Our past couple of trips to Disney World have really been a lot of fun! My writer Melissa and her husband from Disney on Wheels have managed to vacation at the same time as us, even stayed in the room next door on our trip last September. They are our Disney buddies!
I know many people don’t like to travel to the parks with friends or family as things can get really stressful. Not to mention trying to book meals, coordinate parks, and dealing with little ones can really drive a wedge between you and your traveling companions.
While no two groups of people are alike I want to offer up some tips that help us when planning our trips with friends.
Plan your meals before you go – Sit down and write up where you want to eat and compare the 2 lists. Mel & I usually use Google Docs and share the spreadsheets. I can see where they want to go and vise versa. While we don’t plan every meal together, (I am sure our kids probably get on their nerves) we like to do about 75% of the meals together. Not to mention I am a Meatarian and Melissa is a Vegetarian.
Tip – If you are not a morning person (like me) limit the number of breakfasts and maybe go all Table Service Dinners together. I will say Kona Cafe has some great coffee to help perk you up if you have to do breakfast!
Pick parks you will visit alone – Don’t plan on being at the same park every day together. Unless you are besties and you don’t mind hanging out 24/7 it is probably better to have some alone time with your partner or family.
Don’t be afraid to say ‘Well see you later’ – Disney World can be stressful! Our trip this past September was insane their were wall to wall people and it was really hot too! There were many times we told our friends “You guys go on without us, were going to the baby care center and will catch up with you at dinner.” Afternoon naps/breaks are perfect for this.
Melissa and I did this before we met for the first time. I told her if they wanted to breakaway or if I was getting on their nerves just say you are gonna go on ahead for a while. I would rather someone do that then for them to get mad or upset over something at the parks.
Be patient – Unless you are hardcore Disney Vacationer you are gonna have to stop for restrooms, drinks, diaper changes, etc. When you have other people traveling with you there are gonna be bumps in the road. I know I take about 2,000 pictures every trip so if your traveling with me I’ll probably get on your nerves. But just try to be patient and know that the rides aren’t going anywhere. R-e-l-a-x.
Take extra care when traveling with people with special needs – As you probably guessed Melissa is in a wheel chair. That is where she gets the name Disney On Wheels. There were times when we ran into rides she couldn’t get on or took a little longer to get on them. It was nice to be able to help her get on Pirates for the first time in 11 years! You might be traveling with someone in a wheel chair, who is blind, deaf, etc. Be aware of their needs and do your research on Touring the Parks with people with special needs. If you use the search in the top right side of the page you can pretty much find thousands of Disney World traveling tips!
Melissa is working on a list of all the rides and attractions at Disney World that are accessible for people with a wheelchair. So keep an eye out for that. Also she will be offering up tips and tricks for each rides to make your visit much easier!
I hope these tips will help things go smoothly for you on your next trip to Disney World or Disneyland with Friends or Family. If I missed anything let me know in the comment box below.
P.S. – As I write this article we are planning our Feb 2013 with Andrew & Melissa!
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Okay, we were thinking of going this September…is it really wall to wall people? We’ve only ever gone to Disney between Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas, so we’re very happy with the “no crowd” atmosphere. Is September going to be THAT much busier?
We are going with great friends of ours who also have 2 kids and have never been to Disney…we’ve already laid down the law 😉 one park together, one with just our family….cannot wait to get there! Good ideas about eating together and I , like yourself am the one taking 2000 pictures and irritating people…ha ha