10 Biggest Mistakes First Time Disney Guests Make

Make sure you avoid these 10 biggest mistakes first time guests make:

1. Booking a more expensive resort – On your first trip you will be in awe of everything that Disney World has to offer. You will likely find yourself not wanting to leave the parks at all. Don’t book at the more expensive resorts for your first trip unless you know you won’t be in the park every waking minute. Save these resorts for future trips.
2. Not getting to the parks at rope drop – If you can get to the parks at least 30 minutes before they open, you’ll be able to ride up to 10 attractions in the first hour (that is our record in the Magic Kingdom). By getting to the parks early, you will be able to walk on many attractions that see longer wait times later in the day.
3. Assuming you need Park Hopper – On our first trip, we got Park Hopper because we thought that was what you do. By day 5, we hadn’t even used it. I forced us to hop around so the money wasn’t ‘wasted’ but on our next trip I saved the expense and stayed in one park.
4. Not wearing the right shoes – Disney World is a lot of walking. According to my Fitbit, I walk about 25-30k steps if I stay in the parks from opening to close. You don’t want to take all those steps in the wrong shoes! I also recommend bringing an extra pair of walking shoes with you so that you can swap them out during the week.
5. Not drinking enough water – Florida is hot. Florida is hotter than you expect it to be. Water is vital and you have to drink it. Even if you don’t like water, please force yourself to consume it. Your body, your mood, and your family will thank you.
6. Not utilizing Fastpass+ – You’ve got to book your Fastpass+ reservations 30-60 days in advance (depending on if you are staying on site or not). You can always change these, but if you want the popular attractions you need to book them as soon as you can. Don’t skip using your Fastpass+ reservation just because the line is 20 minutes or less. The Fastpass+ line is still going to be shorter. I’ve heard many people do that and I just don’t understand the logic.
7. Pushing yourself too hard – It’s easy to want to ‘get your money’s worth’ but if you are exhausted and grumpy you really aren’t having any fun. Don’t push yourself and definitely don’t push your kids. It’s okay to take a break, take a day off or just sit and people watch if you need to. Disney World is always going to be there.
8. Not booking enough days – I recommend you take a 6 night vacation if possible. Allow 1 day for travel to Disney World and 1 day for travel home. Spend 5 days in the park with 2 days in the Magic Kingdom and 1 day in each of the other parks. This way you’ll have the opportunity to see all the major attractions, characters and restaurants.
9. Assuming you’ll see it all – I’ve been to Disney World multiple times and I am now a Florida resident. I still haven’t seen and done it all. Make a punch list of the top things that each person wants to see and plan to cross those off. What you don’t see on this trip, you can plan for next time.
10. Visiting during busy season – If at all possible, avoid Christmas week, Spring Break season (lasts about 6 weeks) and any week with a major holiday. These weeks can draw the crowds and you’ll find yourself paying higher prices and waiting in longer lines.

The C2D Dream Team at Destinations in Florida will help you plan the perfect trip and it won’t cost you a dime. Disney pays their commission. Read over the benefits and contact Destinations in Florida today! You won’t regret it.