What You Learned From Your Last Disney Trip...

[twinz]

NEVER NEVER NEVER to go again during POP WARNER! The crowds were CRAZY and the consant cheering!!! UGGGG

 

[TinkerKim]

That planning everything will not work for my family. My younger DS was too interested in pin trading and getting autographs. We made 100 detours on our way to the next show or ride. We will just "go with the flow" this time. NOT planning every step. It was a waste of time for me.

 

[ms_mckenna]

1)
7) Enjoy every moment of your vacation because in 10 days you will be back at work dealing with those co-workers and they will be pissed that you can afford to go Disney. Then those same co-workers will spend 20 minutes explaining to you why they cannot afford a Disney vacation while holding their $5 twice per day Mocha Frappinco, half-foam, half-cap, skim latte from overprice CoffeeBucks!

LMAO I love this !!!! DH is always talking about his coworkers in the oilfield who gripe because of the trips we take together and the other trips just the kids and I take. How they wished they could afford to send thier wife and kids to NY etc. DH tells them all the time well if you would quit smoking like we did 2 years ago you would be able to do a lot of things.

 

[Tess'smom]

I learned never book Chef Mickeys right before you catch your plane back home. My daughter spent the entire meal crying that she wanted to stay at Disney.

 

[Tinksmom5]

I learned a few things. I learned that I do not need to have a sit down dinner everyday as it had us rushing way too much. I learned that I don't even mind it when it rains everyday because when your in Disney you are happy no matter what. I learned that even waiting in long lines is a chance to talk to my kids and laugh with them. The most important thing I learned ..........
I love Disneyworld and I can't wait to get back there. You can never replace the memories we made and I will cherish them forever!

 

[Jrsy Boy]

I learned a few things. I learned that I do not need to have a sit down dinner everyday as it had us rushing way too much. I learned that I don't even mind it when it rains everyday because when your in Disney you are happy no matter what. I learned that even waiting in long lines is a chance to talk to my kids and laugh with them. The most important thing I learned ..........
I love Disneyworld and I can't wait to get back there. You can never replace the memories we made and I will cherish them forever!

Very good point! Don't be that family that everyone around you can't even tell if you are together because you are not even looking at each other much less talking to each other.

 

[TruBlu]

My question is more for my own personal knowledge for next trip.
After reading the description of the DDP it doesn't seem like much food. But, I have seen many posts that mention the enormous amount of food they got and even had to throw some away. The description says 1 dinner, 1 counter and 1 snack. Doesn't "sound" like much but ofcourse I'm big eater. Am I missing something?

I thought the same thing before our trip last year. It ends up being more food than you think because each person gets an appetizer, entree, and dessert. At home we usually share appetizers and dessert, so you get really full!

We were only hungry in the mornings. We didn't like using CS credits for breakfast, so we just had a cold poptart in the room.

 

[Kuffam]

Here what our family suggest:

DH - Having Idea's planned is better the Ideal Plan. In other words, have suggestions of what to do but go with the flow on what others want to do.

DW - Spend some time relaxing.

DD (6)- Go see the characters.

DS (4)- Stay with mommy and daddy.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I learned that the best moments of the vacation are those that happen when you stop and relax. When we were there last February, DS7 wanted to see the bats on the Maharajah Jungle Trek so we decided to go for a "quick" walk through. Well, when we got to the aviary section near the end he pointed to a bird and said. "I wonder what that bird is called?" In swoops a very helpful cast member who got her guide book and spent the next 1/2 hour helping my son find and identify birds. What a special, unexpected memory.

 

[rmom50]

NEVER NEVER NEVER to go again during POP WARNER! The crowds were CRAZY and the consant cheering!!! UGGGG

twinz: do you know what those dates are or how I could find them out?

 

[Katy Belle]

I learned that the Dining Plan is not for us.

I learned that we will never have enough time to do it all and that's OK!

I learned that we spend very little time in the room and Value Resorts suit us fine.

I learned that my boys are growing up and will not want to go to FantasyLand much anymore

 

[LuvOrlando]

I learned that no matter how hard I try to stay focused on my family, time keeps slipping away. So, a photo of my kids smiling is worth a thousand words and can bring a memory back in a heartbeat. My old photos of past trips are my most treasured souvenirs.

 

[Anxious in BR]

I learned to not listen to other people's kids. My kids wanted to see more of Animal Kingdom but the other kids said it was "yucky". My kids regret it. We are going back this summer and they can spend as much time at Animal Kingdom as they want!

I want to spend more time in Epcot and see more of the countries.

I learned to bring plenty of various medicines to the parks because you never know when you may need them - for yourself or the kids.

I learned to watch the responses on my kids faces. I wanted to remember and cherish their experiences.
I learned to bring ear plugs for the loud noises.

I learned to bring a good poncho and several "throw away" ponchos to the park. The throw away ponchos are good for the real wet rides.

I learned to breath, enjoy and go with the flow! I love Disney!

 

[heartsy77]

The biggest thing I learned was LEAVE YOUR MOTHER IN LAW AT HOME! No matter how much you like her: sharing a hotel ,car and train together is to much for a whole week!

 

[pta-mom]

I've learned to ignore some people who think it is ridiculice to have gone to Disney in April 06 & than plan again to go Sept 07....."Isn't it expensive?"; "Didn't you just go?"; "Wow...must be nice to be rich!"; "Why would you want to go again?"; etc, etc!! No one is allowed to rain on my parade!!!!

 

[mmessler]

Bring lots of moisturizing lotion. (I'm partial to the Bath and Body Works kind, myself.) I don't know if it's just me, but the water in Florida just seems to dry out my skin big time, and last trip I came home with such dry skin around my ankles and knees especially, that it was starting to crack, and very itchy.

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

Try new things on each trip. If a long enough trip is planned take a day to drive out to the coast and spend some time at the beach, DH loved doing this and when we came back to the hotel everyone was so relaxed. If we eat at a disney hotel take some time to stroll around the hotel property they are like an attraction it themselves.

 

[tink's girls]

We learned that staying onsite is definitely not for us! We had read so much on these forums about how much better it is to stay onsite that this past trip we decided to conduct a little experiment and split our vacation in half with half our vacation spent offsite and half at the Coronado Springs.

We found that we used none of the amenities you pay extra for when staying onsite and as a result we spent an extra $80/night for nothing more than a smaller, dirtier room. Our offsite hotel had much larger and cleaner rooms and had a free continental breakfast to boot. We were within 10 minutes of any of the parks and with the Top 7 Must Sees playing on our tv when we got back to our room to sort our souveniers and plan our next day we didn't feel as is we were missing any "Disney magic".

Granted we didn't have Mickey Mouse on the bathroom soap wrappers but we didn't feel that in itself was worth the extra $80 per night.

Just curious, where did you stay and did you drive to the parks or is there a bus service? thanks!

 

[abbylou6]

i HAVE JUST RETURNED AND WAS IN ALOT OF PAIN WITH MY LEG. i beleive i may have Dvt and am due to see a doc today,what i didnt know was that my travel insurance did not cover dvt or non emergency medical care so i was very scared all week. Please check your medical insurance esp peeps from europe. i tried not to let it spoil my holiday too much

 

[chrismb22]

I learned (from past trips) be SELECTIVE about who you go with. After a horrible experience going with friends (kind of like the original poster) I only go with my best friend or my boyfriend.

Jan. 2008 we are doing something different -- going with my boyfriend, my best friend, her husband and their 2 year old son (starting a new tradition L ) and we aren't telling any of our other friends until RIGHT before so they won't say "that sounds like fun, we'll come too." We all said we want no parts of anyone else on that trip. Only certain people can enjoy the parks together and I am not ruining my vacation just to make some friends (whom I love in the real world but not at Disney) happy.