Your Tips for a Stress Free Disney Trip

[faline]

Sounds a bit like an oxymoron, doesn't it?

I just read an article written by someone who offered tips on how to alleviate stress when planning/executing a Disney trip. Now, some of the tips offered may be outside the pocketbook of many/most of us. For example, the writer advocated hiring a Disney tour guide, a personalized concierge service to plan the trip, and to stay at the Polynesian. It got me thinking about what we all do to destress our Disney vacations.

Now, some of what works for me won't work for others. For example, I have been to Disney World a number of times, often several times in the same year. Therefore, I have already eliminated the stress of trying to do it all or trying to do most of it that the one-time visitor might experience.

My tips for a stress free vacation:
- Don't try to do it all even if you are a first timer or only time visitor. You can't. Know that before you go and decide what is important to your trip and then focus on those things.
- If you are an infrequent visitor, or a first time visitor, learn about Disney World BEFORE you arrive. So many folks have a miserable time because they have done no planning at all.
- Don't decide your trip will be a failure if there is a specific dining reservation you are unable to get (Be Our Guest; Cinderella's Royal Table come to mind). And certainly, don't promise your children you will take them until you KNOW you have gotten the reservation.
- Be flexible. Rushing from ride to ride - attraction to attraction is not fun. It makes people cranky!! If someone needs to sit down and have a rest in an air conditioned spot, do it. If someone wants to stop and watch the dancing fountain in Epcot, do it!
- Allow adequate time to rest. You are not getting your money's worth out of your park tickets, if you are in the park from opening until closing and drag yourself back to your room, cranky and exhausted.
- DO explore the Disney resorts especially whatever resort you might be staying in. Take time to go for a swim in the pool.
- If your budget allows it, do at least a few table service meals and don't consider the time you spend dining as "wasted". It's a chance to enjoy your companions, rest and regroup for a bit, and enjoy what is, hopefully, a good meal.

These are the tips I can think of for the moment. I would love to hear your tips!!!!

[CleveSJM]

Great topic!

Off the top of my head is be flexible with the people you are traveling with. The more you try to keep a big group together, the more stress everyone will have. Set meeting times and/or group meal times but chill out and let the park commandos be commandos and the loungers be loungers.

[BrerGnat]

I would say, if you are traveling with small children, don't forget about their needs. Meals, snacks, naps, etc. I see so many cranky toddlers who are probably in need of some down time and the parents just continuing to plug away to get more stuff "done." Just slow down and make sure everyone is really enjoying themselves. And, maybe be willing to give up some things you want to do so your kids can be well rested.

[ThanxForNoticin]

I am so in agreement with the tips listed here. When friends ask me for advice, I tell the "quality over quantity", which is basically what everyone is saying here. Don't stress over trying to see it all, and if small children are involved in the trip, view the trip through their eyes - Sometimes that means going back to the resort in the afternoon to enjoy the pool (or take a nap!), sometimes that means stopping and playing in the water at EPCOT for a few minutes, sometimes that means sleeping in an extra hour some mornings...... Those are the memories I have of my kids - I wouldn't want the memories to be of cranky, overly-tired young ones not having fun! Or, overly-tired cranky adults for that matter!

[lawgirl]

So good! Love this! For me, it's letting go and being flexible. Trying not to have unreasonable expectations, and to just enjoy the experiences that come to us. Which means I have been cutting back on alot of planning- I do try to plan a few nice table service meals at our favorite places, and try a new place each trip, but to just chill and enjoy being!

[Dulcee]

Agreed with the don't try to do it all. It just won't happen.

And our secret is a midday break. We start the day in one park, when the crowds hit we head back to our room or rental for a break and then head back out later in the afternoon.

[Patricia]

I always tell people to try and relax. Stop and watch the entertainment, look at all the beautiful details, let the kids follow that cute duckling.. You won't see it in one trip. Enjoy the moment you are in and don't worry about what you might be missing. I know it's important to some, but more than one sit down reservation is too much stress for me. I have no idea where I will end up on any given day. (This may change with the new advanced fast passes.. or maybe I won't use that feature either.)

Our first family trip, many years ago, we went during off season. At first, finding out the parks closed earlier, we thought that was a bad idea. Instead it turned out to be what we needed to get us back to the resort for a relaxed dinner, maybe a quick a swim for the older two and off to bed early, rested and ready for the next day.
We didn't see it all, instead we planned the next trip (trips) to see what we missed.

[SBETigg]

I think a stress-free vacation comes from reaching the fine balance between planning enough in advance and leaving room for spontaneity. Make plans for key experiences in advance, but be aware that plans can change and go with the flow. Getting to the point where I realized there is no one thing that will make or break my vacation helped me to let go of stress.

[Pally]

Sounds a bit like an oxymoron, doesn't it?

I just read an article written by someone who offered tips on how to alleviate stress when planning/executing a Disney trip. Now, some of the tips offered may be outside the pocketbook of many/most of us. For example, the writer advocated hiring a Disney tour guide, a personalized concierge service to plan the trip, and to stay at the Polynesian. It got me thinking about what we all do to destress our Disney vacations.

Now, some of what works for me won't work for others. For example, I have been to Disney World a number of times, often several times in the same year. Therefore, I have already eliminated the stress of trying to do it all or trying to do most of it that the one-time visitor might experience.

My tips for a stress free vacation:
- Don't try to do it all even if you are a first timer or only time visitor. You can't. Know that before you go and decide what is important to your trip and then focus on those things.
- If you are an infrequent visitor, or a first time visitor, learn about Disney World BEFORE you arrive. So many folks have a miserable time because they have done no planning at all.
- Don't decide your trip will be a failure if there is a specific dining reservation you are unable to get (Be Our Guest; Cinderella's Royal Table come to mind). And certainly, don't promise your children you will take them until you KNOW you have gotten the reservation.
- Be flexible. Rushing from ride to ride - attraction to attraction is not fun. It makes people cranky!! If someone needs to sit down and have a rest in an air conditioned spot, do it. If someone wants to stop and watch the dancing fountain in Epcot, do it!
- Allow adequate time to rest. You are not getting your money's worth out of your park tickets, if you are in the park from opening until closing and drag yourself back to your room, cranky and exhausted.
- DO explore the Disney resorts especially whatever resort you might be staying in. Take time to go for a swim in the pool.
- If your budget allows it, do at least a few table service meals and don't consider the time you spend dining as "wasted". It's a chance to enjoy your companions, rest and regroup for a bit, and enjoy what is, hopefully, a good meal.

These are the tips I can think of for the moment. I would love to hear your tips!!!!

These are great tips. Our family likes to have one sit down each day and reminisce about our day. We love trying new and returning to old favourites. After several trips I have made a promise to myself to not go commando. We have been on every ride, time to really slow down and relax. I am thinking going at Christmas time may help in that regard also.

[luvkatiebug]

It seems to be the general consensus that not trying to do everything and taking breaks is the best advice. I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately since my husband and I both teach and my girls are school age,we have to go on breaks or during the summer. Our last 2 trips have been in July. Taking the midday breaks is the best, and my girls are 11 and 15. The teenager gets cranky! I also agree that you can't do everything. We make our "absolutely have to do" list and try to accomplish just that. One of our best days on the the last trip was just walking around the countries in Epcot and shopping. We probably spend 2 hours in China and Japan - and that's what my kids talk about the most. I had a revelation about this last trip - less is more!

[joonyer]

My number one tip for reducing stress on a WDW vacation.

1) Don't make it all about you or your family. Instead, take a second or two to do something to make somebody else's WDW vacation a little better. You'll feel better and so will somebody else. Think what a WDW trip would be like if everyone did things like:
a) Give up your seat on a crowded bus.
b) Let someone else get in line in front of you.
c) Offer to take a picture for another family.
d) Introduce yourself to somebody next to you in a long queue and make a new friend.
(everybody at Disney has something in common.)
e) Walk all the way to the end of the row in a theater before sitting down, so others don't have to step over you.
f) Take all the pictures you like, but turn off your flash in dark rides. They won't turn out and
the flash ruins the experience for other guests.
f) Smile and say hello to people.

Trying to make your WDW dream vacation perfect for yourself and your family will only make you more stressed out. Instead, try to make someone else vacation little better. You'll be surprised how much better your trip will be. It's easy to do and best of all, it costs nothing.

[cuteduck223]

Love these!

Don't run from one thing to the next (which is advice i will need to follow when i try and see the storytellers in a few weeks)-including the bus stops and park entrance/exits.

If your kids want to ride dumbo 100 times, then do that.

Enjoy your resort. I'm terrible at this because i want to get "my moneys worth" at the parks, but the resorts have some really great things that you will miss out on if you don't plan a little time there.

put your phone away and convince fellow guests to do the same.

[faline]

My number one tip for reducing stress on a WDW vacation.

1) Don't make it all about you or your family. Instead, take a second or two to do something to make somebody else's WDW vacation a little better. You'll feel better and so will somebody else. Think what a WDW trip would be like if everyone did things like:
a) Give up your seat on a crowded bus.
b) Let someone else get in line in front of you.
c) Offer to take a picture for another family.
d) Introduce yourself to somebody next to you in a long queue and make a new friend.
(everybody at Disney has something in common.)
e) Walk all the way to the end of the row in a theater before sitting down, so others don't have to step over you.
f) Take all the pictures you like, but turn off your flash in dark rides. They won't turn out and
the flash ruins the experience for other guests.
f) Smile and say hello to people.

Trying to make your WDW dream vacation perfect for yourself and your family will only make you more stressed out. Instead, try to make someone else vacation little better. You'll be surprised how much better your trip will be. It's easy to do and best of all, it costs nothing.

Love this list!!!

[faline]

put your phone away and convince fellow guests to do the same.

This is a great idea but with the Disney app, it can be very difficult to do!!

[lawgirl]

My friend is going for the first time in January with her two girls, age 6. I keep telling her to relax, and to not max out their days with plans...some of our best moments have been when we didn't have specific plans and stumbled upon some magical moment. You just cannot see and do everything, so focus on enjoying the experiences you do have. And take a break! WDW is so overstimulating- noises, people, bright lights, so much to take in...one of the best things you can do, especially with kids, is to take a break! And I love what an earlier poster listed as nice things to do for someone else. That is great!

[Susan A]

We had been to Disney many times bf we had kids.

On our first trip with them, they were 5 and 7. I decided ahead of time to not tell them EVERYTHING that is available in the parks. I never told them there's a restaurant in the castle or that there's a boutique for a make over.

Disney is already very stimulating without all the extras. "Less is more" works. Our goal was to have a kid friendly trip. We only had one meltdown each during the weeklong trip (I'm referring to the kids)!

I will say that we didn't get to the camp fire/movie with chip n dale. It was high on my list. It was just too late for us. I'm still upset about that... Wierd.