Florida Guide > Disney General
Tips for enjoying your Disney Holiday
Try to have a tentative plan of where you want to go and what to see each day. Schedule pool/rest time during the day. Be sure to include a late-start morning after a late night out. You may even want to stay at your villa on alternate days. The children love the freedom of a villa holiday and often will spend most of the day in the pool and little ones can have their nap in peace. If we have a day in we often go out first for an all you can eat breakfast or go out for an evening meal, that way even Mom gets a rest!
Be sure to take two pairs of walking shoes and extra socks with you as well as a supply of plasters in case they are needed. When we go to the Parks we always take a spare set of shoes/socks each which we leave in car. Florida is notorious for spontaneous rain showers and ponchos can be very useful. Although you can always buy these at the Parks they are much cheaper at Walmart or Target. We also keep a spare set of swim wear for the little ones in the car as many Parks have small water attractions that the young ones are delighted to run through to keep cool. If you prefer to take all your “spares” into the Park you can rent a locker for the day and this can be an easier and a less time consuming option than returning to the car park.
If you are visiting a Water Park the children, and even some adults, may want to wear the water/beach type shoes that are on sale. We have always purchased these before we go at Walmart. These days they are doing them in much brighter colours but if you want them to be “Disney” you will need to buy them at the Parks.
Sunscreen is usually needed at least as a top-up during the day. You can buy miniature bottles that are light and easy to carry. More recently several firms have introduced aerosol sunscreen that you just spray on with no need to rub in; although these canisters are larger they are surprisingly light to carry.
We take our own water bottles to the Parks especially during the hot months. Purchasing water inside the parks can be expensive. We tend to freeze the smaller bottles in the freezer over night and they can last all day. Nobody ever seems to mind carrying them as they keep them cool!
If you prefer Fizzy drinks you can buy a refillable mug. They are more expensive but you can get free (or sometimes you have to pay a nominal sum) refills all day. We do find though that although the children want one of these they are not so keen on carrying them.
Each Park has an Attraction Board which lists the wait times for individual attractions and show times. A Cast Member will be by the board and can provide you with directions to the attractions as well. In Hollywood Studios the board is located at the right corner of Hollywood and Sunset Blvds. In Magic Kingdom the board is at the far (castle) end of Main Street on the left just before the hub as you head toward the castle. At Epcot the electronic board is just outside Innoventions
Plan to make use of Fastpass especially during peak seasons. FastPass gives you a specific timeframe within which to ride the attraction and keeps your wait time low. Plan before you go what Fastpass attractions you might go on and then head for your first one when you enter the Park.
Put your name and address in your character autograph book so if it’ s lost and handed into Disney you could get it back. Again we usually buy an autograph book and thick pen for the children before we go to the Parks as they are cheaper.
Pin Trading is a great craze at Walt Disney World; you may want to read about it before you go. Children and adults love it, our girls are very keen. It can be an expensive hobby but it means we are never short of something to buy them for birthdays or Christmas.
You can book Character Meals 60-90 days ahead of time (a few even 120 days in advance). Call 1-407-WDW-DINE. Usually the hardest Priority Seating reservation to obtain is breakfast at Cinderella’ s Castle in the Magic Kingdom.
Hope these tips help, have a great time at Disney.
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