What is your BEST piece of advice for going to DL??

[Perfectenemy123]

What is your BEST advice for anyone going to DL just one secret of yours that make your trip better than ever. How do you prepare, what can you do while your there, what do you do to save money etc etc. Maybe you know how to avoide blisters on your feet, whats the best day/month/season to go, maybe how to get to the front of any line who knows?!?? Just anything that a newb or veteran can use??

Cant wait to hear your responses!!

 

[DangerMouse]

Collect fastpasses early and often and you can use them PAST the expiration time.

Oh, and read Hydroguy's Tips Compilation at the top of this board.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Get to the Park at opening!! Don't sleep in, you'll regret it.

 

[CanadianPaco]

Ridemax. Ridemax. Ridemax. Hydro Guy. Hydro Guy. Hydro Guy. Nuf said.

 

[RatBoy]

Definitely agree with the posts above. Other thoughts:

- If it is busy, you really need 4 days to do most stuff you'll want to do
- Use both parks -- park hopping is very easy, and DCA has much shorter lines
- Not to be missed rides for adults (IMO): Space Mountain, Screamin', Soarin', Buzz Lightyear
- Not to be missed events: DL fireworks, Electric parade, Fantasmic, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, and the Aladdin Musical

-Bret

 

[XTinabell]

Oh how fun! I love these threads:

- change shoes in the middle of the day, you'll feel like you have new feet

- ride the train all the way around the park, it gives your feet a break and there are some pretty cool things to see that I bet you didn't know about.

- watch for parade times, if you don't want to see the parade stay clear of the area or you'll get trapped or trampled.

- Try a mickey pretzel, they're cute and tasty

- splurge and buy a glowing necklace or something else flashy, they look really cool at night and I got tons of compliments

- take LOTS of pictures to show the disers...we love pictures

 

[jemilah]

Sit outside at Cafe Orleans and watch the pirates......you may see Capt Jack !

 

[goaliewife]

Someone above mentioned Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. This is a MUST for us. You will love it. They are soooooo funny.

Corn dogs are another must for us. There is a cart toward the end of Main Street, in the side street on the right, just before the circle. Best corn dogs ever. They also sell them in CA on the pier.

 

[talie95]

I agree with other people about getting there early!! We always get there for opening (we usually get in line 1/2 hour early) and we just go gangbusters for the first couple hours. We collect fastpasses and usually ride all of FL (since we have little ones this is a must) and then it makes the rest of the day pretty mellow and we can just relax since we get so much done in the morning.

To save money we bring in our own bottled water and snacks (grapes, crackers, granola bars,etc.) so we don't need to buy these things in the park. It saves time as well since we don't have to wait in line for them. Of course we always treat ourselves to the occasional churro (yummy!! ), dole whip, and popcorn! But at least if the kids are getting a little hungry while we're on our way somewhere we can just break out one of our snacks.

As far as the best time/season to go it really depends on what you're looking for. Busier times (summer/spring break/holidays) offer longer hours and more entertainment but we personally enjoy going in the offseason. We like the lighter crowds and since we have little ones we aren't concerned with being able to stay really late so the shorter hours are fine for us. We like going in Oct. because it's not too crowded, the weather is usually nice and the parks look cute in all the holloween decor!

 

[HydroGuy]

Get to the park gates 20-30 minutes early each morning and focus on rides for the first few hours.

 

[Albort]

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HAVE FUN!​

 

[SamIAm21]

If you've been to WDW, do not compare it. It's like apples and oranges and the time spent comparing would be far better spent appreciating DL and CA for what they are... really awesome parks.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

There is no substitute for the hours before 11 am. Yes, lines go down a bit for parades. Yes, they go down a bit during the last part of the day. But not to the extent that they do early.
Yes there are some things that don't have long lines even when it's busy.

But none of that makes up for missing the hours before 11 am.

 

[jemilah]

I forgot my favorite.............Big Thunder at night!!!!!!! In the dark it is much more exciting, seems faster.

 

[yipee]

I know it's already been said (several times ), but GO EARLY! In the "off" season (is there still such a thing ) we were able to ride whatever our first choice of the day (one of the biggies like Splash or Space) at LEAST twice in a row! We could almost walk right on, then get off and go right back on, hardly any wait! By a couple of hours after opening, the line-ups were much longer.

 

[DisGirl819]

Bring your own food...its cheaper
Eat at Redd Rocket's Pizza Port (yum!)
Ride TOT at night, so cool
Be the first to splash mtn and get a log to yourselves and buy that picture! No one goes to critter country first...

 

[tynkrbell1977]

-Get there at opening!!!
-Get a chocolate croissant from the Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main St!
-You HAVE to get a Dole Whip from the Dole Whip stand outside The Enchanted Tiki Room!
-Dont miss Tower of Terror
-Dont rush
-Have a blast and give Mickey a hug for me!!!!!!

 

[Hound 109]

- If coming from the Central or Eastern Time Zone, do EE your first day of the trip. You are more "fresh & rareing to go", & the time change makes it easy to get up.

- Always take a mid day rest (which is why you should stay someplace within walking distance).

- Read all of HydroGuy's threads, but especially his "how to get the most out of FP during high season thread". It shows in real life terms (as opposed to hypothetically) how to work the parks & how to utilize FP properly.

- If you have children between 6-12, have them do Jedi Warrior Training (& read my tips on how to get picked).

- After doing DL hard (& collecting FPs) the first 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Stop, have a nice breakfast at Carnation Cafe or Orleans, smell the flowers, hug a character, grab a dole whip and sit on the bench in front of the castle & watch the world go by.

& have fun.

 

[drag n' fly]

Get there at rope drop, don't waste valuable morning time eating character breakfasts when you could be riding rides. Do character suppers instead...on that note don't waste valuable park time standing in line waiting for character autographs. Go to character meals instead and let the characters come to you. Avoid the parks on weekends as locals fill the parks up. Take a day trip instead shopping or down the coast. Make those ps/adr's so you have a table at your fav restaurants.

 

[Perfectenemy123]

When we go we always hit Indiana Jones, POC, Haunted Mansion and Splash mountain first thing when the park opens because they are all in a row. Its almost walk ons for all 4 and there are so close together, it takes little energy to do all 4.