What Disney Tip Are you really glad you listened to?

[Nezzaa]

I'm bumping this 'cause I think there's a lot of good stuff here for newbies like me.

 

[staxia]

This might have been mentioned before, but it's my standard advice, especially for folks who've never been.. (i used to give it all the time when working at the Disney Store, and had MANY folks come back and thank me for it!!)

1-- Know what you want to do in advance. (in this case, you're here already on DISboard, so you're ahead of the game)

-- know what's in each park, and make a plan for what you want to do in each park, and perhaps on each day... once you know what each person wants to do, rank them, then, make a list of the top 5 or 10 things you HAVE to see in that park.. then, make a second list with the next highest ranked things... that way, you get the most important things done first, and no one is disappointed that they didn't get to do what they wanted.

2- I cannot stress this enough. TAKE NAPS!

Especially if you've got a long vacation planned.. and in the summer most of all, get up, do some stuff, then go back when it's hot, take a nap, and life will be SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!

 

[aenelson]

Photo-Pass
Get pictures taken by CM's. They will give you a special card with an ID number. At the end of your trip, pick up your CD at Epcot or MK. I think the price just went from $99 to $120. The CD is your's. I heard someone had almost 500 pictures on their CD. That is a lot of pictures. If you don't want the CD, you can go home and log into the Photopass and you have one month to order pictures from Photo-pass.

Do they still have this package? How much does it cost now? Is there a website?

Thank you!

 

[WAHkoMom]

Bring extra sunglasses....I didnt... Having to buy uncomfortable replacements in the park after you leave them on test track is a wise lesson learned.

I haven't seen this tip before - - I am adding this to my packing list! THANKS!

 

[bonrea]

Do they still have this package? How much does it cost now? Is there a website?

Thank you!

Yes it still exists. Its called Disney's Photopass. There are CMs all over the place with pro cameras and take the pictures and hand you a photopass card or you give them a card you already have for them to scan the bar code. When you get home you go to http://www.disneyphotopass.com/ and purchase the pics. Price depends on what you wish to purchase and spend.

 

[Self_resqing_princz]

I don't know if they're doing this at EVERY target.... but at mine, in the dollar bins, they're putting little Halloween things in now. I got my niece a glowing purple fairy wand and nephew a green glowy pirate sword... Since we are going to MNSSHP, they can use them for that OR at one of the EMH parks if they want. That way if they're dressed up, the glow items will either match them or they won't put them down because they'll be playing with them too... and that way they won't say "I want a glowy .... whatever." They were both JUST $1! Even if you're not going for a few months, you could stock up and use them for whenever you go! Hope this helps all you budget conscious people!
If not, let me know and I'll go pick 'em up for you... I'll only charge and extra dollar to send 'em to you.

 

[jusero]

You're talking about Wishes Dessert Bar - I believe it's only $20 per person, but it's talked about a lot on the DISboards, so if you're still sad about losing your favorite spot, there might be a chance for you to join everyone up there and talk about whether or not it was worthy enough for you!

I am sooooo not worthy.
It's actually nearly $30 per person. I don't know where I got $75 from (maybe that's after taxes for the two of us). Plus, being a diabetic, the dessert bar would kind of be a waste of money. All-in-all, however, I may put it in my budget for our next visit anyway. It is a GREAT spot.

 

[melificent]

Just back from a week at WDW and I have a tip someone might find useful. After the Main Street Electrical Parade, hop on the monorail to the TTC. Head down near the boat landing and watch Wishes from there. You have a great view, you can hear the music from the Polynesian (I assume), and best of all there are no crowds. Depending on where you're headed afterward, too, you can also beat the crowds there.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Just back from a week at WDW and I have a tip someone might find useful. After the Main Street Electrical Parade, hop on the monorail to the TTC. Head down near the boat landing and watch Wishes from there. You have a great view, you can hear the music from the Polynesian (I assume), and best of all there are no crowds. Depending on where you're headed afterward, too, you can also beat the crowds there.

When I was on the beach at the Poly over Labor Day weekend we could not hear the music from Wishes but still had a great time watching it there.

 

[Thumper_Man]

For those that drive to Epcot, we learned a cool little trick for getting real close parking. Could be we were just lucky, but we managed it both days now that we were just there. After you pay for parking, stay to the far left lane. Don't follow the line of cars in. Keep going straight. There is a some space to get past the cones. Once you are past the cones, keep going straight. There are no CM's directing traffic. From here, you can get into the IMAGINE parking lot. Puts you close to the front of the park entrance. There is one lone CM checking bags as you enter through the side. He never had any lines when we went in.

 

[ChrisHartman]

Taking a photo of the back of my tickets.

I bought my 6 day park hoppers through undercover tourist. Disney sees these tickets as a bulk purchase and cannot easily tie them back to the individual purchaser.

Well, I left one of our tickets in the Test Track FP machine (I think) and when I went back it was gone. This was the first day of our trip.

I went to Guest Services at Epcot and because I had a photo of the back of my ticket on my camera, they were able to void the old ticket and issue me a new one at no cost. If I hadn't taken that photo, I would have had to purchase a new park ticket.

 

[ratlenhum]

Taking photos of the back of the tickets

Taking photos of the back of the photopass card

MOLESKIN!! I precut it into several circle and oval shapes and keep it in a ziplock in my bag. Every trip, at least once, someone needs it at some point in our trip.

 

[scarlet_ibis]

We also wrote our cell number on the back of our photopass cards, so we could be contacted if they were left anywhere. Several of the photographers commented on it.

 

[cuches]

You're talking about Wishes Dessert Bar - I believe it's only $20 per person, but it's talked about a lot on the DISboards, so if you're still sad about losing your favorite spot, there might be a chance for you to join everyone up there and talk about whether or not it was worthy enough for you!

this is only open in the summer and it is $15-35.99 as per the Disney World web site. Here is how they wrote up the Wishes Dessert Party:

Make your summer nights extra sweet at a special dessert party that provides a wonderful vantage point for Wishes" Nighttime Spectacular, the biggest, most dazzling fireworks show to grace the skies above the Magic Kingdom!

Held at the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station most nights from June 1 through August 14, 2010, the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party includes a self-service buffet offering an array of tempting sweets and beverages. The party begins one hour prior to the start of Wishes Nighttime Spectacular.

Due to the popularity of this experience, Guests are encouraged to call (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 to make reservations. Guests under age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.

Admission to Magic Kingdom theme park is required.

Please note that Tomorrowland Terrace Cafe operates seasonally.

Guest Policies

An 18% service charge is added for parties of 6 or more.
This experience takes place in a non-smoking environment.
This location can accommodate most special dietary needs. Advance notice may be required and cancellation fees may apply. Please indicate any special dietary need at time of reservation booking. Learn more about how we can help accommodate special dietary needs.

We usually go to Disney in the fall and ALWAYS sit here (for free ) But make sure you are not in the covered section or you will miss most of the fireworks and Tinkerbell (learned the hard way DUH!!! ) We also love sitting on the benches on the Tomorrowland bridge or standing on the front right side of the castle (by Belle's Story Time) The worst was sitting directly in front of the castle where EVERYONE seems to want to sit....the castle blocks too much of the good stuff! I am going in 2 days and am SO EXCITED!!!!!!

 

[cuches]

Bring your own glow sticks from the dollar store. Kids are happy and you save a bundle of $$.

Check out Home Depot....they have battery operated glow sticks that are also flash lights. Comes with a lanyard as well. We bought a 3 pack for about $9 and will last for a long time. I think they sell them in single packs for about $3 each. We plan on using them for Halloween as well (got them in neon orange).

 

[ariamac]

Three or four evenings of reading all these great tips! I'm surprised I made it to page 76. Thanks for all the great tips!

I booked my first trip to WDW last week and these tips seem sooo helpful!

I also have a copy of the unofficial guide, which I'm getting through pretty quickly too

Thanks! And I'll be back to share my tips once I'm back in March

 

[noahdove]

I knew about taking a picture of the back of the ticket, but, not the photopass...thank you

 

[58cognac]

I have to thank my MIL for this one......not sure if it's a tip, but it helped a lot with the "can I get this?" situation that can come up every 20 feet.

Grandmother told our girls that with the $ she gave them, they could not spend it until the end of the trip(or last day of each park that we visited twice). We were able to avoid the constant question and they really gave thought to what they wanted for souvenirs.

Also, since this was our first trip I didn't want to feel rushed and not be able to enjoy the experience. All ADR's were made for the park we were visiting. No hopping this first time. ADR's were either 1st breakfast (CPalace, CRT) or late lunch (Cellier, Yak&Yeti). One ADR was at Fort Wild. and we were at DHS, transportation was too involved IMO. This strategy was a huge stress/time saver. After CRT and Cpalace, we were able to walk over to the Tomorrowland rope, taking pics along the way with no crowd, got FP for SM, etc.

This forum and UNoff. guide was a HUGE help in planning!

 

[Mickeysgirl34]

My mom and I were on the bus going back to Pop Century. This lady asked the bus driver how they could get on Toy Story Mania without waiting for 150 minutes. The bus driver said,"Get on the bus to DHS early,and when you get to the park,go to Toy Story Mania first,get a fast pass for it,and wait in line." We followed this tip,and it worked out very well,and the best part was we got to ride Toy Story Mania 2 times! 8D.

 

[free2div]

this is only open in the summer and it is $15-35.99 as per the Disney World web site. Here is how they wrote up the Wishes Dessert Party:

Make your summer nights extra sweet at a special dessert party that provides a wonderful vantage point for Wishes" Nighttime Spectacular, the biggest, most dazzling fireworks show to grace the skies above the Magic Kingdom!

Held at the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station most nights from June 1 through August 14, 2010, the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party includes a self-service buffet offering an array of tempting sweets and beverages. The party begins one hour prior to the start of Wishes Nighttime Spectacular.

Due to the popularity of this experience, Guests are encouraged to call (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 to make reservations. Guests under age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.

Admission to Magic Kingdom theme park is required.

Please note that Tomorrowland Terrace Cafe operates seasonally.

Guest Policies

An 18% service charge is added for parties of 6 or more.
This experience takes place in a non-smoking environment.
This location can accommodate most special dietary needs. Advance notice may be required and cancellation fees may apply. Please indicate any special dietary need at time of reservation booking. Learn more about how we can help accommodate special dietary needs.

We usually go to Disney in the fall and ALWAYS sit here (for free ) But make sure you are not in the covered section or you will miss most of the fireworks and Tinkerbell (learned the hard way DUH!!! ) We also love sitting on the benches on the Tomorrowland bridge or standing on the front right side of the castle (by Belle's Story Time) The worst was sitting directly in front of the castle where EVERYONE seems to want to sit....the castle blocks too much of the good stuff! I am going in 2 days and am SO EXCITED!!!!!!

we were ther just 3 weeks ago and it was still being used for the dessert party. We used to sit there also to watch Wishes..now we just go to the end of main street and watch..perfect view