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Rookie mistakes....
- Thread starter draybook
- Start date
Livelovedisney
Active Member
I think this is going to be my sil mistakes....we have about 28 days left and she hasn't made any ADRs for a single thing....
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BJones82
Well-Known Member
1. Underestimating Disney for Adults, we went just because we could the first time it was either Disney or a week on Broadway. Looking back at how that first trip changed our lives it is just amazing that we picked Disney and now we expect so much and are never let down 
2. My favorite, Our first day we went to AK our first visit and had photopass photos taken. Worried they would be lost we waited in line to view and possibly buy them. After getting to the counter I said, "We are going to Disney World tomorrow can I view them or buy them there?" The cast member glared at me and said, "You are at Disney World now... Do you mean you are going to the Magic Kingdom?" I laugh at this so much because now I am that guy that would NEVER call the Magic Kingdom Disney World lol...
2. My favorite, Our first day we went to AK our first visit and had photopass photos taken. Worried they would be lost we waited in line to view and possibly buy them. After getting to the counter I said, "We are going to Disney World tomorrow can I view them or buy them there?" The cast member glared at me and said, "You are at Disney World now... Do you mean you are going to the Magic Kingdom?" I laugh at this so much because now I am that guy that would NEVER call the Magic Kingdom Disney World lol...
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BJones82
Well-Known Member
Someone else said this, but I agreed with is 100% so I am saying it too. Don't say you have to make the best of it. You are on vacation in central Florida near WDW!! Be excited about that and just have fun!! There are a lot of people on the forum that focus too much on making everything perfect that they get upset over the littlest things and set themselves up for disappointment. The first three trips my Fiancée and I went to WDW we stayed off property because we were in college and spending $20 a night on a hotel room in Kissimmee for 5 nights was way better for us because it gave us that $80 or more a night to eat and do things we cared more about. We also drove from Wisconsin because driving there and back was cheaper than flying and renting a car. Basically you always have to do what is right for you, it is the right way to do it. One of the best things Disney does is make WDW for everyone regardless if they are staying on or off property.
Enjoy your trip!!!
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Misterdcp
Active Member
Had family friends who had gone to Disney about a year before we were planning our semi annual trip. They told us how disappointed they were with Disney and how they "would never go again" We had them over for dinner and asked how they planned their trip. Turns out they stayed off property, bought park tickets at the gate each day, and had a really hard time getting reservations for dining. We suggested that they plan another trip and come with us on our next trip. We included them in all our ADR's and convinced them to stay on property. They absolutely LOVED their trip and have since gone back on their own. I understand how staying off property is the right choice for some, but for first-timers, nothing beats the "Disney Bubble" experience in my opinion
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Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
I just thought of another rookie mistake of which I've been guilty -- overpacking. On my first WDW trip as an adult (6 days and 5 nights), I brought about a dozen different outfits, three pairs of shoes, multiple swimsuits, and all of the makeup and toiletries I owned, in two pieces of luggage (one to check and one to carry on). Of course, I used only half of what I brought, and had insufficient room to bring any souvenirs back with me.
Now that I'm older and wiser (and have had some lost/damaged luggage experiences in the intervening years), I travel "carryon only," bringing exactly what I need and no more. I fly with a single carryon bag (a compact 20" piece of rolling luggage) and a tote bag, and I've mastered the art of designing a capsule wardrobe, making a packing list and sticking to it, rolling clothes in packing cubes, decanting toiletries, planning to do laundry mid-trip if necessary, etc. I even have enough room to bring breakfast foods with me for the hotel room (which then becomes space for souvenirs on the way home.) My family members do the same, and we love the freedom and flexibility it gives us. It takes all the stress out of packing: sticking to the list ensures we don't forget anything important, and traveling carryon-only ensures we don't lose anything important!
Now that I'm older and wiser (and have had some lost/damaged luggage experiences in the intervening years), I travel "carryon only," bringing exactly what I need and no more. I fly with a single carryon bag (a compact 20" piece of rolling luggage) and a tote bag, and I've mastered the art of designing a capsule wardrobe, making a packing list and sticking to it, rolling clothes in packing cubes, decanting toiletries, planning to do laundry mid-trip if necessary, etc. I even have enough room to bring breakfast foods with me for the hotel room (which then becomes space for souvenirs on the way home.) My family members do the same, and we love the freedom and flexibility it gives us. It takes all the stress out of packing: sticking to the list ensures we don't forget anything important, and traveling carryon-only ensures we don't lose anything important!
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Misterdcp
Active Member
Yes! I overpacked my first time too. I think this may be a pretty common rookie mistake. Even on our last trip when we stayed 10 days, I still packed just a carry on. The way I see it, I would rather pack light and have an easier travel time than be overstocked with clothes. Worst case:just do laundry once during your stay
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Chernaboggles
Well-Known Member
I'm in club Overpack, too. The length of our stay threw me off even though we had a washer and dryer in the house. I brought all kinds of nonsense...and so, SO many shoes I didn't wear. Having a car just enabled me to go completely crazy.
On our second long trip, I was better about the packing...but did manage to forget the only 2 things that I DID need and couldn't get locally. Surely I'll get it right next time. Surely.
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Chernaboggles
Well-Known Member
The first trip, I made a list of all the things I brought that I didn't need (and the things I did use a lot) and wrote myself a stern email including them (which I kept in my planning folder). Second trip, I read the email and did much better packing, but I made the TERRIBLE MISTAKE of starting to pack too early. So, I put the two items into the bag and then took them out, thinking I was getting ahead of myself.
That was the error - I had a memory of packing them, so I checked them off the mental list. Next time, physical list for sure!
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BJones82
Well-Known Member
We did this last time and it worked great, the down side was the person we checked our bags with asked me to take the strap off my duffle bag and then didn't tag it before putting it in the back. I have only flown 4 times so I asked him if he tagged it he said yes... Went to WDW for 5 days flew back to the same airport the duffle bag had never been tagged so it never left the airport... I arrived in Orlando with a sweater and Jeans because it was early April and still cold in Chicago where we flew out of... Morel of the story? Use a check list and make sure your luggage gets tagged lol...
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LdyApxr
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Oh can I feel you on this! I am the only one out of 5 siblings to ever go to DLR(we are NorCal natives) and I have taken my nephews and nieces many times in the past 20yrs from ages 7 up to 16, including my wonderful but Heck on Wheels second nephew(we are surprised he made it to adulthood! LOL) so in 2013 I convinced my husband to take our two younger nephews(10 and 13) to DLR on a no holds barred vacation since they have never been further than an hour from their home. We flew to DLR, stayed at the Grand Californian, gave them gift cards and gave our son charging privileges(he was 15) so they could do the parks on their own. Turns out that my nephews have no respect for anyone, or anything and even less for an aunt and uncle that they only see 1 or 2 times a year. The first night my older nephew tried stealing even though he had $50 on a gift card. Things went severely downhill from there and since our son is smaller than his younger cousin, we also found out that our older nephew is a bully of the highest order. It was miserable and $7000 later, we were home and unhappy for the first time ever after a vacation. To this day, we still do not like being around them, my brother has never said thank you(and asks "where are you going to take my boys next?" Ummm, I don't know, maybe prison???) It has really put us off of ever taking anyone with us ever again.
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LdyApxr
Well-Known Member
I have been reading these posts and I have relatives exactly like your dad(thankfully not my own parents) and I do not think you are being harsh. Some people want to think that everyone has a reason for being "frugal" when in reality, some people are just unhappy, selfish people who care nothing for others, even when it is their own spouse or children. I understand that. My parents had 5 kids and we were as poor as you could get(dad being legally blind due to an accident by the time I was 5 and spending years on welfare with "help" from relatives occasionally), we did not have vacations(unless you count our grandparents taking us to AZ every summer and seriously, who wants to spend summers in AZ when it was 120* LOL) but my mom was the "Yeha, the house needs cleaned but let's go collect bottles and get enough change to go out to the river" kind of person and I carried that over to my own family. It's a little hard sometimes because my husband grew up in a household ruled by people like your dad and he likes to "save" but I remind him that no, you can't take it with you and while you are "saving", you are missing out on some great moments with your only 2 children. Considering he is 61 now(our son is 17), I ask him "How much longer do you think we have? No one is guaranteed anything" but both of my parents had passed by the time I was 22(unexpected!) so I think I have a better grasp on the "seize the day" sometimes. Anyone who judges you obviously doesn't know you.
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