A COMPLETE GUIDE TO WALT DISNEY WORLD
GENERAL TIPS
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I always take a plastic baggie with me in
my waist bag or backpack. I put wallets and cell phones in the baggie
before getting on a water ride to keep everything dry. Works
wonderfully. The rest of the bag usually gets wet, but the important
items remain dry. Thanks to Jana for this
tip! |
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I recommend bringing an empty suitcase.
Just check the empty suitcase in at the airport with the rest of your
luggage and you don't have to worry about cramming all your souvenirs
into your already overloaded luggage bag at the end of your trip.
I find that no matter where I go for vacation, I always leave with more
stuff than I arrived with.
Thanks to Nicki for this tip! |
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If you're from the frigid north like me
(Atlantic Canada), then you might find the heat to be quite intense in
the theme parks, especially in the afternoon. I wet a small white
towel and wrap it around the back of my neck, allowing the ends hang
over my shoulders on the front. You'll feel much cooler if you do this.
Even better, (although I personally only do this in the privacy of my
own back yard on the hottest summer afternoons), if you put the towel on
top of your head wrapped around the back of your ears with the ends
hanging over your shoulders on the back, it feels like its 15 degrees
cooler. You might feel silly as an adult doing the latter but it worked
for the ancient Egyptians so at least encourage the kids to try it.
They'll be much more comfortable and it will make for a much more
pleasant day. Have a wonderful vacation!!! Disney is awesome!
Thanks to Tim for this tip! |
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You have up to 2
hours after the park closes to leave. The
buses run that long for the guest, plus you can take your time for some
great pictures without a lot of people in them. Cast members will
sort of "guide" you as to which way to go out
of the park, but you can stay behind the
crowds and waiting time for the crowded bus stops.
Thanks
to Randy for this tip! |
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I just
wanted to pass along a life saving tip that we did not discover until
the second day of our trip. I have 2 young children and 1 adult son who
has mental disorders (he has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and
suffers from psychotic episodes). I had seen others that had gotten a
special pass for a disabled person within their party,
so I inquired whether our son would qualify.
Luckily he did!!!
It worked brilliantly. When my son
was obsessing about a ride, the cast members would explain EXACTLY what
was going to happen (no surprises). We were all able to stick together
and if at the very last minute, my oldest son decided that he didn't
want to go on the ride after all, he could wait safely, while the rest
of our party went on the ride.
I owe a huge thanks to Disney for
recognizing that not all disabilities are sitting in a wheel-chair and
for the Disney cast members for NEVER making us feel strange for
utilizing our special pass for our special son!
So do yourself a favor, if you have
a child that is disabled, don't hesitate to get a special pass for them
which will also give your entire group fast track access, so your family
doesn't have to have a "separate" Disney World experience!
Thanks to
Tish for this tip! |
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Pack
some clothes for every type of weather if going in the winter months,
especially a thick jacket and include gloves and hats, we had to buy
them. The queues in the stores and the traffic to the malls was also
bad.
Thanks to Anne for this tip! |
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Take
a small fleece blanket (Wal-Mart or K Mart fleece beach blanket just the
job) to use as a cushion when sitting on the curbs when waiting for the
parades to begin. Or on the metal benches when watching the shows at
Disney or Seaworld. It will keep the cold from penetrating your
bottom. It will also be useful when the sun goes down and the wind
picks up, as a shawl to keep your shoulders warm. We saw some people
with them covering their heads to keep warm.
Thanks to Anne for this tip! |
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If you have forgotten a prescription or personal health
or beauty item, call Turner Drug
Store, who will deliver your items for a $5 extra charge on the whole order
(407-828-8125). Thanks to Chris for this tip! |
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Having been in Disney during the summer, one thing is for sure - you can
always count on a rain shower. Then it happens. Hundreds of people whip
out rain ponchos or purchase ponchos - all clear! It can be near to
impossible to locate a member of your party, especially one of your
children, when everyone looks alike. Purchase rain ponchos at home in a
bright color; red, blue, orange, lime green - anything other than
yellow, and keep them with you for the inevitable - you'll be able to
spot your party a lot easier.
Thanks to
Terri for this tip! |
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Rule Number One—each child/adult MUST
have their own belly pack. Why should Mom or Dad carry everything? Rule
Number Two—put a small plastic bottle of spring water in each pack. When
it’s empty, the person simply finds the nearest drinking fountain
(they’re outside each restroom) and refills it. A cool drink of water is
far more thirst quenching than a sugary soda.
Thanks to Jocelyn for this tip! |
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We went to
Florida about six years ago and are headed back in February. We are from
Washington State and we're not use to highway tolls. This trip I am
packing a mini M & M tube with change for the road tolls. We almost
didn't make it back to the airport last time without running out of
change. Thanks
for this tip! |
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When we go to Disney World, we always
make sure we pack enough new and shiny pennies and alot of quarters.
In most of the shopping stores you can make your own character quarters.
We pack our quarters in the mini M&M's tube containers. They are
very easy to pack and quarters are not all loose in your backpack.
Each container can hold about $14.00 worth of quarters. You can
also store your pennies in a tube. Thanks. |
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One thing I did
before leaving home was purchase mini hand-held fans for each one in our
party. Got them for $1.14 at Wal-Mart and the batteries were already
included. They were used a LOT. The ones
for sale at WDW were in the several dollar bracket.
Thanks
to Neysa for this tip!!! |
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If you don't have
a backpack, get one before you go to WDW. Ours held our sunglasses,
camera, snacks, water bottles, maps, sunscreen, and other stuff. It
beats the hell out of trying to hold that stuff, cram it in pockets,
etc. Thanks
to Mark for this tip!!! |
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Bring along an
extra pair of sunglasses. You know you're going to lose at least one
pair while you're there, so save yourself a few bucks and plan ahead.
Thanks
to Mark for this tip!!! |
| If you purchase your park tickets through AAA (which I found to be the cheapest) and you are planning to drive to the parks you should take advantage of the Diamond Parking Spaces which are right up front. You receive a Diamond Lot permit in your ticket packet to display on your dashboard. No need to wait for and take trams out to outer parking areas. Quick entry and exit. Thanks to Chris for this tip!!! |
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Drop by any local store that sells
camping gear and look for a polypro camp
towel for use at the Disney parks. Their weight is less than cotton and
they will dry much faster. In spite of the small size which makes them
easy
to stash and carry, camp towels absorb vast amounts of water so you can
dry
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| If you are from a warm climate state and are visiting Orlando in January or early February, bring jeans and a WARM jacket. When we toured last year in the last week of January the mornings were cold and damp (we live in the Northeast), the days were fairly warm and the nights in the parks were freezing with the wind blowing off the lakes and lagoons. I had insisted on bringing our ski jackets on the plane (husband wanted to leave them in the car at the airport parking lot) and were we glad we had them! One night at Epcot many people were so inadequately dressed that we felt sorry for them. At least 20 people came up to us and offered to buy our coats, and some of them weren't kidding. Keep in mind that sweatshirts in the parks will usually cost you about $35. If you are freezing you can't enjoy yourself. Plan ahead! Thanks to DisneyKid's Mom for this tip!!! |
| I highly recommend obtaining walkie-talkies. We got Cobras at WalMart. Many attractions and even restrooms have multiple entrances and exits and it is easy to lose people. Last year our walkie talkies saved us from a potential problem at Universal. Our kids (l0 and 7) were riding Pteranadon Flyers (a jungle/dinosaur ride that is suspended from an overhead track). We asked a cast member where the ride would empty out and were directed to a certain spot where we "could not miss them". I gave my son one of the walkie talkies as he walked toward the ride. We saw our kids overhead doing the ride and waited for them to exit. They never materialized. All of a sudden we got a call from our son saying that he and his sister had come out in a totally unfamiliar place. We were able to get a description from our son as to their location, reassure our daughter who was crying, and find them in about three minutes. Worth every cent! Thanks to DisneyKid's Mom for this tip!!! |
| Get wide-mouthed Rubbermaid water bottles (the ones with an attached flip straw) and carry them in a holder around your neck. I made my own holder with the bottom half of a one-liter soda bottle attached to a webbing strap that came from one of my children's lunchboxes. Fill the bottle with ice and water at your hotel every morning and replenish the water at fountains at WDW. It's great when the kids have their own water...no bugging you for drinks every five minutes! Thanks to DisneyKid's Mom for this tip!!! |
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Another tip is to have each member of
your party carry his/her own fanny pack. I took a tip from a woman who
wrote in to The Unofficial Guide to WDW and started taking a huge bag of
mystery snacks to the hotel on each trip. Each day the kids fill their
fanny packs from that bag and that's it for snacks....saves a lot of
money, if you haven't been there before, believe me it is outrageous
what in-world snacks cost! I also have my children carry their own
sunglasses, money and hats (a must).
Thanks to DisneyKid's Mom for this tip!!! |
| Please, please check Park timings before you plan your days. We went to the Magic Kingdom on the first day of our trip and the Park closed at 5 for the Halloween party! That was a precious loss of time for us. We would have chosen to go to some other Park and come to Magic Kingdom on a day it was open longer. Thanks to Revathi for this tip!!! |
| One of the best ideas we ever had was to start a penny collection. The machines are all over the place, but sometimes hard to find (they aren't out in the open) so it was like a treasure hunt for the kids. Plus, while on our treasure hunt, we ran into several characters who were not on the park guides - hidden away from the crowds. So the kids actually had a nice visit with characters and weren't hurried by lines. Thanks to a WDW Visitor for this tip!!! |
| Also like most people, we didn't have free space in our luggage for all the stuff we bought during the visit. So on the Last day, we just went to the Mailboxes etc (just ahead of Crossroads shopping mall next to Sheraton Hotel on 535) and bought a box, packed them and mailed it at the post office on the other side of the strip mall. Thanks to Sekar for this tip!!! |
| I recommend bringing small umbrellas and plastic ponchos during off season - this is when school just started. The lines are not so long, but you do have that daily shower after a day of hot and humid weather. We did bring umbrellas and thin raincoats for kids, and we got to go to the other rides while others were waiting for the rain to stop. This only works if the rides work, or if not, you have time to wait for them to operate again. Thanks to Clarence for this tip!!! |
| Also note in advance where the shuttle from your hotel drops you off (our hotel had only one trip going and one coming back, maybe because it was during low season), For instance, my hotel dropped us off at Magic Kingdom and picked us up at Epcot. Be sure to now how to get to your shuttle at the end of the day. At the entrance/exit of every park there is a "bus information" boot where they will tell you the letter and number of parking for each bus and which hotels they serve. It's a good idea to ask this at your own hotel to save you time. In low season be advised that there is only one trip per day. You won't want to miss your shuttle. A taxi will charge you around $17 dollars per car (our hotel was only 2 miles away from Disney!!) So if you take a taxi, figure out which park is the closest to your hotel so you travel the less miles as possible and from there use the FREE transportation provided by Disney. Thanks to Miros for this tip!!! |
| Some advice for when it rains. We had our own double stroller with us, & bought an adult Disney rain poncho (for $5) and it fit perfectly over the double stroller (even with kids in it!) My guess is a kid's poncho might fit better on a single stroller. I know you can get the poncho's for a lot less money at sporting goods stores, but then you can't have the Mickey on it! Like many families, we keep lots of little extra stuff in & on the stroller, so it was especially nice that everything stayed nice & dry. The best part was that once the sun came out, we folded up the poncho back into a tiny square, & now keep it with the stroller all the time. Thanks for Maureen for this tip!!! |
| Do NOT use the Mears bus transportation at the airport to get to WDW. The bus is hot, crowded and the driver will always wait until the bus fills to capacity. Plus your luggage will be buried into a big heap with the other luggage and you will struggle to pull yours out when you exit. On top of which the bus will make a dozen stops before you get to your destination. Taking the bus is a good way to get off on the wrong foot at WDW before the fun even begins. Instead, consider getting a ride for a ride service (many offered on the internet). They cost about $75 plus tip, but they are WELL worth it. These services will have one driver there to meet you when you get off the plane. He'll carry your luggage and take your family to your hotel in an air-conditioned town car. NO HASSLE. They'll even let you stop for 30-minutes at a grocery store on the way to your hotel, in case you want to save money that way (the money you save in groceries could pay for the ride itself!). You will be eager to have fun on your arrival and you will be exhausted when you're ready to depart. The last thing you need is a transportation headache. Get the ride service, it's worth it. Thanks to Jerry for this tip!!! |
| Buy 2 way radio with a 2 mile radius. Go to Walmart where they are $25.00 for 2. They work and come in very handy if you are going to split up with your group. Thanks to Mary for this tip!!! |
| General health care tip -- if you need healthcare, your hotel can provide you with the name of a clinic that provides free shuttle transport to and from the park. This was extremely convenient and speedy. Thanks to MBailey for this tip! |
| Your hotel gift or sundry shop won't tell you about Turner Drug. If you're sick, the only way to go is to call Turner (as you pointed out in the guide), pay the five bucks (how cheap!), and your meds will be billed to your Disney resort room. These guys saved my life when I came down with the flu! Their prices are a-ok, not jacked up for tourists or anything, and the staff was so helpful! Thanks to Sam for this tip! |
| When my friend Anna and I went to Disney, we invested a small sum in two pairs of Tigger ears and we wore them EVERYWHERE, and we got so much extra attention- cast members came and chatted to us while we were waiting in lines and the highlight was Tigger inviting us to dance with him in the parade!! If your not afraid of wearing Tigger ears and enjoy a good time, I thoroughly recommend it! Thanks to Jo for this tip! |
| Interested in special events? Disney reps can't or won't tell you about things like the National Cheerleading Championships or special TV tapings, both of which occurred while we were there. Thanks to Sam for this tip! |
| Shopping took on a whole new meaning this time around: shop, shop, shop(!) and have everything delivered to your resort's gift shop instead of lugging it around all day. Better yet, your resort can ship things home with ease. The folks at the Boardwalk Inn helped make our trip smooth as can be by shipping our overindulgences home -- the Mouse made a lot more money off us, and everything arrived on our doorstep a few days after we got home. No packing concerns. Thanks to Sam for this tip! |
| When we went to the theme parks with our kids we took along a couple handheld electronic games. While we were waiting in line, we would play them to pass the time. This was especially great for the kids because they can get very impatient while waiting in lines. Thanks to Karen for this tip! |
| We recommend buying your souvenirs very early in the day and putting them in a locker. After the fireworks, you can get them out of your locker and avoid the busy shops. Plus, without all the other people in the store, you can get a better view of what is being sold and you don't have to worry so much about losing your kids. Thanks to Karen for this tip! |
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One thing to add though, is that since the 09/11 attacks, your belongings WILL BE SEARCHED (purses, diaper bags, backpacks) when you enter any park. So be prepared for this. I’ve heard from 3 or 4 people that this did NOT prolong the wait time by much. Also that the “men” were a bit less thorough than the “women”, so their lines were faster! :o) I’m sure that varies though. Thanks to Carol for this tip! |
| Pin-Trading: My first advice is don't do it...its an expensive and time consuming game! But if you must here are some tips: Before you leave home buy the smallest, least expensive Disney pins you can find. They have to be "Disney", but WDW staff members have to accept any trade offered to them. Trade your cheap pin for the biggest pin they have. Ask staff members which pins are no longer available for purchase, they will usually give you a few to hunt for which is more fun than getting pins you can buy at any souvenir shop. If the hunt for rare is what you are after, try getting a "Trainer" pin. Staff members have to earn this pin and will tell you that you will NEVER get one (that's all my husband needed to hear and it became his goal for the trip!) Perseverance and a little groveling might get you one! (Yes...my husband came home with a Trainer pin!) Thanks to a guide2wdw reader for this info! |
| We saw some families who were carrying walky talkys. We laughed at first, but actually it's a great idea to help not get lost from each other, or to split up for a while to hit different rides, then reconnect. Thanks to Chris for this tip! |
| If you bring your own strollers from home, bring a bike lock to avoid it being stolen. Thanks to Marissa for this tip! |
| While waiting for parades in the hot afternoon, an umbrella is a must. Waiting in the Florida sun for over an hour can be brutal. |
| Make sure to pick up a guide map at the entrance to each theme park. They not only serve as maps to the park, but also provide a wealth of information about their restaurants, shops, rides, shows, and parades. Thanks to Andrea for this tip! |
| Don't rely solely on the internet for information about a particular theme park. I found many discrepancies between the information given over the internet and the information provided in the park's guide map. Thanks to Andrea for this tip! |
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