Top WDW Don'ts and How to Avoid Them

[LuluLovesDisney]

Hi, guys!

I have some friends who are going to WDW and wanted some advice. Of course I recommended the DIS, Allears, Mousesavers, wdwinfo, Birnbaum, etc. and TOTALLY overwhelmed them! They're only going to be there 5 days and I don't know how to help them pick what to do out of sooo many awesome things. (I'm going for 2 weeks this summer, and I still have to cut things out, lol.)

I thought it might be helpful to kind of condense all this into just a few top tips for a 100% newbie who is easily overwhelmed w/ all my DIS enthusiasm.

So, what do you think are the top mistakes new WDWers make and how they can avoid them?

Thanks!!

 

[Coloradomom]

Trying to do everything in one trip! Recommend they have a general plan based on what they like, but be flexible to adapt if they want to repeat some thing they like a lot. Trying to do everything will make it all less enjoyable.

 

[AllyCatTapia]

just take a day and ccchhhiiiilllllllllllllll

 

[Simba's Mom]

Trying to eat at a sit-down resturant at prime meal time without ADRs. Make at least some ADRs for where you want to eat.

 

[PaMom001]

Wear good shoes and bring along spare shoes. Bring along moleskin. Start a walking program before going. Don't try to get it all in, can't be done without wearing yourself out and pissing someone off. Bring along dollar store ponchos. Remember, it's a vacation so enjoy yourselves. Pick out the "must do's" and "won't be upset if we don't do it".

 

[Gary M]

I always think getting to the parks when they open is a good idea. The crowds don't usually show up until 1 1/2 to 2 hours after opening.

 

[Rella Bella]

Not packing at least two pairs of comfortable shoes.
and
Not bringing a rain poncho to the park because it doesn't look like it's going to rain.

 

[exwdwcm]

Don't forget the poncho!

Plan, but be flexible!

Take breaks, whether back at the hotel, or in the park taking it slow, doing shows etc.

Don't forget to use fastpass!

 

[Sonno]

Even though sometimes you may feel like you want to snap and kill one of your offspring, or someone else's... Stop, count to 10, count to 10 again... and once more for good measure. Remember, you're on vacation, and so are they. Please don't hit, scream at, karate chop, body slam, fountain dunk, kick, slap, scratch, drag, beat, try to auction off... you get the idea... your children. Trust me, you'll enjoy your trip a lot more, and so will they.

 

[musicmama]

1. Fastpass - pay attention to the people in front of you (if they seem like they know what they are doing ) so that you don't put your ticket in the wrong way
2. Fastpass - don't forget to pick up your park ticket with your fastpass
3. The MK train doesn't run during Wishes - we found this out the hard way - if you're planning on the train to get you around the park, get to a station about half an hour or so before Wishes or you'll miss "the last one for awhile".
4. Remember it always takes longer to get somewhere than you think it will - whether walking or riding Disney transport or even driving your own car
5. Let each member of your family pick one meal/restaurant/attraction they want, then everyone feels like they've had a say
6. Be flexible

 

[Joan S.]

Hi, I would also say GET to the park(every park) before the official opening time!! I know the MK and the AK do a "special" show at opening,VERY exciting and magical!! Also STUDY the park maps BEFORE you get to the park and try to memorize your way around.(I always see people standing and looking at maps trying to find a ride or attraction. ) It is also a good idea to have a PLAN for what you really want to do at each park. And it seems if you want to do TS restaurants, ADRS have become a MUST have! Also know that you WILL NOT see and DO it all!!( Those of us that have been going for YEARS have still not seen and done it all.) BUT most of all HAVE FUN!! Joan

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I agree with all of the above.

- Don't expect to see everything, make a list of things that are absolute Must-See/Do.
- Plan (note park hours, EMH days/parks, etc.) but be flexible.
- Make ADR's 180 days before you leave home - saw many turned away with hours before an opening (50s Primetime, we were there at 3:00 for a 3:30 ADR and folks were being told there wasn't an opening until 9:00)
- Allow at least an hour to get from resort to park when using Disney Transport (busses). We almost missed our 10am ADR at Chef Mickey's. The bus filled up before we got to board and we had to wait 10-20 minutes for the next one from Pop Century. I was clock-watching for the whole ride. We checked in for breakfast at 10:06, without running from MK to the Contemporary.
- Take a break, even if to just sit on a bench for a few minutes. People watch or take notice of the Disney details surrounding you.
- Have fun!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

take one relaxation day with no parks!

 

[Thinktinknpixiedust]

DON"T forget to stop and smell the MAGIC
and don't forget to pack your sunscreen!

 

[Diznotyzed]

Don't sweat the small stuff. The other Counter Service lines seem to be moving faster than the one you got in - no big deal. Another guest just beats you into line and then lets 8 other family members ahead of you to "catch up" - not really gonna hold you up that much. Just missed a bus or monorail - another will be along. Vacation's lots more fun and relaxing if you don't let stuff like this bug you.

 

[anneofgreengables]

If you have little kids don't make them go from morning to evening fireworks without a break and demand that they don't whine or have a meltdown just so you can do everything. The little ones will have more fun and the vacation will be more enjoyable for all if they take a nap or have downtime at the hotel after lunch and come back refreshed for the evening festivities.

 

[Rudegrle]

My biggest don't is...Don't pay rack rate if staying on property! We paid rack rate our first time staying at a WDW resort, and thanks to these boards (and others) I was able to figure out just how much we could save. Even if it's just AAA or even purchasing an AP (which saved us over $1000 one trip) I suggest looking into it.

Another don't (just like Diznotyzed said) is "don't sweat the small stuff"! This one is a biggie. Countless times we see people losing it, just read some of the posts over at the "most shocking" thread and you don't want to be reading about yourself when you get back.

My final don't is...Don't forget to use FastPass. It's amazing how many people don't use this amazing service. Use it, Use it, Use it, even if you think you don't need to because the time you save is valuable.

 

[Mousecrazy22]

We've been going for years and seem to always learn something new on each trip. My advice would be, don't think you're wasting time if you're back at the resort, relaxing by the pool. These breaks between parks (especially in the summer months) really allow you to get some rest for your next activity.
I think many feel that they must rush around in order to see everything. But it's so much more enjoyable for everyone if you take your time, notice the small things, and take in the fact that you're in a very magical place.

Pre-planning is important (and half the fun!!!) Read everything you can about the parks, resorts, and restaurants. Last year, I printed out the menus from the restaurants that most interested us and brought them with us on the trip (July). If we didn't have an ADR somewhere, we just looked over the menus to help us decide where to go. We were lucky enough to get in to our choices I got them from Allearsnet.com and they helped in pre-planning our meals for ADRs as well.

 

[monymony3471]

When are they going? Are they driving, flying, using ME, where are they staying?

This might help with some people being able to give them some key tips.

Are they traveling with children?

My tip: Make sure they read carefully their travel documents as soon as they have them in their hands. When we were driving down and got to atlanta geogia the day before check in we saw WDW had us booked at ASMu instead of ASMo, and Movies was booked solid and we couldn't get it switched.

 

[eliza61]

My number one don't. Don't try to do Disney "Commando" style! You will only end up feeling frustrated and irritable. Let every one pick 1 attraction that they want to do and then the rest of the time, Relax.