Your first trip to Walt Disney World is something you will remember forever – the rides, the shows, the magic, the food – it’s a great place to bring you family for a vacation. The first time you head to WDW, you will probably be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information out there when it comes to planning and what to do and what not to do – so let me make it simple for you. If you catch yourself saying any of the below phrases, then you are in grave danger of making a Disney Rookie Mistake:
“I don’t need Sunscreen” – Just because you don’t normally burn easily doesn’t mean you don’t need sunscreen. You will be out at the parks for hours – and the Florida sun can be really brutal. Bring sunscreen, wear it, love it – just do it. It’s much better than becoming a lobster on day 1 and being miserable for the next week, am I right? Oh – and one more thing – use it even if the sky is overcast – because not only could the sun appear at any moment, but you can still get a sunburn on a partly cloudy Orlando day (trust me – I would know)
“It’s SO HOT out – I am just going to wear flip flops to the Park today” – It is really tempting to ditch the thick socks and sneakers for a nice cool airy pair of flip flops – but you will definitely regret this choice midway through your day. Flip flops (and most sandals for that matter!) provide little to no support and will make your feet ache like crazy at the end of the day. Your best bet is cotton socks and broken-in sneakers – for EVERYONE in your family. This is an especially important one for kids – as they always seem to be losing shoes – with flip flops being particularly susceptible – and then you are dealing with a crying kid who is missing a shoe, and you end up having to scour souvenir stores for shoes that will work…sneakers. Is all I can say.
“We don’t need to plan out our days – let’s just be spontaneous!” – Ok, after attempting to weed through all the information out there – between books, websites, reviews, etc – I can see where this one might seem appealing – planning can get overwhelming, and part of relaxing and having fun is doing what you want, when you want! Disney doesn’t exactly follow that rule all the time though – and a little planning can go a long way. I’m not saying you should plan every minute of every day, but having an idea of what parks you want to visit on what days and what attractions are “must-dos” for you can really help. One thing I would recommend you use is the Fastpass system – which allows you to go online before your trip and pre-select what rides you want fastpasses to (aka which rides you don’t want to wait 2 hours for! As its basically a ticket that allows you to bypass the regular line and go in a much shorter, faster moving fastpass line, so you get to enjoy your favorite rides without spending all day in line!)
“We can tour all 4 Parks in one day – easy!” – Alright, this is technically possible – largely due to the amazing Disney Transportation system which allows you to easily travel between Disney Parks and Resorts – HOWEVER – just because its possible doesn’t mean you should do it. Don’t try it. Seriously – 4 different (large, potentially crowded) theme parks on a hot Florida day? You are just asking for tantrums, meltdowns, crankiness – you name it, its coming your way if you try and do this. If you’re worried you won’t get to see everything – you’re probably right! There is SO MUCH to see and to at WDW that even if you’re there a week you might not see it all (but don’t worry, there’s always next year’s family vacation!) – and that is just something you will have to accept, and use planning to your advantage to figure out which things you really want/need to see/do. That all being said, one park a day really is enough for anyone – it gives you a chance to really explore the Park beyond the rides – the theming, music, entertainment, food, souvenirs, characters – one park a day is the perfect amount, especially for a first timer
“I don’t need to take a break in the middle of the day!” – My family and I used to think this – we traveled over an hour each way to spend a day a Walt Disney World and we wanted to just power through and do 12+ hours straight of rides and shows. Those were some great days full of memories – but they were also full of crankiness, meltdowns, and snapping at each other while the sun beat down on us relentlessly. Over time, we got smart – and started staying at a WDW Resort – which allowed us to not only cut out that long drive to WDW, but it gave us a place to escape to after lunch, where we could swim, read, nap, and just relax and regroup – refreshed and ready to get back out there come dinnertime. If you have kids that usually take afternoon naps, but you’re thinking about skipping that while on vacation – DON’T. And if you’re an adult who doesn’t normally take mid-day naps – DO. It will save you from the hottest part of the day when the crowds are the biggest, and most importantly – it will save your sanity!
These may not seem like that big of a deal, and feel free to ignore my advice and power through how you choose – but I know firsthand how important it is to not make these “rookie mistakes”. Follow this advice and you will have a much more enjoyable WDW experience – and isn’t that what a vacation is all about anyway?
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NO cotton socks!! Get a tech blend.
Great article and I just sent it to two people who are new to Disney World and going soon. Yeah, I know the flip-flop thing doesn’t apply to everyone, but it’s still a good “heads-up” warning because some people who wear flip-flops all the time really do find that it’s a whole different ball of wax walking 7-10 miles a day at Disney World. We were there with friends last November and my friend wore her cheap flip-flops every day with no problems and I was shocked! But a lot of people find that it turns out that their feet do end up hurting – so it doesn’t hurt to be prepared in case this ends up applying to you! Just a note, though – the paper fast passes no longer exist and it almost sounds like your note above is indicating that it’s a ticket of sorts. And now, more than ever, I think it’s important advice that people plan their fast passes in advance. I went in mid-November, supposedly an “off-season” time, and I only started planning our fast passes 8 weeks in advance and many of the best rides and flexible options were already gone! As well as most of our favorite dining options. With My Disney Experience and Magic Bands taking hold, pre-planning in advance is, unfortunately, more important than ever. Cheers!
Every time these tips come out, I get frustrated seeing the “don’t wear flip flops” warning. Old navy $5 ones won’t do, but I have been wearing Crocs (different flip flop styles) for the last 5 years and I never regret it, especially when it rains and I can use the swimmers towel I always bring to dry my feet & shoes off. No wet socks to contend with….yuck! I was overweight for most of those years and I still didn’t have any discomfort at day’s end. Just my my opinion 🙂 The rest of the tips are pretty good but depend on the ages of the people in your party.
Double down on the sunscreen! The UV rays that cause sunburn come through the clouds–if the sun is up, you can get a burn. If you don’t wear a hat, be sure to put a little on your hair part. If you go with flip flops, for Pete’s sake, don’t forget the tops of your feet! One other tip is to keep hydrated. You’re sweating way more than you think. Drink as much fluid as you can. You can get it through the fruits they now have in the kiosks. Only real meltdown I had was letting myself get dehydrated and hungry. Wonky electrolytes and low sugar make for a cranky mommy.
So glad you agree! 🙂
I agree that it depends on the kid – I know that for our family it usually works better to have some down time but you’re right – the trip back to the hotel can take a long time and might not be worth it for everyone – we love to take a swim at the hotel while it’s super hot in the afternoons!
Kristi I’m glad you are able to get through the day without the mid day break! And as for the flip flops I love wearing them too but my feet disagree after a few hours at the parks!!
George this is great advice – always consider who you are traveling with and what they might prefer or need out of the vacation. And kids definitely need time to just play and be kids too I like the idea of having time for that too!!
I disagree, NEVER take that mid-day break. I had 3 kids under 7 and the one day we tried that, they were miserable. Dragging them back and forth to the parks just tired them out more! Unless you are staying at GF or Contemporary, breaks are definitely out of the question!
As for the flip flops…I LOVE my TEVA flops for touring the parks!
This is solid advice. I live here and this is what I tell all of my out of town friends when coming here to go to the parks on vacation.
Here’s another one that is overlooked and sorely needed – what is the goal for this vacation and is it realistic for all members of the party going? The parents might be surprised at asking the kids what they hope to do and see at the parks and what level of marching around in circles the kids are up to. I’ve seen way too many little ones being death marched around the park with parents snapping and yanking at them to not say something to try and prevent that. Plan in just play time for the kids – where there is no rush to get anywhere and no expectation to do anything other than just run around and play. I LOVE the inside air conditioned play place in the Dumbo ride for just that reason. After a couple of hours of ‘being good’ and staying by (ever impatient) parents kids need to MOVE and jump and yell and wiggle to their hearts content. Let them have the time and space to do it. Disneyworld and Disneyland are just torturous for kids if they’re not allowed to have time to physically enjoy themselves and that includes play as well as rest.
I agree with 3 of these. My family wears flip flops pretty much every day of the year, so on our many Disney trips, we continue to wear them. I think it depends on the person, and what they are used to. Sock and shoes irritate our feet, and we are perfectly comfortable walking around all day, for several days in a row, in flip flops. Also, we don’t take a break. My kids are 4 and 6, and we’ve been going to Disney since they were 1 and 3, and when they get tired they just nap in the stroller, and are content. We’ve never had a meltdown at the parks. I also have a friend that took her 3 year old to Disney, and went back to the resort for a “mid day break”, and ended up with a screaming child, that didn’t nap anyway, because all she wanted to do was go back to the parks! It sounds good in theory, but doesn’t always work as planned. In my dozens of trips to Disney, those two are ones that we would go against the grain!