Top WDW Don'ts and How to Avoid Them

[Troy0822]

Top mistake for newbees, not doing their homework! Get adavance copies of the park maps and study them!!!!! You can always tell the people who have no idea where they are going by the "Moses wondering in the desert loook". People waste an incredible amount of time when they have no idea where they are going or how to get there.

Plus, bring at least two pairs of shoes because if they go in the summer one pair is bound to get soaked and take forever to dry! (I made that mistake once, never again!)

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Is Wonderful & Magical, that makes it more enjoyable !
DO Have a GamePlan before you get there
BE willing to go-with-the-flow
ASK questions on the DIS boards
SIT on a Bench & take a Break
DO NOT be on a 'diet", ENJOY the meals & restaurants (think about the Dining Plan,awesome deal)
BUY a souvenir when you see it, don't say "I'll get it later", shops carry many different items
DON'T necessarily need to rent a car (if flying), use Dinsey Busses & Boats, we always take advantage of Disney Transportation
DON'T overpack, really. I always do & never use half the stuff
DON't be shocked by prices/costs at WDW, know ahead of time that stuff is more expensive there & get over it
BE willing to make changes to your schedule

REMEMBER: WDW cannot be done on one vacation, know that now, it is BIG, HUGH & TERRIFIC !!

ENJOY THE PLANNING, TRY NOT TO GET OVERWHELMED (Yeah, right, its easy to do)
YOU WILL LOVE IT !!! ::cop:

Great advice ... and remember to be considerate of those around you - whether on a ride, waiting in line, or walking around the parks - treat others as you want to be treated.

 

[Friendly Frog]

Pretty well covered, but may I also suggest

If you are walking, don't just stop in the middle of the road. Move over to the side.

Give lots of room to strollers, wheel chairs, and especially the ECV's, they
need more room to stop than you would think. Your trip will be less pleasurable if you get your feet hurt.

Don't wear yourself out. Better to have fun doing a little less, than to " cram it all in" and loose some of the fun factor.

sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.

 

[hockeybabe]

Great tips! Here's a few more:

Don't forget Immodium, Rolaids/Tums, Advil (has an anti-inflamitory) and/or Tylenol, and Moleskin. The rich food can upset one's digestive system, and headaches can happen, and so can blisters. Relief can be pricey if buying OTC relief at the parks!

Don't forget the lockers! They are only $5 a day (with a $2 refundable deposit) and are park transferable (keep your reciept). Great place to leave the tripod for taking pics of those night-time shows, video camera, and other things you don't want to carry around with you. Don't want to bring rain ponchos? Just leave an extra shirt in the locker, when you get hit with the "daily rinse", just a shirt change will make you feel like new! Which leads me to another point....

Don't leave the park when the "daily rinse" hits. This is the mid-day rain that comes out of the blue when the rest of the day has been sunny. It lasts for about a half-hour, so do some shopping or get to some inside show, and when you come out, it will be sunny and a little less busy, thanks to those who left during the rinse.

Don't forget to use Fastpass.

Like others have said, don't be surprised that drinks are $2.50-ish. But, don't forget that you can get a cup of ice free at any counter service location. Bring some Crystal Light packets or Gatorade powder, and you have "free" drinks.

Don't be surprised if you have to wait 45 minutes or more at the restaurant even if you have an ADR. The ADR just means that you get the next available table, not that you will be seated at that time. This can be frustrating if you are not prepared.

Have fun!

 

[momandseandodisney]

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.

RIGHT ON

 

[Feralpeg]

Remember to treat others the way you would like to be treated regardless of their behavior!

 

[Kimi313]

1. Know about fastpass, how it works and when you can get a new one.

2. Don't try to do all the night time shows and afternoon parades. Pick a few to do on this trip

3. Don't worry about doing all the shows at the different countries at Epcot you will lose too much time. You might want to pick one or two, do the others on your next trip.

4. If you are going in the summer, do the firs show of Beauty and the Beast, it is cooler.

5. At MGM there is alot of scheduling around show times, you may have to miss one so decide now which one that would be.

6. Unless you are doing free dinning, don't do a sit down restaruant each day, maybe 2 or 3 for the whole week. Sometimes you spend too much time trying to plan what you can do before your ADR time.

7. Eat early lunches while it is not crowded.

8. Be at the parks at opening, most of the time you can get more done in those few hours than you do all day.

9. Relax and have a good time. 5 days is plenty of time to get alot done just don't try and do everything.

10. Did I mention Fastpasses, they are your friend know everything about them.


_________
Kimi

 

[dpuck1998]

Lots of good advice. I'm sure I'll be repeating, but I'll toss in a few.

Did anyone mention fastpass yet? Use it

Get up early if you can..we do more in the morning that others that get to the parks later can do the rest of the day.

If your using a stroller, get the length of stay pass. Saves a line and money.

Fantasmic Dining!! Great show and with the dining package you don't have to wait in line nearly as long.

At MK, behind the christmas shop between fantasyland and adventure land is a small stage/wooded area. A GREAT place for a break....Tom Sawyer island is also a good break location.

We love the barber shop at MK, if you have time/kids get a haircut or some gel coloring. The CM's really give them a lot of attention. Also, my kids wear "Guest of Honor" nametags and get lots of great interaction because of it.

 

[tc]

If they've never been before, study, study, study, and pre plan. It was so frustrating for us the first time we went to WDW. We had no idea how large WDW was, and how long it could take you to get from one place to another. Also, not knowing the lay of the parks caused us a ton of grief. I am helping many friends plan thier trips, and what I mostly do is tell them what to expect. How large it is, how to get from here to there, what the attractions are at each park, and what their family may enjoy more. The more information you have before you go, the more fun you'll have when you get there. Once you have all the information ingrained in your brain, relax, enjoy and stop and smell the roses!

 

[FlyingBelle]

Last year I found small battery-operated fans with a belt clip in the dollar bins at Target. I bought those and disposable rain ponchos and passed them out to everyone in the group at breakfast the first day.

Both came in handy!

 

[katlas&kids]

Rain poncho's, camera film and if there are kids, get them a disposable camera too! You'd hate to miss any shots and somethimes the kids unposed ones are better!

 

[88Keys]

Many of you may disagree with this, but renting a car was the best thing we did -- Disney's transportation is great, but at the end of a long day, nothing is worse than waiting 45min for a bus and then having to stand the whole way home, than walking from the bus stop to the room. For less than $200/week, you can do it yourself.

Also, some have said to do only one or two sit-down meals and that may work for some, but I find that not only are they part of the magic, but a nice meal really refreshes you for the evening activities. One of my favorite moments this past trip was eating at Coral Reef on the dining plan.

 

[okduke]

I appreciate all of the tips associated with planning, but I don't think it can be overstated how much our own attitudes will impact how we feel about this type of trip. "Don't sweat the small stuff" . . . "Stop and smell the roses" are great ideals, and we're planning on taking it one step further.

We are looking forward to trying to intentionally go out of our way to perform random acts of kindness during our trip. Open doors for people, smile, give away glow necklaces (from Dollar Tree), etc. We're looking forward to sending post cards to folks we don't know . . . maybe a nursing home? Hopefully we'll be able to focus on how lucky we are to be there. Lines? Who cares. Heat? Who cares. Rude people? Who cares.

I know this is really idealistic, but our hope is that it keeps us in the frame of mind to ignore those things that we might otherwise see as a nuisance.

 

[dpuck1998]

Many of you may disagree with this, but renting a car was the best thing we did -- Disney's transportation is great, but at the end of a long day, nothing is worse than waiting 45min for a bus and then having to stand the whole way home, than walking from the bus stop to the room. For less than $200/week, you can do it yourself.

Also, some have said to do only one or two sit-down meals and that may work for some, but I find that not only are they part of the magic, but a nice meal really refreshes you for the evening activities. One of my favorite moments this past trip was eating at Coral Reef on the dining plan.

I agree!!! We have only gone once without a car and hated it. Who wants to spend an hour getting to a dinner. Going from Resort to Resort is a pain. Going to the parks is quite easy howerver. Having a car really gives you flexibility. My wife has to goto Neiman Marcus so the car comes in handy...wait...if I didn't get a car she couldn't go...couldn't spend money there...scratch what I just said..no car for me next trip

 

[mill4023]

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

Actually, there is no wrong way. The machines are supposed to work no matter which way you put your ticket in. Of course some of the machines do get picky for some reason and only work when you do it a particular way.

I'd say the most important things we've learned are:
1. Get to the parks before opening time and hit the big rides first - It is so much less crowded and you can get so much done in the first two hours with very little wait.
2. Don't overdo it. Either take afternoon breaks or take a rest day after a couple park days. Don't try to do 3 or 4 open to close park days in a row or you will just end up tired and grumpy.

 

[MissMagnolia]

This is not a don't, but a do if you want to save $$ on food:

Bring along some breakfast-type non-refrigerated food for the morning in the room, then eat a late breakfast/early lunch (brunch ) at a buffet restaurant. We love to do this at Crystal Palace in MK.

If they have children, be sure to pack snack-type things to take with (fruit snacks, granola bars, etc.). This really helps to keep the little ones from melting down as you are standing in line. Also (depending on how much you want to carry) I sometimes bring small-size coloring books with a few color crayons in a baggie to keep the kids occupied while waiting. You can usually find the small ones in the check-out lines at places like Walmart. If the children are older, bring the small word-finds or crossword puzzle books.

Don't worry if your little one needs to go to the potty just as you are about 10 people from getting on the ride . Just leave a spouse/friend/etc. in line and ask the people behind you to go ahead until your family members come back. Many people at WDW have been there and will understand.

Don't stress out. I also try to be more patient with my kids, if I am overwhelmed and excited imagine how the little ones feel! When I start to say the "don'ts" or "be carefuls" I take a deep breath and smile at them (sometimes they look at me waiting for the "don'ts" or "be carefuls" and it is that more enjoyable for them and me!).

The last DO from me: take in all in and enjoy it. Stop at the start of Main Street in MK, looking at the castle and smile (or cry in my case). WDW is a wonderful place and needs to be savored, celebrated, and enjoyed.

 

[pooch]

I appreciate all of the tips associated with planning, but I don't think it can be overstated how much our own attitudes will impact how we feel about this type of trip. "Don't sweat the small stuff" . . . "Stop and smell the roses" are great ideals, and we're planning on taking it one step further.

We are looking forward to trying to intentionally go out of our way to perform random acts of kindness during our trip. Open doors for people, smile, give away glow necklaces (from Dollar Tree), etc. We're looking forward to sending post cards to folks we don't know . . . maybe a nursing home? Hopefully we'll be able to focus on how lucky we are to be there. Lines? Who cares. Heat? Who cares. Rude people? Who cares.

I know this is really idealistic, but our hope is that it keeps us in the frame of mind to ignore those things that we might otherwise see as a nuisance.

Can you imagine if everyone on these boards tried this when at WDW?? Hundreds, no thousands of random acts of kindness!!! And you know this kind of thing is contagious (anybody see that new commercial? don't remember who does it). I think we should make a pact and I will be the first to add my voice.

I solemnly swear that I will do something nice for someone at WDW for no reason except to be nice. Pass it on!!!

 

[LaughinPlace289]

1. Don't overplan. Many DISers make the mistake of overplanning and then get stressed out when things don't go as planned when they get there. No matter how fool-proof you may think your plan is, there will always be something that doesn't work out.

2. Don't over do it. A lot of the time people get to Disney and forget that they are on vacation. And a vacation isn't a vacation when you're running yourself ragged. Take a day or two to lay around by the pool. You'll be happy you did.

 

[monymony3471]

okduke,

That's one of the best ideas I've heard yet. I wish you success in your mission and it's inspired me as well. Not only in Disney, but around here as well. My town could use it right now.

 

[mickeymousemom]

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.

Amen.