Random Disney Tips
This is all of the stuff that fit nowhere yet everywhere at the same time when I was trying to think of Disney World things that make our annual trip better. (P.S. This is the very last mention of Disney World I'll make. For now. Promise.) So . . . uh . . . randomness.
Random Disney Tip #1: Hidden Mickeys are the bomb. I don't care if saying that makes me sound like I should grab a cane and some Metamucil, I like searching high and low for the hidden Mickeys.
For the blissfully oblivious, hidden Mickeys are exactly what they sound like--there are Mickeys hidden all over the place at Disney World. The twisted minds that design the rides and such are really quite excellent at making something that should be obvious blend in really well. In other words, some of them are REALLY FREAKIN HARD to find.
And I love it.
There is no better way to make a line not quite so painful than to spend your time trying to find Mickey. Rides that I should be sick of by now are fresh and new each time because I'm looking for the damn rat. When Alexis starts impersonating Goofy on speed, I can focus her attention on trying to find a Mickey no matter where we are. When she is a little bit older, I plan to make it a contest to see who can find the most of them each day. And, yes, I will cheat. I'm not above that.
Random Disney Tip #2: There's plenty of debate about whether it's better to stay on property or at Downtown Disney or in Kissimmee (you pretty much have to research and see which is the best fit for you), there isn't much debate that if you are going to Disney World with a group large enough to need two hotel rooms, you may very well save money by renting a condo. We have used this company and ended up happy with the decision.
(Side note: If you stay on property, the Dining Plan is a very good idea. It's confusing as all heck, though. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions as you are booking and while you are there. The Cast Members are used to it.)
Random Disney Tip #3: The best time to visit Disney World is October. The weather is usually good and the parks are fairly empty. One word of warning, though--there WILL be some major attraction that is closed every October. If you've got your heart set on a particular attraction, it's worth researching to be sure it's not scheduled to be shut down.
Random Disney Tip #4: Pay attention to the details. They are what makes Disney amazing, in my opinion. For example, stand in a spot in the Magic Kingdom. Look all around. Can you see a trash can? Of course you can. Now try another spot. And another. And another. I bet you can't find a place where there is not a trash can within your line of vision. That's no mistake.
Some other little details that fascinate me include:
-- There are no mirrors above the sinks in most restrooms. It seems people move faster when they aren't primping and staring at themselves.
-- Try to figure out why you seldom see anyone emptying a trash can in the Magic Kingdom and yet you rarely (if ever) see an overflowing trash can.
-- Look for a newspaper and some gum. Good luck.
-- If it happens to rain while you are at Disney World, watch how quickly rain gear magically appears all over the place.
-- I'll be the first to admit that a lot of the food at Disney World pretty much sucks, but sit and watch just how many people flow through a line in five minutes. It's mind-blowing when you start thinking about the scale of it all. For example, there are reports that Disney World sells 10 million hamburgers each year.
-- When you're walking around the Magic Kingdom, you're on the 2nd floor of the complex. If you look around, you'll be able to find the entrances that Cast Members use to go down to the 1st floor, but only if you look hard.
-- Lotso really does smell like strawberries. AND HE IS EVIL.
Random Disney Tip #5: If you have a moment where you feel overwhelmed by everything, consider the fact that it's like that every day. When I worked at Mickey's Character Shop, 35,000 people shopped there daily. They collectively spent $1,000,000. EACH WEEK. It's always nuts.
Because it's always nuts, you can be certain that whatever your situation, you aren't all that special. Someone else has already used that line, tried that scam, or worked that angle. You should absolutely say something if a situation comes up that needs to be addressed, just know that trying to work the system is likely to end in failure. It's up to you to make sure you have the time of your life.
Random Disney Tip #6: The rules that exist at Disney World exist for a reason. So, for example, don't try to cheat the height requirements on rides. The Cast Members aren't trying to be jerks when they turn your kid away. It's truly not safe for someone that size to be on that ride.
One of my roommates worked at Splash Mountain. Every day people would try to cheat the height requirement by rushing past the Cast Members, putting the kid in shoes that made them seem taller, having the kid wear a big hat or big hair, etc. It seemed that every time someone succeeded, they would end up with a kid with a bloody mouth because the kid would lean forward during the big fall and end up smashing their teeth against the bar.
Just cooperate if a Cast Member asks you to follow a rule. They truly do know something that you don't.
Random Disney Tip #7: Take snacks and drinks with you if it's feasible. This year we stopped at Target when we got to Orlando and spent $60 on snacks and bottled water. That saved us a ton of time and money because we didn't have to stand in line to buy a $3 bottle of water each time Alexis was thirsty.
By the way, if you ask for a cup of water at any restaurant, they'll give you one for free. If you just ask for water, they'll sell you bottled water.
Random Disney Tip #8: If you have a smart phone, find some apps. There are apps that have maps, dining information, attraction wait times, etc.
The most useful app, though, might just be Foursquare. I know that sounds weird, but I was constantly checking Foursquare when we were at Disney World. There are tons of tips loaded for just about everything.
Random Disney Tip #9: Check out all of the great websites that have tons of information about Disney World. Here are a few:
Undercover Tourist (Slightly discounted park tickets. Thanks to @MarkECib for the heads up on this one.)
Random Disney Tip #10: Have fun!
Please add anything I may have missed in comments!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Reader Comments (13)
I've enjoyed all of your tips. I know Disney is in my not too terribly distant future since my mother lives an hour away from it now. And I'm incredibly intimidated by visiting it because of the hundreds of sites dedicated to planning a trip there. I just want to watch my kids' faces light up. I'm thinking it might even be less stressful since we will likely stay with my mom and spend 1 day at the park, 1 day off, 1 day at the park, 1 day off so no one gets strung out and grumpy (that would be me).
annnnnnd now I want to go to Disney World even more!
I need to do one of these for Disneyland. We got 3-4 times each year, and things that are obvious to me are probably shocking eye-openers for other people.
Thank you so much for all the great Disney tips. We are going the last week of August and I am really counting the days. I cant wait to see Disney through my sons eyes. Any tips on the water parks?
Thanks again:)
Thank you so much for all the tips. Hubby and I have been planning a trip (no set date yet) and are kind of clueless where to go and when and what to do. This has been a huge help. I'll be referring back to it when it comes time to finally officially plan to spend money.
@Kathleen--Blizzard Beach SUUUUCKS. It's all concrete and waiting in line is miserable there. Plus, if I wanted to see snow (albeit fake snow) I could just look out the window. Typhoon Lagoon, however, if an absolute blast. Like, I could live there because it's so fun. Blizzard Beach has the more "extreme" slides and such, but Typhoon Lagoon has, I think, a better variety of things to do (shark reef, surfing, etc.).
One catch to my thoughts, though. Alexis has never been to any of the water parks (it's always too cold when we go in March). I've heard that Blizzard Beach is a little better than Typhoon Lagoon for small kids.
You just made my DAY! We are going in October, right before Halloween, so we'll be attending the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (and I think it's the food and wine festival in Epcot), but I didn't know that was the BEST time to go!
One tip I have is about buying park tickets. The more days you buy, the cheaper it gets. Last time we went, we bought 10 days worth, with no expiration, which was barely more expensive than buying the 5 days worth that we needed at the time. When we go back in October, we're all set for park tickets.
Also, I've rented a house (with a pool) and a condo - and in October will be staying onsite in 1 room with Hubby and my 2 boys. I'm a little nervous about being in cramped quarters, but excited to be staying on property.
Have you ever used the babysitting services that are available at the hotels? It would be so nice for Hubby and I to be able to go out one night after the kids are in bed, but I'm not sure...
@Robyn--We have not used the babysitting service, but I do know people who have. They reported really good things about it.
We are definitely on-site people. I like being ensconced inside the magic, and not having to get behind the wheel, deal with traffic, find my car in a lot, etc.
We love the dining plan. It's not quite the value it used to be now that the tip & appetizer aren't included, but the pre-paid aspect of it is what I love. I like not having to worry about money while I am there.
If you're in a moderate or deluxe resort, you'll have a fridge (you'll have to pay a fee in the values). If you don't have a car, there are grocery services you can order from. We always get milk, water, pop & some snacks. And you don't have to be in your room for the delivery. Bell services will hold (and refrigerate) it until you are ready for delivery. We also usually order a case of beer, so when we come back to the room at night, we can have a drink without paying an arm and a leg at the resort lounge. You won't see beer or wine on the website, but when you place your order, you can call and ask for it, or put it in the comments before you submit online. We usually have a little left over at the end of the week, but "Mousekeeping" is happy to take it off your hands after you go. And speaking of them - tip your mousekeepers!
Also regarding tips - if you get your kids' face-painting or something like it and want to tip the artist, they will refuse. They have to. BUT - they are allowed to accept the tip if you offer it three times. I am a tipper and I hate the thought of not tipping, so I do this every time.
Go to walmart or target and buy a bunch of those 99 cent plastic ponchos. If you get rain while you are there (and it's Florida, so you most likely will), you can pull them out of your bag wear them while you need them, and toss them when you don't. They take up a lot less room than raincoats and umbrellas (not to mention that the parks tend to empty out a little during rain, so you get shorter lines). The shops there will be glad to sell you the same kind of ponchos with Mickey on them for 7 or 8 dollars, but I'd prefer to spend 99 cents. If they are too long for the kids, just tie them up on the sides.
WDW resort bathroom do not have much counter space. Take an over-the-door show organizer and hang it over the bathroom door, to keep all your toiletries & stuff in. Believe me - you will be glad you did. Someone gave me this tip years ago, and I do it for every vacation we go on - not just WDW - because there is never enough room in the bathroom when we go on vacation. It was my favorite tip ever.
Take advantage of the free/cheap stuff - in several places in the parks, you can take silly photos and email them home (or to friends and family) for free. A few off the top of my head are in Epcot - Imagination, Innoventions, and in the Mexico Pavilion. Pressed Penny machines are everywhere - my kids have display books to keep them in. Both Animal Kingdom and Epcot have stations for kids to stop & do activities or make crafts. Many resorts have free activities (Hidden Mickey lists, Animal watching, etc).
Not super cheap, but fun (my kids loved them) - World Showcase has passports you can buy - they have a real-looking passport, country stickers, and a pin - you take them to each country and a CM will write something to them in their native language (including the child's name, if they have a different alphabet). You can also get a cute disc necklace in Morocco with your name in Arabic pretty cheap. I love mine.
If your kids like to do pin-trading, Cast Members are the way to go. They will trade anything, as long as they don't already have what you are trying to trade. You can get some good, and rare pins. Some CMs will trade with kids only - look for the green lanyards. You can trade with random people (I personally love it when a little kid comes up & asks to trade and I ALWAYS do, but if your kid wants to do this, look for families with kids - if you see someone with a shitload of pins, they are probably a crazy obsessed pin trader and they aren't always nice. Also - if you are into pins, buy a starter trading set at your resort, and get the locking pin backs - they make for slower trading, but at least you won't lose the pins you bought.
Great tips! Here's a couple of things we always do... We stay on DIsney property, and the first day we are there, we purchase the souvenir mugs in our resort's giftshop. I think they run around $14, but doing so gets you free refills at your resort the entire length of your stay, and that includes coffee, tea and sodas. I've never done the math to see if it saves a ton of money, but it's a nice, useful souvenir, because once we are home from our trip, I use it for my morning coffee, and I'm reminded of the wonderful memories we made with our kids.
Also, for strollers. We, like BurghBaby, have never been big stroller users. We don't own a double stroller for our 2 kids (4 and 2). Rather than renting one of those plastic ones at the park, we rent from Orlando Stroller Rentals, LLC. They rent out extremely high quality jogging double strollers that fold up really easily, and when you arrive at your resort, the stroller is there waiting for you. At the end of your trip, you just leave the stroller at your hotel, and they come and pick it up. It's also cheaper than renting from Disney, and you don't have to surrender the stroller when you leave a park.
One last thing we always do....when we start planning our trip, I purchase a Disney Passporter. It's an organizational planner/travel guide, with spaces to include your dinner/air reservations, record your memories while your there, etc. It also gives tips on pretty everything there is to do at DIsney, and rates all the restaurants, attractions, and resorts, from an adult and kid perspective (the author's daughter actually does the kid ratings). Also useful, but makes a nice little souvenir when you get home!
If you are military, there is a special place on the Disney property you can stay called Shades of Green. It's a part of the resort just for you and priced cheaper.
Hidden Mickeys. I LOVE this. It'll be years before we get to go - it's so far and we have so many kids. But, I'll never forget that hidden Mickey tip!
It will be a long time before we're ready to take McBaby down to Florida, but I am really happy to read some of these tips! I haven't been to Disney World in over 10 years, and my husband has never gone. I remember liking it but my family was definitely way underprepared. I'm almost overwhelmed from all the advice I've found here - but I could not imagine ever trying to go without some kind of a plan!