Tips
For Disney World First-Timers
by: Cara Goldsbury
So
you’ve finally decided to head to Walt Disney World.
With so much to see and do, it’s important to come
prepared. Here are some excellent tips to make your trip
one that will be remembered for a lifetime.
-
Plan ahead. Decide ahead of time what your priorities
are and make a plan of action.
-
Get
to the parks early! It’s amazing, particularly
in busy season, how many of the popular rides you can
knock off before half the “World” gets out
of bed.
-
Take the time to rest in the middle of the day. Stay
at one of the Magic Kingdom or Epcot resorts, allowing
a return in the middle of the day for a nap or dip in
the pool.
-
Call exactly 90 days prior at 7 AM Orlando time for
priority seating if breakfast at Cinderella’s
Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom is tops on your child’s
list. The only way you might get away with sleeping
in and booking a bit later for this highly coveted character
breakfast is if you are traveling in extremely slow
season.
-
Come prepared for an afternoon shower during the rainy
summer months even if the sky looks perfectly clear
in the morning. Rent a locker to store your raingear
and circle back if skies start to look threatening.
However, if you’re caught unprepared, just about
every store in the parks sells inexpensive rain ponchos.
-
Use Fastpass, Disney’s free, nifty timesaving
device. It’s offered at all four theme parks and
is a great way to save hours of waiting in line. Just
insert your park pass in one of the machines located
at each individual Fastpass attraction and receive a
ticket printed with a designated one-hour window in
which you may return and enter a special line with little
or no waiting.
-
Pre-arrange
priority seating, Disney’s answer to dining reservations,
by calling 407-WDW-DINE. On arrival you’ll receive
the next table available for your party size, thus saving
hours of frustration and waiting.
-
Allow plenty of time to reach the theme parks each morning.
It’s easy to miss your breakfast priority seating
if you don’t allocate enough time.
-
Be spontaneous. If something catches your eye, even
if it’s not on your daily list of things to do,
stop and explore. If not, you could miss something wonderful.
-
Realize
the limitations of your children. If they’re tired,
take a break. If their feet hurt, get them a stroller
(forget that they outgrew one years ago). If a ride
scares them don’t force the issue. Such precautions
will make your day and the day of other park visitors
a lot less stressful.
-
Bring pagers, 2-way radios, or cell phones. If your
party plans on splitting up, they are a perfect way
to keep in touch.
-
Wear broken-in, comfortable footwear. Better yet, bring
two pairs and rotate them. Nothing is worse than blisters
on your first day and then nursing them for the remainder
of your vacation.
-
Most importantly, slow down and enjoy the magic. Resist
the urge to see everything at breakneck speed. You can’t
possibly cover it all, so think of this as your first
trip to Disney, not your last. There will be time to
pick up all the things you missed on the next go-round.
