We've learned quite a few things over the years! Here are a few I wish I'd known on that first trip:
We don't save money by eating at counter service restaurants - I know this sounds crazy, but without at least one reservation at a sit-down restaurant, we'd tend to put off eating until we were all STARVING! We'd then buy a lot more (and usually less healthy) meals. We'd also be crabby from hunger and indecision since nobody knew where they wanted to go. We now schedule one or two sit-down meals in the park each day about a half hour before we'd typically be hungry. Surprisingly our dining budget went down!
Grocery Delivery is AWESOME! - Another way we have learned to save money is to have Von's deliver breakfast, lunch, and snack foods to the room. When we do this we save a ton of money and tend to forgo a lot of the junk food.
Don't try to enter/leave the parks at peak times - We all have issues with crowds in our family. We find if we are among the cattle migration out of the park right after fireworks or right at closing, we can get pretty grumpy. We now time our entrances and exits so we're less likely to encounter mass crowding. The best way to do that is to avoid main street after fireworks, parades, or the last 1/2 hour the park is open.
Mid-day breaks really add to the enjoyment! - By leaving the park at around 1 or 2 and returning around 5 or 6, we avoid the largest concentration of crowds in the parks. We take that time to hang out at the hotel, take naps, or whatever else we can do. When we return to the parks we are more rested and ready to stay late.
Character Meals are WONDERFUL! - We finally learned that one or two character meals each trip is perfect for us. We are able to see most of the characters without standing in long lines in the parks.
Adding One More Day - When planning a trip, we discuss the number of days we want and then add one more. Then we don't feel like we have to rush to see everything.
Brace Yourself! Meltdowns Do Happen! - It always catches me off guard. Sensory overload can get to adults and children alike. By acknowledging it's a possibility, we have learned to take a break, have a talk, or do whatever we need to so as not to have an emotional mess on our hands.