What are some little Tips that can make all the difference??

[LilGMom]

You and who you are with, makes the vacation. That's my tip. If you, or if you bring someone, who complains, nags, or is generally easy to irritate- your vacation will suffer.

But if you bring people who wants to have fun and have a great sense of humor, your vacation would be fantastic.

So you have to set up the expectation to have a sense of humor about everything on the vacation.

Wow, have you vacationed with my in-laws?!?!?! I love them but don't like to vacation with them.

Take everything in stride, don't sweat the small stuff and go with the flow.

 

[cazcol21]

Have a spare Ziplock bag for your valuables to go in when you go on the water rides

 

[Chellymouse]

The spray bottles with fans are a necessity when it's hotter than blazes. They can be purchased at your local big box retailers for around $5. They are $20 at WDW. Make sure you have a couple of extra batteries in your bag for it. The CMs are REALLY good about giving cups of ice to fill the bottle also.

Lockers are not a bad thing either. We keep our ice bottles in the cooler, rain gear and a change of shoes/socks in the locker and if you're park-hopping your locker hops with you as long as you have your receipt and deposit.

Plan to hit the parks hard and early then take a break after lunch. Head back to the resort to nap/swim and then back into the parks around dinner time. You're out of the crowds and sun during the hottest parts of the day as the crowds tend to thin around dinner time.

If you aren't planning on catching the parade, it's a GREAT time to ride. Many of the popular rides are nearly empty during parade time and you won't need a FP.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[theresak]

We've found the wet washcloth (in a ziplock) frozen before is a refreshing thing to have in the warm morning.

For our peace of mind, we would take a polaroid of the kids in the morning before hitting the parks - that way if they were lost we didn't have to try and remember what they were wearing that day, etc. Now that our kids are older, we'll just give them walky talkies or throwaway cell phones, but for little ones it helped our comfort level. Thank God we never had need for them, then they just went in our picture pile from vacation.

 

[pjynx]

I second the idea about freezing bottles of water the night before. However, be advised that they will "sweat" as they defrost.

We wrap a washcloth around our frozen bottles and secure it with 2 rubber bands. It's beats the bottle-sweat issue, and then we have a cool wet washcloth to use too.

 

[shyjade]

Take a digital picture of the back (the ID #) of your PhotoPass card in case it gets lost. I also write our last name on the card with a Sharpie marker so it doesn't get mixed up with someone else's by the photographer.

I also like to take a digital picture of our room number on our hotel door. Seems I can never remember the room number at the end of a long day in the parks and I feel better knowing I have it "with me" just in case.

Drink water, water, water if you go during the hot season and you're not used to the heat. FORCE your kids to do the same. An ounce of prevention...

I always use Body Glide before heading out to the parks to prevent chaffing and blisters (especially when we go during the hot season).

Even if you don't want to stick to a touring plan at Disney, make sure you know what the top priorities are for your group. Nothing worse than rushing around hours before your flight home to finish the "must do's" you thought you'd have plenty of time to do earlier in the week!

 

[lpoeppelman]

We just got back from a 9-day Disney trip with 4 boys! I posted something similar to this post awhile back. Here are some of the tips that I used the most:

#1: Go in the morning, before park opening. This is imperative. It is not only hot, but also very crowded after 9:30 - 10:00a.m. Pick the rides you want to ride and ride them first. Dumbo (and all of Fantasy Land) is a must for the morning hours. We got ALL, easily ALL, of the Fantasy land rides in within 30-40 minutes after park opening.

#2: I enjoyed evenings the BEST! It was not hot out at all. Go no later than 5:00p.m. and instead of going out for dinner, go out for lunch instead so you can ride rides between 5-9, grab a quick dinner, and then watch the parades and fireworks. I would plan better for this next time. Many times we didn't get back to the parks until 6 or 7p.m. and didn't have enough time to ride everything we wanted to.

#2: Take a sponge, get it wet with soap and let it dry. Then cut it in small pieces. I did this and it was a great way to wash sippie cups & bottles.

#3: Use throw away sippie cups. We did this, but didn't throw them all away.

#4: Have a dum-dum sucker on hand at all times (and some baby wipes). Great for waiting in lines or when you need to calm kids down (and keep them quiet)

#5: Never do a late evening magic hour adjacent to an early morning. We did this (knowing full-well what other, more expert, Disney travelers had advised). It is not a good idea.

#6: If you do an evening late magic hour, don't go until later. The park is tremendously crowded until 11:00p.m. - midnight. You are better off just waiting until after 11:00p.m. IMO. Most people leave by then because they have little kids. My little ones just slept in the stroller. It was a fabulous time to ride the bigger rides.

#7: Go to Epcot at park opening and ride Soarin' first. Then grab a Fast Pass for it for later. That ride is always so crowded & they run out of FPs by 1:00p.m.! FYI: If you want to do child swap for this ride they may want to see your kids and you must take them out of the stroller to do this!

#8: Take an afternoon break. Preferably between noon - 4.

#9: If you have a baby, bring extra pacifiers. You will use them.

#10: Pack everything in individual baggies and squeeze air out of them. My #1 pick! It took forever to pack, but I was so glad I did it. You can get 2 1/2 gallon bags at Walmart.

#11: Plan everything out! I planned the first 5 days completely out and they went so well! After that, we didn't really enjoy it as much because I didn't have a plan. We kind of winged it those last 4 days. Those were the least enjoyed days. It was not fun having to think about a game plan. It was much easier when we had it all planned out.

#12: Things I would not do: Wait more than 20 minutes for any ride. We got ALL, easily ALL, of the Fantasy land rides in within 30 minutes after park opening. They opened the park, then we scooted off to Fantasy land (via through the castle) and they had another rope drop for this area. So we were literally the 1st ones in Fantasy land and rode Dumbo first! We hit the rest of the rides in no time and no wait at all. Rides that typically had little/no wait for us: It's a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Philharmagic. I was suprised to see that Pirates always went fast! And we went during Memorial Day week.

#13: Board the train when you are hot or tired. But NEVER do it in Frontier land. It is so hot there. My favorite spot was in ToonTown. There's a kiddie playground nearby.

#14: When you are really hot, stroll through the shops on main street. They are all connected. Or, do this to avoid large crowds on main street.

 

[mikymouse]

1.)Talk to the CM's they are extremely helpful. During our first trip, my daughter wanted to see Snow White so we ask the CM in Germany about her schedule. We knew exactly the time and spot for her arrival and got some fantastic one on one time with this princess before anyone else noticed. During our second trip, we wanted to have a good spot for the High School Musical Pep Rally and the CM by the hat told us exactly how to get front and center for the show.
2.) Take the time to do something nice for another family.. paying it forward makes you feel good.
3.) Plan a "nothing" day in the middle of your vacation to relax, swim, resort hop, or make a last minute park decision... It is kinda of freeing to have your day wide open to possibilites.
4.) Our park plans are typically either A.)Go Early, Rest, Maybe go Back B.) Sleep In - Go Early Afternoon and stay Late. Alternate your early vs late days so that you get the sleep in day after your gate drop morning
5.) Try the School Bread in Norway it is really very good
6.) Three things I always take to Disney....ziplock bags, disposable ponchos, cheap glow sticks
7.) Have fun.. one of my best Disney memories was have a sword fight with my son while we waited for the rest of our group to return from Splash.
8.) Program the Disney Dinning Phone Number into your cell phone for last minute planning
9.) Save empty M&M tubes for quarter for the arcades or pennies for the presses
10.) Research before your trip but then just go with the flow once you arrive

Forgot something...bring straws so you can share drinks and not have to tug around half empty drink bottles.

 

[shyjade]

6.) Three things I always take to Disney....ziplock bags, disposable ponchos,

What's the third thing you always take to Disney?

 

[kid-at-heart]

Take some down time and enjoy time outside the parks. There are some great walking paths around the resorts. My DD(9) and I had some great conversations just walking quietly about the resort lands.

Remember to bring your manners with you and use them (as I am sure you will, otherwise you would not be posting on disboards). As a previous poster said, "Take the time to do something nice for another family.. paying it forward makes you feel good."

 

[DeblovesPoohbear]

What's the third thing you always take to Disney?

It was on there
Read it again, they said 'Cheap Glow Sticks"

 

[TSMAMI]

 

[thejackattack21]

All of the above are great suggestions, and I just have one thing to add:

Ask the CMs for advice! Now, I will add the caveat that a CM who is frantically trying to get a huge line of people through a turnstile will not be extremely receptive to a long conversation with you. But if you catch a CM during downtime, you will absolutely make their day, and learn some great tips! These people spend all of their working hours (and many of their non-working hours) in the parks, and know their specific area inside and out. They can tell you the best place to stand for a parade, the most out-of-the-way places to rest and relax during the day, and any number of things.

 

[shyjade]

It was on there
Read it again, they said 'Cheap Glow Sticks"

I swear, it wasn't on my screen before! But I love that idea. We do the same and then hand them out to other little kids to put a smile on their face. I even wear them too!

 

[thepwa]

I avoid becoming one of these people by reminding myself that I am on vacation and I am in WDW! When I encounter these people, I let them think they've"won" (gotten in front of me, etc) I know deep down that I am having a much more enjoyable and relaxed vacation then they are.

Bravo! Could not have said it better!

 

[thepwa]

My #1 tip is get up early. I can't say it enough. GET UP EARLY.

Yes, I realize this is not what makes a vacation for many people, but it amazes me the crowds that start coming in between 10 and noon.

Personally, I'd rather get up early than wait in lines later.

We can get an incredible number of top line attractions done early..especially during morning EMH.

Afternoons can always be used for naps, if necessary. And it gets me rested for night EMH!

 

[vanillarum]

Bring Body Glide ! It is a life (or blister and chaffing) saver ! Use it on your feet, your armpits, your thighs (woo hoo !!), anywhere. My DS is going on a 3 week bike trip to Nova Scotia this summer, and we bought him 3 sticks !! I'm a runner (probably closer to a "slogger (slow jogger) now), and this stuff is great ! Good luck !!

 

[rkwells]

Bring Body Glide ! It is a life (or blister and chaffing) saver ! Use it on your feet, your armpits, your thighs (woo hoo !!), anywhere. My DS is going on a 3 week bike trip to Nova Scotia this summer, and we bought him 3 sticks !! I'm a runner (probably closer to a "slogger (slow jogger) now), and this stuff is great ! Good luck !!

What is the best place you have found to purchase this? Thanks!

 

[vanillarum]

When it first came out, I checked all the local pharmacies, CVS, Riteaid, Walgreens, etc. No one had it. So I went to a local running store, got it there, and have been returning there whenever I need some ! Good luck !!

 

[abc999]

Hang one of your cheap glowsticks on your stroller and activate it at night.. if you have to leave your stroller outside, it is a easy way to find it, even if the stroller gets moved!