What Disney Tip Are you really glad you listened to?

[barbaraann]

Everyone had a first time for going to Disney. You remember, people heard that you were going, and lots of them gave you advice. Or perhaps, if your like me, you read everything that you could get your hands on. Well which items of advice did you listen to? Be it a practical one or a magical one. On my first trip with my 4 year old grandson, I am glad I listened when someone told me to ask to sit in the front of the monorail. We did that our first night on the way to Epcot and it was wonderful. Definitely do a character meal, I was advised. We did three, and they were all special in their own way. I also remembered hearing something about O'hana and dinner and fireworks. It was my birthday and we had spent the afternoon at Downtown Disney, which was a disaster. It was about 8 o'clock and we were back at our hotel, I was starved. We thought about room service. I remembered somewhere about asking for seating at O'hanas, you might be able to get in without a PS. It was not a busy season. We got seated, it was my birthday, I got serenaded to the tune of Hawaii 50. It was my 50th birthday. We saw the fireworks from the restaurant and it was all spur of the moment. I simply remembered, at the right time, of course, and my birthday was really magical. So you all have them. What is the one piece of advice you are glad you listened to? Practically or Magically?

 

[mommytutu]

Practical tips:
zip lock bags in every size for a variety of reasons--I used zip lock bags all over the place. I kept one in the diaper bag for dirty clothes, one in my fanny pack for items that I didn't want to get wet, I used them for groupling things together in luggage to make searches faster

brita fill n go--this saved us a bundle in money. Since they have been discontinued I need to go stock up on filters

fanny pack--yes, they are unattractive, but man, they are handy

buy small fan to use in parks before you go

head back to the resort in the afternoons


Magical tips:

Ride in the conductor's car of the monorail

Make breakfast PS times before MK opens (8:30)

Get a window seat while eating in the castle and an aquarium seat while eating at Coral Reef

 

[akur]

buy small fan to use in parks before you go

Double and triple that one! $4.95 vs. $14.95, and you have it already on the way there. I used mine in Las Vegas, a cruise, and the State Fair.

 

[WaltD4Me]

One of my favorite tips was to use a town car service instead of Mears. We had a super great driver, the grocery stop was awesome and we didn't have to make 5 other stops before getting to our hotel! I will never use Mears again!

Also glad I listened to the people who said it not to worry if you got late morning character breakfast PS's. We had 10:30 PS's for Chef Mickey's and it was much less crowded than early morning and the kids got tons of character time. Same for the Princess Breakfast in Norway.

One more....get over sitting on Main Street for parades, there are great, less crowded, spots to watch from in Liberty Square and Frontierland

 

[tinkerbell81284]

I got this Birnbaum's guide... Mondays and Easter tend to be the one most crowded times to go to MK!!! I learned both my lessons on those two!

Big tip! Always wear sunscreen! Learned that one the hard way too! Eek! Definite Ouch!

 

[Grand2me]

Best piece of advice that I got was to bring your own poncho and have it with you at all times...EVEN if they say it's not going to rain. You never know. We found out the hard way last year . A really good piece of advice that I got from my brother was to start walking. I know it sounds wierd but he said that you do an OBSCENE amount of walking in all of the parks. He wanted us to be ready. Really glad that I followed that one.

 

[leahannpen]

The best advice I ever got, and listned to, was to make copies of the back of my park tickets incase they were ever lost. I did this last trip, and let me tell you...thank god I did. I lost my pass BUT with the copy I made, I was able to have the old one voided and a new pass issued in minutes.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

The "hang on the door" shoe holder! Keeps everything handy and neat!

 

[Deesknee]

Best advice - if at all possible stay on the monorail with little ones. (although now we don't BUT we rent a car).

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

If your little one needs a nap, ride around on the Tommorrow Transit Authority. You can usually stay on it, since there isn't a line. We rode it for about 30 min one time.

 

[quiltymom]

I was able to get some small Disney character fans at the Disney Store for only $5.00 just last week. They have a neck strap on them, AND the center of the fan lights up! Now I won't have to get them light toys for nighttime when we're in the parks.

 

[Drizzo67]

I have to agree with the post about walking. A few weeks before our trip the whole family went down to the mall by our house and just walked, in and out of crowds. It was also good practice for the kids to reinforce their manners It was delightful to hear them saying "excuse me" and "thank you" when passing through crowds etc. It was also good reinforcement for myself - keeping a good eye on them.

Water, Water, Water - drink tons. Even with all the wonderful food in Disney I managed to lose 6 lbs on our last trip....WALKING AND WATER. Kept me going all day.

When you do your "advanced" walking before your trip, make sure to be wearing the shoes you will be wearing in the parks. This way you will know if they are comfortable, etc.

 

[buckeye]

Buying double cheeseburgers and an extra bun, to make 2 burgers. Prices are high and every little bit I save makes me feel better. Never would have thought of it on my own.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

I was able to get some small Disney character fans at the Disney Store for only $5.00 just last week. They have a neck strap on them, AND the center of the fan lights up! Now I won't have to get them light toys for nighttime when we're in the parks.

Disney store.com or did you go to the Disney store?

 

[madison66]

.

 

[dkddis]

Stay on site.

 

[quiltymom]

Disney store.com or did you go to the Disney store?

I got the fans at the Disney Store. I got a Minnie Mouse and a Buzz/Woody. I believe they also had an Incredibles and one other, but sorry -- I can't remember which character(s).

 

[Nini]

I too think that Fanny packs are great!

Though with a small child, I will need more than that in carry space. I have decided on a smallish knapsack (a sporty type...weather proof material) and ziplock bags for those items that must stay dry. This will enable me to carry those essential sippy cups and snacks that my little one will need throughout the day. I will also be able to carry dh's wallet for him (in a ziplock of course!) and maybe a dry pair of shorts for myself and dd3...we hate wet bottoms!!! DH doesn't care if he is wet...man thing I suppose!

Hmmmmmm...I buy the plain old light sticks for the kids for our annual cape cod trip, so I think that I will buy those again (traveling w/extended family for this trip too!) as they like to take them to bed...they double as night lights and I can generally find them at Ocean State Job Lot for approx. $.99 each!!!!!!!!!!!

-Comfortable shoes are a MUST!!!!! I agree that you should start walking BEFORE the trip. Socks with your shoes/sneakers are a plus for cutting down on blisters.

-Don't try to cover everything in one trip...you'll kill yourself trying!!!!! Save some for a reason to go back.

-I read about these...disposable cereal bowls from Target! They have the cereal in them (same concept as the boxes but they are in fact plastic bowls) and with kids, this is a great time/money saver!!!!!

 

[ksoehrlein]

For DD4 : The thread about how to get a PS for Cindy's Royal Table for breakfast. I never could have snagged it once, let alone three times (and counting), without those instrux!

For DS2 : I'm glad I read here about getting baby's first haircut at MK. I never knew they gave ears and a commemorative certificate until I read it on the DIS.

For me : The tips on going it alone with 2 small kids. I ended up buying a toddler harness (despite my initial reluctance) and a sling, and put both to good use. Of course bringing DH with us the next time made it even easier.

For our budget: The ING Direct FAQ! And many of the other hints on the Budget Board.

In conclusion:

 

[allforpooh]

Towncar instead of Mears

Grocery Stop -buy cheap styrafoam cooler-buy pop- bring a lg ziploc bag to use for the ice refills much less mess..

Refill water bottle in Park

Put all of the Park, parade, and Firework times on a index card on one side, your tentative schedule with PS's times and #s along with Resort, Dining phone numbers on the other side and laminate - I keep this in my backpack.....

Pack then take out half - I always end up wearing the small comfortable stuff over and over

Teva Sandals

Go to the Park Early, go back to resort by 12 or 1 - rest, nap, swim - then dinner and back to parks - everyone is in a much better mood.

Check the refurbishment schedule right when you get there in case anything was added - one year we went to MGM after we were there a couple of days and found that Rock N Roller Coaster just went off line for a week but had been opened the first 2 days we were there.

To be honest there are so many things I have learned from these boards that each time we go it is more relaxing and fun....

Denise