What Disney Tip Are you really glad you listened to?

[wrighter]

Pretty new here - is there a difference between ADRs and PS? Where should I look for more information on this?

 

[cdrn1]

I have been making copies of the backs of my tickets for a few years and never needed them, until my latest visit in May, when we lost a ticket somewhere in MGM. Don't you know, I didn't have the copy with me. I went to guest services, and they scanned the tickets that I hadn't lost, and were able to reissue the lost one. The CM could tell by the magnetic strip where we got them and which one was missing (or so she said). At any rate, it only took a few minutes.

 

[disneygal66]

fintastic,


You can find Body Glide at Dick's sporting Goods, any shoe store that carries running shoes or at durgstore.com. It was the best $10 we spent!!!!!!! I have fat thighs and the rubbing didn't chafe me and we were there in August!!

 

[marybrat]

The one thing I did not listen to, but i wish I had was this...
The first time we took one of kids was when my daughter was 16 months old. Everyone told us to take breaks, go slow, enjoy the little stuff. Oh no, not me... in my pre-kids days I toured Disney commando-style. I would break down the cost of the trip into the number of days and I have to have that much fun each day. Crazy, I know. Well, my eyes were opened when we took a 16 month-old. We were forced to slow down. Our daughter would not allow us to tour at our own pace. Initially this was awful for me, but then I discovered the little things, like the lights in the sidewalks at Epcot and the fountains and then talking trash can, the list is endless.

 

[EeyoresBuddy]

These are all great tips!! I hope to make our first trip to DW very special for my DW!!

 

[jemiaule]

Not sure if this has been mentioned - freeze your bottled water. It will slowly melt and you will have a nice cold drink for a good portion of the day.

 

[aclov]

I've learned:
1) Have bottled water shipped from Staples, this worked great the last time and was very inexpensive
2) DDP - although it was ton of food and I gained weight I loved that it was paid for and I didn't have to worry about the cost
3) Buy souvenirs offsite at of the outlets.- I love that it's actual Disney merchandise, not some of the cheezy cheap stuff they sell everywhere.
4) Bring your own detergent if your planning on washing - I usually go to the dollar store or bring a sample if I have one. I like a something small. I know no one like to wash on vacation
5) Watching MK fireworks at Narcosses - very romantic

The one thing I always forget:
- Take poncho or umbrella Last time I ended up spending $10 on a Mickey umbrella. It ended up being a nice souvie to myself, I guess.

 

[Redbudlover]

The bottled water from Staples is a terrific idea - even though we left a bunch in the hotel when we left we still saved a bunch of money. Another great thing to do is to have dinner at one one of the Epcot resorts the night you plan to watch illuminations. You can leave your car there in the resort parking lot and then when you leave Epcot grab a ride on the boat back to the resort. It is fast - read no lines - romantic and you get a great dinner on the boardwalk!

The person who suggested Narcoossees is also soooo right. The restaurant (which is beautiful and has great food!) stops service, dims the lights when the fireworks start and pipes in music - everyone goes outside to watch them and then afterwards goes back in to finish dinner. It was wonderful!

 

[ZoZo]

1. Disposable rain ponchos (the ones you get at Target or KMart). Small enough to tuck into a pocket, fanny pack, etc. Saved me during a horrible thunderstorm last year! Didn't have to shell out $8 or so for a WDW poncho like my friends.

2. Towncar service. We had 4 adults in our party, and it was cheaper than a shuttle (this was before Magical Express). Took us straight to our hotel, with a very handy grocery stop on the way.

3. Bodyglide and moleskin to prevent blisters. Also used antiperspirant to prevent chafing on the legs.

4. Break in your shoes really, really well before you go! I had what I thought was a well-broken-in pair of shoes (my workout shoes!). Wrong! Got a horrible blister that lasted for several days. Now I wear my most beaten up, comfy pair of tennies. They're not pretty, but they have never given me blisters.

5. Eat breakfast in the room to save money and time. Take advantage of the small fridges that most resorts have for breakfast items and snacks (cheese, yogurt, fruit, etc.).

6. Slow down and enjoy the magic!

 

[camdensmom]

If you are an iced coffee drinker: buy the resort's refillable mug. Get a cup of coffee at night. Add your cream and sugar and put it in the fridge. In the morning just add ice. I swear we wasted 1/2 of our last trip in search of iced coffee and then the lightbulb went off!

 

[D L and K's Mom]

I think one of the best suggestions I read here was to throw a cheap pair of flip flops in your bag so when it rains...and it WILL rain you can throw them on and keep your sneaks dry. After the rain stops out come the sneaks. This was great for us. We just kept a bag under the stroller and when it rained we put on the ponchos and the flip flops and we were off! It was alson nice for Splash Mount. and Kali.!

 

[lalijack]

When I first read this tip on these boards, I thought, "Wow, that's almost too over the top even for me!" (But I did it anyway.)

Fill out one 4x6 index card for each day of your trip. Fill it w/info on that day's intended activities, including which park(s) you'll visit, ADR locations and confirmation #s, good places for spur-of-the-moment counter-service meals and snacks, must-see/must-do things at that park, fireworks or show times for that day, park hours, EMH hours if applicable, and tips found on the boards. For instance, if the boards suggested that we get a FastPass for one ride and ride another ride in the area while we waited for our return time, I included that info on my card.

Before you head to the parks, cover your card with packing tape to waterproof it, (yes, I brought a roll of packing tape to WDW!!!) and stick it in your bag. The perfect mini cheat sheet for the World! You can't imagine how helpful my index cards were for managing our first trip to Disney!!!

 

[HLDisney]

I learned a lot from this thread when I was planning our Thanksgiving 2006 trip so I just wanted to return the favor and pass on some of the tips I found the most useful:

1) Covering the stroller in case of rain. I used the rain cover that came with our stroller and it saved my DD4 from having to sit in a wet stroller when we came back from a ride to find that there had been an unexpected rain shower
2) Ponchos and flipflops for Kali River Rapids. Kept my DD and I dry (while our friends got wet because they thought we were silly to be wearing the ponchos ) and we just switched back to our sneakers when we got off the ride.
3) Riding in the back of the Magic Kingdom railroad. - My DD and her friend got to say "All Aboard" and got a little card that said that they were honorary conductors (or something like that....I don't remember the exact wording now)
4) Asking to ride in the front of the monorail. My DD really enjoyed it
5) Getting large bottles of milk and water from the resort gift shop for snack credits instead of the snack size ones in the resort convenience store or food court. This saved us a lot of money. We had brought cereal with us to eat breakfast in the room and these big bottles of milk were more than enough for us for more than one breakfast.
6) Putting all of the ADR's, parade/fireworks times, EMH days, etc on one index card and putting it in a ziploc to keep it dry. I found myself referring to the card all the time.
7) Tying a scarf or something noticeable on your stroller so that you'll recognize it. It's amazing how many blue strollers are out there
8) Take advantage of Photopass photographers. I got some great photos of my DD and I together (which is rare since, as a single mom, I'm usually the photographer)

HLDisney (who's tentatively thinking about planning a Thanksgiving 2007 trip......)

 

[ZoZo]

1) Make ADRs well before you go. You can always cancel them if you want to be spontaneous!

2) Emergency ponchos (the 79-cent Target kind). Small enough to tuck into a pocket or fanny pack. It was a lifesaver the night before the hurricane, when caught in a huge downpour! Cheap enough to be disposable!

3) Slow down and enjoy yourself. Take breaks and people-watch. If you rush from thing to thing, you'll miss out on some of the magic!

4) Communicate by cell phone. So nice to be able to be flexible in planning rather than having to say, "Let's meet __ at ___ o'clock."

5) Bring extra-comfortable shoes and use Coolmax socks. I brought a pair of workout shoes I thought were well-broken-in, but they caused a blister before I realized it. What a pain! Should have brought my old, crummy, comfortable shoes.

6) Save money and time by eating breakfast in your room.

7) Go to at least one character meal, even if your party is all adults!

8) If you see something you want to buy, be sure to buy it right then. You may not see it again at other places throughout WDW. If you change your mine (i.e. if you find a shirt you like better), you can always return the original shirt you bought to any WDW gift shop! You don't have to return it to the shop where you bought it. Just keep your receipts.

9) Use sunscreen (Neutrogena Spray-On is my new favorite!) and drink lots of water.

10) You don't have to lug around a heavy water bottle. Just ask any CS restaurant for a cup of ice water - they'll give it to you for free! You don't even have to buy anything!

11) Moleskin and Bodyglide to prevent blisters.

12) Lay out all the clothes you want to take with you. Then take half of them out of your suitcase and plan to do laundry mid-trip! It only takes about 1.5 hours to wash and dry a couple of loads (simultaneously), and gives you a chance to take a little break from the parks. [This is the most important thing I learned from my last trip - I brought so many clothes, and I wore only about 1/3 of them.]

13) I also make up a couple of laminated cards with park hours, ADRs, confirmation numbers, etc. They're the size of a credit card and have all of the info I need. No need to lug around a lot of paperwork or a park guide!

14) Have fun and enjoy the magic!

 

[mt mommy]

such great ideas! I really like the index card tip. I also bought my kids sweatshirts at the Disney Outlet for the trip. I think they were $15 each. I got them out one night when they were asleep, so when they woke up the next morning they had a Disney sweatshirt to be excited to wear that night. And guess what??? They never even complained that I didn't buy them the $40 one we saw at the WDW gift shop!!





25 more days until fun at the POLY!!!

 

[Tigge50447]

bring ziplock to put leftover cookies or snacks left on your plate, my silly mom did this and it worked out cause my son didn't eat 3 of his cookies from chief mickey's and later that night I ate one, it was super yummy, and there was no way I could have eaten it after the buffet.

 

[rzeta94]

Very interested in responses! Great info....thanks!!!

 

[SunflowerTigger]

Where do you get the coolmax socks at?

I am definitely interested in these, don't want to get any blisters.

TIA

 

[mt mommy]

bring ziplock to put leftover cookies or snacks left on your plate, my silly mom did this and it worked out cause my son didn't eat 3 of his cookies from chief mickey's and later that night I ate one, it was super yummy, and there was no way I could have eaten it after the buffet.

I LOVE this idea!!! I am going to pack the ziplocs as we speak!

Only 13 more days until fun at the Poly in WDW!

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

using pnchos to cover our stroller while we go into a ride or attraction. You never know what the weather will be like when you are inside. Sometimes you come out to find your stroller soaked from a surprise shower.

sorry i know this was already posted, but it really saved us many times.