Disney tips!

[lizblue]

We are going to Disney with DD (8.5 years old) at the end of the month. Give me all your tips. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and will be going to Magic Kingdom (2 days), Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. We already made our dinner reservations (one per day, unless we picked a special lunch spot).  The rest will be quick service and we plan on eating breakfast in our hotel before we leave for the day.

What do I wear all day to stay comfortable and still look nice for dinners out? 
I'm a little out of shape - am I going to die?
We should bring water bottles and snacks for the day - do we buy water to refill?
Tell me everything.

[coffeecake]

You are going to have so much fun! You will not die, even if you’re out of shape. I dress mostly for comfort in athleisuere wear during the day. I personally like to go back to the hotel to change if I want to look nice for dinner. It really depends on the day and what park we’re at vs. where the dinner reservation is, so sometimes we take a break at the hotel, sometimes not. You will see people in all different types of clothes, even at most of the sit down restaurants. As far as water goes, you can get free cups of ice water from quick service places, but I know some people don’t like FL water. You could do a grocery order to get snacks and a case of water delivered to your resort.

[flojo]

My biggest tip is to be flexible! I planned out every minute of our first Disney trip and we wound up doing things totally differently when we actually got there.

Not sure what the weather will be like for you but IMO there isn’t a lot of places with shade in the parks. I get hot super easily though. Definitely wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be fine with the walking. It’s a lot, but you break it up with rides, dining, etc.

I bring a drawstring backpack and try not to bring too much stuff into the parks. Water, sunscreen, phone and any other bare necessities.

I also ordered groceries ahead of time to be delivered to our room. It was nice to have a case of water, a bunch of fruit and snacks to munch on.

You’re going to have a blast. You’ll be exhausted, but it’s worth it!

[flojo]

I forgot to add that I would not worry about getting super dressed up for dinner. Disney is probably the least fashionable place on earth, lol.

[STP]

You do not need to look nice for dinner, it's a theme park. Wear whatever you want.

They have places to refill water. But tbh it's a PITA to lug the water bottles everywhere, I kind of suggest making peace with cost and waste and just buying as you go.

Speaking of making peace with the money, just do the genie plus or whatever they're calling it now. You're already out the money to be there, don't waste your time and sanity on long lines.

Bring extra socks with you in your bag. Everyone had sweaty feet and giving them clean socks was - for no logical reason - a game changer after lunch.

[beepers]

So jealous!! Yes to staying flexible and yes to just resigning the fact that convenience costs $ and it’s worth it on vacation. Some trips we rope drop and are out of the park back to pool/hotel for the day by early-mid afternoon. Other trips we might rope drop, take a midday break and then head back to the park for evening/night. Just depends on how we are feeling, weather, our Genie+, crowds etc.

We bring insulated water bottles and refill them in the parks but with bottled water, not the free water. I know it makes no sense but I don’t like the water stations and our bottles keep the water colder than just leaving it in the plastic bottle.

Highly recommend doing an Instacart or Amazon fresh order to your hotel the day of arrival. We get a case of water (for hotel use and to start the day with) and snacks/breakfasty things/fruit etc.

I’m #teamcomfort all the way. I’m sweaty and tired by the time dinner rolls around ant Disney. ( honestly in my day-to-day I wear athleisure and no makeup so it’s not just there for me)

[mirabelle]

Download the Disney World app now and get acclimated with it. You can make restaurant reservations on it and use that to do the lightening lanes once your dates get closer. I think you can also order a magic band and accomplish the same thing, but I'm not doing the magic band so I am not well versed in how it works. I would assume you set everything up through the app and it all syncs with the magic band.

[trueblue]

Get some cheap ponchos to keep in your bag in case of rain and bring a battery pack for your phone to recharge on the go - we were on our phones a lot (not in an obtrusive way but taking pictures, checking wait times, show times, finding out what food options were closest to us, ride reservations etc).

If I recall correctly the parks have Fuel Rods for sale/swap but we have charging packs around the house anyway so it’s convenient to bring our own (plus then we have them for travel days).

[mirabelle]

I'm also now using MouseWatcher to get better reservation times and it's been worth the money for us. We booked stuff very last minute so ideal reservation times have been hard to get, but with the MouseWatcher we were able to get better times. It cost me about $20 to watch for dining reservations I wanted (specifically character dining) over a 3 day period. Not sure if there are better sites or prices for this, but it's been worth it for us.

You can also use the Disney World app to look at quick service stuff at resorts and the parks to give you an idea of what that will be like once you're at the park.

[coffeecake]

Mar 6, 2024 10:38:03 GMT -6 trueblue said:

Get some cheap ponchos to keep in your bag in case of rain and bring a battery pack for your phone to recharge on the go - we were on our phones a lot (not in an obtrusive way but taking pictures, checking wait times, show times, finding out what food options were closest to us, ride reservations etc).

If I recall correctly the parks have Fuel Rods for sale/swap but we have charging packs around the house anyway so it’s convenient to bring our own (plus then we have them for travel days).

Definitely yes to ponchos and portable phone chargers.

[motherofdachshunds]

We went for our first time two weeks ago. If anyone in your party has a disability that makes waiting in line difficult (for us it's my 9 year old's ADHD but some other things include IBS, PTSD, etc) then you can apply for something called a DAS pass, which we found invaluable. I can tell you more about it if you think it might apply.

Other than that, ditto on the portable charger, I needed it daily. I wore athleisure but we didn't do any nice meals. The only mistake we really made was designing custom light sabers first thing in the morning, which meant we had to drag them around all day.

[peachesncream]

We will be there next week! I know everyone said get Genie+, but also make sure you read up on it and how it works before spending the money - also look up order of priority for rides for Genie+. Read up on virtual queues and ILLs, too. I can share some links if you are interested.

Last time we went, we had a bunch of sit down reservations and wound up canceling most of them. They are nice if you need a place to cool down or get out of the rain, but otherwise (in my opinion) it is just outrageously priced subpar food. The quality and price is better at the quickservice, for us.

Look up the extended after hours for deluxe resort guests while you are there and use them, even if it means you have to go back to the room for a nap that day! The lines are significantly shorter. When we went you could not use Genie+ during that time, not sure if that has changed, and food offerings were drastically reduced so be aware of that.

[peachesncream]

Oh, and mobile ordering food was so slick. So many times there would be an insane line for food and we'd mobile order while standing right there and it would be ready immediately.

[Terp]

Disney Genie + is worth spending the money on. I took my 2 boys last year for their first time and whatever ride I could pay for, I did. Specifically, the Star Wars rides at Hollywood bc those wait times can be hours long! You have to buy Disney Genie Plus per person, per day. That plus the cost of rides adds up and I believe I spent a total of $650. The price for Genie Plus varies daily too so one day you may pay $46/person and the next $76/person. We’re going again this August and I intend to do the same thing again except this time I’m prepared for the cost.
We also got a DAS pass for my one son but it comes with restrictions on how many times you can use it and when you can book your rides. The DAS and the Genie Plus made for very short lines for us.

[loki]

First, you will have fun! We went last summer in August. My kids were 6.5 and 8.5 at the time. We brought water bottles, but then filled them with the free water cups from any of the quick service restaurants. We had a Walmart delivery to the hotel the first night with snacks and breakfast. We usually had breakfast waiting in line for the bus, waiting to rope drop, etc. We rope dropped all the days we were there. My kids get up super early anyway, so it was the best way for us to go around the park. Since it was so hot (like over 100 heat index), we always went back to the room in the afternoon. I assume it will be much nicer in March. Some nights, we went back out. Sometimes, we just hung out by the pool because the kids were too tired. We used Genie+. I don't know if we needed to, but it gave us the opportunity to get a lot of things done quickly. We knew Disney would be a one time thing likely and wanted to make the most of it. I watched a lot of YouTube videos beforehand, mostly because I found them to be fun to watch, but I did learn a lot about where we wanted to go and when.

[donnamoss]

At MK, use the PeopleMover when everyone needs a minute to reset. We ride that thing probably 4-6x day when we are at MK.

Get the popcorn bucket on day 1. Get the big ass balloon as you leave day 1, then you can enjoy it every evening at your resort.

At AK, do the animation drawing thing—it’s fun and again, a great little deviation from typical park hustle and bustle.

Don’t worry if a ride breaks down—they almost always come back up same day. Cast member can help you if you miss out on a LL resy or something.

Use riderswitch if your kiddo is anti a specific ride.

SlinkyDog is the best.

TestTrack will close with any precipitation , etc. Get on it when you can—don’t wait for the afternoon when rains typically pop up.

[lucilleaustero]

Do not bring nor buy water bottles. Quick serves give you free ice water at almost every location. Sometimes they have trays filled with cups of ice water at mobile order pickup, sometimes they keep them behind the counter and you have to ask.

[spicysalmonroll]

Mar 6, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6 mirabelle said:

Download the Disney World app now and get acclimated with it. You can make restaurant reservations on it and use that to do the lightening lanes once your dates get closer. I think you can also order a magic band and accomplish the same thing, but I'm not doing the magic band so I am not well versed in how it works. I would assume you set everything up through the app and it all syncs with the magic band.

Yes! My guy friend asked me for any tips the day before his trip and I asked if he had the my disney app. He scoffed no why would I? I showed it to him, how you can see all the wait times so you know if something is showing 60 min all day and then it shuts down and then it comes back and it's 15 min, run your ass over there lol. He thanked me so much and said he used the app all day. 

[dc2london]

Mar 6, 2024 9:30:06 GMT -6 STP said:

You do not need to look nice for dinner, it's a theme park. Wear whatever you want.

They have places to refill water. But tbh it's a PITA to lug the water bottles everywhere, I kind of suggest making peace with cost and waste and just buying as you go.

Speaking of making peace with the money, just do the genie plus or whatever they're calling it now. You're already out the money to be there, don't waste your time and sanity on long lines.

Bring extra socks with you in your bag. Everyone had sweaty feet and giving them clean socks was - for no logical reason - a game changer after lunch.

You can ask for a cup of water at any quick service restaurant. No need to buy bottled water!

[dc2london]

Buy Fuel Rods off of Amazon. They are portable phone chargers and you can swap them for fully charged ones, completely free, throughout WDW property.
If you are usimg genie+ correctly, you will burn through your phone battery AND a power bank. Having fuel rods means never gaving to stop to plug your phone in.

Research the crap out of genie+. So many people don't really understand how to use it and are disappointed. The biggest tip is to book your next attraction immediately after tapping in for your current one.

[Wtfshouldmynamebe]

We just got back from Orlando and did one day at Hollywood studios/epcot this time. We did just Epcot last summer. Know how to use genie+ to your advantage. Also consider booking individual lightening lanes for the rides that have it. Also know all about what has a virtual queue. I got up at midnight to book my genie+ and then was on at 7 to get my ILLs and first ride. As soon as you tap in at a ride (some have 2 taps) book your next genie.

You will need a battery pack or fuel rod because the app drains your battery.

We rode everything we wanted to. I did mess up because we got stuck on Smugglers Run for a couple minutes after the ride ended and they gave us passes to get on without a reservation. What I didn’t understand was they gave each of us 3 passes. So we only used one because we were hopping to Epcot.

[Wtfshouldmynamebe]

Oh and only dress for dinner if you are going somewhere that requires it (like Victoria and Albert’s). Everyone else will be in theme park clothes wherever you go.

Good socks and shoes are a must. We walked about 11 miles in our one day.

[pitchslap]

Mar 6, 2024 12:17:25 GMT -6 motherofdachshunds said:

We went for our first time two weeks ago. If anyone in your party has a disability that makes waiting in line difficult (for us it's my 9 year old's ADHD but some other things include IBS, PTSD, etc) then you can apply for something called a DAS pass, which we found invaluable. I can tell you more about it if you think it might apply.

Other than that, ditto on the portable charger, I needed it daily. I wore athleisure but we didn't do any nice meals. The only mistake we really made was designing custom light sabers first thing in the morning, which meant we had to drag them around all day.

We just got back a few days ago and had the DAS pass for my son who is T1D. It was a tremendous help, but you have to video chat with someone from Disney to "prove" that you have what you say you have. 

And if you do buy big items, or really basically anything, and are staying in a disney hotel, you can have it sent to your room. You just leave your info with the cashier person and it's generally in your room by the end of the day. We did that a few times and it'd be in our room when we got back. 

[pitchslap]

Get the photopass! It automatically uploads your pictures from the rides onto your app, and there's like 80million spots to take pictures with the professional people. The comparison of how I look in the pictures I took on my phone and what they take, it's crazy. And you just show them your magic band and it uploads everything. And some pictures are super fun where they impose a character, like Remy in someone's hand or something.

[motherofdachshunds]

Mar 13, 2024 13:04:17 GMT -6 pitchslap said:

Mar 6, 2024 12:17:25 GMT -6 motherofdachshunds said:

We went for our first time two weeks ago. If anyone in your party has a disability that makes waiting in line difficult (for us it's my 9 year old's ADHD but some other things include IBS, PTSD, etc) then you can apply for something called a DAS pass, which we found invaluable. I can tell you more about it if you think it might apply.

Other than that, ditto on the portable charger, I needed it daily. I wore athleisure but we didn't do any nice meals. The only mistake we really made was designing custom light sabers first thing in the morning, which meant we had to drag them around all day.

We just got back a few days ago and had the DAS pass for my son who is T1D. It was a tremendous help, but you have to video chat with someone from Disney to "prove" that you have what you say you have. 

And if you do buy big items, or really basically anything, and are staying in a disney hotel, you can have it sent to your room. You just leave your info with the cashier person and it's generally in your room by the end of the day. We did that a few times and it'd be in our room when we got back. 

The video chat was really easy and well worth it IMO.  You can also do it in person when you get there.

We weren't staying at Disney so we just had to lug those damn lightsabers around.  Then we stopped and looked at each other and said "how are we going to get these on the plane??"  The flight attendant was thankfully able put them in the closet for us.

[dc2london]

Mar 7, 2024 8:26:43 GMT -6 spicysalmonroll said:

Mar 6, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6 mirabelle said:

Download the Disney World app now and get acclimated with it. You can make restaurant reservations on it and use that to do the lightening lanes once your dates get closer. I think you can also order a magic band and accomplish the same thing, but I'm not doing the magic band so I am not well versed in how it works. I would assume you set everything up through the app and it all syncs with the magic band.

Yes! My guy friend asked me for any tips the day before his trip and I asked if he had the my disney app. He scoffed no why would I? I showed it to him, how you can see all the wait times so you know if something is showing 60 min all day and then it shuts down and then it comes back and it's 15 min, run your ass over there lol. He thanked me so much and said he used the app all day. 

And if you have Genie+ and a ride goes down, immediately try to book a LL for that ride. Then, when you go to tap in for your LL and it's down, they will give you a freebie LL that can be used on all but like 3 rides.