What Did You Wish You Knew Before Going?

[Eastern]

I'm so disappointed that the late hours seem to be fading away. Even the extra magic late hours are very slim these days.

I know we loved those super late hours.

 

[Eastern]

Let your teen plan some of the FP/dinners (if they are interested). Don't rush. Allow a lot of time for travel between parks/resorts (60-75 minutes). If you are early, great. It is really stressful to rush on Disney transportation so accept it and plan accordingly. There is always Uber/Lyft/Minnievans.

 

[heather13]

I agree about the late hours. I miss not being able to be there until the wee hours of the morning! I don't need it every night just a couple of options that don't have a hard ticket.

Yes! This was my biggest disappointment planning this year. The last time when my kids were little we had to leave the parks by 8pm, and struggled to get my girls to stay up late enough to see fireworks at MNSSHP. I was really excited that we could take advantage of later hours now that they're pre-teen, and we end up still having to awaken early.

 

[JenLovesMM]

Like others have said, keeping flexible helps a lot. I`ve seen days that we planned on a full day in a park and ended up taking a midday break. Or just the opposite, plan on a midday break, get to the park and having so fun much, decided not to leave. The one thing for us that really helped keep things flexible is to rarely book supper ADRs. We would do really early breakfast or a late brunch then after that, we weren`t "attached" to a park or resort. Even with a hopper, travelling just for a meal takes up a lot of time. I know other families though that love their supper ADRs, it just never worked for my family.

MDE app to change fastpasses on the fly is a great tool.

We also never worried about trying to do everything. We just tried to really enjoy what we did do. We've been to MK multiples times and there is still a section of the park that we haven't really explored and to us, that's totally ok because our kids had time to really enjoy what we've done, those other things they can be new to us another time!

Plan some time in the parks to just look around, absorb what's going on. I've read a thread on this board about the psychology of Disney that really made me realize that I've never done that enough in the parks. Everything in those parks is so well planned, it's not just about the rides, the restaurants and the characters.

And in case you'd like a money saving tip, 1 or 2 squeezable Brita bottles really helped us. We could have good tasting water whenever we wanted. If water got warm, no issues dump it and get some more at a fountain or a CS place. Buying bottles of water really adds up quick. In 3 trips to Florida so far, I don't remember buying one bottle of water. We would just use a carabiner clip to attach it to a belt loop or purse or backpack.

Wishing you a great Disney trip!

 

[Ed597]

This is our first trip back in more than a decade and we will only be traveling with one teen rather than six kids. This will be a totally different experience.

I feel like we should stop reading and just relax and enjoy but I am also feeling that a certain degree of planning needs to happen based on how busy things can be in the park.

What did you wish you knew before going to any of the four parks?

 

[JABRacingOne]

The good news is that, should you find your plan not working you can always just hit "optimize" while you're at the park. Adjust on the fly!

To me, this is by far the most effective way to use Touring Plans. Use the app on the fly while in the parks. Check one attraction off the list and then re-optimize. Tourning Plans keeps your FP and ADR times intact as it re-optimizes. Great tool IMHO.

 

[Kelandsam]

This!! 100%!! This is my 20 year olds 12th (?) trip and my 22nd. When it came to ADR's (we're qsdp) she wanted a sit down each night. Alrighty, no problem and she chose what she wanted. OOP, sure, but it's her 20th birthday trip. Then came FP+ on Sunday. I had a plan, well maybe a spreadsheet but let her choose And she picked things I never would've (headliners only for FP+ here). My dd flat out said..stop being twitchy, we're going with the flow haha. Are we going to spend a lot of time on transportation and I'm twitchy about it? Yup. But it's her birthday trip and I'm happy she's into planning it.

I'm trying to quote Eastern, so if it didn't work..sorry!!

 

[kydisneyfans]

Don't set a schedule with times so planned out you can't be flexible and enjoy a trip. Scheduling 3 character greets, 2 meals, and a couple of fastpasses usually add extra walking that isn't needed and lessens the spontaneity of the trip.

We do 4-4-4 if the park is open at least 12 hours. Rope drop for 4 hours, 4 hours at the resort, 4 hours in the evening either at the same park if it wasn't too busy, or we hop to another. We check the wait time apps to make that decision.

If going a week, take a day off. 6-7 days in a row at a theme park isn't a vacation. Take a day (or 2) to enjoy your resort. All of them have great pools, extra activities, etc. Resort hop, Disney Springs, mini golf. Head to AKL and see the savannah. Take a tour of Christmas decor at the resorts, there is more than plenty to do on a down day. Get a midweek rest and review what you want to do the remaining days.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

Eat lunch early. "Hangry" is a real thing, and it is totally preventable. It's kind of like the restroom rule (go ahead and try). Even if you think you aren't hungry at 11, you will be surprised at how much more pleasant lunch is before the line is out the door. And you might be surprised at how hungry you are.

One more thought...

If I answered the question about what I wish I knew before I went the FIRST time, it would be "If you had wings" is a great ride once you run out of E tickets

 

[Araminta18]

Eat lunch early. "Hangry" is a real thing, and it is totally preventable. It's kind of like the restroom rule (go ahead and try). Even if you think you aren't hungry at 11, you will be surprised at how much more pleasant lunch is before the line is out the door. And you might be surprised at how hungry you are.

Echoing this! Hangry and tired is a thing. Eat early, and you get to rest a little bit too

 

[joyjoy]

Here's mine: Use the mobile ordering at the QS restaurants that have it. You don't have to order days in advance, even 20 mins before you get there works. We used it at Pecos Bill, Restaurantasaurus, Columbia Harbor House, BoG lunch and Satu'uli Canteen. It worked GREAT. No line whatsoever. At Satu'uli, we realized once we had our food that they had WINE (yay) and rather than wait in line for a glass of wine, we started eating, mobile ordered the wine, got the notification on our phone in five minutes and picked up our drinks with no wait.

Edit: We did order our BoG a day or two before. The others only let you order the day of, but that's fine, who knows what they want to eat 2 days from now?

 

[sara_s]

Agree with eating lunch early. That way, you can go back to the resort around 2 or 3 and rest/shower up, then have a nice dinner and go back in the park for fireworks and a last ride or two!

 

[TwoHeartsBeat]

I wish I knew I could rent a tent site, and get my fast passes and dining reservations ahead of time.

 

[BadRomance]

I wish I'd realized how addicting Disney is!

This is the truth! My main thing I wish I had realized is that it's impossible for me to do one and done experiences with Disney. This past trip was supposed to be once in a lifetime and so we stayed at the Grand and dined at the best of the best. Yeah... I'm sorry but we are totally going to have to stay at the Grand Floridian again, and eat at California Grill, and do the fantasmic dining package and everything else I lied about and said it was going to be a one time experience! And don't even get me started on our Disney Cruise. All I want to do is cruise for every vacation from now on.

 

[mullysisters]

I wish I had known how much my little ones would want to watch parades, shows, and fireworks. This stuff is less interesting to me so I didn't really budget time for it. We had to switch up some plans when I saw their intense desire to see Minnie Mouse dance on stage.

This is one of the nicest, most Disney things I've read in a while! "Just to see Minnie dance". We are taking my two great-nephews next year (5&3) and we definitely need to remember this!

 

[mullysisters]

Wow, that's a pla

Hi

I wish I knew to have a plan on a Spreadsheet like this ( I do now )

Decide which parks on what days in advance (use crowd Calendar) then you don't have to do the "Lets decide where are we going today?" deal
Book ADR's if undecided book a few but cancel early so others can pick up.
Book FP+ for everyday regardless
Enter all this on said spreadsheet
Print A3 (BIG) in colour and tape to the refrigerator door or door of the Condo or room while there.
If you need to change the plan while there do, but be prepared to go back to it (because you will)

Oh and keep everything paperwork wise (printouts, tickets, car hire, scans of passports, plane tickets etc etc ) in OneNote (stored on OneDrive so you can access it on your phone)

Regards

Paul

Wow, that's a planner after my own heart. In colour and using One Note too!

 

[mullysisters]

Touring plans is scaring me a bit.

I am a planner... but I am also really good at winging it and not planning. Touring plans makes me feel like I will have our group moving and moving as opposed to exploring and enjoying. But - there is something to be said for not waiting in lines and seeing more and doing more. Not sure what to do still.

I don't use Touring Plans, except for crowd levels. I look at every crowd report I can get but I still do early mornings EMH, late breakfasts at a resort after the park gets busy (say 11ish) siesta at my resort or shop and resort tour. Swimming and rest till 5 or 6pm then head to a different park(we're fastpassers) Thats all the planning needed. 10 trips, mostly in May, all great!

 

[mullysisters]

Here's mine: Use the mobile ordering at the QS restaurants that have it. You don't have to order days in advance, even 20 mins before you get there works. We used it at Pecos Bill, Restaurantasaurus, Columbia Harbor House, BoG lunch and Satu'uli Canteen. It worked GREAT. No line whatsoever. At Satu'uli, we realized once we had our food that they had WINE (yay) and rather than wait in line for a glass of wine, we started eating, mobile ordered the wine, got the notification on our phone in five minutes and picked up our drinks with no wait.

Edit: We did order our BoG a day or two before. The others only let you order the day of, but that's fine, who knows what they want to eat 2 days from now?

Yikes! Could DIsney get any better?

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Here's mine: Use the mobile ordering at the QS restaurants that have it. You don't have to order days in advance, even 20 mins before you get there works. We used it at Pecos Bill, Restaurantasaurus, Columbia Harbor House, BoG lunch and Satu'uli Canteen. It worked GREAT. No line whatsoever. At Satu'uli, we realized once we had our food that they had WINE (yay) and rather than wait in line for a glass of wine, we started eating, mobile ordered the wine, got the notification on our phone in five minutes and picked up our drinks with no wait.

Edit: We did order our BoG a day or two before. The others only let you order the day of, but that's fine, who knows what they want to eat 2 days from now?

Quick question: I've read that you can't use the Dining Plan with the mobile ordering. Also, you can't use it if you have a food allergy. Are these true?

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Here's a small and very specific one, but DH wants me to mention it.
I kept warning him that the waves at the Typhoon Lagoon wave pool are serious. Like, knock a full-grown man off his feet serious. He didn't believe me.

We went during our honeymoon and he walked right out into them...and got knocked head over heels, lost his glasses (found them and they were fine--whew), etc. Once I figured out he was OK, I laughed at him quite a bit. Listen to your wife, dear!

And now we're reading the riot act to our adventuresome 9-year-old over the wave pool. He's a good swimmer, but he needs to stay close to us. I think he's taking me seriously, though...he's heard dad's story too many times!

Yes!!!

I feel like I almost lost my life in the wave pool in 2003. WeI was holding my son when the wave hit. I lost my earrings, sunglasses, my balance and almost my son.