What is the best advice you can give to others who are about to go to WDW?

[WDW Newsletter]

This question was emailed to me and I thought I would blog about it. First off this is a difficult question to answer because everyone has their own ideas about what is important to their family.
My most important piece of advice…..is to stay on property! This is so tough because the obvious answer is to plan. Without proper planning your trip may not be set up for success. I will assume you have already done that part.

Why would I say stay on property is the most important piece of advice? If you are a first timer to Walt Disney World you want to be immersed in the Disney “magic”. It surrounds you 24/7 no matter which resort on property you stay at. If you have younger children you want them to experience this magic and on property resorts offer this.

Next if you stay on property you get many perks, such as Extra Magic Hours, which offer you the opportunity to enter a certain park an hour earlier than non-resort guests, and stay an extra three hours after closing. This alone is worth it to many. Disney also offers guests free transportation throughout its property by buses, boats and monorails. The buses will pick you up in front of your resort and take you very close to the front entrance of each park. There is no need to drive your car in you don’t want to, Disney takes care of everything. This perk is great for those who have families with kids in the teens as well as younger ones. The teens can stay at the parks while the younger ones can go back to the resort with a parent for a nap, or swim. Then everyone can meet up later in the day.

If you stay off-property you are less likely to leave the park and then return later. The hassle of fighting the traffic, the inconvenience of parking, and the fact that if you take one car and someone wants to leave, the family usually all leaves with them, makes it probable that you will not return later in the day.

With all that being said it truly depends on what you can afford and what type of experience you want. If you are a family that has been to Walt Disney World numerous times, you may not need or want to experience the magic 24/7. There are also larger families that vacation at Disney and they can find vacation homes much cheaper than anything comparable in size that Disney offers.

For many, if you have chosen to spend your hard earned dollars for a family vacation at Walt Disney World, you most likely are willing to be immersed 24/7 into the magic. But the best part about any trip to Orlando is that there are plenty of options available to meet the needs of every family. Our vote is to stay on property and experience all that Disney has to offer. This would be our most important piece of advice. Now for the second most important piece of advice……that will be for another time.

 

[Nemo14]

I think my advise would be to plan, but also plan to be flexible. If things don't go exactly the way you wanted, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of things to see and do there!

 

[SnowWhiteMomma]

Plan out your days. Buy hopper tickets. Take a day off from the parks to relax. Plan ample time to get to reservations. HAVE FUN.

 

[ExDisneyEmploye]

1. Staying on property is a must. Disney 24/7,it doesnt get any better than that. You don't have to worry about parking,and you can come and go from your resort to the parks however you wish!

2. Don't try to do to much in a day. Its impossible to see everything in one trip anyway.

3.Stay hydrated. Its HOT and there is A LOT of walking involved.

4.COMFORTABLE SHOES...Can't stress this enough. I think I walk more here in my life than any other time.

5. FYI, I get the BEST sleep when I'm here. After a long day I can't wait to get back to my room and SLEEP. :snore: And if your traveling with kids it'll
probably be the best sleep you ever get to!

6. I'm a morning person, I like to get up at 8 am, get ready and head straight to the parks when they open. That works best for me,the buses arent as crowded and its not as hot.

7. Don't underestimate how much you could spend on food here. My mom says she spent $100 a day on food for the two of us and I thought; How is that possible!!?? We must be complete pigs. :lol: but it all adds up! Be sure to check out the park and resort menus for ideas on how much you might spend per day, per person. If you don't like junk food; your safe :slurp:

8. Don't go souveneir crazy that 1st trip. This can be hard esp. in the World of Disney. Buy things you know you can use at home or at least for your next trip. i.e; umbrella,picture frames,luggage etc.

9. HAVE FUN!! The HOT weather, the crowds, the walking, the lines( I make line time go by with people watching,thinking about what im going to eat that day, and talking. most ppl are so friendly you end up conversing with strangers when anywhere else you might not! ), the screaming kids and the rain (that could show up at anytime!! be prepared!!!) could make anyone irritable.

but remember, its a vacation and any minute you spend in a bad mood is a total waste. Its the happiest place on earth afterall :sohappy:

(14 days and counting...Try not to hate me please )

 

[hcswingfield]

1. Staying on property is a must. Disney 24/7,it doesnt get any better than that. You don't have to worry about parking,and you can come and go from your resort to the parks however you wish!

2. Don't try to do to much in a day. Its impossible to see everything in one trip anyway.

3.Stay hydrated. Its HOT and there is A LOT of walking involved.

4.COMFORTABLE SHOES...Can't stress this enough. I think I walk more here in my life than any other time.

5. FYI, I get the BEST sleep when I'm here. After a long day I can't wait to get back to my room and SLEEP. :snore: And if your traveling with kids it'll
probably be the best sleep you ever get to!

6. I'm a morning person, I like to get up at 8 am, get ready and head straight to the parks when they open. That works best for me,the buses arent as crowded and its not as hot.

7. Don't underestimate how much you could spend on food here. My mom says she spent $100 a day on food for the two of us and I thought; How is that possible!!?? We must be complete pigs. :lol: but it all adds up! Be sure to check out the park and resort menus for ideas on how much you might spend per day, per person. If you don't like junk food; your safe :slurp:

8. Don't go souveneir crazy that 1st trip. This can be hard esp. in the World of Disney. Buy things you know you can use at home or at least for your next trip. i.e; umbrella,picture frames,luggage etc.

9. HAVE FUN!! The HOT weather, the crowds, the walking, the lines( I make line time go by with people watching,thinking about what im going to eat that day, and talking. most ppl are so friendly you end up conversing with strangers when anywhere else you might not! ), the screaming kids and the rain (that could show up at anytime!! be prepared!!!) could make anyone irritable.

but remember, its a vacation and any minute you spend in a bad mood is a total waste. Its the happiest place on earth afterall :sohappy:

(14 days and counting...Try not to hate me please )

I think you've said it all! Sounds like you are ready for a really good trip. thanks for the great advice.

 

[Kelsybelle]

I think my advise would be to plan, but also plan to be flexible. If things don't go exactly the way you wanted, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of things to see and do there!

I completely agree! You always should have some sort of a plan and a flexible one at that! We always end up having somewhere between 10-12 poeple from our family that always come to WDW with us! Everyone always gets an a copy of what dining reservations have been made. It's great because everyone knows what everyone's up to and we keep it pretty flexible and casual that if someone isn't into what we're going to do, then they are free to do whatever they want

 

[Nemo14]

oh, and my other advise would be to take me along as a tour guide. :animwink:

 

[Disneyfanman]

I get asked that a lot by friends who are going for the first time. I always say the exact same things:

1) Buy two guidebooks (Unofficial guide and Official guide) and plan your time. Buy the Hidden Mickey guidebook.
2) Don't spend more than two days back to back in the parks full time.
3) Get ADRs NOW.
4) Use the calendar available at touringplans.com to figure out the best days to visit which park.
5) Don't miss the fireworks.
6) Get to the parks for the opening rope drop, and visit the two busiest attractions first. Then relax for the rest of your day.
7) Relax and be flexible. No plan is absolute.
8) Rent a car if you stay off property.
9) Don't be afraid to shop, snack, and try anything that interests you. The fun of Disney is as much in the atmosphere as in the attractions. If you are having trouble getting into it......buy a nutty hat and wear it all day! It changes everything!
10) Remember.............it's just a theme park! You can always go back!

 

[tdonald]

As long as you stay on property, always have a guide map with you, and (#1 rule) be in a good mood, I think it's pretty hard not to a great time.

 

[tdonald]

I get asked that a lot by friends who are going for the first time. I always say the exact same things:

1) Buy two guidebooks (Unofficial guide and Official guide) and plan your time. Buy the Hidden Mickey guidebook.
2) Don't spend more than two days back to back in the parks full time.
3) Get ADRs NOW.
4) Use the calendar available at touringplans.com to figure out the best days to visit which park.
5) Don't miss the fireworks.
6) Get to the parks for the opening rope drop, and visit the two busiest attractions first. Then relax for the rest of your day.
7) Relax and be flexible. No plan is absolute.
8) Rent a car if you stay off property.
9) Don't be afraid to shop, snack, and try anything that interests you. The fun of Disney is as much in the atmosphere as in the attractions. If you are having trouble getting into it......buy a nutty hat and wear it all day! It changes everything!
10) Remember.............it's just a theme park! You can always go back!

OK, you've got the system perfectly.

Touringplans.com really does work. I've tested it more than a dozen times and it was spot on all but once.

 

[BiggerTigger]

All great advise, but can I add Safety, Safety, Safety.

Rules were made to be broken, but bones were not. Pay attention to all rules and be aware of your surroundings.

Don't looose your head. Just because it is the Happiest Place on Earth, doesn't mean you won't find sadness. Unfortunately, there are people out there that will ruin your vacation just for a few bucks.

Not here to scare, just to make aware.

 

[clairew]

I think my advise would be to plan, but also plan to be flexible. If things don't go exactly the way you wanted, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of things to see and do there!

Excellent advice! I totally agree! Planning is crucial, but so is flexibility...remember that there are tens of thousands of people there and something is not going to go the wya you had planned...be flexible and enjoy your trip!

To help you be more flexible I would definitely recommend getting park hopper tickets...helps with meal planning and if one park is not working out for you for the day, you can go somewhere else

 

[Mikester71]

I would just say throw everything out the window and just relax and enjoy yourself. First time we went in 2005, I tried to plan everything out and hit the parks on EMH and all that running, and ended up really missing out on just having a relaxing vacation. Last time we were there last year, we just woke up every morning and let the weather and our mood that day dictate our plans and we REALLY enjoyed ourselves. We didn't really have a gameplan. Now if you are doing ADR or whatever, I could see maybe planning a bit in advance.

So my advice...don't over think everything or over plan. Just enjoy yourself and remember that you are on vacation in the most magical place on Earth! Just my personal opinion! :wave:

 

[CLandrum]

We have one rule in our family.

BE HAPPY! :sohappy:

No matter how much something or someone is bugging you smile and shake it off. You would be surprised how easy it is not to be mad.

Oh also no matter how exctied you are sleep the night before you go. If you need to take tylenol pm or other meds do it. I stayed up all night writing a paper for an online class that was do the morning I left and it took me he first four days of our eleven day trip to get caught up on sleep.

 

[SAV]

My #1 is Planning. If you plan well, you will get the most out of your vacation.

For almost every argument that is made to stay on-site, one can be made to stay off-site.

Getting around when staying off site isn't the big deal that everybody makes it out to be. Is parking your car really that tough? Of course not. I look at it that I don't have to wait around for busses my entire trip. I can do things on my time, not a pre-determined time based on a bus' availability. Personally, I like to have a rental car there so I can make a trip to the store if I need to. It's not like anything related to Disney is tough to navigate to. Everything is well marked and if you can read a map, you can find the back ways to the parks.

EMH is probably the only one that can't be argued against during peak times. It is a great perk for staying on-site when it is in the peak months. Other than that, you can still do whatever you want to within' the normal park hours.

 

[WelshBatman]

... watch out for Love Bugs...

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

The single most important piece of advice I can give anyone is PLAN. I think planning is even more important that staying on property. (However, that would be my next suggestion.) Research WDW and plan based on what you find. You can wing it to a certain degree I'm sure, but that's not something I'd want to try. You don't have to be scripted, but you have to have a guide as to what you want to do. Planning steals the magic for some people; for others it enhances it because it helps you build up the excitement.

 

[kingdaniel97]

I agree with most people on many points but maybe to clarify a bit more on the "flexible schedule" thing. Decide what rides you want to hit and go on the small ones while waiting for the bigger ones, don't let wait times or lack of fastpass discourage you from doing something you truely want to do but if you won't do a wait time because f small children then do get there early. No rudeness intended to SET but I would never serously say staying off property is a good option. The Disney staff is quite helpful even in the economy hotels. The buses(and their drivers) are fun except in the dead of night when everyone just wants to go home. Any Disney hotel has a great atmosphere and I'd say not to go ahead and let a few bad CM's ruin your day. While in the parks I'd say set a budget on your first trip but don't be afraid to go over someone is hungry, thirsty or just really wants that Stitch hat(that's me). I'd say while Disney Quest and the water parks are fun they are not a must do. If you couldn't hit Everest or Rn'RC one day but you felt like hitting a water park, weigh out the priorities do you feel like chilling and spilling or riding and sliding. If you do go to the water parks do not keep your ticket in your suit. I made that mistake once and it flew out on summit plummet and I had to get a new one. Order your tickets in advance and if you think you'll go twice this year then buy the annual pass. You'll save alot of money in the long run as 10 dollars with all the bells and whistles and no expiration costs more then an annual pass with all the bells and whistles.

 

[hemloc]

If you're staying on site and are going to the parks with no monorail service... DRIVE!! We did EMH at Disney Studios last week and were staying at the Contemporary, and the bus(#3: Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian only, supposedly) went to Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge and a few other places before taking us back on a standing room only bus with many irritated passengers 40 MINUTES LATER:brick:!!!!

Other than that, Dr. Scholls is your friend... Your very comfy friend!!

 

[wdwfan100]

I think my advise would be to plan, but also plan to be flexible. If things don't go exactly the way you wanted, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of things to see and do there!

I agree. I don't want to sound like I am de-emphasizing planning. Sometimes though, there can be a tendancy to over plan. You don't want to feel like there is a hard and fast schedule that must be kept at all costs. That just simply is not a relaxing vacation. The world will not end if you miss a dinner reservation because you want to spend a little more time in the park, pool or where ever.