10 Can’t Miss Disney Vacation Tips and Tricks

1. Bring good walking shoes. Disney visitors are always surprised at how much they need to walk. Consider that you will be walking to and from your shuttles, your hotels and the various loops around the different parks. A great tip is to schedule several sit-down shows so that you have some time to enjoy the air conditioning in a comfortable seat. You and your family will certainly be glad you scheduled this time to give your feet some 15 to 20 minute breaks.

2. Prepare for the elements. Bring enough disposable ponchos and hats for all of your family members. Hats will help your family stay comfortable under the beaming sun, which can heat you up and burn your scalp any time of the year. The ponchos will help you stay warm and dry during the common thundershowers on Orlando afternoons.

3. You may even wish to plan your family vacation to Disney in the early fall or early spring to avoid the heat. Early fall is an excellent time to visit Disney because this is when kids go back to school so the park is not as full with the older kids.

4. After all of this talk about how much walking there will be, you may be tempted to stay within the park to reduce your walking and traveling time. However, you need to take into account the premium that you will pay for lodging within the park. The resorts that are inside of the park will be more expensive than the resorts and hotels surrounding Disney. Keep in mind that you may be able to do much more with your family with the money that you save by lodging outside of the Disney park.

5. Try to get fast passes. The fast passes are tickets that each member of your party need for each ride. You get the tickets and then return during the scheduled time window that is on your ticket. You are then ushered past all of the people in the huge line. This can cut your waiting time to about 10 minutes or less for each ride.

6. You may not be able to get fast passes for all rides, so be sure to bring something to help keep your kids occupied while they wait in lines for rides, shuttles and even while they are waiting for their meals to be delivered. Some ideas to keep your kids occupied and content while waiting include portable game systems, MP3 players, books and card games. Keep in mind that some ride lines may take up to 70 minutes.

7. Beware of smart marketing. Unless you want to spend all of your money on souvenirs, hide your wallet deep in your purse or backpack because most of the major rides will dump you out right into a gift shop, where you may be tempted to buy magnets, family pictures, figurines and more.

8. Be sure to make reservations for any sit-down meals you plan to enjoy. Otherwise, your family may be dining on burgers and fries the whole vacation.

9. Food planning is important, and the Disney dining plan makes it easier. The Disney dining plan includes one quick-serve meal, one snack, one table-service meal and one refillable drink mug per person over three years of age. You can save a good deal of money with this plan.

10. Catch the fireworks show at Magic Kingdom at least once. Arrive early if you want to get close to the castle, but keep in mind that the view from afar is amazing.

 

Author Bio: Hayley is a former travel agent residing in Orlando.  Click here for BestOrlandoVacationPackages.com