Tips, Tricks & Secrets

[Snow White 17]

What are your best/most helpful tips, tricks or secrets about the Disney parks?? :mickey:

[dizneydeb22]

Make sure to take breaks!! :mickey:

[rhonary]

I know it's hard but try to take your time...don't "run" from one thing to another..."enjoy" it! Have a plan...but remember it's not in stone...you might have to give a little...

[McLiberal8]

My biggest tip for people at WDW is, if you can afford the time, slow down.

Disney is made up of small details and excellent attention to accuracy. This, above all else, is what I think makes the parks so amazing. Don't miss those small details! Take your time - look around. Try to notice things you wouldn't usually see anywhere else. A sight gag here (a chess game in the PotQ queue that is in a stalemate), an item of historical accuracy there (notice you 'head west' when going from Liberty Square to Frontierland?).
If you are mildly obsessed with these 'Disney touches' like me, you can buy many books that document all these small detail treasures.

[Dulcee]

Comfortable shoes.

The parks can be a real miserable experience if you choose to break in a new pair of shoes during your WDW trip.

[ransam]

My advice is it's your vacation. Do what you want to do. You will not be able to see everything, so don't try. Do what you want, have fun, smile, enjoy the magic. and if you miss something, don't sweat it, Disney isn't going anywhere.

[NewDVCowner]

Understand how to use fastpasses and utilize them!

[PETE FROM NYC]

Welcome to intercot!!!

WDW can be extremely overwhelming to newbies.
Take your time, don't try to do everything all at once.
Be sure to stay hydrated.
Don't buy all of your souveniers early in the day so you will not be carrying them all over. Plus, practically the same merchandise is cheaper when bought off-property.
If travelling with kids, remember that they will get tired and need a rest.
Don't forget sun block.
Have patience. I tell all first timers to practice waiting in line.

[Snow White 17]

All great tips - thanks! I'm new to this message board but I have been to Disney World many times actually; around 16 trips total I believe! But everytime, we are rushing and trying to do as much as possible that I think we miss a lot - which is why I'm asking for tips, tricks and secrets! ;) I want to do my research this year and actually be able to enjoy our vacation instead of coming home from Disney and needing a vacation from the vacation! :sleepin:

[crltkcagle]

Leave the park around 2 and go back to the hotel for a nap. I find its the most crowded around these times.

Plan your dinners early and the restaurant won't be so crowded.

Wear comfortable shoes and don't rush through the parks.

[Tink#64]

One "trick" I got from one of the touring guide books is to save the shows for afternoon and focus on the major attractions before lunch! Most of the show attractions, COP, Indy, LMA, etc are quite lengthy and make for a nice break later in the day!

We try to arrive at park opening everyday, hit our must do's in the AM, try to eat lunch before noon & usually ready to head back to resort by 2 or 3 for our break when it's the hottest part of the day. We spend some time by the pool, usually have our dinner poolside or in Pop's food court, then we're refreshed & ready to head back to the parks for the evening. We also don't shop until we're leaving the parks, we won't waste those precious AM hours shopping!

I carry an index card for each park of our planned itenerary, although we always deviate some based on crowds or how we feel! That way we're never at the parks wondering what to do next.

We avoid EMH like the plague! We play hard at WDW & know our limits & we couldn't play hard the next day if we tried to rise any earlier or stay up any later. We want to enjoy what we do, not necessarily do it all! :mickey:

[PinKy]

hit the pool in the afternoons.

Later, you'll enjoy the parks so much more in the evenings after you're rested and refreshed. :mickey:

I'm going to echo the others....

Don't rush. Take your time and enjoy the detail. You can't see it all - so why tire yourself out trying? Pick your favorites and do those. Enjoy!

[SpaceMountainManiac]

Remember to get your free soda
at Club Cool - Beverley has quite a 'special' taste!

[KAJUNKING]

do your research, spend some time on intercot, buy the unoficial guide to walt disney world, Find a friend who is a disney geek(like me) to help you make the best trip! and sit back and enjoy your time at disney!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Some good tips here so far...
1. Wear good worn in walking shoes and keep well hydrated.
2. Get to the parks at opening time and do the popular attractions first...save shopping for the afternoon when the rides are busy
3. Stay on Grounds so you can take advantage of EMH, transportation and other perks

[Dragongirlx]

1.don't forget to cover up and use sunscreen and drink plenty of water/ juice
2. Try not to stress out about what others are doing (e.g taking flash photos in dark rides) it can make you really grumpy and can ruin the experience - I speak from experience got really annoyed at people in DHS ast year and ended up giving myself a headache my sister had to take me to magic kingdom to relax

[Fastpasssteve]

Don't try to see everything all at once. You won't be able to soak it all up.

It's like my first tour of Europe: We travelled from place to place with no time to enjoy and soak it up. When I got home and developed my photos and didn't remember half the things pictured.

Don't let that happen with your trip to Disney. Let the good times happen at their own speed and soak up each moment like a sponge.

Don't get home, develop your pictures and say, "What the heck is this???"

[joonyer]

1. Get to the park early, BEFORE opening, and be one of the first people in the park. You'll be amazed at how many attractions you can see with no waiting before the park fills up. You can do and see more in those first two hours than in the entire rest of the day.

2. Take a break in the middle of the day and then go back to a park that's open late. We love the parks after dark. The lighting is amazing and creates a completely different atmosphere. It's cooler, too.

[White Rose]

My best tip/secret is to listen. :secret:

Seriously, just listen. I know during really crowded days, it's hard to do that but just listen. When I was visiting in January, my friend and I were wandering down Main Street in MK and wandered into a little side street sort of thing. I was studying the window displays and we were both quiet for a few moments and just listened. You could tap dancing coming from the dance studio, singing lessons from the music studio, a band rehearsing. It was wonderful. For a few moments, I was transformed back to a Victorian Era street, during a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was fabulous.

There's an area in AK, I think, that has similar effects. I haven't found it yet, but I've heard wonderful things about it.

So, when wondering around the parks and you find those quiet corners (that do exist!) just listen. You'll never believe what you'll hear sometimes. :)

[mahannie]

Take advanatage of the alternate modes of transportation available to you.

Ride the monorail from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom, hop off and then hop onto the resort monorail, stop at the poly and get yourself a dole whip. Go round trip on the ferry boats from EPCOT to the Studios. Sure, it'll take longer, but as a way to slow down it can't be beat! Take the boat from DTD to Port Orleans French Quarter and have some beignets.

Visit a resort that you've never been to before. Try a snack you've never eaten (Zebra domes at the AKL :thumbsup:) Catch a performance at EPCOT (the Japanese drummers).

At park closing time, no matter what park you are in, take your time leaving. Let all of the madness rush ahead of you and leisurely stroll your way to the entrance and enjoy the evening air, the music and the feeling of being by yourself (almost!) at Disney!

[disney_daddy]

One thing we do is take our own water bottles to the parks and fill them with water and mix in some packets of drinks like crystal light or something similar. It saves alot of money on drinks at the parks.

[ryca1dreams]

Be nice to other people (including your family and friends :) ) and you will enjoy it much better and so will everyone around you.

[KatrinaJ91]

I agree with others that you need to slow down and take in all the little details that make Disney so magical! There is more to the parks than the rides!!

Try to carry as little as possible with you. (If you don't have little ones) It is much easier to get around and you don't have to worry about your stuff when you go on rides.

Make sure you bring your own sunscreen with you! We left ours in the room once and had to buy it in the park...about 3X the price!

Explore outside the parks...go to some of the resorts to eat or just look around.

Know how to use Fastpass and use it!

Try something new each trip...new restaurant, new ride, new shop, new food or drink!

[dmallan]

Stop and watch the street performers. The Dapper Dans at MK, The Ziti Sisters or Sergio in Epcot (Italy), The Streetmosphere characters in DHS...There are many more. Many people just walk on by, but we always stop to watch. They are very talented and usually very funny!