Rookie mistakes

[Marilyn Michetti]

All good advice, especially the gum part. You can't buy it at the airport or anywhere on property.

Don't pack too much. Nobody needs 15 outfits for five days, but DO include a flat "return" bag for the things you'll buy while you're there. Somebody else suggested once that you pack a flat cardboard box, self addressed to your home, and a roll of postal tape. Mail some of your things home. I don't know, but it makes as much sense as mailing snacks to your hotel.

By the way, WELCOME TO INTERCOT

[pink]

1) Use fastpass.
2) Comfortable sneakers.
3) Take advantage of EMH if you're staying on property but know that if that park if offering EMH that day it will probally be more packed then the other parks.
4) Magic Kingdom is usually at its busiest on Monday.
5) I'm not sure what side it is but I believe that if two lines are open for stand-by on a ride that the left line is supposed to be shorter because everyone automatically goes to the right?(Correct me if I'm wrong!)

Have fun and good luck!

[#1donaldfan]

Your getting a lot of very good advice.....I just wanted to chime in and further emphasize that it's much better to take your time. Don't be in such a hurry to see everything, or you will get burned out.......oh yeah, and just have fun

[PetefromRI]

"The real WDW traveler knows that the parks are merely the morning tease "

This quote from CAS says it all for me.Take time to enjoy your resort and everything else that Disney has to offer.Sometimes I just get a big bag of fries and sit back on a bench and people watch.

[kathiep]

Before you go, be sure to plan ahead. Figure out where you want to be on what day, make your ADR's.

Once you're there, on the other hand, be sure to be flexible! You might get to a certain park and find it overly crowded that day. It might be best to hop to another park. You need to be willing to change your plans to make the most of the experience.

Remember to take things slow. Sometimes just sitting and watching all that is going on & taking in the atmosphere can be one of the best memories you'll bring home.

Have fun.

[johnfunkwriter]

I know you're not going with children, but in case someone reading these tips is planning a family vacation...

We rent a stroller for our DDs (ages 4 & 6).
We get a double for the week- Our kids are the sort who get hyper when they're tired, so the end of the day would've been pretty WILD without that stroller saving them from walking the park all day.

I think we were able to do more at the parks because the stroller prevented our DDs from getting worn out.

I know there are stroller debates on here from time to time... rest assured we try our best to display good stroller etiquette...

I know it's not for everyone, but for us a stroller rental was worth it.



J

[Tygger7]

Here is my (short) list:

1) Failure to plan. Get a guidebook, send for Disney's video, and learn as much as you can about all that WDW offers. I've known people who came home and were asked "how did you like ..." and had to answer "I didn't know they had that!" Include making dining reservations in your advanced planning - the good places are hard to get into at the last minute. Don't be afraid to let the plan shift as you go through the trip, but at least have a plan as a starting point.

2) Over scheduling. There is so much to see and do that you have to accept the fact that you won't see it all - that is what the next trip is for! Be flexible - make a reasonable-length list of "must see" items, come up with a rough plan for what you will see/do on each day, and let other things fill out the day as opportunity presents itself. Make sure your plan includes some down time - if you are feeling energetic, there are always things to fill it with, but a lazy afternoon at the pool is sometimes just what the doctor ordered.

I couldn't have said it any better!!

[bleukarma]

Here are some tips rather then mistakes:

Try to buy water before you get there. You need to keep yourself hydrated and bottled water at Disney is expensive. Or buy one bottle at the beginning of the trip and keep refilling it at the water fountains.

Take your time. Rushing around to try to fit everything is will only make you exhausted by the time you reach the end of your vacation. It’s impossible to do everything and just remember that Disney will always be there.

Go back to your resort for mid-day rests. Trust me, they are worth it. You may think you are wasting time but I've seen a lot of mid-day melt-downs from tired, cranky people. It's best to take 2 hours out of your day to just rest.

Try to pick what restaurants you think you and your GF will like and make ADR’s for them.

Take advantage of EMH’s if you are staying on site. That extra hour in the morning and that extra time in the evening helps fit a few more rides in.

Make sure you wear comfortable, broken-in shoes.

Utilize fast-passes. Keep park tickets in a handy spot so you can easily grab them to get fast passes.

Don’t forget the sunscreen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even on overcast days you can get sun burnt.

Have fun!!!

[milhouse]

It's been said but I would like to stress -- comfortable sneakers. I wear Birks all summer and didn't think twice about wearing them to MK. I was a limping fool by dark. I wore sneakers the rest of the week w/out a problem.

[ldc12377]

I know this has been said several times already but DO NOT OVERSCHEDULE!!!! That was the biggest mistake I made on our first trip. Now,I make our ADR's, pick which park we will go to each day, and relax. There is just too much to see and do to ever get through it all in one trip, unless you plan on being there for months at a time. Pick a few highlights and be sure to hit those and view anything else that you get to do as bonus!!
Another thing that we did on our last trip and plan to do again because it worked out so well is to plan a "free" day. On this day we don't really plan anything to did. We sleep in, stay around the resort, play mini. golf, visit the other resorts, generally we just relax and refuel all day. We travel with 3 kids (9,7, and 2) and Grandma so this day is great for everyone! It is really nice to have a day where we don't have to be anywhere at any certain time. Just play it by ear and let the magic lead you!!!

[c&d]

Have some sort of plan not an hour by hour plan but an idea of what you'd like to do during the day.

Check out info central and find some restaurants you would like to eat at and make reservations.

See what's at the theme parks and make a list of what rides or shows you really want to do and definitely use FastPass.

Lastly, relax and enjoy just being at Disney.

[LauraF]

If you like to buy souvenirs, pack an extra soft suitcase inside of one of the larger ones and you can use it to bring back all the stuff you buy.

Make ADRs if you are picky about where you want to eat.

Take time to relax - the sun can be a bit much.

Understand how to really use fastpass - don't just get a pass and sit and wait nearby until it's time to go in. Go do something!

Don't run, push or shove - there's plenty of time to do everything, even if you have to wait in line. (At WDW, the lines are often part of the entertainment!)

Laslty - talk to the CMS if they're not busy. They have the most interesting things to share usually.

[Jaco8]

Thanks guys all the tips are really helpful

[Bri]

this might be obvious but like others said, make your dining reservations in advance. along with that, plan your parks based on where you are eating that night. it's much easier to get to the park at whatever time, relax and enjoy everything and then just go to dinner. things always seem to be cut short when you have to leave a park to go somewhere else to eat. if you are going to eat in any of the hotels, just ask on here what park is closest to what hotel if you aren't sure. what time of year are you going? if you are going during a value season, you will have more than enough time to see everything cause the parks are significantly less crowded.

[FTDW Poly 08]

August will be our first trip to DW and we're obviously staying at Poly. For a variety of reasons that deal with our post-DW plans, we're renting a car.

Okay, everyone is talking about water and possibly delivering a case of water to the room. Since we're renting a car, I assume there will be a number of spots we can stop to buy a case (or two!) of water. Correct? How big is the freezer at Poly? Big enough to overnight five or so waters in the freezer?

Thanks for your help. You guys are the best!

[poeticeclipse]

1) Failure to plan. Get a guidebook, send for Disney's video, and learn as much as you can about all that WDW offers.

This is a big one. I've talked to people who are AFRAID to go to WDW because they feel that it's just too hard. If you buy one guidebook... just one... you'll be so much better off. There are a lot of things that Disney has to offer and they obviously can't advertise for little things like tours, horseback riding, canoeing, etc, etc. I've also talked to people who think that Disney World will be boring and can't image how people spend more than a week there. If those people watched a Disney World planning video they'd be amazed.

Utilize Fastpass- it can save lots of time.

I was in line with a family of 7 last year and the mother and father were having a conversation about fastpass and how they couldn't use it because it was only for Disney hotel guests. I'm still amazed that there are people out there that choose not to use fastpass when it's a proven way to decrease your time standing in line and maximize your time doing activities in the parks. Many people are STILL confused about this feature.

Learn the lay of the land. If you're not familiar with the resort property it can be overwhelming. So, grab a guidebook or check out some of the Intercot maps, just so you know where you're going. It helps when you're planning activities in and out of the park.

This is especially true at the Studios. It's a complicated layout and the streets really don't make sense. I STILL get confused when walking out of certain attractions remembering where I am. It's also nice to just know where the bathrooms are at in each park. I've seen many families lost in the center hub at Epcot pointing in every direction looking for the potty.

bring as much stuff from home so u dont buy it in wdw it costs twice as much. film batteries, bottled water, sunblock, aspirin, bandaids, sunglasses etc

YES! Don't be stupid! Just bring stuff even if you think you won't need it. Band aids and batteries are small and you may need them. My husband forgot his sunglasses on our honeymoon and had to buy some once we were in the parks. He bought a plastic pair for maybe 18 bucks and they broke later that day. Just snapped in two. So, he bought a regular wired pair and he still wears them to this day. If you have to invest in sunglasses at WDW, spend a few more dollars for nicer ones.

Try to buy water before you get there. You need to keep yourself hydrated and bottled water at Disney is expensive. Or buy one bottle at the beginning of the trip and keep refilling it at the water fountains.

Agreed! Don't waste your money on their water bottles. Bring ones from home and keep refilling them. It was painful to watch a family of 5 buy 5 water bottles. That's a lot of money just for some water.

[Tinkerfreak]

The mistake we made on our first trip was not realizing just how big the Disney property is. We had no clue that it could take a long time to get from resort to resort and ended up being late for a dinner show because it took almost an hour and a half to get from AKL to Fort Winderness. Now we are experienced enough to know when it is just faster to take a cab.

[Jaco8]

If you could recommend a guidebook which one would it be?

[poeticeclipse]

If you could recommend a guidebook which one would it be?

The Unoffical Guide for sure! It's unbiased and gives honest opinions and doesn't sugar coat things. They're very accurate and they go in depth with certain subjects. I buy one every year!

[sleepingbooty]

So many good tips have been mentioned!

The two rookie mistakes we made on our first trip were:

Not planning a long enough stay. We only went for 3 days, then spent the rest of the week at the beach. We were so bummed on that last day - we really wanted to stay longer and forget the beach!

Trying to drive on our first day there. If you've never been before - it is soooo confusing to find your way around the "World". We were an hour late for our first dinner at Ohana, because we could'nt figure out how to get there. We got completely turned around and found ourselves actually leaving Disney headed to Orlando. And its not easy to turn around once you find you're going the wrong way. After that, we took Disney transport everywhere.