How To Get The Most Out Of Your Disney Vacation... With Or Without Kids
- A. Kremnev
- Dec 22, 2019
- 4 min read
Since Disney+ arrived, unleashing all your favourite childhood movies from the vault and creating a new spawn of wannabe Mousketeers out of your children, it's more tempting now than ever to say "fork it" and book a damn trip to go see the rat.
Of course, being the responsible adult you are, you use the last of your available balance to make it rain on that "Payment Information" page and seal the deal.
Although you are excited, there is a hint of dread due to the pressure of making this the perfect trip, fulfilling the prophecy of "The Happiest Place on Earth".
Every parent has visions of their child elated at the sight of Mickey, dampened by the transformation into a gremlin fed after midnight that is sure to occur at approximately 3pm each day.
It is quite amusing, when your kid has resisted the "change", to see dozens of parents with that dead look in their eyes, the sound of a pissed off cat in a stroller fading into the distance with every step.
To avoid being a participant in this lovely scenario, you should know a few simple tips that make all the difference when traveling with kids, or alone, depending on what you're into.
Baby Care Centers are located in each theme park at Walt Disney World and are a life saver in the event your child sharts out the turkey leg they just downed, followed by the realization you forgot diapers.
Providing families with a comfortable place for changing and feeding, these centers also have baby essentials for purchase, including those diapers.
Bringing your own snacks are the one thing you will thank yourself for when staring at a $35 price tag on a granola bar. Alright, it's not that bad, but it feels that way knowing you could buy a box and a half for the price of a single one at the parks.
Disney allows you to bring your own food and beverages into the park which will save you hundreds in the long run.
To those booze hounds who are wondering, you are able to purchase alcohol throughout each theme park, with the exception of Magic Kingdom, where it is only offered at full-service restaurants.
As to be expected, Disney will gouge you, with a beer often hovering around $10 USD. Be sure to bring your passport as your ID could be rejected, especially if it isn't from the US.
The good news, there is no need to buy bottled water as free ice water is offered throughout the parks at most service stands, if you don't see it, all you have to do is ask.
Take a Break and have a seat in the air conditioning, perhaps for a meal, at least once throughout your day. It will do wonders to improve your mood and get you pumped up to wait 45 minutes to meet Princess Jasmine.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, head to Disney Springs for a relaxed shopping and dining experience, complete with live entertainment and a reprieve from the mosh pit of a busy Disney park.
Better yet, if your accommodations are close, go home for the afternoon, when it is hottest, and come back rested to see the parks at night. The lights are beautiful and you will notice most families have gone home for the day after sweating balls trying to beat the heat.
Take advantage of the FastPass+ system to skip the line and save oodles of time. Without it, you will find yourself spending most of your day waiting for rides, kids bored and your back aching.
A fast pass is similar to a reservation. You are given a time slot with a duration of one hour to show up and ride by way of a separate, much shorter line.
To do this, download the My Disney Experience app and reserve your selected fast passes by linking your park tickets.
Not all rides will have a fast pass available as some are more popular than others. Due to this, it is best to check back often to see if anything new popped up for you to grab, be aware, it changes quickly.
You are able to book fast passes 30 days in advance for each day and reserve up to three at a time. The rules vary based on what kind of ticket you purchase but in our experience, once we used a fast pass we were able to book another one to replace it right away.
Book a Character Dining Experience to meet several of your favourite Disney characters without the legwork of finding them (and waiting in line) at the park.
While you dine, characters will visit each table to interact with you, take pictures and sign an autograph book, if you've gone down that never ending road, sometimes making it around twice if you're lucky.
There are a variety of options when it comes to location, type of food, serving style and price to choose from, making it easy to find the perfect experience to suit you.
Finally, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is a fun, free, interactive scavenger hunt to help pass the time in between fast passes.
You are given a map with a deck of spell cards and as the sorcerer you have now become, need to find 20 portals throughout the park to battle a villain using those cards.
Once you find the portal, you stand where indicated and hold up your card to get started. The portal will come to life, unveiling a story before you that builds with each stop.
I hope this helps to avoid some common Disney World mistakes that tend to make "Jack a dull boy".
No matter what, a great time is always waiting here. You will be shocked by how much thought and detail Disney puts into their attractions and the staff are always there to help, even to calm down your gremlin.
If you take anything away from this, let it be the knowledge that Disney World is so massive, it is impossible to do everything in one trip. Just enjoy your time here and don't rush it.
Go in with no expectations and you will come out with wonderful memories that will help you forget the times you pulled your hair out.
Tell us what you do to get the most out of your vacation when visiting Disney. Leave us a comment and feel free to reach out if you would like more information on anything you read here on 200degrees.
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