There are quite a few things I try to avoid at Walt Disney World. Some are for a great reason, some are silly. Whatever you do, take them as a grain of salt. Hopefully if you love something I don't, you can prove me wrong! (That is welcomed!) Everyone has different favorites!
But, here are the things I try to avoid at ALL COSTS:
10. Wasting Fast Passes on shows.
While there are times of the year where any Fast Pass is worth it, we try to skip wasting Fast Passes on shows because you only have to get to a show about 15-30 minutes ahead of time to get a seat. We have realized that every seat in the shows are just fine! We tend to try to get closer to the 15 minute mark, but have missed a few that way. Maybe grab a snack or make plans for your next move.
I would recommend getting to night shows/fireworks more like 30-40 minutes before the show due to the amount of people getting in at once. We grab food and camp out at the shows to eat in there so we don't waste that time. But, because of time you wait, Fast Passes can be helpful for those shows.
9. Waiting in a million lines.
While it is inevitable to wait in a lot of lines at WDW, many are avoidable. Typically the lines in the middle are the longest, so consider heading to lines on the far right or far left as there will likely be much shorter lines, or sometimes none at all. Other ways to avoid long lines is to book the right Fast Passes early & to get to the parks early in the morning, which leads to my next point...
8. Getting the kids "Kids Meals."
This is especially true if you have the meal plans because they allow kids (over age 2) to get adult meals in place of kids meals at quick service meals. Why is this a big deal? Because my kids can easily share with me or each other a regular meal for the same price and most of the kids meals weren't filling enough for them. Then we could also use less meal credits which would turn into more meals included.
So, consider the prices before just getting the kids their own kids meals. That may be the best route to go, but very well may not. We love to share in our house, so we would order 3-4 meals and then order more if we needed it. Usually we found ourselves eating more small meals and snacks which meant we got to try more food around the park and that was fun and kept things interesting!
7. Sleeping in.
I love to sleep in. Some of my favorite things to do on vacation (or any day for that matter) are sleeping in, taking naps and going to bed early. But, NONE of these happen when I am at Disney. Just ask my family! So many amazing things happen in the morning. We typically can get through 5-6 attractions before 11am when Magic Kingdom opens before we even start using our Fast Passes! This is because the lines are SO MUCH shorter - sometimes saving over an hour PER RIDE. It is so nice to avoid the lines and enjoy so much in such a short period of time.
If you love to sleep in on vacation, consider adding a few extra days/nights to your trip so you can have some early mornings and sleep in some too! Or, consider going to the parks in the morning, heading back for a nap/swim and returning around dinner time to finish the night! This is especially ideal during high volume seasons when the parks are open until Midnight or later.
6. Winging it.
I love laid back vacations where you can show up, relax and go with the flow. Due to the popularity of WDW, you will likely not get to do much without a plan. There are barely any walk in restaurant reservations most places - especially for parties larger than two. Fast Passes can feel limiting, but not jumping to the head of the lines with them may frustrate you. The reason the long lines aren't as bad is because you can jump to the front of other lines with Fast Passes.
It is totally fine to wing it if you don't have a very long priority lists, but I have had countless families miss so much they wanted to do because they didn't want to plan ahead.
5. Table Service Meals.
There is a time and place for sit down meals. For crazy people (like us) who stay at the park from open to close, it is nice to sit in a restaurant for 1 1/2-2 hours to get a meal in air conditioning and maybe sneak in meeting characters with the character meals.
For our last trip (with 5 little kids) we did the standard Disney Dining Plan for the 8 of us so we could do character meals every day. We knew that each of the kids had 10 or more characters they wanted to meet, so this was a way to put a dent in that list. While it was best for our trip this time, it isn't always ideal.
If you decide to either sleep in or take a nap mid-day, the table service meals really eat into your time at the parks. (Pun intended - I'm hilarious.) Consider doing table service meals in hotels/Disney Springs on days you aren't hitting the parks - just feels like wasting cash when you spend money on park tickets and the crazy expensive meals on park days. One or two on your park days is great, but consider taking it easy if you want to get your money's worth.
4. Impulse shopping in the parks.
Micky Ears. Princess Dresses. Pirate Hats. Bracelets. Pandora Charms. Avatars. Pet Dragons. You name it, they got it. Disney has So. Much. Merchandise.
To avoid impulse shopping in the parks, we typically do our souvenir shopping before our trip. We typically buy the kids hoodies (we typically travel in winter) or Disney shirts. Let's be real - we get them hoodies AND shirts. I frequently shop the clearance at Target, the local Disney Store/Outlet/website. I shop for months leading up to the trip - its my Disney prep therapy. The prices are much better honestly and mostly I just love avoiding wanting to buy ALL. THE. THINGS. in the parks. It is incredibly tempting.
Ironically when it is just my husband and I, we tend to browse more and often get something for the family. Last trip we got the Finding Nemo the Musical CD (disney nerd alert) which has made the drive to school on snowy days much more pleasant. Also helps me go to my happy place of remembering Disney memories amidst the chaos of real life.
3. Buying water.
I LOVE water. With the exception of as many Iced Vanilla Chais from Starbucks as I can justify and the occasional Sangria, water is all I drink. With free water at all the parks - drinking fountains if you have your own cup or Quick Service pick up windows - there is no reason to spend a penny of your spending money on water. Any Quick Service pick up window will also give you a glass of ice water even if you didn't order anything. As many as you'd like! There is no reason to spend a penny on water. Don't do it!
Also, with the meal plans, remember if you get a free glass of water instead of a drink, you can replace your drink in a combo with an extra side or dessert item! Gotta make the most of that meal plan!
2. Wasting time/wandering.
Consider planning ahead whenever you have time to spare. Waiting in line is a perfect time to browse the restaurant menu for your meal. Waiting at the parade provides you an opportunity to figure out how to get to your next Fast Pass and what other rides you want to go to on the way. Use your time to plan ahead so you can avoid wandering. It's the worst.
1. Annoying rides (such as Tomorrowland Speedway).
Can you say outdated?! I am SHOCKED that the Tomorrowland speedway is not disappearing when the new Tron coaster is heading into the Magic Kingdom in the next couple years. This ride is horrible - so uncomfortable, jerky & gas emissions you can taste. It. Is. Torture.
My kids beg for it and so I allow someone else to take them or just tell them it's a bummer we couldn't get a Fast Pass for that one. There are so many better places to ride a go cart (outside of WDW) that would far surpass this experience. Avoid it at all costs. You have been warned. You're welcome.
I also find water rides (Splash Mountain, Kali River Rapid, etc.) annoying because I hate walking around the park wet. I'm not sure why, but it really bothers me. I have learned that over time. That may not be the truth for you, but whatever you know makes you uncomfortable, know it's ok to skip it.
So, hopefully you can avoid a few of these things at least - all of them if you are lucky. Whatever I can do to make sure your vacation suits your family - please don't judge how high maintenance I am!
Who wants to waste their time on annoying things on vacation?! Not. Me.
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