tooraloora
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2002
Well it only took me 8 months to write these, but here are my tips from our first trip to Disney World last May. I hope they are helpful.
1. It can be very hot in Florida (duh!... but we were quite shocked... about 95 degrees F plus every day in mid May). The sun is strong from about 9 am to 7 pm, not just at mid day. So, bring hats (with spares in case of loss), loads of sunscreen, and buy a case or two of bottled water at Walmart or such. We found that frozen water bottles were ½ liquid by mid morning, and all consumed by lunch time... but it cut down on buying water on site at about $2 to $3 USD per bottle. Dh and I each had a waist pouch thingy that was on the front, with a slot for a water bottle and a pouch for money and camera, and this was handy for not having to rummage through backpacks or get too sweaty on the back. I found we each drank at least 750 ml to 1 litre of water between 9 and 5. Buy mister fan bottles at Walmart or offsite, they hold icewater which can be sprayed on and then fanned with a little attached fan that runs on 2 AA batteries... worth their weight in gold in a hot line up. get one for each kid and potentially cranky adult.
2. Buying on site is expensive... a drink, a small bag of chips, a popsicle are each about 3 dollars. Of course we bought some icecream and frozen things on site, but bringing in a few snacks like Pringles or whatever you like cut down on some costs. They will search your packs when you are going in, but do not seem to care one bit about outside food or drink (we had no problems). Bring lots of film, sunscreen etc from home or bought off site to avoid highway robbery. I think we used up at least one roll of film a day each.
3. Get to the parks early, a bit before opening. Find out which parks are open early for onsite guests which days, and avoid those parks that day, or at least early that day. For example, if Magic Kingdom is early entry day on Mondays, go to another park that day. In the books, they discuss which parks have the least traffic which days, but I cant remember it off the top of my head.
4. Have a game plan for which rides and attractions are priorities, and consider using the plans in The Unofficial Guide. Be flexible though since some shows may be cancelled, etc. (the dratted plan B). Use the FASTPASS when possible, even sending one person ahead to pick up the passes (must have everyones park passes with them to put through machine)... hang on to the fastpasses, they will not let you onto the ride without them. We had these lanyard things around our necks with a little plastic sleeve for passes and fastpasses, they were handy. Basically you get to line up in a separate line that gets to load onto the ride very quickly, it is worth it. You cant get a new fastpass for a different attraction until a certain time period has elapsed. Dont plan on fastpasses later in the day, they will be all gone by then. But great in the morning. Allow for travel time if you are making plans that include hopping from one park to another in the same day... Disney is big, so much bigger than I ever imagined (e.g. 3 lanes each way highways ON their property).
5. Take breaks. You can go to the onsite hotels for a snack, ride the monorail, ride the ferryboat on the lake at the Magic Kingdom (nice and breezy at the front), take in a show, etc. Our guys loved the icecream deserts at the Polynesian (which is on the monorail in Magic Kingdom), which were actually quite inexpensive. The Land ride in Epcot is cool and peaceful, and so is Pirates of the Caribbean or the Tiki show in Magic Kingdom. Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom is a playground. The Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground at MGM also allows some free play, but both can get hot.
6. The shows at MGM are excellent, and fairly relaxing (although the lining up and waiting in the antechambers to enter is a bit claustrophobic). There are not too many rides at all for young children (eg. 6 years old) at MGM, but we loved the shows like The Little Mermaid, the Muppet 3-D Movie etc. Dont rush to go to this park early, none of the shows start until about 12 (and the park opens at 10 or so... check hours for when you are going). The Fantasmic evening show is not to be missed. You have to go and get a seat at least an hour before it starts, maybe more in June, but just bring a picnic supper or snacks and its fine. It is quite dramatic and lots of evil villains, but really spectacular (lots of pyromaniacal action). Hang on tight to your kids when it lets out, there are literally thousands of people exiting.
7. We were less impressed with Illuminations, a fireworks show at Epcot, but the evening parade there was excellent (more artistic, no Disney characters). Our kids loved the Magic Kingdom parade with all the characters though. We arrived at the last minute for the afternoon parade, and watched from near the entrance (as the parade is ending) and didnt bother with lining up for a long time to stake out Main Street.
8. Maybe have a day in the parks, and then a day just fooling around at the pool where you are staying, or 2 days in the parks, then a day off to reduce overload and fatigue.
9. The water parks are awesome. We went to Typhoon Lagoon and had a blast. The wave pool is huge and really fun, but hang on to the kids really tight (really), our 6 year olds got knocked to the bottom and skinned knees on the very first wave even though I was holding their hands. Put sunscreen on every few hours. Our kids had the Lycra sun shirts for swimming and that prevented some major burns. I also strongly recommend those water socks/shoes, the concrete is rough, but make sure they fit tightly. The day at the water park seemed more relaxing than any other day at the theme parks, I highly recommend it. They will take really cute pictures of your kids, especially at the little kiddy park, you may not be able to resist. If you have the kids swim/float with snorkel gear in the Shark Reef, maybe practice the breathing and floating without kicking at home, our 6 yr olds got very frustrated by this (esp. re the salt water)... or just skip this section with little kids.
10. Beware that eating full sit down restaurant meals on site is potentially very expensive, especially the character meals, which seemed a bit of a rip off (e.g. brunch for 2 adults and 3 kids = $80 USD plus tip). The kids will see lots of characters and get autographs anyways (especially in Toon Town in Magic Kingdom). Have some meals at the counter service places, and just a few sit down and relax in air conditioning meals (but not nec. character meals). If you like turkey, try a smoked turkey leg (near Buzz Lightyear in Magic Kingdom, on the way to Tarzan show in Animal Kingdom)... one will feed about 4 people. The icecream place in Magic Kingdom near the Winnie the Pooh ride is good value, about $3 for a huge fudge sundae.
11. Consider renting a stroller for anyone 6 or 7 or under (huh?). Weird, but I found that our 6 year olds could not walk the 10 miles a day or so that apparently is the average covered in a day in the parks. It is expensive, but allows them to chill out, and a place to hang packs etc.
12. Use family radio systems if your party is going to split up to do different rides or attractions so as to easily rendezvous later. Our cell phone from Canada wouldnt work in the States.
13. Animal Kingdom is the hottest park, and the most congested (the traffic patterns are not as efficient), but we did enjoy the Kali River Rapids (someone will get soaked), and the Lion King Show. The Safari ride was ok, but animals quite distant. Its Tough to be a Bug Show we skipped since it is apparently very scary. By about 1 pm however, we were cooked and had to leave. The parking lot was definitely in fry an egg mode. Oh... when leaving a car in the lot, put a shade thing over the front window, and cover the seat buckles with towels. And dont get in it right away (unless of course you enjoy meltdowns). Get the person least freaked out by heat to go get the car and get it cooled down while everyone else waits in the shade with an icy drink.
14. Re the parking lots, this may sound very lame, but unless you have a better memory than me, write down the section and the row... these lots are huge.
15. The Disney Store at Downtown Disney is quite spectacular, but so huge it is a bit overwhelming. One thing that worked for our little ones was to let them play at the nearby Lego store with one parent while the other put some selections that were reasonably priced in a basket for each of them and then they just picked from that basket 3 or 4 things... otherwise we would have been in there for way too long, spent way too much money, and been in for tantrums for sure.
16. You can also buy some souvenirs at Walmart, where they have a big Disney section, especially T shirts, backpack pulls, postcards etc. for much less than on site. We got some early on to quell some of that shopping bug so that they wouldnt clamour so much in the parks. We also limited shopping to certain days and/or had each kid with a certain amount of spending money. Just be prepared that when you exit certain rides like Winnie the Pooh, you will have to walk through a store loaded with that merchandise to get out of the building (they really know how to get ya).
17. We didnt use much cash at all, just for some snacks. Otherwise easy to use credit cards.
18. In May, we didnt need many if any warm clothes, maybe one sweatshirt. We did however, need a few changes of clothes esp. socks each day due to sweating.
Well thats my words of wisdom.
Cheers!
1. It can be very hot in Florida (duh!... but we were quite shocked... about 95 degrees F plus every day in mid May). The sun is strong from about 9 am to 7 pm, not just at mid day. So, bring hats (with spares in case of loss), loads of sunscreen, and buy a case or two of bottled water at Walmart or such. We found that frozen water bottles were ½ liquid by mid morning, and all consumed by lunch time... but it cut down on buying water on site at about $2 to $3 USD per bottle. Dh and I each had a waist pouch thingy that was on the front, with a slot for a water bottle and a pouch for money and camera, and this was handy for not having to rummage through backpacks or get too sweaty on the back. I found we each drank at least 750 ml to 1 litre of water between 9 and 5. Buy mister fan bottles at Walmart or offsite, they hold icewater which can be sprayed on and then fanned with a little attached fan that runs on 2 AA batteries... worth their weight in gold in a hot line up. get one for each kid and potentially cranky adult.
2. Buying on site is expensive... a drink, a small bag of chips, a popsicle are each about 3 dollars. Of course we bought some icecream and frozen things on site, but bringing in a few snacks like Pringles or whatever you like cut down on some costs. They will search your packs when you are going in, but do not seem to care one bit about outside food or drink (we had no problems). Bring lots of film, sunscreen etc from home or bought off site to avoid highway robbery. I think we used up at least one roll of film a day each.
3. Get to the parks early, a bit before opening. Find out which parks are open early for onsite guests which days, and avoid those parks that day, or at least early that day. For example, if Magic Kingdom is early entry day on Mondays, go to another park that day. In the books, they discuss which parks have the least traffic which days, but I cant remember it off the top of my head.
4. Have a game plan for which rides and attractions are priorities, and consider using the plans in The Unofficial Guide. Be flexible though since some shows may be cancelled, etc. (the dratted plan B). Use the FASTPASS when possible, even sending one person ahead to pick up the passes (must have everyones park passes with them to put through machine)... hang on to the fastpasses, they will not let you onto the ride without them. We had these lanyard things around our necks with a little plastic sleeve for passes and fastpasses, they were handy. Basically you get to line up in a separate line that gets to load onto the ride very quickly, it is worth it. You cant get a new fastpass for a different attraction until a certain time period has elapsed. Dont plan on fastpasses later in the day, they will be all gone by then. But great in the morning. Allow for travel time if you are making plans that include hopping from one park to another in the same day... Disney is big, so much bigger than I ever imagined (e.g. 3 lanes each way highways ON their property).
5. Take breaks. You can go to the onsite hotels for a snack, ride the monorail, ride the ferryboat on the lake at the Magic Kingdom (nice and breezy at the front), take in a show, etc. Our guys loved the icecream deserts at the Polynesian (which is on the monorail in Magic Kingdom), which were actually quite inexpensive. The Land ride in Epcot is cool and peaceful, and so is Pirates of the Caribbean or the Tiki show in Magic Kingdom. Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom is a playground. The Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground at MGM also allows some free play, but both can get hot.
6. The shows at MGM are excellent, and fairly relaxing (although the lining up and waiting in the antechambers to enter is a bit claustrophobic). There are not too many rides at all for young children (eg. 6 years old) at MGM, but we loved the shows like The Little Mermaid, the Muppet 3-D Movie etc. Dont rush to go to this park early, none of the shows start until about 12 (and the park opens at 10 or so... check hours for when you are going). The Fantasmic evening show is not to be missed. You have to go and get a seat at least an hour before it starts, maybe more in June, but just bring a picnic supper or snacks and its fine. It is quite dramatic and lots of evil villains, but really spectacular (lots of pyromaniacal action). Hang on tight to your kids when it lets out, there are literally thousands of people exiting.
7. We were less impressed with Illuminations, a fireworks show at Epcot, but the evening parade there was excellent (more artistic, no Disney characters). Our kids loved the Magic Kingdom parade with all the characters though. We arrived at the last minute for the afternoon parade, and watched from near the entrance (as the parade is ending) and didnt bother with lining up for a long time to stake out Main Street.
8. Maybe have a day in the parks, and then a day just fooling around at the pool where you are staying, or 2 days in the parks, then a day off to reduce overload and fatigue.
9. The water parks are awesome. We went to Typhoon Lagoon and had a blast. The wave pool is huge and really fun, but hang on to the kids really tight (really), our 6 year olds got knocked to the bottom and skinned knees on the very first wave even though I was holding their hands. Put sunscreen on every few hours. Our kids had the Lycra sun shirts for swimming and that prevented some major burns. I also strongly recommend those water socks/shoes, the concrete is rough, but make sure they fit tightly. The day at the water park seemed more relaxing than any other day at the theme parks, I highly recommend it. They will take really cute pictures of your kids, especially at the little kiddy park, you may not be able to resist. If you have the kids swim/float with snorkel gear in the Shark Reef, maybe practice the breathing and floating without kicking at home, our 6 yr olds got very frustrated by this (esp. re the salt water)... or just skip this section with little kids.
10. Beware that eating full sit down restaurant meals on site is potentially very expensive, especially the character meals, which seemed a bit of a rip off (e.g. brunch for 2 adults and 3 kids = $80 USD plus tip). The kids will see lots of characters and get autographs anyways (especially in Toon Town in Magic Kingdom). Have some meals at the counter service places, and just a few sit down and relax in air conditioning meals (but not nec. character meals). If you like turkey, try a smoked turkey leg (near Buzz Lightyear in Magic Kingdom, on the way to Tarzan show in Animal Kingdom)... one will feed about 4 people. The icecream place in Magic Kingdom near the Winnie the Pooh ride is good value, about $3 for a huge fudge sundae.
11. Consider renting a stroller for anyone 6 or 7 or under (huh?). Weird, but I found that our 6 year olds could not walk the 10 miles a day or so that apparently is the average covered in a day in the parks. It is expensive, but allows them to chill out, and a place to hang packs etc.
12. Use family radio systems if your party is going to split up to do different rides or attractions so as to easily rendezvous later. Our cell phone from Canada wouldnt work in the States.
13. Animal Kingdom is the hottest park, and the most congested (the traffic patterns are not as efficient), but we did enjoy the Kali River Rapids (someone will get soaked), and the Lion King Show. The Safari ride was ok, but animals quite distant. Its Tough to be a Bug Show we skipped since it is apparently very scary. By about 1 pm however, we were cooked and had to leave. The parking lot was definitely in fry an egg mode. Oh... when leaving a car in the lot, put a shade thing over the front window, and cover the seat buckles with towels. And dont get in it right away (unless of course you enjoy meltdowns). Get the person least freaked out by heat to go get the car and get it cooled down while everyone else waits in the shade with an icy drink.
14. Re the parking lots, this may sound very lame, but unless you have a better memory than me, write down the section and the row... these lots are huge.
15. The Disney Store at Downtown Disney is quite spectacular, but so huge it is a bit overwhelming. One thing that worked for our little ones was to let them play at the nearby Lego store with one parent while the other put some selections that were reasonably priced in a basket for each of them and then they just picked from that basket 3 or 4 things... otherwise we would have been in there for way too long, spent way too much money, and been in for tantrums for sure.
16. You can also buy some souvenirs at Walmart, where they have a big Disney section, especially T shirts, backpack pulls, postcards etc. for much less than on site. We got some early on to quell some of that shopping bug so that they wouldnt clamour so much in the parks. We also limited shopping to certain days and/or had each kid with a certain amount of spending money. Just be prepared that when you exit certain rides like Winnie the Pooh, you will have to walk through a store loaded with that merchandise to get out of the building (they really know how to get ya).
17. We didnt use much cash at all, just for some snacks. Otherwise easy to use credit cards.
18. In May, we didnt need many if any warm clothes, maybe one sweatshirt. We did however, need a few changes of clothes esp. socks each day due to sweating.
Well thats my words of wisdom.
Cheers!
LOL My DH on the other hand ALWAYS and I mean always is able to get a parking space no farther than 3 stalls from the front. Makes me furious. I will be definitely bringing something to write the sections down. Thanks for all your tips. They will definitely help us out a lot!!
