I’m going to try to keep this concise but also make sure you’re well-informed. It’ll be hard because there’s so much good information to pass along!
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| Understand suggested ‘best times to visit.’ | |
When you read about lesser crowded times to visit Disney World, that doesn’t mean the park will be virtually empty. Lesser crowded times are mostly based on wait times for more popular rides. So for example, you might have a 45-55 minute peak wait time for Space Mountain during a less busy time of year, versus a three-hour wait during a busier time of year.
| | Have a plan. Even if it’s a loose one. | |
I promise you, you cannot do it all in one visit, so don’t even try. Do some homework before you go, understand what’s available, and have an idea of the things your group would like to do most. Disney’s vacation planning videos make this task a piece of cake. If you don’t want to do a little pre planning, that’s fine, it just makes it easier for people like me to navigate the parks.
| | If you’re not into planning, here’s the best piece of advice I can give you. | |
Get to the parks early and ride and/or do the most popular stuff first. This will minimize the amount of time you spend standing in line. This is the golden rule for any theme or amusement park.
| | Take the time to understand the Fastpass+ system. | |
This is so important, especially if you plan to visit during a busier time of the year. Here’s a brief overview. The Fastpass system allows you to reserve a time to experience a ride (or show, or meet a character). The window is an hour-long, and you show up to the ride, show, or experience during your assigned timeframe. There’s a special Fastpass entrance that allows you to bypass most of the “standby” line. It doesn’t mean you automatically go to the front of the line.
There are a limited amount of Fastpasses overall, per ride, per day, and you’re personally limited to a certain number of Fastpasses you can have at one time, per day. You can (and should) sign up for Fastpasses for the most popular rides as early as 60 days prior to your vacation. And while that may seem extreme, you don’t want to wait until you’re actually on vacation to do so because one of two things will happen. Either you’ll be standing in a ridiculously long line (because all of the Fastpasses for the coolest rides will be gone), or you’ll miss out on an experience because of your poor planning (because you’ll be like to hell with this, I’m not standing in that line). Trust me on this. Just remember, Fastpass = less wait time.
| | Make dining reservations in advance. | |
If you want to eat at any type of sit down restaurant, you need to understand the dining reservation system. If you wait until your vacation and try to wing it, you’ll be disappointed. I know, I know, who knows what you’ll want to eat tomorrow, let alone 180 days (or more) from now. But, if you want to eat someplace cool, like Be Our Guest (which looks like The Beast’s castle and is so awesome), you better be ready to request a reservation exactly 180 days from your vacation start date.
As a side note, we weren’t impressed with the food at Be Our Guest, but the theming and special effects were spectacular. You will feel like you’re an actual guest in The Beast’s castle. To be clear, we ate lunch there, which is considered ‘quick service.’ Maybe the dinner menu (which is different) is better. Dinner is considered ‘table service,’ which is a step up from quick service. Do your homework to understand the difference. 🙂
| | Start walking NOW. | |
Seriously, start walking every day, as much as you can, as far as you can, at least six weeks out. Even if you’re “fit.” And since some people tend to ignore this advice (and live to regret it), I’d like to show you some hard-core data from my trip. I wear a Samsung smartwatch that counts my steps, rather accurately I might add. Here is some raw data from our seven-day vacation:
How much walking did I do on my Disney vacation?
| Day | Steps | Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24,600 | 10.9 |
| 2 | 24,442 | 10.69 |
| 3 | 20,477 | 9.16 |
| 4 | 20,831 | 9.04 |
| 5 | 24,854 | 11.22 |
| 6 | 23,487 | 10.2 |
| 7 | 18,252 | 8.38 |
| Total days: 7 | Total steps: 156,913 | Total miles: 69.59 |
And this was a more laid back trip for us. It wasn’t very crowded and the weather was perfect (mostly cloudy). Also, keep in mind, we are “park hoppers,” so it’s not unusual for us to visit two parks in one day. AND, we went back to the room mid day and took a break daily (i.e. nap) for several hours (typically a minimum of three hours, sitting or laying down). And yes, I took my own advice and upped the ante on my walking before we left (I typically walk daily anyway).
For you visual folks, here are my feet after a normal amount of one day weekend activity, which is about 2 or 3 miles of walking.
Here’s an actual picture of my feet near the end of day three. And yes, we took a break in the middle of the day. And just to be totally transparent, I do have high blood pressure (which is well-managed with medication), however I never have problems with my feet, ankles, or legs swelling.
Get the point? If not, walker be ware.
| | When you have a problem, do bring it to the attention of a cast member politely. | |
Don’t be that person that’s rude from the jump and starts out by saying “I paid a lot of money to be here.” So did most of the people around you. Also, keep in mind a lot of the employees are young (but they receive quality training on how to handle guests and their issues). Be nice, calmly have your say, remain patient, and they’ll typically handle the situation better than you ever could’ve expected them to. If not (and please do not expect them to give you the world, be reasonable), continue to be nice, remain patient, and ask to speak to a supervisor.
| | Do not expect front of the line privileges because you have a disability, real or faked. | |
I hate that I have to even add this but I know people who will give other people bad advice around this subject. Disney used to have a rule that if you were disabled in a physically obvious way (i.e. in a wheel chair or power scooter) that you and your entire party would receive ‘front of the line’ privileges. And, you could just rent a wheel chair or scooter and receive those privileges, without question. So because people in the past have abused the system, this is no longer true.
While it is true that anyone can rent a wheel chair or scooter without question (and with a deposit), you must have a pretty legit reason to get special accommodations or privileges. I’ll give you an example of a legit need for special privileges. Think of a family that has an autistic child. They can go to guest services (with proof, from a doctor for example) and get a special pass that will allow them to go to the front of the line, or to be able to wait in a special area until they are able to get on a ride or experience a show or character meet and greet.
So just because your Aunt Patty legitimately has trouble walking and uses a power scooter to get around, aunt Patty will get to go to a special area and wait for the rest of you to go through the line as usual. And then your entire party can ride together when you get to the front of the line, after patiently waiting like the rest of us peons. If you have any questions about this, call and ask before you even leave home so you can come prepared.
| | Don’t stop in the middle of a walkway. | |
If something catches your eye, or you want to take a picture, or you’re trying to figure out where you are, please “pull over” to your right, out of the way, to figure it out. Don’t just come to an abrupt and complete stop (as a LOT of people do), and then get mad when people run into you.
| | If you’re pushing a stroller, watch where you’re going. | |
I’ll warn you now, there are people who’ll rudely step in front of a stroller as if it isn’t even there. However, don’t be that person pushing your stroller and busting up ankles because you aren’t paying attention to where you’re going. And don’t bust up the ankles of the innocent because you’re still mad at the people who rudely stepped in front of you.
| | Do wear comfortable shoes that are already broken in. | |
This isn’t the time to be sporting new shoes that make you feel like you can run faster and jump higher. Wear those new shoes during your daily walk(s) and break them in before your trip. I usually bring two pair to switch things up, especially if it rains and one pair gets wet. Also, I always bring mole skin in case of blisters or sore spots. If you have a problem with your feet and are ill prepared, get to the nearest first aid station at the first sign of trouble so a cast member can help. Trust me, if your feet get jacked, you’ll be miserable.
| | Whether you’re traveling with children or adults, do be mindful of everyone’s well-being. | |
This is a very common scenario. Your group grabs a quick breakfast at 8am, a cup of coffee, some yogurt, a bagel, or a piece of fruit, and then you head to the parks for some fun. Next thing you know everyone is irritable and snapping at each other and you’re trying to figure out why. Then you look at your watch and see that it’s three o’clock in the afternoon and no one has eaten lunch or even stopped to take a break. Don’t be this group.
As rule we always eat lunch as close to 11am as possible (with advance reservations of course), then head back to the room (or the pool) for a 3-4 hour break. We’ll typically lay across the bed and sleep, maybe even shower first if it’s really hot, or just zone out and watch a little tv. I’m one of those weird people that likes to wash clothes before I leave, because I don’t like lugging a suitcase full of smelly clothes back home, so on one of the days towards the end of our vacation, this is what I’ll do during our break.
Speaking of laundry (and if you’re like me), they have a great app that will show you which washers and dryers are available or in use (full details for downloading and using the app are posted in each laundry facility). With the app, you can also set an alert to let you know when your washer or dryer cycles have ended. No more hovering in the laundry room, or checking in every 15-20 minutes to see if the machine has finished.
| | Don’t ruin the magic. | |
Here’s a good example. You and I both know there are probably at least four or five different costumed Mickey Mouses throughout the Disney property at any given time. Kids don’t (the young ones anyway). When they see Mickey, or any other character, it’s real for them. Don’t be the jackass that let’s them know it’s not. And if you want to tell your kids the truth, that’s fine (magic killer), just don’t ruin it for others.
And my number one rule of all….
| | Always remember you’re on vacation. | |
Yes Disney can be magical, but I guarantee you will have at least one non-magical moment. You will run into rude people, you will experience things you didn’t plan for, and someone either in or around your party will experience some sort of hangry (hungry/angry)/tangry (that’s tired/hungry/angry) mini melt down or non-magical moment. Actually it shouldn’t be anyone in your group if you follow my tips and stay tuned in to everyone’s well-being. 🙂
When you experience one of these non-magical moments, take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and remember you’re on vacation. Take lots of pictures, and lots of breaks, and cherish the moments. I guarantee you’ll make memories that will last a lifetime.
This concludes my Disney series, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. If not, no worries, because I’ll be going back to my normal random musings for my foreseeable future posts.
Magically yours,
Angela
