What I would do differently on my next vacation
Fresh off my first Disney vacation, I cannot help to look back and say “what would I have done differently?” The first time you do anything, it’s bound to have some kinks, right? Even if you are “ all things Disney” like I was prior to departure day, you still have to find the formula that will provide you the best Disney experience for your budget and desires. At the end of the trip I found myself thinking… “that was a great trip but….” or “the food was good but…” Going to Disney, I had done all the research I could do; I planned all that I could plan having plans A, B and C. With so much planning, why was I so hesitant to claim my victory?
Although my budget was substantial, my goal was to do Disney on a dime so I drove down and stayed in a rental property ten miles away to allow a bigger budget in the parks. ( To see how I did Disney on a Dime, view my blog post here) In my opinion, that was a great move and something that I will continue on return trips. Although many tips I provide below are universal to all Disney guests, understand that my point of view comes from someone staying off resort without a dining plan. If you are on the resort and have a dining plan, there are plenty of articles posted to get the most out of the dining plan. Work it to the max because you have paid a pretty penny for it. Regardless of where you stay or the budget you have, hopefully the ten tips below help keep the magic on your first trip to Disney.
1) Know your limits: Disneyworld is said to be the size of San Francisco and Magic Kingdom alone is a whopping 142 acres. If you are like me and you have no idea what that means let me help you; one acre is almost equivalent to a football field so imagine 142 football fields! A visit to Disney will call for more walking and standing then you can imagine. As a self-proclaimed “Betsy Bad Feet”, I had no idea what I was in for. In order to endure the parks and be happy about it, it is imperative that you schedule breaks and invest in a pair of good supportive shoes.
2) Plan your hunger: Disney allows dining reservations to be made six months ahead of time. Don’t get me wrong, I am a planner and I highly encourage you to be up at 6 a.m. to get the popular character dining reservations but be careful how you plan your day. Space reservations out to make sure you are hungry. It’s better to grab a $4 bag of popcorn because you are starving between reservations then to go to a buffet overly stuffed from the last buffet 4 hours ago! As much as Disney tries to keep everything on time, it doesn’t happen. For one 4:15 reservation, Disney was behind in seating us so we were eating around 5:00. Our next reservation was at 8:15 and they seated us on time. We weren’t hungry; what a waste of $150; lesson learned.
3) Ban the Buffet: Maybe ban is a harsh word; limit the buffets may be a better option. Disney considers anyone over the age of ten an adult which means they will pay adult prices for buffets. In my opinion, paying $37 for my eleven year old to eat grapes, macaroni and a roll is absurd! Even if you have younger children, paying $20 for my eight year old to eat grapes, mini chocolate cakes, a roll and corn dog nuggets is still utterly ridiculous. I know... I know you are paying for the experience, especially if it is a character buffet. Now that we have experienced, buffets will be a thing of the past!
4) Define your Magical Experience: Do you want to experience rides and character meetings or are you all about the Disney food? Whatever it is, your plans should reflect that. For our first time we just wanted to experience Disney; didn’t have anything particular in mind, just Disney. Looking back, I realized I needed to pinpoint the interests of my group. It became clear that the kids cared more about the rides than eating and they liked the character meals but it didn’t make a difference if they got their autographs throughout the park or at the character meals. In addition, my kids are nerds like me, so they actually cared to learn things as well (yes, Disney can be educational). I felt bad rushing them through their animal explorer kit to make a reservation to eat with Goofy and friends.
5) Memories are free: Why pay $149-$199 for the Memory Maker package when any cast member, including the photographers, is more than happy to take photos on your personal camera. They take good pictures too; save the money!
6) Order maps early: Before you make your food reservations, before you make your fast pass reservations, order a customized map so that you know the layout of the land. Running from land to land trying to make fast pass and meal reservations is the biggest waste of time and a good way to tire everyone out. Space out your reservations and do everything in a particular land before moving to the next.
7) Factor transportation into your plan: When I was doing my Disney research, all of the articles said to allow one and a half hours to make it to reservations. I thought this was crazy but trust and believe! If you are off site, just driving through Disney takes time not to mention the trams, the monorails, and the ferry boat (all with their own special lines). At this point, you haven’t even made it to the park to deal the slow pace of sidewalk traffic or the guests with dinosaur sized strollers clogging up the walkways. Getting to the Magic Kingdom from the gates is like a 5 step process, no joke! Even if you are staying on site, maneuvering through the park depends on lines and congestion of the park itself.
8) Know your travel companions: Other people can and will ruin the magic for you. Constant complaining or incompatibility of scheduled plans will not only cause frustration but may cause you to miss something that you had your heart on seeing, such as the parade from the perfect spot that you planned to reserve an hour in advance. Make sure your travel companions share your same goals and take the proper precautions to assure that your plans are independent of each other’s in case something goes awry.
9) Understand that bad things CAN and WILL happen at Disney: Disneyworld is as magical as they say but it’s also a theme park just like any of the others. Rides malfunction, people get sick on rides, things and people get lost… My daughter’s glasses fell off while riding on a roller coaster and she went the remainder of the day blind. That was a real bummer but it also could have been worse. Disney is just like any other place you may visit, anything is liable to happen.
10) Don’t sweat the small stuff: Planning for Disney is a full time job and saving for Disney requires a second full time job. All of the anticipation and happiness can leave you feeling blah once things aren’t going as planned or as you watch your fund deplete in a matter of hours. You worked hard to get there; that was a real accomplishment. Continue to stay positive, keep a backup plan in your pocket and enjoy the Happiest Place of Earth!
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