What I wish I would have known BEFORE getting to WDW!

[NMMickeymom]

I would have to ditto the idea to bring single serve mixes of Kool-aid, Poweraid, crystal light etc.to mix into your water . I thought we would be fine with tap water (we usually are) but it was too yucky for even my taste. I had planned on refilling water bottles as I did not want to mess with shipping water and regretted not having a better plan. I had 4 packets with me and could have used at least a dozen!!!

 

[Mickey Pal]

I don't know if this has been said yet, but...If you have a child in a stroller, take along a ziploc bag full of ice and lift up the material on the back of the stroller that covers the frame and put the ziploc baggie there full of ice. That way the child sits in his stroller and can stay somewhat cool. If the ice melts just ask any place that serves pop in a glass w/ice and they will be happy to give you more ice.

 

[savs]

One thing I love to do, it just takes a little more time when packing.

Put all kids clothes in a zip lock bag (shirt, shorts, underwear and socks) that way you just have to hand them a bag each morning and they have everything they need right there to get ready.

It saves on space and helps if they have to check in your luggage at the airport.

On thing I learned is to not put the outfit back into that bag to go home.....if they are the least bit damp, they will start to mold...yuck! ou can then use the bags to store things in when going to the parks.

Little Kids on a plane:
I have some Disney window clings I bought online for my son to play with at the airport, on the airplane and then I use them to decorate our window at the hotel.
Another fun thing my sons likes to do to keep busy is to take a bunch of stickers and peel them off and out them into a notebook. This activity lasts a lot longer then just coloring. As they get older they can make a picture using the stickers and coloring to make their own scene.

Only 2 more weeks to our vacation!!

 

[ZoZo]

One thing that's really handy is a keychain flashlight. They're great at night, when waiting in line in a dark area, and in darker restaurants.

(Make sure to get one that stays on when you push the button, not one where you have to hold the button down contstantly to keep it on - those are a pain!)

 

[skipperkim]

This has sort of been mentioned before. You can buy small handheld fans at the dollar store. Hot glue a spring type clothes pin to it. Then just add a Disney sticker of your liking. This way you can clip it to a stroller and your kiddo will have a breeze, something seriously lacking in Florida. BTW, my youngest is 22.

 

[leebee]

Hot weather tips!

This is an "upgrade" to the washcloth topic. The night before going to the parks, take a washcloth, moisten it (wet, but not soggy), fold it in quarters, put it in a ziplock sandwich bag, and FREEZE IT. The next morning it goes into an insulated lunch bag (small one, just big enough for a couple of sandwiches, get one at teh dollar store) and into my backpack. The frozen cloth feels DELUXE on your neck, arms, whatever around 2pm in the July sun!

I also freeze water bottles. The night before going to the park, each water bottle is half-filled and put in the freezer. The next morning I fill the frozen bottle and stick it in the backpack. The ice melts slowly (sometimes...) and keeps the water very cold for quite awhile (depends on the time of year).

Juice pouches (like capri sun) freeze nicely also, and stay cold for quite awhile as the drink becomes slush, then liquid.

Finally- I always pack a soft-sided cooler, the 6-pack size, in my suitcase. In Florida I put a ziplock of ice into the cooler and a cold drink for each of us, and stick it in the trunk of the car. It stays there until we leave the park and return to the car, with a frosty cold drink for each- SO refreshing when you are hot and tired!

Hmmm...maybe I should change my name to "Freezer Queen"!!

 

[ampc3]

The one thing I was unprepared for was the travel time waiting for and going back and forth bt/w hotel and parks etc with the bus! I think it is hit or miss generally speaking but it eats up about an hour (at least) of your time..

So depending on where you are staying plan for at least an hour travel time.

 

[kaos928]

Just subscribing. Thanks for everything

 

[ktlie88]

I am a new member also, thanks for the informations, very helpful indeed

 

[Cheeseball]

The main thing I wish I had known, was when the weather is very hot, all you have to do to keep cool is either go on a water ride, or go to one of the kid's splash parks and get your clothes wet, and all of a sudden it feels like it's 70 degrees outside! lol! We went in Oct one time and it was unusually hot for that month (high 90's) and we were all so sweaty (even my 3 yr old at the time), and on the very last day, we realized that having our clothes a little damp made all the difference in the world.

Great thread!!

 

[moburg]

I wish I had known you can ask for free glasses of ice water before I spent a ton of money on bottled water at all the parks. Some say they don't like the taste of it but if it was cold and icy on a hot day, I would've survived it no matter what!

Orlando water just tastes bad!! I'm a little surprised Disney has not done something to address that (additional filtering?). Anyway, when we go to Disney, we buy large jugs of water for drinking.

We fill 20oz water bottles about half full and freeze them over night (WITHOUT THE BOTTLE CAPS!!). Fill the rest with water before heading to the parks, and pack them in a back pack. The ice will melt and stay cool a good part of the day. Maybe freeze a whole bottle to have some later in the afternoon.

 

[moburg]

Orlando water just tastes bad!! I'm a little surprised Disney has not done something to address that (additional filtering?). Anyway, when we go to Disney, we buy large jugs of water for drinking.

We fill 20oz water bottles about half full and freeze them over night (WITHOUT THE BOTTLE CAPS!!). Fill the rest with water before heading to the parks, and pack them in a back pack. The ice will melt and stay cool a good part of the day. Maybe freeze a whole bottle to have some later in the afternoon.

After reading another tip, I think our next trip (June '09) we'll bring our Pur Water filter pitcher and try that. Saves the cost of a 5 gallon jug of water.

 

[Hoodie]

Orlando water just tastes bad!! I'm a little surprised Disney has not done something to address that (additional filtering?). Anyway, when we go to Disney, we buy large jugs of water for drinking.

We fill 20oz water bottles about half full and freeze them over night (WITHOUT THE BOTTLE CAPS!!). Fill the rest with water before heading to the parks, and pack them in a back pack. The ice will melt and stay cool a good part of the day. Maybe freeze a whole bottle to have some later in the afternoon.

Great idea!
(and welcome to Disboards from another newbie. )

 

[dizlizzy223]

Make sure to carry extra sun screen throughout the park and don't forget to reapply. Disney will give you free water at counter service resturants if you ask, much cheaper than buying water all the time. And def. bring spare batteries if you need them, batteries there are extremely over priced.

 

[Jazcat]

something that me and my husband have found that works well, is leg chafting gel it by monistat so it's in the womens sections of walmart/ target. You apply a small amount any place that may get chapped/ goulded. When you are wet and walking around it easy to get chapped. the last two trips my husband and I used it and did have any problems so we could walk around longer

 

[jellybeans0607]

Orlando water just tastes bad!! I'm a little surprised Disney has not done something to address that (additional filtering?). Anyway, when we go to Disney, we buy large jugs of water for drinking.

nah..theyd rather you spend the $$$

 

[jellybeans0607]

The one thing I was unprepared for was the travel time waiting for and going back and forth bt/w hotel and parks etc with the bus! I think it is hit or miss generally speaking but it eats up about an hour (at least) of your time..

So depending on where you are staying plan for at least an hour travel time.

rental car. with a diamond parking pass...its the only way to go. 15 minutes between front gates and hotel. worth eveyr penny.

 

[v_wehren]

Last time we went, we made up little cards (business card size) and put the times of our meal reservations or any other timed event we wanted to go to...like parades or things like that. Then, we laminated them. We went with a group of 7...5 adults and 2 kids, and all the adults got one. That way if we split up in a park, we knew what time and where we would needed to meet for a meal or other event.

As far as kid IDs...I went to Petsmart and used the dog tag engraving machine and put my kids first names on them and our cell number. Then, I put them around their belt loops before we left for the parks each morning.

 

[carelady]

LeeLee, I was reading your post, and I thought that the little bug was actually on my screen, so I tried to get rid of it. Then, I had a good laugh.

 

[mytwinklestar]

I wish I had known that I would become addicted to Disney! If you are driving or renting a car, be sure to check out the Disney Outlet shops that are just minutes from the parks. Yes, some of the merchandise is dated but we found children's pajamas for HALF PRICE at the outlet that were the exact same in the park for TWICE the cost. This was not the only find. There were current T-shirts, mugs, magnets, photo frames, beach towels... lots of things that were much more expensive in the parks. I wish I had known about these outlets sooner. I have done a great deal of Christmas shopping/Birthday gifts while at Disney. Oh... and don't forget the teacher's gifts! Yep, wish I had known about these.