I have been to Disney World several times and every time I go I learn something new. Here are a few things that I have made mistakes, as well as a few things I got right. I hope that what I learned can help all of you on future trips.
Mistakes:
1.) Not doing the math on the Dining Plan.
There are a million articles online debating the Disney Dining Plan and whether or not it is truly worth the money, and the answer isn’t always clear. (Of course, this is not applicable if you are going down during a Free Dining promotion, since free is always better.) My family has overspent on a lot of trips on the dining plan, because it was more convenient, but we learned there is only one way to figure out if the dining plan is right for you and your family: math. Thanks to the internet, you can find not only the prices for the dining plan but also every restaurant in Disney. The only way to know for sure what’s best for you is to go through and look at every menu you are going to eat at and calculate how much every bill will be. Add up your whole trip. If it comes out to more than the cost of a dining plan, than go that way. If not, just pay as you go. Just remember when you calculate to include any discounts you may be eligible for. Also the dining plan does not include any gratuity. Thanks to math, my family will be saving over 300 dollars by NOT doing dining plan on our upcoming trip. And this reminds me of my next mistake…
2.) Not Sharing Quick Service Meals
If you decide not to do the dining plan, you may want to look into cutting your food budget down more. A great way to do this is to share quick service meals. Some of these meals are huge, way bigger than a normal theme park lunch. Because of the size, a lot of them can be shared between two adults. One that immediately comes to mind is the Ribs, Chicken and Pulled Pork Sampler at Flame Tree Barbeque in Animal Kingdom. That was too much food for me and my husband. Two of the samplers could easily feed a family of four or even five, (depending on ages) and it is only 19.99 for one! Do some research and see how many meals you could save by sharing.
3.) Eating right before going on Expedition Everest (Or Any Thrill Ride)
Now that we have talked about food, let’s talk about a big mistake we have made: eating right before a thrill ride. A trip ago, my husband and I went on Expedition Everest about an hour after eating, thinking that would be enough time to digest lunch. Nope. We were sick for the rest of the day. So do yourself a favor and make all of your FastPasses for thrill rides like Expedition Everest, Star Tours, Tower of Terror and Space Mountain well away from mealtime.
4.) Not wearing comfortable shoes
This was a huge mistake I made two trips ago. I have a great pair of sneakers. I wore them everywhere and they were really comfortable…until I stepped foot on Disney property. The lack of cushion on the back of the shoe caused a massive blister on the backs of both of my ankles. It was so bad, I had to go to the nurse’s station in Epcot to get medical attention and I couldn’t walk right for the rest of the trip. Do yourself a favor and get really comfortable shoes. Running shoes are really good, and just in case, bring band-aids and other first aid items.
5.) Missing out on Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Merchandise
The very first party I ever went to was in December of 2015. It was a blast, but there was one thing that brought the whole party experience down. All of the party merchandise was sold out. The cast members told us one of the pins we wanted had sold out on the first party, over a month ago. We had to buy what we wanted on eBay and paid more for the privilege. When we went back in 2016, we learned and went to the very first party, successfully getting all of the merchandise we wanted. I understand that for a lot of people, buying the pins or other items for a party might not mean anything to you, and that’s fine. All of the entertainment is the same for every party. However, if you have your heart set on buying the Jumbo pin or a collector set, do yourself a favor and go the first party. Be one of the first to get the item, or you might not get it at all.
6.) Not checking out the ride refurbishment list
This is especially true if you have children. Disney consistently takes one or two attractions down per park for refurbishment. Know which will be down before you go. The last thing you want is for a little one to have their heart set on riding the Carousel and only to find it is closed when you get there. It is always disappointing to find out the ride you want to ride is closed, but if you know ahead of time, it isn’t as heartbreaking. At least, that has been my experience. My husband was crushed to find Big Thunder Mountain was closed on our last trip. You can plan around that by searching the web for the WDW Refurbishment List. You will be able to see what is down and for how long.
7.) Not knowing there was a PhotoPass feature in My Disney Experience
Do you want to get your picture taken in front of the Haunted Mansion? We did, but we never seemed to be there when a PhotoPass photographer was there. It was so frustrating and we lost out on a lot of great pictures because our timing was bad….until we discovered you can see when a PhotoPass photographer will be at any given location using the My Disney Experience App. Just look for the PhotoPass tab and there will be a list of locations of where they are, as well as times for each location. It was the best discovery ever. Now we will never miss out on a photo we want.
8.) The importance of always having photo ID
You wouldn’t think you would need a photo ID in a theme park, unless you are on the younger side of adulthood and planning to drink alcohol, but you would be wrong. You will always need to carry your ID around Disney. If you are activating park tickets or just using a Passholder or DVC discount, you must have photo ID. We once had to go all the way back to Animal Kingdom Lodge from Magic Kingdom because I didn’t bring my ID so they couldn’t activate my park tickets. Do yourself a huge favor and always have ID on you throughout your trip.
But hey, after so many mistakes, I had to have done something right, right? Here are some of the best decisions I have ever made at Walt Disney World.
Things I Did Right:
1.) Using the lockers for free outside of Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom
Kali River Rapids is one of the wettest rides in all of Walt Disney World, and we all know what that means: walking around in wet clothes for hours and the possibility of a cell phone that doesn’t work because it has been drenched. But Disney has thought of that! Right to the left of the ride entrance, there are lockers. These are free to rent for two hours. So put a change of clothes and your cell phone in there. You will have dry clothes and working technology when you get off the ride. We do this every time and it is the best thing ever. Now we can enjoy the rest of our day, without needing to go back to the hotel.
2.) Utilizing FastPass+ system, including bonus FastPasses
Most people know about Walt Disney’s FastPass system. It allows everyone to pick three attractions per day per park. Did you know that if you use all of your passes on a certain day, you can sign up for a fourth? And if you use that you can sign up for a fifth? And a sixth? You won’t have unlimited FastPasses, because there are only so many hours in the day, but it’s still a great way to get on a lot of rides in a day. My husband and I always try to book our FastPasses in the morning so that by the afternoon, we can start booking extra ones. This trick has gotten us on dozens of extra rides every trip. Just keep in mind, that since you are getting these on the actual day many of the most popular attractions will not be available, so still book those as far in advance as possible.
3.) Understanding what benefits and discounts I was eligible for
Thanks to my love of Disney, I have everything that goes along with Disney. I have Disney Vacation Club, Annual Passholder and even the Disney Visa from Chase. This means that I am eligible for many, many discounts and perks. Many restaurants offer discounts of 10 or even 20 percent off. I get discounts on shopping too. Plus, there are two lounges in Epcot: one for DVC in Future World and one for Chase cardholders in America. My favorite, thanks to my Passholder status as part of the 45th anniversary, I get all of my PhotoPass pictures free to download. No need to purchase Memory Maker, as I get all of those benefits complimentary. We always check the Disney website, plus the Chase website, to make sure that we are saving as much money as we possibly can while we are down there. Doing that saved us over 500 dollars on our last trip alone. Make sure you do the same!
(Thanks Beth!)