Trisha recently learned a lot on her Walt Disney World trip. Here is her story:
This trip was an adult only trip, with 4 people. This makes a difference as we did not have to schedule in naps/slower time for children. Two adults flew in from Ohio, and two of us are Florida residents. We stayed on property for 4 days/3 nights.
Mistakes:
1. Booking all of our fast passes for the morning. We wanted to get the big ones in, that way our afternoon/evenings were free to do what we wanted. The lines were much shorter in the early morning, and when the afternoon and evening came around, we did not have any more fast passes and the lines were much longer than the evening.
2. Planning on going back to the room. Originally, I though that we would ride and do the parks in the morning, then go back to the hotel and do the pool for a few hours and then come back. That never happened! There was so much to do that we felt bad leaving for even 3 hours.
3. Not including a resort/Disney Springs day. When we flew in, we jumped right into the parks and hit them hard. I wish we would have had a couple of “relax” days as it was go go go the whole trip.
4. Not bringing ponchos that we brought because the weather forecast and the sky looked clear that day. We had plenty of dollar store ponchos, but not wanting to put them in the bag (even though they were small) cost us. We got caught in a downpour, but it didn’t quit after an hour and we gave in and all bought ponchos. Carry yours with you, because it will rain!
5. Not bringing a refillable water bottle. I thought we could just drink the fountain water, but it was gross, and only one person in our group could handle the taste. We tried to find places that had free water, but when you are thirsty, you are willing to pay the price. Also, wish we would have brought Crystal Light packets.
6. Not planning our dinner reservations in advance. Its so hard to plan out what time you think everyone will be hungry, and so we decided to “wing it”. Big mistake, as when we were hungry, our only options were quick service. After a couple of days, we really just wanted a nice sit down meal that wasn’t burgers and chicken and sandwiches. Make a couple of reservations, you can always cancel them if you don’t end up needing them (as long as it is 24 hours or more before your reservation time).
7. Skipping Animal Kingdom. We had been before, and rode Everest and did the other shows, so we decided to skip this park because of all of the Pandora construction. We ended up regretting this, because it really is a great park to walk around. We also missed the Kilimanjaro Safari this time, and that was a highlight from our last trip. Of course, once the new stuff opens there, it will be much easier to want to go!
What we did right:
1. We bought new walking shoes and wore them a month before our trip. This was a great decision, as the Sketchers memory foam ones worked great. Although we were tired, good shoes made a huge difference.
2. Staying on Disney property. Being close makes a HUGE difference. Sometimes you can get a better deal staying off property, but we loved being so close and the ability to use the resort transportation. Sometimes the wait was a little long for the busses, but we did not have to stress about driving and parking the car, or being tired. Also, since we were all adults, we were able to “enjoy” ourselves, especially at the beverage stations in Epcot!
3. Packing snacks to take with us during the day. We had dried fruit, nuts, and some rice Krispy treat bars. This allowed us to save our money for snacks we really wanted, and not just because we were hungry. These were also good to eat while waiting in line.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Parks including attractions, secrets, tips and more. Plus my friends at Destinations in Florida can help you plan your perfect Walt Disney World vacation.
Erin L says
In response to the #1 mistake, it can work to your advantage to do all the fast passes in the morning because then more become available to you. After your 3rd fast pass is used, you will be able to book a 4th using the Disney Experience app. I believe you can keep booking more as you use the previous one, but I’ve only tested it til the 5th fast pass.
Jennifer says
We have gone up to 7 or 8!! :)