The Best Touring Tip Ever. . .

[waymickey]

These tips are great!
My only tip is if you are staying at a Disney Resort take an afternoon to explore. The resorts have so much to offer. Walk around the resort see all the themeing, WL is incredible. Take a bike ride , or rent the water mousre boats. Go for a swim. WL lodge has activites all day, rubber duck races, magic cookie hour and tours.
Also go and explore other resorts. We found the petting area aFW this way and the Horse Barn. Walt Disney World is much more than the parks and there are a lot of things to do for free.

[coneygoil]

Most of the people who complain that they just didn't "get it" about Disney World never left the Magic Kingdom.

That's so true! A friend from my church said that she would NEVER go back to WDW. I was horrified, of course! But I found out that she only went to MK and didn't even know about the other parks! I still haven't convinced her to try Disney again.

[KAT1811]

That's so true! A friend from my church said that she would NEVER go back to WDW. I was horrified, of course! But I found out that she only went to MK and didn't even know about the other parks! I still haven't convinced her to try Disney again.

I find that my friends that dislike Disney so much they will never go back tend to have "issues" . A disconnect somewhere. They think we are crazy for going so much when in reality they are the crazy ones! The same ones who drag their kids to Europe and the Caribbean and convince themselves that the kids are having more fun than they would being in Disney digging on the beach while they lounge about drinking their frozen drinks or playing in the kids club, or even better being dragged from museum to museum.

Just being a bit

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Be at the park when it opens, do the most popular rides first. Also, most rides empty out into a giftshop, resist the urge to look until the end of the day when there are long lines for the rides

[Lisaj13]

1. Research before you go and have a plan.
2. Go with the flow. Things happen that you can't plan for.
3. Your group is only as happy as the unhappiest member.

When I was there with my 2 DDs in October a few years back there was a heat wave. When we'd left home it was snowing so to go from that to temps in the 90s was a huge adjustment. The first day my youngest was done in by noon. So we went back to the hotel and had some much needed pool time. It put a smile back on her face.

[bamarn0919]

great tips! My tips:
1. again, go early. my nephew was in love with SM at MK so we went early one morning and there was no line so he would ride it, go back thru and ride again. Did this 4 X and got a fastpass!
2. If you are there for more than 4 days, consider taking a day in the middle for "lazing". We do this each time and it makes a huge difference in our energy level.
3. The hotels at Disney are awesome and have some really great restaurants (love O'Hanas!) and their gift shops will have sales on merchandise you won't see in the parks.
4. If you have young ones and it is warm outside, take a towel! There are water fountains thru the parks and they will not resist!
5. True, water is free, but if you have a drink preference and want to bring you own, you can always get a free cup of ice at any disney restaurant. I do this a lot.
6. Remember that children in the strollers are closer to the concrete and they get REALLY hot down there.
7. If you have young kids, the viking ship at Norway in Epcot will keep them amused for a long time.
8. Use the boards at the front of each park that gives the waiting time and fastpass times for the rides. This will help you decide where to go first.
9. Most of the "nice" restaurants are fine for kids, but my niece and nephew love Buzz Lightyear pizza at DHS. It's sort of like Chuck E. Cheese, but if will sure give the grownups a break while they play
10. Remember, just because the lines look long at the end of the day, it doesn't mean they really are. Sometimes they make it look that way to discourage you from entering. Also, if Peter Pan or Dumbo are "Must" rides for your family, ride it EARLY.

[TinkerbellsMom]

Tips for traveling with young kids (5 and under):
1) Disney can be too stimulating and overwhelming for some kids - remember to give them plenty of breaks from the parks to "chill out".
2) For some kids - staying at a hotel is as much fun as going to the parks - so bring toys & coloring books for the hotel room during chill out times
3) Don't be crushed if your child would rather spend the day at the pool instead of going to the parks. We had to lie to DD (then 4) on our first trip by telling her that the pools were closed in the morning as it had to be cleaned. I even got a Lifeguard to go along with the lie. We had to promise her that we would swim after lunch everyday and trust me she kept us to that promise. But it made her happy which meant we were happy - know what I mean...
4) Bring small toys to keep the kids entertained in the parks while waiting in lines, for parades, and mom/dad taking turns on rides. We usually bring small bottles of bubbles, mini magna doodles, match box cars, polly pockets, etc.
5) Dollar store ponchos work wonders beyond rain - ground covers for sitting on, stroller covers during rain, wrapping wets clothes, etc
6) WDW restauarants do not have paper & crayons to occupy kids while waiting for meals to be served, so bring your own.
7) Remember it's your trip too - not just for the kids. Don't skip rides, like SM, RnRC, etc., because your kids are too young. Take advanatge of parent swaps and single lines. Trust me your not being selfish for going on ride your kids can't - you're showing your kids that your brave and that the vacation is for the entire family and everyone gets a chance to go on rides they want too.
8) For shy, skiddish kids, bring their favorite kids size throw blanket and let them bring it to the parks. It can be used as a security blanket, cover for when cold in the stroller, pillow, mat to sit on while waiting for parades, towel for when they run through the fountains, and a cape for when they want to fly...
9) If your child is afraid of being in the dark, give them a cheap small flashlight to carry with them on rides. (Ours had a clip that we clipped to her belt loop.) Tell them to flash it on the ground whenever they get scared.
10) Bring your own snacks from home as 1) they are cheaper and 2) can become a comfort to your child as it's a food they know they will like.

Most important - enjoy your trip as a family and that it's okay if you don't get do everything you wanted to do. There's always next year to go back...and the year after that and the year after.....