff

I totally get this. I love zoos, but I still haven't walked down any of the animal paths at AK. I like the Safari though cause I'm lazy and they drive me.

 

[focusondisney]

See, I totally disagree with both #3 & #4. We love all the rides you think are a waste of time. And we think most of Animal Kingdom is a waste of time. We hardly ever go there, even tho we make 2 or 3 trips to WDW a year. The 2 or 3 things we like here aren't worth our time or effort to get to. To us.

The most important thing I like to share with anyone who asks for Disney World advice is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. There is something for everyone. Enjoyment of the different parks, attractions, restaurants & resorts is subjective & individualized. I would never want someone to miss an attraction that they might really like because I advised them it was a waste of time.

So I am glad you found what worked for you & enjoyed your trip. That's really the most important thing!

 

[tlmadden73]

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 look at these rides as mainly for kids. Sure - they are boring an cheesy as all get out for adults going by themselves (especially to adults who NEVER experienced these rides as kids themselves).

They are magical to kids to be on a boat and see tons of animated characters or to see "live" Little Mermaid characters. These classic "old" rides were some of my son's favorite rides as we took him as a preschooler. (Though the LIttle Mermaid scared him because of the Ursula animatronic).

I will agree that the Little Mermaid ride is definitely not up to the same standards as say Peter Pan, which is sad since it is a vastly newer ride. I don't know if that ride will have the longevity of other classic rides.

 

[Tiki Birdland]

1 story for a Character Meet from several years ago... We were at Chef Mickey's (my wife's favorite) and my youngest son (then 4 years old) wanted to meet Donald. He asked me what to say. I just whispered in his ear, "Duck Soup". And, he asked Donald for some "Duck Soup". It was hillarious to watch his reaction! Goofy and Mickey both came by later to give him a high-five. Apparently, it made the rounds. We still talk about it 10 years later!

 

[Anabelletoronto]

I have to agree about it's a small world. As a kid, I loved that ride. I remember it so fondly. Fast forward 30 years, and I insisted that we all go on it's a small world. The FP line took over 20 minutes but I insisted.
My entire family was less than impressed. Me too. I won't make sure we ride it this time. But I'm hoping something else creates the same fondness for my daughter.

 

[Gehrig1B]

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 is especially poor advice for newbies. The only reason it works is because, being a newbie, they won't realize just how inefficient that is and how much they missed. Will you still have fun? Absolutely. Would you have seen and done more by creating a good FP+ plan and using the MDE app to secure more Fastpasses later, almost certainly.

 

[bladiator]

(Though the LIttle Mermaid scared him because of the Ursula animatronic)

I took some friends to Disney who had never been, and she only got her 4 year old on the ride by saying that Ursula wouldn't be there (I don't know why she would think that). And then, to add insult to injury, the ride STOPPED while their car was right in front of her for like a full minute.

 

[tlmadden73]

I took some friends to Disney who had never been, and she only got her 4 year old on the ride by saying that Ursula wouldn't be there (I don't know why she would think that). And then, to add insult to injury, the ride STOPPED while their car was right in front of her for like a full minute.

Oh my! We took my son on it when he was 2 .. and then again when he was 3 .. when he was much more vocal it scared the heck out of him. He was VERY clear on the 4 yo trip that we didn't want to go on it (even though it was one of the rides that his baby sister could have enjoyed).

 

[Sparkly]

If you're too shy to get a conversation going with a character (especially maybe a fur character), if you are wearing something with them on it, or looks like something they wear, etc, they will usually comment on that to get the ball rolling.

I wore a T-shirt with Eeyore on it to Crystal Palace and Eeyore loved it!

 

[BeerMe]

If it works for you that's great. It wouldn't work for us.