What are your top 3 tips?

[raleighlaura]

Hi everyone,

Already this community has been so helpful- thank you all!
I'm planning our first Disney trip- we are a family of four with two boys, 5 and 7, and a third boy, well into his 30's, but on par with the 7 year old in the humor department (aka Daddy).

I'd love to get a list of the TOP 3 things you wish you'd known, or think I should know, before our Sept. 25-30 trip.

A couple of ideas to keep this useful...please don't "me too" an answer, just come up with another tip so the list keeps growing. And try to remember how it felt before you knew what MK EMH meant (though now I do!) and spell out abbreviations for newbies like me.

Just fyi- we are staying off property at the Windsor Hills Resort in a condo. I know that means we have to commute and won't have the extra hours, but we ended up deciding that mommy and daddy needed the alone time more than we needed to be on property. We plan to visit MK, EP, DHS, Sea World, and AK. If I have to not visit one due to time, we're thinking of ditching AK from the plan.

I'm looking forward to your list already.
Thank you again for all of your help!
Laura

 

[tam626]

Make sure you have extra batteries for your camera & keep them with you, not back at your resort.

Try to do a character meal, it's a great way to let the kids spend time with the characters without waiting in a long line.

That's the only two I can think of right now. We only went once with our ds & will be going back Sept. 26-Oct 3 so I can't wait to read some of the tips.

 

[mhconley]

1. Make sure you visit one of the water parks! My 5 year old DS' hands-down favorite park was Blizzard Beach. We could not get him out of the water. He loved the slides - all of them. He desparately wanted to try Summit Plummet but was nowhere near tall enough.

2. Don't overplan or stress. We went during free dining last year and we did not get most of the dining reservations I wanted. Still we had a great time and the parks were very surprisingly uncrowded - Fay may have had a hand in that. We ate, did and rode everything we wanted to and then some.

3. Plan to walk. Everything requires walking - lots and lots of walking - a crazy, unbeleivable amount of walking. Bring several pairs of broken in very comfortable walking shoes.

Have fun!

Martin

 

[katyjeka]

Don't wear new shoes on anyone in your group!!!!!

Don't rush from ride to ride, you'll miss half the magic of WDW.

Remember kids are still kids at disney. They WILL have to use the restroom at the worst possible time, may not want to get close to characters and WILL want to go back to your hotel to swim(plan a little down time)

Have a great trip

 

[poohbear8]

Here's what I've learned throughout the years......

1. Buy glow in the dark necklaces at your local Dollar Tree and take them with you. Buy more than you think you will need. You will most likely have some "duds" that won't light and you don't want disappointed kids.

2. (REALLY IMPORTANT) Take the above glow sticks with you to the parks! Sadly, they don't work when they are sitting in your hotel room! Our first trip, we kept leaving them in the hotel room when we left in the morning. We didn't go back til after the parades. It took us several days to "remember" them.

3.If you are doing the photopass....take a picture of the card number or text the number to yourself in case you loose it. I thankfully did, which saved my pictures when I lost the card on a ride.

 

[billybobblockhead]

1) Sunblock
2) Good shoes/socks
3) Hats

 

[noahdove]

Don't forget the phone charger, tylenol, rain ponchos yes, it does rain someplace every day, ressie confirmation numbers if you have ressies, stamps for postcards as well as the address labels, saves time when sending those favorite cards, fat click sharpie markers-for autographs..that's all I can think of right this minute. have a magical time

 

[LovinRafiki]

1: Read and plan as much as possible before the trip, but once on the trip, remember its ok to throw those plans out the window and have fun!
2: Don't expect to see everything figure out the big attractions for your family
3: Soak it up! It goes by fast and at the end of your trip you'll feel like you just got there

 

[Justsyd2]

Get to the parks early
Carry a hanging shoe thingy to store items in the room
Carry a pop-up clothes hamper for the room

 

[The Hendies]

Pack as light as possible going into the parks. A 5 pound back pack increases in weight exponentially as the day wears on.

Use fastpass and single rider lines whenever you can.

Stop and smell the roses.

 

[cmusschoot]

1. let your kids be your guides...sort of!! If they want to ride Big Thunder 5 times in a row (and there is a reasonable line) let them. If they want to eat lunch an hour early...let them...in other words, don't try to force family fun.

2. take breaks...it is hot and might rain, allow time for rest, and shelter

3. view the world from your kids eyes, you will be suprised at what they think...fun is!!!

 

[Safari Queen]

1. If your kids are interested in meeting characters, go early to the Character Spot in EPCOT. Though the line may be long, once they're through it they'll meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofey -- very satisfying! Trying to get into lines throughout the parks can be REALLY frustrating.
2. Get a book on WDW and talk to the kids the day before about what's in the park you'll visit to help plan hitting the things they want most. Then get there early to so you'll definitely get into those attractions. Make sure you know what's closed for renovation (check the WDW site) so the kids know in advance.
3. Take breaks so the kids (and you) don't get overtired. A snack and a bench or some free grass make a nice place to relax and people-watch. Talk to the kids about what they liked best.

 

[billybobblockhead]

I'll also add one more. Purchase some Body Glide. You can get it at Dicks sporting goods. I use it when I run (inner thigh, feet). I've found out that my youngest rubs a lot when we walk in Disney, and I usually come up with a toe blister (or two) and that does the trick. Believe it or not, it really is great on your feet.

 

[LovesTimone]

Wow this is hard only 3 tips I'll try my best

1.) Before you hit the parks, put sunscreen on at the resorts this is more manageable when dressing and the kids can watch TV,everyone will be excited and not want to stop for sunscreen when you get in the park, sun burn is miserable and could ruin a vacation. Pack the "Park bag" the night before with camera w/extra batteries, Small toys or snacks to make the waiting in line easier for the kids and you, Band aids, Tylenol, Tums, I don't mean the whole bottle or box just a few to save $$ if you happen to need them.

2.) While in the parks, Character meal is a must! Why? You can kill several birds with one stop. Pictures and Autographs w/ Character they come to you, Better food selections for everyone ( grown up food and kids choices), Air Conditioning, Being able to sit down and relax, Time to regroup and figure out what next. Realize that you are not going to be able to do and see everything and really soak up what you can see and do.

3.) Plan some down time in the middle of the day if possible to swim or nap. If going back to the condo is not a option maybe going to one, of the water parks to cool off and relax. We like Typhoon Lagoon the best love the lazy river and the family slides are the best. There are showers and dressing rooms so that you could clean up before heading back to the parks. When my DD and Step DD where young they would fall asleep on a lawn chair DH and I would nap too (find a spot in the shade) and would wake up refreshed and ready to get cleaned up a go to the parks or to DTD for the evening.

Have a really wonderful vacation

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

1. FP, FP, FP!!!!

2. A hand held game in your park bag. Ours is Yahtzee. Sometimes we all take turns and play the same game. It seems to make the lines go faster.

3. Sea World: Make a plan. This was the hardest park to navigate. If possible get a map ahead of time and decide on your route. Also, it takes all day to see all 3 big shows. (Unless, you want to run from one to another.)

Bonus: Eat a Dole Whip in MK

Bonus if driving: Bring a drying rack. It is so nice to have dry swimsuits to put on and not use the bathroom to dry clothes.

There was no way that I could keep it to 3!! Sorry !!!

 

[AimKo]

1. Bring gallon sized ziploc bags. They are great for dividing things up in your backpack. I used them to bring changes of clothes and store wet things; to hold extra snacks; to keep a med-kit...very handy!

2. Make a reservation for b'fast at CP BEFORE the park opens...so nice to stroll down Main Street before the crowd and get your pics of the family in front of the castle.

3. If you do autograph books...put your kid's name on it in large letters in an obvious place..the face characters will often pick up on your child's name and address them...my daughter was astounded that the princesses knew her by name!

Aimee

 

[DisTwix]

Here are mine --- funny enough, we'll be @ Pop the same days you are down there!

1) A flexible attitude - this cannot be stressed enough. No matter how you plan, things will happen that throw everything off.... even the little things can get to you (not being able to find hubby in World of Disney for 20 minutes, for example)... it'll be hot, you and everyone else will be tired and sometimes hungry and you just have to let some things go. It's ok to do so - you can always come back!

2) Give your kids some kind of budget to work with... they aren't too small to understand. Whether it's a daily budget @ each park, or a budget for the whole trip, or allowing them to pick out ONE thing @ Disney and ONE thing @ Sea World.... if they are in charge of this, and have clear rules/guidelines, they will hopefully not drive you batty when their little eyes pinwheel with all the merchandise.

3) Get the times guides at each park when you enter --- you can print them off early, make spreadsheets, think you have it all together, but those times can and will change and could be pretty different the day you actually get to that park. Especially for Sea World, which, as was mentioned previously, is a huge park, spread out - that alone is a scheduling trick, and a long day.


Have fun!!!

 

[Bay Hill]

1.Wear sunblock and hats. Also have a good pair of shoes.

2. Take a break in the afternoon, go offsite for lunch, lounge by your pool, and go back to the in the evening.

3. Do a meal with your Disney favorites, no lines. A breakfast meal is cheaper than the dinner meal.

 

[mikelynn91]

A deck of cards is nice for down times in the park or waiting for your Fast Pass times (we love playing in the food court of The Land/Epcot; the Pinocchio House next to Small World/MK; and in the ABC commissary / HS) during the afternoon after the lunch rush. A/C is wonderful and the break refreshes us!

We avoid EMH parks and go to the park that had EMH the night before - we believe we ride more and wait less - but don't take my word for it - go to the EMH park so my park will be less crowded!

Buy trading pins online at eBay from dealers who have sold thousands with high ratings from customers - the pins are tradable and you'll save quite a bit of money! Sometimes we like what we get online and try to complete those sets!

Slow down and breathe it in... it flys by so fast...

 

[LittleMissDisneyBabe]

My top three tips?

1.Don't try to do everything (you never will)
2. Take advantage of the fastpass it beats waiting in line.
3. Book ADR's at character meals instead of trying to do meet and greets in the parks. That way the characters come to you and you have more time enjoying the rides and other attractions at the park.