If you’re hoping for the Perfect Disney Vacation, there are some tips and tricks to know ahead of time. While there are plenty of magical surprises to be had in the parks and outside of the parks, sometimes it really are the simple things that matter. Things that help you maximize your time at Disney and help you to be prepared can make all the difference. As such we’re sharing these Disney Vacation tips for the Perfect Vacation to help you keep it all together, while you’re experiencing the magic.
Contents
- 1 Keep Your Phone Charged
- 2 Be Extra Aware of the Weather
- 3 Embrace Planning Your Disney Vacation Ahead of Time
- 4 Learn and Love the My Disney Experience App
- 5 Be Ready to Mobile Order Your Food at Disney
- 6 Take Time to Do Less with Less To Do
- 7 Choose your top 3 Favorite Rides in each Park
- 8 Play Disney Games that Keep You out of Lines
- 9 Have a Resort Day to Take a Break from the Crowds
- 10 Find the Best New Disney Snacks
- 11 Build Up Your immunity BEFORE you head to the Parks
Keep Your Phone Charged
A simple recommendation? Yes. But how often does your phone still die in the parks? You don’t want to be fighting for a spot among crowds of guests in the phone charging area. So, make sure you have a portable charger handy. Or grab at Fuelrod in the parks. Fuelrod boxes can be found across the parks and at Disney Springs, and allow you to swap out a dead battery rod for a fresh one, whenever you’re nearby. If you’re taking video, lots of photos, have your notifications on, or are facetiming during your vacation, plan on your battery needing charged often. Going prepared means you won’t have to worry about stopping to charge your phone, or being without your camera and socials when you need them.
Be Extra Aware of the Weather
Florida weather can be all over the place. With Hurricane Season at Disney lasting about 6 months, you can plan for rain and heat. And frankly, it’s Florida, it’s gonna be hot. Make your life easier and be prepared. Plan on lighter fabrics for your clothes, wear tank tops or shorts that breathe. Keep your hair up or under a hat. PLAN for times inside. Whether that’s more time at your resort, or in the lobby of a nearby resort to the parks. We love the Disney Resorts on the Monorail as a way to escape the weather and crowds. And there are plenty of Disney Indoor Rides to Stay out of the Heat. And if you’re visiting during the rainy season, and want to limit indoor time, we get it! We’ve also introduced new packable rain jackets in our store, and LOVE them for rainy days in the parks.
Embrace Planning Your Disney Vacation Ahead of Time
Lots of Planning is one of the biggest Disney Vacation Tips. From deciding how long you should stay at Disney World, to which park to visit which day, there are alot of decisions to be made. Plan a sit-down meal at your favorite restaurant in each Park, and make a list of which rides you Must Do while you’re there. That way you’ll be able to add the fun stuff in between your main priorities. Grab our Disney Vacation Planners to help guide everything you need to do ahead of time. Since this planner comes with attractions and restaurants lists for each park it’s easy to circle your favorites and plan out your days. Or you can tackle it on your own with our How to Plan a Day at Disney World post.
Learn and Love the My Disney Experience App
The My Disney Experience App is your lifeline to everything you need to know at Walt Disney World. This app lets you know bus arrival times at your resort, ride wait times, can unlock your resort room, and pay for your food. It also contains all your plans, from your resort stay to your dining reservations. Learn it and Love it. While you will be checking on the app throughout the day for things like mobile ordering food at Disney, checking Happily Ever After Showtimes and even shopping at the Disney gifts shops. It truly is a lifeline to everything you need to know while you’re on a Disney trip.
Be Ready to Mobile Order Your Food at Disney
In order to keep lines at a minimum, Walt Disney World has added even more Disney Parks restaurants that offer Mobile Order to the list. Check out our quick guide to Disney Mobile Order if this service is new to you. Your first step is to make sure you have a credit card loaded in the app BEFORE you go on your vacation. We’ve had so much success with just being able to order and have food ready at the walk-up counter in about 15 minutes. It’s one of the most needed Disney Vacation Tips for Disney vacations from here on out. Even more is that you can also add Disney Gift Cards to the app to pay for your food as well. While the app won’t store the gift cards, you can still add them. We recommend typing your Disney gift card info into your notes app so it’s easy to copy and paste into the app when you need it.
Take Time to Do Less with Less To Do
It’s tough not to overplan. In Magic Kingdom alone there are over 25 rides, needless to say, you won’t get to them all in one day. But the risk of overplanning to fit it all in is real. As such we like doing less by being more mindful with the activities in our day. This gives you the opportunity to have MORE FUN and not just a series of checkboxes you check off while battling crowds. You can play the Disney Games we love. Or grab special snacks and stroll around the park finally noticing the details. Take time out for rides you’ve never experienced before. Our tip? Plan for your Disney day to Include 3 Rides, 1 Table Service Meal, 1 Parade or Show, and 1 Character Meet and Greet.
This type of Disney Itinerary for each park will allow you to make the most of your day by adding some variety as well as making sure you do the important things. Everything else can simply happen around these 6 things. Making it easier to see the Dapper Dans, or stop for Pixie Dust at the Barber shop. Because with a planned day, you have less to do, and more fun to be flexible with.
Choose your top 3 Favorite Rides in each Park
Since we always recommend just One Park Per Day at Walt Disney World, we recommend making a plan! Pick your Must-Do Rides in each park and decide what ride strategy to use. Will you 1. Wait in line with the standby queue? 2. Will you buy a Lightning Lane individual pass? 3. Will you purchase Disney Genie Plus and have 2 Lightning Lane rides for your day. You’ll have to figure out which rides actually warrant the extra cost. As a reminder, Disney Genie Plus costs extra, as does Lightning Lane Passes. Read all about Lightning Lane at Disney World before making a plan. While wait times may be generally low the illusion of extra time not on a schedule could have you leaving the park wondering why you didn’t get to do everything you wanted. Make your priority ride and restaurant lists ahead of time.
Play Disney Games that Keep You out of Lines
Taking time to experience what makes Disney world special is important. While every theme park includes rides, and rollercoasters, you won’t find Hidden Mickeys anywhere but Disney Parks. You can find the Hidden Pascals in Magic Kingdom at the Tangled area. And you can search for Hidden Mickeys in all four parks, the resorts, rides, and Disney Springs. Add in games like Wilderness Explorers or the EPCOT Festival games and you’ll find there is nothing better than spending your day playing. Because there is plenty to do at Walt Disney World that has nothing to do with rides or food! Take this time to discover those things. This carpet at the Beach Club Resort and there’s always more to be found.
Have a Resort Day to Take a Break from the Crowds
One of the best Disney Vacation Tips involves getting to know your Disney Resort! There are walkways, gift shops, restaurants, and some even have beaches. No matter where you are staying take the time to be outside, walk the paths and learn your home for your vacation time. Often we are so on the go that all the amazing resort things go completely unnoticed! From Movies Under the Stars at each resort, to trivia games at the pool, or campfire stories with s’mores, there are plenty of things to do if you’re not going to the parks. Just be sure to check the Resort Recreation guide when you check in for all the details and times. Check out all our favorite Resorts at Walt Disney World.
Find the Best New Disney Snacks
Disney World is filled with food. And every month, and season you can find NEW Disney Snacks you haven’t tried yet! From the Wonderland Slushy to keep you cool to the luscious Waffle Sundae at Sleepy Hollow, to the guacamole at Choza de Margarita. Add in half pound cookies you can only get at Gideon’s in Disney Springs, and all the new treats that show up for special occasions and there is plenty to eat! Enjoying your Disney vacation is about taking time for the little things, be sure to make time for it!
Build Up Your immunity BEFORE you head to the Parks
We’ve talked before about how to stay healthy while traveling and ALWAYS go back to one thing. Emergencee. This powdered Vitamin C supplement has tons of B vitamins we usually need to keep going during park days, but that’s not why we take it. As Ohioans, we generally fly to Florida, which means airplane cabin air and germs. So, we usually take Emergencee daily 1-2 weeks before any vacation. You can also take high potency Vitamin C supplements or Airborne gummies. Stocking your body up with Vitamin C ahead of time will prep it for the potential germs and help ward off sunburn ( Bonus!). We also highly recommend a regular bedtime with at least 8 hours of sleep, nutrient-dense meals like soups and vegetable dishes, and lots and lots of liquids.
Make your Disney Vacation More Enjoyable
Hopefully, this has given you a quick list of stuff to consider ahead of your Disney vacation. While it surely is a jungle out there, there are ways you can increase your personal health and safety and be prepared enough to actually enjoy your vacation. If you have any other ideas you want to add, just let us know! We’ll be adding more tips as we find them.
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
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