If you had just one tip to give, what would it be?

[BounceyOne]

Stay on-site!!!

Stacey

 

[Eeyore2U]

My tip would be to look around. There are many things you won't notice if you don't look. The names on the windows on Main Street, hidden mickeys and the flowers and gardens. I'm not one for flowers but I am amazed at what is done at WDW, especially the garden by Le Cellier.

 

[ehagerty]

If I had just ONE tip to give, this may not be IT, but it is still a good one.

We have been taking our double stroller to WDW for 11 years. Here's the scenario:

A. Dad pulls up to the curb at the airport, we unload luggage and carry-on stuff (camera bags, packpacks, etc.) into buggy (assume double stroller has front seat which lays down flat). Mom takes luggage to counter. (If you check luggage curbside, skip to step B). Dad parks car or volunteer family driver drives off.

B. Once luggage is checked, load carry on and small children into stroller, head for security. Unload from stoller onto conveyor belt - reload on the other side of x-ray. Continue to gate.

C. At gate, take stroller (still loaded) to the end of the jetway. Unload. Fold up. Leave at end of jetway for airline to load.

D. Once you disembarkin Orlando, stroller will be waiting for you on the jetway. Open it. Load it.

E. You can push this on "as is" to the monorail (from gate to concourse). Take elevator to luggage pickup. Pick up luggage and use stroller as a luggage rack.

F. Now, it would seem silly to bring your strolller solely to serve as a luggage rack, so here is how you continue to use it:

1. If you have young children, it will save you money (the cost of renting) at the parks. (Obvious one)
2. If your children are over 3, it will be more comfortable than a stroller you can rent. (Because you can lay the back of the front seat down and they have leg room)
3. The path is long from bus or parking lot to park (or resort, or whatever) - and you could really use a stroller before you have the opportunity to rent one in the park.
4. If your children are over 3, but under 80 pounds, they will be grateful for the opportunity to get a ride after walking a few miles. Trust me, they won't care what anyone else thinks.
5. It provides a great "cover" for a bag (say, a soft-sided, insulated bag) of snacks - especially when covered with rain ponchos.
6. It provides a place to store wet ponchos (under the seats) until you can get back to the room and hang them up.

I could go on - but there is enough here to spark you imagination. Suffice it to say that this strategy has worked so well for use that we have owned a series of 5 double strollers over the years....

 

[ehagerty]

Don't waste valuable park time shopping.

There are only two conditions I can think of that would warrant spending time in a theme park gift shop:
1. Hopeless shopaholic (you actually prefer shopping to the attractions)
2. Desire for souveniers with the theme park name/logo on it (because you cannot buy them anywhere but the park)

Best shopping strategy:
1. Go to Marketplace - to the main Disney store
2. Have Disney Club (or comparable) membership card (10% off) - usually the $30 or $40 (depending on how you signed up) feed pays for itself here - depending on how much you spend.
3. Have the purchase shipped to your home (I don't know if it is still true, but it used to be that the shipping fee was around $6 - and they didn't charge tax for out of state shipping, making the threhold for "break even" $100).
Bonus: you don't have to find room in your luggage - nor do you have to carry the weight en route home.

 

[ehagerty]

Whether you are travelling with your own immediate family, or especially with people outside your immediate family, you can minimize disruptions by getting people's expecatations out on the table ahead of the vacation.

Now, for some people, this sounds like "work" - but, we make the sessions "fun". Sit down with maps, attractions descriptions, park strategies (Do you think we might want to do early opening, followed by a lunch/swim/nap,.....? Or would are you expecting to sleep-in and not go into the parks until after lunch?). Engage them in helping you to plan - even if you probably have done enough research to have an informed opinion about how you think things should go.

We once have in-laws meet us for a few days at WDW and, after a few hours, by brother-in-law just couldn't help himself. He was used to spending 8 hours a day being "in charge" and could not cope with being a "follower" (that would be following us, the WDW experts when he had not been there beore). In retrospect, I would have asked him (probably over a drink) whether he was comfortable "following" BEFORE inviting to come along.

In summary:
The more expectations that you can get on the table BEFORE you go, the more everyone will understand the parameters of the roles to be played.

Too "Type A" for you? Trust me - all the expectations are present, whether they have been articulated or not. You can uncover them up front - or you can uncover them one at a time while spending $200-$800 per day.

 

[LoDivaLoca]

(Especially in the off-peak season) RENT A CAR!!!

Nothing like being pressed for time, and having to wait on bus schedules, and then other stops at other hotels. I had a car in January of this year, and did a run from DD to ASMu & back in about 45 minutes (if I had to do the busses, probably would have taken an easy hour & 1/2 and we were pressed for time!)

 

[westcliffemom]

Take time to sit on the benches. Not only will you get a rest, but you'll relax and soak in the atmosphere! Try it, it's great!!!

 

[kozmo]

have fun, have fun ,dont sweat the small stuff,dont make the trip -this is it or else,like if you cant get the ps you want
its ok, keep trying -ask for help -whenever you have too,cms are always around,have fun inkbounc inkbounc inkbounc

 

[prplcrzy]

Every year after our trip we start a savings push with our daughter. We give her $2 for lunch and tell her to put the change in her bank. Then she takes money she gets from Bdays etc. and puts that in her bank. Once a month or so we go to the bank and deposit this in her savings account and by the end of the year she has a couple of hundred dollars to go on vacation with. We only allow her to take half of whatever is there on vacation so the next year she starts with more money.

This is her money and she can spend it on what she wants. I never have to say no you can't have that because I'm not paying for it, she is. She learns the value of money, how long it takes to save it, and how to decide to spend it because we tell her when she runs out of money that's it. The same work for Mommy and Daddy, we only have so much money. She knows of course that Mommy and Daddy are billionaires and that we have and endless supply of money. LOL.

It is amazing to watch them learn the value of the money they have and what to spend it on. It has taken a couple of trips but the difference is remarkable. I hold the money for her, but she can buy what ever she wants.

 

[colleen mcmaster]

We have taken our kids once a year since our oldest was 15 months - he's now 4 1/2. He (and now his little sister) has had a fabulous time every year and every trip has been different. As they get older, they like different things and it's been neat to see what they like from year to year. They have both always loved the characters and the rides that they were big enough to go on. I would not hesitate to bring young childeren (unless your child is extremely shy and fearful and doesn't like crowds). As far as the stroller goes, we've always brought our double stroller, which I'm sure can be annoying to some people, but I would never think of going to a park with young children without it. For one thing it's too easy for them to wander off and they don't always like to hold our hands. Also, they can sleep in them and they have a place to watch the stage shows and parades. They can ride back to the car/tram at night without us carrying them and we have a place for the diaper bags/backpack.

As for my favorite tips, spend an inexpensive day at Downtown Disney and bring your kids' bathing suits and a ziploc bag to put them in when they're done. (They can play in the fountains and at legoland for free). Eat breakfast late and dinner early to avoid crowds. Bring pennies and quarters for the pressed penny machines - our son loved looking for these machines and it's a pretty cheap souvenir. He's still pulling out his collection and we went several months ago. Also, I think it's just about the smallest souvenir you can buy so they're not hard to carry around.

 

[hogie1]

-get a Fastpass for the Haunted Mansion when the line is long around lunch time. Then go to the Columbia Harbor House for lunch. The chicken fingers or fried fish (both with fies) is the best value we found anywhere in WDW. So you wait 15 mins to order & get food, but you eat, sit, & relax for 45-50 mins afterwards. That just killed your wait for the HM, and your batteries have been recharged.

-1st timers get a book, look on the net, have something of a plan, because it all helps. Just riding the bus made my head spin with excitement so I didn't know where to start (and my plan would have made Gen. McArthur jealous!) Don't set everything in stone, but have a good idea what you want to see & do.

-Sorry this is so long, but I must. Last year I was a very skeptical 26 yr old male taking my fiancee to WDW/Disney Cruise. I planned and mapped and everything for my 1st time, but I didn't think I could be impressed by this "Mouse". So for those who have never been, let me tell you, be skeptical because once you step foot thru the gates at the Magic Kingdom, you'll never want to come back. I swear they put something in the air @ WDW, cause I turned into the little boy I've always been @ heart. So make sure you and everyone you go with does the most important thing, have lots of fun!!!

C-YA in 80 days Mickey!!

 

[pentex]

When planning, don't get crazy about certain character meals you feel you have to go to. I've read on this Board about people crying about not getting reservations for Cinderella's Castle Breakfast, etc. When I see stuff like this, I think back to myself when I was crazed to get that breakfast and only that one. But looking back over the years at all the character meals we've gone to, that was a good one, but in no way the best. If you can't get what you want, try something else. There are so many good times in Disney...no one character meal is irreplaceable. Relax in your planning, relax on your trip!