What Disney Tip Are you really glad you listened to?

[tam626]

Not sure if this was mentioned but bring extra batteries or your charger for your camera. Sounds like a no brainer, but I did take extra batteries but left them at the cabin & my batteries died during the first hour ar AK.

 

[sdemore]

Just want to say thanks for all these great tips! I just spent the last two days reading all the postings. My DH and I are planning our first trip in 10 years to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniv. at the end of January and this will be our first trip without kids DH thinks I love planning this trip as much as going Again thanks for the tips!

 

[Princess Janay]

A few of my favorite tips are :

After purchasing your tickets head over to the guest relations windows and ask the cast members to assign ticket to each person in your group they will basically put your names on each ticket so that 1. tickets wont get mixed up 2. if for any reason you lose a ticket it can be replaced.

The night before you head to the park grab a map and a timesheet and go over all the rides and shows that your group wants to hit up. That way you have an idea which route you should take.

Last but not least stay onsite!!! its afforable if you just do someresearch !!!! I was able to get ALL the rides done in Epcot because of Magic hours !!!!

 

[Callalily6]

I just got back from a 11 day trip to WDW!

These were the tips I was SOOOOOO glad I found b4 the trip (and Im a seasoned Disney goer!)

1. Merrell sandals - OMG. Feet didnt hurt. Not even kidding.

2. UltaGlide - I had NO idea they made this stuff. But it helped with the heat, chaffing, blisters, etc. AWESOME!

3. Purex Laundry Sheets - I grabbed a pack of these b4 we left to do wash. They worked great! And now WalMart sells the pack for less than $6 for 20 sheets (loads).

4. Over the door shoe rack/bag - This was an awesome space saver. We threw all our brushes, meds, make up, and tolietries into this and hung it on the bathroom door. It saved tons of counter space and was ubber easy to find stuff.

5. Avoid parks with EMH - the crowds were much higher.

Peace out!

 

[Pjimmeyer]

Just want to say thanks for all these great tips! I just spent the last two days reading all the postings. My DH and I are planning our first trip in 10 years to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniv. at the end of January and this will be our first trip without kids DH thinks I love planning this trip as much as going Again thanks for the tips!

Sounds familiar...we are going in December to celebrate our 26th anniversary and this will be our first trip without kids in about 22 years.

And thanks for the tips all...subscribing. We've been a bunch of times but even so there's still a lot I don't know.

 

[Rjsoto24601]

This thread has been EXTREMELY helpful!!! We're going to Disney this coming Feb and we haven't gone since 2006 so these tips are great!!! Thanks again!

 

[Dopey420]

Free cups of ice water at all counter service spots!

 

[nll007]

The DIS community has provided more tips than I have time to mention but the one that made me the happiest.

"Bring your camera's battery charger to park and if you need a recharge take it to the photo store on main street for a free recharge'.

Not sure if all parks provide this service but I know it's available at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[wishes07]

Thanks for all the great advice!

 

[GlenbeulahGal]

We have a bit of an advantage being that we live only a few hours from WDW and drive there so this may not work if you are a over-packer and are flying.

I look for months prior to our trips for Disney themed items. Stuffed animals, hats, t-shirts, light-up's and trinkets. I am usually the last one out of the room in the morning and I leave one of the things I brought for each child out in the room. When we return, they have something waiting for them. This has worked so well, we virtually have no begging in the parks. They actually ask each other as we go through the shops, "do you think this will be in the room tonight?".

I bring Disney themed fruit snacks, cereal, crackers, etc. I put a few packages per child in the back-pack. When a hungry attack comes I can pull out a snack (cheaper than purchasing in the park) and buy myself a little bit of time until the next reservation or until we can all make a decision on where to dine. It helps ward off the crabbies!

Give the kids each a Disney gift card loaded with equal amounts. They usually wait until the last day so they can reflect back on all of the things they saw and figure out which one they just can't live without. It's funny how they don't want to spend "their" money but mine is so easy to go through!

We bring breakfast items and snacks for the room. We order a room fridge if we are in a value resort. We have milk and juice, cereals, poptarts, coffee & fixings, peanut butter, jelly, bread, fruit, crackers & chips. We eat before we leave the room in the morning and then set up reservations for the last breakfast seating (you pay breakfast but they are bringing out lunch). You can also do the last lunch seating to pay lunch but have dinner brought out. Then when you return to the room and you hear the, "I am starving!" you have some things to keep them quiet. You can probably find a Publix near by to shop at if you didn't want to pack this stuff!

Have fun!

 

[cuvcu]

This is the first time posting, but we just got back from Disney and I thougt I would pass these thoughts along:

1) If staying at the value resort and on the meal plan, maximize your counter service meals and eat at the deluxe resorts (ie Grand Floridian, Contemporary, etc). The food is better and there is more variety.

2) If you have children under three and can afford to stay near the Magic Kingdom, do it. Being able to walk to your resort or catch the monorail is well worth it and not take the buses that often is even better. Plus you will spend most of your time at Magic Kingdom and Epcot with this age.

3) When going to Epcot if you go to the other side of the monorail entrance, not where the majority of people are entering, you can get through with less time and not deal with the crowds, guarantee. Everytime we were able to get into Epcot in less than Five minutes.

 

[stinkerbell2]

Mears is sort of the default transportation service from the airport to WDW. If you have a travel agent book your trip, chances are good you will get Mears as part of the package. Usually they have vans or buses at the airport, where they wait to fill up with Disney-bound guests and then take them to their various resorts on WDW property. I used Mears in 1993 after arriving on an evening flight. I remember being packed into a large van with many other people and going to several resorts before being dropped off at POR almost two hours after leaving MCO. It wasn't painful, but then again I was already fuzzy with fatigue and didn't feel rushed to get to WDW and start my day. I knew this arrangement would not work well with my mother in 2002, so I arranged for a town car - and like I said above, it really injected a dose of magic into the vacation, as my mom and the Dkids felt special (none had ever used a livery service before).

So, is Mears the Magical Express then? How much is a towncar?

 

[nicki.momof3]

2) If you have children under three and can afford to stay near the Magic Kingdom, do it. Being able to walk to your resort or catch the monorail is well worth it and not take the buses that often is even better. Plus you will spend most of your time at Magic Kingdom and Epcot with this age.

Totally agree about staying at a monirail resort if possible (in my case not a financial option) is a great option with young children.

Totally agree that you will spend most of your time at MK with young children

Totally disagree that you will want to spend more than one day (or less) at epcot with young children. We went with 6 children ages 3-8 last year and all of them founf epcot the least interesting. AK was fun and so was DHS.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

We purchase "Disney Dollars" from our local Disney Store long before the trip and our son "earns" them for doing chores, good grades, etc. When we get to the park he has his own special money to spend. It teaches him about saving and budgeting.

 

[HappyCamperToo]

3) When going to Epcot if you go to the other side of the monorail entrance, not where the majority of people are entering, you can get through with less time and not deal with the crowds, guarantee. Everytime we were able to get into Epcot in less than Five minutes.

I"m trying to visualize this - not sure what you mean....

 

[sunnyday123]

My favorite is going through the Rain Forest Cafe into AK. No one goes that entrance.

 

[mareed]

Totally disagree that you will want to spend more than one day (or less) at epcot with young children. We went with 6 children ages 3-8 last year and all of them founf epcot the least interesting. AK was fun and so was DHS.

I think that Epcot depends on what kind of kids you have and what sort of a family you are. We've always spent the most time at Epcot from the time my kids were 2 & 5 on their first trip to now when they're 10 & 13! But, I admit that we're a math, science, "learning is fun" kind of a family! Our kids are likely destined to be somewhat geeks with an engineer & a computer programmer/analyst for parents!

We're not likely to be visiting any of the countries in "real life" and the exposure via the shops, movies, etc at Epcot is enjoyable for all of us.

With Epcot, I think the kids will follow the parents' lead. If parents think it's boring, then the kids will too!

 

[cuvcu]

Totally disagree that you will want to spend more than one day (or less) at epcot with young children. We went with 6 children ages 3-8 last year and all of them founf epcot the least interesting. AK was fun and so was DHS.

As I stated, children "under 3" would enjoy the sights, sounds and the activities available to them at Epcot. Besides the characters and shows (maybe a few amusement rides) at DHS, a child under three would not enjoy it as much as Epcot. There they can run aroud, play in the water spouts, eat pretty much anything they want, see characters with little wait times, enjoy the aquarium, enjoy the amusement rides (esp nemo), etc. Keep in mind any child under three likes, what I feel, the simpler things at Disney not what you as an adult may enjoy. We had to step away from what we wanted to do with our children, which are under three years of age, and let them do what they wanted--even if it is watching the same parades twice a day.

 

[cuvcu]

I think that Epcot depends on what kind of kids you have and what sort of a family you are. We've always spent the most time at Epcot from the time my kids were 2 & 5 on their first trip to now when they're 10 & 13! But, I admit that we're a math, science, "learning is fun" kind of a family! Our kids are likely destined to be somewhat geeks with an engineer & a computer programmer/analyst for parents!

We're not likely to be visiting any of the countries in "real life" and the exposure via the shops, movies, etc at Epcot is enjoyable for all of us.

With Epcot, I think the kids will follow the parents' lead. If parents think it's boring, then the kids will too!

Ditto

 

[OffKilterMom]

Hi all. My kids...and this is truth!...both say that Epcot is their favorite park! All their favorite attractions are there... and we DID get chosen as Family of the Day once...which sort of put Epcot over the top for them.

So here's my fave tip...ROPE DROP! Be there early and get it all done by lunch. It works best at a park with EMH evenings. No one goes in am, and by lunch when they're all showing up you go home and swim. Come back later for EMH, like after dinner, and the crowds have thinned again. And the pools are practically "to yourself" in the afternoon, cause everyone else is at the park...in the heat!
Works almost every time.

Oh yes, when we were picked for FOTD at Epcot, we were standing to the far right, at the rope, heading straight for the Land pavilion and "Soarin". That's where the guy chose us...if anyone wants to try it!