After three trips to Walt Disney World in 2 ½ years, I think we finally have it down. That is not to say we didn’t make some mistakes on our most recent vacation. So here is a list of my mistakes (and tips if you will).
8. Not packing a folding step stool. On our first visit as a family (I had been a few times before) our children were 4 and 2. I brought a folding step stool and it was the biggest help in the bathroom at the resort. It’s not fun having to lift kids each time they have to wash their hands or brush their teeth. So if I brought it, why is it a mistake? Because I didn’t bring it on our most recent visit. My kids are now 7 and 5. My 7 year old had no problem reaching the sink, but my 5 year old did have trouble. It would have been helpful to have. If you have little ones, consider purchasing a folding step stool.
7. Not purchasing quick breakfast items to eat in the room. We are not big breakfast eaters, if your family is, then this isn’t for you. We are early risers and like a quick start to the day, especially at WDW. So we decided on our last visit to buy donuts and other breakfast stuff (cereal, cereal bars) and fruit from the resort shop (we stayed at POR) and keep it in our room. We also would save any grapes or apples that the kids got with meals in the parks but didn’t finish or eat. We were able to get up, get dressed, eat something quick and head to the parks. We would then just eat an early lunch if we were hungry. This saved us time and a lot of money. Next time I may order food to be delivered instead of buying from the resort store.
6. Overbooking dining! On our first visit, I booked so many dining reservations and most were character meals. The meals were fun and the characters were great but being on a tight schedule was no fun, especially when you add fast pass reservations to the schedule. You have to leave room for whatever happens. Your child sees Buzz Lightyear and wants to meet him, but you have a dining reservation to get to… so now you have a crying child. So I now only book one table service meal a day. It is nice to have something set where you know you can sit and won’t have to wander around trying to decide where to eat.
5. Not budgeting for meals! Food at any Disney Park is expensive. It just is. So along with overbooking dining, I didn’t budget for those meals. I don’t even want to think about how much money we spent on food. Another reason we try for one table service meal a day is it saves time and money.
4. Booking fast passes too close together! Again, this is about being on a tight schedule between meals and fast passes. Spread fast pass times out a little to allow for some spontaneity. However, you do want to use them up so you can book another so don’t spread them out too much.
3. Not getting the most our of Memory Maker! Memory Maker is an expense but so worth it if you get the most you can out of it. I loved all of our pictures our first visit but we mostly had only character pictures and not too many of just us. We learned our lesson and we now stop at every photo pass photographer we see.
2. Not listening to what kids wanted to do or reading your child’s mood! We finally got this on day 3 of our 6 day first visit. If your child wants to ride Barnstormer three times in a row, that’s okay, do it. If you can tell your little one needs a break, take it. I remember losing my patience (be sure to pack yours) with my daughter because she couldn’t decide if she wanted to see the fireworks or ride barnstormer again. A Disney vacation can be overwhelming for adults, imagine what it’s like for a child! If your child needs a break, take one. We took two umbrella strollers for this reason. We divide and conquer. If one was sleeping, one of us would stay with that child, while the other took the other child on a ride. And believe me, I am NOT saying give in to everything your child wants to do. Be willing to make listen and make a decision that is right for you. Everyone will be happier in the long run. Example: we left HS earlier than I wanted (didn’t even ride Toy Story!) because I could tell the kids were done and tired. We went back to the resort and took a rest then swam in the pool. Then
after dinner we had s’mores at the resort. The kids absolutely loved it. We wouldn’t have had that experience if we would have stuck it out at the park.
1. Trying to fit too much in! See at theme here? Too many dining reservations, fast passes close together, trying to see everything etc. It makes for
cranky kids and cranky parents. It makes a day stressful instead of enjoyable. We had more fun on our last trip than the previous two combined. We were far
more relaxed. We had a plan but did not over plan. We had one day where we had relaxing morning and the kids did one of the pirate cruises. We went at our
own pace and didn’t feel we needed to get everything in.
(Thanks Lisa!)
awesome! this will help me when i go in August